Chapter Thirty-Two: The Influence of the Oak Tree

The discussion surrounding oaks in human society has remained fervent. According to a certain authoritative news outlet in the Western Alliance, the number of Druids—once less than ten thousand only a week ago—has now surged to over two hundred and fifty thousand. Beyond these formal priests, tens of millions across various Western countries have begun to actively explore history and rediscover the ancient culture of the oak.

As for the official media worldwide, their attitude toward the so-called descent of the divine oak has always been somewhat ambiguous. Apart from an initial wave of counter-narratives against advocates like Vanny Campbell and others, these outlets have since fallen completely silent. They have neither confirmed nor denied the existence of this mysterious tree. Perhaps some tacit agreement exists between the Druid Order and the media, for the issue has not been further inflamed in the public discourse.

Yet, this mutual silence has only whetted the appetite of those who yearn for mystery and the unknown. Thus, the Druid Order still receives a flood of applications for membership each day.

The Druid Order, however, is not an organization one may join on a whim. According to its cultural traditions, a hopeful must first find a priest within the Order, earn his recognition, and take him as a mentor. Only then may the mentor introduce the candidate, who must study the Druid teachings for years and finally pass the Bard’s assessment before being admitted as a full member.

This is the true reason the ancient oaks and Druidic culture, despite their deep roots in Western history, have seen their numbers dwindle. Unlike religions that accept anyone professing belief, the Druid Order has a high threshold. In this restless modern age, it’s easy to imagine the Order’s former predicament.

But now, everything has changed, all because of the sudden appearance of the god-touched oak. People have once again begun to seek out history with enthusiasm and to study the knowledge related to it.

———

It was now the twenty-fifth day since Ji Yu had become one with the oak. During these days, Ji Yu quietly observed the news about oaks on the internet, while also taking on the guise of the oak to meditate ceaselessly.

The rainforest, over the past week, had become utterly inhospitable to humans. The rain had been relentless, never ceasing. The sea of trees had, in the truest sense, become a “sea.”

Most of the Banna Federation’s territory was now submerged beneath the seasonal deluge. Because of these harsh conditions, no matter how clamorous the outside world became, no one had been able to approach the place where Ji Yu’s incarnation resided.

Yet, what was a trying time for humans proved to be a rare period of tranquil growth for Ji Yu. Though his meditation lacked the aid of photosynthesis, there were still gains to be had. His vitality increased by about 0.15 each day—a modest gain for his manifestation, but one must not overlook the effects of his “Regional Radiation” and “Guided Resonance.”

In just two weeks, the rainforest around Ji Yu underwent a dramatic transformation. The ten small oaks, once only twenty meters tall, had grown to over forty meters under the influence of these twin abilities. Thanks to regional radiation, other species of rainforest trees also shot up by five to ten meters.

Now, nothing within Ji Yu’s vicinity stood below thirty meters. Due to the gradation of the radiation’s effect, a three-kilometer radius around Ji Yu had become a rare, circular emerald mountain range, formed from the interlocked crowns and leaves of trees at varying heights. The green canopy blotted out the sky, and from afar, Ji Yu’s incarnation—a towering oak over three hundred meters tall—stood as a solitary giant amid a landscape of awe-inspiring majesty.

Beyond the transformed flora, the birdlife within the forest also changed dramatically. Nearly a thousand birds now gathered in this sea of trees, with Ji Yu at its center. The number could have been several times higher, but at some point, the earliest arrivals around the oak began to band together and drive off other newcomers.

These united birds were remarkably intelligent and underwent astonishing transformations. The most evident change was in their size: many doubled in stature within two weeks. Originally, these were small birds, each about the size of a young child’s fist and resembling sparrows. Now, they were the size of pigeons, with beaks sharp as eagle’s, talons like miniature spears, and feathers all a natural green.

They could conceal themselves perfectly among the leaves, launching swift and deadly attacks when provoked. Even large carnivorous birds from outside the forest could not withstand their organized defense and were driven away in defeat.

Moreover, besides the small birds—which made up nearly ninety percent of the population—there was a significant contingent of large birds and four robust eagles. These eagles had come to consider Ji Yu’s oak-created forest as their kingdom, reigning above all other mutated birds. They did not prey upon their fellow transformed birds; rather, they would lead patrols around the forest’s periphery and periodically hunt the newly mutated insects among the understory.

Thanks to these birds’ predation, Ji Yu’s oak was spared the threat of a locust plague. Bird mutations were only one of the most profound changes wrought by the oak’s influence. Among the animals, the snakes were the most numerous, but their populations dwindled under the predation and intimidation of the eagles.

Thus, birds rightfully became the true masters of the region around the oak. The other masters, without question, were the Simons—a tribe whose members, through their devotion and Adam’s favor, had become strong and robust. In just two weeks, the strongest among them could punch a hole in a tree trunk without injury.

With such strength, if these people ever left this place, they would surely incite awe and fear in the human world.

All this attested to the formidable and terrifying power Ji Yu possessed as a second-tier oak entity. Thus, while Ji Yu marveled at his own strength, he also felt a twinge of both joy and worry. The power around his oak form, if used wisely, could accomplish much—especially concerning the Violet Moon contamination. Yet, he also feared that such dramatic changes might provoke the nations of the world to take more drastic measures against his oak form.

Because of this, Ji Yu had Adam issue a divine command, instructing the tribe never to use their inhuman strength lightly.