Genius Blacksmith's Game
Chapter 619: Knight Selection Ceremony (5)
Purung.
He had once commanded the army led by Overlord Baroque, and afterward, he had lived as the king’s examiner.
He was also one of the strongest men on the continent.
Such a man had entered King Hyunsoo’s service and received a new post.
Talent Scout.
At first, when he received the position, Purung had thought, What kind of ridiculous excuse for a job is this?
But the more he considered it, the more he realized that seeking out and recruiting talent suited him perfectly.
First of all, Purung had spent his life as a commander.
He understood soldiers and knights well, and he possessed a keen eye for the strong.
Most importantly, the role of a royal examiner involved looking into people and judging their worth.
And—
Finding the talented people or powerful figures a kingdom needs and bringing them in is not something just anyone can do.
A kingdom needed capable people more than anything else.
Being able to recruit such figures was an important and remarkable responsibility.
That was why Purung came to understand that his new king, Hyunsoo, had entrusted him with a weighty position.
So, as Purung traveled the world, he wished to repay Hyunsoo’s faith in him.
But he soon faced reality.
This won’t be easy.
Most outstanding and exceptional figures were already affiliated with some kingdom or empire.
Even if he discovered them, he could not simply take them away.
The nation of Hyun would be criticized for that.
It was not easy.
Then Purung changed his perspective.
Do they necessarily have to be people a kingdom can keep under its command?
Perhaps it had only been difficult because he had focused on recruiting people who needed to belong somewhere.
Purung was highly skilled at finding and tracking people.
So he decided to look for a different kind of person.
Someone the nation of Hyun needs.
There was nothing wrong with simply inviting them to visit.
There was nothing wrong with meeting them himself and asking them to speak with His Majesty Hyunsoo.
Purung reviewed everything the nation of Hyun currently needed.
Before long, he reached a conclusion.
Elves.
As he gathered information, Purung soon learned something else.
The World Tree is calling for His Majesty Hyunsoo?
Why?
As he searched for the answer, he found it.
It was because Hyunsoo had once saved the small World Tree of the Prime Kingdom.
Purung was unlike ordinary people.
As someone who had once served as a royal examiner, he found it relatively easy to enter Elvenheim.
Of course, it was something that would have saddened Hyunsoo and the people of the nation of Hyun had they known. It had only happened because Purung had not realized he was capable of doing such a thing.
In any case, Purung came face-to-face with the massive World Tree.
Purung showed it respect.
“At present, I do neither. I no longer follow the will of the gods, nor do I determine the sovereignty of kings.”
The World Tree understood that Purung had not come to deliver the voice of a god.
After living for thousands of years, it asked him a question.
SHHHHHH—
At Purung’s words, a beautiful woman appeared before the World Tree.
Her face was gentle and lined with age.
She too had been curious about the unknown man who had saved the small World Tree.
And so Purung headed for the nation of Hyun together with her—the World Tree in the form of a woman.
As he made his way back, Purung was filled with emotion.
A talent scout. A talent discoverer.
He had performed the duty entrusted to him by the nation of Hyun perfectly.
World Tree, take this!
See how flawlessly he had completed his mission!
But then—
“...His Majesty Hyunsoo has already left.”
“Where did he go?”
“Elvenheim.”
“???”
They had missed each other completely.
Purung realized that he had been one step too late.
*****
“The day the small World Tree burned, I heard its telepathic cry for help. Yet there was nothing I could do. Then I learned that instead of being reduced to blackened ash, it had regained the glorious form it once possessed.”
The World Tree smiled faintly.
Everyone listened closely to the woman’s gentle, motherly voice.
“The small World Tree bore fruit, and it no longer withered. Once I learned that, I began searching for the man who had saved it so I could offer my thanks.”
In a sense, the small World Tree might have been like a child to the true World Tree.
The feelings of the World Tree, unable to do anything while her child burned, could not have been different from those of a parent.
Then why did she come to the nation of Hyun?
Nell looked at the World Tree.
Perhaps she read the question in Nell’s eyes.
The World Tree waved her hand.
At that moment, the ground directly in front of Nell began to writhe, and something began to sprout.
WIGGLE. WIGGLE!
[A sapling capable of becoming a noble tree has taken root in a nation and begun to grow.]
[This tiny sapling will be more extraordinary than any other tree.]
[Once fully grown, it may possess the power to safeguard and protect an entire kingdom. Those who look upon it may feel vitality fill them and great strength well up within them.]
[Beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies will multiply in countless numbers, enriching the soil and bringing about bountiful harvests.]
[The branches it grows each year will become materials for many people. They may water the tree, and the tree may grant them fresh resources in return.]
Nell and the members of Hyun’s Forge guild understood.
The gift she had brought them was a sapling that could become a World Tree.
Hyunsoo...
Thank you.
The people of Hyun’s Forge were deeply moved.
Only an hour earlier, Knight Kal and the wealth seized from Merchant Magnate Allen had allowed them to put out their most urgent fire.
But now, what had Hyunsoo brought them?
A sapling that could become a World Tree.
Naturally, the woman before them was a World Tree as well.
But her name was not simply World Tree.
[Mother of World Trees Lv???.]
In other words, she was no ordinary World Tree.
She was the World Tree that sustained Elvenheim—the mother of all World Trees.
That was why the World Tree of Elvenheim had remained healthy even after she walked out of it.
She’s incredible...
Nell understood the value a single World Tree could create.
It was beyond common sense.
Its fruit could be used to make high-grade potions, while its leaves could be utilized in countless ways.
Its branches would also become outstanding materials for the blacksmiths of the nation of Hyun.
Going by the notification alone, it can do even more than that...
Perhaps merely looking at the World Tree could grant vitality or powerful buffs to those who visited the nation of Hyun.
That was how extraordinary a World Tree was.
Even if it was a kind similar to the small World Tree Ben possessed.
Nell looked down at the newly planted sapling, filled with immense expectations.
Then—
[The World Tree sapling is in an environment where it cannot grow easily.]
[The soil is fairly good, but it is insufficient for raising a World Tree.]
[The sunlight is fairly good, but it is not suitable for growing a World Tree.]
[The World Tree sapling will eventually die. Even if you manage to keep it alive, it will require 500 years before it becomes fully grown.]
Nell’s breath caught.
Five hundred years.
Even in game time, that meant more than a century in reality.
By then, none of them would still be alive.
“Well...”
Resil understood as well.
“There was no way something so valuable would come easily.”
Giving away a World Tree, something so precious, merely to repay an old debt made no sense.
Once fully mature, a World Tree could generate more than ten billion in value every year.
Then, beneath her gentle smile, the Mother of World Trees revealed the real reason she had come.
“Elvenheim has recently been plagued by a great many unprecedented disturbances. If you resolve them, you will be able to obtain essence in Elvenheim.”
Nell understood.
Behind that kindly smile stood a merchant.
“If you pour that essence onto the World Tree sapling, the time needed for it to mature will decrease. It will also allow the sapling to overcome the limitation that prevents it from growing on human land.”
In other words—
The countless quests in Elvenheim.
The quests related to monsters.
The quests related to elves.
Each time they completed one, they would obtain essence.
In other words—
The World Tree sapling...
It was not merely a gift.
It was the catalyst that would begin the Elvenheim story.
And whether that tree could grow or not depended entirely on them.
Nell spoke with confidence.
“Get ready.”
“OHHHHH!”
“Let’s go!”
“I’m fired up!”
The executives of Hyun’s Forge were brimming with excitement.
Then the World Tree spoke.
“That is... what I had intended to tell this man named Hyunsoo.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Mm?”
From her troubled expression, they realized that something had gone wrong.
“Elves are extremely wary of other races. That is why not everyone here can go.”
“Ah...?”
From the very beginning, only Hyunsoo could gather essence in Elvenheim.
Will the fate of the World Tree be placed on Hyunsoo’s shoulders again?
For a moment, they felt sad about placing yet another burden on Hyunsoo.
But only for a moment.
As Hyunsoo collected essence alone, they could repay him by stabilizing the nation.
But the World Tree saw another problem.
“This is bad. Of all things, we had to miss each other. Has he already entered Elvenheim?”
“I’ll check.”
Nell hurriedly sent a whisper.
[Whispers are unavailable in this area.]
“Yes. He has entered.”
The World Tree’s face turned pale.
“He should have taken the shortcut through me...”
Her body began to tremble.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“...There are no elves near the entrance to Elvenheim right now.”
The reason she had come here—
“The dark elf Vadalla is likely there.”
Vadalla.
Whenever she thought of him, the Mother of World Trees’ teeth clenched.
Vadalla was a legendary dark elf.
And he possessed a special power.
“He commands countless monsters as though they were his own limbs. The innumerable monsters living in Elvenheim have joined his command and formed a legion. That is the problem. Vadalla has used that force to reign as the king of countless monsters, and he is destroying the elves’ homeland.”
“The place where Vadalla currently is happens to be the entrance to Elvenheim. He deliberately made his base there so the elves cannot leave the forest.”
“There is something else you must be especially wary of.”
Her voice trembled as though the very thought frightened her.
“Jepae, the Wolf King. Even the king of all wolves has been brainwashed by Vadalla. Like him, several legendary beings stand at Vadalla’s side. So someone named Hyunsoo is in there...”
The World Tree could not finish her sentence.
It had been her misjudgment.
The thought that her error might have cost an innocent person his life tore at her heart.
As she stood there in tears, Nell asked a question.
“So, Jepae—the king of all wolves—is a wolf that only lives in Elvenheim? A very rare and special one?”
“...Yes.”
“What is he good at? Oh, and would he thrive if we raised him in the nation of Hyun?”
What kind of question was that?
Would they be able to raise him well in the nation of Hyun?
“He is good at hunting.”
“Good at hunting... Then he could bring back lots of snacks. He could run around with baby puppies, cats, mini golems, and Flame Chicken riding on his back too.”
What was she talking about?
The Mother of World Trees could not understand a word of it.
Nell said,
“In the nation of Hyun, whenever we discover a special and extraordinary monster like that, we have a technical term for it.”
There was a technical term?
The Mother of World Trees listened closely.
Nell smiled wickedly.
“We found a new youngest.”
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