Game of the World Tree
chapter-346

The underground region is not smaller than the surface world. In fact, it’s divided into three layers and if one were to combine all these three layers, then perhaps it might even be broader than the land above it.

However, the territory controlled by the believers of Hela is quite small, which is mainly located in the southwestern region of Underdark, near the Elven Forest.

Coincidentally, this region also precisely aligns with the 500-kilometer activity range zone Evé has allowed players to explore.

Furthermore, like most underground city-states, the areas Hela have controlled over is situated in the first layer of Underdark, which is also known as the upper layer.

This upper region is close to the surface and often have interaction with surface dwellers. Water is abundant here, and food is relatively plentiful, making living conditions much better than the deeper two layers, which is why many underground city states are located here.

Blackrock City is one of them.

These underground cities, which worship Hela, are the primary source of her faith.

It’s evident that Hela takes her faith in the Seigües seriously, otherwise, she wouldn’t personally meet with Evé.

Of course, this is also because Eve’s True Body is located in this realm, and Hela knows that the Chosen Ones, in a sense are akin to divine envoys of Evé, albeit weak and without faith, thus wouldn’t be able to arouse the vigilance of other entities.

As for what Hela needs the players to do, it’s to assist in defending her underground cities and participate in the counterattack against the forces of Hödur.

Well, given the intricate and complex nature of the terrain underground, with its complex and winding paths, it’s highly unlikely that the players could reach the designated battlefield within a month just by marching there on foot.

Moreover, players might give up before even arriving if they were to march. After all, they’re here to play games, and spending a month on a single boring task like marching would be too much for most players.

Perhaps some players wouldn’t mind, since they were able to walk so far when initially exploring Maple Leaf City, but these few minorities don’t represent the vast majority, and it definitely won’t work for forming an army…

This is also one of the limitations of players.

However, there is a solution to this, which is the use of teleportation arrays.

If marching on foot is slow and most players are unwilling to do it, then why not just teleport directly?

So, after discussing with Hela, Evé decided to set up ultra-long-range teleportation arrays directly connecting each underground city states to Blackrock City, allowing players to teleport directly there when the time comes.

There is no doubt that the usage of such ultra-long-range teleportation arrays will consume a huge amount of mana stones.

And considering the current state of the Elven Forest, this cost would be difficult to bear if Evé doesn’t directly use some of her divine power.

For Hela, however, it’s just a minor expense since the Goddess of Death is quite wealthy…

The land underground is already rich in mineral resources, and with her Dark-Dwarven followers, skilled in mining and forging, amassing enormous amounts of mana stones is not an issue, thereby ensures the seamless operation of such teleportation arrays.

Actually… Rivendell also has many mineral resources, but unfortunately, most players prefer to fight monsters and do tasks in the Elven Forest rather than engage in boring and tedious tasks like mining.

Of course, some players have considered whether they can use crypt spiders to mine in Rivendell, but the fact is… these spiders are better at eating minerals than mining them.

However, with the ever-increasing trade between the dark dwarves and the surface world, players now not only have contribution points but have also accumulated some common currency.

So… some people have set their sights on purchasing slaves like dwarves or orcs to mine in Rivendell.

Evé estimates that it won’t be long before some players buy slaves to work as miners in Rivendell.

Regarding this, she neither supports nor opposes it, but intends to let players figure it out themselves.

In the past, there were concerns about incorporating other races into her domain, which could potentially reveal her true identity. However, once she opted to adopt the public persona of the “Goddess of Life,” these concerns ceased to be an issue.

In short, Hela has promised to bear all the teleportation costs and would even provide supplies for the Chosen Ones who lack weapons and equipment, as her followers, the dark dwarves, have no shortage of those.

Of course, for some reason, Evé also kindly reminded the other party that her so-called Chosen Ones are quite cunning and there’s a chance that they might try something ‘funny,’ like scam Hela’s followers so to speak.

However, the Goddess of Death didn’t care.

Regarding this, Evé was noncommittal but… as long as Hela doesn’t regret it later on, it’s fine in her book.

After all, she has already given the other party a heads-up.

As for the players main objectives, all they need to do is to get on the battlefield.

Hmm… in a sense, it’s a bit like being mercenaries.

Just kill the enemy and loot, as this is what players love to do and are best suited for.

Of course, setting up the ultra-long-range teleportation arrays will take some time, and Evé also plans to use this time to coordinate with the dark dwarves and devise a proper explanation for this upcoming endeavor.

In games, necessary processes like these are still needed, which can somewhat enhance players’ immersion and foster friendship between the two factions…

Regarding this, Hela naturally has no objections.

So, not long after Hela ended her divine possession, a delegation of dark dwarves left the core area of the underground and rushed towards the Upper Cavern of Underdark.

However, just before these delegation arrived, another matter had caught Eve’s attention.

Specifically, the questline “Goddess of Life” that she had previously issued has finally been completed by the players.

The construction efficiency of the Moe Moe Committee exceeded Eve’s expectations, as they didn’t spend too much time and have already completed the reconstruction of every temple.

At this moment, all the symbols representing the World Tree have been removed from the temples and are now replaced with symbols of the “Scepter of Life”.

Not only that, but the frescoes inside the temples of Florence, Rivendell, and nearby ruins, symbolizing the history of the World Tree, have all been hidden and replaced by single murals symbolizing nature and life.

Evé is quite satisfied with this.

At the same time, the newly revised “Holy Codex of Life” had been completed.

Unlike their initial attempt, this time, the quest organizers enlisted over three hundred individuals and sought online assistance for this iteration.

Crafting this improved version of the “Holy Codex” involved extensive brainstorming over an extended period, resulting in a tome as thick as a brick.

Of course, players wrote it in Chinese, but the system can easily convert it into Elvish and Common Language.

After the “Codex” was completed, Alice also conducted an immediate inspection and expressed great satisfaction afterward and assigning it a perfect 100-point evaluation score via the system.

Regarding this, Evé is also looking forward to it.

Whilst sitting upon her throne, Evé flipped through the contents of the “Holy Codex of Life,” which primarily extols the virtues of the Goddess of Life and promotes faith in her.

And after browsing through it, Eve was left feeling very satisfied.

Players have finally maximized their advantages, borrowing certain knowledge and experiences from Earth and its preexisting holy books, and perfectly integrating them with the original “Nature’s Codex.”

In the new “Codex”, Evé is depicted as the successor of the Divinity of Nature and Life, the companion of the Goddess of Death, and the savior of Elvenkind.

As for the origin of the Goddess of Life… although it is not explicitly stated, it subtly hints that she is originally an elf, making it easy for people to misunderstand that she is an elf who had somehow inherited the Divinity of nature and life with the help of the Goddess of Death.

Moreover, the new “Codex” not only emphasizes the principles of life and nature but also possesses significant appeal, persuasiveness, or… brainwashing capability.

Eve estimates… that taking this “Scripture” to preach will definitely elevate the effect several notches.

However… Evé also noticed some strange things—

“”Why does this whole book always praise my appearance? Those who don’t know might think I’m actually the Goddess of Beauty with the way it exaggeratedly extols my appearance…”

Evé muttered to herself.

— 346 —

【 COMPLETION OF THE NEW HOLY CODEX OF LIFE 】

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