Facing the Life Tree for Another Legendary Artifact
‘Shit, we’re short on rations and can’t drag this into a long war. Whoever founded Grace in the first place, their descendants should bow down and thank the bastard.’
Why had Grace become such a powerful commercial nation? Simple. It lacked arable land, so it threw everything into trade instead. Its location at a major crossroads helped it thrive as a middleman, and that advantage snowballed until Grace became the continent’s second-greatest commercial power. Yet its fatal weakness remained its dependence on agriculture. Large-scale invasion wars were out of the question; stable grain supplies simply didn’t exist. That was why, despite its wealth, Grace had stayed stuck in the fourth rank for so long.
‘Fucking hell, don’t push Nadia so hard! Alchemy has its limits!’
Nadia Jasmine had many reasons for avoiding alchemy, but the saddest one was the relentless pressure she’d endured since childhood. When she displayed extraordinary talent for it, the entire kingdom pinned its hopes on her, believing she would push alchemy to its absolute limit and create vast farmlands for Grace. Yet by her early teens Nadia had already concluded that alchemy-based land expansion was inefficient, and she grew so tired of people refusing to listen that she abandoned the field entirely and switched classes.
“You’re saying you’ll turn Grace into a kingdom where farming is actually possible…?”
It had been a long-cherished national wish, something the people had long since resigned themselves to treating as an impossible dream. They had comforted themselves with the thought that money, not grain, was what truly mattered. Now a barbarian Mohican chieftain from the far south was claiming he could make it reality. King Rubentner of Grace stared at Geum Taeyang with wide, astonished eyes.
‘What new scheme is Grand Khan Geum Taeyang plotting this time?’
At his side, Nadia gazed at Geum Taeyang with eyes sparkling with dopamine, convinced he was once again scheming something extraordinary.
‘Truly, he is a man whose next move can never be predicted.’
Sword Empress Marianne Nahoja’s reaction was much the same.
“That’s right. If you join hands with the Ragnark tribe, Grace will no longer have to rely solely on expensive imported grain. You’ll be able to produce your own food in sufficient quantities.”
Geum Taeyang pointed confidently at the defendant’s seat where Cassandra sat.
“Of course, not only this presiding judge but every juror and spectator here has already witnessed Defendant Cassandra Viola’s abilities during the previous trial. The defense has also provided evidence of their practical value.”
A murmur swept through the arena. After Judge MacArthur quieted the crowd, he posed the question himself.
“However, the Kingdom of Grace has a population of five hundred thousand. Even if the Grand Chieftain remained here and used his power year-round, the numbers simply don’t add up.”
The Ragnark tribe numbered only fifty thousand, one-tenth of Grace’s population, and Grace had many other grain-consuming sectors besides. Faced with the judge’s skeptical tone, Geum Taeyang answered calmly.
“It’s possible.”
Thud…!
Cassandra, who had remained silent throughout the entire trial, rose to her feet.
“If I am given four days to travel to and from the Life Tree, I can create farmland capable of feeding ten thousand people right now.”
She stated a concrete result and timeline. The arena erupted into an even louder uproar.
“Order! Order in the court! This is a courtroom!”
Judge MacArthur himself looked visibly excited, yet he still performed his duty.
“Your Majesty, this matter appears to exceed the authority of this court. It would be more appropriate for Your Majesty to address it directly.”
“Very well. I accept the presiding judge’s request and will exercise my sovereign authority.”
He handed the decision over to King Rubentner.
“Can you truly create fertile farmland capable of supporting ten thousand of our citizens in just four days?”
“Yes.”
Rubentner questioned Cassandra with grave seriousness.
“With the help of Mohican Grand Khan Geum Taeyang, it is possible.”
Even then, Cassandra deliberately brought Geum Taeyang into the equation.
“The Grand Khan of the Mohican tribe?”
The connection seemed abrupt. What could the Ragnark tribe’s abilities possibly need from the Mohican Grand Khan?
“The ancient barbarian tribes possess many wondrous things. I happen to hold a few of those wonders myself, Your Majesty Rubentner.”
Geum Taeyang smiled leisurely. It was clear that Cassandra’s mention of him had already been prearranged between them.
“You’re saying you can evolve my Life Tree Staff into a legendary artifact?”
Three days earlier, after taking Ivy, Geum Taeyang had told her mother Cassandra he had business with her. The first thing he proposed was exactly this deal: in exchange for creating farmland for the Kingdom of Grace, he would evolve Cassandra’s heroic artifact, the Life Tree Staff, into a legendary one.
When Cassandra asked how, Geum Taeyang declared he would evolve the Life Tree Staff into a legendary artifact.
“Correct. I’ve always been deeply interested in Ragnark mythology and the Life Tree myth. That’s why I know exactly what power the Life Tree Staff holds and what miracles it can perform once evolved into a legendary artifact.”
At the end of the mythic age, the once-prosperous Ragnark tribe’s homeland had been devastated by endless wars. From that ruined land the Life Tree had grown, ushering in a second golden age. Countless oases overflowing with milk and honey had appeared, all thanks to the female chieftain who wielded the legendary Life Tree Staff.
“That may be true, but…”
Though it was only a myth, Cassandra did not deny it. She had become the Grand Chieftain five hundred years after receiving the Life Tree Staff. With its power she had already created considerable farmland for the Ragnark tribe. If the current heroic-grade staff became a legendary artifact, the myth could become reality.
“I have tried every form of training, yet I have never been able to evolve it, Grand Khan…”
Theoretically it was possible, but the crucial method to evolve the Life Tree Staff simply did not exist. Cassandra had evolved it to heroic grade at an unusually young age in her early twenties and had hoped legendary grade would follow, but twenty years later there had been no sign of further evolution.
“I can do it.”
Geum Taeyang insisted without the slightest hesitation.
“W-well, I know how extraordinary you are, but…”
“Are you doubting me?”
“It’s not exactly doubt, it’s just…”
“Lady Ivy’s mother seems to lack faith in this Geum Taeyang.”
“……”
“Hahaha! I understand. You simply haven’t witnessed enough of the miracles I’ve created.”
Cassandra hesitated. Geum Taeyang, who had been gaslighting and belittling her moments earlier, now laughed heartily and showed understanding. He clearly had something to back up his confidence.
“Then allow me to show you. Proving my ability won’t be difficult at all.”
Why had he backed off so easily? Because he could demonstrate it immediately. When Geum Taeyang had room to spare, he became even more generous.
“Witness it for yourselves—the miracle of Geum Taeyang, Grand Khan of the Mohican tribe!”
Geum Taeyang spread both arms wide as if performing photosynthesis, lifted his head, and closed his eyes. His chest was thrust forward. He was still completely naked.
Then—
Fwoooosh…!!!
Emerald energy burst from his body. That emerald glow meant he was summoning Celendis. Yet Cassandra, who had already faced Celendis once before, could not hide her shock.
“A… legendary artifact??????”
Geum Taeyang had not hidden Celendis behind the [Hidden Rank] skill to make it appear as a heroic artifact. Instead, he had revealed its true form as a legendary artifact.
‘That radiant aura! That surging holy energy! It’s unmistakably a legendary artifact! How is this possible??’
Heroic artifacts usually released effects only when skills were activated. Legendary artifacts, however, constantly radiated uncontainable energy, proudly announcing their own existence. As a psychic, Cassandra felt the overwhelming presence of the legendary artifact Celendis strike her heart and flood her mind more intensely than anyone else.
“I concealed its true nature during my battle with the Grand Chieftain by using the legendary artifact’s Hidden Rank trait.”
Geum Taeyang spoke softly, savoring Cassandra’s visible reaction even without looking at her.
“This legendary artifact is called Celendis. I believe you, Grand Chieftain Cassandra, would know it very well.”
He revealed the identity of the legendary armor artifact he possessed.
“C-Celendis??? The artifact created by the Spirit Goddess Celindis????”
The moment she heard the name, Cassandra’s shock intensified.
“Correct. I received the legendary artifact Celindis from the 103rd Saintess, Serazad.”
Geum Taeyang opened his eyes and looked at Cassandra with a dignified gaze.
“The Saintess… So the man Grand Khan Geum Taeyang is someone the Saintess herself acknowledged…!!”
Thud!!!
At the mention of Saintess Serazad’s name, Cassandra collapsed to the floor, her face blank.
‘Kkuk, the only human Cassandra truly respects and reveres is the Saintess of Memphis.’
Indeed, the Life Tree was naturally a spirit tree, and Icarus, when its lineage was traced, also belonged to the spirit gods. Unlike other gods, spirit gods valued harmony and taught that other spirit gods should be treated with the same respect. Cassandra had therefore always respected the other spirit gods of the continent, and among them she was especially close to the Estevan family—the saintess lineage of Memphis, revered as the incarnation of the spirit goddess Celindis.
How close were they? At the very least, the Saintess herself visited the Spirit Tree tribe once every two years to meet the Grand Chieftain. In other words, Serazad had visited the Spirit Tree tribe last year.
‘Especially since Cassandra had been particularly close with the 102nd Saintess, she had secretly sent an envoy when Serazad—whom the 102nd Saintess had favored—became the 103rd Saintess. That envoy was Vieira.’
It was the 102nd Saintess who had given Cassandra the opportunity to evolve her World Tree Staff from the highest grade to heroic grade. She was both a benefactor and a teacher. Naturally, Cassandra regarded Serazad, the successor of that benefactor, as someone precious.
‘When she hears that I now possess the Celindis that belonged to that precious person, of course she’d be shocked out of her mind.’
Celindis was a legendary artifact that also appeared in Ragnark mythology, so Cassandra had always held deep affection for it. Learning from the 102nd Saintess that Serazad now wielded Celindis had only deepened her admiration. Yet now that very Celindis belonged to Geum Taeyang.
“I believe you. If someone possesses Celindis, they will surely bring blessings to our Ragnark tribe!”
Thus Geum Taeyang earned Cassandra’s complete trust.
“Hmm. Very well.”
Seeing Geum Taeyang’s absolute confidence after receiving Cassandra’s support, Rubentner Jasmine, the highest authority of the Kingdom of Grace, nodded slowly after five minutes of silent contemplation.
“I will grant you four days. If you accomplish what you have described within those four days, all charges against the Ragnark prisoners will be dropped, and the Ragnark tribe will be recognized as an allied nation of Grace, receiving peace and substantial support.”
He laid out the concrete terms of the negotiation.
“However, should you fail, we will immediately march on the Ragnark tribe as an example to any nation that would speak empty words, and the Mohican tribe’s plans through Grace will not be recognized.”
It was a negotiation where heaven and hell hung on the outcome of success or failure.
Afterward, Geum Taeyang and Cassandra led a group of attendants back toward the Life Tree tribe.
‘Damn, it looks even more impressive up close!’
Following Cassandra’s guidance, Geum Taeyang finally stood face-to-face with the enormous, majestic Life Tree.