In the glare, he saw a shape that refused the light: bark black as coal, its edges blurred by heat. A tree hid in plain sight under soot. Roots as thin as wire threaded the crust and fed gas into hairline cracks. Vents bloomed blue where the roots breathed, then shifted to orange as the mix thickened.
"Found you." Adyr smiled at the source. "Cindervein Tree. Its roots release gas from under the soil, and the fire follows."
"It must have existed for more than 300 years, given the extent of its roots."
Adyr checked his memory on the Cindervein Tree. As this species ages, the trunk rarely exceeds 2 meters, but the roots continue to stretch, claiming more ground. He had seen one at the market for 140 energy-value crystals, yet that specimen was only 10 years old; compared to that, this one could be the grandmother.
''It's an extremely uncommon resource. It should be worth more than 500 energy-value crystals at this age.''
