Chapter 701

Game of the World Tree

【 GODDESS 】

—

It was as if he had passed through the void of space itself, Cypher felt a powerful sensation of weightlessness surge toward him.

The sounds around him gradually faded away as the entire world sank into silence.

Darkness enveloped him, yet his consciousness felt much clearer than it had ever been before.

Cypher had no idea what was happening, but then his surroundings suddenly turned into a vast expanse of white.

He could not tell how long time had passed but slowly, as ethereal singing voice began to flow softly through the air.

It was a captivating female voice, murmuring gently, as if praising something unknown. It sounded light and otherworldly.

At that point, Cypher’s vision finally returned.

What appeared before his eyes was a towering and magnificent sacred temple.

And he was standing at its very center.

The temple was solemn and grand. On both sides stood rows of stone pillars carved with exquisite patterns and vivid reliefs.

Upon closer inspection, one could even discover that some of the images depicted stories of players building cities, or fighting against orcs and demons.

Cypher parted his lips slightly, his gaze continuing to travel upward.

What he saw was an endless expanse of stars through the temple above.

The cosmic expanse was profound and boundless, adorned with countless stars, some golden, some blue, dazzling and beautiful as they shimmered without cease.

Faint prayers intertwined with the ethereal singing, creating a powerful, chant-like hymn that could soothe the soul and stir a deep sense of reverence and worship in anyone who heard it.

Cypher gazed at the resplendent galaxy and gradually became entranced by the sight.

“These are stars formed from faith and will. Each golden star represents a believer of mine, and each blue star represents a Chosen One.”

At that moment, a familiar female voice came from behind him.

The voice was melodious and heart stirring as ever. It was the same voice that countless players deliberately selected as the default system voice after creating their characters.

That voice belonged to the goddess.

Cypher’s spirit jolted.

He instinctively turned around and saw a figure he would never forget for the rest of his life.

It was a woman dressed in a pure white, sacred celestial gown. An exquisitely ornate crown sat atop her flowing silver hair, which reached all the way down to her waist, and a pair of magnificent violet eyes that seemed capable of seeing through all things in the world.

Her appearance was even more perfect and dreamlike than those in recorded videos, and it inspired an even stronger sense of noble sanctity that could not be profaned.

Her smile was gentler and warmer than players had ever described, drawing people in unconsciously and making them want to offer everything they had.

At that instant, Cypher felt as though the entire world had come to a standstill.

In his mind, only one name remained.

The Goddess, Evé Yggdrasill.

Only then did Cypher suddenly realize that he had likely triggered a rare special event and had been summoned by the goddess herself.

Among players, this was an occurrence rarer than winning a silver-rank advancement slot in a single attempt from the lottery.

Yet it had happened to him.

However, when this special event, which he had fantasized about and longed for countless times, truly arrived, Cypher found that his emotions were not as elated as he had imagined them to be.

Before his eyes, he seemed to see again Dorei’s final expression of relief before he died.

Beside his ears, he seemed to hear once more the sorrowful yet resolute songs of the frost elves.

He knew full well that those were all just a part of the storyline prepared by the devs…

He knew that they were merely NPCs.

Yet at this moment, Cypher found it extremely difficult to cast aside the weight lingering in his chest, and regard those memories as mere scripted events.

“Brave Chosen One, you have worked very hard.”

The Goddess looked at him with a gentle expression. Her voice was soft, graceful, and warm.

Cypher opened his mouth, suddenly feeling a sting of sourness in his nose.

The sensation was like that of a wronged child suddenly seeing his mother after a long time.

“—No, I am not the one who suffered. Those frost elves are the ones who truly suffered. I did nothing at all. How could I compare my hardship to their suffering? I am merely a player who could accomplish nothing.”

He shook his head lightly.

At that moment, Cypher realized that, unlike other players who had previously encountered the goddess and could only recite predetermined system dialogue, he was able to speak freely.

This realization sent ripples through his heart. Almost instinctively, he knelt on one knee toward the goddess.

“Honorable Goddess!”

His voice trembled slightly.

He slowly raised his head, gazed upon her peerless face, and asked with barely restrained emotion.

“Can you save those frost elves who have been trapped in the abyss?”

“They have waited for you for far, far too long.”

Even Cypher himself did not realize how earnest and sorrowful his voice was at that moment.

But as embarrassing as it might be, and as others might make fun of him for being too engrossed in his own emotions, at this moment there was only a blazing fire burning in his chest, eager to break free and do whatever it took to save them.

The goddess did not immediately respond to Cypher’s plea.

Instead, she moved with deliberate grace, her footsteps silent as she slowly stepped forward, passing by him and gliding between the stone pillars of the temple.

Gazing at the shimmering cosmic expanse above them, she spoke softly:

“The current location where those Elves are is a place within the Abyss. There, dense abyssal power spreads without cease, interfering with all forms of external perception.”

“Alas, even I cannot project my power across such a vast distance while facing layer upon layer of interference from the Abyss.”

“B-But… since you were able to summon me here in your divine kingdom, does that not mean you can still somewhat intervene in that world?” Cypher could not help but ask, his voice betraying both hope and desperation.

The goddess’s smile grew even gentler. Her gaze, calm yet piercing, settled on him.

“Is that not precisely the reason you arrived here even without my direct intervention?”

Cypher froze slightly.

Almost instantly, he recalled the vow he had made before passing out.

As if realizing something, his expression gradually grew excited. A flush of emotion spread across his cheeks as he stammered:

“G-Goddess… you… you… I… what should I do?”

The goddess slowly turned around, then extended her long, fair arm and lightly tapped the air.

A couple of seconds later, golden divine power gathered continuously, gradually taking form and manifesting within the temple a dark, lifeless-looking world, where heavy black clouds rolled endlessly across the sky.

It was precisely the world within the Abyss that Cypher had accidentally wandered into.

Looking at the heavy black clouds, the goddess let out a soft sigh.

“Do you see those dark clouds?”

Cypher nodded firmly.

“I do.”

She continued:

“Those clouds are the manifestation of abyssal power. They linger endlessly above the Abyss, isolating everything within and disrupting all forms of perception or intervention from the outside.”

“It is precisely because of their presence that my power is heavily suppressed in the Abyss. At most, I can maintain only a minimal connection, just enough to allow you to navigate within that world.”

Her gaze softened as she looked at him.

“If your final will and determination had not pierced through the interference of the abyssal power, I would not even have been able to summon you here in the first place.”

Cypher felt a stir in his heart as he recalled the various problems he encountered when he first entered that world where those frost elves resided.

The malfunctioning system connection, unusable mini-map and the logout function that could not be activated.

Could it be that those were not bugs at all, and that the devs had deliberately designed them this way, to fit the narrative of the storyline?

Although doubts still lingered in his mind, after hearing the goddess’s words, he no longer wished to dwell on such trivial details.

At this moment, the only thing that mattered to him was how to save those elves.

“So… what do I need to do? I’m guessing I’ll need to find a way to make those dark clouds disperse?”

Cypher pressed on.

The goddess gently shook her head and sighed softly.

“Even I have no way to purify and disperse those clouds condensed from abyssal power.”

Hearing this, Cypher felt a hint of disappointment.

“…However.”

The goddess’s tone shifted.

“When your consciousness was summoned here, I sensed that there is a region in that world where the abyssal power is relatively weak,” she said.

“It should be an area of extremely high terrain. Find it, and lead all the elves of the Azurefrost Clan there.”

“Once you witness the true night sky, pray together toward the heavens and call upon my name.”

“At that moment, light will surely descend upon that world, piercing even the deepest abyssal clouds.”

Hearing this, Cypher took a deep breath and nodded heavily, the gravity of the task settling on his shoulders.

“The true night sky?”

Cypher whispered.

“I… understand,” he added, bowing respectfully to the goddess.

After a moment, a question resurfaced in his mind, and he could not help but ask:

“Umm… Goddess…? For this task, may I ask for the help of other Chosen Ones?”

Seeing the expectation in Cypher’s expression, the goddess sighed softly.

“Before you reach the true night sky, this task can only be completed by you alone,” she replied, her voice gentle but resolute.

Cypher froze, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.

“…Why? You probably know how I entered that world, shouldn’t you?” he asked in confusion.

“It was that sealing formation within the Titan Ruins near Mirovia, was it not?”

“Alas, the Abyss holds many powerful enemies, and your accidental entry was already enough to draw the attention of certain beings,” she continued.

“Beneath that sealing formation lie many ancient presences. By the time you appeared before me, they had likely already noticed your presence.”

“As such, that place is no longer safe.”

“Cypher, you have only one chance, even for the safety of the elves of the Azurefrost Clan.”

“Find the true night sky, and lead them to pray together.”

“At that time, the other Chosen Ones will naturally descend, along with my power, to assist where it is needed.”

Her voice softened, yet its weight pressed upon him.

“This will be an arduous mission.”

“Can you accomplish it?”

Upon hearing the goddess’s question, Cypher’s gaze gradually became firm.

He took a deep breath and, meeting the goddess’s gentle and clear eyes, spoke with solemn determination:

“Of course. This is the promise I made to Estelle.”

The goddess smiled faintly.

“Very well. I will watch over you from my Divine Kingdom.”

“Brave Chosen One…”

Light once again illuminated the entire temple as Cypher’s vision turned into a vast expanse of white.

His slightly illusory figure slowly dissipated.

༺⟐༻

Watching the place where Cypher had vanished, Evé remained silent for a moment, then softly exhaled, her breath carrying both relief and lingering concern.

What she had just said to that player contained both truth and falsehood.

Suddenly, small clusters of light gathered and the figure of Feynir, the Fairy King, appeared behind her.

This demigod-level divine envoy knelt gracefully to the ground, lowering her head slightly, her voice filled with self-reproach:

“Great Goddess! Please punish me! It was my fault for failing to detect the problem with the game system in time.”

Evé slowly turned around and gently waved her hand.

“Rise.”

A soft power lifted the Fairy King Feynir to her feet.

“This was not your fault. Who could have guessed that a Chosen One would be accidentally teleported into the Abyss?”

“The power of the Abyss is inherently capable of neutralizing divine power, or directly corrupting and tainting it. At such a great distance, interfering with the operation of the game system, and even lifting the restrictions on a Chosen One’s activity range, is entirely understandable.”

“However, if not for this accident, we likely would never have discovered that the elves of the Azurefrost Clan had been sent to the Abyss. The internal space and time of the Abyss are distorted, and we cannot even know how long they have managed to endure there.”

Evé let out a deep sigh.

A trace of complexity and sorrow flashed through her eyes.

Then, after steadying her emotions, she smiled gently and said:

“Still, I have now reinforced the connection once more. We only need to wait for news from that Chosen One.”

Seeing Evé’s serene and reassuring smile, Feynir bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Merciful Grace. The members of the Azurefrost clan will surely be saved.”

After speaking, the little fairy asked somewhat uneasily:

“Your Grace, then… should the one hundred revival points of that Chosen One be deducted again?”

Evé fell silent, contemplating for a moment.

“No.”

She shook her head lightly.

Then she looked once more toward the cosmic skies of the Garden of Eden, filled with dazzling stars.

“To be able to break through the system’s restraints I placed within his body by sheer will and determination alone… even under the severe suppression of abyssal power, is already worthy of admiration.”

“Perhaps I have underestimated the power of will all along.”

“Those one hundred revival points… forget it.”

However, further strengthen the system. The Heavenly Crusade against the demons is approaching. I do not wish to see the system malfunction again once the Chosen Ones enter the Abyss.”

Hearing Eve’s words, the Fairy King Feynir bowed deeply.

“I understand, Your Divine Grace.”

Feynir slowly withdrew.

Only Evé remained, quietly gazing at the starry sky of the Garden of Eden.

The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of solemnity.

It was understandable that player named Cypher was able to break through the system’s restrictions.

After all, the strength of the restraints within players was originally tied to the system’s own strength, and under the suppression of the Abyss, it had already been weakened from the start.

This was not necessarily a bad thing.

At the very least, the moment he broke through the restrictions also stimulated the system itself, thereby allowing Evé to seize the opportunity to reinforce the connection and summon his consciousness into her Divine Kingdom.

Although, due to the interference of abyssal power, Evé was still unable to pinpoint Cypher’s exact location within the Abyss, she could at least observe his field of vision and partially restore some of the operations of his system.

However, none of this was the most important matter.

The most crucial point was that Cypher was still able to move freely within the Abyss, even while temporarily disconnected from the internet network on Earth due to abyssal interference.

One must remember that when Evé first drew the players’ consciousness into the world of Seigües, it was done entirely through the internet network channels back on Earth.

Hence, if that network was blocked, then how could a player’s consciousness, which was linked to the world of Seigües through that network, continue to exist while being disconnected at the same time?

Although Evé could sense that he was still not beyond her control, and that she could still force him to log out, this also indirectly indicated that her method of summoning players was far more complex than she had originally believed.

At this thought, Evé could not help but extend her hand, manifesting the blue sphere of light within her soul, which had been flickering steadily.

Looking at it, her gaze instantly became unfathomably deep.

“Is this truly nothing more than a blue sphere that gives me the ability to connect to the internet network of Earth?”

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