A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 840: Witness the Wrath of Nature, Vile Ones!

Garrett wore a coarse linen robe, riding a giant white deer, holding an oak staff with a white snake coiled around it. Step by step, he traversed the wilderness, swamps, forests, and fields.

Ahead of his mount, a loyal barbarian led the way;behind him, a beautiful elven maiden with a radiant smile sat sideways on a snow-white unicorn, occasionally glancing at him.

Moonlight, like water, shone on the three of them, the breeze blowing gently, creating a poetic and picturesque scene.

—Of course, the so-called unicorn was actually an illusion cast by the Silver Dragon on a phantom horse. Let's not delve into that...

Garrett moved through the open land, occasionally checking the map to confirm their direction. Cirilla lazily sat on the fake unicorn, sometimes upright, sometimes slouched, sometimes even lying down. When she grew impatient, she urged:

"Garrett? How much farther? When will we get there?"

"Almost there! Should be soon..."

Garrett's survival skills in the wild were lacking. His stargazing and terrain recognition hadn't improved much compared to his previous life. No, perhaps it was even worse, as at least the maps were more accurate back then...

Fortunately, he could occasionally use Eagle Eye or Flight spells to get a better view, or employ City Location or Water Location spells to adjust their direction based on the map.

The error margin shouldn't be too high;walking 5 kilometers shouldn't deviate more than 1 kilometer...

Using such "cheat" methods, they finally approached the place marked as the Great Oak, supposedly the base of the Nature God's sect. Here, Garrett dared not use mage methods anymore:

He was here as a priest of the Nature God, after all!

Nature God's priests didn't need such methods to find their way!

They would kneel on one knee, pray to nature, then ask the nearby trees, wild grass, fungi, moss, birds, and beasts. In nature, all creatures would guide them!

At the very least, they would extend their senses towards the most potent source of natural power around and seek it out one by one. Nature God's servants never got lost in nature's embrace—

Cough, even if he was a bit off, he had to at least put on a show, right?

"Where exactly is it?"

"It should be nearby... I feel it must be close... Look at these hills, so dense with oak trees, the sect's base must be nearby, right?"

Garrett whispered softly. Cirilla made a face at him, sat up straight on her mount, and looked around. The forest was dense on the left, dense on the right, and ahead, there was the sound of flowing water, indicating a stream...

So, where was the base?

Where could they find the priests of the Nature God?

In the dark, the moonlight fell like silver coins through the treetops. The scenery was truly beautiful, but for finding the way... cough cough.

It would have been better without it!

Garrett held his breath, extending his senses to find the direction of the strongest natural power. Despite his training, spreading his senses widely was still taxing. One hundred meters, two hundred meters...

He barely covered the two small hills on either side before his temples started throbbing. Garrett collapsed onto the deer's neck:

"So tired... Appa, take me for a stroll... we'll find the sect's base later... Appa?"

The white deer perked its ears, sniffed the air, and suddenly took off running. Garrett was nearly thrown off, scrambling to steady himself:

"Appa!—Appa, slow down! Bring Bernard!"

A quarter of an hour later, Garrett tumbled off Appa's back, standing unsteadily. Before him, two oak trees with low-hanging branches moved aside, revealing a doorway-like path.

At the end of the path, an elderly man with white hair and beard, holding an oak staff, frowned as he looked over. He glanced at Garrett, then at the oak staff in his hand, and the silver deer behind him, growing increasingly puzzled:

"…A servant of the Nature God? A guest from afar, what brings you here…"

"Respected elder, I am Garrett Nordmark, a servant of the Nature God and an eighth-level mage of the council." Garrett held the oak staff and bowed respectfully:

"My teacher is Elder Elwin Wilkinson of Hartland City…"

Before he finished speaking, the elder's white eyebrows twitched. He raised his hand to stop Garrett from introducing himself further, slowly scrutinizing him:

"Garrett Nordmark? I've heard of you. What brings you from afar?"

"I was sent by the council to solve the famine problem in Roscon County… Upon arrival, I found no servants of the Nature God, so I came to seek advice..."

A quarter of an hour later, Garrett, Cirilla, Bernard, and the elder named Eitf were seated around a large tree stump. Each held a large wooden cup filled with steaming herbal tea.

"...It’s an old story. The then-Count of Roscon wanted to expand his black pig farms, seizing large areas of forest. He reclaimed land, planted oak trees, and drove away tenants, leaving many homeless..."

"Pigs eating people." Garrett murmured softly. Eitf glanced at him in surprise and nodded:

"Indeed, people said that at the time. But in reality, it was people eating people... Let's not talk about that. The Count's actions angered the sect leaders, who protested with their followers."

"And then?"

Garrett leaned forward. The combined power of the Nature God's priests should be substantial. But during his visit, he saw no priests of the Nature God, so...

"Did the protest fail? Were they killed or imprisoned?"

"If only it were that simple." Elder Eitf sighed deeply:

"If they had been defeated in open battle, we could have supported them;if the lord had used vile methods like poisoning, we wouldn't have stood by. But..."

He shook his head, lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head again:

"I wasn't there at the time. By the time I learned of it, the sect leaders had withdrawn and declared that unless invited by the Count, the servants of the Nature God would never return. When I went to see him, he spat blood upon seeing me."

Elder Eitf closed his eyes in pain:

"He answered none of my questions. Soon after, he fell gravely ill. His most beloved disciple, trained for over a decade, was not by his side. I later heard he had died."

"Killed by the lord?!"

"No." Elder Eitf shook his head slowly:

"There were many rumors. Some said the child committed suicide;some said he betrayed his teacher and was killed;others said he seduced the Count's daughter and was killed by the Count in anger. The truth remains unclear, and the sect members refuse to speak."

Decades have passed, and all the truth has been buried.

Garrett exhaled slowly. The local sect and the lord had broken ties and vowed never to return;

They might have been blackmailed or not, but the fact remained that Roscon County had no priests of the Nature God for many years, a widely recognized fact;

And the local lord was happy to be free of the Nature God's followers, so he could freely plant oaks and raise pigs—oaks were resilient, and raising pigs didn't require many people...

"When I went to the feast, they gave me this." Garrett took out a supposedly fine ham from his space bag:

"It contains natural power. The Count's son said the pigs were raised on their family's ancestral land."

"I've heard about it." Elder Eitf gently stroked the ham's surface with a finger. His aged face showed both anger and sorrow:

"I and the other elders have heard of it and seen such things. I know what you're thinking..."

He looked up, staring into Garrett's eyes:

"You're thinking these pigs are raised in the sect's sacred land, where the elders turned into oaks and returned to nature, aren't you? We've always suspected it, especially since these so-called fine products only appeared after the break..."

"But we can't go check. Even if we catch them red-handed, we can't act directly. Our vow binds us... But you, Nordmark, you are different. You are sent by the council, a guest invited by the Count... you—"

Garrett nodded deeply. Hearing these past events, he gained a clearer understanding of the situation and had a plan for breaking the deadlock. He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice:

"I think I understand. My plan is..."

The two discussed in low voices for a long time. Elder Eitf's eyes grew brighter, his white beard trembling more rapidly. Finally, he slammed the table:

"That's possible!—Provided you can make a big enough commotion?"

"I think so?" Garrett glanced around nervously. His total mental power, based on previous tests, was comparable to a ninth-level mage. But his skills in using natural magic...

Never mind, I'll just use amplification artifacts and magic arrays. If all else fails, there's still Appa!

Appa's natural magic was very strong too!

"My current question is, how many people can the surrounding Nature God sects spare? How much support can I get? If I pressure the lord into submission, how many people can come in to help me guide the refugees and transfer manpower?"

"Well... let me calculate..."

The old and the young, heads together, calculated for a long time. Garrett returned under the stars and moon. He slept soundly on the deer's back, and by noon the next day, he followed the Count's son to the legendary ancestral land.

"Yes, it's just ahead." The Count of

Roscon's son, the knight Penia, led the way on foot, eagerly:

"After discovering this area, our family fenced it off and carefully maintained it. No farming, no grazing other livestock, keeping the water clean, driving away predators... giving the magic pigs the best environment."

He stopped at the foot of the hills. Garrett stopped with him, looking up:

"The oak trees here are dense! How many years has it been?"

"Many years. Oaks watered with magical water live long. The pigs raised here have a unique flavor..."

"Indeed, I remember it well." Garrett smiled:

"My teacher, you know, a legendary mage with a long lifespan, always seeks something to delight himself. If these hams earn his approval, I'll come here to buy them every year."

"No need to buy, no need to buy!" Knight Penia was overjoyed. Despite maintaining the dignity of a noble knight, his back unknowingly bent forward by 5 degrees:

"The praise of a legendary mage is our honor. If the Lord of Thunder likes it, we'll select the best products each year and send them to Nevis."

"That would be great." Garrett smiled faintly, displaying a "used to people flattering my teacher" demeanor, and walked in:

"But I must see the environment inside. If the conditions aren't right or the magic is chaotic, I can't present it to my teacher."

He took the lead, striding in, leaving Knight Penia behind. Cirilla, Bernard, and Appa followed in a line, entering the valley with confidence and dignity.

When Appa passed by Knight Penia, he deliberately bumped him with his big rear, sending the Count's son stumbling.

"Lord Nordmark, please wait... I'll lead the way... please wait..."

Garrett didn't hear him anymore. Oak trees stood tall around, wind rustled through the leaves, and the vast, dark green canopy formed a continuous cover. Every leaf seemed to whisper:

You are here.

You are here.

Young friend, brother devoted to nature, you have finally arrived. Welcome—

Garrett walked quickly forward. The deeper he went, the more active his senses became. He looked up, breathing deeply, feeling his pores open, as if bathed in vibrant natural power—

No mistake, this was it!

This was the resting place of the Nature God's priests, where high-ranking priests, at the end of their lives, infused their natural power into oak staffs and returned to nature!

Each oak tree here was a culmination of the priests' emotions, experiences, wisdom, and knowledge. They lay quietly in this land, waiting for a new disciple to pass on their lifelong power—

Raising pigs here?

Using the acorns from these oaks, the place meant for inheritance, to raise pigs every year?!

Nature is fair and kind. If a few wild boars strayed here and ate their fill of acorns, the Nature God's followers would see it as part of the cycle and say nothing;

But to occupy the resting place of the Nature God's priests and use it for large-scale pig farming, flaunting it as the county's and family's specialty?

Count of Roscon, how do you wish to die?

Garrett had never felt such rage. He stopped, suddenly changing into a coarse linen priest robe he wore when traveling to other counties. Straightening his collar, gripping the oak staff that reverted to a walking stick, he strode forward.

He no longer looked at the path, following instinct and spiritual guidance, climbing the hill as he did when he first became a priest, led by Elder Elwin to the resting place to find a tree—

I am here.

I am here!

To the ancestors resting here, please forgive me, guide me, teach me. Lend me your strength to demonstrate the power of the nature priest, to unleash the wrath and majesty of nature—

When the Count's son finally caught up, he saw Garrett kneeling on one knee, hand on the ground, forehead against the nearest tree, as if muttering or in deep meditation. His robe fluttered silently, the green leaves on his staff standing upright, glowing.

"What's happening?"

The Count's son tried to pull Cirilla, who rolled her eyes and shrugged him off;he then turned to Bernard, who glared and pushed him behind.

Trying again, he stumbled, almost rolling down the slope.

The slope was shaking.

The oaks were shaking.

The entire hill, the entire oak forest, trees, rocks, and streams, were rumbling. It was as if a wild hurricane swept through the treetops, dead branches and leaves flying, acorns hitting the Count's son.

What is happening—

This place is dangerous—

The Count's son scrambled out of the forest. Each step stumbled, each step a pitfall, brambles growing, wild grass entangling, insects biting. At that moment, he felt like the enemy of the whole world, the entire nature.

The Count's son ran to the hill's base, his clothes shredded like rags. He rubbed his bitten cheek, looking up the hill in horror, his legs giving out, sitting down:

The entire forest was growing wildly. Old trees drooped branches, saplings sprouted, thick, iron-like brambles blocked every path, worthless weeds clogged every slope... 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

And the growth continued. The Count's son stepped back, watching the weeds and brambles reach his feet, saplings shooting up. An old legend suddenly flashed in his mind:

In the legend, where Nature God's followers gathered, ancient trees became treants, moving freely;

They would transform branches into powerful arms, smashing people into pulp;

They would hurl fruits like bombs, piercing armor...

Am I witnessing this?

Are these oaks becoming treants, ready to hunt me?

He shook his head desperately, retreating step by step, finally turning to run. After running for an unknown time, when the noise finally stopped, he sat down, dazed:

It's over.

This land is ruined.

Without a massive effort to clear it, this land will never see a wild boar or acorn again.

The family's core industry, the most important product for interacting with the capital's nobles, is ruined...

In a daze, as the sky darkened, the moon rose. Trees and brambles silently parted, and Garrett, in a coarse linen robe, holding an oak staff, rode the giant white deer out.

Moonlight poured over him, silently blazing like fire.