Chapter 1820: Chapter 1820
“You’re still awake at this hour?”
Jenkins asked, his curiosity piqued as his eyes fell upon the wooden staff in the old elf’s hand.
“You’re up too, aren’t you?”
The elf retorted, gesturing for Jenkins to enter the living room. The space was flooded with light; not only were the three gas lamps turned to their highest setting, but three artfully arranged candles of different heights on the coffee table, a portable kerosene lamp in the corner, and a floor-standing gas lamp near the bedroom door were all ablaze.
A teapot, pastries, and an overturned book titled *Gardening and Flowers, 1866* also sat on the coffee table. It was clear the old elf was prepared for a long night.
“What are you doing?”
Jenkins studied the wooden staff in the elf’s hand more closely. While the wood itself seemed ordinary, he couldn’t guess what the old elf had done to it. The aura of life emanating from it was many times more potent than that of a living plant.
“Keeping the evil spirits at bay.”
“You can’t be serious. You, afraid of evil spirits?”
“It’s no ordinary evil spirit. It’s a Cursed Item,” the elf explained. “Now, what did you need from me? Tell me quickly and then go. I don’t want you getting caught up in this.”
“What I came to discuss can’t be summed up so quickly. Why don’t you tell me about this evil spirit instead? I can’t glean much from what you’ve said so far.”
Strictly speaking, the old elf’s encounter with the Cursed Item wasn’t a simple accident—it was a stroke of terrible luck. About a week ago, while out and about, the elf discovered a beautiful pendant in a secluded shop down an alley and decided to buy it.
The consequence was a nightmare that very night. The nightmare then recurred for several days in a row, each dream a continuation of the last, with the terrifying presence within it drawing ever closer to the elf.
To Jenkins, it sounded like a rather cliché horror story plot. In truth, however, it was the specific characteristic of Cursed Item A-12-2-0965, [Seven-Day Rebirth].
The pendant itself was the item’s physical form, and its curse compelled a corrupted, malevolent spirit to seek a new body for rebirth. In essence, both the old elf and the spirit were unfortunate victims caught in the Cursed Item’s influence.
The elf’s life was at risk, and the malevolent spirit, its soul already tainted by the item’s power, had undergone an irreversible transformation.
After the seventh consecutive nightmare, the old elf’s body would be seized by the malevolent spirit. His body would then undergo a cursed transformation, spreading the nightmare curse to anyone he came into contact with. At first, it could only be transmitted to one person at a time, but as the number of victims grew, so too would its capacity to spread the curse simultaneously.
However, the Cursed Item wasn’t classified as a highly dangerous “level 1” item, because its power could be broken. If the victim managed to stay awake for a full twenty-four hours, the item’s influence—including any nightmares it had already spread—would instantly vanish. This was precisely why the old elf was determined to stay up all night. He claimed to have already endured twenty hours; if he could just hold on until dawn, this whole wretched affair would be over.
“Don’t you worry about me,” the elf said. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind. Hopefully, it’s something interesting enough to keep me awake. Oh, I’m far too old for this—pulling an all-nighter is absolute agony.”
Jenkins considered for a moment. Instead of immediately asking about the Tree Soul and the World Tree seed, he decided to recount his experience in the Mysterious Realm on the night the Children of the Mist appeared. He felt he could be completely open with the old elf, even sharing his suspicions about the identity of “Sigrid.”
As Jenkins described the tone and content of his conversation with the woman, the elf shrank back into the sofa in terror. By the time Jenkins shared his theory, the elf had his hands clasped tightly together, his head bowed and eyes shut, whispering a soft prayer.
When the elf finally opened his eyes to look at Jenkins, his expression told Jenkins everything he needed to know: the old elf truly wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
“What a profound honor.”
The old elf stammered, his voice trembling. Google seaʀᴄh novel※fire.net
“Such an incredible honor.”
“I’m sorry,” Jenkins said. “I had intended to ask when you might be able to return to your homeland. But after She gave me the gift, She was gone. I didn’t have the chance to ask.”
Jenkins said, feeling a bit sheepish. He felt like a character in a fairy tale who’d been sent on a grand quest but had forgotten the one simple question he was meant to ask.
“No, don’t give my situation a second thought. I am just an ordinary elf. Even though I am lost in this material world, my troubles are not worthy of a great being’s time. Jenkins, do you have any idea what an honor you were given? You must cherish that memory. It is an experience other elves could not even dare to imagine.”
The elf, who had been lethargic from the lack of sleep, was now in a state of sheer excitement. Jenkins suspected he couldn’t fall asleep now even if he tried.
After finishing his tale of the Mysterious Realm, Jenkins brought up the subject of the Tree Soul. The old elf was familiar with the legend of the Four King Souls, but his knowledge of the details was even less than that of the red dragon. As the elf himself had admitted, he was no scholar, just an ordinary elf, and could offer Jenkins little assistance on the matter.
When it came to the World Tree seed, however, the old elf had plenty to say. He was thrilled that Jenkins had finally managed to acquire all three parts of the seed, and he commended Jenkins’s caution when he learned that he hadn’t rashly tried to combine them.
“Of course you can’t just combine them recklessly. It’s just as that old professor you mentioned said: the World Tree seed embodies the World Tree itself. Once whole, the resulting eruption of life energy would be enough to annihilate any living creature. An overabundance of life, after all, upsets the natural balance. If you intend to join the pieces, I suggest you find either a forest teeming with immense vitality or a desolate wasteland nearly devoid of life. Either environment would help mitigate the shockwave of life energy released when the seed becomes one.”
“What about the Evergreen Forest? It’s the one...”
“I know of it. An excellent choice, indeed. Still, I must advise you: when you join the pieces, make sure no living animals are nearby. You might be able to endure the torrent of life energy, but others most certainly cannot. Another option would be to set up a proper ritual to disperse the burst of spirit, but such ceremonies are typically quite complicated. I’d recommend you seek assistance from the Church of the Sage.”
The old elf’s advice was perfectly sensible, and Jenkins nodded to show he understood. He then recounted the awakening of the Dragon Soul from the previous day, hoping they might be able to discern a pattern to how the King Souls awaken.
Unfortunately, their lengthy discussion yielded no answers, and Jenkins could only rise to leave with a sense of regret. However, remembering the malevolent spirit the elf was facing, he suggested that the old man bring out the pendant he had so unfortunately purchased.
Sure enough, the pendant emanated a black spiritual aura. But the aura didn’t just connect to the elf; it also stretched out through the window and into the distance. It took Jenkins only a moment’s thought to realize who else was entangled in the Cursed Item’s aura—the other main player in this ordeal, the malevolent spirit itself.