The tribe leader’s gaze fell on Lian. "Your request has been fulfilled."
"Every book, scroll, and old report we had about the other two forests and the Forgotten Tree, I have gathered in my personal hut." He pointed at Ravian.
"He will take you there."
The archive of the tribe’s books and scrolls was very old, dating back decades and even hundreds of years.
Under normal circumstances, gathering information about the topics Lian had requested could have taken days.
The topics he had requested were very broad, and there was a great deal of information about them.
But the tribe leader had ordered that everything possible be gathered as quickly as possible for the one who had saved his children.
"Thank you." Lian expressed his gratitude.
Averian just nodded.
The leader’s private hut was located on a higher platform, in a quieter part of the tribe.
"You’re lucky. Almost no one is allowed to enter there." On the way, Ravian said, though there was no jealousy in his tone because that hut was for studying, and he didn’t really enjoy studying that much.
"How is it different from his house?" Lian asked.
"It’s used for studying, maps, and when he wants to be alone. Even we don’t enter without permission."
The hut was built inside a narrower root. When they entered, the smell of dry skin, wood, and plant ink reached their noses.
Shelves of wood and bone were on the walls.
Scrolls were tied with colored threads, old maps were spread on the tables.
Carved stone pieces with faded writings could be seen in the corners, books with monster skin covers were on the shelves.
A large mana lamp on the center table created a white light, and several books and scrolls were already arranged on the main table.
Ravian pointed at them. "This is it."
Then he gripped his spear tighter. "I’m going to the training ground." A serious eagerness could be seen in his eyes.
"I need to become strong like you. If I’m going to protect the tribe one day, I can’t be that weak again."
"Good, good luck, but don’t push yourself too hard. Recovery is also part of training." Lian said calmly.
"Of course!" A brief smile settled on Ravian’s face.
He left the hut.
Lian sat behind the table and opened the first scroll. The title was written in red ink.
[Emberroot Forest]
The text described a forest where a large part of the ground and roots were always warm.
Its soil was dark and red, heat veins like arteries moving beneath the ground.
The trees had roots like glowing coal.
Rivers of very hot water passed through the forest, and in some areas, semi-molten flows could be seen.
At night, red steam rose from the ground, natural fire in Emberroot never died out, it would transfer from one root to another.
In a section of the scroll, known monsters were introduced.
Ashhide Behemoth.
A massive creature with stone and heat armor that radiated heat through the cracks in its body.
Emberwing Mantis.
A flying insect with burning blades.
Cinder Wolves.
Wolves that hunted in packs and left footprints that kept the ground burning for a few minutes.
There were reports of Salamander tribes, also fire-born creatures and groups of armored humanoids mentioned only in stories.
But the main danger of Emberroot was not the heat. According to several reports, the forest had periods where all the roots started moving in harmony.
The text referred to these periods as the "Forest’s Awakening."
One writer had claimed that Emberroot grew on the body of a very large creature.
Lian lingered on that sentence for a few moments.
If other Awakened ones had appeared there, those with heat resistance or Fire talents would have a better chance of survival.
But even they would not be safe against a forest that could awaken on its own.
He opened the second scroll.
[Glassthorn Forest]
Its description was completely different.
A cold, transparent, and deceptive forest, the trees had glass-like or crystal shells.
Transparent thorns refracted light and were almost invisible from a distance, a constant mist covered a large part of the forest.
The sound of breaking glass would sometimes echo without any clear reason, the ground was covered with very sharp crystal pieces.
But the main danger was light, the reflections made paths appear multiple.
Some travelers had moved in circles for days without realizing they had returned to their starting point.
Mirror Stalkers hid among the reflections.
Glasshorn Stags could deflect mana and light attacks with their crystal horns.
Shard Spiders made almost invisible webs of glass.
One report mentioned white-skinned, eyeless humanoid creatures that sensed the environment through vibration and light.
Another scroll spoke of a crystalline and abandoned city deep in the forest.
Lian thought to himself that Awakened ones who appeared in Glassthorn either died in the first few days or were forced to form groups very quickly.
Being alone in a forest where even the path in front of you could not be trusted was almost certain death.
The scrolls about the Forgotten Tree were much older. The ink on some of them had faded, and some sections were missing.
The tree’s name changed in different documents.
The Forgotten Tree.
Root of Three Worlds.
The Tree Without a Forest.
The First Root.
Legend said that all three forests were connected to this tree, but the tree itself did not belong to any of them. Its roots burned in Emberroot, turned into crystal in Glassthorn, and rose from the ground like mountains in the Forest of Giants.
But the main trunk was located in a place that was not accessible from the usual paths.
One text said the tree was at the center of the world.
Another claimed the tree was outside the world and that the three forests were only shadows of its roots.
In a broken scroll, a sentence remained.
"Whoever reaches the heart of the Forgotten Tree can open the path between all three forests."
Lian opened another scroll, a line in the middle caught his attention.
"The tree knows those who do not belong to this world better than the children of this world."
Lian was silent for a few moments. Otherworldlies, in the present, this concept referred to him and those like him.
But in the past, it clearly referred to the natives of the tenth Ruined Realm, meaning they too could come to this world, but why and how?
What was the purpose of the rifts opening between worlds? What was behind it?
These were questions he had no answers to, and it was unlikely he would find answers anytime soon.
Then he pushed the thoughts aside and continued reading the reports.
In the reports about finding the path, certain signs were repeated.
A root without a shadow, a waterway that moves against the slope, three moons or three lights seen from one point.
A gateway inside a dead trunk, but there was no precise map, no confirmed path was recorded.
Lian placed the documents next to each other.
The Awakened ones were probably scattered across all three forests. It would be logical for survivors to move toward civilization, water, and safe areas.
In the Forest of Giants, the Lizardman tribes and rivers were the best destination.
In Emberroot, probably the hot rivers, stone caves, and Salamander territory.
In Glassthorn, perhaps the crystalline city or any place that offered protection against the mist and reflections.
But if the final goal was the Forgotten Tree, sooner or later the survivors from all three forests would be forced to move toward the center.
"If the others are alive, they are either looking for civilization... or looking for that same tree." Lian whispered under his breath.