Death... and me

Celis underestimated just how rare his own race was. Even within the Demon Plants Kingdom, World Swallowing Cedars are pretty much nonexistent. The reason for that was explained by none other than Flinyu, who received Rean's message and decided to directly call him back.

'World Swallowing Cedar? Why do you need a World Swallowing Cedar?' Flinyu asked with a tone of doubt.

Rean quickly replied, too. 'We are working on something related to the laws these Cedars use during the Space-Time and Divinity Realms. However, there is just too little information about it, so I just wanted to see if you knew a real one. I'm willing to pay a good price to talk to them as long as they are in the Space-Time Realm Middle Stage or higher.'

Flinyu shook his head. 'You expect too much from me. It's not because I'm in the Divinity Realm that I know everyone. In fact, you truly asked for a kind of a fairy tale. Normal World Swallowing Cedars don't exist in the real world. They are different from normal Demon Plants who awakened their sentiences.'

'Different?' Rean looked at Celis, who shook his head back. Celis never looked for anyone of his race while in the Realm of Gods, so he also doesn't have any information about them. All he knew was that his rare was truly very rare, even rarer than Kentucky's Minokawa Race.

The only reason why Celis knew he was a Divine Demon Plant back on Zasfin Planet was because Divine Demons can feel each other's auras, which are different from normal Demons, be they plants or beasts. For example, Kentucky can always tell with a single glance whether a Demon Beast in front of him is a Divine Demon Beast or not. The information Celis knew about being able to accept Kentucky's nest was because of the Parasol Tree, which was another Divine Demon Plant, and not because of his race. Back in the Zasfin Planet, he was the only World Swallowing Cedar he had ever seen, too.

'Would you mind explaining, senior Flinyu?' Rean could only ask further.

Flinyu didn't mind, as he was supposed to help the twins anyway. 'It's not any secret. It's just that it is so rare that little is known. First, I investigated a little about you and saw that you were looking for a Lahamina Earth Tree Core, right? So, to start, do you know where the Lahamina Earth Tree Demon Plants come from?'

Rean wasn't surprised to hear Flinyu investigated him. He would have done the same, so he just continued and nodded. 'Of course, from Lahamina Earth Trees that awaken their sentiences and form a core. That's basically how all Demon Plants can gain sentience even though it is quite up to chance.'

'That's correct,' Flinyu confirmed. 'Lahamina Earth Trees have a small chance of developing a core and gaining sentience, becoming a Demon Plant. The same goes for all other plants. Any grass you see around you might one day gain sentience and a core. Of course, the longer a plant's lifespan is, the higher the chance. That's why most Demon Plants are trees, and they are trees that usually would already live a few thousand years as a normal tree.'

'The point is, Demon Plants are usually the awakened form of their previous selves. Lahamina Earth Trees become Lahamina Earth Tree Demon Plants, and so on and so forth. However... there is no such thing as normal World Swallowing Cedars in this Universe.'

'What?!' Rean was taken aback, let alone Celis on his side, who was hearing everything. That was something he didn't know at all. 'But... then how do World Swallowing Cedars come to life?'

Flinyu continued. 'World Swallowing Cedars are mutations of another race called River Gorging Cedars. The mutation happens during the awakening process and needs some pretty ridiculous circumstances to happen. You can find quite a few River Swallowing Cedar Demon Plants since this is a very common and quite last living tree. Yet, World Swallowing Cedars... These are truly fairy tales indeed.'

Rean took a deep breath. 'Even if River Gorging Cedars are quite common within the Demon Plants Kingdom, that's only when you take all Demon Plants into consideration. Demon Plants themselves are very rare. If World Swallowing Cedars are mutations that happen during the awakening of an already rare Demon Plant, then I can't even imagine how few exist out there.'

'Exactly,' Flinyu agreed with Rean. 'Now you want to find one, and one at least in the Space-Time Realm Middle Stage. Since you asked for a World Swallowing Cedar, you know what their main ability is, right?'

'Yes,' Rean obviously knew. 'Their ridiculous capability to absorb energy.'

'Indeed,' Flinyu continued. 'They are so good at it that they end up consuming all life around them. That is another hurdle for this mutated race. They can spread their roots for tens of thousands of kilometers while just in the Transition Realm.'

Rean sighed as he remembered how his group first met Celis. He was imprisoned by the Zasfin and truly had his roots spread all over the Zasfins' Planet. The reason the planet was going through an ice age was mostly due to Celis's actions, although the Zasfin Race contributed a lot, too. That said, he knew Flinyu wasn't exaggerating in his words at all.

'Because of that, you can already imagine what happens when they end up appearing near someplace with higher-level experts. They are swiftly eliminated. When young, they can't even leave their location, just like normal trees. Yet, their effects are apparent. It is very close to the Aberrant Devil Flowers you were also looking for. The difference is that Aberrant Devil Flowers can reproduce at a ridiculously fast pace for a Demon Plant. If left alone, the damage they can cause far surpasses any World Swallowing Cedar.'

'Anyway,' Flinyu decided to conclude. 'I'm not sure how many are out there nowadays, but I can guarantee that there isn't a single one in the Divinity Realm. You can only try your luck with Spac-Time Realm ones. I don't know where to find them, but I know they at least exist. However, I know someone who probably can get you in contact with other World Swallowing Cedars.'

'Who?' Rean asked. Even if the chances were low, it was worth a try.

'Lahalan, a Lahamina Earth Tree Demon Plant in the Divinity Realm,' Flinyu quickly told the name.

Rean and the others bitterly smiled. That was exactly the same Demon Tree that hunted Rean for the core not long ago...