# Chapter 31: Borrowing Authority 6200
At the edge of the Watcher Tribe, within the underground cave where the exploration team was stationed.
The spellcaster sat before a simple piece of equipment that still exuded an aura of high-end sophistication, staring seriously and intently at the screen before him.
"Penetrating the surface of the Mother Tree of Life, sap extraction complete... This Mother Tree of Life is developing well, with sap reserve energy levels 34 units above average."
"Corresponding to the type of Mother Tree of Life provided by the Far South elves, confirmed to be the most common 'Third-Type Nurturing Mother Tree' from the Era of Radiance. It can basically be determined that this group of elves are indeed remnants from the Era of Radiance."
As he spoke, the spellcaster couldn't help but laugh: "Good heavens, this mother tree is quite robust. Ordinary mother trees need a water-rich environment to grow properly, yet it's managed to grow this large on the saline-alkali land by the sea."
"Never mind that, hurry up and look at the follow-up analysis." The alchemist, who had at least some half-elf blood at birth, urged: "Check the status of the Chaos contamination—that's the real business."
The Mother Tree of Life could absorb all energy within a radius of several to dozens of kilometers, accumulating impurities within its collective body and gradually expelling them through its bark. Ancient elves had once transplanted mother trees onto mines, burning the bark and metal-rich leaves to obtain metal. This was also why elves, who almost never mined, could acquire metal and become an iron-based civilization.
For this very reason, if a place had Chaos contamination, the mother tree would be the first to suffer erosion.
The Elite Squad members all knew very well that the so-called 'Otherworldly Sickness' was simply another term for Chaos contamination. This proved that besides the nine moons in the sky containing Chaos power, this land should also be polluted. Checking the mother tree's contamination level was the fastest way to determine the extent of pollution in this land.
But just as the clergy and knight were growing bored watching from the side and had even started playing rock-paper-scissors, suddenly, the spellcaster exclaimed: "Impossible!"
"Chaos contamination concentration... 75?!"
The spellcaster's eyes widened to their maximum, afraid he might misread even a single digit. But after checking back and forth several times, he had to admit that the number was indeed seventy-five percent, not seven-point-five percent. Yet precisely because of this, he found it increasingly hard to accept: "This is already... several thousand, ten thousand times the danger threshold?!"
Chaos power was extremely difficult to completely eliminate. Even in today's Mycroft Continent and Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, traces of Chaos power still permeated the deepest parts of the earth. But that level of Chaos could no longer affect the daily lives of intelligent beings. Using the Chaos power level of the Mycroft World as the standard threshold, then the Chaos power within the Mother Tree of Life was eleven thousand times normal!
What did this concept mean? Throw a mouse into such an environment, and within a few hours, you'd see a rat-troll freshly baked.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, not only the alchemist but even the clergy and knight jumped up. The four of them looked together at the screen. The numbers and terminology were extremely complex, but even the knight with the lowest literacy could understand that every line and every gap between the words was filled with 'Danger'!
"What kind of Mother Tree of Life is this! This is basically a Chaos bed! But why can't we sense any Chaos mana at all?"
The clergy bent down directly and grabbed a handful of soil from the ground. He closed his eyes and concentrated, sensing the various trace energies contained in the soil. After a long moment, he frowned deeply: "There's no sign of Chaos at all... This place is cleaner than the Mycroft Continent!"
The others each used their own methods to test their living environment and found that this was indeed the case. This otherworld was as lush and green as it appeared on the surface, with a good and clean environment. Apart from the nine moons in the sky, there was nothing dangerous about it.
"Could it be... that the Chaos within the elves has been transmitted into the mother tree?" the knight speculated: "After all, based on the information the captain received, these elves all have varying degrees of Chaos contamination within them."
But the alchemist shook his head and explained: "No, that's the one thing that's impossible. Setting aside the massive scale of the mother tree, the Chaos mana that could kill tens of thousands of elves would at most infect one of its branches. When the mother tree was created, it inherently possessed an extremely strict self-protection system that would rigorously screen energy in and out. After all, if any random elf could infect the mother tree with Chaos power, wouldn't that mean if a traitor desperately poured in Chaos poison, they could easily wipe out a large group of elves?"
That was naturally impossible. So the alchemist frowned deeply and cautiously deduced: "Rather than the elves reversely infecting the mother tree, I think it's the opposite—the elves connected to the mother tree through their spirits are being infected by the mother tree with Chaos... This necessarily requires an exceptionally large infection source, and that infection source is not on the surface."
Saying this, the alchemist narrowed his eyes and looked at the ground. He said softly: "...It must be underground."
The other three thought it over carefully and immediately understood.
The mother tree's roots were vast and extended extremely deep. Just one mother tree could stabilize the soil and water within a radius of several kilometers. Its roots could directly penetrate underground water sources and mineral veins thousands or tens of thousands of meters deep, even directly drawing on the mana of magma to grow. This was the Heavenly Origin Divine Tree, a substitute created by the God of Nature, the Father of Nature, for his own people—one of the most powerful supernatural plants in the world.
Since the source infecting this supernatural plant was not on the surface, then underground, there must be an infection source that had contacted the mother tree's roots and gradually eroded it!
"Whether it's a Chaos monster or the corpse of an Evil God's minion..." The clergy gripped the crystal ball in his hand. It could be seen that silver-gray holy light flickered unsteadily within the crystal ball. He was already beginning to be unable to suppress his desire to purify: "This is a legacy from the Era of Radiance. It must be the corpses of those Chaos monsters from the final great war of the last era!"
Including the spellcaster, the other three nodded slightly, evidently also accepting this speculation. After all, it was reasonable and logical.
Only the knight muttered: "But it's strange too. Chaos power that can still erode the mother tree after death—how big must that Chaos monster's corpse be? A mountain certainly wouldn't be enough. Could it be..."
No one paid him any attention this time.
Because Priest's footsteps had already appeared at the entrance of the cave.
"Captain!"
Everyone stood up together and turned to look at the cave entrance. The alchemist originally wanted to go out to greet him but suddenly stopped: "Wait, this sound..."
How could there be footsteps of a second person?
Soon, as the footsteps drew near, Priest and Su Er's figures appeared before the four of them, entering the cave.
Priest didn't wait for his teammates to tease him with remarks like 'bringing an outsider back, guess she won't be an outsider anymore' or similar words. His expression was serious as he lowered his voice and said: "Prepare yourselves. We're leaving immediately for the Aklafa Hub."
"...Why so sudden?"
The spellcaster was just about to hand Priest the Chaos contamination report he had just obtained, but he hadn't expected their captain to be so decisive: "And..." He turned and looked somewhat hesitantly at Su Er behind Priest, who was curiously looking around.
"She? A guide. The mountain paths are complicated. We'll move by night and leave early. We need a local to lead the way."
Priest knew his teammates' doubts, but at this moment, for some reason, his thoughts were clear and his inspiration was leaping. It was hard to explain the series of methods he had just suddenly thought of. However, after Priest took the spellcaster's Chaos report, his pupils also contracted: "75? This serious? But this also proves that my idea is correct. We must leave here as soon as possible and go to the Aklafa Hub."
"Wait, Captain. You must have your reasons for doing this, but shouldn't we wait a bit and let these elves send over their historical records?"
The clergy didn't know why their captain was in such a hurry, but he had already packed his luggage and started preparing to put on the mana armor that had finally finished charging over the past few days. Evidently, he too had long been unable to endure staying in this small cave.
"Their historical records are a pile of scrap paper. What's there to collect from the history of a tribe that hasn't had any desire to progress for one or two thousand years, or even several years? Moreover, based on my observations, it's almost time for these elves to perform their rituals to eliminate Chaos contamination within the tribe. The Chaos concentration you mentioned in the mother tree's body further proves my judgment."
At this point, Priest said something to Su Er, then began putting on his own set of mana armor. The young warrior's voice became muffled after putting on his helmet: "Moreover, I've thought of a good method that might be able to bypass the Aklafa Hub's authority verification. We might be able to directly obtain this ancient relic's database—why bother caring about a group of elves!"
"Alright, you're the captain after all."
Since things had come to this point, the others shrugged indifferently. They didn't have any urgent missions to complete anyway. Since Priest confidently claimed he had a way to bypass the authority, they might as well trust him. The relationship between their five-person squad didn't need further elaboration.
So soon, a few minutes later, the five of them, having packed all their equipment and supplies, were all wearing mana armor and walking out one by one from the cave tunnel. Su Er, sitting on the shoulder of Priest's armor, let out a low exclamation and said happily in a deliberately lowered voice: "Oh my, sitting here is a bit cool, but this feeling isn't bad unexpectedly!"
"It's not bad now. When the speed picks up later, don't complain about the bumpiness." Priest laughed softly, then turned to look at his teammates and said in a low voice: "Let's move!"
The next instant, five black shadows disappeared into the deep darkness of the forest.
"Chief, should we let them go?"
Not far away in the forest, the deer-antlered elf gazed at this scene. By his side, two full squads of elven archers were ready and waiting. One of the leading archers asked in a low voice.
"Letting them go is fine too... Elves who can't integrate with us and humans who refuse to integrate with us—perhaps they are the same kind of people."
The deer-antlered elf lowered his head, looked at the Otherworldly Sickness marks on his arm, and smiled indifferently: "Su Er cannot share the Otherworldly Sickness with us, nor can she transfer the Otherworldly Sickness to me... Precisely because of this, if she dies outside, she won't infect her companions... Let her go. She is alone, so she is free."
"Begin preparing to plan the ritual ceremony. The anomaly at the Holy Mountain a few days ago might have been precisely to remind us of this."
Meanwhile, in the forest.
"Left, go around that gorge, then turn right onto the mountain path. We'll take the small road and move faster... Oh my, you're really fast, much faster than me!"
Priest was running at the front, and on his shoulder, Su Er held onto his helmet with one hand while cheerfully giving directions: "Over there, over there. The other side is a gathering place for a group of demon bears. Although you're not afraid of them, it would be a waste of time."
If they hadn't lost their flying vehicle, the speed would definitely be faster. Priest couldn't help but think of their specially modified flying vehicle and felt a bit emotional.
Now, knowing the true nature of the Aklafa Hub, it was easy to guess why their flying vehicle had crashed back then. Without a doubt, the top of important facilities like a Space-Time Hub was a no-fly zone. Flying over it so casually without being burned to ashes by a death ray was already lucky. Merely having their energy drained and crashing was truly a stroke of luck.
So this time, they were honestly traveling by land. Priest also planned to test whether the method he had thought of would work.
"I hope what the teacher said is all true... Please don't let it be just a casual remark!"
He thought silently to himself.
Along the way, the five members of the Elite Squad were silent. Only Su Er's voice giving directions could be heard. Taking shortcuts through various mountain paths, they soon arrived at the foot of what was once the ritual Holy Mountain, now the location of the Aklafa Hub.
If the former ritual Holy Mountain was a real mountain peak, then the Space-Time Hub, stripped of its rocky shell, was a massive building comparable to a mountain.
The latter was even more awe-inspiring than the former.
Even when viewed from a distance, the full appearance of the Aklafa Space-Time Hub could be clearly seen. It was a rounded silver metal building dominated by three inverted arch roofs. It stood about two thousand meters high, with a large amount of structure buried beneath the mountain rocks. The entire building stood amidst the mountains, like a Titan giant supporting the sky.
A gentle silver energy light curtain enveloped it, and a holy aura could be clearly sensed emanating from within.
"It's really big."
Priest sighed.
Bigger than the royal court of the Star Shepherd.
Bigger than real mountain ranges.
But even such a massive building, cast entirely from mithril alloy, had existed not just one but many in that past era, scattered throughout the myriad worlds.
The power of the Radiant Civilization was awe-inspiring and breathtaking.
However, Priest and his team hadn't come today to admire the achievements of the ancients or to marvel at the size of what lay before them.
Soon, relying on the powerful mobility of their mana armor, they arrived once again at the mountain foot, before a layer of translucent, nearly invisible energy ripples.
"It's about here."
Priest stopped. He put Su Er down from his shoulder, then approached this layer of ripples and said in a low voice: "Last time, this thing scanned us and then threw us tens of thousands of meters away. We didn't understand back then, but now it seems it's some kind of energy field."
"As long as you enter this range, you'll be scanned by the Aklafa Hub. With our Gold-rank authority, there's no way to enter."
Beside him, the spellcaster took off his helmet and shook his hair. He stared at this layer of ripples and said: "Captain, you said you have a way to fool the Aklafa Hub. I don't doubt that... But now, isn't it time to tell us your plan?"
Upon hearing this, the other three members of the squad also turned their heads together, looking at Priest with curiosity.
The five of them had personally experienced the power of those invisible ripples. According to the clergy's estimation, it might be some kind of high-level application of holy light, or even Order Force—a great spell used to detect Chaos concentration and individual strength. Without Ultimate-rank power, there was no way to resist it.
And if one had Ultimate-rank power, why would they need to resist? The Hub would naturally let them in.
Beside them, Su Er, who couldn't understand what these people were saying, chimed in: "That's right, tell us!"
"It's actually very simple. We just didn't think of it... Knight, you have the Restorative Pillar with you, right? Give it to me!"
"Huh? Oh!!!!"
The five members of the Elite Squad were all of high intelligence. Even the knight, who was often mocked, actually scored an average of over 140 out of 150 on exams. What they couldn't think of was mostly due to mental blind spots preventing them from reaching the answer.
But if someone now pierced through this layer of paper, everyone would instantly understand.
"Amazing, Captain!"
The knight handed Priest the prototype of the Restorative Pillar—a silver metal cylinder—while sincerely sighing: "As expected of that esteemed one's disciple... No, precisely because you are that esteemed one's disciple, you could think of it!"
The clergy and spellcaster beside him also nodded repeatedly: "Indeed... After confirming that this thing couldn't connect to the Mycroft World, we overlooked it. I never thought it would have such a use now."
"The captain is awesome!"
Priest didn't pay attention to his teammates' flattery. He just took the Restorative Pillar with a serious expression, recited the incantation, and activated it.
Only then did he say in a low voice: "Don't rush to flatter me yet. It hasn't been confirmed whether it will work. Wait until we succeed before cheering."
Even so, Priest was ninety-nine percent confident in this action.
The essence of the Restorative Pillar was actually a mass of automatically operating Steel Force split off by Joshua. In other words, from a certain perspective, the Restorative Pillar was a small incarnation of the legendary expert, Count Radcliffe.
Last time in World One, it was precisely by relying on this incarnation that Joshua could descend across boundaries and block the black mist that was about to annihilate the Elite Squad... Many people might have regarded it as a kind of summoning beacon item, thinking that since it couldn't connect to the Mycroft World, the Restorative Pillar was useless except for repairs. But Priest was different.
He knew the essence of the Restorative Pillar and had also thought of how to use this essence to achieve his goal.
That was 'borrowing authority'.
Soon, three minutes passed. Su Er poked the Restorative Pillar, which was continuously growing and expanding, while sighing 'so soft' and 'so elastic'. The Elite Squad members watched as the Restorative Pillar gradually transformed into a cylinder over three meters high and two meters in diameter.
"It's about time."
Confirming that the Restorative Pillar had fully expanded into what appeared to be a pillar of light but was actually a concentrated mass of Steel Force—a restoration pool—Priest unhesitatingly removed himself from his mana armor and stepped into it.
He felt his body being enveloped by a warm force, like deep sea water. The invisible force rapidly repaired the various hidden injuries inside his body.
It was too comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring... No, a hundred times more comfortable than soaking in a hot spring.
Priest couldn't help but sigh. This feeling of repairing internal injuries was far more pleasurable than any form of entertainment. This kind of perfection and enhancement at the very essence of life was probably even greater than the pleasure of taking magical potions. If not for his strong will, he might have become addicted to this feeling of repair.
Thinking this, he controlled his body, making the Restorative Pillar move forward one step along with his movement.
Boom!
An extremely heavy sound rang out, even crushing some of the rocks beneath the Restorative Pillar.
But Priest, covered by the Restorative Pillar, slowly, step by step, approached that layer of invisible ripples of the Aklafa Hub.
Both Su Er and the Elite Squad members held their breath, watching this scene.
Priest unhesitatingly volunteered to be the first to try. They didn't stop him, not because they weren't afraid of death. The Aklafa Hub wouldn't kill people anyway—at most, it would throw them tens of thousands of meters away. It wasn't a big deal.
The reason everyone tacitly agreed to let Priest, as the captain, try first was most importantly because he was Count Radcliffe's student. He was more adapted than others to moving under the cover of dense Steel Force.
If it weren't the Elite Squad but ordinary people approaching the Restorative Pillar, forget about feeling comfortable—the moment they entered the Restorative Pillar, they would fall unconscious from the extremely terrifying pressure, completing various repairs while unconscious. Naturally, they wouldn't be able to move with the Restorative Pillar... Even the other members of the Elite Squad, who often met that esteemed one, couldn't be sure if they could move normally within the Restorative Pillar.
But regardless, Priest succeeded.
He was about to touch the ripples of the Aklafa Hub.
The silver pillar of light touched the invisible energy flow.
Instantly, a formless voice of the heart resounded in everyone's minds.
"Detected target as 'Non-standard Super Lifeform Incarnation'... Energy main body is 'Steel Force', judged as 'Earth Goddess' 'Mountain Titan' 'Mountain God' partial incarnation, judged as 'Steel Force' specialization."
"Confirmed. Target is not a Chaos entity. Removing 'Hostile Identification', adding 'Welcome Identification'. Granting 'Sixth-Level Heavenly Mandate Authority', terminating detection procedure, initiating 'Welcome Procedure'."
"Welcome, esteemed legendary. The Aklafa Space-Time Hub welcomes your arrival. Please proceed to the entrance. Automatic service procedures are ready."