Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 305 Subspecies of the Nonsense Tree

"We, uh... this is probably a bit complicated to explain."

Ethan was happy to answer Ms. Swallowtail's questions, and it was clear that Rowena and Winter were also waiting for his explanation, but in reality, Ethan didn't know what had happened with this sudden change either.

The rules of the plane have changed once again. In his understanding, the only explanation is that the project team completed the relevant design before the project was finished, and the discarded documents are like red buttons on the wall, making anyone who passes by unable to resist pressing them.

So here's the question: how did they manage to do so much secretly under the leadership codenamed "Baldy" without being discovered?

"Then let's explain slowly, we have plenty of time."

Lady Swallowtail Butterfly had no intention of skipping this topic. Too many changes had occurred recently. The changes that happened overnight meant that most of the kingdom's understanding of monsters would be overturned, and the future of the summoners would also be unpredictable.

"I'm afraid not."

The man with the white headscarf, leaning on a cane, appeared at the scene once again in a mysterious way. Ethan thought that if this guy didn't become a poacher, he might have a promising future as a war correspondent or a paparazzi.

The white headscarf brings you the latest issue of the "Cuckoo Bird Daily".

The Royal Summoners Association has held a meeting to address the large-scale appearance of mechanical monsters. The association is sending personnel to the hardest-hit areas across the country. Meanwhile, the kingdom has activated its emergency contingency plan, forcibly conscripting all young summoners in the kingdom who have completed their coming-of-age ceremony.

The royal family believes a war is imminent, and every young summoner in the kingdom must prepare.

The people around quieted down, and everyone listened as the man in the white headscarf read the contents of the daily newspaper, their expressions varying.

A catastrophe is about to befall, but many people also sense an opportunity.

Forced conscription means that the kingdom will distribute monster eggs to them, which saves ordinary families in remote areas a lot of trouble.

"I don't know what you all think, but I plan to go to the capital and try my luck."

The man in the white headscarf said.

He considered himself a country bumpkin who, in his youth, shared the same dream as other summoners: to win the Crimson Queen's summons, find a good job in the capital, and, if he was lucky enough, be sent to other cities as a lord. Unfortunately, like countless other summoners who embarked on adventures, his dream was ruthlessly crushed by reality.

But now, opportunity has come to him once again.

"Since war is imminent, the royal family will definitely need an excellent strategist."

Looking at the confident white headscarf, Phoenix Tail Butterfly sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She really didn't understand why this poacher could always have such illusions. The Royal Summoner Association had a dedicated organization and didn't need such an outsider to interfere.

She was too lazy to extinguish the white headscarf's fantasy. She turned to Charlotte and said, "In that case, let your duel take place in the capital, under the witness of the royal family."

Although she longed to go to the capital immediately, the people of Misty Forest still needed her.

Swallowtail Butterfly handed Charlotte the envelope she had drafted the night before. "I entrust this letter to you to deliver to the royal family, Charlotte... and Sakaki, come with me. The rest is up to you."

……

The destination was the city lord's mansion, and the swallowtail butterfly landed in front of a tree.

This is a teleportation method that only the city lord knows, a means that can only be used when absolutely necessary. She faced the ancient tree, devoutly clasped her hands together, and the ancient tree seemed to hear her call. Two eyes appeared on its rough bark, carefully examining the two people following behind the phoenix-tailed butterfly.

"Charlotte, I know you."

The ancient tree spoke in a voice like that of an old man, its brown bark undulating with his voice, “When you were born, the people of Moonforest City were chanting your name… that was more than a decade ago.”

Charlotte looked puzzled, but Ethan's heart skipped a beat.

The last person whose name was recited at birth had already destroyed their hometown, which was not a good omen. When Ethan thought about it carefully, he suddenly realized that in this plane, the mechanical plague and the natural plague were essentially no different. Once this virus broke out, most of the kingdom would become a plague-ridden land in a short period of time.

Ethan steadied himself, and corresponding descriptions appeared beside the ancient tree in the courtyard of the city lord's mansion:
"Caution Tree (Grass), Level: 71".

This tree that talks like an old man has a higher rank than the City Lord's Ace, and judging from its name, it should be a relative of the Nonsense Tree.

"...You know me?"

Charlotte was startled by the ancient tree's sudden speech and even began to use honorifics when speaking.

"Oh yes, of course I know you. Your name has been known to us for a long time."

The ancient tree tried its best to put on a kind and friendly expression, but combined with its face full of "wrinkles," the effect was not good. "The lucky one who has been noticed by the Queen, a natural dragon lover. On the day you were born, a white dragon flew over Moonforest City. It was a dragon that had never been recorded before. When you were a month old, your mother invited a fortune teller. The fortune teller said that when you are about to come of age, that noble creature will return here."

"But they never told me any of this."

"Of course, you certainly don't know that your mother has been trying for the past ten years or so to save you from the prophetic fate."

"……Why?"

“‘Fate will bring forth heroes, who will use themselves as torches to light the way for the world.’ These are the words of that fortune teller. If you’ve ever met them, you’ll know that they are always mysterious and like to say things that are hard to understand.”

The ancient tree paused for a moment, then continued, "It seems your mother believes that the prophesied hero will sacrifice himself, just like in those epic tales... It seems your mother doesn't want you to become a hero, but rather hopes you can grow up happily and peacefully. But things don't always go as planned, do they?"

The ancient tree's gaze held a deeper meaning.

The predetermined fate cannot be defied; no matter how one resists, the prophet will always return to the right path at the right time.

Then, it suddenly changed the subject, "And you, the one chosen by the black dragon, it's strange I never thought you would act with a 'hero'."

Are we destined enemies in the prophecy?

Charlotte asked.

When she first heard the name "Ethan" from the poacher gang, she felt a strange emotion welling up inside her, and now it seems that it was no coincidence.

"Nemesis? Well, to be more precise, he will end this era, and ultimately, you will die by his hand... at least that's what the prophecy says."

"Huh? Me?"

Ethan felt he had to say something. What was going on lately? Why was he being mistaken for a murderer no matter where he went?

The “Speechless Tree” is definitely a fake. He is almost certain that this ancient tree is a subspecies of the Nonsense Tree, which can spout nonsense without even blinking.

"First of all, I had no intention of killing anyone."

"That's the magic of fate."

The ancient tree smiled and replied, "Just like she never intended to become a hero in the first place."

"No, you're completely mistaken. This dragon egg was entrusted to me by a single dragon mother. According to the Kingdom's Monster Encyclopedia, this family should belong to the Woodland Spinosaurus species of flying dragons..."

"You mentioned a single-parent dinosaur mother, so who is the father of this baby dinosaur?"

The answer is Black Dragon, a jet-black dragon.

Ethan almost immediately came up with the answer, and like Miss Charlotte, his eyes widened in astonishment. It was all just like a story by Mr. O. Henry—both unexpected and perfectly logical.

Ms. Spiny Dragon's private life seems to be a bit too open.

"Now you should understand, right? So-called destiny is simply weaving together those seemingly impossible fates."

The black baby dragon woke up in Ethan's arms, poked its head out, and babbled softly, looking completely harmless. A peaceful little dragon.

Anyone who sees it will be unable to resist gently stroking its head.

No one would have imagined that it would one day become the cause of the world's destruction.

"That's it, that's it!"

A ghostly voice entered the courtyard, but everyone present was immune to it. No one was surprised by the arrival of the white turban. In the short time it had been talking, he had changed into his poacher's outfit and brought back the iconic white turban.

As he walked forward, he muttered to himself, "Child of prophecy, a destined encounter—"

He opened his arms and walked straight past Ethan and Charlotte, standing under the ancient tree.

What an epic meeting it was, and he, as a witness to it, was fully prepared.

A pure white dragon, a jet-black dragon.

And, the legendary poacher, Lord White Turban.

His gaze was earnest as he met the ancient tree's eyes, repeatedly using his eyes to give it subtle hints.

With the introductions of heroes and nemesis complete, it's time for him to make his appearance. He might be the hero's teacher, or a friend or foe during the hero's adventures. Perhaps he also harbors some legendary identity, such as the legendary monsters that passed through his hometown when he was born...

"Ms. Swallowtail Butterfly".

This standoff lasted for several minutes before the ancient tree finally spoke, saying, "Your yard is full of stinking mud."

……

After a while.

"This, isn't this right?"

In the courtyard, the white headscarf had disappeared, replaced by a humanoid figure tightly wrapped in white bandages, even its head was wrapped in several layers, making its voice sound as if it came from a very distant place, "I can hardly breathe!"

"Don't make a fuss! I've already taken good enough care of you!"

The swallowtail butterfly snorted and stepped on the humanoid creature's stomach, stopping it from wriggling restlessly on the ground.

The humanoid object indeed quieted down considerably, though it made some strange noises.

She explained the details of the teleportation to Ethan and Charlotte: "The teleportation method is very simple. You just need to walk into the mouth of the Tree of Caution and come out from there, and you will be in the capital. The teleportation point is located in the courtyard of the Royal Summoner's Association."

Ethan listened very attentively.

Teleportation magic is a delicate art; last time, he accidentally teleported Ivy into the waters of Hearth Bay.

It turns out that Ivy is also a vengeful girl, and this incident has been included in the Old Sen Anecdotes collection in "Imperial Truth".

The teleportation magic of the Canopy Plane differs greatly from that of the Empire, and the Tree of Discernment has become the medium for spatial teleportation.

"understood."

Charlotte took a deep breath and clenched her fists to encourage herself.

She faced the ancient tree's open mouth, closed her eyes, and ran into it. Ethan followed, with the cat, the little bat, and the baby dragon occupying his shoulders, head, and chest respectively. Only the other side, due to its enormous size, could only follow behind him.

Hearing the commotion nearby, the person lying on the ground in the white headscarf cried out in alarm, "Hey! Wait a minute, what am I going to do!"

Given his current state, it's impossible for him to willingly walk into the mouth of the Tree of Caution again. However, this was a request made by the ancient tree. As a high-level demon, and now that it's old, it absolutely cannot allow any foul mud to enter its body, as that would shorten its lifespan by several decades.

"Help! Ms. Swallowtail Butterfly, hello?"

Miss Chloe, who was leisurely swaying her tail feathers, heard the white-turbaned girl's pitiful cries. Feeling a pang of pity, she turned her head away. After hesitating for a while, she picked up the humanoid object on the ground with one paw, spread her wings, and flew into the dark tree hole.

On the other side, the Royal Summoners' Association.

"I told you, we're busy right now, get out!"

As soon as Ethan left the tree hollow, he heard a sound so vicious it was almost a roar. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw the summoner who was making the roar wearing a red and white robe with gold thread patterns. The royal insignia on his chest indicated his noble status—this was a place that only summoners recognized by the royal family could enter.

Faced with the rude Royal Summoner, Charlotte shrank back, still holding the letter from the Phoenix Butterfly in her hand. She didn't understand why the Royal Summoner's expression suddenly changed after understanding her purpose, and why he immediately roared angrily.

"Who are you? This isn't a place for you to play house with little animals!"

The Royal Summoner made no attempt to hide the contempt in his eyes when he saw Ethan with his family in tow.

Cats, bats, wolves, octopuses—these are all common monsters found everywhere in the wild, and no summoner would bother to raise them. The only one with any value is the black baby dragon in my arms, but this is the Royal Summoner Association, and summoners with dragon affinity are nothing special here.

They had seen quite a few adult dragons.

"If you're here to spout some kind of prophecy or destiny, then get the hell out of here! We don't need low-class summoners like you here!"

"you misunderstood!"

Upon seeing this, Ethan immediately took a step back to the left, displaying the humanoid object that Miss Chloe had just thrown to the ground after flying out of the tree hole. "I discovered a new form of the Mud subspecies near Mistywood County and came to the association to register it!"

"Register?"

The Royal Summoner's expression softened slightly. He craned his neck to examine the bandages on the ground, then covered his nose and arrogantly pointed to the building on the left side of the courtyard. "The registration point is over there, but I'm warning you, leave the association immediately after you register. If I find you wandering around the association..."

He gave a cold laugh and stopped talking.

After the royal summoner left, Charlotte approached Ethan hesitantly and asked, "Did I offend him?"

"Your name is not something everyone is willing to accept as 'the chosen one' or 'the hero'."

The Royal Summoner's anger stems from jealousy.

Every summoner who can join the Royal Summoners Association has put in unimaginable effort to stand out from the crowd and achieve their current status step by step.

However, the "prophetic hero" doesn't need to do anything to become the focus of everyone's attention.

"If you don't become a target of public criticism, don't use the name 'Charlotte' for now."

"Then... how should I introduce myself?"

Charlotte asked, looking aggrieved.

"Musashi."

"Musashi?"

"Team Rocket's Musashi".

(End of this chapter)