Five Frozen Centuries - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Free Ride
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Just like how there were 26 letters in the alphabet and how the mandarin language was composed of various radicals, the language of these Tree-Men was made of pollen from different colored flowers.
The Tree-Men focused their attention on Wei Huo after he waved the red flower. Soon after that, the Tree-Men began communicating between themselves. They were nowhere as violent as Wei Huo was. The intensity of the pollen spread was not as strong. It was as if they were speaking softly with each other.
Wei Huo’s vigorous waving of the flower was as good as shouting. It was no wonder that he attracted the attention of all Tree-Men.
The Tree-Men started communicating with each other. It was as if they were contemplating what to do with Wei Huo and his beasts. Moments later, the Tree-Men stopped communicating after a breeze blew over them.
It was just like how people wouldn’t be able to hear clearly in a noisy surrounding. If there was a breeze, the affected spread of the pollen would affect the efficiency of communication amongst the Tree-Men. That was why they would stop talking among themselves amidst the wind.
Wei Huo did not know what those Tree-Men were talking about. Fortunately, that Tree-Man put his beasts down after some time. 2
Both beasts were shaking and none of them dared to escape while being surrounded by Tree-Men.
It seemed as if there was a leader among the Tree-Men. It approached Wei Huo and pointed in the direction of the north.
Wei Huo understood that those Tree-Men were planning to migrate southwards as well. They had the same goal as Wei Huo.
The pollen of the Tree-Men was floating everywhere and Wei Huo could not help but sneeze. The Tree-Men looked over at him out of curiosity. It was obvious that they recognized both the panda and the tiger, but had no memories of humans.
Wei Huo was the only human on Earth who could move around freely.
After talking to each other among themselves, the Tree-Men decided to walk with Wei Huo and his giant beasts. The group of Tree-Men then went back to their pits after coming to a decision. Some of the Tree-Men who had no pits began digging their own. 2
They had a peculiar method of digging. They would first extend their tough roots, and upon touching the ground, their roots drilled straight into it until their legs were completely buried in the soil.
It did not matter if they were Tree-Men or merely trees. They needed nutrients from the ground.
Both beasts were a little confused. They did not know if they should escape or stay, but Wei Huo made it clear that he was staying.
As a citizen of Z Country who was nurtured by its culture and traditions, of course, he understood the value of being one with nature and living in harmony with it. 7
That was not the whole truth. At the end of the day, it was because Wei Huo was afraid of loneliness! 4
He had initially decided to bring both beasts along with him and later chose to join the group of Tree-Men, all because he was afraid of loneliness.
As the only human on Earth who did not experience the time halt, he had been feeling lonely all the while.
He no longer had parents nagging him. He no longer had friends and classmates complaining about things and teasing dogs together. The worst part was the online novels he was reading no longer had any updates! If it was not for the sliver of hope that someday time would eventually resume for humans, Wei Huo would have lost it by now. 10
‘When will this time halt ever end?’
There were always a few days in a month where he did not feel like training his Qi or exercising. It was just like how some authors would not feel like updating their novels for a few days in a month, and how girls had a few days in a month that… No, that was not the same. 2
Wei Huo basically thought about his life and future that way every month. Nonetheless, he always chose to persevere and move forward. Setbacks and hardships could only be overcome bit by bit, persistence was the key to victory!
As he remained deep in thought, the night had passed and the sky was lit up!
The Tree-Men opened their eyes and used their thick palms to push themselves out of the ground. Soon after that, they shook their bodies under the glimmer of morning light. Leaves and petals fell along with the wind, and Wei Huo could not help himself but sneeze.
“Are you… saying ‘Good Morning’ in unison?”
Just like humans wishing each other ‘Good Morning’ when they see each other, those Tree-Men seemed like they were doing just the same. Greeting each other after waking up before embarking on a new journey! 1
Wei Huo and his beasts went on with their journey again. The difference was now they had a huge group with them. That was right, the ‘huge’ in a huge group was meant to describe the size of the Tree-Men. 1
The Tree-Men did not move quickly because of their size as a single step for them was equivalent to a few steps of other animals. That was why whenever they took a step, Wei Huo and his beasts had to catch up with them by running.
After taking a few steps, the giant Tree-Men was annoyed by the slowness of Wei Huo and his company. They decided to grab Wei Huo and his beasts and chucked the trio on their canopies before continuing the journey.
Wei Huo was a little excited.
They had a good relationship. He had a free ride, and he could enjoy the scenery as well.
The Tree-Men may have moved slowly but due to their large strides, their speed was actually very fast. That greatly improved the efficiency of Wei Huo’s journey to the south. Moreover, they no longer needed to walk.
Wei Huo could see the entire jungle as he sat on the canopy. At the same time, he could tell the difference between jungles in the north and the south. The trees and leaves in the north had become bare. As the continent was still moving north, the weather was getting colder!
The Tree-Men continued traveling and found a small stream along the way. Wei Huo directly jumped off the canopy since a 20-meter height was no longer difficult to him. He jumped down to fetch water. Water was the source of life, and no living creature could live without it.
The Tree-Men stepped into the stream, and their roots began absorbing water at a ridiculous rate. Soon after that, the water level in the stream evidently decreased.
‘Did these Tree-Men obtain a water-storing organ from evolution? 2
‘This wasn’t odd at all since camels had such an organ too.’ 4
After storing enough water, Wei Huo went on his journey with the Tree-Men. He no longer needed the Tree-Men to grab him as he could jump up the canopy by himself.
Tree-Men were generous and honest creatures. These qualities cemented their status among other creatures in the jungle.
They had no natural enemies as no carnivores would come to prey on them. Herbivores did not dare to provoke them at all, nor would they prey on other animals or plants. As long as there were sunlight and soil, they could photosynthesize and absorb all the nutrients they needed.
However, a Tree-Man collapsed today.
The last Tree-Man had collapsed on their journey to the south. Its collapse was similar to a five-story building crashing down. The ground could not be helped but shook from it as well.
Other Tree-Men turned around and had a sad expression on their faces. Pollen began flying everywhere causing Wei Huo and his giant beasts to sneezed helplessly.
The Tree-Men mourned for their companion for a while before continuing their journey.
Tree-Men were not suited for long-distance travel. They were only suited to stay in one place. However, as the weather on the Northern continent turned cold, they had no choice but to move to the south and by doing so could lead to their eventual death!
The biggest enemy of living creatures was aging. No living creature could beat aging, decaying, and the end of life. 3