Chapter Sixty-Five: The Violet Abyss

The situation near the oak was far better than Ji Yu had expected.

Gazing at the line of tents stretching westward into the forest, Ji Yu could tell that the Western Covenant was at least maintaining a neutral stance toward the oak.

As for the fawn, Ji Yu could only hope for now that the Lion officialdom would also approach the matter with similar calm and objectivity.

The fawn’s growth had reached a bottleneck, and Ji Yu saw no need to waste more time on it. Aside from giving the fawn brief instructions to focus on strengthening its own kind, he also ordered it to contact him immediately if the humans made any move.

Having issued these instructions, Ji Yu descended into the oak’s avatar, intending to take advantage of the fine weather after the rainy season to rapidly push the oak’s secondary state to its maximum.

[Oak Status] (Expand)

[Good]

[Life Level: 2]

[Vitality: 49.18 (maximum 100)]

[Height: 327.64 meters (maximum 500)]

[Age: 392 years (maximum 30,000)]

[Characteristic 1: Size Amplification (Medium)]

[Characteristic 2: Sacrificial Enhancement (Medium)]

[Characteristic 3: Powerful Absorption (Medium)]

[Characteristic 4: Abundant Vitality (Medium)]

[Characteristic 5: Resonance Guidance (Low)]

[Characteristic 6: Sturdy Tenacity (Low)]

[Characteristic 7: Regional Emission (Low)]

[Characteristic 8: Solid-State Activation (Low)]

In a week, the oak’s condition had not improved much. Compared to the fawn’s life grafting trait, the oak did require more of Ji Yu’s attention at present.

Yet before proceeding, Ji Yu’s gaze settled on the tents beneath the oak.

Though unable to see inside, Ji Yu already possessed the memories Adam had conveyed during his previous descent, so he was acutely aware of the humans’ states within.

The pollution of the Violet Moon was far worse than Ji Yu had imagined, and the secrets withheld by various governments were surely greater than he’d suspected.

The most dire scenario Ji Yu could now envision was that the nations had already made contact with the otherworldly realm where the Violet Moon resided, perhaps even engaging in small-scale warfare.

After all, what happened on Gourmet Street was still vivid in his mind.

Consequently, Ji Yu’s mood had become truly urgent.

At the same time, Ji Yu was considering whether he ought to find a way to send the fawn here temporarily, allowing Adam to reach his peak swiftly.

The oak’s current consumption was immense: it had to guide lesser oaks to awaken and also sustain its own growth. At his current rate relying on mere meditation, Ji Yu estimated it would take at least another month.

He felt he could no longer afford to wait.

On a personal level, Ji Yu acted for the safety of himself, his family, and friends; on a greater scale, it was for all of humanity.

At least before things deteriorated beyond repair, he hoped to shelter as many as he could within his ability.

Ji Yu pondered the possibilities.

“Bestow a divine revelation, have the believers inform the authorities of the Western Covenant, letting them know of the fawn’s existence, and have their leaders negotiate with the Lion Federation?”

“Would that work?” Ji Yu mused.

But after much thought, he realized the chances of success were only about half.

After all, now that the Lion officials knew the fawn’s immense value, would they so easily let it cross the sea?

Were they not afraid the fawn might never return?

The ‘love and hatred’ between Lion and the Western Covenant’s nations stretched back for generations—over a century of national humiliation, a history the people of Lion could not forget.

Lion was undoubtedly the most powerful country on the Eastern Continent, but before this, its history was marked by cycles of unification and fragmentation.

After the great reforms unified the east, the polity stood proudly for over twelve centuries, before falling again into prolonged division and multi-state warfare.

Then came the Great Cang, whose later division led the east to a state of dual opposition: one side called Xixia, the other Dongming.

These two states, both rivals and partners, managed to perpetuate their feudal empires right into modern times, despite periodic turmoil.

Only with the sudden emergence of the Western nations, and the hardships both empires endured, did they awaken from their imperial dreams and begin reform.

During this period, thanks to patriots who shared the same language and culture, and after a series of reformist wars, the two states were unified, forming today’s Lion Federation.

The federation united Xixia and Dongming. The name Lion came from an old saying in the West: “The East is a sleeping lion.”

Lion is, in fact, a homonym for lion in the language of the Western Covenant.

Thus, it declared that the sleeping lion of the East had awakened.

In the century since its founding, the Lion Federation swept away the humiliations of modern times, rising to a strength where it alone could stand against the combined might of half the Western Covenant’s nations.

Though both sides now advocated peace and development, covert machinations persisted, and despite friendly civilian exchanges, when it came to matters of state and interest, they remained at daggers drawn.

Given such a polarized world, Ji Yu knew sending the fawn to the Banner Federation within the Western Covenant’s sphere would be no small feat.

He also had to consider the possibility the fawn might not return.

The Western Covenant now possessed the oak—what about Lion?

Ji Yu’s patriotism for his own country was undeniable.

He longed for world unity and an end to intrigue, but was it possible?

“Imagination is always beautiful, but reality rarely lives up to it,” Ji Yu sighed, abandoning the idea of sending the fawn across the sea.

Human nature was not so easily fathomed, and the strife among nations went back generations. Such childish hopes now seemed rather laughable.

“Instead of grasping at unrealistic schemes, it’s better to focus on how to save these people before me.”

Ji Yu could not know the character of these people, but as a human, and as someone capable of saving others, it was acceptable to lend a hand as long as his own interests weren’t harmed.

After all, their worth was not for him to judge, and they had not harmed him.

Saving them would be a fair exchange.

Ji Yu approved of the Western Covenant’s choice to treat the oak with neutrality and objectivity, so he felt it right to let these people know their choice had been correct.

Rescuing them would be his clear reply.

Ji Yu had always been a man of action, so, at this thought, he immediately prepared to extend the oak’s roots silently toward the tents and see what could be done.

Yet just as he let the roots spread, Ji Yu’s broad and sensitive perception detected something unusual.

Without sound or sign, within those tents, two hundred people polluted by the Violet Moon were emitting strange fluctuations, imperceptible to others.

These ripples collided like waves on a surface, shattering and then creating a mysterious resonance.

This resonance had clearly been going on for some time.

By the time Ji Yu noticed, its effects had reached a critical stage.

Then, he saw it: directly above the tents, beneath the shadow of the oak’s canopy, a translucent, hallucination-like pale violet void appeared, suspended in the air.