14 Purification and Change

Their minds were tense and their bodies were exhausted. This was the current state of everyone present.

Standing or sitting without moving for several hours in a pitch-black environment and constantly having to worry about accidents happening.

Anyone would feel drained from that.

Moreover, there were many old people among them.

However, this state was somewhat alleviated when a strange flower fragrance drifted over.

The moment Anderson smelled the floral fragrance, he could feel his tense emotions become calm for some unknown reason.

Even the soreness and numbness in his waist and legs which he got from standing for the past few hours had disappeared.

When he looked at the giant oak tree again, Anderson was no longer as nervous as before. The only thing he felt was comfort and joy.

It was an indescribable feeling, but it made Anderson experience a peace he had never experienced before.

Unknowingly, Anderson took out his phone and pointed the camera at the distant oak tree.

Due to the distance and the limitations of the naked eye, he made use of the camera on his phone to zoom in on the oak tree so that he could better see the changes happening on it.

On the screen of his phone, Anderson saw an ocher colored flower bud.

The small flower bud grew to the size of a washbasin. Then, it slowly unfurled its crystal clear petals.

The petals glowed slightly, giving them a wispy cloud look.

In the flower bud, there were many finely woven flower stamens.

The stamen swayed, and small particles of light fluttered out.

The fluorescent light from the stamen scattered to the sky, slowly becoming invisible as if they had dissipated.

However, Anderson knew that the special pollen didn't dissipate. Instead, it scattered throughout the rainforest in a state not visible to the eye.

And that was the source of the calming and peculiar fragrance he smelled.

Upon closer inspection, the huge oak tree had a total of six thick branches. These branches were separated but were also centered around the main trunk.

The dense foliage formed together like a green canopy.

The newly bloomed peculiar oak flowers were all over the dense foliage of the entire tree crown.

Under the evening sun which was not as harsh, these oak flowers continued to sway, its reflection like rippling lusters on water.

Jewel Flower.

That was the first name which Anderson could think of to describe these special oak flowers.

...

The entire transformation of the oak tree lasted less than three minutes, but in these three minutes, everyone witnessed what was called a miracle.

Whiffing the special fragrance that spread throughout the rainforest, no one could have any stray thoughts.

The frustration from work, the nervousness from seeing the drastic changes of the oak tree, the negative ideas about the follow-up, all of these vanished at this moment.

At this moment, any doubt that they had about the oak tree being a product of contamination by the Purple moon had vanished.

Because all this seemed too divine and calming.

"Perhaps we really misjudged the value and position of this sacred tree. 'It' shouldn't be disturbed."

"This is just a sacred piece of land and it shall only be that."

Mallory muttered as he gazed at all the jewel flowers adorning the distant oak tree.

"No, 'it' should be made known to more people and be praised by the world. 'Its' appearance will change everything." Reid, who had always been firm about his lack of beliefs, said what a devout believer would say in the calmest tone ever.

This did not mean that Reid's entire thinking has been restructured or altered.

It was because of the feats of the oak tree which he had seen today. Coupled with the floral fragrance which appealed to his mind and body, he could no longer feel the wariness and resistance he had towards the oak tree.

Facing the unknown and the miracle he witnessed with his own eyes, the purification of his body and mind has allowed him to feel a sense of reverence for the mystery.

"Yeah, but those politicians won't think that way." Someone sighed, feeling complicated.

At this moment, a butterfly flew out of the rainforest.

One, two, three…

Soon, a large number of butterflies appear one after another, flying towards the oak tree.

Not just butterflies. There were also hummingbirds, as well as birds that didn't eat pollen or nectar.

Looking at the bustling scene in the sky, Vanni Campbell revealed an expression of heartfelt joy that she hadn't shown for many years.

"Precisely because of that, I feel that we should ally and work together so that we can protect 'it'."

"Although 'it' might not need our protection because of 'its' mighty power, we can do what we feel we should do."

The troubles of reality had long disappeared from everyone's hearts. Their bodies and minds were all elevated by this unprecedented purification.

Money, status, and everything else didn't seem important anymore.

Here, the oak tree was like the divine being on the ground, and they were devout believers who had entered the divine kingdom.

It was a feeling that came from the bottom of their hearts and souls.

Those who had not been purified by the floral fragrance would not be able to understand what they were feeling right now.

The feeling of smelling the sweet air; the feeling of being relaxed and happy; as well as the feeling of all pain and exhaustion disappearing; was so comfortable.

"Indeed."

"However, now that we are here, there is something else we have to do. We need to carefully admire it and pay our respects." Someone smiled at the oak tree and suggested.

"It's hard to disagree."

"We should do that."

"…"

"Then Iet us trouble Mr. Simon to lead the way?"

Reid looked at Simon and spoke with a smile full of respect - respect which he didn't have for him before.

Simon was stunned.

Although his emotions were also unprecedentedly peaceful and sincere, seeing everyone change was still a little shocking.

But everything was going well, and Simon was certainly glad to see it.

With the help of these people, their tribe would at least not be fighting alone.

And to protect the sacred tree, he needed to rely on these outsiders with status and high positions.

However, now that he thought about it, even without the help of these people, Simon was confident that he would be able to protect his tribe's sacred tree.

The fragrance of the sacred tree's flowers cleansed one's heart, making people feel a sense of peace and elevation. This type of purification was almost impossible to forget.

The sacred tree was knowing, it knew about those who harbored ill intentions. With the mighty power displayed by the sacred tree, Simon felt that he really had no need to worry too much.

With the pessimism gone, Simon was naturally in a good mood.

Looking at Reid and the group of outsiders whose attitudes had changed drastically, he immediately smiled.

"It's truly moving that everyone is so enthusiastic."

"In that case, please follow me into the sacred land."

Without any fanaticism of a devout follower, Simon smiled and instructed the armed men in the tribe to help carry the items.

Following that, the group of people walked towards the dense and somewhat eerie forest path.