Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 315 - 298: How Did She Get Here?

"I don’t know... how many people will come tonight. If there could be 20 people, I am sure to receive the True God’s blessing, gain more power, and more sacrifices!"

The old man’s eyes flashed with a barely noticeable madness as he looked at the ever-gathering crowd below, filled with eager anticipation.

All around, it was silent.

As time passed, unfamiliar figures slowly made their way inside from the outside of the ruins.

These were just ordinary residents.

On their faces, some showed curiosity, some fear, and some fanaticism.

More and more people arrived here.

"Ten... eleven... twelve..."

The old man silently counted the growing crowd, the anticipation in his eyes growing stronger.

"Nineteen... twenty!"

Soon... the number exceeded twenty.

"Today’s quota... is enough!"

Seeing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief.

However, to his surprise, the attracted believers continued coming.

From time to time, more residents were drawn in, and there was a growing trend...

This sight made the old man both delighted and surprised.

"Thirty-nine... forty!"

Forty!

Forty people were drawn here today!

This... was far more than usual, already double the task quantity.

For a moment, the old man was very excited.

Yet... people continued entering.

Residents still arrived in twos and threes from outside.

There were those dressed as mercenaries, some appearing as small vendors, and others who seemed to be ordinary civilians.

Could there be more?

The old man widened his eyes, ecstatic.

But soon, his ecstasy turned to shock, then to confusion...

Hmm?

Did I... attract so many people today?

Seeing the hundreds of deferential figures gradually gathering below, the elder fell into contemplation.

Yet quickly, his expression turned indifferent.

No matter!

The more people drawn in, the better!

No matter why they were here, as long as they crossed the ritual, in the future... they would be his own people.

...

Beneath the ruins.

Silently, figures stood one by one.

However, upon closer observation, you could see that although they seemed quiet, their eyes darted around, subtly observing their surroundings.

Unlike the stillness of the scene, another place was quite lively.

In the players’ chat group.

"Whoa... who knew Fengye City had a place like this?"

"Is this the headquarters of the Despair Church?"

"Doesn’t look like it, more like an outpost..."

Amid the crowd, Little Xian Miao glanced around at the buildings, feeling a stir in her heart.

She pulled in Auntie Bird, who had similarly infiltrated and was standing beside her disguised as an ordinary resident, and asked softly,

"Auntie Gugu, wasn’t this place we passed by when we explored Fengye City last time?"

Auntie Bird glanced around, nodded slightly, and replied,

"Yes, it seems... it’s an old Elf Ruins, supposedly preserved by the first border count and has become a landmark."

Little Xian Miao nodded while she continued to look around.

But when she spotted an ID in the crowd, her eyes lit up:

"Hmm? Sister Feng is here too?!"

"Feng?"

Auntie Bird raised an eyebrow.

She looked up and indeed saw a plain-dressed figure quietly standing in a corner among the players.

"Really, nobody knew where she’s been all this time, hasn’t logged in for so long, and got to level 31 silently."

Little Xian Miao pouted.

"Maybe reality is keeping her busy."

Auntie Bird replied.

Feng was a player she had occasionally interacted with, a rather laid-back yet skilled player.

Laid-back because she was rarely seen doing quests, often seen idling in the Chosen City enjoying herself.

Skilled, because whenever the guild organized activities or PK events, no one could beat her.

Her level wasn’t very high, but she always kept up with the top tier; her gear wasn’t great, but her skills were sharp.

In short... everyone in the Mengmeng Committee who knew her considered her a potentially hidden expert player.

Moreover... talking with her always gave an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Though she gave off an approachable vibe, people often felt a strange sense of facing an elder.

Some guild members speculated that she must be quite old in real life, probably in her aunt age, and most likely held a high status since she carried an aura in the game.

However, she seemed quite busy in real life, not logging in very often.

But... she was taking part in a task this time?

Both were curious for a moment.

"Sister Feng, when did you get to level 31? Why take on a task today?"

In the corner, Eve, donning a player disguise, looked at Little Xian Miao’s message and raised a brow.

She replied:

"Leveled up a few days ago. Interested in the new task, so I came to take a look."

After replying, she focused on the ruins and the God of Despair’s believers on the high stage.

Upon learning that the big black dragon gnawing on Yggdrasil’s roots during the millennial god war was possibly hidden in the Fengye Territory, Eve became interested in this so-called Despair Church.

Nidhogg was truly the Ancient Black Dragon, already advanced to the Mythical Rank, also considered an Ancient God.

Or perhaps... a Dragon God!

Knowing that such an existence lingered at her doorstep made Eve somewhat uneasy.

Of course, the opponent seemed in quite poor shape; otherwise, she wouldn’t be in hiding.

And this sparked Eve’s thoughts.

An ancient god-level giant dragon, how much divine power could it have?

Eve licked her lips.

With the True Divine Artifact, the Withering Heart, her courage had grown a bit.

This time, she wanted to take a big gamble.

And after sneaking a peek at Demacia’s experience, she decided to use a disguise to come personally.

Of course, another motive was to escort the players safely.

Facing a true god, even a weakened ancient god, couldn’t be taken lightly.

Nidhogg was clearly linked to the abyss, and she seemed to grasp some life law as well.

Under such circumstances, if the players infiltrated the church while she remotely controlled, Eve worried about a possible failure...

The true god’s perception was very accurate, so... Eve decided to quietly follow this time.

There was also a hint of using players as bait to lure the opponent out, then striking at the right moment...

When the number of people at the ruins reached nearly two hundred, it stopped increasing.

Seeing the unexpectedly large crowd below the stage, the old man from the Despair Church was ecstatic.

He took a deep breath, drew a dragon-shaped symbol on his chest, and proclaimed loudly:

"In despair, hope is born! From hope, new life arises! Praise despair, praise our lord, praise the great God of Despair!"

As soon as he finished, the believers circling the ruins fervently echoed:

"In despair, hope is born! From hope, new life arises! Praise despair, praise our lord, praise the great God of Despair!"

After speaking, the old man looked at the over a hundred tense, excited, or curious figures below the stage.

He smiled faintly, displaying a somewhat sinister grin, and said:

"Welcome, everyone... to the Despair Church."

After saying this, the old man raised a cup and began chanting spells.

A chaotic and evil aura rose from the cup...

"A polluted divine artifact..."

Watching the deep cup in the old man’s hand, Eve’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then, hundreds of black figures suddenly shot out from the deep cup.

They were worms with scale armor.

They screamed, frenziedly shrieking, and rushed toward the figures standing below the stage!

————

Ugh... recently experiencing writer’s block is making me hesitant to post after finishing writing. These segments aren’t well done, very flat. Feel free to save them up or wait until I’ve finished this arc to continue reading. I’ll make adjustments as soon as possible.