A fantastical journey across the heavens, beginning with the Witcher.

Chapter 82 The Spirit of Nature

Li De reached into his bag and took out the gemstone.

Because this thing is small and doesn't take up much space, and it looks very precious, he always carries it with him.

"What is this gemstone used for?"

"This is the crystallization of life left behind after the death of a nature deity. It is useless to mortals. The incomplete dissolution of divinity endows the gemstone with the power to solidify life, but it also cuts off the possibility for mortals to use it."

"That sounds precious."

Li De lightly tossed the gemstone in his hand, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at Shu Xin. "You're so sure I'll give it to you, aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"

"My lord, this gem is of no use to you except as a collectible. If you give it to me, you will gain an absolutely loyal follower."

Shuxin adopted an extremely humble attitude, changing his form of address even before signing the contract.

He stopped testing the waters.

"Sign a contract first."

Without the slightest hesitation, the tree heart immediately mobilized the little power left in its body and made its flesh and blood heart beat violently.

"Pfft!"

A thick, viscous, dark red blood gushed out from the wound caused by the black wooden spikes.

The blood congealed in the air without dispersing, slowly rotating and converging, eventually forming a phantom of a contract composed of ancient language.

Li De read the contract word by word.

After confirming there were no loopholes or word games, he removed his gloves, cut his index finger with the blade of his sword, and solemnly wrote his name in the "Sect Leader" position on the contract.

The moment the name was written, a glimmer of light flashed across the contract, then slowly dissipated into the air.

"The jewels are yours now, what am I supposed to do?"

"Simply place the gemstone on my shell."

As the century-long torment was about to end, Shuxin's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.

Li De did as instructed.

The instant the gemstone touched the tree's heartwood, the originally warm, green gemstone suddenly burst forth with unimaginable brilliance.

Immediately afterwards, the gemstone began to melt, and the solidified life force transformed into a viscous green liquid that slowly seeped into the tree's core.

Before long, tender green fleshy vines quietly emerged from the surface of the tree heart. The vines grew and intertwined rapidly, gradually forming an oval cocoon-like object, along with the black wooden shovel. Time passed little by little, and the sky outside the cave turned from bright to dark. Li De simply lit a bonfire at the cave entrance and began to set up camp.

He laid out a leather sleeping bag at the entrance of the cave and set up several reconnaissance traps around it, clearly intending to stay for a long time.

But just then—

"Thump!"

A deep, powerful heartbeat echoed from the depths of the cave. Li De's spirits lifted, and he immediately put down his roasting business, rushed into the cave, and arrived at the vine cocoon.

The cocoon's pulsations became faster and stronger, and finally, miraculously, they synchronized with Li De's heartbeat, one strong and one weak, echoing each other.

"Sizzle—"

With a crisp tearing sound, the vine cocoon quietly broke apart.

At the same time, a familiar system notification sound rang in Li De's mind:

[Contracted Creatures - Spirit of Nature has been added]

The new feature "Fellowships" is now unlocked. You can gain bonuses from the traits and feats of your fellow family members. As your own and your family members' strength increases, the percentage of these bonuses will gradually increase.

[Gained Specialization: Nature Affinity (Intermediate) — You are a friend of plants and animals, greatly reducing the likelihood of being hostile to neutral natural creatures. In times of crisis, you may receive proactive assistance from natural creatures.]

[Acquired Expertise: Natural Language Proficiency (Intermediate) — You can clearly perceive the emotions and needs of natural beings, and if the intelligence of the being seeking your help reaches a certain level, you can even engage in direct verbal communication.]

[Gained Perk: Vigorous Life (Low Level): Vitality +5. When in a natural environment rich in life energy, health will slowly regenerate. Additionally, more energy can be drawn from food for rapid stamina replenishment.]

The cage of tree roots that had been wrapped around the heartwood seemed to come alive, and as several roots wriggled, they slowly opened a gap.

The freed tree heart floated out from it.

At this point, His image had undergone a complete transformation.

It was no longer that twisted, ugly, fleshy heart covered with invasive organisms, but had transformed into a round, green jade sphere with a warm, lustrous sheen. Several tiny vines and tender green leaves intertwined, forming a simple yet clear oak tree icon in the center of the sphere.

"My Lord, thank you for your salvation, which has freed me from a century of suffering and given me a new life."

The Heart of the Oak floated before Li De, its spiritual fluctuations conveying a message of submission.

Li De waved his hand.

"I don't want to say anything polite, so you don't need to be too formal. We're just doing what we need."

He raised his hand to open the system panel, clicked on the newly added "Family" interface, and all the information about the Heart of Oak was clearly displayed on the panel:

【Heart of the Oak - Ethera】

[Race: Spirit of Nature]

[Level: 30]

[Divinity - Radiance: Passive effect, greatly reduces all normal damage received by the user that does not contain divine energy.]

[Trait: Oak's Sleep - Allows the user to take root in the earth, rapidly restoring their strength while protecting a certain area of ​​territory.]

【属性：力量10敏捷10感知35活力35意志35】

[Skills: Ancient Knowledge Lv5, Nature Magic Lv7]

[Specialties: Proficiency in Language (Advanced) - Able to understand the language of any living being, regardless of its race or language system; Nature Affinity (Advanced) - A true friend of nature; your enemies are the enemies of nature. You can summon surrounding natural creatures to assist in battle; Vigorous Life (Intermediate) - Able to resonate with all natural life in the area. Unless all life in the area is completely destroyed, you will not truly die.]

[System Evaluation: The gap between a demigod and a human is far greater than the gap between a human and a dog. Cherish your companion; her potential far exceeds your imagination.]

Li De quickly scanned the panel information, nodded in satisfaction, closed the panel, looked up at Athera floating in front of him, and asked directly, "Can you open a portal?"

Athena swayed slightly, her tone respectful: "Where are you headed?"

"Kaer Morhen, northeast corner of the Kingdom of Kordwin. There are three magical locations nearby, as well as a sealed teleportation beacon; it shouldn't be hard to find."

"As you wish."

After searching for a moment, Athera found the location Li De had mentioned. A few seconds later, a green portal appeared in the center of the cave.

Li De packed up his camping gear, extinguished the campfire, and led the coal ball through the portal.

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