Chapter 518: Chapter 27: Under the Divine Tree
The entire tree hole gives the impression of... a human throat?
Yes, like a human throat, as if it’s a wide-open mouth screaming.
The opening of the tree hole is exceptionally spacious, far larger than a cave—multiple times over. In fact, it’s more like a shadowed, arch-shaped recess carved into a cliff.
Well, this isn’t particularly surprising for an exaggeratedly massive divine tree. When a tree grows to such an enormous scale, it’s perfectly normal for it to have a colossal tree hole. Actually, this tree hole is only located near its roots, not even on its trunk. Yet the truly fascinating thing is that inside this tree hole, there lies a marketplace...
Yes, a marketplace. A whole marketplace crammed inside. Because it’s right beneath the giant tree and situated within the tree hole, there’s neither a need for sunshades nor protection from rain. Platforms are sufficient—an expansive area filled with stalls, each selling all sorts of goods, with the vast majority being plant-derived products.
The variety doesn’t seem overly abundant. Moreover, the elves here are less like humans or Blood Clan merchants in their marketplaces; they don’t loudly shout to hawk their wares. Everyone here is polite and reserved—the shopkeepers merely stand by their stalls, smiling at passersby. The crowd isn’t particularly large either, perhaps due to the relatively sparse population of the Blood Elves or the fact that it’s still too early, and some haven’t gotten out of bed yet.
When Jones and his companions arrived, many paused their tasks curiously, quietly whispering among themselves.
Dariana didn’t provide much explanation either. She dismounted, leading her unicorn, and took Jones and his party deeper inside, weaving through the intrigued elves.
The walls of the tree hole had been hollowed out, transformed into houses, with countless balconies draped with clothing and bedding.
Speaking of which, elven textiles and beddings differ from those of humans, or even Blood Clan. They seem to lack cotton or wool-based fabrics. Their bedsheets are instead made from giant leaves—large enough to cover an entire bed, soft, and fuzzy green. When these "bedsheets" are hung out to dry together, it gives the impression that the tree hole itself is sprouting leaves.
"Here we are." Dariana looked up toward the ceiling.
And so, the most peculiar part of the tree hole—the accommodation arranged for Jones—was revealed: an upside-down house...
Why does this tree hole feel like a human throat? Because that upside-down house resembles the "uvula" dangling at the back of the throat. Of course, if we wanted to describe it more beautifully, we could say it looks like a droplet of water falling from above.
"Are they seriously going to have us stay here?" Dora widened her eyes, gazing dumbfoundedly.
The answer was clear: yes.
Among the entourage, someone murmured, "What if we’re sleeping and it just falls down?"
"That’s impossible." Dariana turned around and addressed the whispered concern. "The Divine Tree has stood for hundreds of thousands of years, and this place has existed for tens of thousands of years. Even if you are part of an immortal race, your lifespan pales in comparison to the tree’s vastness. If the day ever came that it collapsed, it wouldn’t happen during your time."
The individual could only chuckle awkwardly in reply.
A rope ladder was thrown down from above.
"Let’s head up." Several elf guards in leather armor approached Jones and his companions. Dariana casually handed over the reins before climbing the rope ladder herself.
The others followed suit, one by one ascending the ladder.
The "water droplet" should be a naturally formed wooden structure, hollowed out inside to serve as a residence. It spans seven floors, though each floor is only a few dozen square meters in size—the largest being over fifty square meters, the smallest barely more than ten. Each floor also has a private balcony, although their sizes vary significantly.
It could be said that this style reflects the distinctive cramped aesthetic of Holy Land Cartier. While Jones didn’t hail from the grand Blood Clan aristocracy of Adelle, such close quarters living was still uncommon for him.
Looking back, the most recent occasion Jones stayed in such a small dwelling was during the mission to Ailuo Peninsula alongside Gray. That time, Gray was defeated on the battlefield and rescued by Vivian. Jones and Dora hid out in a tiny house in Buck Town, secretly monitoring former Holy Knight Levi’s every move, looking for an opportunity to rescue imprisoned members of the Silver Moon Knight Order.
Apart from that mission, Jones had never lived in such confined spaces. Even the largest floor—at fifty square meters—was subdivided into four rooms. Each room was just over ten square meters, lacking even a proper living area.
"Sir Hydra Knight, Lady Cornelia isn’t expected to arrive until after noon. In the meantime..." Hesitant, Dariana said to Jones, "We’ve prepared some blood for you; I hope it suits your tastes."
With that, Dariana handed several water flasks to the Blood Clan members present.
Ah, so they’ve prepared blood?
Jones silently accepted the flask.
Bowing slightly, Dariana departed without even assigning rooms. The "water droplet" was left with only Jones and his companions.
Jones’s group had no choice but to distribute the rooms themselves.
It was a simple task, as all the rooms were of equal size. The largest floor’s four rooms were allocated one each to Jones, Dora, Belle, and William, while the others stayed on the floors above and below.
Standing in the narrow hallway, William finally had a chance to speak freely and asked the others, "So, what exactly should I do next?"