Game of the World Tree-Chapter 708

【 PREPARATIONS 】

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“Estelle is a very strong girl. Her smile is lovely. Although she lost her parents at a very young age, and her body has been tainted by abyssal corruption since the moment she was born, this elven girl has never once bowed her head to fate.”

“She told me that if she were able to meet the Goddess, she would pray to her and ask that three of her wishes be granted.”

“I asked her what those three wishes were and Estelle told me that the first was for all the departed members of her clan to find peace of mind. The second was to have a face that was free of mutation. The third was to be able to see shining stars in the sky every single day.”

“I told her that once we returned to their homeland, the Goddess would surely heal their mutation, and that in the Elven Forest, the sky was filled with countless stars every night, along with a magnificent and brilliant sea of starlight.”

“She looked deeply moved, her eyes filled with pure longing and anticipation after hearing it…”

“I think… Liya and Leia will definitely become good friends with her. The last time I saw them in Chosen City, they were still complaining that ever since their brother Aél became a high-ranking priest, he had grown increasingly busy and had no time to accompany them at all…”

“However, when the time comes, I must remind Estelle not to be fooled by those two little rascals. They have learned quite a lot of strange things from that black-bellied punk, Thranduil after all.”

“…”

“Gando is an old priest who appears really strict but is actually quite talkative once you get to know him. However… do not be deceived by his age. His true age is actually younger than Alice’s.”

“Still, if you speak with him, you will find that he is far more mature and steady than elves of the same age in Seigües.”

“Perhaps… this is the kind of maturity brought about by experiencing suffering on a constant basis…”

“Oh yeah, Elder Gando greatly enjoys the elven flower tea I brought him. Every time he drinks it, he shows a dreamlike expression of enjoyment.”

“What he loves most is when we settle down to rest. He will sit on the ground, gazing at the lightning in the sky, listening to the clan members play their melodies, gently swaying his head as he savors the flower tea.”

“I told him about the Elven Forest. He said that once we return, he intends to open a small tea shop in Mirovia. Every day, he would greet the morning sun, collect dew and floral nectar, brew the most delicious elven flower tea, and invite everyone to come and taste it.”

“I laughed and told him that when that day comes, I will definitely be his first customer.”

“…”

“Lady Aurora is a very gentle person. Ever since we set out, she has been watching over the entire clan.”

“She is the Guardian of the Azurefrost Clan, honored as the ‘Star of Dawn’, and is by nature one of the eight Demigod retainer of the Goddess.”

“All the elves in the procession deeply respect her. In fact, if she had not been silently guarding the clan all this time, the Frost Elves might have already perished in this dark world…”

“Lady Aurora does not speak much. But whenever we take a rest, I always see her standing alone on a hillside, quietly gazing into the distance.”

“I think I know what she is looking at. She is looking toward the Cliff of Sorrow, toward the direction of their first city…”

“She is very gentle, truly very gentle. Every time she sees that fewer and fewer clan members return from scouting, her gaze carries a faint trace of sorrow…”

“I can feel it. That is her deep self-blame.”

“This journey is very long. Although hope lies ahead, many elderly elves who are severely mutated have already been unable to wait for that moment.”

“They… are destined to fall in the darkness before dawn.”

“Although Lady Aurora does not speak of it, she must be deeply sorrowful at heart…”

“Though she is a demigod, her heart is soft and tender.”

“…”

“On the seventh day after our departure, we encountered a Black Tide. It was my first time experiencing such a terrifying sight up close. That endless ocean of demons really made my scalp tingle…”

“But that was not the most distressing part. What hurt the most was seeing the figures of corrupted elves within the Black Tide. I even saw some of the elderly elves who had once been responsible for scouting. In the end, they still failed to escape the corruption of the abyss…”

“Fortunately, I possess the Goddess’s divine favor and can wield the power of faith. With the use of the holy barrier, although it was difficult… we ultimately endured.”

“I am very happy to be able to do something for everyone.”

“I know that this is precisely the mission for which I accepted this task, and the responsibility that I bear.”

“…”

“It has been a month. I do not even know how long we have traveled, but… it must have been very, very far.”

“We encountered the Black Tide two more times. However, with the cooperation between Lady Aurora and myself, we passed through both encounters without serious danger.”

“Honestly by this point, I am starting to forget whether I am a player, or an elf saving his people.”

“Still, every night, sitting by the campfire outside the tent, watching the lightning flash and dark clouds churn in the night sky, I feel that it might not be so bad if I truly were an elf within this game…”

“The Frost Elves are talented in many ways. I have learned many new songs and have recorded quite a few new elven melodies. Every one of them sounds wonderful. I think they are far better than the increasingly boring and shallow pop songs found online.”

“The songs of the Frost Elves are always sorrowful yet resilient, filled with strength.”

“Hahaha, I think that now, even without the help of the system’s translation feature, I can understand the elven language. You know, back in my freshman year, I failed my English course outright, yet to think that I could reach this point now is truly impressive.”

“I plan to hold a bonfire celebration tomorrow. Everyone in the clan could sing together and dance together, to celebrate one month since the beginning of our journey.”

“Everyone is too exhausted right now and I think we need to relax a little.”

“…”

“A month and a half has passed…”

“Today, once again, most members of the scouting party did not return. Lady Aurora’s mood is clearly somewhat dejected.”

“We have been traveling for far too long. Without the protection of the isolation arrays, even with the holy barrier, those elves who are severely mutated find it very difficult to persist…”

“I asked Elder Gando how many people remain in the group but after remaining silent for a moment, in the end, he did not tell me.”

“However, when I activated the holy barrier, I paid special attention. I fear that more than twenty thousand elves have already been left behind on this road forever…”

“They were… mostly elderly elves.”

“I do not know whether this number should be considered good or bad, but my heart truly feels heavy after knowing it…”

“Through Gando, I came to know many of these elderly elves. But almost every day, familiar figures vanish…”

“I regret it a little. I should not have gotten to know them. If I had not, then our partings wouldn’t feel so bitter.”

“…Damn it, I feel like crying again.”

“Sometimes I wonder, could we not let those elderly elves remain in the cities and wait for us? Then, when the Goddess descends, we could bring them back.”

“But Lady Aurora told me that this was likely impossible.”

“As the Goddess has said, this world is not safe. In fact, during our migration, Lady Aurora sensed several powerful presences in the vicinity. Fortunately, they were most likely slumbering, and we managed to pass by cautiously without disturbing any of them.”

“If the Goddess’s power were to descend, it is likely that all the terrifying existences across this entire world would awaken…”

“Therefore, we only have one chance.”

“…”

“Two months have passed…”

“Some of the young and middle-aged elves have voluntarily stepped forward to join the reconnaissance teams.”

“Elder Gando wanted to enlist, but just like last time, he was rejected by Lady Aurora once again.”

“The casualty rate among the scouting teams has continued to rise. Lady Aurora said this is because we are moving deeper into the center of this world. The farther we advance, the more demons we are destined to encounter.”

“Of course, the Black Tide is also growing stronger. I can feel that it intensifies with every occurrence.”

“However, there is good news. Lady Aurora said that in at most three more days, we will reach the Cliff of Sorrow. This journey will then finally come to an end.”

“I am a little happy.”

“The frost elves’ overall condition is still good. Although they are exhausted, everyone remains full of fighting spirit. I truly admire them…”

“I do not know how they could endure such thing.”

“By comparison, I feel as though I am about to collapse…”

“Now, I only hope that we do not encounter another Black Tide ever again.”

“Fortunately, Lady Aurora observed the clouds in the sky and judged that the next few days should be relatively stable.”

“Our victory is almost at hand, my friends. Just patiently await for our arrival okay?”

“…”

After slowly finishing reading Cypher’s long post, Little Salty Cat let out a long breath.

Inside the luxurious private room, the atmosphere fell into a brief silence.

This was the Chosen City, the finest hotel in the central district, and also one of the properties of the Moe Moe Committee.

After closing the forum, Little Salty Cat let out a soft sigh and said:

“I thought that if I did not watch the video, I might not be so moved. I never expected that Cypher could make even written posts so emotionally stirring…”

“Perhaps… only someone who has truly experienced it could write a story this genuine.”

“Really, the longer I stay in this game, the more I feel that my tear threshold has gotten lower.”

As she spoke, she sniffed lightly and picked up the elven flower tea.

However, just as she was about to bring it to her lips, the words she had just read, along with the accompanying screenshots, surfaced again in her mind.

It was an image of an elderly elf with an unsightly appearance, wearing a look of pure happiness as he savored drinking elven flower tea.

Little Salty Cat sighed, then slowly set the tea back down.

An inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.

After staring off for a moment, she turned her gaze to the other side of the seating area, where HootyBird had been writing and sketching in a notebook the entire time.

“Sister Bird, how is it? How are the calculations coming along?”

HootyBird set down her paper and pen, adjusted the glasses on her nose, and said:

“It’s more or less done. If we cooperate with several other major guilds, we should be able to resolve the living supplies needed after the Frost Elves return.”

“However, securing supplies are only one aspect of it. The more important thing right now is ensuring that after the Frost Elves return, they can quickly integrate into the current ecology of the Elven Forest. That is also the task entrusted to us by the Church of Life.”

Little Salty Cat nodded.

“I will discuss this with Brother Mu. But in the end, it also really depends on the wishes of the Frost Elves themselves. For now, I will first gather a few guild leaders and hold a private meeting with them concerning this.”

“The welcoming arrangements for the Azurefrost Clan… must be done properly.”

“Of course.”

HootyBird pushed up her glasses in agreement.

“However, welcoming them is one thing. There is also the matter of guiding them. The post was published on earth two hours ago. By now… Cypher’s migration group should be close to reaching the Cliff of Sorrow, right?”

Little Salty Cat glanced at the system time.

After that, she scratched her head, her face full of longing.

“Ahhh… I am so jealous of twenty-times thought acceleration speed. Doing homework at that speed would be really convenient, isn’t it?”

“Heh, does it really matter? Even with twenty-times speed, you would probably still procrastinate until the last moment.”

Little Salty Cat: “…”

“W-Well… let us not talk about that. We should also start preparing. The task will probably begin soon.”

Little Salty Cat cleared her throat softly, skipped over the topic, then opened her contact interface and entered Moe Moe’s chat channel. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

There, where typically only about seventy percent of the avatar-icons were lit, nearly all of them were now flashing with colorful light.

“It has been a long time since so many people were online at the same time…”

The corners of her lips curved upward slightly.

“Heh, after all… we cannot let Cypher take all the spotlight by himself.”

A cheeky voice rang out, instantly drawing Little Salty Cat’s attention.

She turned her head and saw two familiar figures.

Little Salty Cat raised an eyebrow slightly, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on her face.

“Brother Mu, you are here.”

“Mm.”

Li Mu nodded and raised a hand in greeting.

Demacia: “…”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t ignore me!”

He rushed over to Little Salty Cat’s side, protesting indignantly.

“Did you not see the sign outside this establishment? Dogs and Demacia are not allowed inside.”

Little Salty Cat tapped the table lightly.

“What the… Boss Cat, that is going too far!”

Someone exclaimed in panic.

“Then let us put it another way. Goblins and Demacia are not allowed inside.”

“Is there any difference?!”

After bantering with Demacia for a while, Little Salty Cat turned back to Li Mu.

“Brother Mu, is Heart of Nature ready on your side?”

Li Mu nodded.

“Of course. No one wants to miss this questline. I just saw Stir-Fry Tomato and Ji Gang, along with the others outside. Everyone should already be here.”

“So they are all here already…?”

Little Salty Cat let out a soft sigh.

As she spoke, she stood up and walked to the window.

She pushed it open and looked outside.

In the early summer, the Elven Forest was bathed in bright sunlight.

Brilliant rays illuminated the city, casting a sheen over buildings of many different styles.

On the streets of the city, dense crowds already stood packed together, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Even atop many buildings, tall figures crowded together.

The players were fully armed, clad in all manner of equipment, like an army on the verge of setting out.

Banners symbolizing the Church of Life, as well as the flags of various guilds, fluttered in the crowd.

In the sky above, magical beasts circled, flying endlessly around the towering World Tree.

Gazing at the grand spectacle before her, Little Salty Cat smiled slightly.

“You are right.”

“This rescue mission cannot be one where Cypher alone takes all the glory.”