At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 197
Petar, who had guided them this far, seemed indifferent. He simply crossed his arms and observed without much reaction. While he had led them to the problem area, he didn’t seem to have any high expectations.
Jiwoo approached the water’s edge and dipped her hand into the black water. As soon as she scooped some up, it quickly purified, turning into clear seawater. The miasma in the water also burned away, starting from the surface where her hand touched.
But as soon as she withdrew her hand, the miasma from the vast sea began to overwhelm the water, turning it black again.
Splash. Splash.
No matter how many times she tried, it was the same. It seemed that purifying the earth or water in such a short time would be difficult.
“The tree is sick, that’s why.”
Petar, who had been standing at a distance, came closer and explained.
“The tree is rotting, and that’s where the miasma is leaking out. Purification is possible, but it seems challenging.”
“With enough time, it’s not impossible.”
“Are you planning to go in?”
Petar gestured toward the entire beach, as if to show Jiwoo the enormity of the situation.
The miasma had polluted the land, causing the death of living creatures. The air was thick with the stench of rotting fish on the shore.
“That might be the case, but…”
“That might be the case? Are you really considering entering that sludge?”
“It’s not impossible.”
“It’s not just difficult, it’s dangerous.”
Petar briefly turned his head to glance at Jiwoo’s companions.
“They probably wouldn’t want that. Who would want to put their spouse into that filth?”
Turning around, Jiwoo saw her companions shaking their heads firmly.
It was already a trip that Jiwoo had considered a mix of business and a delayed romantic getaway, but they seemed upset at the thought of her confronting something so disgusting and troubling.
Blood would be far more effective, but these people would have turned back immediately if someone had even threatened Jiwoo with a blade.
Falling into dirty water would be no different.
“Then please guide me to the tree.”
“The tree is down there.”
Petar pointed across the sea.
“Underwater.”
It seemed the distance was quite far.
“Do we need to take a boat?”
“The boat would decay on the way. In the end, you’ll have to swim from there…”
And the tree is underwater, meaning Jiwoo would have to dive down. It would be deep.
“Can you breathe underwater?”
“…”
“This isn’t just water, it’s water mixed with miasma.”
It was a difficult question to answer.
Akarna’s body was designed to eliminate threats, so suffocation could certainly be a threat she could handle. If someone was trying to suffocate her and she sensed it, she could likely resist.
But could that be the case in the ocean?
The miasma could certainly be purified, but she wouldn’t be able to stop the water filling her lungs.
If it was a natural disaster, it might not be as dangerous, but the problem here was that she would be diving in on her own accord.
“As expected.”
When Jiwoo didn’t respond immediately, Petar nodded calmly, as if he had already anticipated her hesitation. It seemed he hadn’t been optimistic about this issue from the beginning.
“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to go that far.”
Petar’s tone was less formal and more blunt, but his voice lacked energy, making him sound almost pitiful. He seemed to be exhausted from dealing with this situation.
“Are you saying we should just leave? I’ve already received compensation in advance.”
“We can’t even pay for the cost of purifying this.”
What Jiwoo had received were beautiful gems that captured the color of the sea and Ellandos resin, which she used as jewelry. The Ellandos resin was particularly valuable, as it could be used when their tree became sick.
“Purifying the tree is impossible at the moment. So, if you could just help heal our brothers and then leave, we would be more than grateful.”
It seemed that he thought of it as compensation for healing his brothers.
13. The Tree Beneath the Sea
That night, Jiwoo lay in the temporary shelter the beach village people had provided, thinking to herself.
She had been told not to enter the water, so she had focused on purifying the miasma around the beach and village instead, finishing what she could. She was asked to treat the remaining people the next day, so she thought it would be best to get some rest.
Most of the others, exhausted from the journey, had fallen asleep early, and only Solmih, who was nocturnal, stayed up to talk with Jiwoo through the night.
“It’s very different from what I expected.”
Jiwoo muttered, unable to sleep.
Solmih adjusted the blankets over Jiwoo’s neck as she tossed and turned.
“You mean, because they don’t act lascivious?”
…That wasn’t exactly it.
What had made the trip enjoyable, despite everything, was that they had the opportunity to admire the beautiful El Ragneil on the way, and more importantly, Jiwoo had been able to do meaningful work through Akarna’s powers.
She had hoped to see the tree on the beach this time, but it didn’t seem likely.
“They probably don’t expect to be chosen at all. This place seems more like a place waiting for a prepared death than a miracle.”
Jiwoo had felt a sense of kinship with the Ellandos people here and had thought they might push her to help despite the circumstances, but it seemed she was mistaken.
“Isn’t there another way? I can heal people, but if the environment remains this way, they’ll just get sick again.”
“Are you suggesting they abandon the tree and go somewhere else?”
“Well, sort of…”
Solmih shook his head.
“That’s like abandoning a sick parent. No one will accept such a group elsewhere.”
For the Ellandos people, abandoning the tree that birthed and provided them with knowledge was considered a taboo.
That’s why Helka had embraced all the tree’s miasma, moved to Caranazion to ‘search for a way to heal it.’
“If it were a parent… wouldn’t they ask more desperately?”
“True, but how far can one go for someone else’s parent? I understand that you feel sympathy, but I believe it’s also the spouse’s duty to not stand by and let something harmful happen to you.”
“I see.”