Chapter 237 Taboo Topic
Seeing the tree man in front of him, Xia En raised his eyebrows and instinctively showed a defensive posture.
But soon, Xia En discovered that the appearance of this tree man was very different from other tree men.
Its bark is dry and shrunken, extremely rough, and shows a light red color.
The color is like the mangroves that live at the interface between land and ocean.
The branches and leaves were withered and yellow. They did not maintain the green color like other tree people, and their vitality was extremely declining.
Like a piece of rotten and damp dead wood.
It can even be described as "ugly"
If it weren't for the pair of dim eye sockets and a small mouth on its old trunk, it would be difficult for Xia En to distinguish it from those Tree people are considered the same species.
Although the appearance of this tree man is surprising, Xia En is not a person who judges people by their appearance.
He took the initiative and said: "Thank you, senior, for your help."
"...Huh?"
Hearing his voice, the declining tree man was surprised: "This kind of voice... Have you swallowed [Seed of Sea Sound]?”
The reason why Xia En can master the ability of [Underwater Conversation] is precisely because he received [Seed of Sea Sound] from Tracy in [Emerald Ancient City]. kind].
Now, listening to the tone of this tree man, it seems that he also recognizes this strange seed?
This undoubtedly further proves the connection between the [City of Giant Trees] and the Elf clan.
Xia En nodded and admitted: "I did swallow one by chance."
"It seems that your origin is not simple."
The old tree man's eyes flashed with a faint light as he continued.
“But no matter who you are, if you want to survive, leave [City of Giant Trees] as soon as possible.”
"This is no longer a place where living people should come."
Xia En didn't explain too much, just said: "I have a reason to go deep into this city."
Old Tree A flash of surprise flashed in the person's eyes.
Having clearly seen the scene where the whole forest was agitated just now, this outsider still has the courage to say such a thing?
This cannot be described simply as "courage is commendable".
However, the old tree man used all his strength just to maintain his own survival.
Saving this man casually is already considered a great act of kindness, and I really don’t have the energy to meddle in his business anymore.
Thinking of this, the old tree man said directly: "In this case, I can only wish you good luck."
"This forest has long become the home ground of those betrayers, as long as If you are in it, you will be discovered by them sooner or later."
"However, the intelligence of the forest is limited after all. If you disguise yourself as us, you can last longer... Do you understand? ”
At first, Xia En thought the old tree man was just saying goodbye.
But after listening to these words carefully, he realized that the other party was actually teaching him how to hide in the forest.
Xia En was in a weird mood.
This old tree man looks like a weird old man. He wants to express his goodwill, but he also wants to go around in a circle.
However, based on this detail and its help just now, Xia En can basically judge that the old tree man is probably a "good person."
Regardless of appearance or personality, they are very different from those tree people who are willing to sacrifice other creatures at every turn.
And...
"Betrayer?"
Xia En noticed the word in the old tree's mouth.
“The betrayers refer to those tree people who believe in the [Giant Wood God]?”
A thought flashed in Xia En's mind, and he quickly sketched out the general outline of the matter: "Have the tree people betrayed their original beliefs? Betrayed the elf goddess?"
"In other words, this old tree man is still an elf. A fan of the goddess? "
Xia En was about to ask when he saw a small tree man about two or three meters high floating down from the sea like a jellyfish not far away.
Compared with its kin, its body shape is naturally petite and exquisite.
"Grandpa Hunter, I'm back!"
"Huh? This guy is..."
While approaching the old tree man, the little tree man naturally discovered Xia En's existence.
The face made of tree trunks showed a surprised look and exclaimed at the same time.
"Human! Grandpa Hunter, is this human!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
The old tree man Hunter glared at the young tree man and looked around warily.
Fortunately, there were no tree people who believed in the [Giant Wood God] nearby, so no tragedy occurred.
The little tree man also realized that he had almost caused a catastrophe, and quickly lowered his voice and said: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to do it."
"This is the first time I have seen a living person. Human, so I’m a little excited.”
“Introduce yourself, my name is Mumu, what’s your name?”
Shane took a closer look at the little tree named Mumu and found that although it sounded young, its trunk was as skinny as Hunter's, with wrinkled bark and sparse and shriveled leaves.
There is an air of aging and depletion all over his body.
This surprised Xia En.
He originally thought that Hunter's decline was because he had lived for a long time and was about to reach the end of his life.
But judging from the similar qualities in Mumu, it seems to be for another deeper reason?
At the same time, Xia En also noticed that Mu Mu's branches had obvious signs of breakage, as if they had been broken by external force.
There were also several wounds on the body that seemed to have been whipped, but they were mixed with the wrinkled bark, making it difficult to distinguish them.
Before Xia En could answer, Hunter beside him suddenly changed his expression and asked.
"Mumu, where did these injuries on your body come from? They bullied you again, right?"
Hearing this, Mumu's high mood suddenly dropped, and he hesitated. road.
"No, no, my brothers and sisters are playing around with me."
"They are no longer your brothers and sisters!"
Hunter's expression was solemn, with a hint of anger in his tone. : "From the day they knelt down to the [Giant Wood God], they were no longer our kind!"
"But, Grandpa Hunter, why must we stick to our belief in the goddess of life? "
Mumu was puzzled and aggrieved, so she couldn't help but ask.
"Obviously as long as we accept the [Seed of Life] given by the [Giant Wood God], our bodies will not have to continue to rot, and we can become taller and stronger."
"And, Grandpa, you can too Live longer..."
"Shut up!"
Hearing this, the old tree man Hunter finally couldn't help but said angrily: "You don't understand! His betrayal! He will be punished by God one day!"
"Besides, do you think [Giant Wood God] is a good thing?"
Hunter originally wanted to continue talking, but seemed to be concerned about the peaceful forest around him, so he finally just said.
“No matter what, as long as I am still alive, I will never allow you to accept [Seed of Life]!”
“If you say another good word about [Giant Wood God], I will Don’t let me be your grandson!”
“Don’t let me see you again!”
Mumu meant to care about Hunter, but instead, she felt aggrieved by such a slap in the face. It suddenly broke out.
"Humph! If you don't see me, you'll see me! I'll go to the head office!"
After leaving these words, Mumu turned around and left.
“...You!”
The old tree man Hunter was stunned.
He vaguely felt that he had gone too far, but he had just scolded her, and with his temperament, it was impossible for him to soften his attitude on the spot and persuade Mumu to come back.
It wasn't until Mumu's figure disappeared from sight that Old Hunter let out a long sigh.
"Children today are becoming more and more troublesome." It turned to Xia En and said, "Sorry, I made you laugh."
"Old man, the relationship between you and your grandson is really good."
Xia En sighed softly.
Watching the quarrel between Hunter and Mumu, he was inexplicably reminded of some past events on earth.
So, he knew that Hunter would never say such harsh words if he didn't really take it seriously.
Similarly, Mumu persuaded Hunter to accept the so-called [Seed of Life] for similar reasons.
But at the same time, Xia En was inevitably a little curious.
What exactly is this so-called [Seed of Life]?
It seems that it is because of its existence that the tree people have the ability to live such a nourishing life underwater.
In this case, why is Old Hunter so afraid of it?
“Ahem, young man, I want to ask you a favor.”
At this moment, Old Hunter coughed twice and said: “My grandson has a stubborn temper. I don’t know how long it will take for the quarrel to subside.”
“If those betrayers instill bad ideas and take advantage of the opportunity to plant [Seed of Life], it will be over.”
"I see that you are quite capable. Can you help me take care of it and give it advice?"
The old tree man said this somewhat euphemistically, but Xia En immediately understood its intention.
Obviously, after saying these words, Old Hunter actually regretted it a little, but he just couldn't bear to apologize to his grandson.
That’s why I approached Xia En, not only to protect Mumu, but also to act as a lubricant to ease the relationship between grandfather and grandson.
"He is really a weird old man..."
Xia En thought to himself: "I'm afraid your grandson's character must be imitated by yours!"
Complaints are complaints, and for the sake of Hunter's previous help, Xia En will definitely help him.
“Leave it to me.”
After saying that, Xia En was ready to catch up in Mumu’s direction.
“Wait, don’t move yet, I’ll give you some disguise.”
Later, Old Hunter picked some branches and leaves from nearby trees and decorated them with Shane.
Not long after, Xia En completed a very rough disguise.
Looks...
How should I put it...
A bit like the Viet Cong in the jungle?
Although from Xia En's point of view, this disguise could not be more clumsy, anyone can see the difference between him and the tree man.
But according to Hunter, this level of camouflage is enough to hide the will of the forest.
If it encounters other tree people, it can quickly pretend to be a bunch of harmless flowers and plants.
Xia En endured the strange feeling and walked through the underwater forest.
Not to mention, after covering it with this layer of leaves, most of the looming malice around it has indeed dissipated.
Don’t worry about whether it’s ugly or not!
Just tell me if it’s useful?
……
……
It didn’t take long.
Xia En caught up with the little tree man Mumu.
In fact, with the speed of this little tree man, he can't run for long.
At this time, it was leaning against a big tree, kicking the sand under its feet and humming.
“Hmph, stinky grandpa, bad grandpa!”
“I obviously can’t hold on for much longer, but I still refuse to use [Seed of Life].”
"No matter what side effects there are, it's better than death, right?"
As he spoke, Mumu's tone suddenly dropped.
"I just want grandpa to live..."
At this time, Xia En walked out of the woods and asked directly.
“What exactly is the [seed of life] in your mouth?”
"Wow!"
Xia En, who had obviously not noticed the disguised state before, couldn't help being startled and said in surprise.
"You...are you the human just now?"
"How did you become like this?"
Xia En's mouth twitched, not wanting to answer this question .
Mumu seemed to be very interested in human beings and immediately came up to touch him.
This feeling is somewhat similar to how people feel when they go to an aquarium to see those rare animals.
After getting closer, Xia En could see Mu Mu's rough and decaying body more clearly, as well as the scars.
——It seemed to be the marks left by the whipping of vines.
Xia En immediately thought of other ways to attack the trees.
Obviously, those who harmed Mumu are the tree people who accepted the [Seed of Life].
Xia En couldn't help but ask: "Why did those tree people beat you?"
"Oh, isn't it because grandpa and I refused to absorb the [Seed of Life]?"< br>
Mumu sighed and said: "Do you know why I swam down from above?"
Xia En cooperated: "Why?"
"Because those of us who do not have [Seed of Life], if we want to live in the sea, we must regularly go to the waters near the sea to absorb sunlight and store energy."
Mumu explained: "I It was in the process of absorbing sunlight that I met the tree people who believed in the [Giant Wood God]..."
"It's just a mockery of our old-fashioned ways and don't know how to adapt."
"But that's the only part of it. There was a guy who spoke really unpleasantly and even scolded Grandpa Hunter. I couldn't help but said something back to him, and that was it."
Mumu looked a little sad and said in confusion.
"Sometimes I really don't understand. It's obvious that those guys just accepted the [Seed of Life] not long ago."
"How come you can turn around and say such vicious words?"
Xia En said: "Probably all traitors are like this."
"So, [Seed of Life] can solve the problem of your tree people living in the sea?"
< br>"But aren't you and Hunter still alive? Is it because of... the power of the Elf Goddess?"
"Hiss..."
Hearing the name "Elf Goddess", Mumu's expression suddenly changed, and she quickly covered Xia En's mouth with her hand.
“Are you crazy! How dare you say that name here?”
“He has become a taboo topic in our city.”
“Once If discovered by other tree people, they will be taken away directly by the executioner! ”
Xia En was suddenly surprised.
He didn’t expect that a single name could cause Mumu to have such a big reaction.
But it can also be seen from this that there is strict control over faith in [City of Giant Woods].
Treants who still believe in the Elf Goddess will most likely be regarded as heretics!
This also shows from the side that the relationship between the [Giant Wood God] and the Elf Goddess is by no means harmonious.
Just then.
A rustling sound came from the forest on the side...
(End of this chapter)