[Congratulations to Astralis Requiem for securing the Conquest of Mythlorien’s Fossilized Tree!]
Lohan and Lisa watched in shock as the main hall, once vast and empty, began to undergo a miraculous transformation.
From the mineralized wooden walls, shoots of crystal and amber began to emerge, autonomously shaping themselves into long tables, comfortable armchairs upholstered in ether silk, and pedestals for holographic maps.
On the ceiling, chandeliers of sacred light formed, emitting a radiance that subtly accelerated the recovery of Mana and Spiritual Energy for everyone in the room.
In the center of the room, before Lisa, an object materialized, floating in the air: a white silk banner with neon blue edges, displaying the crest they had not yet chosen, but which the system generated as a mystical representation of a Slime and a Fox beneath a shooting star.
[Achievement Reward Received:]
[Rejuvenation of the Ancestral Tree (Level 1): Increases stamina and spiritual energy regeneration by 20% near the tree, accelerating the recovery of natural life and slowly bringing life back to this pitiful plant.]
With this first notice, Lohan and Lisa were shocked as they looked around and realized that where there had once been only the dry bark of a nearly dead tree, now, though almost imperceptibly, they could see that color was returning there, and the bark was gradually becoming more hydrated and resilient!
The energy circulating throughout the tree was so intense that, just as the notice explained, Lohan felt that not only was the recovery of stamina and spiritual energy more intense, but even his absorption of nutrients from the surrounding air had increased by another 20% just by being there! It was very similar to the sensation he felt when entering Yrneha’s magic tower.
[Visual Representation of the Guild Base here and on Discord.gg/NunuXD]
Then he looked at the next notice with anticipation.
[Banner of Harmony (Unique Guild Item): Allows communication between guild members via a mental link within a 50-kilometer radius.]
Reading that description, Lohan was shocked. Not because this effect would now allow him to talk to guild members even without Lisa present, since he knew it would only be a matter of time before he could do that on his own, but because, from a defensive perspective, this was extremely useful in the event of an invasion!
If a battle broke out near their guild’s base, members could communicate with each other mentally, leaders could manage those members even if they weren’t nearby, and the guild’s overall coordination would be on a whole new level!
[Visual Representation of the Banner here and on Discord.gg/NunuXD]
Lohan vibrated the membrane, forming a small jelly hand and touching the fabric of the surprised banner. "To be honest, Lisa... I think the system was just waiting for us to complain so it could give us a deluxe package." He joked, looking at it in wonder.
After the pearly glow of the system notification faded, the silence at the top of the tree was replaced by a sound Lohan never imagined hearing up there: the sound of life breathing.
Before, the guild’s base had been a monument of fossilized, gray wood, rigid as metal and cold to the touch. Now, as Lohan and Lisa walked through the hall, the change was staggering.
Lohan approached one of the curved walls.
Through his [Monocular Telescopic Vision] and [Microscopic Focus], he saw that the dry cracks in the bark were being filled with a translucent, gleaming sap, as if the earth’s blood were once again circulating through veins long since clogged.
The colors were slowly returning, with the lifeless gray gradually turning into a deep amber-brown, and the surface, once rough, slowly became moisturized and more supple, exuding a pleasant scent of sweet, intoxicating Mana.
It felt as though the tree itself was embracing them.
Lohan felt his Superior Magic Core vibrate with pure comfort.
Then suddenly, a daring idea began to form in his mind.
He recalled the energy contraction technique he had learned from Yrneha and the subtle control he had gained from digesting the Tear of the Ancestral Magic Flower, and the more he thought about the idea, the more feasible it seemed.
Lohan rolled over to a sprout emerging near an amber crevice. He focused his will on the [Sacred Light Core]. Unlike ordinary Mana, which was electric and fluid, the Sacred Light was dense, pulsing like a living heart. He released a tiny fraction of that energy, directing it into the fibers of the living wood.
Previously, attempting to manipulate the fossilized wood required a brutal effort to "reanimate" the dead matter, which drained his energy in seconds. But now, with the tree pulsing with vitality, Lohan felt much weaker resistance, as if he were guiding the growth of a plant in fast-forward rather than carving a rock.
Slowly, under Lisa’s curious gaze, the wood fibers began to curve and intertwine.
Small roots emerged from the polished ground, spiraling upward to form four short legs and a delicate backrest.
Lohan focused intently to ensure the details were sharp, shaping the seat to have the soft texture of a petal.
In a few minutes, a small chair made of living wood was ready.
The chair was tiny, just the right size for Pip or Elle to sit on during guild meetings. The effort, however, came at a price. Lohan’s status window flashed a warning: his Holy Light reservoir was completely depleted.
The density of this energy was so high that even a small creation consumed everything he could stabilize for the time being, but the difference between what he managed to do today and what he did a few days ago was striking.
Despite his momentary weakness, Lohan beamed with satisfaction. Thanks to the Banner’s bonus, he felt the Holy Light replenishing 20% faster than normal, causing the "golden fire" at his core to slowly begin glowing again.
"Lisa, look at this... we won’t have to spend a single silver coin on furniture!" he joked through the mental link, forming a little jelly hand and pointing at the small work of art. "If I practice this control every day, I can turn this empty hall into at least a decent meeting room by Saturday’s battle, haha!"
Lisa approached the small chair, tilting her fox-like head with a glint of admiration. She touched the new wood with her paw and could even feel the warm temperature of the life Lohan had infused into it.
"You really have a knack for the unexpected, Halon," she admitted, her telepathic voice sounding sweet. "If the fairies saw our Vice President acting like a master craftsman of light, they’d think we’re a guild of deities, not monsters."
Lohan then focused on the second item: the [Banner of Harmony]. He felt the mental connection expanding.
Now, through the guild link, he could sense the presence of guild members in the distance, like tiny sparks moving rapidly away.
With these two new rewards duly delivered, it was now time for the hunt.
Everyone was already working so hard to develop the guild; the two presidents couldn’t just sit on the sidelines and leave all the heavy lifting to the members, they should grind too!