The Embers of King's Teyvat Journey

In fact, they were almost there. Many of the tree's roots had already turned a dark reddish-black.

As a tree itself, the golden tree knew that if its roots rotted, it wouldn't be far from death. Fortunately, only part of the tree was rotten, so there was hope for saving it.

The dark auras tried to break free and corrupt the golden tree, but they were suppressed by something as soon as they rose up.

The roots of the golden tree moved closer, and then it heard a faint, hazy female voice.

"The world...forget me."

Chapter 209 The Sick World Tree

2023-10-03

"The world...forgot me."

A muffled female voice echoed in the darkness. It sounded less like a warning to outsiders and more like a dying whisper.

"Who...who are you?" The roots of the golden tree stretched into the darkness of the tree's root system. The dark creatures, like moths drawn to a campfire, swarmed toward its roots.

The golden tree felt as if its roots were instantly covered with countless ants and insects, which were constantly eroding its bark, trying to stain the gold inside black.

However, their efforts were destined to be in vain, as the golden tree's unchanging nature began to take effect. No matter how these dark creatures wriggled, the golden tree's appearance remained unchanged.

Even in forbidden realms, eternal gold can still radiate a dazzling light.

Seeing that the large tree before it did not react, the golden tree went a step further. This time, the golden tree did not simply extend its reach into the darkness.

Its roots became sharp and pierced directly through the decaying bark of the tree.

Instantly, a familiar feeling traveled through its roots to the golden tree. It was the feeling it had just experienced—the sensation of countless pieces of information flowing around it.

However, this time the sensation was more intense than the one in the pure white space. Even though the golden tree did not actively absorb the information flowing within, images still surged into its body through the turbulent information flow.

Previously, the pure white space was like a calm ocean, where countless pieces of information were stored, peaceful and tranquil.

But the information inside the tree is different; it flows like a swift river, ceaselessly within the tree.

As the golden tree sensed this, something within its very being stirred. Then it understood many things.

The pure white space is a transit station, while the big tree is a processor and storage device for information.

The duty of this great tree is somewhat similar to the mission bestowed upon the golden tree by the supreme will.

However, the golden tree manages more.

The Golden Tree is the enforcer of the law, and the law determines the rules of the borderlands. What is life? What is death? What is grace? What is a curse?

The law will regulate them, and the purpose of the Golden Tree is to ensure that the world operates according to the law.

Therefore, after venturing deep into this great tree, the shackles in the golden tree's bloodline were broken.

It felt a stirring in its heart as it gazed upon the enormous tree before it, which processed countless amounts of information.

A grand and irresistible voice began to echo within the golden tree.

"Replace this tree, and let the world run its own course!"

"Replace this tree, and let the world run its own course!"

"Hey, Xiao Huang, I'll turn off this speaker for you."

Amidst the grand, emotionless commands, Ember's voice suddenly rang out. Then, the voice that had just echoed from the depths of his bloodline ceased its reverberation.

"Seriously, how come this old bastard Deng doesn't know how to be flexible at all? He doesn't even have laws, how is he supposed to govern the world?"

Ember's sarcastic voice rang out. One could only say that the Golden Tree truly lived up to its reputation as a creation of the Supreme Will; the sound emanating from its bloodline perfectly replicated the voice of that Supreme Will.

Some distance from the great tree, Ember was crouching on a branch of the golden tree. His palm pressed against the slightly golden bark, as if sensing something.

"Haha, finally found it!" Yu Jin paused, and through the roots of the golden tree, he also saw the huge tree that was buried deep in the earth and growing upside down.

If Ember isn't mistaken, it's most likely the World Tree.

"What did you find?" Lisa asked impatiently, looking at Ember who was half-squatting down.

Ember had previously told her about his purpose in planting the golden tree, and given the tremors that had just struck the earth and Ember's behavior, Lisa already had a guess in her mind.

"Hehe, Lisa, you guessed right." Ember stood up from the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "We've found the World Tree!"

"Phew! It wasn't for nothing that I made such a commotion, I finally found it!" Yu Jin said, pretending to wipe non-existent sweat from his forehead.

"The World Tree... has it been found?" Lisa fell silent upon hearing this. She had lived in Sumeru and knew the price the people of Sumeru had paid to see the World Tree.

The reason why the Sumeru Academy possesses the most comprehensive knowledge on the entire continent is because they can perceive the World Tree through special methods.

Scholars will imprint knowledge from the World Tree and then store it in the Void Terminal.

However, the price was going insane and losing all ambition.

This is also why Lisa chose to leave the Order of the Church. Looking around, most of the so-called "scholars" in Sumeru are just copyists of the World Tree, not to mention that such copying can lead to madness.

Lisa thought of the mad scholars in the ecclesiastical academy who would eventually be sent to Aru village to spend the rest of their lives in the yellow sand and barrenness.

She glanced again at the flaming embers, but the World Tree seemed to have no effect on them whatsoever.

"Really... there's no comparison!" Lisa smiled, it was unclear whether she was laughing at herself or at the Order of the Church.

However, she quickly composed herself and asked Ember, "And then? Don't tell me you made such a fuss just to see the World Tree."

"And then?" Yu Jin stroked his chin, then waved his hand and said, "Of course, it's to treat the illness!"

"And it seems the World Tree is quite ill." After saying that, Ember added as if making a sigh.

This World Tree is truly resilient; it's been sick for so long and is still stubbornly holding on. If I had more resources, Ember would definitely award it a "Touching Teyvat" medal.

"The World Tree? Can it get sick too?" Ying asked curiously after hearing Yu Jin's exclamation. The World Tree, something that sounds incredibly powerful, can get sick?

“Before today, I didn’t think the World Tree could be sick, but now…” Lisa glanced at Ember, who was deep in thought, and continued, “I’m starting to believe it. As for why it’s sick, I’ll probably have to ask the little idiot.”

"Hmm... it looks like it's been contaminated by forbidden knowledge. The tree heart is so black, it's almost rotten."

Ember lowered his head, his gaze piercing through countless obstacles until he finally saw the scene that the Golden Tree had seen.

The darkness continued its relentless erosion of the golden tree, with even more forbidden knowledge surging from its core, seemingly determined to never give up.

"We need to save it quickly. The World Tree must be very important, right?" Paimon said anxiously when he heard Ember say that the heartwood of the World Tree was starting to rot.

The name World Tree sounds very important; if it's left unattended, who knows what might happen?

Paimon has so many delicious foods that I haven't tried yet!

“Yes, it’s very important.” Abedo walked over at this moment.

“The World Tree is the source of the earth’s veins; everything that once existed on earth converges here. If something were to happen to it…” Abedo paused, seemingly trying to find the right words.

"What will happen? Abedo, tell me quickly!" Paimon saw Abedo pause at a crucial moment and felt something nagging at him.

“A lot of Hilichurls will come out and beat up Paimon!” Lisa chimed in, as if joking.

"Wow! How scary!" Paimon immediately retreated behind Luminous. Although Hilichurls look small and thin, they are ferocious. If Paimon were to get punched by one of them, his small body probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.

However, Paimon quickly realized what was happening. Looking at Lisa with a smile on her face, she asked in surprise, "Lisa, why are you still smiling? Shouldn't you be worried about the World Tree falling ill?"

“How should I put it? Oh right, there’s an old saying that goes, ‘If the sky falls, there’s always someone tall enough to hold it up.’ Aren’t we the tallest person here?” Lisa smiled, realizing for the first time how true that saying was.

Then she saw Ember drinking something like that, with a bunch of bottles and jars scattered around him.

Chapter 210 The World Tree's Resistance

2023-10-04

"Burp! I'm so full!" Yu Jin wiped his mouth, which was now completely dry, and burped as he spoke.

After drinking the Red Grail Drops and the Element Bottle in one go, Ember felt like he was about to die from the saltiness.

"You still have the mood to drink?" Lisa exclaimed in surprise when she saw the bottles and jars at Yu Jin's feet.

She just said that if the sky falls, there will be someone tall to hold it up, but now it seems that the tall ones are starting to dig holes.

"Don't make a fuss. You need to replenish your blood after the bleeding, not to mention I'll be bleeding again later," Yu Jin said, sighing.

His items are all top-quality; every drop used is a finite resource. The Red Grail Drops are a given, but with the Golden Tree gone, where would he find the blessings for the Embers to collect?

As for the Elemental Bottle, it contains fire. Now that the Primal Flame is inside his body, does that mean he can replenish his own blood?

So Yu Jin used all the previous stock and drank it all in one go, which almost broke his heart.

"You want to bleed it again? Didn't we just bleed it?" Lance Sanx looked at the golden tree. How could this tree eat so much?

Lance Sanx felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of the power in the embers' blood; he hadn't expected that even after drinking so much from the Golden Tree, it still wouldn't be enough.

"That was just to make the golden tree grow. Now, it's to take root!"

This time, Ember did not remove his armor. The crimson hue, so out of place in the world, reappeared.

They first appeared on the surface of the Ember Armguard, then dripped onto the bark of the Golden Tree, seeping into it.

Correspondingly, after the blood of the embers merged with the golden tree, golden light began to flow beneath its thick, woody bark.

Deep within the earth, the roots of the World Tree connect to a pure white space, storing everything that happens on the surface into its own body.

Amidst the pure white, the streaks of black stood out starkly. That blackness originated from a portion of the roots of the World Tree.

They enter the earth's veins through the roots of the World Tree, and then erode the land along the flow of the veins.

The darkness flowed on, constantly yearning to disperse and encroach upon the greater white.

However, they could never succeed—some consciousness bound them, forcing them to flow only within specific ley lines.

Despite being bound by darkness, the streams they formed still occasionally leaped outwards, as if they would break free of their restraints at any moment.

The darkness and the whiteness remained locked in this stalemate for an unknown period of time. If nothing changes, this deadlock will likely continue indefinitely until one side can no longer hold out.

However, that was impossible. A third color suddenly appeared amidst the black and pure white.

That's the color of gold, the color that comes from the earth.

A tiny, golden root emerged from the pure white space and entered the root system of the World Tree.

Then, the pure white space connected by the World Tree's root system was tinged with a faint golden hue.

Countless golden tree roots sprouted from the pure white space, crystal clear and entirely golden. They grew wildly within the space that originally belonged solely to the World Tree.

The Golden Tree made no attempt to conceal its arrival, and the World Tree naturally discovered it as well.