Game of the World Tree

Seeing the little black dragon being hesitant, a sudden thought crossed Eve’s mind.

Without uttering any words, Evé descended her throne and moved towards Meryer, who began to visibly tense in her presence.

Evé could clearly sense that Meryer had became noticeably nervous as she approached.

This guy has already signed a contract to be my pet, so why is he still nervous?

Evé found it a bit strange.

“Get down,”

She commanded.

Hearing Eve’s words, Meryer instinctively shivered. However, after a momentary hesitation, he obediently lay down on the ground like a giant husky.

Quite obedient.

Eve nodded slightly, then reached out and placed her hand upon Meryer’s skeletal head.

Seconds later, her gentle divine power began to flow into Meryer’s body, and Evé felt the dragon stiffened after receiving it.

She eased the transmission of her divine power even more, whilst dispelling the other party’s negative emotions, and then began to tap into the little black dragon’s memories…

As her divine power surged within Meryer, a illusionary scene gradually hovered in midair on the temple akin to a visual projection…

It was a gigantic and ferocious black dragon, much larger than Meryer, and its body entirely blocked out the skies as its terrifying obsidian scales gleamed with an ominous luster.

Roaring and bellowing in wild abandon, this colossal dragon seemed to carry boundless anger and hatred within it…

Chaotic and malevolent black smoke enveloped its body as the dragon’s sharp claws tore through a thick network of roots.

“Yggdrasill!”

A faintly angry and triumphant roar reverberated through the projection as the enormous black dragon, with its mouth wide open, sank its teeth deep into the roots that’s entangling it.

At that moment, it seemed the very world itself quivered with an unbound intensity due to the clash of the two…

The visual projection ended there.

“Nidhogg…”

Eve’s voice softly echoed through the temple.

Nidhogg.

It was an ancient black dragon that participated in the

preliminary stages of the Heavenly War, tearing at the roots of the World Tree…

So, was this the vision Meryer saw when he was corrupted by that so-called Scaled Demon of Despair?

Evé pondered.

“A deity that suddenly appeared near Maple Leaf Territory in recent years, claiming to be the God of Despair. It revels in the act of plunging other beings into despair, before turning them into terrifying monsters, like that Scaled Demon…”

Suddenly, Eve recalled the words she overheard from the Oakhand leader while eavesdropping upon the players.

For a moment, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Scaled Demon of Despair…

And a deity claiming to be the God of Despair…

What’s more, it’s particularly hostile towards the Elvenkind…

Is it truly Nidhogg?

Following her revival and gaining the inheritance of the World Tree, Evé had extensively investigated about the enemies of the World Tree during the Thousand-Year Heavenly War.

Based on her findings, most of the gods who attacked her predecessor back then are now thriving in various realms in the current era.

However…only Nidhogg, the Dragon of Despair seemed to have completely vanished without a trace.

In this regard, Evé had subtly probed upon this topic in one of her correspondence with Hela.

However…according to the Goddess of Death, it seems even the gods themselves are also unclear about its whereabouts.

Nevertheless, the only clear thing is that although Nidhogg bit the roots of the World Tree and devoured almost half of her predecessor’s source of power during the Thousand-Year Heavenly War, this ancient dragon also seemed to have suffered a severe counterattack from the World Tree, sustaining heavy injuries.

But now… could this so-called God of Despair lurking within the shadows of humanity’s underbelly actually be Nidhogg itself?

In fact, this guy never left the realm of Seigües, and didn’t even stray far from the Elven Forest…so was it always lurking nearby?

From what she gleamed from the World Tree’s inheritance, this ancient dragon is quite persistent. Not only did it not change its name while hiding, but it also pretends to be a god and insists upon using the word “despair” on its honorific title.

Just how obsessed is this ancient black dragon that had a falling out with her predecessor…

Evé shook her head inwardly.

However, if this so-called God of Despair is indeed Nidhogg, then it indicates that its current condition may not be optimal.

Furthermore, if it is really Nidhogg, then why would this ancient dragon decide to hide within the confines of Maple Leaf Territory?

…Or perchance, does Maple Leaf Territory have something that attracts it?

Eve’s thoughts became more active for a moment…

Suddenly, she remembered some of the things the players had heard while exploring Maple Leaf City, specifically regarding the mysterious ruins.

“Mysterious ruins…”

Evé murmured.

Maple Leaf City was once the Elven capital.

Although the inheritance of the World Tree that Evé received was incomplete, she also knew clearly that the Elven Capital might hold artifacts of archaeological value, but there would definitely be no treasures or ruins left behind there.

Nonetheless, if there really is one then…

—It should have formed after the fall of the World Tree.

All the findings the players discovered during their exploration of the human lands were recorded in the game system by Evé.

Thinking about this, Evé began to cross-check and verify various pieces of information obtained by the players regarding the mysterious ruins.

“Hidden ruins…”

“A phenomena that only occurs on a full moon night…”

Suddenly, a thought crossed Eve’s mind.

“Could this phenomenon be happening due to a fragment of a divine artifact? specifically, the Scepter of Life?”

The Scepter of Life was one of the three true divine artifacts of her predecessor.

It also had another pleasing name – the Scepter of the Lunar Goddess.

This artifact was created by her predecessor during the Twilight Era to bring vitality and hope to the entire realm of Seigües during those dark times.

It possessed authority over the laws of life, and could even bring the dead back to life and stimulate living beings to evolve…

When it was in use, her predecessor would typically suspend it in the sky, casting its illumination over the entire world of Seigües.

The scepter’s shape closely resembled a crescent moon, and coupled with the artifact’s radiant light, ground-dwelling creatures gradually mistook it for the very moon itself…

Thus, it gained the title the Scepter of the Lunar Goddess.

Of course, according to what Hela had said, this divine artifact sadly had already been shattered during the heavenly war.

But now…

Could it be that there are some fragments of the Scepter of Life hidden within Maple Leaf City?

After connecting all the information together, Evé eventually came up with this guess.

“It appears… I should direct my attention towards Maple Leaf City. If it is truly Nidhogg, and there happen to be fragments of the Scepter of Life there too, then it presents an opportunity for me as well!”

Evé began to formulate plans within her mind.

“From Selena’s description, it seems that the other party has set it sights on Oakhand Resistance. Perhaps I can start from this aspect.”

“Well… maybe I can also send a few players back alongside the elves from Oakhand. They would probably enjoy doing some espionage questline, right?”

Evé thought with a slight mischievous smirk.

After a brief consideration, she came up with a new hidden questline.

Of course, the computational ability of a true god far exceeds what an ordinary person could imagine as all these thoughts were just a momentary occurrence for Evé.

After making up her mind, Evé looked back at Meryer.

However, while Meryer’s response to the projection was indeed surprising, his subsequent behavior showed some peculiarities to it as well…

Moreover,

Why did Meryer even see this scene when he encountered the Scaled Demon in the first place?

Evé glanced once more at the little black dragon, and found him filled with fear as he lay down on the ground, cowering in trepidation.

At the same time…

His eyes also carried a hint of confusion and apprehension.

Hmm?

Eve’s mind moved slightly.

“Meryer.”

She tried to make her voice as gentle as possible.

“What… are you afraid of?”

Hearing her words, Meryer’s body trembled slightly.

After hesitating for a moment, the little black dragon muttered:

“Your Divine Majesty…I… Meryer might not be a righteous silver dragon after all…”

Eve: “…”

You’re just noticing this now!?

“Meryer… f-felt an inexplicable closeness to the guy in that projection…”

“E-Even though, Meryer knows that the aura it exudes is so evil…”

“I… who exactly am I? Is Meryer really an evil black dragon?”

The little black dragon was at a loss.

— 291 —

【 NIDHOGG 】

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