Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Ch. 63 .｡.:✧ Basel's Landmark (1) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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In the conference room of Elvenguard, the elders sitting around were silent with serious expressions.
A scroll passed through the hands of the elders, making a full round.
Finally, after the priestess, Mia, unfolded and checked it, one of the elders parted his lips.
“What do you all think?”
“One thing is for certain… It’s not an existence from our world.”
“I agree.”
“I concur.”
The elders nodded their heads, expressing the same opinion.
The dungeon that had taken root in the World Tree.
Upon dissecting the corpse of the spider monster that had appeared inside, the forensic team presented evidence that this monster had come from another world.
In a way, it was natural.
Dungeons were originally summoned and brought from other worlds.
It wasn’t a particularly surprising fact.
“So now, even intelligent beings are coming over from the other world…”
Except for the fact that the creature was the only intelligent being from another world observed so far.
What popped out of dungeons were unintelligent and inferior monsters.
The most intelligent ones were at most goblins.
But the spider monster that came out of this dungeon was different.
It used complex language and employed lethal tactics.
It seemed that the spider monster was the mastermind who designed the dungeon.
It set traps, lured people in, and even gave the captured people as nourishment to the monsters.
The more they heard the survivors’ testimonies, the more they shuddered at the spider monster’s cruelty and high intelligence.
“Many may have already crossed over. The spider monster could be just one of them, unfortunately exposed.”
“In the case of this spider monster, it was large in size and had a unique appearance, but if a monster resembling a human or capable of disguising as a human appears, it would be a big problem.”
“There’s also the possibility that they have escaped the dungeon and are blending into society…”
The elders’ expressions darkened even further.
The more they delved into it, the more serious the situation became.
After large mercenary groups were launched and joined hands, dungeons were thought to have been reduced to mere vending machines that spat out a few monsters and rewarded mana stones.
But with the appearance of beings like the spider monster, the story changed.
It was a monster strong enough to actively hunt humans for some unknown purpose, attempting to take over the World Tree.
“This is like…”
“An invasion, isn’t it?”
Invasion.
At that word, the elders shuddered.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
Perhaps the dungeons were not a blessing created by God.
Nor a coincidental event.
Could it be a foothold for an invasion from another world?
“This will be classified as top secret.”
“It should be. If it gets out, it will undoubtedly cause great confusion…”
Rumors turn into false rumors.
False rumors turn into bizarre rumors, plunging citizens into a cauldron of chaos in an instant.
To prevent such a thing from happening, it was best not to even leak any rumors that could spark it in the first place.
“Should we keep it a secret from other countries as well?”
“Of course we should. It’s important information-”
“No. We will share it with the governments of other countries.”
“Priestess, what do you…”
All eyes turned to Mia, who broke the long silence and spoke.
Sharing information classified as top secret within Elvenguard with foreign countries.
It was unthinkable.
Elven society was small.
Unlike humans, demihumans, and dwarves spread across the continent, the only large city consisting solely of elves was Elvenguard.
Even if all the 100,000 residents of this city and the elves wandering around the world were combined, the population would barely reach 1 million.
1 million was equivalent to the single city of Cologne in the Holy Kingdom, which said it all.
That was why elven society had no choice but to be closed off since ancient times.
Even if a small secret leaked out, it would be fatal to the entire elven race.
Bluntly put, Elvenguard was a country that wouldn’t be strange to perish from a single sabotage attempt that exploited its weakness.
So it had to be very closed off since time immemorial.
Naturally, the elders strongly opposed it.
“This is absurd. You know that information is a great weapon and shield for Elvenguard!”
“This case is different. Because it’s a matter of life and death not only for Elvenguard but for the entire world.”
“The fate of the entire world…”
“It has been revealed that this is not just a sign of invasion, but an invasion is already in progress. For now, it ended with a single spider monster and an attempted takeover of the World Tree, but the next attack will be greater than this. Now that they know we’ve caught on, they may launch an even more full-scale offensive. If humanity is not prepared at all by then, it will collapse helplessly. If the entire world falls into the hands of otherworlders, what good is it for Elvenguard to be left alone?”
“…”
Mia’s diatribe loosened the expressions of the elders.
It made sense.
Mia’s warning was by no means an exaggeration.
A matter of life and death for the world.
It was an objective fact, not an exaggeration.
“The priestess is right. This is a matter that requires close cooperation between countries. I really hope this is all our delusion… But if it’s really an invasion from another world, disaster will strike soon. There’s no harm in preparing for the possibility.”
“Yes. There may be sighting information of other intelligent monsters. To prepare, we need to gather information in one place first.”
A conclusion was gradually being reached.
Sharing information was already confirmed.
Now the only thing left to discuss was which countries to share with and which countries to exclude.
There was even an opinion to launch a joint alliance.
Of course, a decision couldn’t be made in a single day.
But since it was such an urgent matter, it was decided to immediately share it with the Magic Tower, the Holy Kingdom, and the four great powers.
Sharing with other countries would be decided gradually.
“What kind of chaos is this…”
After the meeting ended, Mia sighed as she walked alone on the now darkened path.
Darkness was descending upon the world.
At first, she thought they were just a series of unfortunate accidents that had befallen Elvenguard.
But thinking that this might be a signal flare for a great disaster, chills ran down her entire body.
“What should I do now?”
Mia slowly climbed the stairs that appeared at the base of a tree one by one.
And inside the wooden cave she entered through the curtain.
After walking quite a distance inside, a large cavity soon revealed itself.
The newly discovered World Tree’s Eye.
It was a space where the World Tree could see, hear, and directly communicate with the priestess.
In this World Tree’s Eye, mana stones were embedded in various places and a strong barrier was cast.
No one would be able to intrude or control the World Tree’s Eye anymore.
It was like fixing the stable door after the horse had bolted, but she felt fortunate to have fixed it even after losing it.
“You look to be in good condition.”
Mia smiled and stroked the wall.
Previously, whenever she had a chance, a splitting headache was transmitted through the World Tree.
But after Yoo-jin’s visit, it had completely disappeared.
It had disappeared so completely that it felt unfamiliar, as if it had become too quiet.
“For me, it was no big deal since I only suffered occasionally… But I’m really glad the World Tree is no longer in pain.”
The cause of the headache, she had known since long ago.
The headache had started since the dungeon appeared, so she knew it was because of the dungeon.
But after even the great mages were defeated in the dungeon, they had practically given up on it.
She never thought Yoo-jin would easily destroy it.
He probably had no idea how grateful she was.
He couldn’t even imagine how much he had accomplished.
“What? Another prophecy already?”
At that moment, a clear tone spread in Mia’s mind.
It was a signal that the World Tree was ready to deliver a prophecy.
Mia was puzzled, but she neatly assumed a posture and prepared to receive the prophecy.
‘Why is it so frequent…’
It was a strange occurrence.
The World Tree’s prophecies used to come down once a year.
But this was already the second one this month.
Could it be that the prophecies had increased because the state of the world was unusual?
She even felt a sense of unease.
“What is it this time…”
The moment Mia concentrated and closed her eyes, the will of the World Tree gathered at Mia’s fingertips and seeped into her body.
Soon, that will was assembled and began to take shape.
The priestess’s role was to express that shape in human language.
Mia read the World Tree’s will and began to interpret it letter by letter.
At this turning point where the fate of the world was at stake, what kind of prophecy would the World Tree…
“The priestess’s… time for marriage… has come…?”
The interpretation was finished.
Combining the three words she had uttered, Mia’s face instantly turned red.
“World Tree?! What are you trying to do?!”
As if ignoring Mia’s fierce anger, only a light tone resembling the World Tree’s humming echoed in the cavity.
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“It’s only been a few days. But why does it feel like I haven’t been to Basel in a long time?”
The 13th round was a speedrun.
A speedrun without a second coin.
So I felt the need to manage time more thoroughly.
Minimizing movement. And minimizing wasted time.
For now, the schedule for the next two days starting today was as follows.
First, stop by Basel and entrust the raw black mana stone to Tay.
While the work is in progress, visit Cologne and meet Cornelia.
And then return to Basel and receive the processed mana stone.
The schedule was quite tight.
What’s next, you ask?
That’s the problem.
It was confirmed that I would reorganize for two days in Basel and Cologne.
But it was still undecided where to go next.
‘It’s a problem to have too many places to go. I’ll get choice paralysis.’
Of course, it wasn’t because I couldn’t find a place to go.
There were too many places to go, so it was hard to get a sense of where to start.
Stopping the corruption of the World Tree was so urgent that I ran straight to Elvenguard without looking at anything else… But what’s the next most urgent thing after that?
Belfast Academy? The Holy Knights? The Clockwork City?
Or St. Francesco Sea Fortress?
It’s driving me crazy.
They’re all so far apart that I can’t visit them all at once.
I think I’ll have to think about it for the next two days.
“…Yoo-jin. Back. Dwung. Quickly.”
“What, why? It’s not time for the water to come down yet.”
“…Still. Anxious. Quickly. Back, please. Want to be carried.”
“What are you anxious about? I said I’ll carry you when the water comes down.”
“…Anxious is anxious. Can’t help it.”
I was trying to quietly think about it, but Undecided couldn’t stand it and tugged at my sleeve, whining.
She seemed to have gotten stronger in expressing her opinions lately.
“Sigh. Okay, get on my back.”
“…Okay.”
It was a bit troublesome, but I didn’t dislike it.
It meant I could accommodate Undecided’s convenience to that extent.
It was much better than her keeping it to herself and causing problems later.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t told Tay my real name yet.’
Thinking about it, all my collaborators planted in various places knew my name.
Undecided, Cornelia, and even Mia.
But only Tay still knew my name as an alias.
Looking at it this way, it felt like I was neglecting only Tay.
It felt like we were somewhat distant mentally.
‘Is it necessary?’
As I moved my feet, pondering, Undecided’s mouth opened wide next to my ear.
Soon, my mouth opened wide too.
“What is this…”
Tay’s workshop should have been around here.
But the workshop was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a tall building had been erected.
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