The black sun hangs high

Chapter 137 Heart and Life

"The Forest of Walkers?"

Hugh was gradually getting used to these unfamiliar terms that Theseus occasionally uttered, so he wasn't too surprised. He simply asked curiously, "What are these things?"

"To you, it is nothing more than a concept that once appeared in a distant era, and its essence is no different from those 'extinct creatures' that you know."

"you sure?"

Hugh's face was full of doubt: "I've seen some things that should belong to that era in the past few days."

"But what you see is nothing more than inferior, defective products."

Theseus shook his head: "Without a suitable environment, nor sufficient power and faith, it is merely a clumsy imitation using fragments of the past... Haven't you already discovered that it is far inferior to everything you saw in your dream?"

"alright."

In this respect, Hughes was no match for Theseus, a gap caused by their different levels of understanding.

So he looked at the plant roots so close to him and asked, "I still want to know, what are the characteristics of this plant? And how... should I harvest it?"

Theseus sighed, then shifted his chair and returned to his computer: "Just as land-dwelling creatures voluntarily become the swarm of Mother Earth, similar phenomena will occur with land-dwelling plants."

"You mean... plants also have their own deities?"

"To be precise, they came together on their own and formed a being that is similar to a deity."

Theseus explained, “Even at that time, the ‘Walking Forest’ was a rare miracle.”

“A vast forest possesses a unified will and can make corresponding decisions based on changes in the environment. Heh... For those tribes and civilizations that believe in the Earth Mother Goddess, a boundless forest that could potentially shift on a large scale at any time is a terrible disaster.”

"disaster?"

"Yes, those mutated plants are inherently very dangerous. When they follow the control of the same will and begin to move in a specific direction, all living things along the way will be captured by them and eventually become nutrients for the forest. In this process, the symbiotic creatures that already live in the Forest of Walking will also benefit from it."

"It's unimaginable."

Hugh shook his head.

Theseus always described these phenomena and scenes in a lighthearted manner, but all of this was far too distant and bizarre for Hugh, who still retained human cognition.

"You don't need to imagine it."

Theseus maintained her feminine voice and tone: "After all, you are a pragmatist, so for you, it's enough to know that it's good for you... The method of harvesting is simple: find the core of the plant and touch it... The process may be a little painful, but I can assure you that it will be within your tolerance."

After saying this, Theseus let out a strange chuckle and turned back to operate the computer.

Seeing the other person's expression, Hugh didn't press for more information.

Theseus's patience in providing such detailed information and advice was already quite remarkable. Although there was still a hint of elusive wickedness in his words, Hugh believed that the other party would not stoop to plotting against him in this dream sanctuary.

So he turned around and walked toward the roots of the huge plant.

The magic within Hugh's body began to slowly circulate. He prepared to use his magical perception to further confirm the characteristics of this plant. However, as soon as the magic began to emanate, the plant immediately reacted. The roots that had been quietly drooping seemed to sense something and immediately "came to life." Hugh saw them begin to curl and stretch, and some of them kept "groping" in mid-air, as if trying to find the source of this magic.

So Hugh decisively took two steps back, avoiding the slowly reaching roots and branches.

As his magic gradually enveloped the area, a very peculiar "model" was sculpted in Hugh's perception.

Hugh's eyes widened.

Because in his perception, what appeared was not a plant at all.

It resembled a tangled mass of blood vessels growing haphazardly, except that these "vessels" did not flow with blood, but with a power similar to magic. Hugh could hear a faint, heart-beat-like rhythm, and within this rhythm, streams of magic were being sent to various parts of the plant, and the constantly moving roots and branches seemed to be affected by this as well.

"found it."

Hugh quickly pinpointed the source of the rhythm—right above the bursting flowerpot, within the "stem" of the strange plant.

Hugh quickly adjusted his state and then walked in that direction. However, this time, the plant seemed to sense Hugh's hostility and threat. Before he could get close, the vines and branches that combined the characteristics of many different plants stretched out in his direction.

As Theseus said, they would find their own prey and obtain nourishment from it.

Conflict inevitably occurred.

Faced with these obstacles blocking his way, Hugh had no choice but to summon the Touch of Calron. His hands were immediately covered by hard black keratin, and his huge black claws, along with countless swaying sharp limbs, began to cut rapidly.

The rhythm I was sensing began to accelerate.

A surge of life force instantly sprouted countless thorny vines. In just a few seconds, the office area, already covered in lush greenery, was transformed into a dense, impassable jungle. Hugh's progress slowed considerably; even taking two steps required immense effort and time. The power of the Mirror Messenger manifested, transforming Hugh into a humanoid cloud of mist. He initially intended to rush directly to the plant's trunk, but the vines blocking his path contained potent magic, consuming vast amounts of mana with each step.

Finally, he arrived at his destination with great difficulty.

Under the barely erected protection of the Touch of Karron, Hugh quickly broke free from his misty state. Several vines successfully broke through the Touch of Karron's blockade, winding their way through the gaps like long, serpentine snakes. A large number of sharp thorns immediately pierced Hugh's body, and with each stinging pain, Hugh's magical power began to drain away.

This was clearly a method the "Walking Forest" used to extract power and nutrients from their prey.

However, Hugh was no ordinary spellcaster.

The magic flowing through his body was certainly not any legitimate kind of magic.

That was a deadly poison that even Hugh himself couldn't figure out.

In an instant, the vines that dared to draw power from Hugh's body withered and died rapidly. Corrosive dark green mist even escaped from the withered vines, causing further damage.

Hugh grinned and raised his claws, thrusting them forcefully in the direction from which the rhythm was coming.

The vines covering the "core" were exceptionally tough, but they still couldn't stop the claws and the touch of Karron from cutting. In no time, Hugh successfully removed this last obstacle, and his target finally appeared before him.

"Is this a heart?"

Hugh examined the wrapped object. It looked exactly like a heart with some plant features. It was emerald green, slightly transparent, and connected to it by a large number of plant tissues that resembled blood vessels.

Hugh instinctively used his magical vision, and he saw that a continuous stream of magic was being generated from this special "heart" and sent to various places through those "blood vessels." Just by looking at it, Hugh could already feel the vitality contained within.

It's a gentle power that makes you want to get close and embrace it.

He immediately removed the black keratinous shell covering his left hand, took a deep breath, and then, as Theseus had instructed, reached for the slowly beating heart.

Its texture is not soft; rather, it feels like some kind of warm mineral. Although it is somewhat cool, with each pulsation, Hugh can feel a very natural warmth.

Just as Hugh was intently sensing the power within the plant's heart, it had already reacted to external touches.

Numerous fine roots grew out of it, like threads and ropes, climbing directly up Hugh's palms from both sides, then quickly tightening, firmly fixing Hugh's left hand to his heart.

Hugh instinctively tried to resist, but Theseus's voice drifted from behind: "Don't move... This is the normal procedure, bear with it and enjoy it."

"Bear with it?"

Hugh was stunned for a moment, but then he felt a sharp pain in his palm—it seemed as if something had pierced through his left palm and was frantically crawling into his body. The feeling was very strange and terrible. Hugh even felt as if a snake was writhing in his arm, constantly gnawing at his flesh and slowly burrowing deeper into his body.

The feeling was more real and more concrete than when I was first pierced through the chest by the Touch of Kalron in the Dream Sanctuary.

Moreover, this time, with Hugh's physique and spirit being even more resilient, the torment became even longer—he could not escape, nor dared to use his abilities to resist, and could only forcibly endure the slow and terrible pain.

The touch of Calron gradually disappeared, and the vines that had been hostile to Hugh also dispersed. They now seemed to regard Hugh as one of their own, or as prey that had been successfully captured. In any case, they no longer attacked him in any way.

Hugh remained kneeling, cold sweat pouring down his face from the pain. As time passed, the contortion on his face gradually turned into numbness, and the pain in his arm spread to his shoulder and then further into his body...

At that moment, the life force that had been so tempting finally arrived. Hugh could feel it flowing into his body in rhythm with the plant's heart. And so, a new torment began. Healing and pain began to occur simultaneously. The roots that had already burrowed into Hugh's body accelerated, causing the pain to reach its peak, almost piercing through Hugh's mind.

This was nothing short of torture!
The vegetation covering most of the office area began to wither and shrink at this moment. The lush green color on the outside began to fade, and countless dead vines and branches fell off the main body and immediately turned into invisible magical dust after landing.

A few minutes later, the strange scene had completely disappeared, leaving only a few vines still "embracing" Hugh's body. At this moment, green light flashed continuously on the skin of Hugh's hands, face, and neck, as if something was flowing in his blood vessels.

Finally, this horrific process came to an end.

After successfully breaking through a certain point, the maddening pain vanished in an instant, replaced by an incredibly vibrant life force. At that moment, Hugh heard his heartbeat with perfect clarity. The rhythm seemed to have merged with his body and magic. With each beat and each cycle, new magic was formed and quickly filled all the gaps.

The roots binding Hugh's hand also vanished into thin air, and the crystal-clear plant heart turned into a cloud of green powder as Hugh's hand was removed, falling into the soil below.

"call……"

Hughes took a deep breath and stood up from the ground.

He looked at his palm and saw that the wound in his palm was healing slowly. Not only that, but he also felt a faint tingling and itching sensation on the wounds on his body that had been caused by the thorny vines.

Hugh turned his gaze to the metal disc. This time, not a single groove was successfully filled. However, at the center of the disc, the dark green crystal that had always been the source of Hugh's magic power had now taken on a different form—it was no longer the regularly shaped crystal of the past, but had become a crystal-clear green heart.

It flickers gently, like the beating of a heart.

With each flash of light, countless magical threads would pierce through the patterns engraved on the metal disc. Under its influence, the disc's rotation became smoother and more fluid, and Hugh could feel that the amount of magical energy within his body had also broken through, entering a new stage.

(End of this chapter)