A pale white flower house.
There was a wine glass pattern painted on the doorway. A large crowd gathered outside, watching warily while cautiously trying to poke their heads out to observe.
It was a perfect combination of timidity and curiosity.
Beside these people, several others lay wailing on the ground.
However, they already had numerous wounds, which had been treated simply.
Looking inside.
The room was in tatters, with broken petals and branches scattered throughout.
Several bodies lay on the floor and in the corners, victims of the previous attack who hadn't been dragged out in time.
A huge, red, humanoid monster had been captured by Jason and his three companions. It was bound with metal chains and pinned to the center of the building.
Even entangled in the chains, the monster continued to roar. Its mouth was about to spew out something like lava.
But its mouth was sealed shut like a dog's, and hot lava slid from the cracks at the corners of its mouth, flowing onto the floor.
It set the plant stems and leaves of the floor sizzling and smoking.
"So what exactly is this structure?" Simon asked, squatting beside it, examining the monster before him.
"Before it changed, it should have been purely human. Obviously not now, but I don't know if it can change back."
Juanlu said after studying it for a while.
Jason sat on a nearby table that hadn't broken yet, looking toward the door.
He could hear wailing outside, and the occasional glances of the bravest.
After seeing the monster they had captured, the fear on his face finally subsided a little, and he bravely entered to observe.
"It seems this thing is a local specialty. Many of those people outside seem to have seen or recognized it."
Jason made this judgment based on his emotional expression.
As he spoke, a commotion erupted from outside.
A woman appeared, clad in emerald green armor carved with petals and other flower-like decorations.
She was followed by about ten soldiers.
The soldiers' equipment and aura suggested they were elite.
Upon entering, they saw a monster trapped in the center by three men.
The leading girl frowned and drew her sword.
She walked over to the monster, which continued to roar.
"Give me the thorns of punishment." She muttered something like a prayer, and green vines suddenly appeared and entwined the blade.
Then, with a single blow, she plunged her weapon into the chest of the struggling monster before her.
Seeing this, the three of them took a step back.
Thorns began to entwine from the blade that had pierced its chest.
They began to spread like a spider web.
The sharp spikes on the green thorns pierced the monster's skin, and the monster could be seen struggling frantically.
But its mouth was blocked, and it could not roar, only groaning.
The green thorns continued to entwine tightly.
A blood-red liquid began to flow from the monster's body. It was clearly not blood.
The color was more similar to its skin.
The body quickly melted, just as the monster's muscles began to turn to liquid.
In the melting liquid, the human who had turned into a monster emerged.
The melted liquid stained his body, and it was extremely sticky.
It looked like a test subject freshly rescued from a test tube.
However, this human was now significantly thinner than before, his entire body emaciated, as if he hadn't eaten in ages.
His eyes were completely cloudy.
It was already dead.
Seeing this, the young woman clutched her sword to her chest and bowed her head slightly.
"Bearing thorns, beg for forgiveness."
A host of green thorns erupted from beneath the floorboards, entangling the corpse and dragging it underground.
Jason and the other two watched the entire process from the sidelines, showing no intention of intervening.
After completing this, the young woman looked at Jason and the others and nodded.
"Thank you for your help. Without you, who knows how much more damage would have been done."
Then she glanced around and waved to the soldiers behind her.
The soldiers began clearing the surrounding debris and disposing of the bodies.
They wrapped them up.
She, along with two soldiers, turned to Jason and the other two and said, "This isn't the place to talk. If you want to know, follow me."
The girl had clearly recognized Jason and the others' identities; they were likely the outsiders who had arrived in the past few days.
Hearing this, Jason nodded.
The three of them followed the girl.
As they walked, the girl in front spoke.
"My name is Gilliana, and I'm a Knight of Flowers."
"Jason, a member of the Compass Eye Treasure Hunting Group and a follower of the Virgin."
"..."
Everyone briefly introduced themselves.
The girl nodded.
"Since you're outsiders, believers of the Holy Mother, and have come here, do you know much about this place?"
Jason glanced at the two people beside him.
After a brief pause, he said, "I have some understanding. I've seen our ancestors' explorations here."
The young woman nodded in understanding.
"Due to certain circumstances, even the once-stable Land of All Spirits has been plunged into chaos in recent decades."
They understood what she meant by chaos; it seemed to be just as they had imagined.
With the gods about to awaken, more and more chaos was appearing in this place.
Perhaps they were trying to stop it, or perhaps they were simply trying to cause trouble.
The possibilities were endless.
After all, who knew what the resurrection of a god would mean for this shattered Infinite Ocean?
But one thing was certain: a new great power would emerge.
In the chaotic area of the Giant Tree's Habitat, those who relied on this lawless, chaotic landscape for survival certainly didn't want a god to rule over them.
As they chatted, the group, led by Gilliana, arrived at a place resembling a military camp.
They could see soldiers patrolling outside, and inside, unarmored soldiers were training.
The soldiers who followed them left, and the young woman led the three of them into a dark gray flower building ahead.
"Sit down."
The three sat down nearby.
"Who's leading you?"
"The leader isn't here."
Hearing this, Gilliana nodded and asked, "Is it the one named Alka?"
"?"
At this, the three of them silently raised their guard.
The female knight's question caught them off guard.
I had never imagined she'd know Alka. Was Alka already that famous?
"That's not necessary," Gilliana said with a smile, waving her hand. "Maybe I didn't know him before, but his name has spread among us since this day. You'll find out when you get back."
The three of them were confused, but no one dared to ask.
"Let's talk about something else. I have a commission and I'd appreciate your assistance.
The reward is 3,000 gold sails or its equivalent. What do you think?"
Hearing this, Jason shook his head.
"I can't make the decision, and we've been busy lately, so we might not have the energy to help you."
Hearing this, Gilliana raised her hand slightly.
"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Listen to me. I believe you'll definitely be willing to accept this commission."
Hearing this, Jason frowned.
Isn't the underlying meaning that they know them well? Is this just a show of force?
Despite this, Jason stopped talking. The three of them waited in silence for Gilliana to speak.
"You saw that monster before. This kind of monster has only appeared around the Land of the Spirits in the last ten years.
The flower people who become these monsters have been bewitched by certain individuals, transformed through evil rituals, and have come to believe in evil."
"After a long investigation, we've determined that their lair is in the Giant Tree's habitat.
Over the past ten years, while they haven't caused any significant damage, they have caused us a fair amount of trouble.
They're like flies; no matter how hard you try, you can't kill them all."
At this point, Gilliana's face showed obvious irritation and disgust.
Then he said, "Especially in the past two years, their leader has become a very cunning fly, operating more covertly than before.
They never cause major damage, but they constantly disrupt public order.
Due to the increased intensity of the attacks from the Life and Death Border, we have been forced to deploy more troops to the border, which has left us unable to deal with them for the time being."
At this point, the commission was clear.
"So, I'd like to ask you to help us eliminate them."
"Eliminate a cult?" Jason asked doubtfully.
Is that too much of a compliment?
"No, of course not. You need to eliminate the cult group operating in the area surrounding the Fragrance Land.
They've been operating here for over a year, and we don't have much manpower available lately."
After hearing his commission, Jason frowned and thought.
Clearly, he was asking them to be the cats.
Catching the rats around here would definitely take up quite a bit of time.
The problem is, they've been busy lately, with other things to do. How could they possibly have the energy to take on commissions?
"Sorry..."
"No, don't be so quick to refuse. We've already obtained relatively accurate information about the leader of this cult."
Gilliana smiled at the three of them.
Hearing this, the three silently waited for his next words.
"This leader was once a member of the main branch of the Nafas family."
Hearing this, the three of them immediately lost their composure.
They stood up with frowns on their faces, already poised for attack.
They could be certain here.
No one knew their target.
So how did the person before them know?
......
Arka stood in the bishop's hall, and, guided by the young woman before him, entered the building.
They made their way to the center.
The entire hall was filled with the delicate fragrance of flowers.
But there weren't many people around.
He was led to the back of the building, where a large garden lay, each flower in full bloom.
The garden was clearly meticulously manicured and maintained.
A man holding a scepter stood with his back to Alkaba and the girl beside him.
The girl stepped forward.
"Head gardener, Lord Alka is here."
Hearing this, the man turned around.
He was an old man, at least sixty or seventy years old, with gray eyebrows, hair, and beard.
But his gray beard and hair were remarkably smooth.
He wore a pale blue robe, through which one could see some kind of armor carved with flowers.
In his hand, he held a massive scepter woven from emerald green vines, atop a blossoming flower.
This blossoming flower was identical to the one Alka had seen in his dream, the enormous bud in full bloom in the center of the square.
The old man looked at Alka with a kind and amiable expression.
"You're here! I've been waiting for you."
Hearing this, Alka was slightly taken aback, but still bowed slightly in respect.
"So, Mr. Head Gardener, this is probably our first meeting."
"Of course," the Head Gardener nodded. "But I still have to thank you for your assistance in the Emerald Fortress.
You've helped us mitigate a lot of losses, especially during this critical moment."
"Of course. So, what do you mean by 'waiting for me for a long time?'"
Alka didn't hesitate any longer and asked directly.
From the moment he arrived, everything about this place seemed strange.
They seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.
"Literally. We've been waiting for you all day."
"Waited for me all day..."
Arka frowned slightly.
That was quite interesting. He hadn't waited for them for days, but only for one day.
This meant something had happened that day or the day before that had drawn their attention, leading them to believe he'd come looking for them.
He thought about what special things he had done.
Entering the dream world of the Land of Fragrant Flowers...
He seemed to understand.
In the Land of Fragrant Flowers, he had discovered the true place where the Flower Fairies had revived.
In the Land of Fragrant Flowers' dream world.
He had thought he'd run fast and escaped detection.
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
Thinking of this, Alka looked up at the old man and then at the surroundings.
The head gardener's strength was clearly beyond his ability to handle.
"It seems you've misunderstood. We have no ill intentions towards you.
We're simply waiting for you here, hoping you can offer us a little assistance.
But this assistance must be provided discreetly, so we have no choice but to invite you here. Please forgive our intrusion."
The head gardener bowed slightly and spoke sincerely.
Alka could accept this explanation, but even if he didn't, what good would it do? He still had things to ask of others.
Since others happened to be doing something, why not help?
"Help?"
He needed to provide help.
If he remembered correctly, his strength hadn't even surpassed the fourth stage.
He was already so desperate? Although his mind was filled with random thoughts and complaints, Alka politely nodded and asked, "What kind of help can I offer? I don't think I can offer much."
"That's not something I know."
Hearing this, Alka's brow furrowed again.
If he remembered correctly, within the structure of the Land of All Spirits, the Great Gardener before him was the pinnacle of power.
Equivalent to the leader of the entire Land of All Spirits.
He wasn't even qualified.
Then who would want it... Could it be...?
A very bad premonition arose in Alka's heart. He looked at the Great Gardener before him and asked directly.
"Then, can I refuse?"
This startled the head gardener. He hadn't expected Alka to be so direct.
At least they had to bargain and talk.
But even after being rejected, the head gardener still smiled gently.
He wasn't angry.
He said, "Why don't you talk to me first and hear what our terms are?"
It seemed he couldn't refuse.
He nodded.
Watching Alka nod, he smiled wide-eyed and then thrust the giant flower scepter in his hand.
Vines sprouted from the bottom of the giant flower scepter, connecting to the ground and growing together with the floor.
The flowers on the top blossomed even more fully, and a faint, exotic fragrance began to waft out.
"Then I won't bother you any more."
The head gardener said, and left.
Alka was the only one left in the garden, and the flower scepter before him.
"To be on the safe side, come meet me in the dream."
A soft, elegant voice, like a demonic voice, penetrated Alka's ears.
Thankfully, Alka's mental state was unusual, and he wasn't greatly affected. He nodded.
After a moment's thought, his body remained in reality, and he sank his dream double into the dream he was currently in.
When the surroundings shifted, Alka arrived in the dream world.
This time, he appeared directly next to the enormous flower he had seen earlier.
The flower was in full bloom.
The beautiful, graceful girl within the flower's stamens was a creature from heaven.
Draped in a faintly luminous white scarf, her graceful figure loomed.
A strange floral fragrance drifted through the dream world, entering Alka's nose and rushing straight into his mind.
A pair of jade-like feet dangled from one petal, their weight tilting the soft petals. They swayed slightly against the semi-transparent white silk.
The silk was dotted with a faint pink hue.
Her long, pink hair cascaded down her shoulders, just enough to cover her private parts.
She looked at Alka before her.
"Hmm, I seem to have seen a newborn dream god?" her tone was teasing.
She clearly sensed Alka's special status in the dream world.
Alka didn't respond, but instead said, "Respected Flower Fairy, how can I help you?"
Seeing Alka ignore her teasing, the Flower Fairy didn't care. Instead, she gently lifted her leg and placed it on top of the other.
Their legs crossed, revealing a hint of flesh.
She swung her jade feet.
"It's simple, something only you can do.
In another area, where the tree is, there's a treasure stored in a location corresponding to the dream."