Chapter 106

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 106: Accept This World

Tasha got the "treasure map".

The last Oak Guardian has passed away, the ravens who know the route have changed countless times, the Druid’s records are lost between time and war, the location of the previous sanctuary has long been forgotten. Nowadays, the Heart of Nature points to the location of the previous home, where the sacred tree and oak forest once existed, the final stop where the Great Druid and Forest Elf traveled. A small spot on the map in Tasha’s mind sparkled, she suddenly knew the way to the natural relic, as if a magnet in a pigeon’s brain guiding the way back.

A picture appeared in Tasha’s mind, fleeting and disappearing before she could see clearly. Only the colors from the picture remained on her retina, the raven-blue sky, the goose-yellow full moon, human figures and tree shadows resembling paper-cut artwork. Is this the scene at the end of the treasure map?

What the picture foreshadows will only be known upon reaching the destination.

The former sanctuary is located in the heartland of the empire, north of Tasmanian, not too close but not too far from here. It would be convenient to fly there with demon wings, but this time Tasha cannot travel light, she has companions to bring along.

Marion, descendant of the Worgen God, Mavis with elven blood, and Eugene inheriting the Druid legacy, the three people previously linked were not objects of clue extraction, but related individuals this time. Tasha can sense the hints given by the Hall of True Knowledge, to uncover the second half of the secret about the "journey", they might be somewhat useful, even though the extent is unknown. For this treasure hunting journey, Tasha will bring along three companions.

Marion is very excited about this, seldom having the opportunity to travel far with Tasha, she acts like a primary school student about to go on a field trip. After briefly discussing with her, she swiftly went out to prepare her belongings, no extra questions asked, which made Tasha feel a bit oddly guilty, feeling like a parent who has never taken their daughter to an amusement park.

Druid Eugene is surprised to be chosen, "Are you sure it’s me?" he cautiously confirmed, "My abilities as a Druid are not outstanding, just a desk worker." After Tasha’s confirmation, he went to pack his notebook. Although they believe in the natural order of the rebirth of the sacred tree and the circulation of the sanctuary, the Druids are also very interested in visiting the previous sanctuary, as if visiting an ancient capital for several dynasties.

"Where did my grandfather vanish?" Mavis brushed off the flour on her hands, put the last apple pie into the oven. She took off her apron, suddenly smiled and said, "Living long allows you to encounter all sorts of things, doesn’t it?"

This team was registered as a "Hometown Returnee Group".

The cooperation between the Empire and Tasmanian is progressing steadily. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they informed them about the upcoming journey to the sacred land. Part of the truth was revealed, such as visiting the Druid’s former sacred land with participants like Druids and elves. Some information was kept hidden, like Governor Tasha joining the team and the true purpose of the journey to the sacred land. The reason for the visit was stated as "seeking roots and returning home" which, to a certain extent, was not entirely incorrect.

In this matter, Tasha did not directly negotiate with the Empire. The application was submitted by a lower department, making the visit of this four-person team appear as a civilian action to avoid drawing too much attention. The peace faction in the upper echelons of the Empire was prevailing, but if the radical faction misunderstood the situation and overreacted, it would undoubtedly cause trouble.

Mavis’s rolling pin cast a transformation spell on Tasha, making her appear as an ordinary woman in her thirties, registered as a Druid. A team comprising a Druid, a half-elf, and an Orc was more eye-catching than a usual Hometown Returnee Group. After weeks of negotiations, the application was approved, and a guide from the Empire appeared at the customs.

"I am Martin," the guide smiled, revealing a set of neat white teeth, "The former Druid Sanctuary is located in Tripura, and I am very familiar with it."

Being familiar was probably true, but whether he was truly a guide was another matter.

There was a slight military stance in his stride, and his sharp, observant eyes reminded Tasha of some of her spies. Mr. Guide’s hands showed calluses from years of handling weapons. This Empire monitor was not as discreet as the mechanical bird in the sky, but it was considered one of the sincere gestures of cooperation from both sides. Everyone understood the situation, having this individual in the team and a bird following them made everyone feel reassured.

The railway network spanning the entire Aryan Empire was still under construction. For now, they could only rely on the old-fashioned modes of transportation. Near major cities, cars were available as a luxury, but once they ventured into less developed areas with narrow and bumpy roads, everyone reverted back to the days of horse-drawn carriages.

"Most of Tripura is like this," the guide said, looking out of the window. "There are many mountains in this area, and the land is not very fertile. Many regions don’t have any special products to show off, and the economy is quite poor. My grandparents used to say that back in the days when Aryan had military control, Tripura had the most people joining the army, but it was hard to make a living here. Now things are getting better, and some people are starting to come here for tourism, which has helped many people who run hotels to make a living."

They sat in a long narrow carriage that could fit five people. Martin chatted comfortably with Mavis, and they had a good time on the journey.

"Ah, I’ve heard about this," Mavis thought for a moment and gave a sly smile. "’Experience the most authentic harvest, feel the most natural place to stay, Old Joni Farm Stay lets you have a good time’—then about twenty guests would pay a large sum of money to help the farmer harvest, is it in Trelinton?"

"Yes!" Martin chuckled. "It’s not called a farm stay anymore, it’s called ‘Druid Eco-tour’. Please don’t be offended, esteemed Druids, it’s just a gimmick, those farmers don’t really understand what Druids are all about. Oh, it’s such a coincidence, who knew that the Druid’s former sacred site is really here?"

"The Druids themselves are almost forgotten," Eugene said. "If it weren’t for the recent discovery of the location from the old documents, even the oldest Druids wouldn’t remember where the sacred site was."

"Just like where the elves used to live," Mavis continued, "It’s said that my ancestors lived in many forests, but now there is no trace. If I want to trace their footsteps, I can only borrow some light from the neighbors and go see the old residence of the Druids!"

"What a pity," Martin sighed. "Where is Miss Marion?"

Marion glanced at him, showing little interest in talking to him. The she-wolf was more at peace than before, not glaring at the Empire’s intrusive watchers, but don’t expect her to put on a friendly face. She treated Martin as if he were invisible, probably annoyed that he was interrupting their journey.

"She’s my sister," Tasha spoke up.

Martin looked a little surprised, but wisely didn’t ask any more questions.

"I heard that some offspring of Orcs and humans look more like their mothers, while others look more like their fathers," he said. "I only heard about it recently, it’s strange that we didn’t know about this earlier."

Marion stopped staring at him, probably satisfied with his understanding, glad that she didn’t hear any remarks like "you sisters don’t look alike at all."

Marion had no disguise on. Her bare feet stood on the bottom of the carriage, her furry ears stood tall on her head, and her fluffy tail peeked out from her skirt, resting on her knee. Her Orc features were proudly displayed. It made sense for an Elf to join the Druid’s Hometown Returnee Group, as the relationship between them in legendary stories was always good, but the addition of an Orc was a bit odd – especially considering the still somewhat delicate relationship between Orcs and the Empire.

It wasn’t difficult to disguise oneself as a Druid, but since Tasha had said that Marion should walk proudly in every corner of the Empire, she had to follow through with it.

"You said you were my daughter before," Marion said through their connection.

Over the years, she had finally learned how to communicate with Tasha through their connection, which came in handy at that moment. There was a tinge of disappointment in her tone that almost made Tasha laugh.

"You were my mother before, now you are my sister," Marion said, sounding a bit seriously puzzled. "In a few years, what will you be to me then?"

"Family," Tasha replied, squeezing Marion’s tail slightly.

The she-wolf visibly became happy.

"Besides, it’s just a change in how we address each other," Tasha continued in a private channel, "Every year you get older, I get older too, silly. No matter how many years pass, you will never be older than me. As long as you want, you’ll always be my child."

Marion giggled, showing her two sharp teeth, which startled Martin who was still talking non-stop. Mavis, who also had a private channel with Tasha, quickly understood what was happening, smoothly took over the conversation, and went to chat with Mr. Guide.

"But I will look older than you," Marion said, "I will age, get wrinkles, look even older than you. At that time, you can only say that I’m your daughter!"

At this moment, she wasn’t really asking for anything specific, she was just being playful, so Tasha gently touched her tail. Marion’s tail swept twice, then flopped over to the side, landing on Tasha’s lap.

Tasha asked, "Do you want eternal youth?"

It might not be impossible, the research project of the Undead Sorcerer was making progress, a spell that partially kills facial skin unexpectedly can remove wrinkles, which was very popular among brave beauty lovers. Tasha possessed Marion’s soul, so it wasn’t impossible for the she-wolf to change bodies. Despite many limitations and some side effects, Tasha was quite confident that as long as Marion was willing, when she reached old age, Tasha could extract her soul from the aging body and place it into a healthy young vessel.

With this method, not to mention eternal youth, maybe even immortality is not entirely out of reach.

"No," Marion said.

The she-wolf didn’t think and immediately answered like Tasha when she said, "I wonder what I will look like when I’m old."

"You said it yourself, that you will become ugly and weak." Tasha replied.

"But I have never experienced it," Marion said seriously. "I know how it feels to be a baby, I know how it feels to be young, I also want to experience middle age and old age. I have lived, and I want to know what it’s like to die."

What a strange reason to refuse!

"Everyone can only live once, die once, because the dead can’t come back to tell us what it’s like after death. That’s why we are afraid – shouldn’t we experience it ourselves?" she-wolf said, "No one can tell you about the world after death, you have to go and see for yourself, even though it’s a pity that you can’t come back after going… but if you live well, there will be no regrets."

It sounds amazing, Tasha thought, a typical Marion-style answer.

She-wolf chattered, "I want to be with everyone, living honorably. I want to eat fruits of every season, pick flowers of every season. I want to defeat all invaders. I want to play with friends, make many new friends, help everyone, see everyone happy. If I meet someone I like, I’ll have a child with them, then I’ll teach the child many things. If not, it’s okay, I have many friends, I can teach their children. I’ll teach them how to climb trees, how to fight, I’ll even let them ride on my back and run around in the forest, even the best horses can’t catch me, not even wolves. Last time, Ruby became a wild wolf and raced me but still lost…"

Marion’s thoughts were more confusing in dialogue than when spoken, all over the place, like rain falling gently, relaxing and pleasant to listen to.

When it comes to children, Tasha doesn’t really have an interest in raising a child. Why bother?

Is it to pass on blood? Tasha has died once, her current body is like clothes, she didn’t care much about bloodline in her past life, now on this magical continent, she feels even less attached to bloodline. Is it to pass on spirit? In today’s Aryan, Tasha can say boldly, her spirit heirs are all over the world.

Everyone who accepts her ideas is her heir, even without knowing her or liking her. Some people used to pour unreasonable hatred towards other ethnicities, now they can walk on the same path with them, tolerate the presence of these differences in their lives. She admires civilization, advocates coexistence and win-win situations, peace is a difficult task, but not just a dream of fools. Even if her efforts may fall apart in the future, even if the light shining in darkness is very short-lived, this fire will quietly burn under the ashes, waiting to ignite again someday.

Imagine, one person’s spirit can influence thousands of different groups, regardless of whether they are men, women, old or young, enemies or friends, humans or non-humans. What’s even more wonderful is that these heirs are not brainwashed puppets, they shine and sparkle like stars – this is an achievement that narrow-minded racists can never achieve, it is the romance of the ambitious.

Even the most loving and competent parents may only be remembered by three or four generations of offspring, but Tasha, her influence will be remembered by the entire world, for eternity.

"…at the time of my death," Marion’s whisper was coming to an end, "after I die, please erect my tombstone on the ground, bury me in your cemetery. If those who love me want to remember me in the future, they can come to my tombstone to see me. As for my body, it belongs to you, I will be your eternal warrior, willing to fight until every bone turns to dust."

Tasha hugged Marion.

The last paragraph is not a devout contribution, not from the mouth of a martyr, but from a person full of love for life. The she-wolf’s tone when speaking of death is similar to talking about life, both are full of longing and cheerful hope. She sincerely is willing to be embraced by Tasha after death, becoming the eternal Guardian of the homeland. It takes a very, very tough heart (even stronger than a Dungeon Core), to not be moved by Marion’s pure love and loyalty.

"After you have experienced every aspect of life, and in your twilight years, pass away peacefully," Tasha blessed, "I will fulfill your wish."

She also hopes she can do it.

If not destroyed, Tasha was destined to live a long life, almost immortal to ordinary people. Scary? Not at all.

Some people go with the flow, some are extremely afraid of death, and some long-lived characters in stories feel empty and disgusted with longevity, but Tasha probably felt none of these. She had a calm plan for her life span, just like arranging a work schedule.

Tasha did not think she would ever feel bored with life one day, at least not for a very, very long time. There were so many things to do, always new things popping up to plan for, and time available for planning was only decreasing, not increasing. Besides…

"Look! This is the most scenic part of this road!" Martin excitedly drew back the curtains, "From here, you can see Lake Betas!"

The sunset shone into the window.

The carriage had already reached the stretch of road he mentioned, in the gap between two hills that didn’t quite meet, a distant massive lake could be seen, along with the sunset that seemed to be about to fall into the lake.

Earlier, the carriage had been traveling on the shaded side of the mountain, but now, everything suddenly opened up in front of their eyes, as if suddenly falling into a frame. The sky was vividly colored in red and yellow, with fluffy clouds painted as if with an artist’s brushstrokes, like a mass of colors being smudged, somewhat resembling colorful cotton candy being pulled by the wind. The red sun was about to be swallowed by the lake, lazy and unenergetic as if it was time to clock out, its dark red light was not glaring at all, you could stare at it, just like staring at a giant salted egg yolk.

The lake surface was calm as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky. If you were to flip the sky and the earth, a careless person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Water birds flew over the lake, creating long ripples like a series of dots. A few flat boats rowed across the lake, faintly seeing fishermen paddling long poles, moving the boat from the center of the lake to the shore.

"It’s a shame you’re in a hurry," Martin muttered to himself, "If you weren’t, I would really like to take you for a spin on Lake Betas. Now is the season for eating lake crabs, their meat is so thick that a slight crack in the shell will reveal it. The male crab has a belly full of paste, the female crab has a belly full of roe, eat one and you’re full, but still craving, when I was young, I used to dive in, competing with the water birds, they were aggressive, I never won until I was nine years old…"

Even though he wasn’t a real guide, Mr. Martin seemed to know Tripura very well since he grew up here.

Suddenly, Tasha felt a strong sense of love.

Was it the love for his hometown from Mr. Guide that infected her, or was it Marion’s storytelling that opened a door in Tasha’s usually calm heart? Watching the creatures between heaven and earth, Tasha felt immense joy. The busy mind filled with endless calculations settled at this moment, like gears in constant motion temporarily stopping, the clamor quieting for a moment, allowing the chirping birds to be heard.

Tasha realized she couldn’t be a purely rational ruler – or perhaps, before she even realized it, she was no longer a detached outsider.

Tasha protected the community that trusted her, and she was loved and remembered by them. She read the history of this world, sought answers to various secrets, observed how the inhabitants here passionately loved and hated, how they brilliantly lived and died… Inevitably attracted, she invested energy and time, emotions, and soul. She had become an integral part of this unique world, inseparable from it. At this point, Tasha found it hard to simply walk away from all this.

She loved this responsibility, she loved this world.

How does it feel to go from having no attachments to having something to care about? It sounds like descending from a lofty god to a mere mortal, but it doesn’t feel bad, not as awful as Tasha feared – since she began engaging with everything on the Aryan land, she had been very cautious about controlling her emotions, subconsciously worrying that personal preferences would lead her to lose objectivity, leading to skewed judgment. The veil of ignorance was lifted, the self-imposed barriers were removed, her mind relaxed, and the air around her felt more lively. As Tasha embraced this world, she felt accepted by it too.

Wait, perhaps it wasn’t an illusion after all.

[dungeon-Tasha]

During the restructuring process, progress: 60/100

Wasn’t the progress 56 before?

Tasha was a bit confused. This time, the progress bar increased without any warning, quietly and smoothly, by four percent. Can one’s understanding of life also grow by watching a sunset? What does this have to do with the resolution of the world?

Tasha tried to contemplate life further. No matter how she thought and turned things over in her mind, the progress bar remained steadfast. This unexplained growth was truly uncomfortable, neither scientific nor magical. Perhaps only witches would find it natural. For Tasha, who had a thought process closer to that of a wizard, this unexpected joy was quite unfriendly, completely dispelling the rare emotional mood she had just experienced.

Tasha reluctantly thought that when there isn’t enough information, one can only categorize the progress bar into mysticism.

——————————

After a few weeks of traveling, Tasha and her group arrived at the former sacred site of the Druids.

In that desolate wilderness, there was nothing.