Game of the World Tree

He felt an inexplicable closeness to Nidhogg?

Evé was slightly bewildered after hearing Meryer’s words.

In Seigües, creatures like dragons, especially those of direct lineage, possess a keen sensitivity to auras.

Dragons who are directly related to each other, even if they have never met, will have some sort of special reactions whenever they sense each other’s aura.

Thinking of this, Evé once again examined the little black dragon.

“Meryer, how old are you this year?”

Evé asked a question that she had always been curious about.

Meryer shook its head.

“I don’t know. It was around a hundred years ago when my father found me. I was very young back then, maybe… at most, a little over a hundred at most.”

Over a hundred years?

Eve widened her eyes.

So, this guy is younger than Alice!?

After subduing Meryer, Evé had specifically searched for information about dragons.

If she remembered correctly, for pure-blooded dragons, being a little over a hundred years old should still be considered a juvenile.

Typically, black dragons in their juvenile phase are only a little more than ten meters tall, and the strength they can muster at this point usually peaks around intermediate silver at most.

Meryer, on the other hand, despite having the appearance of a juvenile, has already reached an astonishing length of twenty-three meters, with his strength even greater, being one step away from attaining the level of a golden-rank dragon.

This indicated that although this little black dragon is quite dumb and naive, Meryer possessed genius-level talent amongst his kind.

And talent is often linked to one’s lineage.

Could it be that Meryer is a direct descendant of Nidhogg?

The moment this thought crossed Eve’s mind, her expression took on an even more peculiar twist.

“Meryer, what do you think?”

She turned her gaze back to the little black dragon.

A trace of confusion flashed within Meryer’s eyes.

After hesitating for a moment, he raised his head and replied, “Meryer doesn’t know, but… I want to become a righteous silver dragon.”

Why are you so persistent of wanting to be a silver dragon?!

The corners of Eve’s mouth twitched as she resisted the urge to facepalm herself.

In response, she offered a gentle nod and spoke sincerely, “Embrace your true self, Meryer. Let not your identity nor origin breed fear or anxiety within you. You’re already a righteous dragon as it is – you only need to be true to yourself. Believe in your capabilities, Meryer!”

As she spoke, Evé used a gentle touch of life magic to calm the black dragon.

Upon hearing Eve’s words, Meryer’s mood gradually settled.

“I understand, Your Divine Majesty.”

He then lowered his head slightly.

“Alright, let’s go find the chosen ones and have some barbecued meat to lift your spirits.”

Evé immediately noticed a gleam in Meryer’s eyes when the words ‘Barbecued Meat’ were mentioned. She observed him subconsciously swallowing in anticipation, followed by the dragon rising from the ground like an overexcited husky.

“Your Majesty! In any circumstance, Meryer will stand by your side. After all… you’re the one who saved the entire world. Lord Yggdrasill, the savior of the world!”

Then after saying that, without even waiting for Eve’s response, Meryer swiftly turned around whilst drooling a bit and spread its wings, before flewing out of the temple toward the direction of the Black Dragon Castle.

“Saved the world…”

Evé murmured to herself.

“That was my predecessor, not me.”

She shook her head with a soft wry smile.

Bringing the dawn back at the Twilight Era was the work of her predecessor, not her.

On the contrary, Evé felt a bit embarrassed since she had planned to do the opposite and drag down the entire world with her should the gods decide to attack her.

Evé chuckled at her own self-deprecating thoughts.

Of course, just as she told Meryer to be himself, this is what Evé also wants to say to herself.

She was merely an ordinary person that inherited the legacy of an ancient deity.

And all she wants now is to live openly and honestly in this world…

But sometimes, one’s identity charts the course for their destiny.

Like an emperor tethered to his realm, parents must stand steadfast beside their children.

Evé, who had inherited the ancient god’s legacy, would inevitably bear the corresponding responsibilities that came along with it.

Therefore, for her, the very prospect of living openly already presents a formidable challenge, as all these obligations and expectations that she inherited tether her fate to what her predecessor laid out for her.

Maple Leaf City, White Maple Castle.

This is the core area of Maple Leaf City, a castle built upon the ruins of the preexisting elven metropolis and the residence and office of the Lord of Maple Leaf, Otto von Cappadocia.

Truly, it is the heart of the entire Maple Leaf territory.

The castle is constructed from white colossal stones, supposedly repurposed materials from the dismantled old elven structures, giving it a majestic and imposing presence.

It is rumored that due to the Cappadocia family inheriting elven legacies and wealth, the interior of White Maple Castle is even more splendid. It houses countless elven artifacts and magical items that could never be found anywhere else, at least in the current era.

At this very moment, inside White Maple Castle.

A middle-aged man in butler attire anxiously paces around the castle’s reception hall.

It’s none other than Anders, who had recently returned to Maple Leaf City alongside the players.

Presently, Anders exhibits signs of distress – beads of sweat materialize on his forehead, and his face reflects palpable anxiety.

After a while, a person dressed as a castle guard walks in from the outside.

Anders immediately brightens up and quickly approached the guard, asking with a mix of anticipation and concern,

“…How is it?”

The castle guard respectfully bows to the steward and said,

“Sir Anders, I have already inquired and all the establishments that operate in the blackmarket have been swindled, and the culprit who did it… is probably the southern caravan that came to Maple Leaf City along with you.”

“How is that possible!?”

Anders exclaimed, eyes wide, as his breathing became more labored.

“Then…what’s happening now?”

He asks hurriedly.

“It’s absolute chaos. It’s said that several companies have dispatched Silver-rank experts to track down the culprits, but they still haven’t returned yet.”

“S-Silver!”

Anders’ pupils slightly contract with trepidation.

Dispatching Silver-rank experts clearly indicates the severity of the losses these companies have incurred. He himself has invested in these establishments, particularly in Sauron Trade Company.

If the losses are too significant, then he’ll definitely be in trouble.

“Damned Southern nobles! They actually deceived me!”

He uttered with a voice full of resentment.

“And…,” the guard paused for a moment, then continued, “It’s rumored that all the elves and half-elves slaves being sold at the blackmarket were swindled and taken away by those people.”

“All the Elves and Half-elves slaves were taken away?”

“That’s right… even the elves from Oakhand are gone.”

Anders was left momentarily stunned, as his face turned completely pale.

“Then…d-doesn’t that mean that the auction organized by the Count in the upcoming days will…”

“Yes, I’m afraid… there are no elf slaves left for the auction,” the guard concluded.

Upon hearing this, Anders appeared momentarily dazed, nearly inadvertently lowering himself to the floor.

“It’s over… it’s all over for me… he’ll surely be furious if the Count finds out about this.”

The steward’s forehead began to sweat like a waterfall.

Many of the foreign merchants and nobles that will attend the auction are most likely coming here in the city with the intent to purchase some elven slaves for themselves…

Furthermore, the very auction itself was announced by the Borderlord himself!

If this matter goes awry, his lord will definitely become a laughingstock amongst the circles of nobility!

And all of this incident originated from him bringing those Southern nobles in and introducing them to the blackmarket.

Thinking of this, Anders becomes even more frightened.

“What exactly happened?”

He instinctively grabbed the guard with a grim expression.

The guard, taken aback, initially attempted to break free but later on succumbs to Anders’ unyielding hold.

In the end, the guard can only spill everything he heard.

“B-Based on what I’ve heard… it seemed those southern nobles at first proposed exchanging the slave collections of the companies for their fully-tamed elves. However, afterwards, all these tamed elves committed suicide one after another…”

“Not only that, but it’s even rumored that the corpses of these fully-tamed elves also disappeared shortly after they died, although whether it’s true or not, I’m not completely sure, sir.”

“Exchanging their slaves for fully tamed elves?”

Anders was momentarily stunned.

“Where did those southern youngsters even got these fully tamed elves?”

He wondered aloud while thinking back on his journey alongside the caravan of these swindlers.

Never once had he seen nor noticed any signs of an elf back then, so surely those youngsters hadn’t brought it back with them from the Kingdom.

At this moment, another guard hastily runs in from the outside.

It’s one of Anders’ trusted subordinates.

“S-Sir Anders! Sir Anders!”

He gasps for breath, conveying urgency as he runs.

“The Count has returned!”

— 292 —

【 THE IDENTITY OF MERYER 】

— —