I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 491

Chapter 491: The Big One Arrives

After leading Ewen and the others through the passage next to the saber-toothed tiger for about ten minutes, the originally dim space suddenly… opened up.

It was like the feeling of “emerging from a narrow path into a broad expanse.”

However, what lay ahead was not a “spacious land” or “well-built houses,” but rather a scene of “chaos.”

Yes, it was exactly that feeling of “chaos.”

At the end of the passage was a massive tree.

This tree, like the black-brown plants polluted by crimson energy, was predominantly black-brown, with a trunk so large that I couldn’t see the top in a single glance.

When we emerged from the passage, we found ourselves standing on a relatively flat area beneath this massive tree.

In addition to this giant tree, there were many similarly large black-brown trees around, but because the tree in front was so enormous, the others seemed like small saplings by comparison.

Moreover… the most concerning thing was that the concentration of crimson energy around us had really intensified.

“Hmm…”

As soon as we exited the passage, the overwhelming presence of the huge tree and the “super-doubled” crimson energy made my head feel a bit dizzy.

I took out my phone and, using the smooth screen, noticed that the reassuring pattern glowing in my eyes was now very pronounced.

“Um… Lulu.”

Meanwhile, Luni, who was also a bit worried, leaned in and said, “This place is so eerie.”

“It’s not exactly eerie, just… really uncomfortable,” Ewen added. “It feels like entering the heart of a dead black dragon… I’m not sure if that’s the right description, but it’s definitely a very unpleasant place. Just standing here and breathing, I feel an obvious sense of panic, as if something could pounce on us at any moment.”

“But there’s no sign of any beasts around,” Weiying said with a frown. “I can’t hear any sounds either.”

“This should be the City in the Forest, right?”

Ewen asked as she was drawn to the glowing pattern in my eyes. She moved closer and asked, “Lulu, where did your cat ears go?”

“Ah…” I quickly explained, “I’ve retracted them.”

“Cat ears can be retracted?”

“I’m not a pure cat-eared race,” I said.

“I’m a hybrid of elves and cat-folk, so I can switch between cat-girl and elf forms.”

Although I’m not sure if this explanation will hold, I told Ewen, “Since the crimson energy around us is so dense, I had to switch to elf mode. Otherwise, I might faint in cat mode.”

“Isn’t it even worse in elf mode in a place like this?”

Ewen asked, somewhat incredulously. “By the way, are there really hybrids of elves and cat-eared people who can switch freely between the two forms?”

“Well… it is possible,” Luni explained. “I’ve seen similar books on my mother’s bookshelf. If both parents are pure-blooded and it’s a double hybrid, this phenomenon can occur. But to switch modes, you have to be very familiar with the traits of both races. Lulu’s situation… it’s a bit unbelievable since she’s only lived for over twenty years.”

“So Lulu really is a chosen cat?”

Ewen nodded. “What should we do now? Should we proceed the same way we came, moving toward the denser crimson energy, or should we split up?”

“I can’t feel the difference in the crimson energy concentration anymore,” I said helplessly. “The concentration here… is almost suffocating me.”

“But it’s strange. According to logic, this concentration should attract many magical creatures and all sorts of strange plants,” Luni said, pointing to the surrounding giant trees. “But it seems to be even more welcoming than the forest outside.”

“Maybe there are guardian beasts here too, just like the lion outside.”

Ewen put her hands on her hips. “So… should we split up to search for the City in the Forest?”

“No, I recommend staying together here,” I said. “The quieter the place, the more dangerous it is. We absolutely shouldn’t separate now.”

“Yes, perhaps we can wait a little while,” said Weiying.

I took out my phone, turned on the flashlight and video recording functions, and pointed it at Ewen and the others. “Let’s say hello.”

“Eh?” Luni quickly made a peace sign. “Like this?”

“Yes.”

I spoke into the phone’s microphone. “Everyone, we have now arrived at the final stop of this adventure, the City in the Forest!”

“The meaning of adventure is probably like this.”

I continued, “Traveling through the forest with companions, hunting together, cooking together, resting together, and then taking big steps forward to reach the destination and find the final treasure chest of the great adventure.”

I adjusted the phone’s camera to give everyone a clear view of the enormous tree in front of us. “There shouldn’t be a tree this big on Earth, right? I’m not sure what to call it, so let’s just call it… the Sacred Tree for now.”

“Since our goal is the City in the Forest, this tree must be some sort of landmark. The city might be beneath the roots of this tree, or perhaps this tree is the guardian tree at the center of the city…”

Feeling like my thoughts had suddenly become clearer, I turned to Ewen and the others.

“Hey! Ewen, Weiying, Luni, do you think this tree might be like the Tree of Life in the Elven Forest, which maintains the city’s vitality?”

“That makes sense!” Ewen instantly showed a “I see now” expression. “So, does that mean we are already in the City in the Forest?”

“I was speaking in the local human language earlier. If humans from Earth can come to this other world, remember to learn the local language first. It’s not too hard—more difficult than English but much simpler than our Mandarin.”

“Well, this will be the end of the final stop of the video shoot. The reason for recording these videos is that I want to tell the online trolls who have been criticizing the cafe for months… There’s no need to be so hostile. I love Xiao Mo! Xiao Mo and I genuinely love each other, and we don’t really care about you venting your life’s frustrations on us. It’s just that your behavior affects everyone who likes the cafe. So we hope everyone can be a little less aggressive and a little more tolerant and cheerful.”

“Finally, whether you like the cafe or dislike me, I wish everyone watching this video happiness and joy—making yourself happy is part of the plan.”

With that, I aimed the camera at the tree again, filmed for an additional ten seconds, and saved the video.

When this video goes up, the focus of attention online should shift from how to criticize the cafe to investigating whether “these videos are fabricated”…

“Alright, now let us…”

Turning off my phone, I was about to move forward when an aura suddenly appeared in the center of the large tree, causing me to instinctively stop.

“Someone.”

In that moment, using the elven night vision, I saw a shadowy figure on the trunk.

Xiao Mo…

“Little kitty, what did you say to the phone earlier…”

Xiao Mo, who had somehow arrived, slowly floated in front of me.

“You said, ‘There’s no need to be so hostile.’ What was the second part?”

“I…”

I instinctively took a small step back, trying to suppress the turmoil inside my abdomen.

“I… I love…Xiao Mo.”

“……”

……