Game of the World Tree

Chapter 168

??THE TRUE BELIEVERS OF DEATH

It has been proven that those who engage in mischief will always have to eventually pay for it in some form or another.

While exploring Rivendell, the players had a great time hunting crypt spiders. Simultaneously, as they searched for elven treasures, they also found joy in hunting down these spiders and collecting their legs as offerings. The result was that in just a span of a few days, the number of crypt spiders killed by their hands became uncountable.

Although most of them were merely small, mindless juveniles, such wanton massacre of her offspring was enough to provoke Rose’s fury.

She refrained from retaliating against the players’ actions due to being in a critical moment of her rank’s advancement. However, with her now being a follower of Evé, she can no longer be able to confront the players.

However, that doesn’t mean that any of the players’ prior actions don’t have consequences…

At this moment, all the players who took part in exploring Rivendell, particularly those who hunted crypt spiders, had discovered that their favorability with the Spider Queen had dropped below -50, reaching an intense level of dislike.

Especially Boxlunch’s team. Every member of their party had their favorability plummeted down to -100, reaching a level of disgust only experienced by Demacia…

In fact, even those players who haven’t selected the exploration quest and didn’t encountered Rose nor any of her spider brood also had their favorability drop down to -30 due to the subjective impression the Spider Queen had of the chosen ones as a whole.

As a result, finding ways to improve the Spider Queen’s favorability towards them has now become the players’ new goal, especially for those who desired to obtain a spider mount!

For a while, the strategy and intelligence sections of the official forums were flooded with numerous posts regarding the newly introduced NPC, Rose the Spider Queen.

It’s popularity even surpassed the posts about the goddess Evé.

Later on, this hot trending topic had reached its peak due to a screenshot uploaded by one of the players.

It was a close-up picture taken by a player that participated in the emergency quest. The screenshot captured the exact moment when the goddess Evé reached out her hand to touch the head of the Spider Queen, who had already transformed into a monster girl, while prompting her to speak…

It must be said that the angle chosen for this particular screenshot was quite excellent.

The sacred goddess depicted in the image resembled a beacon of light in the darkness, smiling as she caressed the newly transformed Spider Queen’s head. Whilst Rose, in her half-human form, was kneeling respectfully with her lower body hidden in the shadows, as if she were receiving the goddess’s blessing…

A majestic and revered goddess stood alongside a grotesque yet mysteriously alluring monster girl…

Half bathed in light, half consumed by darkness.

The meticulously crafted interplay of light and shadow transformed this particular screenshot into a famous image, capturing an iconic moment that would be etched into the memories of all who played Elven Kingdom.

Later on, when Evé was browsing the forum, she also came across this screenshot which moved her deeply, prompting her to save it for herself.

“These players have chosen such a great angle. This screenshot is quite remarkable. I’ll make sure to have someone recreate it as a mural in the temple based upon this image.”

The true gods of Saigües had a tendency to depict noteworthy events that occurred in their lives within their temples or other sacred places through murals or any other artworks. This practice served not only to celebrate their achievements and promote the power of the true gods but also to attract more followers and strengthen their believers faith.

Well, just like the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,”¹Evé naturally plans to give it a try as well.

After all… influencing legendary monsters is such a classic motif employed by many gods and can serve as a powerful tool for spreading one’s own religion!

After various rigorous trials and investigation, the players eventually discovered how to mend and improve their favorability with the Spider Queen.

After transforming into a monster girl, Rose’s intelligence had been further enhanced. Despite Eve’s decree for her to safeguard Rivendell and the crypt spiders’ natural inclination to dwell in the depths of the earth, Rose still displayed a strong curiosity about civilization and the outside world.

Players would often notice a slight increase in Rose’s favorability if they somehow managed to locate and presented her with items or some intriguing stories from the civilized world that could pique her interest.

Additionally, similar to the black dragon, Rose also displayed a fascination towards food.

Crypt spiders had a diet that mainly comprised two types of sustenance: minerals and other living beings.

During their hunt for potential sustenance, crypt spiders would encase their prey in silk, creating a sizable cocoon. They would then employ acid to dissolve the captured prey into a liquid form before relishing upon their meal.

Through extensive investigation, the players discovered that some monster meat could be simmered into a savory and delectable meat soup, a dish that would be adored by Rose.

Not only that, but the Spider Queen also still maintains a fondness for minerals. Feeding her some rare minerals would also increase her favorability rating.

Of course, the latter method was just too expensive, and almost all players chose the former method instead.

As their favorability with her was sufficiently restored, some players gradually dispelled Rose’s initial wariness towards them, thereby allowing them to finally venture deeper into the crypt spiders’ lair.

Once inside the crypt spider’s lair, players discovered new treasures.

They were the spider silk residue left behind by the crypt spiders!

After being dried, the spider silk displayed exceptional elasticity and had a fantastic texture. Moreover when appraised by the elven blacksmith Carlos, it was also revealed to be an excellent material for crafting magical equipment, possessing both high durability and excellent conductor for mana.

It could be used not only to weave beautiful clothing but also for making magical equipment!

With these findings, all of a sudden, more and more players started flocking towards the underground, diligently increasing Rose’s favorability in hopes of gaining permission to explore the lair of the crypt spiders and obtain these precious silk treasures…

Especially some bold female players!

However, even the players who made the fastest progress in this aspect were still far from meeting the requirements to obtain the privilege of acquiring a spider mount…

As for the members of Boxlunch’s team, they had an even greater stroke of misfortune. They found that their favorability with the crypt spiders was truly irredeemable.

Every time they attempted to enter the lair of the Spider Queen, just like other players, they were forcefully expelled by a swarm of imposing crypt spiders, treating Boxlunch’s team as if they were their archenemies…

In fact, if it weren’t for Rose also becoming a follower of the goddess Evé, her retaliation would likely have been more severe than mere expulsion.

Alas, whenever they tried to improve their favorability with the Spider Queen, they would then be swiftly expelled by the crypt spiders even before getting a chance to meet Rose herself…

Seeing such pitiful scene, Evé could only shook her head in secret.

The players from Boxlunch’s team can forget about obtaining any spider mounts at all. Instead, they should just patiently await the next creature that she will subdue for a potential mount!

Having nearly thwarted the Spider Queen’s opportunity to advance into the legendary rank, Rose, being an intelligent and high-level creature, would undoubtedly hold a lifelong grudge against them…

Not only the members of Boxlunch’s team, but even the black dragon Meryer also experienced a sense of sadness these days.

This self-proclaimed noble silver dragon also became aware of the sharp decline in the number of players that’s seeking him recently…

Even when offering quests, only a few players would respond and would come cook meat for him.

These players…

They all went to increase the favorability of the new purple-class NPC, Spider Queen Rose, completely forgetting about this old lord!

After learning the truth, the little black dragon was about to explode in anger.

“These stupid long-eared fellows! Hmph! Don’t expect to receive Meryer’s quest rewards anymore! Hmph!”

However, he hesitated.

“…Should I increase the rewards?”

These past few days of him not tasting any roasted meat had been truly challenging for Meryer…

Transitioning from a frugal lifestyle to one of luxury is a breeze, but it becomes challenging to return to frugality once a person tasted extravagance!

Meryer, who had gotten used to honey-roasted meat, could no longer eat bland monster meat.

With the crypt spiders now becoming followers of Evé, the players found it easier to explore Rivendell.

Without the obstruction of the crypt spiders, they soon discovered a large quantity of elven relics in the depths of Rivendell, including various equipment, handicrafts, and even devices for forging and crafting magical tools back from the age of ancient elven civilization.

The remarkable thing about these relics was that many of them were even exceptionally well-preserved!

These items were all brought back to the Chosen City by the players, one after another.

Unrepairable items that were extensively damaged were offered to the goddess in exchange for contribution points, while equipment and handicrafts were auctioned off to wealthy players interested in purchasing them.

As for the devices for forging and crafting magical tools, they were purchased at high prices by major guilds…

In order to increase the appeal of their own guilds, many guildmasters had already started training their very own members as blacksmiths, and these devices came just in time!

As she further interact with Rose, the Spider Queen, Evé also gained a deeper understanding of the underworld.

The entrance to the underworld from Rivendell is connected to a relatively remote location.

That particular area used to be inhabited by numerous monsters, but the majority of them were driven away when the Spider Queen and her swarm of spiders arrived in Rivendell several decades ago, in anticipation of her promotion to a higher rank.

After inquiring with Rose about the conditions in the deeper parts of Rivendell, the Spider Queen disclosed that there is another settlement of intelligent beings living near the entrance to the underworld.

This settlement belongs to a dark dwarf tribe that resides underground.

However to find them, one must go deeper into the underground.

Dark dwarves are a branch of dwarves, typically measuring less than 1.5 meters in height, with a weight equivalent to that of adult humans, and their skin is grayish-black.

Unlike their surface-dwelling relatives, these dark dwarves excel in mining and forging. However, their faith does not lie with the dwarven god of craftsmanship but rather with Hodur, ² an ancient god of the underworld, known as the Lord of Darkness and Night.

Of course, there are also some dark dwarves who didn’t worship Hodur, but instead the goddess of death and the underworld, Hela.³

Generally speaking, there are more dark dwarves who believe in the former, and they primarily consist of older individuals.

The latter is smaller, with the younger people within the tribe belonging in this group.

The dark dwarf tribe near Rivendell is a medium-sized settlement, wherein both faiths towards the two ancient gods are said to coexist.

They settled in the vicinity after the downfall of Rivendell, when the passages between the surface world and the underworld were opened. They then entered into a non-aggression agreement with the Spider Queen and her swarm, who later also relocated into the area.

In addition, they frequently interact with human smuggling caravans on the surface.

It is precisely due to the non-aggression pact between the dark dwarves and the crypt spiders that a human smuggling caravan were able to establish a small outpost on the surface of Rivendell without any sort of trouble.

Upon being informed of these circumstances, Evé immediately became vigilant.

“I didn’t expect to have the possibility of encountering followers of Hela so soon… Looks like I need to be more cautious and use the guise of the Death God’s Godwarden more sparingly… At least not within Rivendell especially underground!”

With the entrance to the underworld now fully opened without any sort of obstructions, it is inevitable that players will soon interact with the dark dwarves in the near future.

This is not the time to expose herself as Death God’s fake Godwarden.

Just as Evé was busy contemplating upon these matters, something suddenly occurred within the physical body of the World’s Tree. A vibrant lifeforce emanated from it, capturing her attention…

She extended her divine sense towards the source of this life force and noticed that it was coming from the humanoid cocoon she had once created inside the World Tree.

It was Eve’s attempt to give birth to a primordial elf of her own volition!

With a flicker in her heart, Evé returned from her mindscape and back into her physical form.

Evé realized…

That the first true Primordial Elf was about to be born!

¹ The phrase ‘When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do’ refers to the importance of adapting yourself to the customs of the people who are in a certain place or situation and behave like they do.

² (????) – Höðr, also spelled Höd, Hoder, or Hodur, in Norse mythology, is a blind god, associated with night and darkness. Hod was the son of the principal god, Odin, and his wife, Frigg.

³ (??) – Hel also spelled Halja, Hela, or Helle, is a prominent figure in Norse mythology and is primarily known as the goddess of the underworld and death. She is the daughter of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Hel rules over a realm also called Hel or Helheim, which serves as the realm of the dead in Norse mythology.