Chapter 991: A Miracle
“Solinfort?” Andersa repeated the name softly, a hint of confusion in her voice. She wasn’t very familiar with Cecil’s geography, but the name stirred a faint memory. After a moment’s reflection, she recalled some intelligence reports and historical records that mentioned Solinfort. “Ah, I’ve heard of it… It’s supposed to be on the Holy Spirit Plains…”
“Strictly speaking, it lies on the border between the Holy Spirit Plains and the Eastern Territories,” Sister Marian smiled gently. “Though administratively, it’s considered part of the Holy Spirit Plains. It’s a place full of miracles.”
“Miracles…” Andersa murmured, recalling that the Holy Spirit Plains had been reduced to a wasteland during Ansu’s civil war, with Solinfort suffering the worst devastation. Her voice dropped to a whisper. But before she could say more, the scenery outside the train window shifted, drawing her full attention to the vast wilderness beyond.
In the distance, a towering spire rose up—a massive structure forged from metal and artificial stone, grander even than the signal towers of Winterwolf Fortress. Magical light shimmered across its surface, and atop the tower, a huge crystal apparatus slowly rotated, supported by intricate mechanical frameworks. Surrounding the tower were various auxiliary buildings, forming a small fortress-like complex.
Further beyond, she spotted what looked like a village or small town. Rows of brand-new houses gleamed under the bright sun, their rooftops sparkling. The land around the settlement was neatly leveled, stretching out like a vast brown carpet. Wide, orderly roads cut through the fields, lined on both sides with evenly spaced street lamps.
The train sped across the wintery plains, but the landscape seemed reborn, welcoming visitors with a vibrant new life.
Andersa widened her one good eye, astonished by the scene outside. It was nothing like the ruined wasteland she had imagined from the reports and her mental sketches.
“Are we really heading toward Solinfort?” she finally asked, unable to hold back her surprise. “Is this the same war-torn zone that was contaminated by the divine disaster?”
Sister Marian smiled warmly. “Yes, without a doubt. In fact, we’ve already passed the last checkpoint of the Eastern Territories. What you’re seeing now is the Holy Spirit Plains. Solinfort lies just ahead, at the end of the next mountain pass. When you see it, you’ll be even more amazed.”
“I thought I’d see more ruins and wreckage here,” Andersa muttered, almost to herself. “This isn’t what I expected…”
“We rebuilt it,” Sister Marian said proudly. “General Margarita and her construction corps, the Ministry of Agriculture’s joint reconstruction teams, and tens of thousands of volunteers returning to the Holy Spirit Plains all worked together to restore everything you see—and more. For example, that tower we just passed and its surrounding buildings form the Solinfort Secondary Node, part of the magical network across the plains. It houses a high-powered transceiver that links directly to the Solinfort Central Hub. The railway we’re on was also built just last year as part of the reconstruction.”
“Of course, there are still ruins—this land is vast, and we couldn’t possibly rebuild everything in such a short time. Large areas around the Giant Stone City and the Fertile Woodlands are still awaiting revival. The High Council sends more engineering teams and resources there every month. About half of those regions have resumed production, but they’re far from here. We won’t see them on this trip.”
Andersa listened in amazement, her mind painting pictures she had never imagined. She seemed about to ask more when a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air ahead.
The train’s piercing horn echoed between hills and plains. Andersa felt the carriage shudder slightly as it emerged from a gentle mountain pass. The small hill that had blocked her view was quickly left behind, revealing a vast expanse of plains stretching out before her.
A splash of green—unexpected in winter—immediately caught her eye, filling her vision.
It was a canopy so dense it blotted out the sky, a floating green city suspended above the plains—a single living organism, a miracle that defied mortal imagination.
“What is that?!” Andersa gasped, momentarily forgetting the pain in her upper body. She instinctively raised her arm, pointing outside, her face full of astonishment.
“That’s where we’re headed,” Sister Marian said. “Solinfort. What you’re seeing is the ‘Solin Great Tree.’ It covers the entire Solin region. The original castle now lies beneath its canopy, occupying only a small area on the eastern side. Our train will enter the outer edge of the tree’s canopy. The new station is right next to the old castle.”
“Solin Great Tree…” Andersa whispered in disbelief. Her swirling thoughts finally settled, and fragments of memory surfaced. “I’ve heard that name—in some documents, and even in your Cecil newspapers and magazines. I knew there was a ‘tree’ that grew out of the ground, huge like a castle… but I always thought that was an exaggeration.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Sister Marian shook her head. “In fact, it’s been bigger than any castle for over six months now. But its growth has slowed to a near halt. Theoretically, it won’t expand any further—otherwise, we’d have to worry about the entire plain being covered by its canopy. Though, honestly, I think that would be quite impressive. The Ministry of Agriculture doesn’t share my enthusiasm.”
Andersa watched the approaching scenery with the awe of someone witnessing a miracle. Then she caught a subtle detail in Sister Marian’s words. “You said ‘she’… you refer to the tree as ‘she’?”
“Oh, your intelligence reports didn’t call the Solin Great Tree ‘she’?” Sister Marian raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s understandable. Not everyone knows about Lady Beltira… including the countless journalists and novelists who’ve written extensively about the Solin Great Tree.”
Andersa was still puzzled. “…?”
Cecil was full of mysteries that were hard to grasp.
At the summit of the Great Tree, a vibrant cluster of flowering vines sprouted from the branches. Amid the blossoms and tendrils, the figure of a young woman gradually took shape.
Beltira had assumed her humanoid form and moved to the edge of the tree’s flat canopy. From this highest vantage point on the Holy Spirit Plains, she gazed toward the mountains marking the boundary between the plains and the highlands.
In truth, her gaze was symbolic. Since becoming a plant, her perception no longer belonged to a human’s. She sensed the world through her vast root system and the branches stretching skyward. Her humanoid form had no real eyesight, but she often indulged in this “looking out” ritual—it gave her a sense of fulfillment.
Deep within the canopy’s secret chamber, an artificial brain hummed steadily, simulating neural signals to maintain Beltira’s personality. She inhaled deeply through her form—photosynthesis in full swing, lifting her spirits.
She “saw” a magical energy train approaching from the east, entering the canopy’s outer edge. Vines near the station picked up the signal and were transmitting images back to her.
Footsteps echoed behind her, the sound of shoes tapping on the hard leaf surface like footsteps on concrete. Without turning, Beltira knew who was there.
“She’s arrived,” came a slightly hoarse voice from her wooden body. “Won’t you go see her?”
The middle-aged man standing behind Beltira was silent for two seconds before breaking the quiet with a complicated expression. “…I don’t know how to face her.”
“You have to,” Beltira said slowly. “She’ll be here for a long time, and you can’t keep running from it.”
Bard tugged at the corner of his mouth. “…And who do you think put me in this situation?”
“We agreed not to mention that.”
Bard chuckled quietly, shaking his head. “Anyway, the generals on the front and the High Council’s chief magistrates really gave me a tough problem. When I first heard the news, I was completely stunned. Even now, it still feels like a dream.”
“I can imagine. You were in the middle of monitoring when someone pulled you out and told you your daughter was among the first prisoners of war, arriving at Solinfort within days. I can only imagine the chaos in your mind,” Beltira said, her usually stiff tone carrying a hint of teasing. “Aren’t you worried? I heard she was badly injured.”
Bard was silent for a moment before replying softly, “She’s a soldier. Some things are her duty.”
“She’s a soldier, but you’re her father. Her duty and your worry don’t conflict,” Beltira shook her head and turned to face Bard Wendell. “Once you finish your work, go see her. You have to face it. I’m sure you’ve had a few days to prepare and think about how you’ll meet your daughter.”
“That’s not like you at all,” Bard said, glancing at the former ‘Priestess of the End of All Things.’ “In the years I’ve known you, Lady Beltira has always been the embodiment of cruelty, cunning, and danger.”
Beltira didn’t respond, and Bard didn’t press. He shook his head and changed the subject. “I came to report something.”
“A report? What is it?”
“These are recent records from the monitoring team,” Bard handed over a stack of documents. “We still haven’t tracked down that signal, but we found some other traces that might be valuable.”
Beltira didn’t need “eyes” to read, but she took the papers seriously—life required some ritual, even for a plant. Her gaze swept over the tables and notes, her expression growing more serious.
She wasn’t an expert in magical network communications, signal theory, or cryptography. But after successfully decoding geometric patterns from a mysterious signal last time, her value had been recognized by the higher-ups. Now, if the monitoring team found anything useful, they always sent her a copy.
“These faint, random noise waves aren’t normal fluctuations in the magical network… is that right?” Beltira shook the papers and looked at Bard.
“Exactly. We’ve compared all waveforms. These noises shouldn’t be there.”
“They’re very weak and chaotic, completely indecipherable—even my previous ‘dot pattern decoding’ method doesn’t work,” Beltira rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “What do you make of it?”
“We now suspect that the signal has actually been broadcasting continuously all along, covering our transceivers every single moment. Those noise patterns are just traces it leaves behind,” Bard explained slowly, sharing the thoughts he and his colleagues had been piecing together. “But for some reason, the signal has been heavily interfered with and weakened most of the time, so we couldn’t decode its content at all. In fact, we didn’t even notice it existed until we increased the sensitivity of our equipment. From this perspective, the few times we suddenly received the signal before weren’t because it ‘appeared’ out of nowhere, but because whatever was causing the interference or shielding briefly faltered…”
Beltira’s face remained composed, but a subtle seriousness flickered across her features. “That sounds… unsettling. Has the report been sent to the capital?”
“Yes, it’s already been forwarded. Master Kamail personally responded that he will take this matter seriously. He’ll also coordinate with the teams at the monitoring stations in Shilin City, Winterhold, and Luan to try and find evidence of these noise patterns in their areas,” Bard nodded. “If all these locations detect the same noise, it will further confirm our hypothesis.”
Beltira was silent for a moment, lost in thought. After several seconds, she gave a slight nod.
“If there’s nothing else here, I’ll be heading back,” Bard said to her. “The monitoring station is still waiting on my response.”
Beltira gave a soft acknowledgment. Bard turned and started walking toward the nearby elevator, but after only a few steps, she suddenly called out to him again. “Wait.”
“Is there something else?”
“Andersa Wendel has been transferred to the west wing of the old castle,” Beltira said, watching his back. “That will be her dedicated ‘recovery area.’ If you want to visit, Margarita and I can help arrange it.”
Bard stood still, facing away from her, neither replying nor moving. He lingered there for a long moment before finally giving a faint nod and continuing toward the elevator.
(End of chapter)