Three days later, Ai Li finally found the floating tree boat on the vast sea according to the guidance of the green shuttle.
The moment she closed the tree boat, she saw many guards with their long bows pointed at her - this was not surprising, the islanders had long been frightened, fearing that the green shuttle was not carrying compatriots, but fully armed iron knights or hunters. Devil.
When she climbed out of the cabin, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ai Li, where have you been these past few days?" A man ran out of the crowd and pulled her onto the dock in surprise and joy. "I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought you couldn't get over it—"
"Did you throw yourself into the sea? I'm not that stupid... The enemies are all alive and well, how could I commit suicide?" Ai Li said helplessly. This person is none other than Haim Sharman, who has been her companion since childhood. When the World Island was torn apart, he was the one who braved artillery fire and carried himself aboard this tree boat.
The whereabouts of her clan members are still unknown.
"Then where have you been? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Actually, I went to the Western Continent." Speaking of this, Ai Li raised a smile, "If I tell you, you will definitely insist on going together. If there is any accident along the way, wouldn't it be between the two of us? Are all of them going to be unlucky?"
"The Western Continent..." Heim pondered for a moment, "Is it the place mentioned in the book you forced me to read before?"
"Haha, do you still remember?"
"How could I forget? When I said I didn't want to read, you were about to whip me with a cane. What was the result...?"
"It's a little different from what's described in the book, but the harvest is pretty good!" Ai Li said excitedly, "It's really completely different from the empire across the sea, and it's not affected by the Pope. The local lord is a princess, Not only did she take me in, she also agreed to my request to dock! Compared to the Imperials, they really like to negotiate deals, and because of their broad background, they are not so aggressive in their actions. The description in the book is correct! "
"In other words, we can get a chance to supply?"
"That's right!" Ai Li grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously, "Where is the high priest? I want to tell the news to the priest!"
…
"Are you Airi Moonlight Polo?"
High on the tree stand, the high priest's voice was as sweet as a clear spring. "I have heard about the Polo clan, but please don't be too sad. We are not the only ones who successfully escaped from the tree boat. Maybe your clan members will survive in other tree boats."
"Thank you for your comfort. I have always believed so." Ai Li raised her head and looked squarely at High Priest Senia.
The islanders do not have a king who is passed down from generation to generation. Their lives revolve around tree spirits. The nurturing and guardian of each tree spirit is the elder. As the World Island continues to expand, there are more and more elders. In order to coordinate the relationship between the families, the islanders will elect nine high priests from among the elders to form a joint parliament to discuss all matters of the World Island.
The elegant and noble woman in front of her was both the elder of Noah's tree boat and one of the nine high priests.
"I heard that you just came back from the Western Continent and brought us good news. Is this really the case?"
"It's absolutely true." Ai Li had been waiting for this moment. She took a deep breath and fully recounted what she had seen in Jinxia City. "At least there, I saw no trace of the enemy."
"Thanks to Mother Earth, there is finally a pure land that the empire has not yet touched." Senia crossed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes for a moment, "Since there is an opportunity for trade, let Noah change his route to the Western Continent. "
"Master Priest, a place without the imperial flag may not be a pure land." A middle-aged man wearing a white robe and a tree-shaped hat said, stroking his chest, "You also heard that Miss Ai Li was treated as a The arrest of aliens proves that the people of the Western Continent still do not welcome any non-human race. What I am worried about is that if they reach an agreement with the enemy, our situation will be very dangerous."
Ai Li knew this man. He was the patriarch of the Shaman family, Pang Ting Yongge Shaman, who was very famous on Noah's tree boat.
"Your Excellency Xia Fan explained this to me..."
"Wait a minute, who is Mr. Xia Fan?" Senia asked.
"According to my observation, he should be the chief executive officer of the princess." Ai Li answered according to her own understanding - after all, the lord has a person who has such an overview of the overall situation. "He said that the hostility among the people was caused by a wrong propaganda. They have already begun to reverse this situation. In any case, this will not affect the attitude and decision-making of the upper management."
"The beginning of a change means that it has not changed yet." Pang Ting added, "What's more, if a lord's attitude is not expressed, the same is true for other lords. What if the surrounding lords do not agree with her views and impose sanctions on them because of our affairs? Damn, how long can she hold on even if she is a princess?"
Ai Li was about to retort, but was stopped by the high priest's hand.
"Your concern is not unreasonable." Senia said in a calm tone, "Aili, when you landed, did you notice how many ships were docked on their shore? How many of these ships were warships? ?”
"This..." Ai Li thought about it carefully, "Master Priest, it seems that their dock is empty, and no large ships have docked. As for the floating things on the coast, they are all green. A fishing boat the size of a shuttle.”
"Then if we dock offshore and conduct transactions through the Green Shuttle, do you still think there is danger?" Senia looked at Chief Shaman, "Not every lord has the ability to threaten the tree boat, not to mention that we do We need a lot of supplies. We are all exhausted after running for so many days. If we continue to restrict food rations and do not need external enemies to pursue us, we will collapse. If you doubt Ai Li's statement, we can send out a reconnaissance team first. Team, confirm the situation in the offshore before taking action."
"You are right." Pang Ting said calmly, "It was indeed my fault."
"Then without further ado..."
"Master Priest, I still have something to say!" Aili gritted her teeth, knowing that if she didn't say it now, it would be difficult to speak again later. "I think Shuzhou should encourage everyone to go out, see the outside world, and learn their language and technology, instead of living around tree spirits forever! This discussion may be an opportunity to change the current situation of the islanders!"
Before she could finish speaking, the patriarch shouted, "This is never feasible!"
This time it was not just him, the other spectators also showed worried and solemn expressions.
"Why?" Ai Li didn't want to give up.
"Do you know why the enemies across the sea have always wanted to destroy the World Island?" The patriarch's tone contained sadness, "Even if they start one war after another, they are not willing to hesitate? Is it because we have tried to go Been out!”
Ai Li was shocked, "What do you mean?"
"The root lies in our bloodline." Pang Ting shook his head, "Little girl, you have no idea what the bloodline of the islanders means. Anyone who combines with the islanders of the world will give birth to the descendants of the islanders. This has a great impact on the empire and the It is an extremely scary thing for the Pope. Once integration is released, the proportion of islanders will become higher and higher until there are no ordinary people left! It is precisely because they are aware of this that they have this It’s a long-lasting war—they don’t accept surrender, they just want to turn all the people on the World Island into slaves or kill them all!”
Ai Li opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.
She had never thought that there was such a reason behind the war.
"So it's not that we close ourselves off, it's that no one wants us to go out. The rulers of the Western Continent have not yet had a similar awareness, and may not take us seriously yet. But when they discover a problem, their treatment of us will never be the same. How much better than the Empire!" Pang Ting sighed, "Living under the protection of the tree spirit is the only way to protect us."