Chapter 859: Blood Ent
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Sheyan looked carefully for quite some time according to Mr. Ferrell's instructions. He suddenly exclaimed.
"There does seem to be some difference. Why does the forest on the other side seem a little abnormal? It looks sparse and the trees look smaller."
Mr. Ferrell said.
"It's not that the forest on the other side seem sparse and shorter. In fact, that forest is the normal one. It's the trees in Fangorn Forest that are abnormal. Because they are cared for by the Ents, each tree can thrive and grow stronger. When an ordinary person step foot into Fangorn Forest, every tree will monitor their actions. Each tree will laugh at them, hinder them, and report this person's situation to the Ents!"
"This has become really tricky," mumbled Sheyan to himself. "But that must mean the Ents attach great importance to these trees, right?"
"Of course," said Mr. Ferrell. "They treat the trees as their own children."
Sheyan's mouth suddenly showed a touch of evil smile.
"This is the second piece of good news I have heard. If that's the case, then this matter has become much easier to handle."
Reef also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Creatures like Ents stay rooted to the earth and grow in the rain. They have no greed, thus they have no weaknesses. But if there is something that they care about, then we will be able to find a weakness."
Mr. Ferrell suddenly said.
"Most of the Ents in Fangorn Forest are peaceful, but if you make them angry, some of the Ents and wild Ents can be very vicious. You must be mentally prepared."
Sheyan raised his eyebrows.
"Wild Ents?"
Melody walked over at that moment and told them.
"Currently, among the Ents, almost all of them follow the ideology of Treebeard. The entire tribal community is also very strong. However, there are always some Ents who have differing ideas so they stay outside the tribe. For the Ents, Fangorn Forest is a place that has a very suitable living condition, so even though these Ents have different ideologies, they still stayed here. They do not obey the orders of Treebeard and act on their own, so they are called wild Ents."
Franklin took a glance at Mr. Ferrell and was about to say something, but he stopped himself.
When Mr. Ferrell saw that, he revealed a bitter smile and told them in that low muffled tone of his.
"Yes, my uncle and I are both wild Ents. My uncle's goal is simple - to surpass Treebeard."
"Is becoming the Sacred Mother Tree of a tribe more suitable for growth, or is staying in Fangorn Forest?" Sheyan suddenly asked a very sharp question.
"This is where the opinions of many Ents differ with Treebeard. In truth, the fastest growth for Ents is of course achieved by become a Sacred Mother Tree, who occupies all the aura of a place alone and is always worshipped and cared for by people. We can find examples of this in history - this was how the World Tree, Teldrassil, was born. But Treebeard's ideology is that Ents should have a way of life that transcends other races."
Said Mr. Ferrell coldly.
After Sheyan listened to Mr. Ferrell, he pondered and said.
"Since there exists some disagreement within the Ent community, we will spend a few days to collect information about the current situation inside Fangorn Forest. I already have a basic plan in mind. Anyway, Fangorn Forest must get chaotic. Only then can we fish in troubled water."
Early the next morning , the group set off again. Under the lead of Mr. Ferrell, they first went to the west side of Fangorn Forest because Mr. Ferrell learned from the information transmitted by the wind and the trees that this is the area where other living creatures, including wild Ents, were relatively active in. Being suspicious people themselves, the chance of them being found out in this area is low.
Fangorn Forest looked completely different from up close than it did from far. When they entered the forest, the chirping of wild pigeons was always in their ears. Everything in the forest was orderly; even the vines grew in an orderly fashion as if they were women's arms tenderly wrapping around the trees.
Every huge tree seemed to be a courteous gentleman, maintaining a perfect distance from the other trees; this distance allowed the trees to reasonably draw nutrients from the ground and share the sunshine without malicious competition.
When the wind blows, the leaves of the big trees would sway, and it seemed like the gaps between the leaves would form strange eyes that watch over their every move.
In this forest, Mr. Ferrell walked with a vigorous gait with Sheyan and the rest on his strong wooden shoulders. Their bodies exuded a faint green glow. This was a spell casted by Melody called 'Natural Breathing', which allowed them to fully blend into nature and keep them from being discovered.
Mr. Ferrell suddenly stopped and pointed to a curvy rattan on the ground, earnestly saying:
"This is a trap set by a wild Ent. Seems like they're dealing with an enemy."
As if to prove his point, Mr. Ferrell stepped on the trap and the a green light flashed. Many sharp spikes with barbs suddenly grew out from the rattan. The rattan wrapped around Mr. Ferrell's stout tree legs like a snake and left some deep marks. If it was an ordinary human that was trapped in the rattan, then no doubt large lumps of fleshes would have been teared away.
At that moment, the leaves around them buzzed. The wind had brought them information from afar. The faint smell of burnt firewood floated into everyone's nostrils, followed by the smell of burnt meat.
In a heartbeat, Mr. Ferrell strode forward in the direction of the odor. He took large steps but he was very careful, not even touching the branches and leaves next to him - or rather, the other plants were actively avoiding Mr. Ferrell.
They soon heard a shrill howling noise in the distance. The voice was full of pain but they could not hear what the victim was saying. After they passed through a brook, Mr. Ferrell slowed down his pace. Through the gaps between the trees, they could see a chaotic situation on a clearing in the forest.
There were tents, fire pits, overturned pots, distorted weapons, and lumps of flesh and blood that were flattened into crepes. It wasn't hard to deduce what happened. A small team entered Fangorn Forest and stayed overnight, then suffered a surprise attack while trying to cook a pot of porridge in the morning. Unfortunately, they were defeated.
The one who defeated them was an Ent.
Mr. Ferrell stared at this Ent, and said in a deep voice.
"I didn't expect Grubb to be a Blood Ent already."
Only after Mr. Ferrell pointed it out did Sheyan and the rest noticed that among the leaves on top of the head of the Ent called Grubb, 3 had already been stained with red, indicating that he had killed at least three hundred beings who were not of the Ent race! His hands were truly stained with blood!
Grubb is burly and strong with visible thorns on his wooden arms. At this time, Grubb was facing the other side. A surviving dwarf and a surviving human were tied up with solid vines and were put to grill on a campfire.
The cooked meat that Sheyan's party smelled before came from this. In fact, Sheyan felt that they smelled no different from the smell of barbecue. The tongue of the flame slowly baked the bodies of the two victims. They look at least half-cooked by now; even their screams were beginning to fade. In contrast, Grubb's deep roar got louder.
"You foolish, greedy vermin! I've already warned you many times to stay away from the sacred forest of Fangorn, but you have never taken my warnings to heart! Now, enjoy the flame. Your souls and your sins shall be purified in the vicious fire!"
Sheyan whispered his enquiry to Mr. Ferrell.
"It seems that this gentleman is your acquaintance?"
Mr. Ferrell bitterly replied.
"It was him who forcefully escorted uncle and I out from the outskirts of Fangorn Forest and warned us not to step foot into Fangorn Forest ever again! He is the youngest grandchild of Treebeard."
"Then why did he attack these travelers?" wondered Franklin.
It was Sheyan who answered.
"Look at that tent."
The tent of these travelers were currently scattered on the ground, revealing a few pieces of fresh wood inside. Sheyan took a deep breath and said.
"Saruman truly is ambitious. He wants to build a giant dam on the Isen River next to Isengard! This would kill three birds with one stone. Firstly, the natural stronghold that is the crossing of the Isen River would become even more dangerous. Once the enemy broke through Isengard's line of defense and cross the river, Saruman could release the water in the dam and sweep the enemies away! It would be an extremely vicious killing move!"
"Secondly, after the construction of the giant dam, the rise in water level near Isengard will make some easily accessible places inaccessible. Saruman's half-orc army would have a good hiding place! More importantly, the rise in water level in the upper reaches after the construction of the giant dam will effectively prevent Rohan's army from driving straight into Isengard!"
"Therefore, Saruman must build that dam. However, the construction of a dam requires the use of a large amount of high-quality wood that is strong, lightweight, and resistant to water corrosion. Only the trees in Fangorn Forest that were cared for by the Ents meet the requirements, so although Saruman appears to have a good relationship with Treebeard on the surface, he is secretly purchasing the wood of Fangorn Forest at a high price in Isengard...."
"These poor people should adventurers tempted by Saruman's high rewards."