Chapter 32: 32. Blessing of the World Tree Goddess
Chapter 32: 32. Blessing of the World Tree Goddess
As the two were about to leave the neighborhood, they encountered a tall and burly man.
"Oru?"
"Lin Da?"
Oru was seen carrying various exquisite large and small packages; it seemed Klyne and the others had dragged him out shopping and made him act as a human suitcase.
"Lin Da, have you decided to come back?" Oru, unaware of what had happened, said happily, "Don't take the captain's words to heart; she has that kind of temperament, but she's definitely worried about you in her heart."
Worried? Her?
Lin Da laughed.
Even if what Oru said was true, he didn't need that kind of person to worry about him.
"I'm here today for this."
He showed the document bag in his hand, which contained proof of his departure from the team.
Seeing this, Oru was momentarily stunned; one of the packages he was holding accidentally dropped to the ground.
Lin Da went over to pick it up.
"Thanks." Oru, with a look of regret, sighed and knew that at this point, Lin Da was unlikely to return to the team: "Lin Da, even if you leave the team, we are still friends. If you're ever in any trouble, look for me anytime."
Trouble, he had that right now.
Lin Da hesitated a moment before saying, "I'm a bit short on..."
He was too embarrassed to borrow money.
"Hey, big guy, got any cash? Hand some over for us to use."
Kafni was utterly unabashed and said straightforwardly.
Oru was somewhat confused, "Ah? Money?"
Adventurers above level 15 typically never lacked money for daily living.
If they said they were short on money, did that mean a large sum? For buying new magical equipment or something of the sort?
Oru chuckled awkwardly: "That, Lin Da, I'm sorry, but the savings card is with Klyne. Just a moment, I'll go and ask her for it."
"Uh, that won't be necessary."
"Whatever you have on you is fine; we can't even afford a meal!"
Kafni, righteous and unashamed, completely drowned out Lin Da's voice.
Can't afford a meal?
Oru looked at Lin Da in surprise.
Without asking much, he searched through his belongings and took out fifteen gold coins.
Lin Da gratefully accepted them.
"These few gold coins, they won't buy many pieces of equipment, will they?" Kafni frowned: "There's a World Tree Bank nearby, if not enough just go withdraw some money."
"Ah? That..." Oru's face turned bitter.
"Don't listen to her, her brain's not functioning properly." Lin Da glowered viciously at Kafni.
He knew that Oru and Klyne had taken out a loan to buy a house in the Inner City District, under great pressure, and their earnings from adventuring were all spent with trepidation on repaying the loan; they didn't have a large amount of gold coins to lend them.
After bidding farewell to Oru, the two took a carriage straight to the Adventurer's Guild.
The blonde receptionist at the counter took the departure proof and verified Lia's signature in a magic device.
A green light shone, indicating a successful verification.
"Are you sure you want to leave the team? I see that the Snow Goose Adventure Team is a rock level team." The blonde receptionist, named Alice, asked once more.
"Positive." Lin Da nodded.
Alice stamped the departure proof, then directed him to pray in front of a statue of the World Tree Goddess in the center of the hall, to convey his will to depart to the World Tree Goddess.
The statue of the World Tree Goddess stood at the center of the hall, a beautiful woman in light veils, with a generous chest, and long hair flowing to the ground.
A garland crowned her head, and her compassionate eyes seemed to hold boundless love for all creatures, commanding the respect of all adventurers who saw her.
Kafni, however, sneered disdainfully: "Such a useless woman, in the end, it's still this deity who has to save the day."
"Watch your words, if someone hears, we're done for." Lin Da wished he could give Kafni a couple of punches.
The World Tree Sanctum, which worships the World Tree Goddess as its deity, is the largest power in this world, ranking above the royal family of the empire.
There is only one outcome for those who offend the World Tree Sanctum: they are ruthlessly slain by the warriors of the Court of Judgment.
Lin Da stood in front of the statue, with his hands together in prayer, silently apologizing for Kafni's irreverence, and then conveyed his desire to leave the Snow Goose Adventure Team.
At that moment, a voice as tender as spring water, that of a female, appeared in his mind:
"Brave one chosen by the deities of the Upper World, you need not express any apologies. Please make haste to ascend to the top of the World Tree and draw forth the sword of the brave..."
In the darkness with his eyes closed, Lin Da 'saw' a giant woman, standing five meters tall.
Her emerald-green hair cascaded loosely down her back, her face radiated with maternal glory, and she extended her snow-white arms, embracing him into a soft ocean.
The towering female deity kissed Lin Da's forehead, like an enlightening revelation. A cool sensation traveled throughout his body, and the system panel popped up a notice:
You have obtained the Legendary passive skill "Blessing of the World Tree Goddess"!
"Blessing of the World Tree Goddess": Luck increases threefold, and you will be more likely to obtain rare magical equipment and resources in the Mystic Realm.
This skill was genuinely useful.
Lin Da hurriedly thanked the World Tree Goddess in his mind.
A motherly chuckle arose by his ear.
When Lin Da opened his eyes, the vision had already vanished.
He had become a 'free man,' his contract with the Snow Goose Adventure Team terminated.
The two were completely severed from one another.
"How does it feel to leave the team?" Kafni asked.
"Comfortable."
Lin Da laughed heartily.
Leaving the team was complete, and he had also received the blessing of the World Tree Goddess.
The kidney deficiency he had suffered during several dozen nights with the Snow Goose was swept away, leaving him much more vibrant and full of energy.
...
The two returned to the counter.
"I'd like to form a team."
Alice looked at them puzzled, "Just the two of you as members?"
"Yes."
"That won't do."
"Why not?"
"Don't you know the rules for someone who was a member of a rock level adventurer party like you?"
Alice, speechless, slapped the notice board behind her: "You need at least three people to form a team, and there must be one Healer, one Damage Dealer, and one Defender. If you don't meet these criteria, you cannot create an adventure team."
"The fee for team registration is one hundred Gold Coins, but for an adventurer like you, one hundred shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Alice assumed.
Lin Da felt embarrassed.
When it came to the rules of team creation, he really wasn't aware; originally, it was Lia who dealt with that. The guild saw that their conditions met the requirements, so naturally, they wouldn't remind them further.
Now Lin Da knew that a team must be composed of three people.
And the fee for forming a team wasn't cheap at all—one hundred Gold Coins.
"Are you still going to form a team?" Alice inquired.
"Let's leave it for now..."
Lin Da stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild.
Currently, they only had two members in the party; he was a Healer, and Kafni's thief barely counted as a Damage Dealer.
They were still lacking a front-line warrior to absorb damage.
He pondered in his mind where to find a front-line warrior with excellent talent and an acceptable level to join his team.