Renee's outburst shocked everyone present.
Lourdon was momentarily stunned before he reacted.
"You might have misunderstood, I am not human after all," he said.
As he spoke, he "took root" right where he stood.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed back into a tree, rooting himself into the floor of the meeting room.
Huihui glanced at the wooden floor pierced by the roots, looking as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Regaining her composure, Renee murmured an apology but couldn't help asking,
"But why do you look exactly like my father?"
With a kind tone, Lourdon replied, "This face comes from my subconscious. Since your father appears in my memories, perhaps he is connected to my past."
Only then did Renee realize that this "Tree Herder" before her was what they referred to as one-quarter of the Ancestor Wood's root system.
Her face lit up with surprise and excitement, "Do... do you know where my father has gone?"