Rose of Decay had still not replied to any messages, which left Anbaixiu a little worried.
Yet he had no way of flying straight down to the Underdark to look for her, so he could only drop a line in the group chat asking the Bone Dragon Eldest Miss to go check on her.
However, the Bone Dragon Eldest Miss claimed she was busy lately.
What could a bone dragon possibly be busy with? It wasn't as if she could lay eggs or give birth.
With no other choice, Anbaixiu could only wait patiently for Rose of Decay's reply, hoping she wouldn't get overly agitated upon meeting her ancestor.
Anbaixiu had originally hoped to keep Arthur Ryan "on the clock" to help him squeeze a few gold coins out of Heji Stone, but the heroic spirit was far too frail and had no choice but to return to the hourglass to slumber.
Anbaixiu was forced to temporarily shelve the notion of exploiting a saint king and turn his thoughts toward his next steps.
At most, it would take another day's voyage to reach the west coast of the Emerald Dream Forest, where he would officially negotiate business with the druids.
If the Raging Tide Kingdom hadn't insisted on sending an escort fleet, Anbaixiu would have contacted Catherine and Naomi the moment he made landfall and fled far away with the two of them.
The artifact was already in hand; dragging things out here served no purpose.
Yet Ariel had come along, which meant Anbaixiu could not resume his original identity. Otherwise, the contract between the Silent Night Pirates and the Raging Tide Kingdom would be null and void, and several million gold coins in annual income would vanish into thin air.
More importantly, once his identity was exposed, the Raging Tide Kingdom would certainly pursue him to the death, and Ariel might immediately try to take his life.
Therefore, he had to find a way to stage Mengge Grayriver's final act in the Emerald Dream Forest.
He had to make the Raging Tide Kingdom accept Mengge Grayriver's death—or disappearance—without pinning the blame on the undead.
This was rather tricky. The druids would hardly cooperate with Anbaixiu's acting, and framing someone in front of a group well-versed in nature magic was extraordinarily difficult. Whether faking a scene or faking a corpse, the druids could easily spot the flaws.
"What a headache. How can I make Mengge Grayriver die gloriously and in a way that puts everyone's mind at ease?"
Anbaixiu hid in his cabin, racking his brains, but right up until the great ship made landfall, he hadn't devised a foolproof plan.
Helpless, he could only resume Mengge Grayriver's appearance once more and step out onto the prow.
Ariel stood beside him and asked with considerable concern, "How was your rest? Have you recovered your spirits?"
Anbaixiu nodded and said, "Thank you for your concern. I'm mostly recovered."
Ariel asked again, "Then what do we do now? Our relations with the druids aren't exactly friendly, and we don't have established channels of communication. Do we send someone directly to deliver a message to them?"
This diplomatic visit had been Anbaixiu's idea, so it was only natural that the procedure followed his arrangements.
Ariel had developed quite the self-awareness by now: since her intellect couldn't compare to his, it was better to obediently follow his lead.
"The Emerald Dream Forest has activated its Dream Barrier. Outsiders who enter will only fall into slumber. But don't worry—while people can't enter, sound certainly can. Activate the ship's magic circle and give these druids a little shock of thunder."
At Anbaixiu's command, the Raging Tide Kingdom's massive warship began gathering magical power, and violent lightning coalesced in the sky above the vessel.
After brewing for a long time, a crack of thunder exploded with a deafening boom capable of carrying hundreds of kilometers.
Druids were extremely sensitive to changes in nature. With such a massive commotion, someone would quickly arrive to investigate, at which point they could formally request a visit.
Ariel watched the lightning in the sky and couldn't help thinking: if she had been the envoy, would she ever have thought of such an approach? She probably would have sent a messenger, waited until he went missing in the forest, and only then considered another way—that was the typical Children of the Storm style.
This Mengge Grayriver had clearly been on par with her before. How had he suddenly become so brilliant in just a few days? Ariel couldn't make sense of it. It wasn't as if the man could have put on an act for decades.
Could she become smarter too?
Ariel pondered for a moment and asked Anbaixiu, "Have you been reading any books lately?"
Anbaixiu answered offhandedly, "Lately, I've been studying unofficial histories of the Ryan Empire."
He wasn't lying. The secrets he'd gleaned from Arthur Ryan were genuinely wilder than any wild history.
"Oh, I see."
Ariel resolved to get her hands on a few volumes of unofficial histories when she returned. Perhaps that would sharpen her wits as well.
The lightning in the sky raged for nearly half the night, consuming more than half of the ship's magical energy reserves, before a flock of giant eagles finally flew out from the forest and touched down on the shore before the great vessel.
Upon landing, the giant eagles all shifted into humanoid form—a group of druids clad in green leather armor with their faces painted in bright war paint.
Anbaixiu observed them for a moment and drew a conclusion: these druids belonged to the Circle of the Moon.
Druids were divided into various traditions depending on their understanding of nature—the Circle of the Moon, the Circle of the Land, the Circle of Shadows, and so forth—each focusing on different capabilities.
The Circle of the Moon excelled above all in Polymorph. Not only did they have access to a broader variety of beast forms, but their prowess upon transforming was far superior to that of other circles.
There were eight druids in total. One of them, an old man who appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, walked closer and spoke in a warning tone: "Children of the Storm, return to your ocean. The Emerald Dream Forest does not welcome destructive thunder."
As the old man spoke, emerald-green light flared across the bodies of the other druids, looking primed for battle. The Raging Tide Kingdom worshiped the Lord of the Storm and revered destruction, whereas the Emerald Dream Forest believed in the Oak Father and stood resolutely on nature's side. While the two factions weren't mortal enemies, the conflict between their doctrines was glaringly apparent.
Seeing the banner of the Raging Tide Kingdom, the druids' immediate reaction was that enemies had invaded, and naturally they braced themselves to fight.
Ariel gripped her warhammer tightly, lightning crackling around her frame as she prepared for combat.
Anbaixiu patted her shoulder and murmured, "Don't be nervous. The fact that they didn't attack immediately means we can talk. Agitation on your part will only escalate the conflict."
Ariel hurriedly reined in her lightning; by now, she had grown accustomed to following Anbaixiu's instructions.
Anbaixiu leapt down from the ship and slowly approached the druids, speaking as he walked: "The Oak Father once said that all things exist in a cyclical, delicate, and wondrous balance. Destructive thunder once brought primordial life to desolate oceans; thunder, too, is part of nature's cycle. Elder, wouldn't you say so?"
The old druid sneered, then retorted, "For a Child of the Storm, you know the Oak Father's teachings quite well. Aren't you afraid your deity will punish you?!"
Anbaixiu smiled and said, "The greatness of the Lord of the Storm is beyond what mortals like us can imagine. Likewise, his wisdom is deeper than the ocean, so whether he dispenses punishment or reward is not for me to worry about."
"Child of the Storm, state your purpose. I'll give you a chance to explain."
Although the old man's expression remained stern, his tone had softened slightly.
The best way to close the distance with devout believers was to discuss dogma. If you could quote their scripture and apply it appropriately, you would generally earn their respect.
Having lived for hundreds of years, Anbaixiu didn't dare claim he knew every detail of every god's doctrine, but no matter which deity you brought up, he could converse with you convincingly.
This dogmatic strike proved quite effective; the druids' goodwill ticked up a notch, shifting from outright hostility to cautious vigilance.
Anbaixiu said calmly, "I am Mengge Grayriver, Fleet Commander-in-Chief of the Raging Tide Kingdom. Elder, may I ask your name?"
"I am Sares."
The name Mengge Grayriver sounded faintly familiar to the druid elder; the title of commander-in-chief was likely genuine.
Anbaixiu explained, "Elder Sares, I come today representing the Raging Tide Kingdom on a diplomatic visit to the Emerald Dream Forest. Hearing that you had erected the Dream Barrier, I had no choice but to use this rather eye-catching method to send word. Rest assured, however, that not a single tree was harmed."
"A diplomatic visit?" Sares was thoroughly bewildered. Relations between the two lands were awful; what was there to visit about?
Anbaixiu also knew the request sounded strange, so he continued to elaborate: "Elder Sares, isn't the reason the Emerald Dream Forest raised its Dream Barrier precisely because of Ryan's rapid expansion? You must know that our Raging Tide Kingdom and Ryan are generational foes. Now that the entire continent is engulfed in turmoil, staying isolated is no longer an option.
"A forest requires countless trees to take shape, and the same is true of nations. My visit to the Emerald Dream Forest on behalf of the Raging Tide Kingdom is genuinely aimed at easing tensions between our realms, so that both sides can maintain restraint in any impending conflict. Naturally, if deeper cooperation is possible, that would be even better."
Listening to this, Sares felt it sounded somewhat reasonable, yet deep down he still harbored doubts.
The Raging Tide Kingdom seeking cooperation? That ran completely counter to how the Children of the Storm operated.
Still, this was not a matter a mere tribal elder could decide. It had to be reported to the Oak Council for the Archdruids to deliberate.
Not daring to be negligent, Sares said to Anbaixiu, "Please wait here. I will report this right away."
The druids departed as swiftly as they had arrived, shifting into giant eagles and soaring back into the dense canopy.
Such an ability truly aroused envy. A druid's beast transformation could adapt to virtually any environment, and their transformed bodies functioned independently of their true forms. If a druid transformed into a grizzly bear, even if you minced the bear into pieces, you would merely break the transformation effect, leaving them completely unharmed once they reverted to humanoid form.
It was in moments like this that one appreciated why druids were also considered full spellcasters; their nature magic carried considerable power.
Perhaps because the title of Commander-in-Chief Mengge Grayriver carried sufficient weight, Anbaixiu did not have to wait long before Elder Sares reappeared, bearing good news.
Sares handed several bracelets woven from vines to Anbaixiu and said, "The Archdruids invite you into the Emerald Dream Forest. You may bring along a few attendants. As long as you wear these bracelets, you will remain unaffected by the Dream Barrier. However, the natural power imbued in the bracelets will also suppress the magical energies within your bodies. If you cast any spells without permission, the bracelets will shatter."
This was the Emerald Dream Forest's safeguard: wearing the bracelets granted entry, but it effectively sealed away all spellcasting abilities.
This restriction encompassed magic of every kind; even a paladin would be unable to channel Divine Smite here. And if the bracelet shattered, the wearer would instantly collapse into sleep, leaving themselves in the most vulnerable position imaginable.
Without a second thought, Anbaixiu slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. Sure enough, he felt a hazy layer of natural energy envelop the surface of his body. Normal movements had no effect on this energy, but the moment he channeled mana, the barrier would pop like a soap bubble.
Seeing Anbaixiu don the bracelet without hesitation, Sares's attitude softened considerably; at the very least, he could see Anbaixiu's sincerity.
Guided by Sares, Anbaixiu and Ariel led several attendants into the depths of the woods.
Yet the moment they crossed the barrier, Anbaixiu caught a bizarre sensation.
In a forest that should have been brimming with pure nature magic, why was there an odd scent—a faint trace of evil, rotten, underdark foulness?
It was extraordinarily faint. Had Anbaixiu not been exceptionally sensitive to such energies, he might not have noticed it at all.
Anbaixiu thought to himself, *Dammit. Catherine's jinx actually hit the mark—how is it that trouble crops up everywhere I go?*
Chapter 191