Tree wants more trees

Tree wants more trees

Year 78 Month 1.

An eruption.

A fine way to start the new year, really.

The damned volcano erupted and destroyed every single thing near it. Close to half of my beetles failed to escape, so they died, all buried under debris, dust, lava, rocks and well, all the other things that volcanoes tend to spit out.

I mean, I sorta figured that volcanoes, especially one still pumping out lava would be somewhat dangerous, but I guess after not seeing any major eruption, I thought its one of those stable volcanoes. To some extent, I guess Im a little complacent there

But still, why didnt my roots sense anything? Dont volcanoes have tremors or minor quakes before going off like that? Or does the magic in this world messes with such processes?

Oh well, this is a minor setback, a bit of delay to my volcano expansion plans. If life went too easy, Id probably think something bad is gonna happen real soon. Probably pushes the plans back by a couple of months, to let the environment settle down and also rebuild my forces, since I do need to regenerate the beetles before attempting my assault on the magma golems, that spawn closer to the now partly exposed caldera. Im rather eager to test out the new large beetles in combat, since they are bigger, and have bigger legs and horns, to see how they perform against those golems.

So, I turn my attention to the next few things I have in mind.

In New Freeka, theres a massive hall with a few [external biolabs], and Jura is helping to guide the Valtrian soldiers. The hall itself is filled with animals and plants, gathered from the region, an exercise we started last month.

The men were sitting idle, so, we sent them out on missions to collect different kinds of plants and animals. As many as they could find, whatever theyve not seen before, or whatever they notice thats different from New Freeka, and bring it back. Thanks to this exercise, Im now going through all the plants and animals theyve brought back. 5 biolabs, side by side, and the soldiers, under Juras supervision, help to put all the specimens in.

After the analysis, some soldiers are tasked to bring them to a patch of empty land and pass them to a different group, those with [farming] or [planting] skills, for them to plant.

The intention is fairly simple, theres a lack of plant diversity in the valley, and that needs to be addressed. Secondly, Im hoping to somehow unlock more [unique trees], like the [ginseng trees], such that I can produce new items. Third, new species of crops would lead to me having more [subsidiary tree - crops] variety.

And now, I have the manpower to push these guys out on a regional harvesting mission.

The process of analysing the plants took 5 days, and the animals another 4 days. The reason I asked for the animals, is actually just to throw off whoevers watching us, but its a waste to not analyse the animals after collecting them, so after the animals were scanned by the biolabs, theyre placed in an area thats meant to be a menagerie.

[New crop species unlocked - Wheat, Jackfruit, Light Corn, Blackpotato, Rye, Red hops, Blueberry, Fireberry]

[New Tree type unlocked : Common herbal bushes. Bushes containing a wide variety of herbs. Herb varieties appear at random]

Hows the register coming along?

Itll take some time, Supreme Counsel. The young man, a junior [herbalist] bows when responding to Juras question.

Its something the Tree Spirit wants done as soon as possible. This is a big task.

Well, actually Trevor and Dimitree already built a compilation of the plants we now have in the valley, and their characteristics that they can identify using the data from the biolabs. But, I had Jura hire a herbalist to start work on a physical copy of a register. Just to compare the kind of information a herbalist would normally take down, and one prepared by my tree-minds.

The young man bows. Im honored, and I can tell it is an important exercise.

The herbalist, together with the gardeners and other farmhands, will be the ones managing the garden in the compound of the Valtrian order. Its one of those odd jobs.

As for the animals, Ive left them to some of the rangers to care for. In the town of New Freeka, there are some rangers, and some [flock tenders] or [herders] that have some skills with animals, so they are the ones looking after the collection of animals.

Its not a perfect match in terms of skill and job class, but oh well. Maybe theyll gain the class someday.Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

Year 78 Month 2

The Valtrian Order separation exercise this month. The military force thats transferred to us is a little too large to my liking, and their competencies a bit lacking, so, like what companies do when their staff size is not optimal we have retrenchments!

I kinda feel like walking up to guys and tell them, Youre fired!

But thats not exactly a nice way to do things.

Jura and the captains identified those who are not so good at their jobs, based on their performance during the collection exercise, spoke these non-performing soldiers whether they have other secondary talents they want to share, whether they want to take part in the other roles happening in the Order, or take the money and go find another job.

I mean, if Im going to be hiring herbalists and all those other specialists, I need money, and money isnt free, so, gotta reshuffle them around. Priorities!

One must cut away the rotting branch for a new one to grow. Of course, there is plenty of crying, plenty of anger, and plenty of cussing.

Maybe some retaliation.

"Ivy."

"Yes, master."

"Monitor those we have fired. See whether they do anything unusual. Let me know if there are any attempted retaliation, but do not interfere unless I instruct you to."

"As you command."

My new tree mind, and unlike Trevor or Dimitree who has responsibility to watch the valley and the forest, Ivy's task is focused on the Valtrian Order, observing the citizens and reporting any unusual matters. I also task her to play a hidden watcher, on all financial transactions and trade transactions.

Watching the movements of some 3,000 to 4,000 employees of the Valtrian Order is a laborious affair, even if there are trees everywhere, and Ivy pretty much has little capacity to do anything else

A part of me feels like I have become that which I hated in my past life, the "big brother" who intrudes in on everyone's privacy, that overly micromanaging boss that looks through everything I do with a fine-toothed comb, but this is a magical world, and I have to pick the bigger baddy here.

Eye-Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 13 months remainingBeetle - anti-magma armors stage 2 - 4 months remainingTree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 13 months remainingRoots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 - 3 months remaining

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, I reached level 30, and I have this new skill called [Locational Survey Tools]. It allows me to take control of a few beetles and place research equipment on them, and this will speed up research on environment-resistances. Kind of making a a research-oriented scout out of the beetle. I can operate 2 at any one time."

Hmm. Actually I think that sounds a bit like the Moon Buggy, but an actual bug! Or perhaps the Mars Rover. Fascinating. She's going into the whole science route, which makes sense as a spirit haunting a massive research biolab. Would a flying bug with this be essentially a flying science vessel?

"Fine, you get 2 beetles. Let me know of the materials."

Alexis claps her ghostly hands in joy. "Thank you."

-

The treefolk chiefs visit a few days later. Three of them, one from before, and two I have not met. It seems their number has increased over the years, as immigration brings more and more treefolks to the valley.

"It is an honor to be summoned by the tree spirit..." The three treefolks prostrate before me I had forgotten that treefolks revere tree spirits. "Your presence bathes the entire valley in a warm energy, that fuels our health and gives us strength."

Wait, do my powers work on treefolk? Why does he talk like it does?

Holy cow, if it does that opens up a big, no, giant can of worms I need to explore.

"You feel my presence?"

The oldest of the treefolk, the one I met before, still prostrating on the floor, is the one to speak. "We always have, the energy and radiance through the roots, each step we take, we feel your growing dominion. Even in the depths of winter, we feel and share in the warmth through our rooted feets."

Wait, is he trying to just suck up to me? Hmm Anyway, let's get down to it.

"Ah the reason I wish to speak to you, is to talk about the dead and the deceased. I'd like to first understand about cultural norm, where the body of the deceased treefolk is normally split into many parts, some as tools, some as fertiliser, and some as ornaments is this, an unbreakable rule, and is there any taboo around giving it to me for my studies?"

The treefolk chieftains all share a glance, and then it is the same elder treefolk, he raises his head to respond. Its a cultural practice, most families will want to keep their deceased family members bodies, to assimilate into their own. If you want a body we would have to provide one without any family members, as I doubt any of our own would part with it. Every bit of a treefolk should be recycled.

I see. Interesting. Very well then,, that will have to do. And you can stand up now, youve prostrated long enough.

Im not sure whether Vice Counsel Laufen has relayed our message previously One of the other treefolk chiefs speak.

Oh, what is this about?

Its regarding the recent gifts to the young children. While the rest of the population do benefit from it, we, the treefolk, do not really benefit from them.

Ah. So, is this a complaint?

Were wondering whether we we can get something more suited for our young saplings.

Oh. Customer feedback. Now why didnt Laufen tell me about it. When was this message delivered to Vice Counsel Laufen?

The three chieftains look at each other, Uh last week perhaps? When she came to deliver a gift for our newest sapling.

Speaking of Treefolk mating and childbirth, theyre actually really interesting and different from the rest of the humanoid races, although they also have humanoid like appearances. Theres actually a few ways treefolk mate, and it depends on the male, female, or whether the treefolk is a hermaphrodite, ie contains the mating organs of both. In short, treefolk retains their own plant-like mating systems, yet, also incorporate the mating systems of humanoids.

Their available ways of mating include actually having intercourse, a form of pollen-fertilisation where the female organs open up for the male organs to fertile, or oddly, and perhaps unique to treefolk, is via third parties, usually an insect or a carrier, like a bee or a butterfly that carries the fertilised pollens from the male organs to the female, who then, if he/she judges the pollens to be suitable, then allows it to fertilise him/her. Apparently its taboo for a treefolk to self-fertilise, for the hermaphrodites, but in times of great disaster, it is permitted to keep up the treefolk numbers.

Theres also another external variant of mating, in which the female organ produces empty seeds, something like an unfertilised egg, which, she can leave in a specified location for any interested male treefolk to then leave their seed. Most sub-species of treefolk are able to produce large quantities of such unfertilised eggs, and the decision to either go for an external or internal mating variant is a choice of the treefolk, whether the female wants quantity, or quality, because internally-carried treefolk will emerge much stronger, bigger, and longer lived. If the male or female is strongly magically attuned, internal mating and carrying the baby within the female also has a higher likelihood of passing off the magical talent to the child.

The only plant-like reproduction system not retained by the treefolk is the grafting or cutting methods, since the soul cannot be severed in two. Only one part of the body will retain the soul, and the part without the soul will wither away without the sustenance of the souls presence.

So, given their huge variety of ways in which a baby is carried or the condition of which a new sapling is created, I could see why the humanoid childcare center is not suitable.

I mean, I would have to figure out how to adapt-

*ding*

[New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Incubation Pods. A subsidiary tree filled with multiple pods, used to incubate and nourish fertilised and germinating external seeds]

[New subsidiary tree type unlocked : Treefolk Nursery. Makes sapling-friendly nutrient rich foods. Can also make special sap for pregnant treefolk mothers or females to boost quality and health of their fetus or eggs]

Uh. Dammit.

I keep forgetting how much the system likes these kind of stuff. Im even betting theres extra points because they are treefolk. Maybe Ill also get new biolab equipments when I put the treefolk under the biolab.

At least I have something. Chieftains, Ill have something for you soon.

Spaizzer

Shorter chapter as I'm out of ideas. *faints* Also, hope the part on treefolk-reproduction doesn't creep you out.

natural disasters happen, well.. because they do. I mean, a volcano or earthquake, or tsunami, or wildfires, well, shit like that happens, don't they, especially when you talk about timescales of years? what is remote becomes certain over the ages. I should add a supervolcano eruption someday. There should be at least one somewhere on their world.

Thanks for reading!