Chapter 789

【 ANCIENT GOD 】

—

The Maple Moon Free State, Zelouan.

The city’s harbor was as bustling as ever as ships of all sizes docked along the port, while crowds of people came and went without end.

Perhaps it was because the Demons had been repelled, thereby allowing people to witness the strength of the Church of Life firsthand. Or perhaps it was because rumors had spread across the world of the Goddess of Life displaying her divine might while hunting various Abyssal Myths, giving hope to mortals who had long suffered under the demon invasion.

Whatever the reason, more and more people had recently abandoned their original faiths, converted to the Church of Life, and migrated to Maple Moon Territory.

The Temple of Life in the city was packed every day, while elven priest could be seen throughout the streets enthusiastically preaching to passersby.

Overwhelmed by the elves’ warmth and enthusiasm, newly arrived refugees often found themselves caught off guard. After being subjected to a relentless barrage of information, they would, amid their gratitude and confusion, unknowingly accept a hefty copy of the Holy Codex of Life. Before they knew it, they would be repeatedly bowing in the direction of the temple and vaguely swearing to dedicate their entire lives to the great Goddess of Life…

Today on the streets of Zelouan.

A handsome bard wearing a felt hat and carrying a lute on his back curiously observed everything around him.

He strolled leisurely through the crowd, his gaze deep and weathered, like that of a sage who had witnessed the passage of countless ages.

“Interesting…”

A trace of curiosity appeared on his face as he watched those weird elves occasionally leap across rooftops, bounding and hopping from building to building.

Retracting his gaze from the bustling crowd, he headed toward the temple.

Although the streets were crowded, whenever someone approached him, they would unconsciously step aside and make way for him. But strangely enough, those who moved aside never seemed to realize they had done so. The bard stood plainly in the open, yet no one truly noticed his presence.

Only a few elves seemed to be aware of him.

They turned back within the crowd, studying him with slight frowns while quietly whispering to their companions.

Faintly, he could hear phrases such as “not a faction NPC” and “unregistered visitor.”

A flicker of surprise flashed across the bard’s eyes.

“Hm? They aren’t affected by the mental suggestion?”

After a while, the number of elves around him noticeably increased, and their equipment became increasingly refined and luxurious.

Then, under the bard’s astonished gaze, the elves suddenly sprang out, drew their weapons, and surrounded him from all sides.

“Stop right there! Who exactly are you?!”

The elves spoke with vigilance and stern expressions.

The bard looked even more surprised.

Then he heard them continue:

“You must be a spy from the Eternal Church. We’ve been seeing people like you around the city lately.”

“Guys let’s capture him first. Then we’ll send him to Demacia for interrogation and he’ll be sure to spill everything.”

After exchanging glances and nodding to one another, they pulled out ropes and rushed forward together, preparing to tie him up.

The bard narrowed his eyes.

In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood, causing the elves to lunge into empty air.

“Huh? Where did he go?”

Their expressions immediately filled with surprise and confusion.

At that moment, someone glanced around and suddenly shouted:

“Look! Over there!”

“What the… was that teleportation? How did he get that far away in an instant?”

“He’s definitely not an ordinary person! Probably a high-ranking NPC…”

“Quick! Go to the temple and call the senior NPCs!”

The elves immediately erupted into commotion as they split into two groups. Some returned to the temple, while others continued pursuing the bard.

At the same time, even more elves began converging from every direction.

The bard even noticed elves who had been casually leaping across nearby rooftops suddenly draw their weapons and change direction, as if they had received some unseen command, charging straight toward him.

Before long, the elves managed to corner him once again in a narrow alley.

“Stop! You’re surrounded!”

“Hands up! No, wait… squat down and hold your head!”

The elves shouted aggressively.

Looking at the variously dressed elves with their serious expressions, the bard appeared even more astonished.

He chuckled, seemingly finding the entire situation highly amusing.

Then his figure flickered, and he disappeared once more.

“H-He vanished?”

“Could this be a bug?”

“What the hell?!”

Having once again seized nothing but air, the elves stared with widened eyes, completely bewildered.

The next moment, the bard reappeared in another district of the city.

Recalling the puzzled expressions of the elves moments ago, he could not help but burst into laughter.

However, just then, a clear and ethereal voice suddenly sounded from behind him:

“You seem to be having quite a lot of fun.”

The bard was so startled that he nearly jumped off the ground.

Turning around warily, he saw a female elf standing behind him.

She wore an ordinary elven robe, and even her appearance seemed plain and unremarkable. Yet simply standing there, she exuded an air of nobility and mystery.

Most striking of all were her sapphire-like eyes.

Though crystal clear, they carried an unfathomable depth, as if they could see through all things in the world.

At that moment, the bard noticed that the elves who had been chasing him had finally caught up and arrived behind her.

However, to his surprise, the elves seemed completely unable to see either of them. They walked straight past without even a glance, muttering among themselves as they went:

“Strange… where did that intruder run off to?”

Before long, only he and the female elf remained.

A thought stirred in the bard’s mind, already having guessed the other person’s identity.

His expression became solemn. Placing his right hand before his chest, he performed an ancient formal salute.

“Guardian Surtr, pays his respects to Your Majesty, Evé, the Goddess of Life.”

“I have slumbered for a very long time and have only recently awakened. I know little about the current state of the world of Seigües, so… my actions may have been somewhat inappropriate. Therefore I ask for Your Majesty’s understanding.”

Just as he had suspected, the female elf was none other than Eve.

More precisely, she was merely an incarnation that Evé had casually created.

A Guardian?

Eve’s heart stirred slightly.

In the world of Seigües, there was only one category of beings who referred to themselves as Guardians.

They were the Ancient Gods, those who rejected the faith-based divine method of ascension and devoted themselves to protecting the world.

Moreover, from the aura she sensed from him, it matched one of the ancient presences she had detected not long ago.

It was obvious that the being known as Surtr was an incarnation of one of the Ancient Gods who had recently awakened in the world of Seigües.

Unfortunately, the inheritance of the World Tree lacked memories from the distant ancient era, and Evé found no records concerning the name Surtr.

Countless thoughts passed through her mind.

Meanwhile, Surtr continued with a smile:

“Of course, you may simply call us an… Ancient God.”

As expected.

Evé nodded inwardly.

Returning the salute, she said:

“Greetings, Lord Surtr. Welcome to Maple Moon Territory.”

After speaking, she glanced toward a certain spot along the street and added:

“There is an elven tavern here in Zelouan. Their elven flower tea is quite excellent. Would you care for a cup?”

Surtr raised an eyebrow.

“Elven flower tea?”

Stroking his chin, he smiled.

“That sounds delightful. I’ve always been quite interested in the food and drinks of mortals.”

Moments later, the two divine beings took seats in a private room within the tavern.

A half-elven attendant served them elven flower tea. Surtr lifted his cup and took a light sip while gazing through the window at the bustling streets outside.

With a sigh, he said:

“So many years have passed. I never expected civilization on the continent to undergo such an earth-shattering changes…”

“I vaguely remember that before I entered my slumber, the elves were still the rulers of the continent. Yet after awakening, I discovered that even the Pantheon has changed masters…”

“Furthermore, more and more of the beings I once knew have disappeared.”

After saying this, he turned toward Evé and spoke respectfully:

“Your Majesty, Evé, thank you for standing against the Abyss during its invasion. Since our awakening, we have heard tales of your deeds throughout the continent.”

“As a token of our gratitude for your efforts in resisting the Abyss, we have prepared a gift for you.”

With that, he reached into his robe and produced a sphere of light that continuously shimmered with a hazy radiance.

The glowing orb was bright crimson in color and pulsed rhythmically, as though it were alive.

Eve’s thoughts stirred as she looked upon the object he took out.

A Heart of Fire Element?

As its name implied, an Elemental Heart was a special core formed from elemental power itself. It contained an abundance of laws and was an extraordinarily precious treasure.

Given enough time, any Elemental Heart had the potential to evolve into a demigod-rank elemental lifeform.

For true gods, Elemental Hearts could not only be used to hatch divine envoys far more powerful than ordinary demigods, but also served as invaluable materials for forging divine artifacts.

Unfortunately, the birth of an Elemental Heart was exceedingly rare. So even for true gods, obtaining one was no easy task.

It was also worth noting that among the three Divine Artifacts of the former World Tree, the Source of Elements contained six Elemental Hearts.

Feeling the goodwill conveyed by the gift, Evé smiled gently.

“Thank you. However, as a righteous deity, combating evil is already my duty. Hence, there is no need to prepare a gift on that account.”

At her response, surtr replied with a smile.

“Is that so? Well then, just consider it a gift celebrating your ascension to higher divine power instead. The emergence of a powerful and righteous deity is something worthy of celebration, after all.”

Meeting his sincere gaze, Evé hesitated briefly before ultimately accepting the Heart of Fire Element.

Afterward, she pondered for a moment.

A flash of light appeared in her hand, revealing a golden crystal that shone brilliantly.

“This is…”

A trace of surprise appeared in Surtr’s eyes.

Evé spoke warmly:

“This is a Divine Crystal condensed from my divine power. It contains a rich concentration of the Laws of Life.”

“I can sense that your aura is somewhat unstable. Perhaps it may help you recover your strength more quickly.”

Upon hearing her words, Surtr’s eyes widened, and a hint of excitement appeared within them.

Unlike faith-based gods, whose existence was rooted entirely in faith, Ancient Gods were first and foremost extraordinary lifeforms that transcended ordinary limits. Though they possessed the authority and power of true gods, they also possessed Ancient God Bodies, something faith-based deities themselves did not have.

Therefore, for any Ancient Gods who had only recently awakened, the Laws of Life were indeed capable of helping them recover their bodies vitality far more quickly.

Surtr hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he could not resist the temptation of restoring his condition.

Somewhat embarrassed, he accepted the crystal and sighed.

“To be honest, this is indeed of great help to us. I shall shamelessly accept it.”

“We… shall remember Your Majesty’s kindness.”

Evé smiled and replied:

“It is merely a small gesture.”

Having received the divine crystal of Life from Evé, Surtr appeared genuinely delighted.

The two divine beings remained seated in the tavern and gradually settled into casual conversation.

Surtr continuously asked Evé about the current state of the world of Seigües, while Evé, in turn, learned many ancient secrets and forgotten histories from him.

Suffice to say, both gained much from the exchange.

Surtr seemed particularly interested in the players, as well as the elvenkind in general. He asked Evé numerous questions, and she answered those she deemed appropriate to reveal.

“So they are your believers. No wonder they are immune to mental suggestion. It seems… you have been protecting them from the shadows.”

Surtr said with sudden realization.

The two deities continued talking and found themselves getting along surprisingly well.

However, whether intentionally or unintentionally on Surtr’s part, they never discussed any matters regarding the World Tree, nor did they touch upon the holy war that had taken place a thousand years ago.

Only when the sun gradually sank below the horizon did the Ancient God who called himself a Guardian finally bring the conversation to an end, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

By then, the way he looked at Evé had become even friendlier than before.

By now, night had gradually descended as countless lights illuminated the city of Zelouan one after another.

Surtr rose from his seat and said warmly:

“Your Majesty, Evé, it has been a pleasure meeting you. The reason I came here was to meet the Goddess of Life whose name has spread across the continent. Now that I have met you and delivered the gift we’ve prepared, it is time for me to depart.”

“You are too kind. I sensed your presence during the time I was dealing with the Abyssal Myths. Even if you had not come, I might have paid you a visit in the future.”

Evé replied with a smile.

“Hahaha!”

Surtr laughed heartily.

The two deities exchanged a few more words before Surtr took his leave.

Only after his presence had completely disappeared from within the range of her faith did Evé slowly withdraw her gaze.

She raised an eyebrow slightly.

So… this Ancient God had come in person through an incarnation merely to deliver a congratulatory gift and become acquainted with her?

And nothing else…?

༺⟐༻

Eastern Seigües Continent, northwest of the Sea of Dawn.

There lay a small continent roughly the size of the Fertile Plains, separated from the mainland continent by the Storm Strait.

Towering mountains and steep ridges covered the land, while lush vegetation flourished everywhere, brimming with life.

Scattered villages could also be found among the hills and plains, where various sentient races worked in the fields.

Many of these beings were species long believed extinct in Seigües.

Among them could even be seen giants over thirty meters tall.

They were Titans, a race that had already vanished from the universe.

At the center of the small continent stood a vast mountain range, within which rose one ancient temple after another.

Suddenly, a flash of radiance appeared.

A giant whose entire body was engulfed in flames materialized before the largest temple.

Upon seeing the Fire Giant, the stone golems guarding both sides of the temple respectfully bowed.

“Lord Surtr.”

This Fire Giant was none other than the Ancient God Surtr, who had just returned from the Maple Moon Territory.

Surtr gave a slight nod and entered the temple.

At the center of the temple stood an altar.

Upon the altar rested an ancient oil lamp.

“Lord Guy, I have returned.”

Surtr respectfully bowed toward the lamp.

The next moment, the oil lamp emitted a gentle radiance.

A pale blue glow rose from within it and gradually transformed into a majestic yet indistinct giant face.

“Surtr.”

A deep and ancient voice echoed throughout the temple.

“Well? Did you… meet the Goddess of Life?”

Surtr nodded.

“Lord Guy, yes, indeed I had met her.”

“Then, is she truly… Yggdrasill?”

The mysterious being known as Guy asked once more.