Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Seed of WorldTree

Chapter 142 – Seed of WorldTree

Cassius and Isolde sat inside the bathtub, Isolde’s back leaning against his chest, both the bathroom door and the bedroom door closed.

They were clothed — with Cassius openly wishing they were not, and Isolde secretly wishing the same — wanting a place where no disturbance from the Hood would be felt during the Origin Store.

Despite the slightly intimate position and atmosphere, Cassius’s mind was entirely fixed on the golden panel in front of him, announcing the opening of Saturday’s Origin Store.

Just like every Saturday, he was exceedingly excited, barely able to keep his face from splitting into a wide smile.

That day, however, he was more excited than usual. He prayed for items that could greatly benefit him or those closest to him.

It didn’t entirely matter which, though he admitted, selfishly, that he wanted something to increase his own strength first.

The Academy Entrance was looming.

Not that he wasn’t confident about his chances of claiming the Palatine spot, but he wouldn’t dare to say he was certain of it either.

So he hoped for something good. And somehow, Cassius felt sure he would receive something worthy of elevating his strength.

That confidence came, first and foremost, from the sheer volume of OP he had accumulated.

It was staggering.

Before, he had held a reserve of 35,700 OP. After completing his Quest the week prior, he had gained 8,000,000 VP — which converted to 80,000 OP — bringing his total to 115,700 OP.

And it was not over.

Thanks to his actions sending ripples through the relationships between the Chosen Ones, Cassius had also received two x2 Boost Tickets and one Fated Ticket.

The two x2 Boost Tickets were self-explanatory. Using them, Cassius had raised his OP total to a mind-blowing 462,800 OP.

The highest amount he had ever collected.

The Last Born was practically trembling with delight, his mouth slightly open. Isolde watched her husband with concerned eyes.

She had never seen him like this. It made her regret, briefly, that she was unable to see the Fated Quest panels herself. She was certain they would have been more entertaining than anything she could imagine.

Only Cassius and Ananke could see them, and for obvious reasons.

After managing to pull himself back from the sheer euphoria of his coin count, Cassius turned his attention to the Fated Ticket.

Its function was straightforward.

Similar to the Lucky Lucky Lucky Ticket, but more precise and direct. With the Fated Ticket, one of the three items presented in the Origin Store would be — without question — an item fated specifically for him.

Only him. Cassius Desdemona.

This was the second reason he was deeply excited today. All he hoped was that he had enough Coins to purchase it. If not — it would be entirely useless, and Cassius did not trust himself to remain calm in that scenario.

He would crash out. Badly.

So he drew a breath, sent a quiet prayer to the Queen — who received it with warmth — summoned the Fated Ticket, and used it.

At that exact moment, the Origin Store opened officially, presenting today’s three Saturday items.

Cassius held his breath and looked at them, gripping Isolde’s hand tightly.

"I don’t understand why you are this stressed about it." She said, amused, then realised her husband was no longer hearing her, his eyes and mind completely absorbed by whatever panel floated before him.

[Here are the three items of today’s Saturday Origin Store.]

[1 — Zeus’s Underwear (Special Item): The story behind this underwear is a funny one, though a long one. We have no time to elaborate. However, you ought to know at least this: it was stolen by a rather interesting ordinary woman and discovered by Hera, Goddess of Women.

That woman was tortured a countless number of times...and some gods still whisper that she is being tortured to this day.

What does that have to do with the underwear, you ask? Simple. Anyone who holds it — god, mortal, or otherwise — will be sensed by Hera herself. And you may not wish to become another of her divine victims. However, the greater the danger, the greater the opportunity. Choose at your own risk. (100,000 OP)]

[2 — Seed of a World Tree (Tier 3): A seed plucked from one of the leaves of the Primordial Yggdrasil. A Seed capable of growing into a unique realm bound to its master by blood, soul and existence itself.

The Seed will grow as long as you feed it something. Be careful of what you choose to feed it, for that will shape what the realm becomes. (250,000 OP)

Fated.]

[3 — Cristo Steel (1 Tonne) (Tier 5): A steel found only in the depths of the Sparrow Sea, just before the Great Divider separating it from the Drought Sea.

An extraordinary and rare material with the innate ability to nullify Essence itself. (55,000 OP)]

[Frozen Item: Honorary Prayer of the Mother Demoness of Pestilence (300,000 OP)]

[What catches your fancy? And more importantly, what can your pocket actually afford?]

Looking at them, Cassius was pleasantly surprised, his face breaking into a wide smile.

Setting aside the first item — Zeus’s Underwear, which earned a deeply puzzled glance — the other two were precisely what he needed.

’A Seed of a World Tree.’ Cassius mused. ’This is truly extraordinary.’

He knew this item well.

In the First Game, Emrys had also managed to obtain a Seed of a World Tree through the Origin Store at some point, and to say he had become more formidable because of it would be a serious understatement.

The Chosen One had fed his Seed with the lightning of the Elders of the Heavens, then added his own and that of his gods. The realm born from it was one of pure, concentrated lightning: the strongest and most destructive that had ever existed.

And the most terrifying aspect was that the lightning would grow stronger with time. Once a realm was created, it no longer needed continuous feeding. Though it was always possible to do so deliberately if one wanted to guide its evolution.

The point was that with a realm linked to him, Emrys had been able to train with extraordinary efficiency. And later, when his proficiency reached a level beyond belief, he could unleash the realm upon the world itself.

Those moments had felt like the end of time — lightning crashing down from the heavens with such intensity the earth itself seemed to crack and split.

With that power, Emrys had been able to go blow for blow against the Desdemona, and defeat them, with his family and Chosen Ones at his side.

That dangerous.

All of that to say, the Seed of a World Tree was such an overwhelming source of power that Cassius, in his intense happiness, grabbed Isolde’s face and kissed her with overflowing joy and passion.

"You—!"

Isolde barely had time to react before she was pulled into something entirely different. After a couple of seconds, Cassius moved to stop.

But Isolde would be damned.

She held his head firmly and kissed him harder and with more fervour, engaging properly and stopping only when she was thoroughly satisfied.

She licked her lips. "Next time you kiss me without warning, it won’t end this simply."

"Don’t threaten me with good times, darling."

"That’s entirely the point."

"You horny little girl."

"I am older than you, bastard."

"You horny old lady."

"..."

Isolde stared at him with an utterly blank expression. Cassius winked at her playfully before pulling her into a brief hug and turning his attention back to the Origin Store.

"Give me a moment to finish this. Today’s items are almost making me hard."

"You already are."

"I wonder why."

They both smiled knowingly, before Cassius finally refocused.

’The Seed of a World Tree is a given. I will take it. The Cristo Steel is equally obvious — it is perfect to sell. The only question is: what should I feed the Seed so that the realm it grows into serves me best?’

It was an extremely crucial decision. It would determine the very nature and usefulness of the realm.

Cassius admitted, however, that he had no clear answer.

Because if he went purely by desire, it was simple: a realm of blood. Just as Emrys had done with lightning, a blood realm would increase his strength by leaps and bounds.

But it might not be what he truly needed.

’Do you have any thoughts, Queen?’ He asked inwardly, hoping his Goddess of Fate would point him toward the best possible path.

[There are many options available to you, Cassius.] Ananke said immediately. [But there is one that would suit you best, I believe. It is also the most difficult to gather, and the most dangerous to keep controlled.]

Cassius felt the weight behind her words. ’Which is?’

Ananke didn’t answer immediately.

She took her time, weighing whether it was wise to share it with her Beloved Blessed. But seeing the greater benefit of it, she parted her divine lips once more.

[Memories.]

’...What?’

[Feed the Seed with memories, Cassius. That is surely the Path.]

—End of Chapter 142—