Volume 8, Chapter 15 – The Base of the World Tree

The night had grown deep.

Fia’s bedroom was utterly silent. Even straining one’s ears, one could only catch the faint sound of a single person’s breathing.

Yet three people were in the room.

On the spacious bed, from left to right, lay Anastasia, Fia, and Yulisha. It was worth noting that Fia didn’t have the nerve to be affectionate with Anastasia in front of Yulisha. Both Fia and Anastasia wore rather conservative white nightgowns. And because it was summer, the distance Anastasia kept from Fia was even greater than that between Fia and Yulisha.

Of course, this didn’t mean their feelings had cooled. It was simply embarrassment—after all, who could be affectionate with their girlfriend right in front of their mother? Moreover, since the First Princess had been unwilling to sleep with her mother from as far back as she could remember, this was Yulisha’s first time sleeping with Fia since those early years. So Yulisha was quite enthusiastic. Until she completely fell asleep, she held Fia around the waist with both arms like a body pillow. The warmth of her hands on Fia’s chest made Fia quite awkward, unable to get close to Anastasia at all.

But now Yulisha was fully asleep, even the hands around Fia’s slender waist had gone limp. Fia lay still for a moment, ears perked, listening to her breathing. Sensing Yulisha was fast asleep, she quietly turned her head to confirm.

Eyes not opening to check on me. She’s asleep.

Fia breathed a sigh of relief.

It was now eleven at night, one hour until midnight. Still on time.

Thinking this, Fia took many clothes from her storage magic and used [Spatial Hand] to twist them into a shape in mid-air. Then, with lightning speed, she slipped out from under her mother’s arm and placed the clothing dummy in the spot where she had been sleeping.

Though Yulisha would notice she was gone the moment she opened her eyes, as long as she returned quickly, she wouldn’t be caught.

Her body moved as her mind planned. Fia quickly took off her nightgown and changed into an unworn emerald green dress. The lush green color matched Fia’s stereotype of elves well. But since she wasn’t a blonde elf, Fia hadn’t chosen to wear emerald green before. Changing into it now was pure whim.

If she added fine-quality, delicate white silk stockings to her shapely legs, she’d be even prettier.

Too bad there’s no time for such dressing up now.

Standing before the mirror, Fia, having made almost no sound, produced a teleportation item in her hand. Today was the day agreed with the Antler Chaos—the day to go to the Base of the World Tree.

However, just as Fia was about to act, a hand suddenly and gently touched her shoulder.

“Eep?”

Startled, Fia’s whole body trembled. Her neck creaked like a rusty machine that hadn’t been oiled in ages as she slowly turned. What came into view was a face backlit, hidden in the shadows of the moonlight.

A beautiful face, full of feminine softness.

Not Yulisha, as she had imagined, but Anastasia.

Fia immediately sighed with relief. Not daring to be too loud, she nervously glanced at Yulisha, still hugging the dummy on the bed, and whispered.

“You’re awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep…” Anastasia blushed, whispering back. “Can’t you sleep either, Your Highness?”

“I’m going out for a bit. Shh, keep your voice down. Don’t let Mother hear.”

Yulisha was very kind to her, but one mustn’t forget she was General Greyan’s adopted daughter. Before becoming a princess consort, she was renowned for her decisive, vigorous and resolute personality. Fia had never seen Yulisha angry with a stern face, but she had absolutely no desire to see her mother furious.

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Anastasia gave the expected answer, her azure eyes filled with determination.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Hmm.”

Fia thought it over. She didn’t fully trust the Antler Chaos. Taking Anastasia to their stronghold might put her in danger. Recalling that the Antler Chaos who had attacked Anastasia before was from this same tribe called “Eye,” and that they possessed magic capable of piercing [Aegis of the Firmament], she shouldn’t take Anastasia.

Fia glanced again at Anastasia’s determined eyes. The internal struggle was resolved.

With that look in Anastasia’s eyes, it’s better to take her along and fulfill her wish. The current her is not the same as before, with over five thousand spells as her trump card. If the ‘Eye’ truly has rebellious intentions, she can just purify them along with the Chaos beneath the Abyss.

Among Fia’s many spells now were two called [Killing Intent Perception] and [Crisis Perception]. If anyone harbored murderous intent toward her, or if she was about to encounter danger, she could sense it in advance. This function was already very similar to the divine protection inherent to the Holy Tree.

She nodded seriously at Anastasia.

“Get changed. We need to be back before Mother Yulisha wakes up.”

“Then… shall we use this?”

Anastasia took an incense stick from her storage magic. This stick wasn’t the usual brown, but a faintly glowing, gemstone blue. Even unlit, Fia could vaguely detect its deep fragrance. The incense seemed to have a thought-suppressing effect; Fia felt the nanomachines inside her speed up slightly.

“This is incense that helps one fall asleep quickly. Just light one, and Her Highness the Queen Consort will sleep straight through until noon.”

“Is this safe?”

“It’s fine. It’s a top-grade, precious item. Besides feeling a bit groggy upon waking the next day, there are no other side effects. The grogginess will improve by afternoon.”

“As long as there are no side effects. Hurry and prepare.”

“Yes!”

Sorry, Mother Yulisha. But I had an agreement with the Antler Chaos. I can’t break my word. I’ll make up this sleep tomorrow.

Fia put her hands together and bowed slightly toward the sleeping Yulisha on the bed. Then, taking Anastasia, who had finished changing, she activated the teleportation.

The azure teleportation gate opened and immediately vanished. Appearing in the Fire Cat territory, Fia protected Anastasia with [Aegis of the Firmament] and used [High-Speed Flight] to reach the Land of Eternal Night. The empty lot where the Syris family castle once stood was now guarded by a dozen fire cat soldiers. Perhaps it was Fia’s imagination, but she felt there were more pedestrians on the streets than during her first visit.

Probably because the evil Syris family has been wiped out, the weak commoners who were afraid of being caught as blood bags finally dare to come out.

“Who goes there?!”

Sensing the abnormal air currents, the fire cat soldiers in the empty lot reacted, all pointing their spears at Fia in the sky.

“Dofilia. Your chieftain should have informed you I would be coming.”

“Black-haired, crimson-eyed elf… It really is Her Highness the Princess! Forgive us!”

Lowering their spears, the dozen fire cat soldiers bowed to Fia. Fia waved for them to stand down, then took Anastasia’s hand and headed straight for the hidden passage leading underground. The stone-brick tunnel was narrow and cramped, dark and damp, mixed with a faint bloody smell that was quite unpleasant.

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The chill made Anastasia frown.

“Your Highness, this place is…”

“When you see what’s inside, don’t panic. And don’t tell anyone about today.”

“Yes.”

What could make Her Highness look so serious?

Anastasia couldn’t help but wonder.

Stepping into the hall, she quickly got her answer.

It was something that made her hair stand on end, her blood run cold to the point of stopping.

Over two meters tall, a humanoid shape, yet a slime creature with no facial features. On its head grew antlers that curved upward, glowing with a bright blue eerie light. Its single huge eye, with gold for the whites and blue for the pupil, occupied half its face. Just standing there, it inspired a fear from the depths of one’s heart—like a child seeing a fierce beast, frozen, forgetting even to flee.

It’s the same kind of Antler Chaos that attacked the other me.

Cold sweat trickled down. Anastasia strained to move her limbs, stiff with fear. Instinctively, she wanted to step in front of Fia, push her back out the door. But then she remembered Fia’s instruction not to panic. So she could only tightly grip Fia’s hand, ready to face an enemy at any moment.

Until the Antler Chaos walked toward Fia and knelt on one knee before her.

“We have prepared the ritual, Father God.”

Prepared the ritual? Father God? What does that mean? Why is it kneeling?

As if knowing what Anastasia wanted to ask, Fia gave a slight shake of her head.

“I’ll explain on the way. Activate the teleportation.”

“As you command.”

The words fell, and the black slime composing the Antler Chaos’s body suddenly burst apart. This black slime hung in the air, transforming into snake-like streams that rapidly darted about. Amidst the sloshing sounds of slime wriggling, the streams eventually traced out a magic array that seemed familiar to Fia. Having learned so many spells, she could somewhat recognize magical characteristics. This magic array contained symbols belonging to spatial magic.

When the eyeball, the size of half a head, slowly floated to the top of the array, the entire magic circle finally blazed with azure-purple electric light. The pungent smell of ozone filled the hall, accompanied by crackling air. At a certain moment, the magic array, only two or three meters in diameter, suddenly expanded to envelop the entire dim hall. Fia noticed the eyeball, now suspended near the ceiling, trembling violently, as if reaching its limit.

The hall echoed with the Antler Chaos’s intermittent, devout prayer.

“Such terrifying mana… May… the Father God’s radiance… forever be with me.”

CRACKLE!

Like lightning tearing through the sky, after the thunderous explosion, the torches in the dim hall all went out. Silence.

The scene before Fia changed. The world plunged into darkness.

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The same floating sensation as teleportation magic, but without the characteristic vision of traveling through a brilliant galaxy. Curious, Fia looked at the vigilant Anastasia beside her and smiled in explanation.

“This is why I said not to tell anyone, Anastasia. Isn’t it amazing that Chaos has become my believer?”

“Uh… it’s amazing.” Anastasia nodded with difficulty. “Why have you joined the Chaos, Your Highness? Aren’t they the enemy?”

“Even Anastasia thinks that. It really shows we need to keep this secret. It’s not that I joined them. When I came to rescue Estelle before, I unexpectedly encountered that Antler Chaos up there. He insisted I was their Father God, their savior. Hmm, looks like he didn’t follow us, though.”

Fia told Anastasia about encountering the Antler Chaos and being recognized by it as the Father God.

The shadowy figure who had given her the ring back then was very likely the Father God of these Antler Chaos. Figuring out who that Father God was might hold the key to awakening Anastasia’s soul within the ring. That was Fia’s first reason for approaching the Antler Chaos. The second, naturally, was curiosity about what kind of beings they truly were.

Anastasia’s free hand rested lightly on her ample chest, her expression one of lingering disbelief.

“Chaos actually regards you as a deity. But if they claim to be weapons prepared by that person named Thanatos to fight Chaos, why was there no sign of them when the other world was destroyed?”

“Only by meeting their race’s wise one can we answer that.”

As she spoke, Fia felt the floating sensation around them weaken. Below them, an opening appeared, pouring forth brilliant light. When she and Anastasia found themselves suspended over this enormous opening—at least a kilometer in diameter, yes, a full kilometer—the teleportation magic halted, as if waiting for them to jump down on their own.

Fia and Anastasia were both stunned speechless.

What lay beneath their feet was no dark, low underground world. It was a forgotten subterranean nation, hidden in a corner of the world. Vast pyramids and giant stone statues stood tall within this open, expansive underground cavern. From the ceiling where they floated to the ground where the buildings stood was at least two or three kilometers in height. Looking out, the city’s scale rivaled that of a human metropolis with a population of two hundred thousand. The entire city was the color of yellow sand, as if built not underground but in a desert.

Moreover, the cavern walls were riddled with passages like ant tunnels. Within the city, besides ground-level streets, there were also elevated stone pathways suspended in the air, somewhat reminiscent of the sky bridges connecting the Elf Tower within Blossom.

The most striking structures in the entire city were the two stone statues in the central plaza, directly beneath Fia’s feet. Their heights reached all the way up to the opening where Fia floated, but due to the angle, the two couldn’t see what the statues depicted.

It was worth noting that the residents moving about this vast city were neither humans nor goblins, but countless black, slime-like creatures with glowing horns on their heads. Their forms ranged from upright-walking humans to crawling slime shapes, but the vast majority were humanoid.

When anyone looked toward the statues, their expressions were filled with devout reverence. And when they caught sight of Fia atop the statues, they would, like real humans gazing into the distance, shield their eyes with their hands and stand on tiptoe to look. As more and more people spotted Fia, the streets gradually grew noisy. Shouting loudly, dancing with joy, they began running toward Fia. In just a few breaths, the once relatively empty streets became densely packed with black specks, like an army of ants.

“They’re all Chaos…”

A hoarse groan escaped Anastasia’s throat. Though these Chaos creatures varied in appearance, and one could sense their differing strengths by sight alone, one thing was certain: if they meant her harm, she could only rely on Dofi.

“Your Highness, they seem to be worshipping you.”

“I can see that.”

These Chaos spoke ancient elvish with thick accents, and from this distance, Fia couldn’t make out what they were saying below. However, through the ring on her finger, she could sense a flood of excitement and agitation. These Chaos, unlike the one above ground, seemed unable to establish a mental connection with her.

But one thing must be said: Fia felt tens of thousands of invisible threads in her heart. This was the same as what the Antler Chaos above ground had meant when it said their souls were kept with her. If she wished, she could sever these connections at any time, extinguishing the souls of the countless Antler Chaos below.

All their lives are in my hands.

Fia felt the weight of this journey settle upon her. She had originally thought the Chaos’s “stronghold” was just a tribal settlement, at most a few hundred individuals. She never imagined such a huge and organized city. Her [Wind of Exploration] responded that the strength of these Chaos varied greatly, from First Rank to Eighth Rank—every level was present.

Can’t just stand here forever. Time to go down and see.

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Fia took Anastasia’s hand and slowly descended. Gradually, she could make out what the Chaos were shouting. Roughly translated: “Long live the Father God!” “A miracle has appeared!” “Father God, take us from this sea of suffering!” And as she drew closer to the ground, the previously indistinct cries unified into a single, ever-louder chant of “Long live the Father God!” perfectly synchronized. The overwhelming roar of shouts and prostrations became the only sound in this underground world.

Fia and Anastasia looked at each other, at a loss for words. Being so obviously worshipped, they felt every tiny movement would be clearly seen by the believers below, making even quiet conversation feel incredibly awkward. Anastasia worried her actions might embarrass Fia, while Fia herself had no idea what to say.

Now she finally understands why Ruth always hid behind a screen of light when summoning Nola. Appearing before believers in person like this feels like being roasted over a fire, flipped three hundred and sixty degrees.

At least if she kept her expression blank, she could project the First Princess’s natural majesty. If she were still an eight-year-old girl, these believers who had entrusted their souls to her would probably be sorely disappointed. But come to think of it, did these creatures, with only human shapes but no human features, even share the same aesthetic sense as surface dwellers?

When she was ten meters from the ground, Fia stopped descending. As if afraid of disturbing their deity, all the prostrate Antler Chaos remained silent. No one dared look up at Fia. The entire underground world was eerily quiet.

Not good.

An overwhelming awkwardness filled Fia.

Playing the part of a princess or queen, she could put on an act. But now she was directly a deity, and the subjects were Chaos she’d barely ever interacted with. What was she supposed to say? It seemed whatever she said would diminish their illusion of this mysterious divine figure. This had nothing to do with strength; it was a matter of mental level.

Who knew tens of thousands of Chaos would be kneeling before me?

I should have used [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to hide myself first.

Fia wanted to hold her forehead, but she dared not move.

This bizarre phenomenon lasted a full minute. Just as Fia was about to break into a sweat from sheer awkwardness, an Antler Chaos kneeling at the very front, its eyes entirely blue, finally stirred. Since everyone else was motionless, this movement was extremely conspicuous.

The Antler Chaos above ground had said the more blue in their eyes, the higher their intelligence. This one, with eyes only blue, must be quite intelligent.

Then, Fia sensed a faint, tentative thought—seemingly afraid of her—cautiously connect with the ring.

“Father God… Th… Lord Thanatos…”

Sure enough, they call me Father God. Though they should really call me Mother God.

Thinking this, Fia maintained an aloof expression, her voice especially cool.

“Having survived for so long, how do you know I am the Father God?”

“Please… look behind you…”

Behind me? Isn’t that the statue?

Following the direction indicated by the blue-eyed Antler Chaos, Fia slightly turned her head. Then, her pure crimson pupils contracted sharply.

Wait. How is this possible?

The statue standing in the plaza depicted none other than an elf girl with her long hair styled into twin tails flowing over her shoulders, possessing a beauty that could topple cities.