Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 744 - 743: Under the Sorin Tree

The entire Cecil Empire has been shrouded in winter, with cold winds sweeping through the plains from the northern parts of the Dark Mountain Range to the central regions and the southern borders. From Bitter Winter Castle to the Cecil Clan, from Sherlin City to Longwind Fortress, the presence of winter is everywhere, and at least half of the Empire has already experienced a snowfall.

Yet in the Eastern Holy Spirit Plains, where the Sorin Giant Tree stands, the vitality of spring still thrives exuberantly.

The majestic Sorin Giant Tree stands proudly on the land, with its canopy, capable of covering an entire town, extending beyond Sorinburg’s central axis and further west into the canyon area.

After a period of recent growth, this astonishing plant has reached its maximum size. Its roots and canopy no longer madly spread, but its branches continue to mature, and its roots still delve deeper into the earth.

Within the coverage of the Giant Tree, the once-destroyed Sorinburg has been repaired and rebuilt. Parts of the castle and town’s functions have been restored, now serving as a stronghold for the local garrison and research teams. Some of the tree’s roots have emerged through the cracks in Sorinburg’s collapsed walls, helping stabilize the precarious stone walls. Several research facilities have been established relying on the ancient walls and the entwined roots—

In this wondrous place, researchers of the Cecil Empire seem to have formed a unique symbiotic relationship with the colossal plant. The Sorin Giant Tree not only provides valuable research samples to the Druid Research Institute but also collaborates with the local production and construction.

On the trunk level, in the southeastern sector, a large transport vehicle stopped at the open space beside the trunk. A group of mage technicians and workers busied themselves next to the vehicle, opening the side panels, untying ropes and hooks that secured cargo pallets. A commander stood on an aerial root protruding from the ground, directing the operation.

The unloading area is surrounded by large expanses of land that have been preliminarily leveled, compacted, and organized.

Temporary houses are scattered around, with magic crystal street lamps neatly lining the makeshift roads, dispelling the darkness under the tree canopy. Road signs, stacks of building materials, and other items indicate the existence of an extensive plan for further construction, all proceeding in an orderly fashion.

The production and construction army responsible for this area has divided the coverage of the Sorin Giant Tree. Vertically, Knight Margarita has divided the Sorin Giant Tree into the root layer (where the underground palace is located), trunk layer, canopy layer, and treetop layer. Horizontally, she divided the round land under the tree canopy into four sectors.

The current staff and stationed troops mostly operate in the surface sectors, with exploration maintained at the root layer. A small part of the Druid Research Institute’s team focuses on the trunk and canopy layers—they have set up two small observation and sampling stations on the tree trunk and a ”Druid Hut” in the canopy. However, overall research in these areas is still in the initial stages, and the local research team has not yet begun to explore the treetop of the Sorin Giant Tree.

To send something to the treetop still requires the cooperation of the Sorin Giant Tree ”itself.”

The workers opened the side panels of the vehicle, untied the ropes securing the tarpaulin. After unveiling the cover, a gigantic ancient magical device was revealed inside.

The alloy base measured several meters wide, with complex locking, support, and levitation devices, plus a several-meter-tall rhombus-shaped metal frame. The frame’s surface was inlaid with numerous Holme Crystals emitting a faint glow.

This is a gigantic Magic Obelisk—its crystal structure is so large that it consists of many small crystals assembled together.

”Everyone be careful! This thing is worth a fortune!” The commander raised his voice atop the aerial root, cautioning, ”Be careful when unhooking—no one wants to lose a finger to clumsiness! Alchemical potions don’t just pour out of the Gorgon River!”

The workers responded to the commander’s orders, while mage technicians climbed onto the vehicle once the side panels came down, checking the condition of the essential rune triggers and the integrity of the crystals.

The commander turned his head, calling toward the Sorin Giant Tree, ”Madam Beltira—are you there?”

No sooner had the commander spoken, a rustling sound arose from around, soon followed by vines entwined with flowers and brown roots emerging from the nearby ground, twisting together to form the figure of Beltira: ”I’m always here.”

”Madam, good day,” the commander greeted with a smile, addressing this incredible ”tree spirit.” Although he’d heard that she used to be an Archbishop of the Oblivion Association, and even that the entire Sorin Giant Tree was a result of the combined mutation of all remaining followers of the Oblivion Association, he’d worked here for some time and had many dealings with this ”tree spirit,” now able to communicate with her calmly, ”The weather is nice today.”

Some things have passed, and this land is alive—that’s what matters most, the young commander thought.

”Yes, the weather is nice,” Beltira said slowly, slightly lifting her head. A faint rustling came from the Sorin Giant Tree’s canopy—which was not warmed by sunshine on her face but basked in her tree’s canopy, causing her to squint her eyes, ”Today’s sunlight is perfect for... photosynthesis.”

The Magic Obelisk I previously discussed with you, the commander raised a hand pointing toward the large vehicle not far away, ”It’s been transported from the Pompeii Factory in the south.”

”Oh, it is indeed larger than usual...” Beltira did not turn her head but had ”seen” the contents on the vehicle, ”Do you need me to lift it?”

”Yes,” the commander said, ”Just lift it directly and assemble it according to the plans I provided. The equipment has been debugged and can be activated remotely.”

Beltira nodded, and a rustling sound emanated from the Sorin Giant Tree’s canopy.

The mage technicians and workers near the vehicle had already retreated, forming a circle from a distance, watching several exceptionally thick vines extend from several hundred meters up the canopy layer, weaving through layers of branches and leaves, hanging down next to the set of gigantic Magic Obelisk, carefully wrapping the components and raising them upward.

The specially designed large Magic Obelisk seemed weightless in those vine ”hands,” easily lifted toward the tree canopy, with dense layered leaves rustling and parting to reveal a ”road” straight to the treetop layer.

Beside the commander, Beltira slowly lifted her hand, mimicking the act of holding something overhead, but paused before lowering her hand.

She looked around and noticed no one had paid attention to her gesture.

The commander was staring upward, watching the vines lift the Magic Obelisk to the tree canopy until the huge ancient magical device disappeared into dense foliage. He then looked beside him at Beltira, smiling, ”It’s the largest Magic Obelisk in the Eastern Region of the Spirit Plain, equipped with the newest signal amplification and relay array—now with the tallest ’support tower’ in the plains, it is bound to perform optimally. From now on, this will be the Magic Web Nexus of the Eastern Holy Spirit Plains—connecting half the plains’ Magic Web nodes brings us one step closer to linking the entire national Magic Web together. Thank you very much for your help.”

Beltira looked at the smiling young commander next to her. Though she was a biotechnology expert, her understanding of mage technology was limited. Now, she couldn’t help feeling curious, ”Is this a very useful thing?”

”Of course,” the young commander promptly said, ”The Magic Web not only provides power for ancient magical devices but also transmits signals and maintains regional barriers. Currently, various regions of the Empire are establishing Magic Webs of different sizes, but the regional Magic Webs have not been completely connected, and many areas can only rely on a series of standalone relay stations for connection, which isn’t true ’networking’—His Majesty wants to connect all Magic Webs across the Empire, like the magic in the southern borders—the Spirit Plains’ nodes are crucial for linking the Magic Webs of different parts of the Empire...”

Beltira quietly listened to the scene described by the young commander, and on the young man’s face, she saw genuine pride and joy.

Not far away, mage technicians stood by the Magic Web Terminal and small Magic Crystals, monitoring the Magic Obelisk being sent up to the tree canopy. In those mage technicians, she saw wholehearted dedication and enthusiasm.

And in those places she couldn’t see—she could imagine—there were also countless proud, joyful, dedicated, and passionate people.

They were changing this world—even though many of them might not realize it—and this feat of transforming the world was built up bit by bit by countless ordinary people.

It required no miraculous forbidden arts, no transcendent great powers, no artificially created god to rule the world.

This was another path she and her former compatriots had never envisioned.

Beltira carefully controlled her vines and the tree canopy, as if cradling some fragile treasure, delivering the grand and complex device to the highest point of the Sorin Giant Tree. She assembled those components according to the blueprints she had once seen and then meticulously placed them above her head.

In the canopy were thousands of Magic Web Rune triggers that had been sent up incrementally days before. They were intertwined by countless delicate vines, and now the connection with the Magic Obelisk was the final piece of the entire project.

”It’s in place,” she said.

Not far away, the mage technicians received the activation signal from the base of the Magic Obelisk. They quickly sent out remote commands, and on the Magic Web Terminal used for monitoring, dim lines in the holographic projection lit up one by one, and nodes were swiftly activated.

Beltira watched everything with curiosity; she saw the projection showing words, and greetings from afar seemed to be transmitted miraculously to her by mortal hands—

”Signal received from the Sorin Hub—The White City Reconstruction Camp greets you.”

”Signal received from the Sorin Hub—Red Maple Reconstruction Camp greets you.”

”...Pompeii greets you...”

”This is Cecil Central Station. Congratulations, Rebecca Cecil greets you.”

People cheered.

Even the young commander with a knight’s badge, originally a military officer, cheered.

Beltira blinked. On this bright sunny day suitable for photosynthesis, she felt as if her heart, which had already merged with the plant, beat once again.

”Congratulations,” she made an effort to smile like a human, saying to the young commander beside her.

The young commander expressed gratitude once more and then ran towards the workers, technicians, and soldiers in the distance to celebrate with everyone.

Beltira stood quietly for a while, then thoughtfully looked southward.

A visitor was coming.

...

A Magic-guided Vehicle bearing the United Reconstruction Group’s flag arrived in the Sorin Region, seemingly bringing an important figure. Beltira could see everything happening around the Sorin Giant Tree; she saw many people running out of the Sorinburg stronghold to greet the vehicle, and an elderly person emerging from it, accompanied by several attendants and guards—or maybe just subordinates.

Finally, she saw the elderly person walk over to her tree trunk area.

Norris gazed upwards at the towering tree canopy that covered the sky, marveled by the countless branches illuminated by the Magic Crystal lamps and the supporting columns hanging down from the canopy, as well as the vines entwining around the trunk and columns, couldn’t help but to softly say, ”This is the Sorin Giant Tree...”

”Truly a miracle...” A young agricultural technical official also gazed upwards, exclaiming, ”I’ve never seen a plant that can grow this large...”

”And it maintains the vitality of the entire area, even keeping the temperature relatively comfortable,” Norris said, ”Remember the road? Until the crossroads, there was still snow on the ground.”

”I merely transferred some heat from deep within the earth to the surface,” accompanied by a slightly hoarse female voice, Beltira’s form emerged from a cluster of flower vines and roots. She moved across the ground near the tree trunk, aided by wriggling roots, arriving in front of Norris, ”Greetings, I’m this plant before you—you may also call me Beltira.”

”Greetings, Madam Beltira,” Norris addressed the woman in front of him, recovering from a moment’s surprise, ”I am Norris.”

”That name sounds familiar...” Beltira furrowed her brow, adopting a pensive expression.

”He is the Minister of Agriculture for the Empire,” someone beside him reminded.

”Ah, yes, that’s right, I recall now,” Beltira appeared enlightened, ”and I certainly have heard that name... in newspapers and broadcasts.”