Death... and me



Luman expression changed drastically upon hearing Rean's words. "Grow a new one? Here? How? Is that even possible?"

Rean caressed the piece of Bright Underworld Wood for a moment before confirming. "It should be possible. Considering that this Bright Underworld is quite common in those pockets of Light Element, some of the people who brought them into the Swamp of no Return probably had their seeds, too, right?"

Luman nodded. "Most of the Bright Underworld Wood owners didn't have any seeds and only the wood itself. But yes, some of them did indeed have the seeds. However, it is impossible to grow Bright Underworld Trees outside of those pockets of Light Element of the Underworld Realm."

Rean didn't agree with Luman's words. "That would be the case for someone else. However, both Kentucky and I have Light Element of our own. Also, we have the necessary fertile soil in our Pocket Dimensional Realms for the seeds that germinate to grow wood elements in them. That said, we should be able to simulate the perfect ambient where the Bright Underworld Trees grow."

"Great!" Luman was ecstatic to hear that. Immediately after, he accessed his own Pocket Dimensional Realm and retrieved the few seeds that he had collected in the past years. Sure enough, there weren't many since the majority didn't have an interest in them. Nonetheless, there were enough for Rean to give it a try. "Here you go. You can give it a try."

However, a thought quickly surfaced in Luman's mind as soon as he passed the seeds to Rean. "Wait! It's obviously a good thing if you can make the trees grow here. However, how long will it take?"

Rean shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? I'm not aware of how long the trees take to grow in the first place. You seem to know a lot more about them than us. Do you have any idea how long they usually take to fully grow?"

Luman pondered a bit but shook his head in the end. "Not really. But don't worry, some of the devils who ended here definitely know. Especially the ones who brought the seeds with them. Give me a moment." Before Rean's group said anything, Luman disappeared from the room to go look for those devils.

Roan glanced at Rean, puzzled by his actions. "It would take many years to grow those trees even if you can recreate the proper conditions for it. Are you planning to stay here all this while?"

Rean looked back at Roan and didn't mind affirming it. "Indeed. That's what I'm planning to do. You said it yourself, this is a great place for cultivation. It's not like the Universe's Foundation Fragment will suddenly disappear just because we spend some extra time here. I'm sure you would like that as well."

Roan pondered the issue for a moment and had to admit that this was a good idea. With Luman to hold the fort and Luan to make sure that they wouldn't get lost, this settlement just acted as the perfect place to rest between intervals during their training. "Alright. I'm surprised to see that you were the one to offer an idea regarding training. But nonetheless, we can travel further away to fight stronger demon beasts of the swamp and come back between intervals. Not to mention that we will be obviously able to get our hands in a lot of Bright Underworld Wood to use against the Dark Tide."

Rean smiled in response. "That's basically it. Kentucky and I can take turns replenishing the trees with light elements while the other is out. With Luman's help, we don't need to be afraid of that woman either. It's a truly amazing deal."

Rean and Roan then began to talk about their plans with Kentucky, Sister Orb, Luan, and Celis in the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm while they waited for Luman to come back. Naturally, Celis and Luan had nothing against that plan, especially Celis, who only thought about cultivation nonstop. 

Sure enough, Luman returned after some time with two Devils who had joined the settlement over time. They both seemed to know quite a little about the Bright Underworld Trees, which was perfect for Rean's plan. "These are Hrux and Clita. They should be able to answer your questions."

One of them was a bestial devil, while the other was a humanoid devil. Obviously, they knew the truth or Luman and his Lakure Race members. "How can we help you with?"

Rean nodded and passed the Bright Underworld Wood to them. "Tell me everything you know about the Bright Underworld Trees. Start with how long it takes for them to fully grow."

Hrux quickly took the piece of wood and nodded. "The Bright Underworld Trees take around a hundred years to mature. However, if the pocket of Light Element is especially abundant in resources, its growth time will be around 70 to 80 years. They aren't especially rare trees, but there aren't many uses for them in our Devil Races. The seeds..."

Hrux and Clita then began to talk about the trees, showing that they truly had some knowledge about them. From what Rean heard, Hrux and Clita were one of the few Devil races that could use the Light Element inside the wood because it also had Dark Element inside. Not to mention it was quite important to them. Thus the seeds they brought with them back when they arrived in the swamp. 

Sometime later, Rean, Kentucky, Hrux, and Clita arranged a platform on the swamp trees where Rean brought out a lot of soil. From the looks of it, one could not grow trees inside the Dimensional Realm. It was the contact with the Underworld Environment that made their existence possible, so they had to be planted outside. 

Hrux and Clita were shocked to see Rean wielding Light Element and even thought he was an Angel instead. Rean just smiled and didn't give an explanation. The important part was that Hrux and Clita agreed that with Rean and Kentucky Light Element affinities, there was indeed a very good chance of succeeding in their plans.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, the seeds planted on the platform finally started to sprout under the careful watch of those four.