Chapter 2266 Division
The tree spirit clan had a special ritual that allowed them to divide sacred tree saplings into main bodies and branching ent.i.ties.
The benefit was that these branches enabled the sacred tree to spread out, facilitating faster absorption of energy and quicker growth.
However, there were also drawbacks.
For example, once separated, the overall strength of the sacred tree sapling would be greatly diminished. Additionally, if a branching ent.i.ty were to die, the main body would suffer severe consequences, as the branching ent.i.ty needed to reunite with the main body to channel the absorbed energy back into it, among other things.
After discussing for a long time, there was still no better plan.
Fang Heng rubbed his temples.
Alright, in that case, he would have to resort to another ritual: "Borrowing trouble," as they say.
Undoubtedly, this tactic carried even greater risks.
"Fang Heng, the white frost ore is ready for transport to the Leaf tribe"s territory anytime."
As the group continued their discussion, Ji Haiting, accompanied by two guards, entered the research room. "Oh, before I forget, there are a few more things. Our reconnaissance has revealed that the Wood tribe has reclaimed the Temple of Incantation. The Federation has achieved a partial victory in this phase of the operation and is preparing to confront several openly rebellious factions, including the Tree Whisperers Alliance, to curb the tree spirits" arrogance."
"In addition, the Federation"s psychic training program is ongoing. They"ve decided to expand the elite psychic team and will need your a.s.sistance. They hope you can help stoke conflicts between the various tree spirit clans to gain an advantage for us."
"Understood. I"ll continue my observations with the Leaf tribe as planned."
"Stay vigilant, and keep in touch."
With preparations complete, Fang Heng once again received a truckload of white frost ore from the Federation and set off toward the Temple of Incantation in the primeval forest.
...
In the afternoon, near the boundary of the primeval forest, stood a Temple of Incantation.
Unlike the Wood tribe, the Leaf tribe had managed to locate and control five still-functional Temples of Incantation.
Vannes had another mission to attend to, so after safely placing the sacred tree sapling, he hurriedly left with his team, leaving two newly appointed elders to guard the sapling"s safety.
Ovi was bustling about, hastily directing the others to begin the ambitious construction of the Temple of Incantation.
Two Leaf tribe members approached and reported, "Leader Ovi, three Federation trucks are approaching. Should we intercept?"
"No need, it must be Fang Heng returning. He must have acquired the white frost stone," Ovi stood up from the magic array. "Let"s go, we"ll greet him together."
Outside the temple, several trucks gradually slowed down and came to a halt in an open area.
The tribe members began unloading crates of ore from the trucks.
Fang Heng jumped down from the piloting cabin and waved at Ovi when he saw him, "Mission accomplished! We"ve got the white frost ore."
"Fantastic!" Ovi approached, and together they entered the Temple of Incantation. He said, "Fang Heng, we"ve made significant adjustments to the magic array as you suggested, but there are still some parts we"re not entirely sure about. We"re concerned we might have overlooked something during the reconstruction."
"No problem, I"ll double-check everything," Fang Heng nodded lightly, carefully examining the entire temple.
"Is it safe here? Are we at risk of being attacked by other tribes again?" he inquired.
"Don"t worry, it"s very safe here. Two elders from our tribe are personally guarding, and Elder Vannes will also visit frequently. Besides, we"re not far from our tribe"s habitat. If any danger arises, reinforcements will arrive within an hour."
"Alright, good to know."
"Fang Heng, there"s another matter," Ovi hesitated, sighing before continuing, "We"ve encountered a bit of trouble."
Fang Heng smirked dismissively. Trouble was par for the course with the tree spirit tribe. Smooth sailing would be unusual.
For instance, ever since he arrived, several Leaf tribe members had been tailing him closely, their surveillance barely concealed.
"What trouble? Is it Vannes?"
"It"s about the construction materials for the magic array and the temple. I"ve reviewed the material list and reported it to Elder Vannes. It seems that a significant portion of the required ore and the Leaf of Life cannot be provided by our tribe. We"ll only get a small portion of what we need," Ovi explained with a sigh.
He believed Fang Heng could handle the reconstruction of the magic array, but the deep-seated animosity toward humans within the tribe made it difficult for one person to change.
"I can try to procure some, but there are also rare ores that humans don"t have access to. Additionally, as for the Leaf of Life, I don"t have any other sources," Fang Heng replied helplessly.
Indeed, one essential resource for the magic array"s reconstruction was the Leaf of Life. A small portion was required during the initial setup, and it would also be needed for maintenance in the later stages.
It was no wonder the Leaf tribe valued the Leaf of Life so highly.
Ovi felt indebted to Fang Heng. He had come out of his way to provide a.s.sistance, yet Ovi couldn"t even secure the necessary resources from within his own tribe.
Ovi made up his mind and gritted his teeth. "Alright, Fang Heng, let"s pool our resources together. You list out the ore you can acquire, and I"ll figure out the rest! I"ll make sure to get it done!"
"Okay," Fang Heng agreed.
As they spoke, they entered the main hall of the temple together.
Inside the main hall, a large magic array was inscribed on the ground.
Fang Heng realized that Vannes" understanding of the magic array was only superficial. Vannes didn"t grasp many basic principles of alchemy. It was like Fang Heng had a systematic education, while Vannes was simply guessing the answers based on the given solutions. He seemed to take things for granted without understanding the underlying logic.
It appeared that the entire tree spirit tribe didn"t have much knowledge of alchemy.
So, the real task of setting up the magic array would fall on him!
No problem.
After all, he had the zombie clone to help.
A significant portion of the basic magic array could be handled by the zombie clone, saving him a lot of effort.
Fang Heng rubbed his wrists and walked up to the magic array.
"Ovi, setting up the magic array will take some time. Let"s get started as soon as possible," he said.
"Sure!" Ovi nodded, feeling a surge of excitement. "Alright! What do you need me to do?"
"Just help me clear out all the unnecessary personnel," Fang Heng replied.
"What?" Ovi was taken aback.
Was that all?
Ironically, he couldn"t even manage such a simple task.
Vannes was highly suspicious of Fang Heng and had specifically a.s.signed several people to keep an eye on him.
"Okay, then please ask them to keep quiet," Ovi sighed.
Soon, except for the two monitors and Ovi, the hall was cleared of all unrelated personnel.
Fang Heng stood in front of the magic array and took out a demon mask from his backpack, putting it on his face.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
The magic array spun rapidly around Fang Heng.
Over twenty Lickers shot out from the magic array, landing on the ground and quickly forming flesh coc.o.o.ns.
Then, ordinary zombies crawled out of the coc.o.o.ns and began clearing and rebuilding the magic array inscribed on the floor.