Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Yes," the tree artisan bowed reverently before the painting.

"What's become of it now?"

"It withered away, three hundred years ago. The Northern Second District was once the capital of Jade Skirt, and the World Tree was here too."

"The withered World Tree gradually decayed; it was no longer the gospel for improving the planet's environment, but became a carrier and source of toxins. Thus, the fallen World Tree was cut down and transported to the central stars to be incinerated. This place is merely where its remnants once lay."

"If we cannot change the environment of this planet, there will never be another World Tree growing."

"We pray and strive to change this situation, but the course of events is far more complex and arduous than we had imagined."

"Departing from glass houses and a comfortable environment, almost no plants can survive the erosion of the toxic rain, and our steps are thus forever confined to the cramped indoors, unable to experience the vastness of nature and its landscapes."

"We hope that a new kind of plant can break through these barriers, one that not only can grow beneath the toxic rain but also gradually neutralize and precipitate the toxins, so that we can restore the original appearance of Jade Skirt," he said, his voice becoming more excited and louder.

In the end, that voice echoed continuously within the temple, and then the walls around the temple slowly slid down, letting the sweeping winds and sand blow in from outside. Although none moved, they seemed to have stepped into another world, a world of desert and sorrow.

"This has been our regret and wish for many years," he said, his voice softening again.

"Do you hope for our help?"

"Yes, if possible, we would like to receive some assistance," he said, waving his staff again and the walls slowly rose up, returning the space to the quiet and spacious temple it was before.

"In the past, we were reluctant to ask outsiders for sympathy and help... but even the most resilient and steadfast among us have slowly learned to adapt over these hundreds of years. We don't have much time left, or rather, the number of our members has been steadily declining. If we can't make progress, I fear the remaining will also gradually disperse over the next century."

"Change, huh? That's not a simple matter..." Tilan looked up at the tall mural in front of her, where the canopy of the giant tree still shone brilliantly, telling of its grandeur hundreds of years ago. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

She couldn't help but remember the welcome speech by her senior, Vitelina, when she entered Yuanting Academy.

[Welcome to Yuanting Academy, Hexia, we are the successors of 'Wind Yuanting,' the children of those who tread 'the Path of Bonds,' the spiritual inheritors of the 'Tree of Life Sect.']

"How do you see yourselves, then?"

"See ourselves? Well… it's probably like this," the opposite tree artisan hesitated a bit and then slowly became resolute.

"We are the 'World Tree' guardians, the children of nature following 'Isenisha's legacy,' the spiritual inheritors of the 'Tree of Life Sect.'"

"That does sound very similar," Tilan said with a smile.

So this is the Rose Federation, a nation that has inherited the spirit of the 'Tree of Life Sect' from the Twilight Era, striving to explore and maintain biodiversity, allowing civilization to continue.

It isn't like the 'Mechanical Council,' which seeks efficiency and uniformity, nor does it yearn for the purity and unity of the spirit like the 'Heart of the Primal,' nor the solitude of the 'Deep Sea Alliance'; it attempts to accommodate the diverse and distinct lives and voices.

Maintaining such a vast and diverse country is undoubtedly a difficult task; countless arguments, countless misunderstandings. Without the soothing mediation of the successive Songstresses, such a country would have probably fallen apart long ago.

If it were the past, she might have thought, wouldn't it be better if these people just left this land, or even departed from this planet.

But now, after experiencing so much, she too began to understand the different obsessions in people's hearts. To others, it might seem like trivial matters, some niche affection or habit, but to the person concerned, it's their purpose in living, the entire meaning and joy of survival.

"I think, perhaps I can offer you help, but I also hope that this friendship will be remembered, because one day in the future, I too may seek your aid."

"As it should be."

The tree artisans bowed deeply, and in front of them, the girl's eyes glowed, a faint moon mark appeared on her forehead, and a soft halo emerged beside her.

Through that halo, they seemed to hear the birdsongs and winds from hundreds of years ago, the dense forests and wilderness full of green leaves, and the immensely tall golden canopy, laden with large fruit, colorful birds circling the tree atop the clouds.