Chapter 601 The Story of the Forest Goddess

"That form is called a dryad..."

Aiwass nodded slightly, thinking: "I think I've heard it before..."

"Well, I asked someone about it. Once Aya is fully transformed, her soul will ascend to the dream world and completely transform into a sleeping tree. She may appear in any corner of the dream world where there are trees, and she will look no different from any other tree.

"If you are awakened by gentle music, a wish may be granted. If you are awakened by noise, the angry tree demon will attack any passing phantom demon."

“…I seem to have heard something similar.”

Aiwass felt that this statement sounded familiar: "In the literary work "Brave Series" during the Herasil Empire period, there is a chapter called "Forest Goddess".

Legend has it that there was a brave man who traveled the world. He and his fiancée were arguing over the meaning of love, but neither could convince the other. Even asking their friends for a satisfactory answer, they couldn't find a satisfactory answer. So, they sought answers from the legendary forest goddess. During their adventure, the brave man was seriously injured in a fight with a wild beast. His fiancée, seeking healing herbs, accidentally ingested poison, plunging her into a near-death state and even experiencing hallucinations.

After the hero tried every possible means to save her, he hugged his unconscious fiancée and leaned against a tree in sorrow. He played his harmonica, wanting to be with her until the end.

"After hearing the sound of his harmonica, the tree he was leaning against came alive and gently wiped away his tears.

"That was a beautiful girl with long hair like branches, and the hair below her knees gradually turned into roots. She healed the hero and his fiancée, and after waking up, they thanked the girl together. At the same time, they were distressed by each other's anxiety and concern for each other, and apologized to each other for their previous stubbornness.

"When the girl heard the story of the two men's arrival, she smiled and used her own wood to make a flute that could cure diseases and curses, her leaves to make an amulet that would always ensure a good night's sleep, her flowers to make a pair of bracelets that would allow them to hear each other's thoughts, and finally she used her own fruit to feed the two men.

"At this point, the two men no longer had the willpower to continue their adventures and seek answers from the forest goddess. They simply wanted to escape the dangerous forest as quickly as possible. So, after thanking the girl, they returned home.

"But after they told their adventure story to their smartest friend, he slapped his thigh and said, 'The girl you met is the Forest Goddess!'"

After Aiwas finished telling the story, he realized that the girl had sat down next to him.

Anastasia listened intently to Aiwas's story, her eyes sparkling. The wariness in her eyes had faded, and instead, they had become intimate.

"Will I also... become a forest goddess?"

She asked half curiously, half longingly.

It was the first time that Grace saw such a bright light in her eyes.

She was also a little surprised: "Aya... do you like this story?"

"I like it. I like it very much."

Anastasia nodded vigorously: "I also want to help others... I also want to give away what I have.

"Mom, that forest goddess...is that a child like me?"

"...If nothing unexpected happens, it should be."

Grace felt helpless.

Because she probably guessed the prototype of this story.

It was probably those solitary elves who, due to the onset of tree-like disease and unable to tolerate the noise of life in the city, headed for the dense forest. Eventually, they transformed into trees in the depths of the forest, but for some reason, they did not properly ascend to the dream world.

"But this 'Forest Goddess' will probably ascend to the Dream World later."

Grace whispered, "She probably didn't get enough sleep... or perhaps she didn't get enough sunlight, which is why she stayed in the material world for a while. She used almost all of her essence to create this gift because she was leaving."

"Because she was woken by the gentle music, that's the correct way to wake her. If she had been woken by noise, she might have lost her temper—and then she might not have had enough energy left."

"……No wonder."

Aiwass stroked his chin. "I've heard that in some places, people worship 'tree gods.' But sometimes, the tree gods suddenly become ineffective. That's probably because the soul within has ascended to the dream world."

“It should be less in recent years.”

Grace shook her head. "Some say the elves' bloodlines aren't as pure anymore... but I think it's mainly because those elves who might become dryads have already ascended to the Dream Realm. Few of the remaining elves have bloodlines as pure as Aya's."

"Return to our ancestors..."

Aiwass murmured.

He was a little afraid that Isabel would turn into a tree.

After all, Isabel and Anastasia have almost the same hair color, and they are both good at illusion.

This made Aiwass feel nervous.

After all, Isabel was originally going to become the Queen of Flowers and inherit the legacy of flowers... This means that she can at least awaken the blood of flowers in her body.

Maybe this can be considered a kind of atavism?

Grace clearly understood what Aiwass meant, so she nodded. "That should be it. After all, tree transformation basically only happens to pure-blooded elves. I've never heard of a half-elf or an elf born to a half-elf transforming into a tree."

She obviously realized what Aiwass was worried about.

……That's good.

Aiwass felt a little relieved.

"Brother Aiwass," Anastasia begged, "can you tell me another story?"

The girl had obviously been lonely for too long, and it was rare for her to meet someone who would sit next to her and tell her stories.

"Your brother Aiwass is here on business."

Grace patted Anastasia's shoulder, then looked at Aiwass.

Aiwass nodded and asked softly, "Do you remember Yunus?"

"...The uncle who plays the harp?"

Anastasia's eyes lit up, and she immediately guessed the rest of Aiwass's unfinished words: "Did he come to see me? Uncle Yunus came to see me!"

"But you can't go out, Aya."

Grace immediately refused, "If you were to come into contact with the outside world at this time, your tree transformation progress might immediately exceed the dangerous level."

“Can Mr. Yunus come here?”

Anastasia asked back.

"...I'm afraid that's not going to work."

Grace shook her head hesitantly: "He is too old, I'm afraid he has lost his innocence."

"Then I'm going out."

Anastasia said firmly, "Thanks to Uncle Yunus, those friends were able to find me. He saved me, and I want to thank him in person."

"…even if it makes your tree transformation worse?"

Aiwass also asked.

He did not dissuade or entice.

“That’s what I’m going to do.”

The girl was very stubborn: "And... now I think that might not be a bad thing."

"...Aya, you're not even a hundred years old yet."

Grace squatted down and hugged Anastasia's waist with some worry: "You haven't had a complete childhood yet..."

"Mom, I know you want to be good to me. You want me to stay longer."

Anastasia suddenly spoke up, “But I am an illusion that cannot be retained.

"It might be more painful if it continues like this."

At that moment, Grace suddenly froze.

She even stopped breathing for a moment.

Because Grace only then realized something—she hadn't paid attention to whether she would feel pain in this transformation state. Because Anastasia's life was too short, she had been trying every possible way to prolong her life, even at the cost of breaking taboos...

But maybe Anastasia is too sensible.

——She never mentioned that it hurt.

"...Did I cause you pain, Aya?"

Grace's voice was trembling.

The girl just reached out her hand and gently wiped away Grace's tears.

It was not until then that Grace realized that her daughter, who was not yet an adult and was even sent to the fairy kingdom to be "frozen in time" when she was half of her adult age, already had a maturity and gentleness far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Despite her childlike innocence, and despite having spent all her previous life with her parents and the goblins... Anastasia has lived for several decades after all.

She was much more mature than Grace had expected.

"I have a gift for Uncle Yunus."

The girl whispered softly, "He's fragile and sad... I want to help him.

"I might be able to save him...save his soul."

Her gentleness is like the forest goddess in Aiwass's story.

Update completed meow!

I would like to recommend Youmiao's new book, "Dulin Diary", the new book by the author of "Cat Creed".

(End of this chapter)