The First Vampire - Chapter 567 - Chapter 567: 565 White Oak_1
Chapter 567: 565 White Oak_1
As the cavalry squad proceeded, the disorderly shrubs on both sides of the road were replaced by meticulously trimmed lawns and immaculately arrayed white oak trees, standing like guards with spears.
The large tree crowns blocked the sunlight, leaving only specks of mottled light to embellish the forest path.
A breeze fluttered by, the rustling sound of leaves scraping against each other resembling the whisper of a divine being in human ears.
In the culture of the Empire of Glory, the tall, robust, long-living oak tree was often referred to as “the king of the forest” and was a symbol of power, authority, and status.
As Colin admired the imposing oak trees on both sides of the road, he suddenly heard Queen Midela next to him speak:
“Count Angler, did you know? Oak Manor was established back in the Elven era and came to the royal family after several handovers. When Prince Lexie became a Holy Knight, His Majesty gifted him this manor as his reward.”
“Really? That’s quite a deep and rich history.” Colin casually commented.
Queen Midela continued, “In Oak Manor, there is an ancient white oak that is said to be more than ten thousand years old.”
“More than ten thousand years?!” Colin was genuinely surprised, almost suspecting the queen had gotten her timelines mixed up.
Queen Midela affirmed with a nod and laughed, “Absolutely right. Ten thousand years ago, the Giant Dragons had yet to perish, and High Elves still held Dragon City. Moreover, there was a mysterious and powerful profession among the High Elves back then – the Druid.”
Hearing this, Colin cast a thoughtful glance at Queen Midela.
Queen Midela responded with a meaningful smile and continued, “It is rumored that the ancient white oak, standing tall in the manor for over ten thousand years, is the Sacred Tree of the Druids. During their rituals, this tree serves as the pivotal point, capable of manifesting mysterious and unpredictable power.”
Now, Colin could confirm that Queen Midela had indeed gathered considerable information on the “Winged Knight,” and was probably suspecting a connection between the Winged Knight and Colin himself.
In the eyes of Queen Midela, this Winged Knight might be a Druid secretly trained by the Angler family.
However, even Colin himself wasn’t clear about what his bloodline transformation could be classified as.
Was it inherent to his Blood Clan, or a unique skill of the long-forgotten Druids?
Anyway, people in this world, upon seeing the Winged Knight, always assumed him to be a form of transformation of the Druids, leading Colin to wonder –
Could the Blood Clan genuinely be related to the Druids?
“Is it so magical? Then I must take a closer look later.” Colin replied with a subtle smile, showing no signs of abnormality on his face.
Staring at Colin, who gave nothing away, Queen Midela chose not to probe further.
However, Duke St. Gregorian suddenly spoke up, “It’s said that mistletoe, parasitizing on the white oak, possesses miraculous effects. If a loved one consumes it, their chances of conceiving greatly increase.”
At this, Colin’s mind went blank.
This lady Holy Knight seemed akin to a neighborhood aunt constantly urging Colin and Anna to have children quickly… What exactly was her motive?
Colin, puzzled to no end, decided to feign ignorance to the implications in Duke St. Gregorian’s words.
Queen Midela gave a slight smile and chimed in:
“Duke St. Gregorian is correct. However, there is a specific method for harvesting mistletoe. It can only be harvested during the new moon in mid-year. We are not at that time yet. Should you both require it, I could arrange to gift you a share of the royal family’s harvested mistletoe.”
Colin touched his nose and quickly thanked her.
The person he wished to gift it to, however, was not Anna, but to Vera.
The two had been married for over a year, but they had been apart much more than been together. Vera’s belly hadn’t shown any signs of pregnancy, which made her rather anxious. Therefore, Colin thought it would be a great opportunity to see if the mistletoe from the white oak was indeed so miraculous.
What surprised Colin was that Duke St. Gregorian also accepted the queen’s gift and thanked her heartily with a smile.
But the problem was, this lady Holy Knight didn’t even have a husband…
Caught in his wild thoughts, the party finally reached the gate of the manor.
An elderly butler immediately came to greet everyone, respectfully bowing to them.
Queen Midela dismounted her horse, smiled and asked, “Butler Buso, have His Majesty and the Pope arrived?”
“His Majesty has indeed arrived, but the Pope will arrive tomorrow,” The butler replied respectfully, “You are welcome to rest in the manor. The banquet will begin promptly at six o’clock.”
Queen Midela nodded and followed Butler Buso into the manor.
Colin and others promptly followed suit.
Upon entering the manor, Colin felt as if he’d been transported to another world.
The air instantly became fresh and fragrant, the sunshine became gentle and warm, and the melodious singing of birds filled his ears. Wherever he looked, there was vibrant greenery everywhere.
The source of all this was the gargantuan ancient oak tree that stood in the center of the manor, massive enough to overshadow the sky.
It seemed to be the true ruler of this manor, the guardian deity of this space and time. It imprinted everything within the manor with its own genuine mark – the mark of nature – in an inclusive but dominant manner.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Queen Midela smiled at Colin.
“Indeed impressive!” Colin nodded, “Now I believe that this oak tree truly has a history of ten thousand years.”
Queen Midela chuckled and said, “It is said that when the elves were forced to retreat and leave the Crimson Flame Territory, they once considered moving this sacred tree. However, they were prevented by a divine intervention from the Lord of Glory.”
Colin remained silent, skeptically receiving the tales of the oak tree that Queen Midela started with “it is said”.
After all, if this oak tree was indeed so magical, it wouldn’t have remained virtually unknown over the years. Furthermore, Emperor Reinhardt wouldn’t have gifted this manor to Prince Lexie.
Maybe it was due to the loss of the Druid heritage that humans still don’t understand the true function of the tree and can only use its mistletoe to enhance fertility…
It’s a pity that the sacred tree of the Elf Clan has now ended up in such a state.
Regardless, the tree somehow gave Colin a sense of deja vu, like being reunited with a long-lost old friend…
Moreover, the peculiar atmosphere of the manor made Colin feel exceedingly familiar, even the blood in his body quickened its pace in response.
Could it be that the Blood Clan is indeed related to the Druids?
For a moment, Colin found an intense urge coursing through him, compelling him to approach the white oak tree without any regard, almost as if something he had once lost was close to the tree.
