The Martial Unity

Chapter 3350: Shrewd Grandma

The dark elves and even Mother Alicia were uncertain of what Rui wanted with Mother Vyia. While her voice had been prominent in guiding elven friendship with human civilization, it was Mother Alicia and Mother Pruschilia who had been in-charge of the relationship between the two civilizations.

Nonetheless, Rui insisted that he needed to speak with her.

He immediately departed after receiving directions to the location of the Mother of Nature, soaring through the bright blue morning skies above the West Genora as he coursed through the cool dancing winds and the warmth of the bright sunlight that illuminated half of the continent.

WHOOSH!

His pitch-black hair danced in the winds while his Martial attire fluttered wildly as he sky-walked through the skies above the forests of West Genora at high speeds. His eyes lit up as he spotted an absolutely gigantic tree planted in the very epicenter of the West Genora.

”There she is.”

The Mother of Nature was a different species of flora than Mother Maeria. While the latter had wide branches with many sub-branches that formed a giant dome of leaves, the Mother of Nature that he gazed was similar to that of a pine tree in structure.

Her trunk was tall and straight, exceeding the height of even Mother Maeria, while equally straight branches emerged from her trunk with titanic dark, green leaves. The branches grew shorter the higher up they were, giving the Mother of Nature a cone-like shape.

WHOOSH...

Rui slowed down as he arrived at the gigantic tree, admiring her scale.

She was only slightly smaller in volume compared to Mother Maeria, and hardly less majestic in the power that he felt within her incredible body.

”Mother Vyia,” Rui greeted her with respect. ”It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Prince Rui of human civilization and of the Kandrian Empire. It is a shame that I didn’t take the time to meet you sooner.”

He could sense a hint of amusement in the consciousness of the tree.

’I would not expect you to meet each and every single Mother of Nature in this continent, Dawnbringer.’ Her tone was elderly and wise. ’I was quite curious to hear that you wanted to meet me personally. I have taken a rather hands-off approach when it comes to the relationship between human and elven civilization and have allowed Mother Alicia and Mother Pruschilia to take things into their hands and lead us into a new alliance, for they are more than capable enough. There would be no reason for you to seek me out specifically.’

Rui smiled, pulling out the letter that Mother Maeria had given him.

”I have a letter from your sister, you see. A rather important one. She asked me to give it to you since she could no longer directly communicate with you any more with the break-off between the flora networks of the halves of the continent.”

’...I see,’ she mused mysteriously. ’In that case, please allow me to host you as a guest.’

CRACK CRACK CRACK...

An opening in her bark showed itself, forming a passage that led deeper into her trunk, illuminated by glowing flowers.

Rui quickly sky-walked to the passage, making his way through the passage as he studied the wood and the glowing flowers.

The air contained the citrusy and resinous odor that characterized pine trees, a scent of flora associated with evergreen forests.

At the end of the passage, he found himself in a little room with small table and two chairs, carved from living wood at the center while windows illuminated the room with the morning light from the outside.

His gaze found itself fixed on an elderly dark elf.

Her elderly eyes were wise, yet mirthful.

She wore a soft smile, shifting a tuft of her silvery hair behind her ear.

She poured two cups of what appeared to be a special tea with a brownish-green color to it that drew his attention, before turning to him with the two cups.

”This is a brewery of my own creation,” she smiled. ”It’s a new genetic recipe that I’m eager to refine and perfect. Why don’t you give it a taste?”

”Thank you...” Rui took a seat at the table as he accepted the cup of tea, before taking a sip.

His eyes widened as he felt a flow of warmth that illuminated his entire body from head to toe. In the blink of an eye, his body felt lighter while his muscles seemed to relax a little. A flow of vitality and energy swept through his entire body, making him feel better in the blink of an eye.

”What is this...?” he asked with a stunned tone as he turned to the elderly dark elf.

”Hohoho, it seems you have enjoy my latest brew.” She smiled gently with a satisfied expression. ”It is something that I have been tinkering with recently. It’s a new species of plant that I have genetically created that contains compounds that trigger the production of endorphins in one’s bloodstreams, creating a powerful sensation of physical euphoria.”

”That’s incredible,” Rui admitted, taking another a sip as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.

”I’m glad to see that it works on humans as well.” Her tone grew more engrossed in thought. ”The fact that it works on a Martial Artist like yourself who is an evolutionary divergent of our ancestral species should be enough to assume that it will have the same effect on the other five species.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. ”...Do you plan to export it?”

”Of course I do.” She smiled shrewdly. ”We dark elves are the largest exporters of food, culinary, and other edible products. And it is because Mothers of Nature like myself personally invest much time and effort to create such products that will endear the world to dark elves and secure our position in the world even more, protecting elvenkind even better.”

Rui gazed at her with a raised eyebrow.

”So you do this for the sake of dark elves?”

”In part, but if I’m to be honest...” her elderly smile grew a bit more mischievous. ”I’m simply doing it because I love it. Brewing teas and other beverages derived from flora is my passion and what I have dedicated myself to the past thousand years to doing, you see?”

Rui’s eyes widened with surprise at shot words.

”We were not jesting when we said we despise war.” Her tone grew more serious. ”While there are some Mothers of Nature that dedicate themselves to it like Mother Alicia. Most Mothers of Nature prefer to pursue a path of creativity and expression rather than destruction. This goes for me as well as my sister Maeria, with whom you have met, and who...”

Her eyes bore deep into his.

”...you helped uncover a new dimension of power within the Nature Path.”