Chapter 360: Rise! More!

"The... tree?" Rumi blinked his eyes before bouncing toward Arthur and grabbing his shoulder. "You are building walls using that?!"

He pointed toward the sky-reaching tree in the distance, and Arthur nodded without looking at it. Rumi"s mouth gaped before it twisted into a crazed grin.

"I chose the right person to work with, hahaha! Let me grab my kit before we go!"

The architect ran back into the house, and clattering sounds came from within. He reappeared with a giant leather bag on his back, a monocle on his eyes. Then, without waiting for Arthur and Courage, he began walking toward Rega.

"Why are you waiting? Let"s go!"

His enthusiasm came as a surprise for the two, even though Arthur understood where it came from. He shrugged to the t.i.tled Knight and walked behind the architect.

"So, should I keep calling you Courage? Or are you going to tell me your true name?" Arthur watched the architect make his way through the forest as he asked.

"True name?" Courage glanced at him. "I have no other names. The moment I became the Knight of Courage, that"s all I am."

"You do have a past, though." Arthur was curious. "Does Big Bear and the others know about it?"

"No one dares to speak of it. Calling a t.i.tled Knight by their name is considered treason because the King is the one who gives them the t.i.tle."

"I see," Arthur nodded. "You know I can get the name out of anyone else."

"You won"t," The Knight of Courage said curtly, without any doubt or hesitation.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because you want me to tell you myself." Courage stared at him from the side. Arthur shrugged and smiled, opting to remain silent. They reached deep into the forest before they found the first of Rega"s roots.

As they reached it, Arthur walked toward it and touched the root, opening a portal. He walked in to appear on the biggest branch that Rega had, which could fit a small house. Arthur walked toward the edge as the rest came out from the portal.

"Time for my tape!"

Rumi shouted as soon as he arrived on the branch. He waved his hand, and a tape shot out from his sleeve, wrapping itself around the branch.

Arthur and Courage were speechless as he got on all four and began taking measurements of the branch. He ignored Arthur and Courage, who demanded the outline until he was done.

"I think we can build something here," Rumi said with a delighted expression. "Seika, the place you requested can be built between the biggest two branches of the tree."

"I don"t care right now. Just give me the outline." Arthur stretched his palm open, and Rumi bobbed his head. He took down his bag and took out a book from within it.

"Behold, Seika." Rumi built suspense. "The greatest city in the world, Hidden City!"

He opened the book, and lights exploded from within it. A hologram began constructing in front of them with Rega in the center. The outline of the city was not two-dimensional like Arthur expected, but a three-dimensional hologram.

Arthur grinned as he saw the outline of the city. It looked like Freya city with how pyramidal its structures were laid around Rega. However, there was a difference that there were houses on top of Rega"s branches.

"These are the houses of the n.o.bility," Rumi explained.

"There won"t be any n.o.bility here." Arthur corrected, and Rumi"s eyes widened. "The buildings on the high branches will be the research departments, run by every department"s head. The branches in the middle will be for the shops and auction houses."

"Ah, research?" Rumi scratched his head. "The Seika"s needs are different from those of other Lords, it seems."

"Our Seika is a man of science." Courage said with a smirk. "What are you going to research?" She asked with curiosity.

"That will be determined later on," Arthur said before turning to the architect. "What about the smithies?"

"They will be next to the roots of Rega. Beyond that are the residential houses and entertainment facilities for the citizens, and then comes the farmlands."

"The walls are beyond the farmlands." Arthur nodded in understanding. "Are these the borders of the city and the gate?"

"Yes, My Lord," Rumi said in respect. "Are you going to create them now?"

"I"ll try to." Arthur walked toward Rega"s trunk and placed his hand on it, and closed his eyes. This time, a door to its Inner World opened.

The two didn"t follow after him as Arthur entered the Inner World. It looked the same as the one he visited in the City of Shades. He appeared on its highest point next to the cabin. Rega waited for him inside.

"Arthur~!" It said joyfully and began to float around him in circles. "You left me here for so long~," Rega said with a pout.

"I"m sorry, I had a few things to do." Arthur didn"t say that it was only two days since they met but simply apologized as he patted Rega"s head. It purred like a kitten and enjoyed his touch.

"Let"s play." Rega acted childishly for a spirit who lived thousands of years, but Arthur understood its boredom after waiting for him for so long.

He still didn"t know how they precisely met, and Rega didn"t say a lot about it. It couldn"t remember a lot about the past because of how long it stayed within the Inner World.

"I have a new game today," Arthur said with a smile as he walked into the cabin. "We"re changing the landscape?"

"The landscape?" Rega tilted its head, its ruby eyes puzzled. "That would be... too tiring." It said and scratched its head.

"I know, I know." Arthur felt sorry. "I will lend you my powers too so that you can play around as well. After this, I"ll play with you every day. I"ll even find a way to let you outside."

"Really?" Rega"s eyes turned wide. "Like... out of this world?"

Arthur nodded with a twinge of heartbreak. Being a spirit tree, Rega couldn"t leave the Inner World inside the tree. So it was imprisoned in this world to spend thousands of years in boredom, only getting a general inkling of what happens outside.

He didn"t know how to get Rega out, as he didn"t know a lot about spirits. Arthur would have to research together with Gala before they go into the spirit"s dimension.

"Alright!" Rega nodded its head thoughtfully, and its branchy arms coiled into tiny fists. Arthur couldn"t believe a creature this cute could exist. "Let"s play!"

It raised its hands and gathered them in front of its chest. A core appeared from within, and Rega presented it to Arthur. He raised his arm, and his mana of creation swelled in front of it.

"Let"s play," Arthur repeated with a smile as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, his point of view shifted until he could see Hidden City and Rega"s body from the outside.

He felt like a G.o.d overseeing the mortal world. With nothing but a thought, the giant roots dug deep underground. Rega drank his mana of creation like it was infinite.

The roots dug deep beneath the ground, and they disturbed the land which the camp was on. As it began to quake, the residents left the houses in panic.

"I should have warned them."

Arthur felt guilty. However, he knew that they wouldn"t get hurt. The ground was shifting because of the roots that grew exponentially beneath it. Its hair roots spread and diverged into the soil, providing it with enough life force that enriched it. However, Arthur wasn"t done yet. He pushed further and tested his limits. His presence merged with Rega for a split second, and his mana bottomed out.

"Rise," Arthur muttered. The ground began to split open from beyond the farmlands and the endless plains as if it was vomiting out what it had.

Roots sprung up from the ground like mountains, one lined next to the other. They created a giant wall spanning from the mountains to the river until it circled Hidden City fully.

"More." Arthur opened his bloodshot eyes as he pushed further. Rega was approaching its limits as well, but Arthur knew that stopping now would only make his efforts a waste.

The walls rose higher as Arthur demanded. The people looked on with fear as they were the center of a basin being created. When the walls were twenty meters tall, the roots stopped growing and began intertwining to the ones next to them.

Arthur let go of Rega"s powers and felt the spirit"s drained energy. He felt sorry, exceptionally so, for using it like this. He knew that it would follow his orders regardless, but he didn"t want to hurt it.

"Whew..." Rega let go of a breath as her floating became less energetic. Arthur walked over and carried it before placing it on the table in front of him. "That was fun, but tiring..."