Anbaixiu had only wanted an excuse to stick with the druid to stay clear of that dark power surging toward him. Who could have imagined that picking a random name from his memories would turn out to be related to Sares?
Sares stared at Anbaixiu and demanded, "Where on earth did you hear that name?"
Small wonder Sares found it strange. Granny Alina Sanda had passed away three hundred years ago. Had she not been an elder from his own lineage who had contributed greatly to the tribe, Sares might not even have remembered her name.
For this Child of the Storm to come inquiring in the middle of the night about a druid who had been dead for over three centuries seemed suspicious no matter how one looked at it.
Anbaixiu could only reply, "An elder of mine once mentioned the name. He lived for many years, and his memory had long grown hazy. Before he died, there weren't many names he could still recall, but Alina Sanda was one of them. So I took this opportunity to ask around."
At least half of that was true. Anbaixiu had met far too many people in his time, yet very few names lingered in the end. Worn down by the passing years, most had faded into hazy impressions, reduced to dust in the corners of his memory.
"And you chose the middle of the night to ask about this?" Sares wore a look of utter disbelief.
"During the day, I am an envoy representing the kingdom, whereas this is a personal matter. I could only make inquiries at night—one must keep public and private affairs separate, after all. Naturally, I apologize for disturbing you so late. A modest token to make amends."
Anbaixiu fished a small cloth pouch out of his pocket and handed it to Sares.
Sares had intended to refuse. Wealth held little meaning for druids; there was hardly any gold in the entire Emerald Dream Forest to begin with. The druids were largely self-sufficient, as the Emerald Dream Forest provided everything necessary for daily life. On the rare occasions they needed to trade, it was almost always barter.
This was not because druidic society was backward, but because they had no need to "buy" food, clothing, shelter, or transport.
Without prices attached to such basic commodities, and with the Emerald Dream Forest being relatively secluded and engaging in little outside trade, gold had an "unstable" value to druids.
Things they had no use for naturally held little appeal.
Yet upon taking the pouch, Sares found that it did not contain hard coins.
Opening it, he saw a variety of seeds in different shapes.
Anbaixiu said, "These are seeds of native plants from our kingdom. I believe you druids might find them interesting."
Sares was indeed intrigued. Most druids loved collecting different flora and fauna, making their settlements resemble pristine nature reserves. The Raging Tide Kingdom had an island environment, and many of its plants differed from those in the Emerald Dream Forest. While not particularly expensive, these seeds were far more useful to them than gold.
Before setting out, Anbaixiu had had the Raging Tide Kingdom prepare plenty of such trinkets.
For the sake of these uncommon seeds, Sares's expression finally softened slightly. He asked Anbaixiu, "What is it you want to ask?"
"How about we find a place to sit down and chat?" Anbaixiu suggested.
Although that dark power had vanished, chatting with the druid through the night remained the safer bet.
Sares closed his front door and casually pointed outside. A cluster of vines grew on their own, shaping themselves into a table and chairs.
Druidic nature magic was quite convenient.
Once both were seated, Anbaixiu asked, "Did Alina... er, did the elder lady have a good life in the Emerald Dream Forest?"
Sares still eyed Anbaixiu strangely. This hardly sounded like a question someone of their generation should be asking. Still, it was no secret, so Sares told him, "It was too long ago, and I don't know the fine details. But my great-great-grandmother was quite renowned in the tribe, or I wouldn't have remembered the name."
In Sares's recollection, Alina Sanda had once been a Great Elder of the tribe, falling just shy of joining the Council. During her tenure, the tribe had clashed with goblins; she had transformed into an owlbear and battered dozens of bugbears into paste, sending the goblins fleeing in terror.
It was precisely because of this feat that Alina Sanda had become well known in the tribe, such that people still remembered her name more than three hundred years later.
As for her life, the Emerald Dream Forest was a druid's paradise with no shortage of food or drink, so naturally it hadn't been bad.
"The only pity is that this great-great-grandmother never married her entire life."
Sares's last remark caught Anbaixiu off guard. He quickly pressed, "Never married? Why was that?"
"Who knows? Back then, an Archdruid proposed to her, but she turned him down. Many speculated that she might have fallen for someone while adventuring outside. Others said she didn't like men at all, and that the female friend constantly by her side was actually her lover. But it's been far too long, and no one knows the details."
"She didn't like women," Anbaixiu sighed.
"How would you know?" Sares asked. "Your elder told you? Wait... your supposed elder couldn't be the man my great-great-grandmother met during her adventures, could he?"
Anbaixiu smiled faintly and said, "Who knows? Three hundred years have passed."
Sares stared at Anbaixiu. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this Child of the Storm, yet he couldn't put his finger on what. Indeed, more than three centuries had gone by. Though Alina Sanda was recorded in the tribe's annals, to the druids of the Emerald Dream Forest as a whole, she was just an ordinary name—hardly one worth remembering for three hundred years.
Anbaixiu's expression showed nothing, yet a twinge of melancholy stirred deep within his soul.
Anbaixiu was no innocent youth who had remained pure for centuries. He had had a girlfriend before transmigrating, and after crossing over, he had dabbled in every vice—drinking, whoring, gambling, and revelry.
An adventurer wandering abroad, putting his life on the line every day, naturally lived by the creed of drinking while wine was at hand—never mind tomorrow, enjoy today first.
Consequently, the first half of his life had been filled with fleeting flings—the kind where you indulged for a night and parted ways forever into the world.
Among those women, very few names had stuck in Anbaixiu's mind. Alina had been one of them.
Yet all he seemed to remember was her name; every other detail of their time together had blurred. Anbaixiu could not even remember his own age. Was he three hundred years old, four hundred, or older still? He would probably have to flip through history books and cross-reference major historical events just to pin it down.
Why had they parted ways back then?
It seemed there had been an argument, though the reason was lost to him. Had it been an unfair split of loot? A clash of values? Or merely some trivial dispute?
Anbaixiu had assumed Alina was no different from anyone else in his life, just a fleeting passerby. He had never imagined someone would remain unwed for life because of him.
*Did I really have that much charm back then, enough to make a woman remember me for a lifetime?* Anbaixiu felt a little bewildered. A mediocre mage in this world was nothing more than an utterly unremarkable bystander. *Best not to flatter myself. For all I know, Alina met another man after we parted ways, someone who truly left an indelible mark on her heart.*
Though news of an old acquaintance stirred a touch of sorrow, it was merely a passing sentiment. The past was in the past; one had to live in the present. Well, the same went for being a lich.
After a bit more small talk, Sares gradually lowered his guard around Anbaixiu.
In the old man's eyes, Anbaixiu was unlike those reckless, insolent Children of the Storm, nor did he possess the frivolous naivety of the young. Instead, he shared a great deal in common with an old-timer like himself—both viewed the world from the perspective of someone who had seen it all.
Sares even forgot that the man before him appeared to be only in his forties, nearly addressing him as "brother."
Seeing the mood had ripened, Anbaixiu broached the subject of the dream ritual indirectly.
"The name of the Emerald Dream Forest seems to have been passed down for ages. I understand the rest, but this 'dream' surely doesn't refer solely to the Dream Barrier, does it? I've heard that you druids have some kind of ritual related to dreams. Though the rumors outside are rather preposterous, claiming a bunch of druids dream together to get up to all sorts of unspeakable things..."
Sares said indignantly, "What ridiculous rumors! This ritual is sacred! Who dares slander it like that?"
"Who else but the Ryanites? In their eyes, non-human races are evil, and humans who don't revere the Lord of the Dawn are heretics. From their lips, druids might as well be cultists. The same goes for our Raging Tide Kingdom—weren't we hunted down by Ryan as heretics too?"
True or not, everything was Ryan's fault anyway.
Sares immediately felt a surge of shared indignation. Wasn't the Emerald Dream Forest's total lockdown precisely due to Ryan's external expansion? Those Ryanites were fiercely xenophobic and had practically become the common enemy of the continent.
Striking while the iron was hot, Anbaixiu pressed on: "Still, one can't blame outsiders for believing the rumors. The Emerald Dream Forest is so secluded that outsiders can only guess. I haven't the faintest clue what the ritual actually is, so I had no choice but to take the rumors at face value."
"That is pure slander! The dream ritual is a sacred rite through which Archdruids commune with nature. The dream each person enters is different, and the dreams are entirely unconnected!" Sares explained.
Anbaixiu asked quizzically, "If that's the case, who knows what these druids dream of? Elder Sares, have you ever experienced this dream ritual?"
Sares hastened to reply, "Of course I have! Every druid has a chance to enter the dream. Within it are only the blessed dreams of nature granted by the Oak Father, free of anything impure."
Anbaixiu scoffed, "Elder Sares, isn't that bragging a bit too much? How many druids are there in the Emerald Dream Forest? How could every single one possibly enter the dream? The ritual must be reserved exclusively for Archdruids. If you've never tried it, there's no need to boast—it's only embarrassing."
Sares flushed red with agitation and yelled, "Who says they can't?! The dream ritual takes place once every five years and covers the entire Emerald Dream Forest! All druids can enter the blessed dream by praying to the Oak Father. If you don't believe me, stay here for two years and I'll show you whether I qualify!"
Two years until the next dream ritual... That news sorely disappointed Anbaixiu.
Even if Naomi could secure eligibility to enter the dream, he couldn't afford to wait here for two years.
However, Sares said the dream ritual blanketed the entire Emerald Dream Forest, and the Dream Barrier also blanketed the entire Emerald Dream Forest—both involved putting people to sleep. Could there be some connection between them?
Anbaixiu suddenly had an idea: he wanted to fall asleep in this forest.
Chapter 194