Chapter 1286 — Where the Clues Converge
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"Amorn has been severed from his divine station for over three thousand years," Gao Lan said. "Though his initial severance was not as thorough as the War God's, after so long, the divine influence he left behind should have dissipated completely. And even if his own divinity had not fully faded, his divine realm could not possibly retain any mental pollution—this is a relic left by the Pathfinders. Any divine remnant that falls upon it is purified within moments into something 'safe and harmless.'"
"'Purified,' is it..." Metzgen mused, sweeping her gaze around. "Perhaps this Cycle Giant Tree died of 'rejection' during the purification process—look at those enormous vines. Some of them show a tendency to coil around the surrounding facilities, but they withered and died in the very act of coiling. That means this tree was still alive when it first 'crashed' here. Unfortunately, facing the Pathfinders' power... it couldn't even struggle for long."
Gao Yang said nothing. His gaze fell on an alloy tower at the edge of the port, around which dead, withered vines were coiled. Yet deep within that pile of remains, tiny leaves and plants had grown out, stubbornly displaying their faint vitality in this withered, deathly place—and these small plants were everywhere among the giant tree's remains further away.
They even faintly formed a tiny ecosystem of their own.
Mojin had also taken an interest in the plants growing from the giant tree's remains. His adventurer's instinct made him ignore the eerie, oppressive environment; he made his way among the colossal plant remains, climbed over withered limbs and dead vines, and carefully observed the vegetation growing within. Turning back to the others, he said, "These things don't look like the plants of our 'Mortal World,' but apart from that there doesn't seem to be anything special about them..."
"They look like ordinary flowers, grasses, and shrubs, sprouting from the remains left after the divinity's death, but they themselves are merely mundane things," Metzgen said, also observing the vegetation growing from the Cycle Giant Tree's remains. She reached her conclusion: "The Cycle Giant Tree was, in essence, still a 'tree.' After shedding its divinity and dying, it would leave behind tremendous nutrients—enough for new 'offspring' to sprout from its corpse, and even to sustain a small-scale ecosystem... only, three thousand years have passed now, and there's no telling how much longer the vitality in these remains can last."
No one could answer Metzgen's question—even Amorn himself, were he here, would probably be unable to explain. All they could do was observe their surroundings as meticulously as possible, keep recording footage, collect whatever samples they could, and keep pace with Gao Song as they continued deeper into the port.
They reached the area covered by the giant tree's canopy, and the enormous plant remains around them reached a peak—countless roots, vines, branches, leaves, and fragments of dead wood spread across the steel ground, piled up even into small hills and ravines. Withered tendrils hanging down from the canopy intertwined like a forest, their surfaces overgrown with new "offspring" green vines. Death and new life were woven together in this incredible fashion, and beneath this wondrous spectacle of intermingled life and death lay the cold, hard steel ground left by the Pathfinders 1.8 million years ago.
Much of the port's original structure was covered by the remains of the Cycle Giant Tree. Only some floating streetlight orbs still operated as usual, illuminating this "dense forest" that should have been very dark. Gao Yang led the group through the forest, and fortunately every member had some measure of strength; the harsh environment did not much hinder their steps.