【 PREPARATIONFOR WAR AND PUBLIC LAUNCH 】

With this thought, Evé, whilst still donning her disguise as Zero, addressed everyone:

“Sauron Company is supported by Hödur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows.”

The mere mention of the Lord of Darkness and Shadows Hödur, only caused Merus a brief moment of confusion, but for the other elves present, their pupils contracted simultaneously.

Having lived through the battle that happened Underground, every high-ranking members of their faction knew that this entity had effectively become the enemy of their Patron Deity.

As such, the atmosphere in the temple grew even more serious.

“This matter likely involves a struggle at the level of gods, beyond what we mortals could comprehend. I will report this to Her Grace, and the Goddess shall make the final decision.” Evé continued.

Reporting directly to Her Majesty, The Goddess?

Upon hearing this, Selena and the others looked at Evé with a hint of envy.

Even Alice’s gaze became somewhat complex.

To be able to communicate directly with the Goddess was a testament of that individual having their Patron Deity’s favor and absolute trust.

It could only be said that…

Lord Zero truly deserved her title.

After a brief discussion, the meeting finally came to an end.

Once the others had finally left, Evé returned to her divine kingdom.

Whilst sitting upon her divine high throne, she pondered deeply, already forming a few speculations.

Considering the worst-case scenario, it was likely that the Lord of Darkness and Shadows had indeed colluded with Uller, and their first target might be her…

But she was not alone.

“It seems I need to contact Hela for help. I’ll ask her to keep an eye on the Netherworld. It wouldn’t be too much of an issue if it’s just Uller alone, but if Hödur is also involved, then the situation becomes much more complicated.”

What made Evé wary of the Lord of Darkness and Shadows was not merely their intermediate divine power but also the vast web of connections they had revealed during the Underground War.

Hmm… perhaps it would be more apt to call it a divine network?

She thought to herself.

This ancient god had existed for a long time and seemed to have formed acquaintances and alliances with many mythical beings over time.

Especially those evil gods who had once been confined to deep slumber or bound by powerful seals within the depths of Seigües. But now, with mana resurging across the land, these ancient beings were awakening from their long dormancy or breaking free of their seals.

Facing the unknown was the most harrowing challenge of all.

The reawakening of these ancient powers brought with it unpredictability, and as more unknown entities arose from their slumber, Evé found herself gradually losing her advantage as the sole active deity within this realm.

Fortunately, she still had the ‘first-mover’ advantage, but Evé wouldn’t be surprised at all if, one day, several of these evil gods suddenly attacked the Elven Forest.

After all, these reawakened evil gods also needed to quickly regain their strength, and it is indeed very likely they could be persuaded by Hödur to cooperate with him in order to deal with her.

I need to be more cautious.

Evé thought, silently heightening her alertness.

By adopting her public persona as the Goddess of Life, she managed to shroud her real identity beneath a carefully crafted façade. This guise allowed her to officially reveled herself to the public under an image that was both revered and acceptable. Yet, paradoxically, this very act also inadvertently thrust her into the public eye, drawing scrutiny that put her in a spotlight.

Nevertheless, the most perilous places often made for the most secure sanctuaries.

To divert the attention of other deities toward the World Tree, Evé had little choice but to make herself public in this manner…

After all, a deity’s divinity could not be faked.

It was a widely acknowledged fact that the birth of a new god always meant the absolute fall of the old one who had previously held that respective divinity.

“Hela is my only ally, but she alone should be able to provide some assistance and countermeasures against Hödur. However, the Dark Lord is operating in the shadows. For now, I need to focus on addressing the issue regarding the Orcs.”

“They’re definitely planning something big, and if Hödur is really involved, it likely has something to do with him.”

“I’ve been too passive before. Perhaps… it’s time for me to take the initiative for once.”

“It would be best to solve the orc problem once and for all!”

Eve’s resolve hardened, a spark of determination igniting within her.

With the current strength of her faction, only the players could truly contend with the orcs.

However, how to take the initiative required careful consideration.

It wasn’t just a matter of striking first; the approach would have to be precise and calculated.

Active offense and passive defense were fundamentally different, each requiring a unique set of strategies and resources. While the players had gained significant strength, enough to challenge the orcs directly in their own territory, Evé also knew that launching such an operation would not be without its risks.

Despite their newfound power, the harsh environment of the Desert of Death made it clear that a poorly executed plan could end in disaster.

Firstly, the Desert was situated far from the Elven Forest.

Even though the players were agile and many of them had magical beast familiars to aid in their journey, reaching the Desert of Death would still be a grueling task. It would take at least ten days, possibly up to half a month, depending on the conditions they faced along the way.

Although Silver-rank players and lvl 40 level-capped Iron-rank players might be able to get there faster, but other players would certainly struggle and fall behind.

Moreover, organizing such a long expedition, spanning ten to fifteen days, was no small feat.

To be honest, Evé felt that it would be feasible with a small group, where the pace could be controlled and the risk of stragglers minimized. However, with a much larger group, the challenges would certainly became far more complicated.

The more people there were, the higher the likelihood that some would become separated. One moment, they could be walking alongside the group, and the next, they could vanish without a trace. By the time they reached their destination, it was uncertain how many players would still remain.

This was not without precedent, either.

In fact, during the previous underground war, when their tasked with providing support for the Holy City of Death, over two thousand players had fallen behind after just a few hours of travel.

Actually… this is the biggest problem she faced.

While implementing game-like elements and turning Seigües into something similar to a video game has significantly enhanced the combat capabilities of the players, it has also limited her control over them.

After all, at the crux of it, they are here to play a game.

And traveling across the land for ten to fifteen days might be something that some masochistic players are willing to do, but not everyone would accept it, even if she offered generous rewards.

However, the issue of real-time travel had been encountered before, particularly during defensive battles. In those situations, Evé had utilized teleportation arrays to quickly move players and resources, which had drastically cut down on travel time and allowed them to respond to threats more efficiently.

But when it came to launching an offensive, the situation would be entirely different, as this time the players would venture deep into the territory of an enemy god.

If the other party wished to do so, Uller could easily negate the usage of teleportation arrays within his territories.

Thus she couldn’t rely on teleportation arrays!

Teleportation itself is no simple feat as it involves manipulating spatial powers, which is far more sensitive to the laws of the world than conventional magic.

As a result, any deity, possessing dominion over their territory, can spend a certain amount of resources to influence these laws. They can directly affect the spatial boundaries of their domain, thereby enforcing prohibitions on teleportation and other similar forms of spatial manipulation.

Of course, once this is done, it can also applies to both sides.

Therefore, unless it’s absolutely necessary during wartime, deities generally refrain from such actions.

Furthermore, the players had already discovered countless ways to exploit teleportation arrays in previous wars.

So as long as Uller isn’t entirely foolish, it’s almost certain that he’ll likely prevent them from using any kind of teleportation magic in the Desert by now.

This means that she can at most only set up a teleportation array at the edge of the Dark Mountains, leading to the Desert of Death.

Hence, for the players to venture deeper into the Desert and find the orc tribes, they will have to do so on foot.

“Not only that, but if they go deeper into the Desert and die, the cost for me to resurrect any dead player will also drastically increase…”

Evé frowned.

With the prohibition of teleportation magic in effect, her ability to recover the players’ corpses through teleportation would be severely restricted.

However, Eve had already prepared for situations like this.

The passive skill [War Sacrifice] that she imbued within every player’s avatar was designed to activate automatically right before the player’s death, if the system determined that the body could not be recovered. It would then actively consume the player with low health and bypass spatial transmission through the faith network, allowing their life force to directly cross the void and return to Evé.

However, this would inevitably drain a considerable amount of life force.

As for the equipment the players dropped…

Let’s just say, it’s beyond saving at that point.

Alas, they’ll just have to exchange for new ones since it’s really impossible to retrieve.

“In any case, if I really take the initiative to launch an attack, I must also be prepared for significant losses and begin preparing supplies,”

Evé murmured to herself.

Despite her gamifying it, this world was not a game, and the players’ avatars still experienced the wear and tear of reality. If they didn’t eat, they could even starve to death, their health slowly dwindling until their bodies could no longer function.

In a defensive battle, the players could probably manage to sustain themselves with limited resources, but in an offensive one, where they would be the ones pushing forward, a large stock of supplies would be required.

The players now serve as the primary producers and consumers in the Elven Forest, taking on vital roles that sustain the ecosystem.

Through their actions, they have essentially created an ecological cycle that integrates seamlessly with the local inhabitants, helping to maintain a balance of life.

On a normal day, this system functions smoothly.

However, while this arrangement works well under typical circumstances, if a full-scale war is launched, this delicate balance will inevitably be disrupted.

Therefore, to wage a large-scale attack, preparing supplies in advance is a must.

“Additionally, I still lack sufficient intelligence about the Desert of Death. Even if I decide to preemptively launch an attack, I need to scout the situation first.”

Evé lightly tapped the armrest of her throne and continued to speak to herself.

“Hmm…well this can be easily arranged. There are always players who love exploring uncharted locations. I’ll just extend the map boundary and issue some new exploration tasks.”

“It’ll be a good idea, since they could deal some harassment the orcs. Although players are terrifying when they’re all together in an army, but when they split into smaller groups and go for guerrilla tactics, they get a lot more tricky and annoying for the enemy…”

“Pkus, aren’t the orcs also preparing for war by now? Perhaps I can use this method to delay their actions and even demoralize them.”

“Of course, a large-scale offensive must still happen. I need to establish my influence in the Dark Mountains once and for all and eliminate all the orcs there… but that must only happen after I’ve gathered complete intelligence of the area.”

“It would be best if I could know the real purpose of the Lord of Darkness and Shadows. Otherwise… if an evil god really does get involved, they won’t care about whether it’s a fair fight or not. A single divine spell from them could wipe out my entire army, and I’d have nowhere to cry about it…”

Evé shook her head.

“Resurrecting tens of thousands of players at once and immediately creating new avatars for them would certainly consume an enormous amount of my divine power.”

Sure, with the Scepter of Life in hand, creating bodies through divine power isn’t difficult at all. Honestly speaking, with her current abilities, creating a numerous level one avatar is already quite an easy feat at this point.

However, level 1 is still level 1, and while it might be easy for her to create such bodies, the average strength of players had now reached the intermediate Iron-rank, making them significantly stronger than when they first began.

At this level, directly creating their avatars would be quite costly endeavor.

Of course, there are also ways to mitigate this issue.

She always kept a large reserve of base level one avatars for new players, and she can instead just increase the strength of those bodies, elevating them to the players’ average level rather than creating one from scratch.

That way, when the time comes, she could simply resurrect them upon these avatars and adjust their appearance and strength afterwards instead…

After all, it’s always better to be over-prepared.

“Uh… come to think of it, I’ve basically been cheating all along. After all, I’ve essentially been using my divine power to fight against the believers of other gods. But… who told me I could summon consciousness of beings from another world? Cough, cough…”

Evé dryly chuckled.

“In any case, whether it’s the number of players sent out to attack or maintaining the normal operation of the Elven Forest, if I want to form a reliable player team, I need a larger player base as a guarantee…”

“Guess its time to conduct another beta test and bring in some more people into the game.”

“Once I gather more players, I’ll start by extending the map for the veteran players, giving them the opportunity to harass the orcs and gather vital intelligence about the Desert. Meanwhile, the Elven Forest will also begin transitioning its production to a wartime operations, ensuring we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead. Once the new players have gained enough strength and experience, then I’ll launch the official campaign.”

“This time… well, I’ll just recruit a hundred thousand new players. With the Scepter in hand, I’ll only need to spend a little over a hundred divine power, and I already have plenty of base level one avatars in reserve to begin with.”

“Although… relying solely on internal beta tests isn’t the best approach either.”

“We’re talking about more than a hundred thousand new players now. Maybe it’s time to stop calling it a beta test and just roll out the official public release. But… it’ll be a gradual launch, with registration open only during specific periods.”

Evé nodded silently, making her decision.

With that thought, she used her divine power to convey the action plan against the orcs through an oracle to Alice, then logged into the official forum to start organizing a new announcement…

༺⟐༻

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Elven Forest, the City of Chosen Ones.

It was already evening at this moment.

The sun had just begun to set, casting a warm, golde hue across the sky, though it hadn’t yet fully darkened. The bright lights of the city flickered to life, reflecting off the sleek buildings and shimmering streets, creating a breathtaking display of light and color.

Near the Temple of Life, which stood as a magnificent centerpiece in the heart of the city, was a small, cozy restaurant. It had been opened by veteran players from the first beta.

At a corner table, Alice and Selena are having their long-awaited reunion after a long separation.

In the words of the Chosen Ones, it’s a ‘dinner date.’

Selena, whose body had been healed, was enjoying a plate of vegetarian dumplings, her face radiating happiness.

As she ate, she sighed contentedly:

“I have to say, the cooking skills of the Chosen Ones are indeed amazing. Every time I return to Chosen City, I can’t resist coming here for a delicious meal.”

“They are indeed good at cooking. Moreover, they are now also teaching their recipes to our other fellow clansmen.”

Alice smiled as she replied.

She had been busy with the affairs of the church, and it was only during dinner time that she could finally take a break to chat with her friend.

Hearing Alice’s words, Selena nodded in agreement:

“Yes, they really are amazing.”

After saying that, she looked out at the setting sun, listening to the sounds of laughter coming from the plaza, and sighed:

“There’s always new changes in this miraculous city every time I return to the Chosen City. It just keeps growing…”

“I never imagined I’d see the day when the Elven Forest would prosper once more…”

“After we finished that meeting at noon, I immediately went to visit my companions who had returned earlier in the afternoon.”

“They’ve all settled in Florence, and their lives are so much better than when they were trapped in human society. Now, every one of them has hope within their eyes.”

“Not only that, but many have found jobs they’re passionate about. Some are teaching the Chosen Ones how to carve magic runes, while some are working on crafting magical items, and others are involved in crop improvement and farming… Everyone is working hard for the resurgence of the Elvenkind.”

“After talking to them, I realized many of their attitudes have changed. Perhaps it’s the influence of the Chosen Ones. They now believe in the resurgence of our race, full of hope and faith. Some even have the rare competitive spirit.”

“Everyone is grateful to the Chosen Ones, but they also feel they haven’t done enough. They all want to do more for the betterment of the Elven race and not be outdone by the Chosen Ones…”

“I think that’s truly wonderful.”

“I really do hope the Elven Forest will continue to flourish like this, and perhaps one day, we will even see Her Grace standing at the pinnacle of the world in Her real identity.”

Selena sighed softly.

Alice nodded, her expression sincere, filled with longing.

“That day will surely come, as long as we keep pushing forward.”

But soon, her expression changed slightly, becoming more solemn.

“What’s wrong?” Selena asked, somewhat surprised.

Alice fell silent for a moment, her expression complex:

“I just… received an oracle from Her Grace.”

“An oracle?!” Selena exclaimed, her face filled with envy, and she almost stood up instinctively.

“What is it? Does it have to do with the orcs?”

She asked, both excited and curious.

Alice nodded and said seriously:

“Her Divine Grace is preparing to lead the Chosen Ones in launching a proactive war against the orcs.”

“So we’re taking the initiative to launch a war….”

Selena seemed lost in thought for a moment.

They, the elves despised war.

But this time, her expression softened with a sense of understanding and acceptance:

“Well… it was bound to happen sooner or later. No race can ever rebuild their civilization in peace.”

“This war is for the future of the Elvenkind, for our resurgence.”

Alice nodded in agreement, deeply understanding her words.

Then, her expression became even more serious as she continued:

“Additionally, there is one more thing included in the oracle.”

“Hm?”

“Her Divine Grace has commanded us to prepare ourselves, as more new Chosen Ones will be arriving soon. This time… their number will be a hundred thousand more.”

Selena: “…”

Upon hearing this, Selena opened her mouth, momentarily stunned.

After a long pause, she sighed.

“Well… the orcs are really in for some bad luck.”

——————

End of Volume 4

Authors Note : This volume concludes here, but in the next one, we will see the resurgence of the Elvenkind and the revelation of the World Tree. Some things, however, are not as simple as they seem. The next volume will likely be the longest yet. Thank you all for your support!

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep