Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200 The Silent Architect

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She’d been unable to summon it in the instance, and with the Long Night chaos, she’d nearly forgotten about it.

With a thought, Riley pulled the Sealing Orb from a corner of her bag.

The surface of the sphere still pulsed with a faint green light, the sign of a contained inhabitant.

“Come on out.”

Riley pressed the release, and a soft green light,projected onto the living room floor.

Whirrr-

The light faded.

A little fellow, only half as tall as a person, appeared on the rug.

Riley, Neeko, and Ash all stared in unison at the new arrival.

It stood about four feet tall, composed entirely of dark brown bark and vibrant green leaves, wearing a pair of denim overalls.

A large pocket on the front of the overalls bulged with various hand tools.

Currently, the little treant was staring back at Riley with an expressionless face.

No noise, no fuss, no cuteness.

It just stared directly into Riley’s eyes.

“Uh…”

Riley gave a tentative wave. “Hi? Hello?”

The treant said nothing.

It blinked once but gave no other reaction.

“Can it talk? Or does it not understand?” Riley turned to Neeko, hoping the native could bridge the gap.

Neeko leaned in curiously, her ears twitching.

“He smells like the forest!” Neeko sniffed the air, clearly liking the newcomer. “But he looks kind of… slow?”

Neeko reached out a finger, intending to poke the treant’s cheek.

Tap.

A quiet sound.

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11:17 Wed, Jun 10

Chapter 200 The Silent Architect

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The treant raised a hand that looked like a dry twig, precisely and calmly parrying Necko’s finger away.

Then, it pointed toward the coffee table behind Riley.

Specifically, at the leftovers Ash hadn’t finished yet.

“Oh! You’re hungry?”

Riley realized.

She stepped aside and made an inviting gesture. “Help yourself. All you can eat.”

The treant didn’t hesitate.

It marched toward the table on short, root–like legs that made a rhythmic thudding sound.

Under the curious gaze of Neeko and Ash, it didn’t dive in like a predator. Instead, it elegantly picked up a single Thunderfruit.

Crunch.

One bite.

Chew, swallow.

Then… it set the fruit back down.

“Done?” Riley blinked. “Is it bad? Not to your taste?”

The treant shook its head.

It picked up a piece of meat–floss cake, broke off a small crumb, and popped it into its mouth.

“Here, try this!”

Neeko reached out and offered her private stash of honey potato chips. “These are super yummy! Ash tries to steal them all the time!”

Ash let out a supportive “Chirp” in agreement.

The treant took the chips, glanced at the bag, and then at the expectant Neeko.

It politely took one chip, shoved it into the crack that served as a mouth, and crunched it down.

Then, it did something no one expected.

It brushed the crumbs off its hands and handed the remaining chips back to Neeko.

Then it reached into the large pocket of its vine–overalls and began rummaging around.

“What’s it looking for?” Riley leaned in curiously.

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11:17 Wed, Jun 10

Chapter 200 The Silent Architect

+10 Free Coins

A second later.

The treant pulled out a hand–sized device carved from some kind of crystal… a Tape Measure?

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