465: Chapter 447 Unexpected Changes

Flying in the sky has always been one of the dreams of humanity on the Blue Star.

The birth of the airplane fulfilled the aspirations of all mankind.

On the Saul Continent, soaring into the sky to look down upon the earth is likewise a yearning for both humans and foreign races.

It has been satisfied, but only for some.

High-tier Professionals can soar through the high altitudes to their heart's content, while ordinary people and low-tier Professionals can only look on from the ground with envy.

Zhang Mu came to the Saul Continent and brought airplanes, allowing the latter to experience a fascination they might never have touched in their lives.

Flying is so exhilarating that, instinctively, they craved to go faster and higher; the performance shown by the fighter jets perfectly met these conditions.

The Elves even forgot how much they had been looking forward to flying the planes today since last night; they all crowded around Mr. Zhang Mu, gazing at the fighter jet parked at the end of the runway and asking about everything related to it.

Zhang Mu had once entertained the idea of "abducting" a group of Elves back to Lake to serve as a reserve for the air force pilots, but not now.

Facing the urgency of the Elves, he chuckled and asked, "Want to fly a fighter jet?"

"fighter jet? What a fantastic name!" Perhaps stimulated by the word 'fighter', some Elves felt their blood boil and couldn't stop praising it.

Several Elves even turned directly toward the fighter jet, intending to observe its fuselage closely.

However, Zhang Mu blocked them with a dark expression and scolded them back.

"What did I tell you yesterday? Discipline!

An aircraft formation without discipline is a disaster, a disaster for everyone!

Do you expect someone to follow you every time you fly to provide safety guarantees?!"

Being blasted by his tirade, the Elves all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Zhang Mu's icy gaze.

Once the lecture was over, Zhang Mu waved his hand irritably: "Get lost and go train!"

"Yes!"

Following yesterday's procedure and order, the Elves boarded the planes one by one. Zhang Mu didn't follow them, instead dispatching a Sky Knight to accompany the flight.

While everyone was busy, Zhang Mu and Frederica sat on the grass by the runway.

"Zhang Mu, it's the first time I've seen you so strict."

"Oh?

Has your impression of me always been that of a nice guy?"

Frederica chuckled and nudged his arm with her elbow: "I've never seen you angry before."

"Then I'll have to find some time in the future to let you witness it."

The flight trainees gathered in the waiting area, waiting for those ahead of them to return before boarding. The Sky Knights were hidden in the forest around the airport, on alert for magic beasts.

Frederica looked around; only the two of them were nearby. An impulse surged in her heart, and she quietly stole a glance at Zhang Mu.

Coincidentally, the sunlight was just right, falling on Zhang Mu's face and gilding his profile with a golden edge—not bright or dazzling, only soft.

Even though she had clearly confirmed her clansmen were far away, Frederica still turned her head to check the surroundings once more, worried she might have missed a clansman standing in a hidden corner.

Zhang Mu noticed her suspicious behavior: "What are you look—"

Her head suddenly leaned against his shoulder, her side-face pressing into it, causing her cheek to slightly indent.

Zhang Mu closed his mouth and looked down. From his perspective, he could only see Frederica's eyelashes trembling slightly; clearly, the Elf girl's heart was not as calm as her surface suggested.

"You flew all night, are you sleepy?" he asked.

"A little."

"Then sleep for a while?"

"Mm."

Staying up all night wouldn't cause a Professional's mental state to wither, let alone cause a surge of sleepiness. Zhang Mu knew this common sense, and so did Frederica.

Their tacit mutual "deception" ended when the flight trainees' training concluded after sunset.

The "fast asleep" Frederica opened her eyes just a moment before her clansmen marched over in formation, as if she had a biological alarm clock set.

By the time the Elves arrived with steady steps, the two had already stood up and were standing side by side as if nothing had happened, though the smile on Frederica's face was exceptionally bright.

...

Three days later.

The first batch of flight trainees graduated successfully and began the mission to heal the life tree.

During this period, the Elf King met with Zhang Mu several times, with the intention of inquiring about the specific uses of the fighter jet.

Zhang Mu held nothing back, explaining the concept of an air force, what role it plays in war, and what functions it performs.

The Elf King fell silent for several minutes after listening. In the end, he didn't express an opinion, instead asking what Lake relied on to eliminate the enemy's High-tier Professionals during the battle against the Allied Forces.

The King had recently received more intelligence about both sides. Most of it was useless, but one point caught his attention.

The members of Lake's elite units were mostly ordinary people; there were very few Professionals, and those who did join the army didn't do so because of their strength.

In the common knowledge of the Saul Continent, the only use for an army of ordinary people was to garrison cities, maintain basic order, and send alarms to the rear upon discovering invaders.

The King had pondered for days and was still baffled. How could such a legion, and a kingdom that employed such a legion, manage to repel or even annihilate an enemy nation with dozens of times more Professionals than themselves?

To answer this confusion, one would have to mention Damu's Special Squad.

Unfortunately, this was one of Zhang Mu's trump cards, and there was no reason to leak it.

"Elf King, it would be impolite to ask further," Zhang Mu eventually brushed it off.

The Elf King smiled and turned to leave. The most important thing at hand was healing the life tree; everything else could be discussed in the future.

On the fourth day, the sky was faintly dawning.

The eighteen Elders of the Elf Clan's high command and the King, the ruler of the Elves, came to the airport together.

Half an hour later, the sun rose from the horizon, its light dispelling the darkness shrouding the sky. The Elf pilots, who had long been prepared, boarded their planes simultaneously.

Under Zhang Mu's command, twenty-nine civilian planes, fully loaded with liquid composite fertilizer, took to the blue sky. Following pre-planned routes, they began to spray the water of life over the Forest of Spirits, this devastated forest.

The Elders watched the disappearing aircraft formation in the distance, so nervous their breathing almost stopped.

Thanks to their Saint-level status, even if they held their breath for an entire day, there would be no life-threatening danger, so no one comforted them.

Let them hold it; it's not like an Elf will die from it anyway.

Perhaps because the atmosphere on site was too heavy and they were worried about the efficacy, an Elder, trying to relieve the pressure on his nearly stopped heart, asked: "Mr. Zhang Mu.

That... fertilizer, can it really cure the life tree?"

"If it were an ordinary tree, it would probably take a long time to see the effects, but the life tree..."

As Zhang Mu spoke, he turned his head toward the clan grounds, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barrier to see the towering ancient tree standing on the grass: "As for it, hehe, we should see results by this afternoon."

The Elders, including the Elf King, all felt the urge to return to the clan grounds immediately and wait by the life tree to witness the "results" Zhang Mu mentioned at the first possible moment.

However, the development of events exceeded everyone's expectations.

The terror of the life tree surpassed even Zhang Mu's conjectures.

Shortly after the aircraft formation completed a round of spraying, a Magister Elf flew alone from the clan grounds.

He seemed to be suffering from a delusional fit, murmuring something constantly along the way. When he reached the airspace above the airport and prepared to land, his magic power went out of control, his body lost balance, and he crashed straight onto the runway in front of the Elves.

Watching him crawl out of the crater, Zhang Mu's mouth twitched, and he said to the Fifth Elder, "You're responsible for the repairs."

The Elf stumbled toward the Elf King, saying, "King... King, it's green, it's green!"

Zhang Mu pulled Frederica away from the crowd in horror, but realized a moment later—Wait, haven't both of the Elf King's queens passed away? How could the Elf King be 'greened'?

The Elves didn't understand the "meme" from Blue Star and urged him to explain.

"The leaves of the life tree have turned green!"

The moment the words fell, the Elf King's figure vanished from the spot. The Elders followed suit a moment later, frantically flying back to the clan grounds.

Zhang Mu was also shocked: "The fertilizer was just sprayed; did the ground even have time to absorb it?"

After saying that, he and Frederica also gave chase.

When the two passed through the barrier and the forest to reach the edge of the grass, the King and the Elders were already standing together under the life tree, looking up at the lush branches and leaves.

Zhang Mu walked over quickly and looked up.

He had once been brought under the life tree by Gezhe and had seen its state at that time.

Although it was still alive, and at a casual glance the leaves were emerald and the trunk was upright, showing strength, a closer look would reveal that the tips of a few leaves were turning withered yellow, and this was spreading toward the leaf base at an alarming speed.

Some branches were also drooping weakly, the whole tree exuding an aura of heading toward death.

But now, all the symptoms showed a trend of alleviating.

The branches were revitalized, lifting their trunks again; the withered yellow was being pushed back by the emerald green, leaving only scattered spots that couldn't be noticed without looking closely.

The Elf King watched silently. After a long time, he suddenly stepped forward and leaned close to the life tree. He pressed his palm against the trunk, and his Mental Energy poured in.

The Elders knew the King was checking the health of the life tree. The result would determine the survival of the Elf race, and they couldn't help but swallow hard.

Soon, a joyful emotion was fed back into the Elf King's mind through his Mental Energy.

"It is very happy because it has gained a new life."

The Elders all knelt on one knee at the same time, their right hands over their left chests, their heads slightly bowed: "Gods Blessing upon our race!"

"Gods Blessing... no..."

The Elf King turned around, his gaze passing over the Elders to meet Zhang Mu's eyes.

"No need for words of thanks." His lips parted, his eyes overflowing with gratitude, but Zhang Mu spoke up to interrupt the thanks he was about to express, "Since the crisis is resolved, I should be going."

"Please allow our race to host a banquet..."

"There's really no need. I'm very busy and in a hurry."

"Where are you going? I will escort..."

"Father King." Frederica suddenly took a step forward. "I will escort him.

Additionally, I need to bring enough fruit."

"How much do you need?"

"A hundred years' worth. I'll come back for more once it's used up."

The Elf King was stunned, staring blankly at Frederica.

A moment later, he read something from her determined eyes, and the joy of the race being saved receded slightly.

"Since you have already made your choice, I have no reason to refuse."

"Thank you, Father King."

Frederica took Zhang Mu's hand and walked toward her own palace.

"I'll go back to the palace to pack my daily necessities, and then I have a few private matters to handle. We'll set off the morning after tomorrow."

"You decide.

By the way, are Alice and Saldari coming along?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Their plan was good, but when it came to implementation, they encountered an obstacle at the very first step.

On the third morning, Frederica, who had finished handing over her duties, was about to set off with Zhang Mu, Alice, and Saldari, only to find the Great Elder blocking the palace gate.

"Mr. Zhang Mu!" The Great Elder seemed very anxious, his tone hurried. "Please come and take a look; the life tree has started to wither again, and at an even faster rate than before!"