Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 994 - 109 The House Tree

Chapter 994: Chapter 109 The House Tree

"Within the forest, there are a few types of trees that are rather special," Pannis explained. "I don’t know exactly how many there are, nor do I know what all of them are, but I do know that at least the yvelin trees, which they call house trees, are one of them."

"So this is the yvelin tree," Lina said as she suddenly understood. "Tifa used to talk about them. Every time she mentioned them, she seemed nostalgic. So this is the kind of tree you all use for your homes."

"I certainly didn’t come across as nostalgic." A few seconds later, Lina’s expression changed abruptly, and with her arms crossed and a sneer of disdain, she said, raising an eyebrow, "Who would feel nostalgic for such a hypocritical place? The world is full of darkness, yet a bunch of pretenders insist on acting as if all they see is light. When in reality, between races, there is nothing but pure slaughter and scheming, they still pretend to be upright and sincere. Hypocrisy is at the very essence of this place. I finally died and got to escape this phony world. Why would I miss it?"

"Ahem, Lady Tifa." Flare knew who the spirit before her was and seemed to know how to handle her as well. She didn’t argue with Tifa but simply said with a smile, "Your deeds and your grievances have been known throughout the Elf world for many generations. Everyone appreciates the sacrifices you’ve made for the forest and our people. Of course, it doesn’t mean much to say this now, and you’re right, this place is indeed full of pretense and falseness. So, in order to better despise this place, shouldn’t you spend more time here instead, finding even more to scoff at?"

"Hmph, you do have a point," Tifa said, tilting her head in thought before scoffing. "I should indeed come here more often to look for fatal flaws in this kingdom you Elves have formed. Hmph, whether you live or die is, of course, of no concern to me, but once I find such a fatal flaw, I can happily imagine your ultimate demise because of it. Hahaha, that is something to truly look forward to. Hmph, it’s decided then."

Tifa’s arrogant laughter faded away, and it was obvious that Lina had returned to her original self. It wasn’t until Tifa had left that Flare turned to Pannis, shrugged her shoulders lightly, and said, "She’s not that hard to communicate with, is she? No matter what she says, deep down she still looks forward to returning home, to the plant partners she once lived with. That’s why she misses the house trees so much."

"To you, do house trees represent both home and partners?" Catherine mused. "So even when you change where you live, you still take your home with you? Still, I don’t quite understand. How can these yvelin trees—ah, I mean house trees—move on their own?"

"Ordinarily, plants have a fixed network of roots, gripping the soil tightly to keep the tree stable," Flare explained. "But house trees are different. Apart from their twelve exceptionally thick main roots, all other roots are adaptable and can stretch at will. So when nutrients in the soil diminish, they can extend their roots to absorb more, and if there are harmful substances in the soil, they withdraw certain roots to avoid the contaminated areas. Sometimes, they even pull their main roots out of the soil and move to a different location to regrow. We make use of this feature, asking for their agreement to move, then commanding them to lift their bodies above the ground with their main roots. Next, they sequentially pull out and relocate their main roots, sinking them back into the earth until they reach the intended destination. Is this simple explanation understandable to you?"

"I sort of get it. Their roots are like the tentacles of an octopus, moving them across the ground using these roots," Catherine nodded as she pondered. "But wouldn’t that be very slow? And what if there are obstacles along the way?"

"Actually, it’s not slow at all. In fact, their main roots are extremely long, much longer than their above-ground bodies, and very powerful, enough to support their massive trunks. So, when they use their main roots to support themselves, each move can cover a distance of hundreds of meters, and they can travel one or two kilometers a day. Just imagine, it’s only a little over a thousand kilometers from the forest edge to the King’s Court. They do not know fatigue and can move continuously. At most, it would take them just a short three years to complete the journey, and along the way, they can make use of the time to remodel the interiors of their houses. As for obstacles on the way, those are very common, but the root system of plants is stronger than the force of any living creature; nothing can stop them from advancing." Flare patted the inner wall of the treehouse and proudly said, "This kind of plant is the best gift from the Mother God to us. It has almost accompanied the entire history of our race. With them, elves no longer have to worry about the severe weather and environment in the forest."

"Indeed, it’s a very convenient plant," Catherine also marveled, "But if they pull out their roots, wouldn’t that lead to insufficient nourishment and eventually cause the whole tree to wither and die?"

"The house trees are our partners; would you harm your own partner?" Flare retorted, "Just like you, we would never harm our partners, so they are absolutely safe all the way."

"In that case, hiding within a house tree is like having a mobile fortress," Catherine nodded and said, "And the roots are so powerful, ordinary magical beasts wouldn’t be able to contend, right?"

"No, their roots aren’t that flexible, and magical beasts won’t just stand there dumbly. No matter how strong one is, it’s meaningless if you can’t hit the enemy," Pannis burst Catherine’s bubble, "So basically no one uses house trees as weapons."

"Yeah, we would never do that," Flare nodded in agreement, "Because we have War Ancient Trees."

War Ancient Trees, likewise a kind of warfare weapon of the Elves that existed only in legends, were said to have been used by the elves multiple times during wars against the Beastmen in the epoch of the War of Gods back in the Third Epoch. Their formidable power had led the Beastmen to many crushing defeats. However, in the past few thousand years, even during The 214-Day War, the elves had never used this weapon again. Therefore, the War Ancient Trees had become an ancient legend, never again seen by outsiders.

Flare blinked mysteriously and whispered, "With the existence of the War Ancient Trees, why would we let our partners take risks?"

"How much longer do you plan to live up there?" a seductive voice came from below the tree, "Do you need me to help with a rain shower, to water your trees as well?"