Game of the World Tree

Awkward…

Even though their inherent logic told them that these humans in front of them were merely just NPCs within the game, the five of them had played Elven Kingdom for so long that they had grown accustomed to the advance intellect of these virtual characters.

Thus, on a subconscious level, each of them had already treated these NPCs like real people and even became friends with many of them.

So when the five players realized how undignified they must appear to these newcomers, even the calmest among them, Boxlunch, couldn’t help but stiffen a little.

Of course, they still believed that their naked bodies were concealed by the system’s ‘Holy Light.’ But had they known that Eve had modified the game’s censorship mode and that this censoring light was visible only to them, they might have already gone crazy by this point.

“Ahem, well… uh, so, did you find that herb you’re looking for?”

Calabash coughed a few times, trying to shift the conversation along, as he and his companions discreetly wrung out their soaked clothes and equipment, before putting them back on.

“No, we’ve been searching the forest for days, but we still haven’t found anything…”

Lilia replied, her voice tinged with disappointment.

“Do not worry, Lilia. The gods are surely watching over us, especially now that we have had the honor of encountering the esteemed members of the Divine Clan. Surely they possess knowledge of the Mandragora Flower’s location.”

“That’s right! These Honorable Beings live in seclusion within this forest; I’m sure they must know where to find the Mandragora Flower!”

“We will surely be able to impress them as long as we pray sincerely and offer them enough tribute!”

These group of local youths excitedly spoke with one another as they stole glances at the players, with their eyes sparkling with anticipation and hope.

The five players: “…”

Don’t look at us!

We can’t say anything!

But…tribute?

The five glanced at each other, whilst a spark of interest flickered in their eyes.

“A-Ahem, we’re indeed willing to help, if it’s possible. However Miss Lilia, could you describe what this Mandragora Flower looks like in detail?”

Calabash asked with a smile.

Gathering clues for a quest from conversations with NPCs is an essential skill for every player.

So, undoubtedly, these group’s requests for help along with them mentioning about a tribute have captured the players attention.

“Oh, right! It has been nearly a thousand years since you Divine Beings last appeared. With so much time having passed, it is only natural that some of our terminology may have changed over the years.”

Lilia slapped her head and scratched it in a embarrassingly fashion.

Eve, who was watching silently their interaction, raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.

Nearly a thousand years?

Could this demi-realm somehow be connected to the Heavenly War that happened a thousand years ago?

When Evé first heard these locals referred to the players as “Divine Beings” her initial thought was whether this demi-realm had been created by her predecessor, akin to the lower realms depicted in cultivation novels on Earth.

However, after reviewing the World Tree’s inheritance, Evé had confirmed that her predecessor had no habit of raising believers in demi-realms or any other realms for that matter, unlike other gods.

And now, Eve had another theory after she heard this young lass mention that the so-called ‘Divine Beings’ had disappeared from their land for nearly a thousand years.

“Could it be that…this demi-realm had only established a connection to Seigües in the aftermath of the Heavenly War a thousand years ago? And these ‘Divine Beings’ they speak of might actually be the elves who somehow fled into this demi-realm during that time?”

With such various theories swirling in her mind, Evé continued to listen on as Lilia continued her conversation with the players.

Lilia began describing the Mandragora Flower:

“The Mandragora Flower is extremely mysterious, possessing powerful magic. Its appearance is said to be a blue flower with oval-shaped leaves and a humanoid root. It is also said that it lets out a scream like that of a young maiden if someone pulls it from the ground.”

A blue flower?

Humanoid roots?

Powerful magic?

And… it screams when pulled out?

After hearing Lilia’s description, the five players were slightly stunned.

They then exchanged knowing glances, each catching a trace of expectation within each others’ eyes.

Evé, on the other hand, had also easily identified it.

“So what they’re looking for turned out to be a Mandrake flower…”

Mandrakes were a common magical plant found in Elven Forest—the real Elven Forest, that is.

For the players, this plant was no stranger either, as the native elves living in Florence often asked them to collect it!

Not only that, but ever since the player HootyBird had reverse-engineered a magic potion that restored MP, the primary ingredient had also been the Mandrake Flower.

So whenever players saw these flowers in the wild, they never missed the chance to gather them.

After all, they could sell them for money!

Even if eaten directly, mandrakes can still restored some amount of MP!

In fact, the entire forest would’ve been picked clean by the players long ago if it weren’t for the fact that the Elven Forest was rich in mana and Mandrake Flowers thrived in its magical environment.

Of course, Boxlunch’s team, now had an entire stash of these flowers stored in their inventory rings after having explored Elven Forest for so long…

⤷ Could this Mandragora Flower they’re talking about be a Mandrake?”

⤷ It should be, right? Her description matches it exactly.

⤷ Mandrakes, while not common in Elven Forest, can be found if you search carefully, right? Could it really be that rare in this forest?

⤷ Maybe. You have to remember, the Big Sister said the amount of mana in this realm is really low. I mean, look at these NPCs—the strongest of them is only level 11, and the rest are just mere apprentices. With that kind of strength in the Elven Forest, they’d have been devoured by magical beasts already. They probably couldn’t even take down a goblin.

⤷ Heh, if you look at it that way, it seems like we can do whatever we want in this demi-realm!

The five players chatted in their private chatroom, all the while continuing their in-game actions.

Boxlunch extended his hand, touched a ring on his finger, and a soft glow emanated from his hand, revealing a large bunch of purple flowers.

At the same time, the group of youth immediately sensed a surge of potent magical energy spreading out from Boxlunch’s hand.

“Is this it?”

Boxlunch asked, looking at them.

The group of locals stared wide-eyed in shock at the Mandrake Flowers that suddenly appeared in his hand.

“Did… did that just appear out of thin air?!”

“By the grace of the Great Creator God, is this the legendary spatial magic?”

“As expected from the Divine Beings from of legend!”

And when they finally saw the Mandrake Flowers more clearly, their shock turned into awe, tinged with excitement.

“This is… could this be the Mandragora Flower?”

“What a potent intense magical energy!”

“Yes! It must be! It matches exactly what’s described in the historical texts!”

“Hahaha! We’re saved! The elder is saved!”

Seeing how excited these local youths were, the five players were now almost certain as well.

“Take it,”

Boxlunch said, handing the Mandrake Flowers to Lilia.

These Mandrakes were worth no more than 100 contribution points and these flowers were practically worthless to the players with the way contribution points were constantly devaluing nowadays.

Lilia trembled as she accepted the flowers, her eyes welling up with tears.

Soon, she and the other local youths once again knelt before the players, clearly overwhelmed with gratitude.

“Thank you, Honorable Divine Beings! Thank you so much for your benevolence!”

A moment later, each of them stood up, gazing at the players with even greater respect.

Lilia hesitated for a moment before nervously asking, “H-Honorable Divine Beings, what kind of tribute do we need to offer in return?”

Boxlunch glanced at Calabash, who smiled and replied,

“No tribute is necessary.”

“Alas, we’ve only just arrived here and aren’t familiar with the land beyond. Just tell us about the current state of affairs and the forces at play in your country—that will be enough.”

Hearing this, the local youths were surprised.

Lilia paused, then cautiously asked again, “That’s… all? For so many Mandragora Flowers….for such powerful magic, you don’t need us to offer you our souls or anything like that?”

The five players were startled by her suggestion and quickly waved their hands.

“Offer your souls? No, We’re not cultists!”

Offer their souls? That’s ridiculous.

Big Sister Zero was still watching them, and all the favorability they’d painstakingly built up towards her would go to waste if she somehow misunderstood their actions!

Even though the elven NPCs had great personalities, the players had also learned firsthand that they could be quite rigid and stubborn mindset as well.

Especially Lady Zero who was so low-key that no one could quite figure her out, so no one was willing to risk offending her.

Even the most experienced players wouldn’t dare joke about offering someone’s souls in front of her.

For Boxlunch and the others, they had long given up on currying favor with Spider Queen Rose.

Thus, Big Sister Zero was their best bet for earning favor with a high-level NPC!

Seeing how adamantly the players denied it, the local youths breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Their expressions became even more respectful and grateful.

After a brief discussion among themselves, Lilia stepped forward again, her tone sincere and hopeful:

“Then… if it’s not too much trouble, would you Honorable Beings be willing to visit our town as our esteemed guests?”

“Our elder has always told us stories about the Divine Beings in our legends. he would definitely be overjoyed If he could somehow meet you!”

“Also, our elder is the most knowledgeable person among our people. If there’s anything you want to know, then he would probably be the one who knows it the most…”

— 431 —

【 THE YOUTH’S INVITATION 】

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