The Great Forest of Unity
So first things first, what is The Great Forest of Unity?
Well, let's dissect the name.
From the words The Great Forest, the first thought that comes to mind is that it must be huge. And I'm forced to agree. In the whole world, it is the third largest forest.
And considering how long I flew over the Mist Forest and didn't even cover half , you might think it must be bigger, right?
True again. The Mist Forest isn't even counted among the top 10 largest forests.
Alright, now we know half the meaning of the name The Great Forest of Unity.
Then what does Unity mean?
You might be thinking something like the monsters here are friendly or that it's some kind of peaceful place.
Well… no.
You see, this forest borders five kingdoms—some big, some medium.
Now, this forest acts as a natural barrier between them. If one kingdom wants to attack another, they either have to pass through the forest or ask permission from another country to borrow their land as a route of attack.
And going through the huge forest with a lot of monsters means your army will be almost destroyed before it reaches the destination.
Kingdoms often go to war either because they don't like each other or for resources. But since this forest is massive, there is no shortage of resources here. So, no need to fight for them.
Next, even though they border each other through the forest, the actual civilizations are far apart. So there's rarely any real reason to fight. Of course, many kingdoms still hate each other for no reason—that was the case even in my previous world. But no one likes to openly say, "I just don't like you."
Usually, neighbors fight over borders and faraway nations fight over trade or some action. But these kingdoms are both neighbors and distant at the same time.
Everyone understands this complicated yet simple thing, so the forest basically makes them "friendly"—or you could say, it unites them.
And that's how the name came to be: The Great Forest of Unity.
---
Now, one of the kingdoms bordering it is the Adele Kingdom.
So, I was planning to head there to claim my Nature Force and leave.
But… yeah, no.
You see, as I already told you, these Nature Force were formed during a great event or "festival." Different areas show signs of that—some formed giant hills like in the Mist Forest, others show different results. It really depends on personal taste or nature of the event holder—who am I to judge?
Now, the Nature Force I want lies in an underground structure. And in this world, underground places are often thought to contain treasures and are called ruins. So everyone wants them.
But this place doesn't have any treasures. In fact, it's empty. And it's not really a ruin either. Maybe some would call it that, but I don't want to debate definitions.
Still, even though it's empty, it does have a Nature Force—and honestly, no treasure can compare to that.
So, you must be thinking: I should just go claim it—finders keepers.
Yeah… no again.
Like every world, this one favors the rich and powerful. They bend the rules to gain benefits and control.
Here, there's a rule: a specific part of the forest is owned by the noble whose territory borders it. How much is defined by national laws. And the part where the ruin lies is owned by a count and a few other nobles.
Now, normally, land here that is where Nature Force is located isn't just "owned"—people have to buy it to make it private property. But since this land seemed useless, nobody bought it.
That means I can buy it. Problem solved, right?
Yeah, no.
What if someone discovers the ruin and buys the land over it with all their money—maybe even taking loans? That way, even a poor man could suddenly become rich. But that doesn't benefit the nobles.
So what happens instead?
If ruins are discovered on private land that isn't gigantic that is a massive ownership, the nobles will simply seize it legally and give the original owner the market price. The defination of how much massive the property needs to be is different for different kingdoms.
Now, I could go secretly and claim the Nature Force, but the problem is—I only know the general area, not the exact location. I'd need to do a lot of digging.
Sooner or later, someone would notice. Then nobles would swoop in to claim it.
Even the Claw members couldn't protect me. Their escort duty only applies as long as I don't do anything illegal. And in this case, the nobles' actions would be legal.
If what the duke had done before was legal, I'd already be long dead.
So what should I do? Give up?
Nah.
This world favors the rich and powerful. I may not be powerful, but I am rich.
So, I'll buy a huge portion of land. Since the area is split among several nobles, I'll buy from all of them. I'll purchase double the minimum amount required, so they won't get suspicious and refuse to sell.
---
I entered the main city under the count's rule and quickly went to the market.
I started looking for a symbol: a wall that had ears.
I found it in a grocery store.
I quickly entered and said to the owner:
"The wind reaches far and wide."
The owner replied:
"Sir, please follow this employee to see if we have your desired goods inside."
Like that, I followed the employee and soon sat before a hidden man.
The man asked:
"Sir, what do you want to know?"
I replied:
"I want to know which nobles own a portion of the Bald Head of the Great Forest of Unity, and I want maps of that."
Since this area doesn't have trees, it's called the Bald Head.
Anyway, the man did his usual procedure and soon gave me what I desired.
The price was only 20 gold coins .
---
Next, I went to the administrative authority for land and forest under the count.
As soon as I entered, I saw a middle-aged man at the counter, busy with paperwork. The place was quiet, with only the sound of rustling papers. His desk was cluttered with files and a drink—maybe coffee?
I walked toward him. Since the place was silent, my footsteps and my escorts' echoed loudly.
The man soon noticed me approaching. Maybe he heard me long before, but stopping midway would have been awkward.
He glanced at my clothes and my escorts. Since I wasn't a noble—otherwise, my escorts would have been knights or soldiers—he assumed I was a merchant. But judging by my fine clothes and high-quality escorts, I wasn't a small-time merchant.
Probably deciding not to risk offending someone important, he politely said with a smile:
"Sir, how may I help you? Are there conflicts, dues, or some other matter?"
I replied humbly, wanting to avoid suspicion:
"I am Adrian Lewin, head of the Lewin Merchant Family. You see, I want to acquire land from Lord Count for business matters."
Any land under the count's rule is technically his, but those outside the cities can be bought here. For inside cities there is other administrative authority.
The man nodded.
"Of course, sir. Let me bring you a map. Please indicate the general area. No need for specific coordinates."
I responded:
"The Great Forest of Unity."
The man was shocked but nodded.
He went inside and returned with a large stack of maps. Many locations were already sold, some couldn't be sold for strategic reasons, and others had their own restrictions.
He spread the maps out and said:
"Sir, please study carefully and tell me which location or locations you wish to acquire."
Since I came prepared, I quickly marked the spots with a special mana device. It didn't damage the map, and the marked boundaries were clearly recorded. That way, no one could later argue over a "ten-centimeter difference."
The man looked shocked at the large area I had marked.
He said cautiously:
"Sir, you will have to provide a purpose for acquiring such a large area of land."
As I expected this, I already had a reason prepared.
I replied:
"I need to relocate the headquarters of some ventures."
The man nodded.
"Very well. But the processing time will take longer."
I smiled.
"No problem."
He continued:
"Alright, sir. Please make the payment. The total will be…"
He checked his records, flipping through a book, jotting down numbers several times before finally closing it.
"…113 platinum coins. Of course, you wouldn't be carrying that much on hand, so we will do it through the Economic Guild."
I nodded, and the money was transferred.
---
I continued this process for three days, traveling to various cities under different nobles and repeating the same steps. And then waited patiently.