Chapter 645
Zeon returned to Neo Seoul together with Olivia.
The moment they stepped out of the portal, Olivia’s eyes widened.
Like most High Elves, this was her first time coming to Neo Seoul.
The grandeur of the human city she was seeing for the first time overwhelmed her.
“Ah!”
Zeon smiled faintly at the sight of Olivia standing there with her mouth hanging open in astonishment.
With her mouth still agape, Olivia looked around the streets near the portal.
The area had become so bustling that one could believe it was a district of Neo Seoul itself.
Anyone seeing it for the first time would inevitably be surprised.
And if that person was a High Elf who had never seen a city like this before, all the more so.
Zeon gave Olivia plenty of time to recover from the shock.
After a long while, Olivia finally managed to speak.
“Neo Seoul is truly amazing. I’ve never seen buildings this tall before.”
“This is only a very small part of it. Once you go inside, you’ll be able to see the true face of Neo Seoul.”
“Ah!”
“Please follow me. We need to go to City Hall first.”
“Yes!”
The two left the portal area and entered Neo Seoul.
Throughout their walk, Olivia could not hide her fascinated expression and kept looking around.
Neo Seoul was that much of a new world to her.
Finally collecting herself, Olivia shook her head and said,
“The capabilities of humans are truly remarkable. While we were living in mud houses in the desert, you built structures this tall.”
“Every race has its own strengths.”
“It’s so wonderful and impressive that it’s dizzying. But I still prefer the shade of the World Tree far more than this place.”
“That’s the difference between humans and elves. Humans feel secure when they’re inside buildings they created themselves. That’s why they become obsessed with constructing taller and stronger buildings.”
“Are you like that too, Zeon?”
“Yes.”
Zeon answered without the slightest hesitation.
“That’s rather unexpected.”
“Why?”
“You seem like the type who could live comfortably anywhere as if it were your own home.”
“That’s generally true, but I still feel most at ease when I’m at home.”
“I see.”
“That’s why humans are sometimes called social animals. We feel secure when we gather together within civilization like this, and it gives us the driving force to develop further. I’m no different.”
“I learned something I didn’t know before.”
Having spent her entire life among High Elves, Olivia lacked knowledge about the human world.
That made her pay even closer attention to Zeon’s words.
Gaining new knowledge like this was one of Olivia’s greatest joys.
Zeon entered City Hall together with Olivia.
As soon as Zeon entered, a staff member recognized him and immediately escorted him to the mayor’s office.
Olivia, riding an elevator for the first time in her life, was startled and clenched her fists tightly.
At that moment, as if trying to reassure her, her contracted spirit peeked out.
The spirit looked at Olivia with concern.
“It’s okay! Really!”
Only after Olivia repeatedly assured it that she was fine did the spirit relax and hide again.
Recognizing the spirit, Zeon said,
“You contracted with an Undine.”
“Yes! Her name is Elise. She’s a very kind child.”
“Congratulations on contracting with such a good spirit—”
“It’s thanks to you and Gaia, Zeon.”
“It’s because your affinity is excellent. We’ve arrived. Let’s get off.”
While they were talking, the elevator reached the top floor of City Hall.
As they stepped out, they saw Jin Geum-ho and Seo Taeran.
The large table before them was covered with documents, making it seem they had been discussing an important matter.
“You’ve come?”
“Welcome.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No. We were just about to take a break.”
Jin Geum-ho’s gaze shifted to Olivia standing beside Zeon.
“And who is this?”
“I am Olivia from World Tree Village. It is an honor to meet the mayor of Neo Seoul.”
“Ah! So you are a High Elf from World Tree Village. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m sorry for appearing so suddenly.”
“Not at all.”
Jin Geum-ho shook his head.
World Tree Village was also an extremely important stronghold to him.
Although full-scale exchanges had not yet begun, he knew it would eventually be opened completely, so it was important to cooperate and build goodwill starting now.
“I heard you came looking for me. What is the matter?”
“Lady Olivia wishes to examine the forest within Neo Seoul and offer whatever help she can.”
“Really?”
Jin Geum-ho looked surprised by Zeon’s answer.
It had been a long time since he himself had entered the forest in Neo Seoul.
Compared to the size of Neo Seoul, it was only a tiny patch of woodland.
Though barely surviving under the protection of a barrier, the condition of the trees was so poor that it would not have been surprising if they disappeared at any time.
That was why Jin Geum-ho had completely prohibited entry.
It was a desperate measure to preserve the forest for as long as possible.
Jin Geum-ho asked Olivia,
“I should tell you in advance—the forest is not in very good condition. There’s a reason even we refrain from entering it.”
“I will be as careful as possible while examining it and make sure not to damage the forest.”
“Then I’ll give you an access card. Taeran.”
“I’ll prepare it immediately.”
Seo Taeran immediately picked up the phone and gave instructions to the secretary’s office.
Jin Geum-ho asked Zeon,
“You’ll be going with her, won’t you?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then go with her for now, and stop by my office later. There’s something I’d like to discuss.”
“Understood.”
Zeon answered without hesitation.
At that moment, Seo Taeran said,
“When you leave, someone from the secretary’s office will guide you to the forest.”
“Thank you.”
“No, I should be thanking you. You’re offering to save a dying forest.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s enough.”
Apparently pleased with Olivia’s answer, Seo Taeran smiled.
As Zeon and Olivia stepped outside, an employee from the secretary’s office immediately joined them.
She was a woman in her early twenties with a striking bob haircut.
Zeon thought she resembled Seo Taeran in some subtle way.
“My name is Oh Min-hye. I work in the secretary’s office. I’ll be guiding the two of you to the forest.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Oh Min-hye led them toward the forest.
Walking ahead of them, she explained,
“The forest is protected by a powerful barrier. Anyone without authorization absolutely cannot enter.”
“Has anyone entered recently?”
“As far as I know, not a single person has entered in the last five years.”
“It’s been left untouched for five years?”
“It was the mayor’s decision. He said that nothing good would come from human interference and completely prohibited entry.”
“That sounds like him.”
“Yes. I think that’s the only reason the forest has managed to survive until now.”
Once human traffic increased, a forest could be ruined in an instant.
If exceptions were made for one or two people, eventually it would have to be opened to many more.
That was why even Serian, despite being an elf, had not been allowed anywhere near the forest, and Jin Geum-ho himself had completely lost interest in it.
Oh Min-hye continued,
“Still, the forest’s condition isn’t very good. For several years now, the number of dead trees has visibly increased.”
“So you can see inside from outside the barrier.”
“Yes. We can’t enter, but we can observe it from afar. However, the areas where the forest is visible have extremely expensive property values and strict security, so most people can’t even get close.”
“I see.”
Zeon nodded.
The world had ended, and everything had been destroyed.
The forests vanished, and the oceans evaporated.
Only after a hundred years had cities been rebuilt, and within them existed tiny forests no bigger than the palm of a hand.
The wealthy and powerful naturally built mansions around those forests and created worlds of their own.
Even if they could not enter, merely looking at the forest brought a degree of peace to their minds and bodies.
Naturally, property prices were unimaginably expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
After hearing the explanation, Olivia let out a sigh.
“To think only a handful of people monopolized the forest like that. It’s too much.”
“But if they hadn’t, the forest probably wouldn’t have survived until now.”
“Do you think so?”
“We went through times when food, clothing, and fuel were all scarce. If the forest had been left alone, people would have cut it all down to build homes or use it as firewood.”
Preserving nature was something that could only be considered after survival was secured.
When everyone was on the brink of death, there was no room to think about preserving forests for the future.
If Jin Geum-ho had not taken such extreme measures, even the little forest that remained would have been destroyed.
“We’re here.”
At last they arrived before the barrier.
Beyond the translucent barrier, a green forest could be seen.
But its condition was poor.
Here and there stood trees that had turned yellow and died.
If it looked this bad from outside the barrier, it was certain to be even worse inside.
Olivia hurriedly said to Oh Min-hye,
“Please let us in right away.”
“Yes!”
Using the access card, Oh Min-hye opened the entrance to the barrier.
Whoosh!
A breeze carrying the scent of the forest rushed out from within.
As if afraid someone might stop her, Olivia hurried inside the barrier.
Zeon asked Oh Min-hye,
“Are you staying here?”
“I’m busy as well. Please keep the access card, Zeon. Just return it later.”
Oh Min-hye handed Zeon the access card that could open the barrier entrance.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. It’s been painful watching the forest die all this time. Do you think Lady Olivia can really save it?”
“I don’t know. But it will be better than leaving it neglected by humans.”
“I hope the forest recovers. Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”
After bidding farewell to Zeon, Oh Min-hye returned to City Hall.
Zeon also entered the forest and closed the barrier entrance behind him.
It would be troublesome if outsiders entered while they were examining the forest.
“What do we do?”
Olivia’s distressed voice echoed from within the forest.
Following the sound, Zeon found her standing before a large tree with an expression that looked ready to burst into tears.
He immediately understood why she looked that way.
The tree she was staring at had all its leaves turned yellow and was dying.
At a glance, it looked to be a massive tree that had lived for more than a hundred years.
Such a great tree was on the verge of death.
And it was not the only one.
Throughout the forest stood numerous trees that were drying up and dying.
Two or three out of every ten had turned yellow and were slowly wasting away.
Zeon said,
“It’s worse than I expected.”
“Yes. The entire forest is dying. If it continues to be neglected like this, every tree will wither within a few years.”
“What could be causing it?”
“I’ll need to investigate further to know for sure, but the energy inside the barrier is not healthy. Something is definitely having a continual negative effect.”
“Do you think you can figure out what it is?”
“I’ll do my best, but please help as well, Zeon. I think saving these children alone will already be more than enough for me to handle.”
“Is it possible? It looks truly serious.”
“I have to try. No—I have to succeed. Every one of these children has survived for more than a hundred years. None of the trees in World Tree Village or the Forest of Beginning can compare to them. These children endured an age of hardship. If I lend them my strength, they will surely recover.”
“Understood. Then please focus on saving the trees. I’ll find the cause.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Olivia immediately summoned her spirit.
Undine looked at the trees with the same expression as Olivia.
She had deeply synchronized with Olivia’s emotions.
Olivia asked Undine to provide water to the dying trees.
Undine immediately supplied water, and Olivia began treatment at once.
After watching for a moment, Zeon began searching through the forest for the source of the problem.
Thus began a joint effort between elf and human to save Neo Seoul’s only forest.
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