Chapter 1832: Chapter 1832

Jenkins stopped in his tracks, venturing his theory. The woman turned and shook her head, beckoning him to follow.

"Your essence is not the World Tree, of course. Nor is it life."

"Even further from the truth."

"Then what is my essence?"

"That is something you must discover for yourself. Perhaps someone has told you before: your essence is your original form."

The two resumed their walk toward the lake, Jenkins pondering the meaning of "original." The most inexplicable power he had gained since arriving in this world was his Eye of Reality. It allowed him to perceive spiritual auras and had been his greatest asset, the very thing that had brought him this far.

"Could my essence be... truth? Am I actually the 'God of Lies and Truth'?"

He mused, yet he also considered that fate could be his essence. After all, his body's soul trait ability corresponded to life, while his soul's corresponded to destiny. This would certainly fit the narrative of an outsider stirring the currents of this world's fate.

Jenkins nodded, asking no more on the matter. He thought about how, with the World Tree Seedling now truly his, only the Yellow Spell ability Uncrowned King and his unknown Purple Destiny ability remained in contention. Time was growing desperately short.

"Do you have any other questions, Jenkins?"

the woman walking ahead of him inquired.

"I have so many more questions, but I feel I'm about to awaken. So, I will ask just one. I want to know, why are there no legends of a creator god in this world? The World Tree was born in the very first epoch; surely you must have an answer to this?"

"I am surprised you chose this question. It touches upon the very truth of this world. I cannot tell you now. When you have successfully completed your mission, I will give you the answer. Ask something else, Jenkins."

"Very well. Do you know who I am?"

he asked instead. Official source ıs novel⸺fire.net

"Of course. You are the outsider."

Jenkins wasn't surprised. In fact, both the master of death and the master of life had shown they were aware of his identity. What he truly wanted to ask was:

"Then from the dawn of this world to the present day, have I been the only outsider?"

He was still puzzled by the legend he had heard yesterday, still suspicious of the true identity of the God of Nobility and Order.

"You are the sole outsider. There is no need to doubt it; this is something that could absolutely never happen a second time. Your arrival was like a meteor streaking across the night sky, never to linger. For this world to witness such an event once is more than enough."

Ahead lay the shallows where the island met the lake's edge. The woman stopped there, and Jenkins moved to her side. He looked down, and in the water's reflection, he saw the face of Jenkins—a young man with black hair and black eyes.

He gazed at his reflection for a long moment, then offered it a smile.

"I believe I am about to awaken now. Thank you for answering my questions."

"It is nothing, Jenkins. Continue on your journey, and your doubts will surely find their answers. I also heard what you said in that Mysterious Realm. I find it a pity that you cannot abandon your essence to choose the path of nature. In my eyes, you are qualified to walk a path unlike any other."

"As for the path of nature... I think I'll pass. Plenty of people have walked that road before. Besides, we haven't reached the final moment yet, so anything could still happen... But tell me, now that I have become the World Tree Seedling, is there any tangible connection between me and you, the World Tree?"

Jenkins asked as a final question.

"There is no connection. We are both World Trees. I am simply older than you."

With that, she gave him a gentle push, and Jenkins toppled onto the shallows. But he didn't touch solid ground; instead, he sank directly into the water. His perception of the world around him began to fade. Though his body sank, his consciousness ascended.

The faint sound of breathing reached his ears. Lying beneath the great tree in the Evergreen Forest, the young man's eyes fluttered open. The breathing transformed into the soft rustle of grass being gently trod upon.

As he opened his eyes, dappled light filtered down through the leaves, sprinkling across his face. The first thing that came into view was a cat, poking its head out curiously from beneath the canopy.

"Hello there, Chocolate."

He would only learn later what had happened. When the seed had closed, the eruption of life spirit had almost instantly shattered the ritual array the Church had set up in the clearing. A shockwave of pure life, with the Evergreen Forest at its epicenter, had swept across the entire western coast of the continent.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the harvests from the farmlands, pastures, and fisheries near Nolan that year were exceptionally bountiful.

The emerald radiance of that moment was so blinding that people could barely open their eyes. Wild grass grew with abandon, quickly swallowing Jenkins where he lay. The great tree in the Evergreen Forest resonated with its surroundings, and the entire forest began to expand. It swelled outwards, not only consuming the entire valley but also spreading across the surrounding grasslands and low hills.

A pillar of green light rose from the base of the tree, seeming to connect heaven and earth. Within that celestial glow, a phantom of the great tree materialized in the sky—an image identical to the one Jenkins had seen when he swallowed the seed at the manor.

Though the phantom itself was not exceptionally tall, from every corner of the material world, anyone who looked toward Nolan could see the spectacle, like a distant mirage.

The clouds and mist above the forest were completely driven away. A colossal wave of life spirit washed over everyone within the forest's bounds, feeling as intense as a scorching sun, yet surprisingly, it caused no one any harm.

The entire event lasted for twenty minutes before gradually subsiding. Throughout that time, no one could perceive what was happening at the heart of that maddening torrent of spirit.

As the radiance converged inward, the wild grasses, which had grown like frenzied tentacles, returned to their normal state. The phantom faded little by little, and the immense life spirit merged seamlessly into the world.

When all fell silent, only Jenkins remained, lying flat on his back on the grass beneath the tree, his eyes closed. The canopy, now lush and overgrown from the explosion of life, cast a dappled shade everywhere—except for one perfect clearing directly above Jenkins, bathing him in a solitary beam of sunlight.

The onlookers hesitated, unsure if they should wake the young man in the light. Only Chocolate felt no such uncertainty. The cat was the first to rush to Jenkins's side, and at its arrival, he stirred and awoke.

Miss Bevanna approached, her voice tinged with anxiety. Behind her, the others watched with hopeful eyes as the young man pushed himself into a sitting position. Sigrid, however, moved past Bevanna to support Jenkins, and only then did he realize his limbs felt weak, as if he had soaked in a hot bath for far too long, his body relaxed to the point of lethargy.