Game of the World Tree

▪️FOLLOWERS OF THE LORD OF DARKNESS AND SHADOWS

“Deal? What kind of deal?” asked Little Salty Cat calmly.

The other person with a hoarse voice just smiled faintly.

“A major deal, the price will definitely satisfy you. Please come with me.”

After speaking, he simply turned and walked away.

Little Salty Cat hesitated for a moment, then decided to followed him.

Walking behind the hooded dwarf in a gray robe, Little Salty Cat eventually arrived at Blackrock City’s underbelly.

The structures within this area appeared more rundown compared to the bustling central square, and there were even fewer people loitering around the vicinity. It was situated near the deserted mining zone on the outskirts of Blackrock City.

After realizing that this particular zone was the city’s most infamous and lawless area, often discussed by users on the forum due to its diverse and unpredictable nature, Little Salty Cat became more alert and vigilant of her surroundings.

Seemingly ignoring her growing sense of unease, the hooded dwarf kept on leading the way,as he navigated through twists and turns until he finally arrived at an entrance that led to a deep mine.

“Please come in.”

The shady dwarf smiled at Little Salty Cat and entered the mine shaft first.

Having observed the dubious appearance of the place, she involuntarily gulped and began preparing a self-destruct spell to immolate herself at any given moment should things go awry. Simultaneously, she also sent her coordinates to some of her other guild members as another safety precaution.

Then, after mentally preparing herself, Little Salty Cat finally mustered up the courage and finally ventured into the depths of the mine.

The interior was shrouded in darkness, with torches evenly mounted on both sides of the walls providing the only source of illumination, as the flickering torches cast a dim light throughout the vicinity.

After approximately a minute of walking, they finally reached a slightly wider stone chamber deep within the mine.

“Please wait here for a moment. Our elder will be here shortly,” the hooded dwarf said to Little Salty Cat.

Salty Cat hesitated for a moment, then nodded before entering the stone chamber.

As soon as she entered, a hint of surprise and astonishment flashed across her face because she saw two familiar faces within the chamber!

“Demacia? Tomato? What are you guys doing here?” she exclaimed in surprise.

That’s right, these two individuals who never got along with each other had actually gathered here together!

Little Salty Cat was not aware of the exact details of what had transpired between Tomato and Li Mu, but it was a widely known fact among the entire playerbase that the Guildmasters of First Legion and Hearts of Nature had always harbored a mutual dislike for each other.

And being Li Mu’s loyal follower and the vice-guildmaster of Hearts of Nature, Demacia also cannot stand Tomato, perhaps even more than Li Mu himself. So, whenever they meet, the two would usually end up mocking and ridiculing one another.

“You two are here as well?”

Could it be that they have also been summoned by these shady dwarves, just like herself?

Little Salty Cat speculated within her mind.

She knew that these two were also in Blackrock City today because they were the representatives of their own respective guilds whom she had met when they visited the Church of Death earlier in order to establish a more in-depth collaboration between the dwarves.

In that meeting, Tomato represented his guild “First Legion,” and since Li Mu has been busy with things in the Chosen City lately, his vice-guildmaster, Demacia, stood as his proxy to represent “Heart of Nature” and lastly, Little Salty Cat represented her guild “Moe Moe Committee.”

Although there are some other smaller guilds within the game, 85% of the players that’s currently participating in the closed beta are actually members of these three major guilds.

Upon seeing the arrival of Little Salty Cat, a hint of surprise flickered across both their faces, before swiftly transforming into recognition.

“Yo Salty Cat! It seems like you were also called by these dwarves.”

Sure enough…

Little Salty Cat breathed a sigh of relief within her mind, but soon she became delighted.

This lineup…

It could very well be a hidden quest!

The other two individuals evidently shared the same sentiment as well, seeing as their expressions were also brimming with anticipation.

Just as the three were about to exchange the information they had gathered, their attention was then abruptly captured by a deep laugh.

“Hehe, welcome, leaders of the elven mercenaries…”

The three was startled because they had not sensed anyone approaching.

In response to the greeting, they all turned their heads in unison as they looked towards the source of the deep voice and saw a very peculiar figure…

Right in front of them stood a hooded dwarf wearing a black robe, seated on a chair similar to a wheelchair reminiscent of those from Earth. Although his face was not clearly visible, the trio noticed a peculiar symbol engraved on his black robe.

Looking at it more closely, the symbol was in the shape of an eye, with a triangular frame and a layer of diagonal shadows.

Any players familiar with the religious lore of the Elven Kingdom would quickly identify the symbol as a faith insignia. It is similar to the tree-shaped symbol of the World Tree, the bow-shaped symbol of Uller, and the sickle symbol associated with the Church of Death.

Given this assumption, it is more probable that the hooded dwarf sitting on a wheelchair belongs to a religious denomination that worships a deity distinct from the goddess of death…

Was he a follower of a certain Netherworld God or even perhaps an Evil God?

In an instant, the three players became cautious as they vividly recalled that the current active questline involving the dwarves explicitly stated that they should not become entangled in the religious disputes of the Dark Dwarves!

Previously… the players were left confused regarding this matter.

Based on the information shared on the forum, they were aware that the Dark Dwarves worshipped two gods: one being Hela, the Goddess of Death and Lord of the Underworld, and the other being Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows.

However, upon entering Blackrock City, they only encountered the Church of Death, which served as the denomination for the followers of the Goddess of Death, and so far, they still have not come across any religious institution dedicated to the other god worshiped by the dwarves.

Although they were curious, they did not further investigate this matter because of the quest reminder. After all, for most players, they didn’t really care about the Dwarves’ religious beliefs since they themselves weren’t that much religious either.

For players, Blackrock City was just a newly opened map to a game.

Apart from trading with the dwarves for some goods, what most players were actually more interested in were the abundant monsters inhabiting the Dark Forest!

But now… are they going to get involved in the Dark-Dwarves’ religious disputes?

For a moment, the three of them had this thought within their minds.

Seeing the gaze of Little Salty Cat and the others lingering on his insignia, the mysterious dwarf chuckled softly and said:

“Judging by your expressions, I think you should have some ideas about my identity. That’s right… I am a follower of Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows. The Godwarden of shadows—Heartstone!”

“Pfft… What a lofty name.”

Demacia couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

However, he hurriedly covered his mouth after seeing the angry glares of the other two.

After glaring at Demacia, Little Salty Cat’s gaze then shifted as she looked back at the hooded dwarf once again…

It turned out to be a Godwarden!

And not just any Godwarden, but a Godwarden for the other god that the Dark-Dwarves believe in…

At this moment, it would be foolish for her not to acknowledge the likelihood of the three of them becoming entangled with the dwarves’ religious dispute.

And her first thought was:

Will getting involved in this dispute ruin their active questline?

And another thought was:

Wait…is this a quest-chain related the main questline[Dark Dwarves] ?

Tomato’s thoughts were also quite similar to hers.

They had been working on the [Dark Dwarves] questline for several days now, yet the players had still not yet found any clues on how to complete this hidden quest. But finally, a new development had been triggered, giving rise to a fresh set of ideas within their minds.

Observing the shifting expressions of the three players, the dwarf, who referred to himself as the Shadow’s Godwarden, let out a soft chuckle and expressed:

“I propose a deal, one that involves not only you but also the existence behind you!”

Right as soon as Heartstone uttered those words, a new system message swept through the field of view of Little Salty Cat and the other two, as if it had been waiting for a long time.

【❗ 】

【 You have triggered the hidden main quest-chain: “The Faith of the Dark Dwarves“】

【❗ 】

【 Entering story mode, please choose a representative: “Little Salty Cat” “Demacia” ” Tomato“】

Seeing the triggered system prompt, the three players were momentarily taken aback.

Meanwhile, deep within the core area of the Elven Forest, Evé, who had been silently observing the situation through the vision of the three players, had a hint of realization upon her face:

“I have been wondering who has been causing trouble these past few days… but it turns out it’s a follower of the Lord of Darkness and Shadows!”