Guided by the city guards, and followed by numerous eyes, both overt and covert, we proceeded along the winding main road lined with dense trees on both sides. We passed various magnificent wooden buildings of different styles, including a commercial street, a cultural street, an educational and cultural garden, a wood art exhibition hall, an art gallery, and a fairy inn. After about half an hour, the three of us, having successfully passed the second check, finally arrived at our destination, which was the mansion behind the city lord's mansion.
Looking back at the magnificent, ornate, three-story house not far away, and then carefully examining the small, dilapidated house in front of me, which was hidden by sparse, withered trees and could almost be described as drafty, and recalling all the exquisite and beautiful buildings I had passed along the way, I gazed at the vast open space in the distance and couldn't utter a single word for a moment.
It was quiet, with hardly any onlookers within a hundred meters, but the place didn't seem suitable for entertaining guests. If it weren't for the city guards' repeated confirmation and the even stricter reporting process than when entering the city—which was basically just a lie detector test by the guard near the gate to verify my identity and purpose (it felt strange; although I do have ways to counter such simple spells, it's better to cooperate obediently on someone else's turf)—I would have really thought I'd been taken to some dangerous, remote corner of the countryside, about to be secretly assassinated by mages, a tactic with the highest mage mortality rate.
Hikari also looked surprised. She grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear that when she received the city lord's invitation and commission before, she went through the special reception room in the mansion in front of her. She had never seen such a dilapidated old wooden house in the city.
“Even the poorest families in the city wouldn’t live in such dilapidated houses. In fact, the one thing that’s most abundant near the Sacred Tree Fortress is timber.”
Hikari whispered in his ear, her warm breath gently caressing the back of his ear: "Within the canopy of the World Tree, all life can be preserved in its best condition. Newborns will grow to their fullest potential, mature ones will flourish, and the older ones can easily maintain their optimal state year after year. This is one of the reasons why everyone says this is the best place to live and thrive."
"Are the felled timbers also within this area?"
Watching the city guard, who seemed unable to save face, hurriedly and awkwardly left after repeatedly apologizing, I also asked in a low voice.
Hikari nodded, then shook her head: "Yes, but the residents here mostly don't choose to cut down trees directly unless necessary."
"I remember when I came here before, Sister Yao told me that most of the building materials used in this city weren't timber that had been felled, sun-dried, and then processed. Instead, they were created by special tree species that were planted and manipulated by hired fairies. They're quick, easy, and convenient to build; they're also hydrophobic; they self-purify; they automatically regulate indoor air composition, temperature, and humidity; they don't harm the environment; they can even withstand crises and disasters... and what else..."
As she spoke, she counted on her fingers, nodding her little head slightly, her light golden hair gently brushing against them, causing a ticklish sensation.
Finally, probably because she really couldn't remember, Hikari simply waved her hand and happily moved closer again: "Well, anyway, it's a bunch of functions that I can't remember either."
"In short, the gist is that these pieces of wood possess their own life force, unlike other places where they are completely inanimate objects. Therefore, such strange, dilapidated wooden houses should not exist within the Sacred Tree Barrier."
"And now?"
Miyuki stood to the side, holding her sword—wait a minute, who was saying just ten minutes ago that they hated being the center of attention and were going to find a quiet place to hide? Has she gotten out of that state so quickly?—then the icy swordsman turned her head to the other side: "Don't misunderstand, I just happened to be here."
Okay, I understand.
Hikari shook her head blankly, her little head nestled against my neck. Because accurately moving the void gate on this side required precise mathematical calculations, the girl simply hung herself behind me for convenience, saving herself the trouble of thinking—so when will this little idiot use her cleverness in the right way?
Instead of wasting time whispering and muttering at the door, why not just walk in and take a look for yourself!
The flower fairy's voice rang angrily in my mind again. I don't know where she noticed it from... Oh, there are plants nearby, then it's alright.
The other two seemed not to have heard the flower fairy's voice. After I informed them, one looked around in confusion, while the other adjusted her posture warily and then asked if I was hallucinating.
“I’ve spoken to her like that before, but it doesn’t seem like some kind of magic trick involving long-distance sound transmission.” I shook my head. “Anyway, since that’s what the inviter suggested, we’ll probably find out once we’re inside.”
"But it seems they only invited you."
Despite saying this, Miyuki still changed the position of the swords, adjusting them to a suitable position for drawing. She placed one hand on them, took a step forward, and reached out towards the hut: "Since I said I would protect you, then let me take the lead."
As expected, the door of the small house only resisted for a moment before slowly opening inward with a screeching sound as it was pushed open by the deep snow.
In the dim light, faint rays filtered through the decaying cracks, illuminating the musty, dusty room. There was only a simple table and chairs, and a wooden bed covered with half a cashmere blanket. Two rusty iron nails were embedded in the wooden partition wall, one of which still held a well-preserved hand crossbow. A half-eaten bowl of cold porridge sat on the table, and the wooden chair leaned open, as if someone had recently lived here, only to hastily abandon their unfinished meal and flee in a hurry due to some unforeseen event.
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