Game of the World Tree

The silver-haired man’s brows furrowed subtly, as if sensing something he hadn’t expected brewing on the far-off horizon.

“The seal has been loosened… Is it about to awaken anytime soon?” He muttered in a voice that carried a mellow richness, tinged with an undercurrent of vigilance and solemnity.

Then, he turned his head, gazing thoughtfully towards the distant southwest.

“Whichever the case…what is destined to come, will inevitably come.”

He sighed slightly, seemingly have made some sort of decision.

Moments later, he gracefully turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Meanwhile, the people within the vicinity seemed entirely indifferent to the silver-haired man’s departure, as if he had never existed in the first place…

Maple Leaf City.

A week had passed since the city was subjected to the Divine Wrath of God.

—Or, as locals called it, the Day of God’s Wrath.

Even now, people still remember the golden pillar that descended from the sky that fateful day, and how the cathedral of the Eternal Diocese vanished in an instant, alongside the subsequent strange phenomena that occurred in the sky not long afterward.

Such immense power that had completely befallen the city far surpassed any mortal’s mundane comprehension, and perhaps only the very gods themselves possessed any means to truly comprehend it.

Some devoted believers attributed the event to the power of the Eternal Lord and were convinced that some transgression made by the people of Maple Leaf City had somehow angered their patron deity, thereby inviting His divine punishment…

Of course, there were also many pseudo-worshippers and believers of other gods who remained skeptical about this reasoning.

After all, in just the span of six months, various anomalies like these have occurred more frequently all throughout the Empire.

Before, such events like these might have been regarded as an extraordinary occurrence, but nowadays they had become much more common and ordinary.

One factor that also somewhat made the people indifferent about such phenomena was the activities of the Despair Church in Maple Leaf City over the past few years.

Especially their preaching of the upcoming Apocalypse has left a deep shadow within people’s hearts, and many have been convinced due to the increasing occurrence of various phenomena in recent times…

Of course, the most concerning issue arose following that dreadful night, notably regarding the reaction from White Maple Castle, the residence of the lord of Maple Leaf.

As the reigning lord of the borderland, Count Otto surprisingly did not appear in public to appease the populace after the incident. Instead, he only dispatched some guards to maintain order in Maple Leaf City and cordoned off the ruins of the cathedral.

Furthermore, there was no further explanation whatsoever about the phenomena that occurred…

It wasn’t until various rumors began to spread wildly in Maple Leaf City that the White Maple Castle finally issued an official statement, providing a brief explanation for the events of that dreadful night.

In essence, the official statement declared that a secret organization within Maple Leaf City was responsible for the incident, resulting in the destruction of the cathedral and igniting a conflict among powerful beings.

This secret organization is called the Despair Church, and it is suspected of being an heretical cult that believes in an evil god.

Currently, the great Borderlord Otto von Cappadocia had secretly tracked down the lair of this cult and completely destroyed it, whilst executing its members by burning.

Shortly after the announcement was made, some White Maple Guards, under the command of the Borderlord, tied dozens of hooded figures to the square in the city center and burned them alive in front of the residents of Maple Leaf City.

Watching this public execution unfold, the entire Maple Leaf City buzzed with activity, as emotions ran high among its inhabitants.

Some cheered, some questioned its validity, some were frightened, and some finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, regardless of the citizens’ reactions, the matter regarding the Day of God’s Wrath was finally suppressed.

Although the authorities did not specify which exact powerful being was involved, the notion that it was done by a divine entity gradually spread among the residents.

Time has a way of erasing everything away.

After a few days, the residents are finally slowly recovering from the events of that dreadful night.

As a matter of fact, it would only be occasionally brought up in taverns as a topic of discussion after a few drinks.

As it stands, people are more concerned about their daily lives than such extraordinary events and so, gradually, life in Maple Leaf City is returning to normalcy.

Meanwhile, in the center of the commercial district, outside the towering headquarters of the Golden Apple Trading Company, a group of short-statured figures was gathering in front of the establishment.

One person climb up a ladder and took down the sign belonging to Golden Apple Trading Company, before replacing it with a brand new one.

From time to time, some passersby would occasionally stop out of curiosity and read the neat inscription on the new sign:

“…Amway Trading Company?”

It was then followed by whispers rippling through the crowd as many leaned in to exchange murmurs with one another.

“Amway? Is this a new company? What happened to the old Golden Apple Trading Company?”

“Didn’t you know? Golden Apple went bankrupt over a week ago! I heard they fell victim to a scam syndicate operating from the South…”

“My word… how did those southerners bankrupt Golden Apple? If I recall correctly… wasn’t Baron Baird behind that trading company?”

“Heh… Baron Baird? Haven’t you heard? Because of the bankruptcy, that nobleman has already been found dead in his own study room… Rumors say that he committed suicide…”

“Tch… how much money was the Baron scammed out of anyway? And what’s the deal with this new Amway Trading Company? I’ve never heard of it before… Wait, Amway…? It sounds really familiar—Oh! Isn’t that the company those newcomers work for, the one recently seen in taverns buying and selling goods?”

“Hah, you just remembered it? I heard this company is run by dwarves, and they have some really good stuff. Plus… they also allow us commoners to invest and share profits of their company stocks through dividends. I’ve heard some people making a lot of money within just days!”

“No way, it it true? They are offering such a good deal?”

“How could it not be? Haven’t you seen the crowd lining up at Amway’s doorstep? They’re not there to buy things, but rather they’re there to invest. It only costs 5 gold coins or items of equivalent value to join their company… and if you work hard, you can become a hundred-golden pound rich man within a year!”

“What…5 gold coins!? That’s my family’s entire income for a year! And you’re saying that my five gold coins will turn into a hundred? Isn’t this too good to be true? Aren’t they actually scamming people?”

“Hey, you just don’t get it. If you want to know what’s going on, go check it out for yourself before jumping to conclusions.”

“Anyway, let’s talk about it later. Things have been really chaotic lately… scam syndicates bankrupting many establishments, divine wrath, and whatnot, plus I even heard there’s a black dragon lurking in the Dark Mountains recently.”

“Ah… I’ve heard about it too! I heard that black dragon even captured and ate people, causing trouble in the villages near the outer edge of the border… It’s really terrifying.”

“I wonder if the Lord will organize a team to deal with it. A black dragon… just thinking about it is horrifying.”

The speaker shook his head, sighing.

Similar discussions occurred one after another among the people in the surroundings.

Behind them, a man dressed as an imperial nobleman with eye-catching red hair stood there, smiling smugly as he watched the long line forming in front of his newly established company, his face full of pride.

His companion hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and asked him in a hushed manner:

“Boss Demacia… are we really gonna do this…? Won’t we end up being chased by the entire Maple Leaf City population once again? Shouldn’t we keeping a low profile for the time being?”

Yet, the red-haired man merely chuckled and shook his head dismissively.

“What’s there to worry about? Did my business in Blackrock City fail?”

After saying that, he turned back to his companion and asked,

“Oh right, how’s the follow-up to the hidden quest going along?”

His companion nodded.

“The news has already spread to every tavern. Everyone in Maple Leaf City should know by now that a powerful black dragon has appeared near the border of the Dark Mountains!”

— 311 —

【 RUMORS 】

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