Game of the World Tree-Chapter 533

【 CHANGES IN THE DEMIREALM OF OUROS 】

Demirealm of Ouros – City of Seigües

The temple bell rang solemnly, its echo drifting across the square and startling a flock of white doves into flight.

Priests and devotees bustled about, decorating the grand altar and drawing crowds of curious onlookers.

A bard sat by the fountain in the square, playing a gentle, lilting tune on his accordion while surrounded by a cluster of children. As he played, he sang of the ancient legends of the gods.

Every now and then, one could see preachers bearing the symbol of the Scepter of Life walking along the streets, spreading the glory of the True Goddess to any passersby.

Laughter and prayers echoed faintly in the distance, blending with the temple bells and the near-inaudible sacred chants, the sounds traveling far and wide.

Dressed in the robes of a Life Priest, Taylor Rocksand stood in the city square, gazing out at the bustling crowds with a faint smile on his face.

Some passersby occasionally noticed him and greeted him warmly, offering respectful bows:

“Good morning, Sir Priest!”

“Sir Taylor, May the Goddess’ blessings shine upon you!”

“May the Goddess be with you!”

Taylor responded kindly with a nod:

“Good morning. May the Goddess be with us all.”

His eyes lingered on the joyful, radiant smiles of the surrounding peopleas his expression softened.

“…How wonderful,”

Taylor murmured to himself.

How many years had it been since he last saw such lively, joyous scenes in his hometown?

In his memory, although the city of Seigües had always been the most prosperous place in their demirealm, it had always been shrouded in oppressive gloom whilst under the rule of the Church of Creation…

Back then, people moved quickly, their faces blank and hollow, like puppets.

Everything changed only when the divine beings descended once again—when the Goddess’s light finally shone upon this land.

No… he could no longer call them divine beings.

They were elves.

It was the elves who had defeated the corrupted Church of Creation, who had brought the people the true faith—and, along with it, their long-lost freedom.

A smile tugged at Taylor’s lips as he glanced down at the fountain’s rippling waters.

There, in the shifting surface, he saw his own reflection.

Pointed ears.

Youthful, handsome features.

“I’ve become an elf, too,” he whispered with quiet pride.

Here in Ouros, the elves held a revered status.

Therefore, to be acknowledged by the Goddess and have his bloodline purified—this was Taylor’s greatest pride.

Of course, just as precious to him was the life priest’s robe he currently wore, embroidered with intricate floral patterns.

Lifting his gaze, Taylor looked up at the sky.

Cracks still marred the skies above, jagged lines crisscrossing like scars. Yet they no longer spread like lightning, as they had before.

Taylor knew it was the result of the Goddess’s power protecting this world that had slowed its demise.

Thus, to the Ouros demi-realm, the appearance of the Goddess was a timely salvation.

With reverence in his eyes, Taylor once again traced the symbol of the Scepter of Life over his chest:

“Praise be to life. Praise be to nature. Praise be to the great Goddess Eve!”

And with that, he made his way toward the main temple of the city.

As he neared the temple, the number of worshippers gradually increased. He occasionally passed others dressed in priestly robes.

Some, like Taylor, were devout followers who had passed the Goddess’s trials. Others were elves from the higher realm—the true realm of Seigües.

Taylor greeted each of them as he walked by and eventually stepped into the temple.

After several months of renovation and expansion, this central temple had become even more magnificent and solemn.

Inside, the number of elves increased noticeably.

But they were not the only ones.

Scattered among them were curious figures clad in elaborate gear—bizarre in appearance and distinct in design.

Some stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the sky. Others gathered in small groups, laughing boisterously as they pointed toward the heavens, completely different from the serene and composed elves around them.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the main hall of the temple and there were no strict silence requirements here.

Otherwise…complaints would have poured in long ago.

However, Taylor was no longer surprised by their behavior.

He had been puzzled the first time he saw them. These beings looked nothing like the depictions of the divine beings in their ancient texts.

But once he learned of their origins, he understood that these weird elves weren’t the same as those traditional elves in the true sense.

Like Taylor himself, they too had once been humans.

The difference was that unlike him, they didn’t possess elven blood at all. Instead, they had been directly chosen by the Goddess and summoned from distant worlds to descend upon their universe.

They were called Chosen Ones, and they possessed a mysterious power to resurrect after death.

Although, they preferred to call themselves as ‘players.’

It was these unruly, carefree Chosen Ones who had descended into the demirealm of Ouros and ultimately saved its inhabitants.

In fact, the number of Chosen Ones present in the temple now was already quite small.

Just a few months ago, they were practically everywhere, roaming through nearly every corridor of the temple.

Only recently had their numbers dropped so sharply.

But Taylor knew why since he learned that they had received a divine mandate from the Goddess recently:

That is, to launch a holy crusade against the orcs whose threatening the elves in the higher realm.

Those who remained behind were among the weaker of the Chosen Ones.

Lacking the strength and experience to participate in the holy war, these Chosen Ones had no choice but to stay here.

Their seemingly blank stares and vacant gazes into thin air weren’t as mindless as they appeared.

Having interacted with them many times, Taylor knew they possessed a power that ordinary elves did not.

The Chosen Ones called it the ‘system.’

This system was invisible to others and could only be used by them.

Through it, they could communicate with any distant allies across space, speak in strange alternate dimensions, and even, with certain actions, see through their companions’ perspectives.

Most likely, these Chosen Ones were currently watching their allies’ battles remotely.

It was a power Taylor greatly envied.

Of course, the system wasn’t exclusive to the Chosen Ones.

All devout followers of the Goddess possessed it as well.

Taylor was no exception.

However, their version of the system was only has a task-specific features, one used to issue tasks or quests specifically for the Chosen Ones.

In fact, it was thanks to such tasks issued by traditional elves that these Chosen Ones had come here to Ouros demirealm in the first place.

Otherwise, most of them would likely be in the Chosen City in the upper realm or exploring the Demon Lord Labyrinth in the underground.

After exchanging brief greetings with a few people, Taylor made his way into the temple’s main hall.

There, the holy statue of the Goddess was enshrined—radiant and divine, evoking both reverence and awe.

Taylor bowed respectfully before the statue of the Goddess, offering a silent prayer in his heart. Then he turned and headed for the side chamber of the temple.

Straightening his robes, he gave the door a gentle knock.

“Come in,” came a warm, mellow voice from within.

Taylor took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

This side chamber served as the local office of the Church of Life’s branch in the realm of Seigües. It resembled a noble’s study, elegantly decorated in refined elven style—graceful in its detail and noble in its simplicity.

At the center of the room stood a desk, behind which sat a male elf reviewing some documents.

He was the envoy sent by the Church of Life to oversee the final preparations for the upcoming grand ceremony in the Ouros demirealm.

His beauty was almost otherworldly, an elegant, ethereal allure. Long, silver hair flowed over his shoulders, and his striking sapphire-blue eyes gleamed like gemstones.

Both hair and eye color were rare traits, symbols of royal lineage among the elves—marks of extremely high status.

Flanking him on either side were two identical elven girls, handing him documents. Their youthful appearances suggested they were likely assistants or attendants.

Seeing the silver-haired elf, Taylor gave a slight bow and reported:

“Lord Thranduil, the preparations for the demirealm’s ceremony are complete.”