Chapter 498: Symbol.

“Within the next few hours, your daughter will basically be omniscient.”

Lavinia spoke with a faint smile, and hearing those words, Kael couldn’t help but smile too. The tension that had clung to his shoulders slowly faded and he let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

“She’s so hardworking.”

“She is.”

Lavinia nodded.

“She was the one who took care of me when you weren’t here and did not panic at all, she’s much braver than me.”

The Mage smiled, and as if she heard their voice—

A small ripple of light flickered in the air near them, forming a small portal from which only one tiny figure could come out—and there she was.

“Ria.”

Kael called out with a gentle smile.

Her big purple eyes scanned the room, and as soon as she spotted him, she jumped forward in excitement, landing right on his forehead.

“Father.”

She greeted, pressing her small face against his forehead—her version of a kiss. The tiny antennas brushed against his skin, trembling lightly as if to say, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Kael chuckled softly.

He raised a finger toward her, and the little ant immediately leaned into his touch, rubbing her small head against his fingertip affectionately.

Lavinia, lying beside him, watched quietly—her tired eyes softening as she saw the little creature nuzzle Kael’s hand like a child greeting her father.

“She’s so different when she’s with you. With me, she seemed like a being with all the knowledge in the world, prepared to face anything that might be thrown at her, but with you…

She looks so… carefree.”

“She’s the same with me too.”

Kael laughed.

The little ant was always inside his pocket giving him instructions on how to move forward, so while she may be acting spoiled right now, both Kael and Lavinia knew how she actually was.

“I still can’t believe she is barely two months old.”

Kael smiled at that, then he turned toward Imperia and—

“So? How are the new ones doing?”

He asked curiously.

“I have already sent them to spread out. We are moving slowly because we also need to create more food lines to deliver food to the ants outside that will be sent beyond the Walls. The Deepmaws are working on that.

The ants are currently divided into two groups, one tasked to gather information—another to distribute food.”

Imperia answered, giving a brief report to not just Kael but Lavinia too.

“Right, food is still a problem, huh…”

“Mhm, even though the Whisperveil can survive with less food for a long period of time, I would rather my ants stay well-fed.”

The ant nodded.

Kael nodded too. Feeding the ants was necessary, especially when they were the ones who brought them here.

“How much time would it take to create food lines and cover the entirety of Heights?”

He asked.

“A week.”

And Imperia gave an estimate—an answer that surprised Kael.

He did not expect the entire thing to take an entire week. Imperia could obviously tell what her father was thinking and—

“I thought it would be done much quicker as well, but I failed to consider the harsh conditions in the mountains. Moving through the mountains, especially in the winters, will slow the ants.

I’ll need to proceed carefully from here on out, and to deal with this, I plan on expanding my empire and making multiple branches throughout the Heights—branches that can be used to not only store supplies that the ants will need but also allow them to rest and recover in case they need to.”

Imperia shared her ideas.

“But won’t protecting those branches become difficult? Even though we might have numerous Whisperveil, the others are still limited. You wouldn’t have Crybleeds to hunt or the Brimbacks to act as walls.”

Kael had his doubts—doubts Imperia had already considered.

“These branches will only be the resting place, not a permanent home for my ants. Although I do plan to develop these branches further once I have more ants, for now, I will only make the foundation.”

The ant answered.

“What if… other tribes or beasts find and attack the branches?”

Kael questioned.

“Finding the branches would be difficult since I’ll be making them beneath the mountains, but in case they are found, my first move would be to evacuate and protect the ants, and if that is not possible,

Father would need to move and protect the ants.”

Imperia looked into Kael’s eyes, and Kael nodded reassuringly.

“Leave it to me.”

“Though the chances that such a situation will arise are highly unlikely.”

The ant added quickly and confidently.

“If a branch is established in a region, that would mean that my ants have already mapped the entire area. Any movements that happen will be informed to me, so if a beast or a tribe does find the branch, before they make a move, I will know and will be able to react accordingly.”

At those words, Kael and Lavinia stared at each other, somewhat overwhelmed.

“You are fully prepared, huh…”

Lavinia commented with an awed look on her face, and Imperia raised her head in pride.

“I am.”

“I guess the trip to the Shrouded Veils was worth it, eh?”

Kael laughed, staring at his little ant.

“It was indeed.”

Lavinia smiled too, then her eyes changed—

“And it isn’t just about the ants.”

She added.

“What do you mean?”

Kael tilted his head in confusion.

“The Divine Tree.”

“What about it?”

Kael frowned at that answer.

After all, he knew the truth about the ’Divine Tree.’ There was nothing ’divine’ about it. The ’Faith Energy’ that it seemed to have the power to store—that energy doesn’t even exist in reality. It was all a lie, a lie the two of them used to bring thirty-five thousand ants to Heights without anyone knowing.

As for the tree, it was no different from any other tree back in the Shrouded Veils. If anything, since it had been uprooted once and brought to an entirely different place, it might be weaker than other trees and might die at any moment.

“Its mere presence increased the number of believers who believe in the Dragon God.”

Lavinia answered with an amused smile, and Kael blinked at those words.

“What…?”

“Yes, Father.”

Imperia nodded as well.

“When the soldiers returned from the Shrouded Veils carrying the tree logs, my ants needed about thirty minutes to spread around so as to not attract attention.

So for those thirty minutes, Mother made the soldiers close their eyes and pray to you while the ants emptied out the logs.

The soldiers didn’t complain either—they had seen you fight, they saw you rescue them, so their belief in you was already strong. So instead of returning right away, the entire group prayed diligently, and this news spread.

Once the ’Divine Tree’ was finally set up at the center, people saw, Vandra too, shifted her ’atonement’ from her house to under the tree’s shadow, stating that ’the tree made her feel closer to her lord.’

Her statement seemed to have a stronger effect since other people gathered beneath the tree as well, all feeling the same ’closeness’ that Vandra mentioned.

The words spread even faster. More and more people visited the tree. Those who already believed in you saw it as a holy relic—a sign or a gift you bestowed to them. As for those who merely came to satiate their curiosity, they felt somewhat overwhelmed by the ’Divine Sight.’

Even now, there are more than five hundred Velmourns sitting beneath the tree, feeling the same closeness that others do.”

“What ’closeness’ are they talking about…?”

Kael couldn’t understand.

The ’Divine Tree’ was no different than any other tree. They shouldn’t feel anything at all, then… just… what was this ’closeness’ these people were feeling?

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, Lavinia commented with a faint smile, her eyes half-closed as she lay against his shoulder.

“It’s not the tree that’s divine, it’s the people.”

“What do you mean…?”

Kael glanced at her.

“The tree is just wood and leaves, but belief changes how people see things. To them, this tree isn’t just something you brought back—it’s something… connected to you.

And since they believe in you, their minds accept that anything linked to you must carry that same divinity.”

She paused, letting her fingers trace the edge of his sleeve absentmindedly.

“For the believers, you’re already a being beyond reason.

So when they see that tree—something that you carried all the way from the Shrouded Veils—they don’t see a tree.

They see a symbol.

A symbol they can worship and direct their faith to.

As for the ’closeness’ they feel, it simply comes from that same belief. How could something that was chosen and brought back by the being they consider special not be special?

In the believers’ eyes, the tree is divine or different simply because you said so. There is no other reason needed.

That is the power you currently hold over those people.”

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