Chapter 1831: Chapter 1831

Time flew by, and Tuesday arrived. Early that morning, the Church received word of the Gear Artisans' Association's whereabouts and dispatched a team to the mining district to hunt them down.

Jenkins had arrived early at the foot of the great tree in the Evergreen Forest, his cat in tow. Alexia had come with him; among the ladies of the household, she was the only one with a valid reason to be here.

Jenkins had also wanted to invite the old elf to witness this moment, but the elf was unwilling to reveal his identity to the Church. He did, however, promise to watch from a distance. If Jenkins truly succeeded in becoming a genuine World Tree Seedling, he could finally rest easy.

The weather today was gloomy, and a cold wind wound its way even through the Evergreen Forest.

Upon entering the forest, he followed the Church's instructions, standing alone beneath the tree and gazing up at the white, inverted silhouette. Papa Oliver emerged from the woods to greet Jenkins.

“Bevanna just mentioned that she had proposed moving your baptism to today as well, but you declined.”

Mr. Grev had used the same excuse yesterday, but it was, in fact, partially true.

“How many of my past baptisms haven’t been cut short by some accident? Oh, Papa Oliver, this operation to merge the World Tree seeds is already dangerous enough. I don’t want any other surprises. Miss Bevanna even suggested holding the ability-learning ritual here at the same time, so I could acquire the ‘Blessing of the Books’ as well. I turned that down too. One thing at a time. It lessens the chance of something going wrong.”

Jenkins quickly shook his head, pulling his gaze away from the hanging figure.

“Don’t talk like that,” Papa Oliver said sternly.

“A man takes care of his own cat.”

“I’m just worried something might go wrong, that’s all.”

Jenkins shook his head again.

“I’ve been feeling uneasy lately.”

“That’s perfectly normal. Everyone is on edge right now.”

As he spoke, Sigrid also approached from the woods. She had come to witness the day’s events as promised. Although the Church of Knowledge and Books was reluctant to allow a member of another faith on-site, they had acquiesced to Jenkins’s request.

Merging the World Tree seeds required only a simple gesture, so there wasn't much preparation needed. By about nine in the morning, everyone who needed to be there had arrived, and the Church had made arrangements for both success and failure.

Jenkins had his cat and Sigrid move back from the clearing beneath the tree. The ground had already been inscribed with orderly runes to channel the immense spirit that might be released.

Everyone at the edge of the clearing watched him. Jenkins looked up at the great tree one last time, then closed his eyes. With a piece of the seed in each hand, he slowly and steadily brought them together under everyone's watchful gaze.

In the less than a year he had been in this world, Jenkins had fallen unconscious countless times. But never before had it felt as comfortable as this.

In fact, he wasn’t sure if his current state could even be called unconsciousness. He was still aware, but there was nothing before his eyes except pure white light. He couldn’t tell if the light was a figment of his imagination or a tangible presence.

It felt as if his body were soaking in warm water. His limbs were limp and weak, and his mind had no desire to command them, nor even to sense his physical state.

After lingering for a long time in this wonderfully languid state, the light began to fade. His senses returned one by one, and Jenkins realized he was lying on a patch of grass.

He opened his eyes, but his cat wasn't there, peering down at him inquisitively. Nor were there any members of the Church rushing over to check on him. He let out a soft groan and, pushing himself up from the grass, found that he was standing beneath a colossal tree.

It was not the great tree of the Evergreen Forest. This one was far more massive, its canopy so vast that its top was invisible, covering the enormous island on which he stood like a great umbrella. Dappled light and shadow streamed through its lush branches, falling upon the wind-swept grass, while strange golden motes of light danced among the branches, in the air, and across the green blades.

With the great tree as its center, the island’s grassy expanse was crisscrossed with its prominent roots. Yet they didn’t seem out of place; instead, they blended into the environment with an uncanny harmony.

Everything was utterly serene.

This was an island in a lake, but at the water's edge, a transparent screen blocked his view of the distance. He strained his eyes but could only make out a small area.

He gazed up at the giant tree.

He asked softly, but no voice answered. The wind in the distance rustled the canopy, and the dense, whispering sound of its swaying branches inexplicably put him at ease.

As if by instinct, he placed his right hand on the heavy trunk before him and used his Spiritual Communion ability to touch the tree’s consciousness.

It was an immense consciousness, utterly different from that of a god, yet just as grand. It permeated every corner of this space, almost as if it were the consciousness of the space itself.

As his mind connected with it, a green light descended from the treetop and landed before him. Then, a woman, surrounded by the strange golden motes, materialized as if sculpted from clay, becoming complete from the bottom up.

This was undoubtedly an illusion, an image constructed by the World Tree to communicate with him. She wore a light blue, billowy dress, and her abnormally long green hair was pinned with a golden gemstone. Her facial features were not distinct; she looked like people Jenkins knew—he could see traces of Hathaway, Briny, and even little Fini in her face.

Yet, on closer inspection, her face was that of a complete stranger. She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful, but she was perfectly aligned with his sense of aesthetics.

Jenkins pursed his lips, looking at her, and the woman regarded him with a tranquil expression. The pleasant breeze made him enjoy the moment. After some thought, he chose his first question.

“Are you... the World Tree?”

“You could say that.”

The woman didn’t move her lips; the voice simply appeared in Jenkins’s mind.

“Is this... the Forest of Blossoms?”

“No, this is your consciousness. All of this is merely your imagination. The world outside the material realm operates under different rules. It has its own bizarre order and terrifying natural phenomena, and it is not a place you should go to yet. Besides, did you really think the World Tree was only this large?”

Jenkins looked up at the tree, watching the golden motes drift around its branches.

“Yes, how could it be just this?”

“To form a stable world-system in the void beyond the material plane, a foundation is needed. The World Tree is the foundation of the Forest of Blossoms; you could even say it is the Forest of Blossoms. It is not something that can be seen in a single glance.”

“Then, are you also an illusion of mine?”

“No. I am the World Tree, watching you from a distant world.”

The woman walked toward Jenkins, then dissolved into motes of light that passed straight through his body before reforming behind him. Jenkins turned and followed her as she walked away from the tree and toward the lake.

“You merged the seeds of the World Tree. That power shares the same source as I, which is why I took notice of you and why we are having this conversation now.”

“So you’re here to give me a trial?” Jenkins asked, his eyes on the grass at his feet. He had just noticed the apparent lack of animals when he looked up and saw a herd of small deer grazing in the distance.

“Why would I give you a trial?” the woman asked.

“For the awakening of the World Tree Seedling.”

“No, that has already awakened. You touched the true, original spirit of the World Tree, and you yourself possess the conditions to contain this power. Therefore, you have already awakened.”

Jenkins looked at his hands and summoned the motes of his abilities. He had thought it impossible within the illusion of his mind, but the lights appeared nonetheless. The green mote in the central inner circle had quietly transformed. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Life Source → World Tree Seedling

“Was it that simple?”

“And how did you imagine it would be?”

The woman stopped, turned, and gave Jenkins a smile.

“Perhaps I would have to defeat a terrible enemy, or gather some incredibly rare materials, or solve a puzzle that has plagued people for millennia.”

The woman laughed at his answer, then turned and continued leading him toward the lake.

“In truth, you have already accomplished all those things. For you, the World Tree Seedling was only one final step away. Think about it: if a natural-born savior needed to go through such troublesome steps to awaken, how could so many people truly compete for that single title at the end of each epoch? You have already done more than enough, Jenkins.”

Jenkins said no more, instead focusing on the power welling up inside him. After summoning the motes, he could sense the flowing spirit, the bestowals, and even the two flames in his chest. The green flame, he realized, had joined the red one in a roaring blaze.

The Tree Soul had awakened as well. In that single moment when the World Tree seeds merged, it seemed a great many things had truly happened.

“Then why did you come to see me...?”

“I simply wanted to see you. After all, you are a power of the same source as I. Though many in the elven royal lines have become World Tree Seedlings since the very first epoch, in my eyes, no one has ever been as compatible with this ability as you are.”

“Are you saying my essence is that of the World Tree?”

A bushy-tailed squirrel leaped down from the canopy, scampered to Jenkins's feet, and placed a plump pinecone on the ground before hurrying away. Jenkins bent down, picked up the pinecone, and held it in his palm.