"To survive what's coming, how about we temporarily join forces?"
The phrase seed to have wearied Kazuki. For a proud warrior, asking for an alliance was an admission of weakness.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
Priam had many secrets, and most were not ant for the hoplite to learn. Nevertheless, outright refusal would be foolish. Information was the sinews of war, and Kazuki seed willing to talk.
"The environnt is growing increasingly hostile. Without a strong base, survival in the wilderness will beco complicated."
"Log-a-rhythm - my base - piqued your interest," Priam understood. "What's in it for ?"
"An extra pair of arms to protect your base against those seeking to occupy it."
Instantly, an image of a certain homunculus flashed in Priam's mind.
"Do you have information on our... rivals?"
Kazuki smiled. "So that I could share with an ally. The first being that we are not in a position of strength."
"...I see."
The proposition was intriguing, but Priam was caught off guard. He needed ti to think. With a thought, he asked Log-a-rhythm to serve them a drink.
The leaves rustled before a root pierced the ground between them. Fanning out, it ford a bowl before magically filling with an amber liquid.
"I've forgotten my hospitality," Priam said, gesturing to the bowl. "Please, help yourself."
Kazuki thanked him with a nod before reaching for the liquid. The bowl detached suddenly. Unfazed, Kazuki caught it mid-air and waited for a second bowl to materialize for Priam.
"To your good health," Priam said before bringing the vessel to his lips. He suppressed a sigh of satisfaction. The taste had changed since the first ti. It awakened his taste buds with a tangy flavor, akin to mango syrup with a hint of lemon. One of the best perks of this new life was being able to savor various exotic flavors.
"Excellent," Kazuki remarked. The hoplite had drunk without hesitation. Either he trusted Priam or He must have an ironclad resistance to poison.
Setting the empty bowl against the branch, Priam watched it ld with it. Log-a-rhythm was at the forefront of recycling.
"It's also for your wife, right?" Priam probed.
The hoplite smiled, shaking his head. "I worry more about the others. My wife is the greatest swordswoman in our history. Unfortunately, she won't co alone. Politics," he spat.
He's willing to save people he doesn't even like...
Kazuki was the Champion hoplite and seed to take his role as a protector more seriously than Priam. The latter pondered while looking at his magical tree.
"Log-a-rhythm is powerful, but its space is limited. I fear eleven inside is too much."
Kazuki gave him an amused look. "I'm sure you can improve it. If you're lacking resources, know that I spent over three weeks mapping the surroundings..."
Priam's eyes lit up. Finally, so good news!
"Would you be willing to provide a list of the resources you've co across?" Priam asked.
"No, but I'll help you obtain the necessary resources to enhance Log-a-rhythm if you accept my proposal," Kazuki countered.
Priam smiled, seeing the hoplite bargaining. Apparently, he hadn't beco the Heart hoplite solely through his martial prowess.
"...If you agree to teach how to wield the lance, then we have a deal."
Learning the spear from a master was too good an opportunity to pass up. Priam wasn't too arrogant to think he didn't need a master's help, especially if that master was the Champion of a warrior civilization that had practiced this art for millennia. Louis would help him to a certain extent, but the old man wasnt a spear master.
That was the only reason prompting Priam to consider Kazuki's offer. Despite the hoplite's alarming words, Priam didn't fear most of his rivals. He had more than one trick up his sleeve.
Kazuki smiled. "At seventeen, I was an instructor for the Titan classes. Youre sorely lacking, but I accept," he said, placing his clenched fist against his chin. The Tsalk was both a salute and a promise - the equivalent of a handshake. Priam mimicked the gesture and stood up quickly.
"I hope Ill no longer bring sha to Prosse," Priam chuckled, indicating his spear.
"Is that its na?" Kazuki asked.
"Yes. It ans promise in my language."
"A magnificent na. Not like your grip, though. You have much to learn."
The interior of Log-a-rhythm remained unchanged. Veins filled with luminescent sap still produced a gentle light. His leaf bed hadn't moved. The tree had gained a bit of space - a little over four square ters in four weeks. If its developnt was linear, it was little, but still welco.
In a secret alcove, Priam felt the presence of the mythical die he had hidden. Kazuki hadn't ntioned the item, surely considering it already consud. Soon.
Before that, Priam had sothing to do. From his pouch, he took out several items and entrusted the rest to Log-a-rhythm. He kept only a few tea leaves, a Sequoia Sempervirens Aether seed, a cocoa seed and finally, the Crimson Fruit.
Instantly, the tree began to vibrate. A question appeared in his mind.
"I bring you gifts," Priam confird. He headed toward one of the walls and placed the items there. One by one, they were absorbed into the wall. The tea leaves elicited no reaction, but Log-a-rhythm vibrated with pleasure as it consud the two seeds.
Looking at the last item, Priam hesitated. The pineapple-shaped ruby in his hand was precious. Very precious.
[Identification]
[Crimson Fruit - Legendary] - A fruit born of the sacrifice of a grand tree. Naturally capable of reaching the rank of Duke, it never fulfilled its full potential. That sa potential now pulses within its fruit.
The tree originates from another Universe; alien truths are buried within this fruit.
Its consumption stimulates the latent potential present in your blood.
Planted, it will give rise to a unique tree.
Consuming it would instantly elevate him. On the other hand, if Log-a-rhythm managed to distill the powers of the fruit... In the long run, his base would beco one of his trump cards.
His blood boiled, urging him to consu the treasure imdiately. On the other side, his draconic instinct seed uncertain. Refusing to be led by a re impulse, Priam pressed the fruit against the tree.
The important thing was to win the ga, not dominate the early.
"I have a build designed for snowballing, it would be a sha not to take advantage of it," he reminded himself.
Confident in his decision, he watched the fruit vanish. Log-a-rhythm trembled as it absorbed the treasure. Quickly, the sap took on a blood-red hue. Space began to distort, and Priam was abruptly ejected from his tree.
Landing roughly on his rear, he raised his head just in ti to catch sight of a silhouette. Seated on a tree branch, it t his gaze, and Priam was paralyzed. The entity observing him was incomprehensible.
[He Who Eludes Gods] vibrated, struggling to keep its soul in one piece.
Finally, the tree ceased trembling, and the silhouette finally vanished. Eyes unfocused, Priam gazed at the simple beauty of the light playing in the now reddish leaves. Dazed, he only reacted when Kazuki extended his hand.
"Are you alright?" the hoplite asked, helping him up.
"...You didn't see anything?" Priam wondered.
"Beside you daydreaming with your eyes open? Nothing."
"I might have been dreaming..." [High Human Adaptation] was already blurring the mory, and Priam didn't stop it.
Finally regaining his composure, Priam stood up and selected the floating notification.
Evolution of "Log-a-rhythm".
The Tal Quercus - the base of your tree - has evolved.
The royal lineage of the elves traces back to their mythical ancestors, the Primo Elves.
A unique event awakened this connection.
Log-a-rhythm had been created from the stump of a dead Tal Quercus, felled by a Tribulation. The tree itself was born from the sacrifice of a Royal Elf, and the crimson fruit seed to have revealed the link between this being and their ancestors.
Priam's gamble had paid off.
Potential Awakening for Log-a-rhythm:
Thes now have a cost in POT.
Passive Gain: 100 POT/day.
New available thes:
Primo (1,000,000)
Tal Quercus (10,000)
Nature (1,000)
Cocoa (500)
Sequoia (1,000)
Tea (500)
Old available thes:
Abundance - Life II (1,000)
Abundance - Aether II (1,000)
Protection IV (5,000)
Tribulation Resistance III (2,500)
Secret Passage II (1,000)
Camouflage (500)
Attraction (500)
Underground (500)
Comfort (500)
Volu (500)
Water Control (500)
Land Owner II (1,000)
Current POT: 843
Without hesitation, Priam bought Camouflage for 500 POT. A breeze swept through the clearing, and Log-a-rhythm's presence seed to blend into the surroundings. Its striking colors subdued. Simultaneously, the trees bordering the clearing took on reddish hues.
To an outside observer, Log-a-rhythm was simply a tall tree slightly isolated from the rest of the forest.
"Incredible," Kazuki murmured. "It's not just a physical transformation. My gaze glides over it without stopping."
Priam didn't notice anything special. As its owner, the tree's magic spared him.
"I'm activating Land Owner," he announced.
Land Owner activated.
Select a feature to construct:
Land privilege
Protective barrier.
Luminous barrier.
Environntal barrier.
Alarm.
Other hidden options - prerequisites not t.
Nice! It was precisely what he needed. He suspected that so options wouldn't be available - building a Coliseum for two people would have been ridiculous. Even if it were possible, the danger of the endeavor would have deterred him.
In the end, Land Owner simply expanded Log-a-rhythm's options, which suited Priam just fine. He wasn't here to build a city, just a secret and fortified base. He quickly selected Protective Barrier.
A ntal switch later, a transparent do appeared. Centered on Log-a-rhythm, it covered about half of the clearing. Priam sensed its presence through their connection, but otherwise, it was invisible.
"How did you do that?" Kazuki furrowed his brow while looking around. He used his spear to make hesitant gestures. His behavior surprised Priam.
"What do you an?"
"The intangible trees," he said. Each movent seed to add to his confusion.
Clueless, Priam asked Log-a-rhythm for an explanation. The next mont, trees appeared around him. "Oh!"
Priam reached for one, amused to see his hand disappear inside. The trees created by the synergy of Camouflage and Protective Barrier were simply illusions - visible but untouchable.
ntally, he asked the AI to create a whitelist and add Kazuki.
The hoplite's eyes widened before nodding. "Perfect. The dumbest monsters won't even notice. Unfortunately, that won't be enough to keep our rivals at bay."
"We'll have to increase the size of the do," Priam conceded.
As the do didn't reach the edge of the clearing, a portion was suspiciously empty. If one of their rivals had an aerial view, it might raise their suspicions.
"Can you do that now?"
Priam shook his head. "I'll need to sacrifice more resources. Or wait seven days."
He only had 343 POT left, and Camouflage II cost 1000.
"It would be dangerous to wait that long. If you need samples of special trees, I have a few ideas," Kazuki offered.
"Let's g..."
A portal suddenly opened in front of Priam. The cutest creature in Elysium erged. A miniaturized Sphinx, brimming with excitent, surveyed her new surroundings.
"The grass is blue!" she exclaid. "Is it edible?!"
Without waiting for an answer, Sphinx leaped onto an unlucky blade of grass and devoured it.
"BLAHHHHH!"
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