Chapter 5 The elf man kept on blabbing his mouth the entire time I cast a teleport again. He kept on going like it would be the last thing he does in his life and kept on cursing me. He even comments on my red hair as he described it his poop the other day. Seriously,I wanted to chop his tongue. But then I needed something from the treant and if I break something it owns maybe it may find me displeasing. It will force me to look for another treant which will take almost seven months if I change course now. When I arrived at my previous spot, there is not even the shadow of the elf girl I saved earlier. She also ran away. Now I am stuck with a noisy elf that until now has not stopped cursing my generations until my dirt grandson. “I might just break your neck and be done with it you know?” I tossed him to the ground harshly and he yelped out in pain. I don't know if this man is brave or brain dead. He just continued to curse again about how sloppy I look and I should just go and explode. I sigh to myself and walk towards the elf then chopped the back of his head making him faint. I should just keep on knocking him out unconscious. This dude is on sugar the way he keeps on going. I went back to my spot and started to rotate the boar once again. Some parts are already starting to blacken and I hastily move the stick and try salvage what I can. In the end I managed to not burn the entire thing and I ate my fill. I packed the rest with simple ice spells. “Good to have a mobile refrigerator.” Then I store the leftover meat to the small pocket dimension I opened and intends to use as a storage room. I did not forget to tie the elf before I went to sleep especially his mouth. I did extras so that he won’t ruin my sleep. He look like a cocoon with how much cloth I tied him up with. “Well good night to me…” I said as I laid down the hastily made blanket in the ground. The next morning, I woke up when the sun is barely visible in the sky. It was still a bit dark but I already feel awake so I cleaned up my camp for a bit. I also made sure that the fire I used last night was properly extinguished. When I am done, I noticed the elf squirming like a worm with the bundle of clothes around him. He looks amusing but I know how nasty his mouth is so I just pick him up and resumed my course without untying him. After two hours of walking, I noticed that there were no creatures on my way. I can only feel them a few kilometers away from me and they are also fleeing. I can still the massive life signs around me which seem to be the trees but I leave them alone. What can a tree do to me? I left them alone not knowing their value. I was a bit stupefied when I learned what those life signals mean in the future but I will let the future me show. I continue towards the direction of the treant and as usual nothing fun happens. The whole forest seem to be avoiding me. I feel that if those trees have feet, then they too will run away. I don’t know what is happening but it is ticking me off in the wrong way. I already turned off my passive skills which sound dangerous but nothing is working. I was forced to give up and travel with a squirming cocoon on my shoulder. “Settle down! Or I will toss you in the cliff.” I roared since my mood is not pretty at all. The movement of the man lessened but I can still some slight movements. I noticed that he kept on nibbling the cloth that I use to seal his mouth. Nah… I will not dare to listen again to any word he has to say. I love my generations to come so nopes. No more cursing my dirt dirt grandson. My days continued to be boring just like yesterday. No new creatures aside from small and mindless beings. Along the journey, I finally started to unseal the mouth of the elf from time to time. Well, minuscule of time actually since sometimes I would like to hear some rap music with me as I go on. It would be lovely if he could just talk about something else aside from doom and my generations ahead. Seriously, why does this guy hates my generation to the bone? He has not even met them or I have not met them too. Such a radical man I might say. “I swear… Bleep… Bleep…. More Bleep…” The man was free to talk today and so he was dangling upside-down from my shoulder. I purposely do so that he would have trouble rapping when blood is rushing to his head. “Whatever you do, I will Bleep bleep bleep more bleep and many more bleep.” Come on… why is this guy so adamant about my dirt grandchild? Whack Just as usual, only few minutes per day so I can maintain my sanity. I continue walking towards the direction the crystal ball indicates and I can see that I am fairly close to it now. The trees became denser and it is now a bit of a bother when trees blocks my way with no gaps aside from the ones above. I went through them to not waste any more time. Walking is fun on its own but when you see almost the same scenery it gets fairly boring too. I think it is time to rush and meet my mentor. Or one that is suppose to be at the least. I leap into one branch to another to travel faster since the forest has run rampant. I can barely walk under trees anymore. I finally reached a wide opening where a lone tree is standing at the center. It was not that large and looks young and lively. I leap down from the tree and started to approach the three. Suddenly, shadows fell from the sides and elves with their bows appeared. They already have their bows stretched to the full and have fierce expressions. Suddenly the tree at the center started to groan and I can see a face starting to distort from the trunk. The tree start to shake and its branches start to twist and turn into something like an arm. The tree look like a mixture of human and a tree. It's tree lineage win since its color was still at the healthy brown color while its leaves turned a bit golden red. “Greetings young one.” The tree starts to talk and I realized that the crystal ball is indicating this place. So this is a treant. “Ah… Yeah greetings.” I said as I untied the cocoon on my shoulder and tossed it to its companions on the side. “Man he is heavy…” I tried to move the shoulder which I used and it made creaking noises as I stretch them out. The elves’ tension went down a lower notch but they are still aiming their bows at me. It was a bit uncomfortable but I decided to bear with it since it was I who has a need for help. This is their turf so I guess they can be a bit impudent about it. “So…” I was a bit tongue tied as the moment of truth finally came. I was not used to speaking after all. “I am wondering if you could help me out a bit.” “That is?” The treant was looking at me calmly but I can feel a bit of magic seeping all around me. “You are not the best talking partner I assume?” “That I am.” The treant is having a bit of mischief on its face as of now. I wonder if trees can smile. “You know, you are not making this better for a beginner.” “I assume you will know that Mr. Demon Lord” The treant stretch its arm and roots grew up in its front forming I would assume to be a chair for me to sit. I sat upon it without thinking otherwise. I have been walking for so long and I am a bit tired. I can finally talk to someone without mentioning my great dirt grandson thank you very much. I look towards the treant again to see that it was having a thoughtful expression on its face. I don’t feel any malice from it but it kept on making something with the surrounding. The place seems to be a bit cramped. I don’t know what it is doing but I am feeling a bit cramp like things I don’t see is being stuffed around the area. “I feel weird…” I voiced out unintentionally as the elves fell on their places. “What the heck is this thing?” “We were exerting all our efforts but all he feel is weird…” “Give back my sanity points please!” The treant laughed out too and it was smashing its newly made arm on the ground. I was a bit confused what was so funny but somehow the cramped feeling disappeared. The treant this time wave his other arm towards me. A table made out of roots spring to life along with a cup looking ones too. Then a violet fluid came out of the roots and made it towards the cup. I take it and smell it a bit and I only find it funny but nothing weird. It smells sweet but somehow a bit bitter but that is just my sense of smell which was distorted a long time ago. I took a sip and I felt that what I was drinking until now were all latrine water. It felt heavenly that my brain stopped for a bit and I felt like my soul flew out of here. “Gahahahahaha” The treant laughed out loud and gave me some more of those violet liquid towards my now empty cup. This time I reign myself to not devour it just like what happened after I took a sip. This time I made sure to hold myself back and enjoy the fluid well. “I like this one…” I said as I pointed on the cup. “What is this called?” “That little one is blood…” “…” “What?” “That is my blood little one… Not the same as you think though… That fluid is the essence of the forest. The forest is me so that can be considered as my blood too…” “That is a weird way to put it…” I said. I am a bit creep out that I actually took on blood. I am wondering if I need to vomit since I remembered something about abstain from blood from a book I read long ago. “It was weirder to see a demon lord having his fun adventure towards the eastern alliance though.” The tone of the treant is a bit serious and I think that demon lords and eastern hemisphere does not get along? “That…” I was a bit awkward since I don’t know exactly their relationship. If they really have bad blood then my trip would be considered as invasion right? “Do tell little one… I find you… different.” The treant is once again scrutinizing me like he was looking for something which he can’t put his finger on it. “I want to learn…” “You what?” “Learn…” “Come again?” the treant is shaking its head and rubbing its eyes apparently. “Learn?” “I became senile huh… Look at what time can do…” The treant is looking at the sky. He was like an old baldie which failed to report to his higher up. “Like I said, I come to learn…” I am a bit angry since I don’t see any seriousness around me. “So let’s be clear about something…” The treant lowers its head to my level and look at me in the eye for the first time. “What kind of learning are you referring to?” “Uhmm… Knowledge about this world?” “You speak like you are from another with how you phrase that.” The treant snorted. “I am?” …… … “You are not serious right?” the treant looks at me with an amazed expression. “Wait… don’t answer that… I quite like my sanity staying in my head.” The treant resumed its original position and waves its arms around. The elves finally put down their bows after a few weird glances towards me. I am feeling a bit creep out with these guys. I don’t know what is wrong with them. With my experience with one, I say they were all a nutshell. “So you travel far away from your castle just to do some learning?” the treant is a bit calmer this time. “No armies? No dragons?” “I sent those ugly creatures away; I think the human armies are slugging it on with them as of now.” I said in a dismissive way. I don’t know why he is talking about something so boring just like armies. They are just nuisance for me anyway. “You really talk as if it was no big deal huh...” the treant was kind of getting annoying too. Why does he look at me like I am some kid given candy by a stranger and happily took it in mouth? “It is a big deal?” I frowned at him. “I sent them since they are annoying to look at and it is annoying to be with them when I roam around.” “Ok let it go…” the tree shrugs itself and a few leaves from it fell on the ground and was quickly swarmed by the elves around. “Let’s talk about this thing learning then…” “What would you like to learn?” “Firstly, about common sense in this world. I am a bit irritated with the looks you guys are giving me.” “Next would be general knowledge and some advance too if you feel like it.” “Lastly teach me how to become a demon lord. The cool sister did not tell me how to do it aside from saying that I should be bad.” The treant is laughing weakly like he just lost his final kin. “Ah… what in the world has come…? I got an incompetent demon lord seeking knowledge how to destroy the world… " hahaha… My brain is complete… Yeah… I am not the one crazy here… the world is crazy.” I let him do his monologue on its own and I sat back on the seat he offered me earlier. There is no more drink so I put the cup down. Soon a single root from the table rise up and split a little then the same violet fluid poured down towards my cup. I left the treant with his thoughts and I enjoyed myself with the newly filled cup in my hand. His self-monologue continued for a bit and I can see the worried faces of the elves around us. They are frantically running here and there offering something towards the treant. Sadly, the treant ignored them and kept on talking how irresponsible the world is. “So are you going to teach me?” I finally had enough and finally asked the most crucial question. The treant finally done going around and around talking to himself and faced me. His body is twisting in a weird angle. He looked at me intensely for a while silently before giving a nod. I can’t help my face twitch for a little as my lips won’t stop expanding. It felt really weird what actions I can’t seem to control but I can affirm my own excitement. Life in solitude is great but life should be spent living. I remembered one of the baldies who talked to me for the final time before she blew herself up and opened up my cage. She was a bit cool for a baldie but in the end she was a baldie and she blew up nicely and I regained a bit of control to myself. I remembered her face a little bit. She was having the same expression as of me now. I don’t understand her expression back then as she blew herself up. I thought it was painful but in the end I have not seen her face faltered even for a bit. Why would I have that kind of expression? Am I going to blow myself up too? I really need to learn things or I might blow myself up in the future. I know I lack things but I can’t stay like this. If I ever stop myself from advancing then the world will swallow me up and finally cage me again for being stupid. I need to advance and be better than anyone. The sister said that there would be no more cages but the lack of knowledge is locking me up. I look at the treant which settled down in the middle and the table and chair earlier was swallowed back by the ground. I find that magic neat since one can make furniture out of thin air and I think a bed will be perfect when I camp outside. I wonder if pillow is also available with the magic. “Before I teach you…” the treant stroke its non-existent beard and looked at me like a reclusive sage. What are sages in the first place? The baldies called themselves sages back then too. “We need to have rules…” “Rules…” I repeated that but my tongue felt uncomfortable as I say the word rule once again. It is official I hate rules. “Firstly, no killing of elves…” “Those guys?” I point on the one with the mouth which was now free and now raining curses towards my dirt grandson once again. Seriously… why would you not tape his mouth? In the end if I wanted to learn then I need to follow the boss. I nodded in agreement and he seems satisfied. “Second, No summoning of creatures of corruption.” “But they get summoned when I stay at place for certain period of time! I can’t control it!” “Then they will be the training partners of the elves as long as you are staying in my forest.” “I can live with that…” Shoot I have no more Zumba partners. “Third… You are not allowed to destroy the world after you gained knowledge.” This time the treant was full mode serious. He reminds me of the expression of the head of the baldies back then. “But… The cool sister said to destroy it… I at least want to help her out…” The treant shook his head out of frustration which I don’t know where coming from. “Listen here little one… If your head has lice, would you blow your entire head?” “What? Why would…. Oh…. That is why?” I felt like I became smarter. So I just need to carefully remove the lice and not blow my head off. “I will teach you common sense to not end this Mirth. I am afraid an ignorant demon lord will decide to rain down meteors because he finds the air not pleasing.” “So how do I kill lice without blowing my entire head off?” The treant face palmed himself. It now only realize how ignorant the new demon lord. He was now regretting in agreeing to teach this little fellow in red.