Game of the World Tree

Chapter 176

??HIDDEN QUEST — DARK DWARVES

Followers of Evil God!

As the old dwarf observed these elves and their strange behavior, a hint of realization flickered within his eyes.

Evil Gods has two origins…

One is a true god whose soul has been corrupted by the will of the abyss, and the other is a powerful existence who voluntarily submits to the will of the abyss in order to attain godhood.

Nevertheless, regardless of which origin they came from, due to their entanglement with the chaotic will of the abyss, Evil Gods generally exhibit a disposition of madness and malevolence…

Furthermore, they strengthen themselves not only through faith but also by accepting the flesh and souls of other creatures that are sacrificed by their followers.

In contrast to believers of other true gods, followers of Evil Gods frequently display signs of madness as a result of being influenced by the will of the evil god they’re worshiping.

Even within the chaotic underworld, the topic of evil gods is quite sensitive, and many settlements have been destroyed by the followers of Evil Gods…

As a seasoned old dwarf who has had numerous encounters with these evil god cultists, Barain naturally understood that these guys were akin to alchemical potions that could explode at any given moment.

If they were allowed entry right into any settlements or cities within the underworld, chances are those places would inevitably fall into chaos due to the tendencies of these cultists…

However, as the saying goes, every sharp sword can be a double-edged weapon. If he could effectively utilize these elves who appeared to be followers of an evil god, then it could also potentially bring unexpected benefits upon his tribe!

Thinking of this, Barain’s gaze gradually became more profound.

“Grandpa Barain, how about it?”

Observing the elderly dwarf whose expression keeps fluctuating, the young scout named Brasshammer asked with a mixture of curiosity and respect.

Having trailed behind the elderly dwarf, Brasshammer refrained from going forward to peep, thus missing out on witnessing the subsequent battles of the elves and being unable to hear out their conversations.

Withdrawing his gaze from their spy hole, Barain let out a slight sigh and spoke in a low voice,

“They are merely a group of elves who have inadvertently ventured into the underworld. It’s not a major issue. Let’s return. I’ll assign someone else to keep watch over them.”

“They really are elves! It seems I didn’t made a mistake after all!”

Hearing the words of the old dwarf, Brasshammer’s expression brightened as he breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’ve heard that Elves are the most noble race in the world. Perhaps our tribe can establish communication with them and engage in business!”

After hearing Brasshammer’s optimistic words, the elderly dwarf simply nodded and displayed an enigmatic smile.

“Haha, this brat, there’s no need to rush. Judging from their appearance, it’s only a matter of time before they delve deeper into the underground caves. They will surely eventually pay a visit to our tribe in due time. Let’s go back for now.”

After saying that, Barain held back the young scout, who still wanted to take a closer look, and urged him to turn around and leave.

Through her divine sense, Evé silently observed the old dwarf and his younger companion turned around and leave, before she withdrew her gaze and wore a look of keen interest.

“Hmm…interesting.”

The players couldn’t see these two spying dwarves, but Evé could.

After all, with her being a genuine god, she had the ability to project her consciousness onto players and ‘perceive’ the surroundings with more clarity.

And the series of changes upon the old dwarf’s expressions were also clearly observed by her.

That elder’s expression of astonishment earlier gave the impression that he doubted the players’ identity as mere ordinary elves, didn’t it?

“That old dwarf was definitely startled by the players’ actions just now, but his last reaction was rather peculiar… It seems that I need to advise the players to be more cautious when encountering the dark dwarves, so they won’t be scammed.”

Evé contemplated as she recalled and analyzed the behavior of the bald dwarf elder.

“It appears that this elderly dwarf harbors a sense of wariness towards the younger dwarf. There seem to be underlying internal conflicts within their community, possibly related to religious complexities between the two factions…”

“Although the players aren’t my believers, I still need to remind then to pay more attention to the local inhabitants. Their main purpose for entering the underworld is to enhance their strength, not to expand our faction’s influence. If the players can avoid conflicts with the dark dwarves, then it’s better to do so…”

She had never considered extending her influence deep into the underworld.

In her perspective, the chaotic domain of the underworld served as nothing more than a training ground for the players to advance their levels. Countless monsters inhabited this place, making it an ideal place for the players to engage in battles and absorb some lifeforce.

Of course, it also wouldn’t be a bad idea to conduct some business and trade with the local inhabitants of the underworld during their exploration.

However, when it came to expanding and establishing her own base in the underworld, that idea was completely out of the question.

At most, what she could do is to raise some local inhabitants similar to outside agents, tasked with mining resources and acquiring specialty products.

The surface world already was already so bountiful and more than suitable enough for the survival of the elves. Wouldn’t it be better to direct her efforts and allocate her resources there instead?

After all, if one were to chase two rabbits, they might not be able to catch either one in the end.¹

Of course, another important reason why Evé had no intention of expanding in the underworld was her apprehension concerning the mysterious existence behind the dark dwarves…

The true gods of the Netherworld! ²

There was once a dimensional passage between Underdark and the Netherworld. Although this passage had been closed after a thousand years during the Heavenly War, the several true gods of the Netherworld still held great interest in Underdark.

For the bigshots of the Netherworld, this place is their bridge which connects them to the world of Saigües.

Having already waged war against Uller, the god of winter and hunting, Evé is reluctant to provoke another enemy and find herself in yet another precarious situation.

The gods of the heavenly realm are destined to become her enemies, but the true gods of the Netherworld are different. They did not participate in the ancient war of the gods that took place a thousand years ago, and their foundation does not lie within the world of Saigües.

Strictly speaking, they are not Evé’s enemies.

Of course, she still harbor some few minor ideas within her mind…

It is said that Hela is not fond of the gods of the Heavenly Realm. Even if Hela left her mark in the Pantheon, it is likely merely a superficial gesture.

It might be a good idea if she could have a chance to establish a connection with this particular god!

Of course, there are some potential risks involved since Evé does not know Hela’s real attitude towards the World Tree and the other gods.

Moreover, she has always pretended to be someone associated with Hela in front of Uller’s minions, which instills a sense of guilt within her.

But in any case…

“When it comes to the believers of Hela, it’s better to be careful!”

This is the Goddess of Death after all.

If the nearby inhabitants were not the dark-dwarves who worship the deities of the Netherworld, but instead merely just lizardmen who believe in primitive totems or any other sentient beings who just worship evil gods…

Then, Evé would have definitely loosened the leash of the players without much hesitation, allowing them to freely attack like a pack of rabid dogs!

The members of the First Legion have discovered an excellent spot to farm mobs in the underworld with exceptionally high EXP yields!

Although Tomato strongly insisted that all guild members should not disclose such information, who doesn’t have friends in other guilds?

Moreover… it is not only their guild that’s exploring the depths of this underground area. Other small guilds and some solo players have also partake in the exploration as well.

Therefore, it didn’t take long for the news spread before they could fully farm scorpions in the spot that they’ve discovered.

In no time at all, a large number of hardcore players formed small parties and rushed into the underworld, joining the existing army of players whose already farming mobs on the spot.

Soon after, the number of players farming giant scorpions in the mushroom forest quickly surpassed three hundred.

This left Tomato feeling both frustrated and helpless, secretly cursing these players for being like a group of cats, running over the second they smelled something fishy.

Of course, all could do was just grumbled and complained.

High-leveled players like him are already subject to a multitude of rules established by the game’s system, which comes with corresponding restrictions to handle any wrongdoing. Additionally, the current version of him is no longer akin to his past self, as he has naturally grown more compliant compared to his previously reckless nature.

Besides, there are indeed many monsters lurking in the underworld, so there’s no need to fight over these puny sums of monsters.

After many players scrambled to wipe out the giant scorpion population within the Mushroom Forest, some have decided to pass through the forest and arrive at a deeper area…

Within this deeper region, they saw a beautiful underground river.

This cavern area is divided into two parts by an underground river: on one side, there is an underground forest consisting of various peculiar plants, where the constant roar of monsters can be heard; whereas on the other side lies an open field!

Upon seeing the open field, the players’ eyes lit up one by one.

Because, unexpectedly, they saw plantation fields and man-made paths!

Here lies the proof of the natives living in the underworld!

The crops in these fields differed from those in the surface world, leaving the players unable to identify them. They appeared to be a type of moss-like plant, exhibiting an unappetizing appearance.

Furthermore, in the distance across the plain, the players have also caught sight of an underground city constructed entirely from black stones!

“It’s a city!”

“Quick, look! There are some people moving over there!”

“They’re short and have dark skin. They must be the dark-dwarves mentioned in the info!”

The players were filled with great excitement upon this discovery.

Meanwhile, a new system message appeared before all the players who arrived at the area—

?? ?

?Discovered City of the Dark-Dwarves?

?Triggered Hidden Questline: Dark-Dwarves?

?Quest Description: Dark-Dwarves are sentient beings residing in the underworld. They believe in the Goddess of Death and the Lord of Darkness and Shadows. They excel in mining and forging and have a fondness for good ale…?

?Quest Objective: Obtain the friendship of the Dark Dwarves?

?Rewards: Experience points, Contribution points, Neutral NPC Reputation Rating (Neutral NPC Reputation Rating will affect the overall reputation score)?

?Tips: The power dynamics in the underworld are complex. It is recommended for the chosen ones to enter as elven mercenaries, enabling them to trade with these neutral NPCs. However, please maintain the dignity of the elves and avoid getting involved in disputes concerning faith…?

For some reason, the players couldn’t help but feel that this quest had been triggered exceptionally fast compared to normal…

¹ A proverb which has a meaning that if you put your efforts and energy into trying to fulfil two goals at the same time, you won’t succeed in either one.

² Okay for clarification, all this time, I’ve thought that this place was already the Underworld (as in hell) hence why I’ve been calling it as such. While it is still technically a part of Hell (since it was once connected to it) it actually isn’t the real Hell, merely the entrance point of it and there seems to be another realm (just like the Heavenly Realm) called ‘??’ (Netherworld/Underworld)

I’m sorry for the mistake. So to avoid confusion, from now on specifically use the term ‘Netherworld’ to refer to the realm wherein the Goddess of Death/Lord of darkness resides.