Chapter 97: Magical Realm? I Have One!
The entrance to the Great Fairy Forest is located in Hibernia.
These magical realms are all like this—aside from those like Scáthach and Noah, who possess the ability to open magical realm gates anywhere at any time, entering a magical realm generally requires going through its fixed entrance points.
Those like Scáthach and Noah, who can control magical realm gates, are exceptionally rare.
Neither the Fairy Forest nor the Lake of the Lady of the Lake magical realm has such individuals, so both have made certain arrangements around their respective entrances.
Hibernia is fundamentally different from Britain and Pictavia.
Although there are many self-proclaimed kings and numerous countries no larger than British villages here, most of the land known as Hibernia remains undeveloped.
Thus, the region is densely forested and rugged with strange rock formations, resembling a vast sea of trees rising from the ocean.
The entrance to the Fairy Forest is hidden within this sea of trees.
Led by Morgan, Noah navigated through the maze-like forest for a long time, turning left and right repeatedly, before finally arriving at the entrance to the Fairy Forest.
It was a rather difficult entrance to locate.
Amidst the countless trees of the great forest, it was essentially a gate positioned between two specific trees.
The gate, of course, is conceptual.
It has no physical form and cannot be touched; normally, passing through the gap between these two trees feels no different from walking through any other gap between trees.
However, if you recite the correct incantation at the true gate, you can open it directly and enter the Great Fairy Forest.
Noah had no doubt that even if Morgan showed him the way this time, asking him to find it on his own next time would be impossible—even if he memorized the incantation, he would never locate the right spot!
After all, with so many trees in the forest and so many gaps between them, finding the correct one would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Finding it would be as difficult as fishing a needle out of the ocean," Noah couldn't help but remark after entering the Fairy Forest.
Upon hearing Noah's exclamation, Morgan looked at him with some confusion.
"Noah, have you been to the Lady of the Lake's magical realm before?"
"Huh? No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"
"Then how did you know that the Lady of the Lake's magical realm requires you to fish a needle out of a vast lake, with that needle being the magical realm's entrance?"
Are all these great magical realms this obscure?
No wonder so few people have managed to find them over the years!
No... what's even more terrifying is that some people actually managed to find them...
Hearing Morgan's words, Noah was initially surprised, then explained to her that he was merely using a metaphor.
As they chatted, Morgan led Noah deeper into the Fairy Forest, where they found the fairies who had been waiting for their arrival.
Speaking of which, the Fairy Forest was somewhat different from what Noah had imagined.
Unlike the Land of Shadows or the Pillar of Light, which clearly stood in stark contrast to the real world, the Fairy Forest seemed like an extension of Hibernia's great forest outside—it was just as lush and indistinguishable from the external woods.
If there was any difference...
Noah's gaze shifted toward the depths of the forest.
His eyes couldn't penetrate the depths of the forest, but his deified Observation Haki sensed an overwhelmingly terrifying life force emanating from deep within the woods!
If he had to describe it, it was as if a giant as tall as Mount Everest resided in the heart of the forest!
From where he stood, he could easily hear its heartbeat and feel its warmth.
Such was the terrifying intensity of this life force.
Noah's attention was significantly diverted by this vitality, while Morgan took the opportunity to explain the situation regarding the Land of Shadows to the elders of the fairies.
After clarifying the misunderstanding, she also shared her own purpose for coming here.
"Aside from clearing up the misunderstanding about the Land of Shadows, my reason for coming to the Fairy Forest this time is to select three of your kin to become knights of Britain."
"...!"
Morgan stated her intentions.
She had also prepared a bargaining chip that these fairies would find impossible to refuse.
The number 'three' was something she had carefully considered in advance—if she asked for more, the already scarce fairy population would likely refuse; if she asked for fewer, considering her bargaining chip... well, it would feel like a loss.
That's why Morgan made the request she did now.
She had even decided exactly which three fairies she wanted.
So, in Morgan's view, everything here was under her control.
However, the fairy elder's reaction upon hearing Morgan's words clearly caught her off guard.
Because the elder neither refused nor showed any interest in hearing her bargaining chip—"instead... they looked over with unmistakable excitement."
"As expected of you, Morgan, or perhaps this is a decision made by Britain's Chosen King—though I had long intended to be honest with you, I never imagined the situation of the Fairy Forest would be seen through by you."
Hearing Morgan bring it up herself, the fairy elder actually seemed less tense than before.
"But there's no need for further probing. I'll speak plainly. The important matter I mentioned when I contacted you earlier is exactly as you imagined—as the core of the Fairy Forest, the World Tree is dying."
"And the method to save the World Tree requires transplanting it into a magical realm completely devoid of life, meaning one that has never been developed, so that the World Tree and the magical realm can coexist... But not only does such a realm not exist now, even if it did, the owner who deliberately preserved it would certainly not be willing to offer it for us to transplant the World Tree."
"Since saving the World Tree is impossible, we can only choose to accept its death..."
At this point, not only the fairy elder but also the surrounding fairies grew deeply sorrowful, as if the forest itself shared in their grief.
This atmosphere even affected Morgan slightly, though she showed no expression on her face.
In contrast, Noah remained unaffected.
Because...
"A completely lifeless, undeveloped magical realm"—he had one!
The Rhongomyniad magical realm was exactly that.
Moreover, he used such a magical realm merely as a refuge for the people and his personal storage space, occasionally serving as a training ground... Beyond that, it was completely useless.
Using it to bestow favors upon these fairies and thoroughly control their lifeline... wouldn't be a bad approach either.
However, Noah wasn't foolish.
He didn't reveal his thoughts immediately. Instead, like Morgan, he remained expressionless, merely nodding and waiting for the fairy elder to continue.
He wanted to hear what the fairies would do if they accepted the death of the tree, and he also wanted to understand the importance of the tree to these fairies.
Only after confirming the entire situation and discussing the specific plan with Mary in his mind would he speak up.
As for now...
He would just listen for the time being~
And incidentally, he would also inform Mary about the situation here.
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