The Jade Forest remains ever green all year round due to some mysterious force.
However, each season brings slight differences.
Currently, it is the transition from spring to summer, and the land is completely enveloped by the spirit of spring, especially after frequent rains. With the intersection of sunlight, moisture, and natural life magic power, the trees and vegetation, shrubs and ferns in the Jade Forest have all begun to thrive.
Although the path to the Black Forest has been artificially cleared, there are still many wild branches and weeds encroaching upon the road.
Having left outpost 11 behind, as they entered the forest, all former chaos and noise vanished without a trace, leaving only a profound silence.
"Be careful."
Gauss cautioned his companions.
The closer he got to the direction of the Black Forest, the more "sounds" he could hear.
Most were the annoying noises of insects that should have been filtered out.
Due to his concern over missing important messages, Gauss slightly relaxed his filtering of such information upon formally entering the forest.
This led to a flood of useless information coming through.
"Reproduction!"
"Love!"
"Desire offspring!"
"Heat!!"
"Want to eat!"
"Danger! Avoid!"
All were instinct-based mumblings.
The trio slowed their pace a little, while four Clay Spiders followed Gauss, occasionally pouncing on and killing stronger insects or small beasts they encountered.
It seemed cruel, but in this boundless and vast forest, such minor variations were insignificant, barely creating a ripple, and were swallowed by the endless cycle of ecological evolution.
The Clay Spiders constantly transmitted feelings of "delight," "relaxation," and the joy of "gaining strength" back to him.
The insects in the Jade Forest, even the most ordinary ones like beetles, rhinoceros beetles, ladybugs, and flower bugs, were much stronger than those found near towns.
Gauss speculated.
Perhaps the stronger natural magic of the Jade Forest subtly infused their bodies, nourishing their spirit, making the Clay Spiders find them tastier, juicier, and more nutritious?
Maybe he could return here frequently in the future to give the clay creatures more meals?
Although each insect only provided a small amount of spiritual nourishment, their vast numbers made them perfect for the Clay Spiders.
A lot of the "panic" voices Gauss heard were the "tragedies" caused by his four spiders.
Suddenly, an especially distinct voice echoed in his ears again.
"Humans have entered!"
"!!!"
With his sustained focus, Gauss was certain he wasn’t mistaken this time.
The voice was exceptionally clear, revealing a human-like anxiety and repulsion.
It was as if a group of children had seen a malicious-looking thief break into their home, hiding in the wardrobe, cautiously peering through the cracks and exchanging anxious conversations.
"Stop." Gauss raised his hand, signaling his companions to pause.
Aaliyah and Serdur glanced at him with puzzled eyes, but said nothing.
Gauss followed the sound.
He finally stopped before an ancient tree.
This tree was abnormally thick, its branches and leaves casting dense shadows in the forest.
The gnarled bark was a deep green, coated with a slick moss and tiny, glowing fungal spores.
It stood out distinctly from other ordinary trees. Is this the origin of the name Black Forest?
Gauss and his party were still on the trail, not yet within the Black Forest’s boundaries.
This was the first "black tree" they had seen.
As Gauss approached, the voice vanished entirely.
"Has the voice reappeared?"
Aaliyah, noticing Gauss’s searching movements, asked curiously.
"Yes." Gauss nodded. "The voice said we arrived here."
He pointed at the big tree.
"You heard the tree speak?" Aaliyah questioned.
"Not necessarily." Gauss shook his head. "It might be these tiny creatures, or even smaller invisible entities."
He was more inclined to believe it was the insects living on the tree or something else.
"Little ones, come out and say something, are you there?" Aaliyah circled the black tree, then tried to communicate.
Unfortunately, her mastery of animal speaking techniques only worked on larger, common animal species.
Most insects could not communicate.
"Gauss, any reactions?" After attempting to communicate, she looked at Gauss.
"No." Gauss shook his head.
His fingers were rubbing the glowing fungal spores.
Initially, he thought the voice might have come from there, but no reaction occurred despite his touch.
Or perhaps it was truly on the tree?
He glanced up at the dense canopy and abandoned the search.
"Let’s keep moving forward."
Mounted on their chocobos, the group continued towards the Black Forest.
The deeper they went, the darker the color of the tree bark became.
The dense foliage blocked the sky above entirely, preventing the sunlight from breaching, leaving the forest interior in darkness even during the day.
Were it not for various glowing moss, fungi, and other plants providing light, this place would be indistinguishable from night.
"Crack!"
The chocobo’s hooves snapped a branch, making a crisp breaking sound.
"No wonder they call it the Black Forest; it’s really dark here...." Aaliyah glanced around her surroundings and softly remarked. "And it’s so quiet."