infodatos Chapter 40 A New Journey Begins
Chapter 40 A New Journey Begins
The darkness before dawn is the deepest, but the light at daybreak is also the most precious.
Karen struggled on the verge of losing consciousness for an unknown amount of time before finally being awakened by a warm touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes with difficulty, his vision gradually clearing, and the first thing he saw was Xiguang's magnified face. The cub was licking his cheek with its rough tongue, its amber eyes filled with worry. Seeing Karen awake, Xiguang let out a joyful whimper and nuzzled his chin with its forehead.
"I'm fine..." Karen said hoarsely, struggling to sit up. Every muscle in her body was protesting; her spiritual veins felt like they had been completely emptied and then barely stuffed back in, leaving a hollow and stinging sensation. But he was still alive, and that was enough.
He looked around.
The riverbank has returned to calm. The dark red, polluted fog has completely dissipated, leaving only the fresh scent unique to the forest—earth, green leaves, stream water, and a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance of flowers after a rain. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the areas ravaged by the battle are visibly recovering.
The most striking changes came from the plants that had been polluted and corroded.
The trees, once withered and carbonized, are now peeling away their charred bark to reveal the new, tender green inner layers beneath. Grass and moss are sprouting anew from the scorched earth, as if time itself has been accelerated tenfold. The stream has become crystal clear, revealing the shimmering light rising from the bottom—the water's vitality is returning.
The western edge of the entire Emerald Forest is healing from the wounds of pollution.
"The forest's...life force..." Leah's voice came from beside her. She leaned against a rock, her leg wound now freshly bandaged. Though pale, her eyes were bright. "I've never seen such a powerful natural resurgence...it's like the entire forest is celebrating the disappearance of pollution."
Grom sat by the creek, washing the grime off his warhammer with clean water. The dwarf's wounds had stopped bleeding, and he looked up, pointing to the center of the riverbank: "Look there."
Karen looked in that direction.
In the middle of the riverbank, where the shadow had previously set up the dark silver magic circle, the ground is now rising.
It wasn't an artificial uplift, but natural growth. The soil was pushed aside, and thick roots burst forth—not just one, but dozens, even hundreds—extending up from deep underground, intertwining and coiling in the center of the riverbank. The surface of the roots was covered with emerald green moss, radiating a soft, natural glow.
These roots eventually converged into a human-shaped outline—not a real human shape, but a tree-man figure about three meters tall, formed by roots and light and shadow. The tree-man's "face" had overlapping roots forming aged features, and where the eyes were, there were two points of light emitting emerald green light.
"Elder Tree..." Karen murmured.
The tree-man nodded slightly, raising an arm made of roots and pointing in Karen's direction. An aged yet gentle voice resounded directly in everyone's minds, not through words, but through pure thought:
"Young guardians...you did it..."
Karen struggled to her feet and bowed slightly to the tree-man: "It was the power of the forest that helped us. It was your guidance that led us to the right path."
"No..." The ancient tree's voice held approval, "It was your own courage and determination... The Guardian bloodline did not choose the wrong person... The royal contract of the Lightwing Lion was also given to the wrong recipient..."
The tree-man took two steps forward—actually, its roots wriggled on the ground, causing its entire form to move. It came to Karen and stretched out a hand made of roots. In the palm, a vibrant green leaf was growing and taking shape.
It wasn't the phantom formed from psychic energy like before, but a real, physical leaf. The leaf was about the size of a palm, with clear veins, a jade-like luster on its surface, and a faint emerald green glow flowing along its edges.
"The Emerald Leaf Charm..." the ancient tree said, "The true leaf charm... is connected to the very essence of my life... With it, you can summon the roots of our race to assist you anywhere in the Emerald Forest... But please remember, each use will consume our life force... Use it with caution..."
A leaf drifted down and landed in Karen's hand. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and was very light, but Karen could clearly feel the immense life energy contained within the leaf, as well as its deep connection to the spiritual network of the entire forest.
"Thank you." Karen carefully put the leaf into the inner layer of her backpack, separating it from the two black stones.
Ancient Tree's gaze shifted to the gold and silver spirit patterns on Karen's wrist, then to the direction of his backpack.
"The rational core of the spirit realm remnants... and the purified remains of madness..." The ancient tree's voice turned serious. "You must take good care of them... Although the rational part is temporarily stable, the internal conflict of rules still exists... Although the mad part has been purified, its essence is still a mixture of two worlds... If they are exposed to high concentrations of polluted energy again, they may be reactivated..."
Karen nodded: "I understand. We will find a complete solution."
"Time is running out..." the ancient tree said. "The pollution of the Emerald Forest is just the beginning... Our 'brothers and sisters' in other floating domains... have also sensed unease... Abnormal energy fluctuations... similar to the frequency of the remnants of the spirit world... have appeared in all six floating domains..."
Karen's heart tightened.
The six floating domains... those six points on the map...
"Do you know the exact location?" Karen asked.
The ancient tree remained silent for a few seconds, as if it were drawing upon its distant senses.
"The Fiery Mineral Region... Mirror Lake Region... Stormy Frontier... Eternal Ice Plains... Sky Royal Court... and... Central Sacred Region..." The ancient tree named them one by one, "In each place... faint 'rift' fluctuations have appeared... although there hasn't been a large-scale outbreak yet... it's already an ominous sign..."
Grom jumped to his feet: "Ironforge...in the Fiery Mine!"
"Yes..." the ancient tree confirmed, "The dwarves' Forge Soul is weakening... which is very likely related to the infiltration of spirit realm remnants... Your next destination... should be there..."
Karen clenched her fist.
Ironforge. Grom's homeland. The truth behind the decay of the Soul of the Forge. It all connects.
"We will go," Karen said, "but before that, we need to rest, we need supplies, we need..."
His words were interrupted by a familiar roar.
It didn't come from the ground, but from the sky.
Karen looked up and, through the gaps in the tree canopy, saw a massive silhouette slowly descending—a streamlined hull, a whalebone-like skeleton, familiar canvas and ropes.
Narwhale.
The trade ship was slowly descending from the sky, its psionic thrusters spewing blue flames that caused the treetops below to shake violently. There were obvious signs of repair on the sides of the ship; several deck sections were new, their color different from the surrounding area, but the overall structure appeared to have been restored.
"They fixed it..." Leah's voice was filled with surprise.
The Cloud Whale finally hovered twenty meters above the riverbank and lowered its rope ladder. A red-haired girl was the first to climb down; it was Lia, the ship's cargo keeper—Karen then remembered that the red-haired girl on the ship was also named Lia, the same name as Lia from the Windwhisper tribe. Behind her was the ship's craftsman, an old dwarf with a white beard.
As soon as they landed, the red-haired Leah's eyes lit up when she saw Dawn in Karen's arms: "The little one's alive! That's wonderful!"
The old dwarf approached Grom, and the two exchanged a few quick words in dwarven language. Then, the old dwarf patted Grom on the shoulder and looked at Karen: "The captain sent us to find you. The psionic disturbance in the Emerald Forest suddenly subsided, and we guessed that you had dealt with the source of the pollution. The ship is also repaired, so we can set off immediately."
Karen nodded. "Thank you. We really need to get out of here."
He looked at the ancient tree.
The tree-man is slowly disintegrating. Roots retract one by one into the ground, and the humanoid figure formed by light and shadow gradually dissipates. Before completely disappearing, the ancient tree conveys a final message:
"Remember... young guardians... the real battle... has only just begun..."
The emerald green light vanished completely, and the riverbank returned to its original state, with only the newly sprouted plants on the ground bearing witness to what had just happened.
Karen took a deep breath and began directing everyone to board the ship.
He held Dawn in his arms; the cub had awakened but remained weak and needed further rest. Shadow was carefully picked up by the red-haired Leah—the black cat had reverted to its kitten form, curled up in a ball, and fallen into a deep sleep, its breathing weak but steady. Karen could sense that Shadow's vital signs were stable, but its psionic energy was almost depleted and it might take a long time to recover.
Grom and Windwhisper helped each other up the rope ladder, with the old dwarf helping to lift them from below. Karen was the last to board, and when he stepped onto the deck, the captain of the Cloud Whale was already waiting there.
He was a middle-aged human with a scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, but his eyes were sharp and steady. He looked at Karen, then at the Radiant Light in Karen's arms and the faint emerald light emanating from her backpack, and nodded.
"Well done, kid," the captain said. "Although you've caused more trouble since you boarded the ship than in the previous three years combined, at least you've done something good this time. The trade routes through the Emerald Forest can reopen, and many people who make a living from this route will thank you."
Karen gave a wry smile: "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
The captain waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that anymore. Prepare to set sail. Next stop... where do you want to go?"
Karen and Grom exchanged a glance.
"The Fiery Mine," Karen said. "Ironforge."
The captain raised an eyebrow: "Dwarven territory? It's been rather turbulent there lately. News of the Forge Soul's decline has spread, many factions are watching closely, and the Order has been very active. Are you sure you want to go?"
"I'm sure," Karen said firmly. "We have a compelling reason to go."
The captain looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded: "Alright. Anyway, the Cloud Whale was going to the Fiery Mines to transport a batch of ore. We'll just give you a ride along the way. But let me make it clear beforehand, when we get there, you'll disembark on your own. The ship won't wait for you. We have a strict sailing schedule."
"I understand," Karen said. "Thank you."
The captain turned and walked toward the bridge, issuing the departure order. The Narwhal's psionic thrusters restarted, and the ship slowly rose, breaking free of the treetops and climbing into the sky.
Karen stood at the ship's railing, looking down at the rapidly shrinking forest below. The Emerald Forest shimmered with a vibrant green light in the morning sun, like a piece of jade on the earth. With the pollution cleared, the forest had finally regained its original vitality and beauty.
But he knew that beneath this beautiful facade, undercurrents were still surging.
The Order will not let this go. Roland is dead, but the Azure Flame Order still has many more fanatical followers like him, and that mysterious "leader." The crisis of the remnants of the spirit world has only been temporarily alleviated; the core of rationality is still in his backpack, and although the madness has been purified, it remains a hidden danger.
Furthermore, anomalies have been appearing in six other floating areas...
Karen raised his right hand, the gold and silver runes on his wrist gleaming faintly in the sunlight. But this time, he noticed a very faint, almost invisible black line at the edge of the interwoven gold and silver patterns.
Very fine, very short, like an ink splatter that happened unintentionally.
But Karen knew what it was.
During the process of casting the sealing spell, resonating deeply with the shadows, and purifying that black heart, a tiny fragment of the rules of the spirit realm's remnants seeped into his spiritual veins and imprinted itself on his contract patterns.
It doesn't look like pollution, it's more like... a mark.
Or rather, to record.
It records the fact that he had come into contact with, fought against, and sealed away the remnants of the spirit world.
Karen tried to touch the black pattern with her psychic energy and immediately felt a slight stinging sensation, as well as a strange, chaotic, yet inexplicably familiar fluctuation—the frequency unique to the remnants of the spirit world.
"What's wrong?" Feng Yulia walked over and noticed Karen staring at her wrist.
Karen hesitated for a moment, but still showed the black pattern.
Leah's expression changed: "This is..."
"Residue," Karen said softly, "residue from the sealing process. We haven't felt any harm yet, but... it's a potential problem."
Leah carefully examined the patterns and then used the Wind Whisperer tribe's methods to sense them, her brow furrowing: "It certainly lacks activity, unlike contamination. But it is definitely recording something... like it's waiting..."
"Waiting for what?"
"I don't know," Leah shook her head. "But you have to be careful. We don't fully understand the nature of the remnants of the spirit world, and this mark might be activated under certain conditions. If the Order has a way to track this mark..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Karen nodded, pulling her sleeve down to cover her wrist. He'll be careful.
The Narwhale continued its ascent, quickly breaking through the clouds and entering the stratosphere. The land below became blurred patches of color, and the emerald forest disappeared from view. Ahead lay an endless sea of clouds and blue sky.
A new journey has begun.
Karen returned to the cabin and carefully placed Dawn in a cushioned corner. The cub had fallen asleep again, this time a normal, restorative sleep, its breathing steady, its golden fur rising and falling gently with each breath.
Shadow curled up beside the light, the black cat's body completely relaxed, its silver eyes tightly closed, clearly also in deep recovery.
Grom was tending to his wounds on another bed, with the old dwarf craftsman helping him. The two were talking in hushed tones in dwarven language, their topic clearly the current state of Ironforge.
Feng Yulia sat by the window, gazing at the sea of clouds outside, her eyes deep, as if deep in thought.
Karen sat down beside Xiguang and took out the two black stones from her backpack—the core of reason and the purified remnants of a heart. She placed them side by side on the ground and examined them carefully.
The core of rationality remains dark gray, smooth and dull, without any energy fluctuations, like an ordinary stone. The purified heart remnant, on the other hand, is dark red with fine golden patterns on its surface—traces left by the sealing technique, like a net tightly wrapping the remnant.
Then, Karen took out the jade leaf charm given to her by the ancient tree.
The emerald green leaf radiated a gentle light in his palm, its life energy subtly resonating with the spiritual network of the entire Emerald Forest. Karen could sense that, if he wished, he could summon the roots of the ancient tree through this leaf at any time and obtain the forest's assistance.
Three things, put together.
Reason and madness, life and death, order and chaos.
This is what he is carrying now.
It is also his responsibility for the future.
There was a knock on the hatch, and the red-haired Leah poked her head in: "The captain asked me to inform you that there will be a short-distance space jump in three hours, directly to the outer airspace of the Fiery Mineral Zone. There may be turbulence during the jump, so you'd better secure yourself and your valuables."
Karen nodded: "Okay, thank you."
After the red-haired Lydia left, Karen carefully put the three items away. He lay down, closed his eyes, and began to meditate to restore his psychic powers.
But my thoughts couldn't find peace.
His mother's face flashed through his mind. That beautiful, gentle woman left him when he was just a baby, leaving behind only a pendant and the words, "The guardian's responsibility." Where is she now? Is she still alive? What does she have to do with all of this?
The true identity of the Shadow. The Shadow Guardian, an ancient being who fought alongside the First Guardian. Why did it choose to follow me? Was it truly just to observe and study the remnants of the spirit world? Or does it have a deeper purpose?
The Azure Flame Cult's conspiracy. Who is the cult leader? Why release remnants of the spirit world? What exactly is this so-called "new world"?
Anomalies in the six major floating domains. The Fiery Mineral Domain, the Mirror Lake Domain, the Storm Frontier, the Eternal Ice Plains, the Sky Royal Court, the Central Sacred Domain… a similar catastrophe to that in the Emerald Forest Domain may be unfolding in any of these places. What can he do alone?
Too many questions, too few answers.
But Karen knew he couldn't back down.
Because he has already made his choice.
When he grasped Xiguang's forepaw and said, "Let's live together."
When he accepted the ancient tree's gift and promised to investigate the truth.
When he resonated with the shadows and cast an ancient sealing spell.
He had already embarked on this path.
A dangerous road, but one that must be traversed.
Outside the cabin, the engines of the Narwhal roared, and psionic shields deployed around the hull, preparing for a space jump.
Karen opened her eyes and looked out the window.
The sea of clouds was rolling, and the sunlight cast golden rays on the clouds. In the distance, a crimson sky could be vaguely seen—that was the direction of the scorching mining area.
New challenges, new enemies, new mysteries.
They were all waiting for him there.
Karen clenched her fist.
The gold and silver spirit patterns on his wrist were slightly warm, and the extremely faint black pattern flickered, as if in response to his determination.
"Wait for me," Karen whispered. "Ironforge. Mirror Lake. Stormfront. All the places threatened by the Cataclysm..."
"I will go one by one."
"I will find the truth."
"I will end all of this."
The psionic light inside the cabin flickered, and the space jump began.
The field of vision is distorted, the light is elongated, and the boundary between reality and illusion becomes blurred.
But in that chaos, Karen's gaze remained steadfast.