Outside the cave, many kinds of spirits and beasts were already surrounding the entrance. Most of them looked nervous as they waited for the being to come out from the cave. Following their past sovereign's last will, they came to this place to meet their new leader.
The congregation of spirits and beasts created an unusual spectacle, and their sheer number was enough to form a large army. They kept waiting until they heard footsteps and saw a silhouette coming towards them from the darkness.
When the being showed himself in full display, some of the spirits bowed their heads, knelt, or even prostrated without hesitation. The beasts, varying in size from 60 meters tall to a little insect, also bowed their heads when Aldrian revealed himself. He looked at them with a calm face and inspected each one of them.
"The highest level spirit is middle emperor spirit and for the beast the highest is high king stage." Aldrian thought. He then asked them,
"Is there any higher cultivation level being in this forest than those already here?"
"No, young master. We who are gathered here already include the strongest," one of the spirits, the strongest one, answered Aldrian. He looked at this spirit with a fish head but a human body.
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Farin
Age: 80,410 years
Race: Piscanthropes (Spirit)
Cultivation: High Emperor
Techniques: Water Bullet, Wave, Water Pillar, Water World, Whirlpool, Water Wall.
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"All right, but can you not call me 'your excellency'? I'm still not used to it. Just call me 'young master' or, if you want, you can call me by my name, Aldrian Aster," he said.
"I would not dare to call your name directly, so I will call you young master."
"Well, that's good. So, is there anything you want to talk to me about?" Aldrian swept his gaze towards the crowd. "Are there any complaints from you? I know it's sudden, but I'm a human who will take over this place. Is there anything you want to talk to me about? Whatever it is, I will accept it."
Aldrian kept waiting, and from his mind-reading technique, he knew that most of them were still reluctant to accept a human as their new ruler. However, the sensation they got from him was real, and their bodies couldn't resist the innate instinct to tremble and bow to him. They followed their instincts, but their hearts were still somewhat reluctant. Aldrian looked at one of the spirits.
"May I know this young spirit's name?" he asked the young humanoid-shaped spirit with horns while he read his information.
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Dikan
Age : 5,030 years
Race : Arborians (Spirit)
Cultivation : Low Marquess
Techniques : Root Whip, Camouflage, Tree Bobby Trap, Energy Sucker.
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"My name is Dikan, young master."
"So, Dikan, what do you think of me?"
"You are the chosen one by our past leader, young master."
"Is that so? Then why can I sense your reluctance, Dikan?" Hearing Aldrian's question, Dikan and the others were stunned. Dikan forced himself to look Aldrian in the eyes, and when he met those blue eyes, he trembled and bit his lower lip.
"Is it because I'm human? Or is there something else?" Aldrian knew that this young spirit could not suddenly accept Dahan's will that an outsider, a human moreover, would take the reign of this forest. Most of them hated humans because of past stories about human devil cultivators making their king Dahan miserable and causing Emperor Thonias's demise.
"To tell you the truth, young master, I still don't understand why his majesty had to go just for you to replace him. Why does it have to be you, a human, the same race that made him miserable for a long time? I know his time had already come, but I still can't accept it. A human boy at the Viscount stage wants to be our leader? Give me a break."
Dikan blurted out all of his frustration and irritation, even though his body was trembling like crazy and his soul felt like it was being ripped apart. The other spirits who shared the same sentiment agreed with him in their hearts, while those who simply followed their past sovereign's will remained silent. They were truly astonished by Dikan's bravery and willpower to force himself to say something so outrageous despite his innate instinct.
Aldrian, as the target of their opinions, just smiled and walked towards Dikan, who dropped onto his butt when Aldrian approached. Aldrian stopped a few meters from Dikan and said,
"Yes, I am human, the race you hate. I don't blame you for thinking that way. I respect your opinion, but have you tried in your heart to see that not every human is the same? Have you considered that I might be different from them?"
"Humans can be despicable, and their greed knows no bounds. They will do whatever it takes to gain power. That's why most devil cultivators are human. I don't know about you, but I don't think you are different. Didn't you pick all those precious herbs because of your greed? Maybe it's only a matter of time before you take everything from us." Dikan responded.
"Okay, fair enough, but don't spirits also have such traits?" Aldrian asked. Dikan fell silent for a moment.
"Some of us do have such traits, but they must bear the consequences. Spirits are nature's creatures, created from heaven and earth energy. The law of nature's karma is more severe for us than for other races. If we do bad things, there will be punishment from heaven in some form and in unexpected ways."
"Well, in the end, some of you still have those traits even with your own cause and effect laws. But despite that, some of you still have ill intent. What do you think would happen if spirits didn't have strong karma tied to nature and were treated the same as humans?" Aldrian asked, to which Dikan had no answer. Aldrian looked at the others.
"This also applies to beasts. Even though you are not as tied to nature as spirits are, you still have bad traits and ill intent within you, am I right?" Aldrian swept his gaze over them.
"We all have those feelings and traits. Why? Because those feelings also shape us. We've had them since we came into existence, and in the end, we are all the same under the eyes of heaven. Is anyone brave enough to deny my statement from their heart?" The crowd remained silent.
"Then what is the difference between devils and us if we are not different? Devils can't control their greed for power. They let their negative traits control them and shake their morality. What about us? We can control those negative traits and tame them instead. Isn't that why you all remain in this forest, protecting this place and the forest out of loyalty? Even though King Dahan and Emperor Thonias have not cast any restrictions on you until now, you have not betrayed them. Even though there are many treasures in this forest, you can live in harmony without greed controlling you?" Aldrian paused and swept his gaze again.
"We can't remove the negative traits from our hearts because they're already there. What we can do is use them as stepping stones to reach our goals," Aldrian said. He then released his aura and energy, causing the surrounding spirits and beasts to tremble, suffocated by the pressure that came from their innate instinct. Fear started to creep into their hearts, but the golden energy from Aldrian also had a soothing effect. His aura instilled reverence in them for this young human.
"Am I the same as those devils?! Am I the same as those humans from your stories?! Am I the same as them?!" He then retracted his energy and aura and looked at Dikan.
"You see my difference, you see my journey here. You are beings of this forest, whom Emperor Thonias and King Dahan entrusted to me. Their will is my obligation after I received their legacy. If I were the same as those devils, if I were the same as those humans, I would just leave this place, and you couldn't do anything about it. After they are gone, this forest will lose its true guardians. With time, outside cultivators will learn about the change in this forest. They will flock here to plunder your treasures, driven by their greed," Aldrian said, looking at the others again.
"So, I stand here, bearing their will, to ask you: do you accept me as your own kind? Do you accept me as their chosen one? Do you accept me as your flag bearer?" Suddenly, Dikan kowtowed towards him.
"I will accept the young master as the chosen one and our sovereign," he said. His voice was followed by others.
"We will accept the young master as the chosen one and our sovereign." Their voices reverberated across the core section, even pushing the mist a little. Aldrian smiled, looking at them with satisfaction.
"Believe me, give me some time, and I will prove to you that from this moment forward, you don't have to worry about this place. You will have your own peace living here and won't need to guard this place anymore. You can go wherever you want; you don't have to be trapped here. You can adventure outside if you wish, and with me here, that's enough. But in return, I will need your help if I call for it."
Aldrian's declaration shocked many inhabitants. It was a truly bold declaration by their new leader, but Aldrian paid no heed to their astonishment and just smiled.
Integrating with the Forest of Despair...100%