Chapter 138: The Connection

Although Maeve was reluctant to leave so soon, she had no choice. Lior was surely waiting for her, and more importantly, he still needed her milk.

To be honest, her breasts had already started feeling sore again. However, Maeve chose to massage them herself rather than ask either of her husbands for help.

Who knew what kind of naughty ideas they would get if she did?

"Oh, you’re leaving too soon!" Anna looked at Maeve sadly. "There are still so many places on this mountain that I wanted to show you."

Maeve smiled warmly at her. "I know. I wanted to see them too."

She really did.

After all, her time with the Sylvara Tribe had been much more enjoyable than she had expected. Between meeting the Mother Tree, learning more about her ability, fighting alongside the Sylvara people, and even spending the night drinking with them, Maeve had grown quite attached to this place.

"But I have a baby waiting for me at home," Maeve continued. "If I stay away for too long, he might forget what his mother looks like."

Anna immediately shook her head. "A baby wouldn’t forget his mother that quickly!"

"I know." Maeve laughed. "But I still miss him."

Just thinking about Lior made her want to return even more.

She wondered what he was doing right now.

Was he sleeping? Crying? Or perhaps staring at Cerus while wondering why his mother had suddenly disappeared for several days?

[Maybe he’s already plotting revenge against you for abandoning him, Host,] Pinky suddenly said.

Maeve’s smile stiffened. ’Don’t say something so scary!’

[He’s a baby.]

’Exactly! Babies hold grudges!’

[Where did you learn that?]

Maeve ignored Pinky and turned back toward Anna. "I’ll come back again," she promised. "Next time, you can show me all those places."

Anna’s gloomy expression immediately brightened. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Then you have to stay longer next time!"

Maeve nodded. "I will."

Anna finally seemed satisfied with that answer.

Not far away, Ikarus and Axan were already preparing everything they needed for the journey home. They hadn’t brought much with them in the first place, so it didn’t take long.

However, they certainly had more things to carry now.

The Sylvara Tribe had given Maeve several gifts before she left, including fruits, dried food, and several plants that could survive outside their territory.

Maeve naturally accepted all of them with great enthusiasm. After all, anything that could grow in the Azuryn settlement was precious to her.

The seed of the Heart Tree, however, was kept separately.

Maeve carefully held the small pouch containing it.

She had already spoken with the Sky Mother before leaving and received permission to plant the seed near the Azuryn settlement instead of deep within the Lumivale Forest.

If everything went according to plan, once the Heart Tree grew and connected itself to the plants around it, Maeve might eventually be able to use Nature’s Network to watch over a much larger area around their home.

She would no longer need to rely only on scouts to know when danger was approaching.

"It was really nice having you here for a while, Maeve," Elthira said with a smile.

She walked toward Maeve while carrying something neatly folded in her arms.

Maeve looked down curiously. At first, she thought it was simply another gift from the Sylvara Tribe, but when Elthira unfolded it, she realized that it was a set of clothes.

The clothes were made from finely woven ramie fibers, a plant that grew naturally around Mountain Troja. The Sylvara people harvested the long stems, separated the fibers inside, then dried and twisted them into thin threads before weaving them together.

The result looked surprisingly soft despite being made entirely from plants.

The outfit consisted of a sleeveless tunic that reached Maeve’s thighs and a long piece of woven cloth meant to be wrapped around her waist. Thin vines had been carefully braided along the edges as decoration, while small dried flowers and green leaves were woven into the belt.

"This is..."

"Traditional clothing of the Sylvara Tribe," Elthira explained. "We usually wear it during ceremonies, celebrations, or other important occasions."

Maeve carefully accepted the clothes from her. The fabric felt slightly rougher than the clothes she had once worn on Earth, but it was much softer than she had expected.

[Ding! Ding!]

[Hidden Mission Completed: Collect Traditional Clothes from Another Tribe!]

[Reward: 22,000 Coins]

[Remaining Coins: 159,350]

Before Maeve was able to think about that hidden mission, Elthira spoke again. "I’m giving this to you as something to remember us by. "But it’s also because you’re already one of us."

Maeve blinked several times. Now that she thought about it, she had already become part of the Sylvara Tribe the moment she formed a bond with the Mother Tree.

However, receiving traditional clothing from another tribe still felt special. It was more than just a gift. It was proof that the Sylvara people truly saw her as one of their own.

Elthira gently placed her hand on Maeve’s shoulder. "Even if your home is with the Azuryn Tribe, there will always be a place for you here."

Maeve looked down at the clothes in her hands again before smiling. "Thank you. I’ll take good care of them."

"You should also come back to visit us," Elthira continued. "In fact, even if you become too busy to visit us, you still need to return to Mountain Troja at least once every three months."

Maeve looked at her in surprise. "Once every three months?"

Elthira nodded. "Your connection with the Mother Tree is different from ours. You received a great deal of her energy in a very short time, and your ability grew much faster than it normally would. Even though you can use that power on your own now, you still need to reconnect with the Mother Tree from time to time."

Maeve had assumed that once she returned to the Azuryn Tribe, she could simply continue developing her nature ability on her own. After all, she would soon have the Heart Tree growing near their settlement, and if everything went according to plan, it would eventually allow her to connect with the plants throughout that part of the Lumivale Forest.

However, it seemed the Heart Tree could not completely replace the Mother Tree. "What happens if I don’t come back after three months?" Maeve asked.

"Nothing will happen immediately," Elthira reassured her. "You won’t suddenly lose your ability, but your connection with nature may slowly become unstable. You might find it harder to control many plants at once, or you may need to use more energy than usual to do something that should normally be easy for you."

Maeve frowned slightly. She definitely didn’t want that to happen, especially now that she was planning to use her ability to protect the Azuryn Tribe.

If the Obryx or another enemy entered the Lumivale Forest, even a small problem with her ability could become dangerous.

[It makes sense, Host,] Pinky said. [The Mother Tree was the one that helped you fully awaken your connection with nature. Think of returning here as maintaining that connection.]

Maeve thought about Pinky’s explanation for a moment before nodding. Coming back once every three months wasn’t that difficult. Mountain Troja was far from their settlement, but now that they already knew the route, the next journey should be much easier.

"Alright. I’ll make sure to come back at least once every three months," Maeve promised. "I don’t want my ability suddenly becoming difficult to control when I need it the most."

"That isn’t the only reason," Elthira said. "The Mother Tree needs you too."

Maeve’s eyes widened. "She needs me?"

Elthira turned her gaze toward the enormous Mother Tree in the distance. "A connection goes both ways, Maeve. The Mother Tree gave you some of her energy, but every time you connect with her, she also receives something from you."

Maeve instinctively followed Elthira’s gaze. She remembered what the Mother Tree had told her when they first connected. Her energy was warm, and for some reason, the Mother Tree seemed particularly fond of it.

"Your energy helps nourish her," Elthira explained. "It might not seem like much because of how enormous she already is, but the Mother Tree is still alive and growing. If you return regularly and connect with her, the energy flowing between the two of you will help keep your nature ability stable while also helping the Mother Tree continue to grow."

Maeve finally understood why Elthira had specifically told her to return every three months.

It wasn’t simply because Maeve depended on the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree had also begun to depend on her.

Strangely, that realization made Maeve feel even closer to the enormous tree.

Maeve smiled as she looked toward the Mother Tree. "Then I definitely have to come back."

Elthira smiled as well. "The Mother Tree will be waiting for you."

"And I’ll bring Lior next time," Maeve added. "He should meet the giant tree that helped his mother become so powerful."