The Villain Saint is my secondary account

“It is necessary to send an elite squad to the palace to find out the truth, but we must be extremely careful,” Isaac Mo stroked his chin. “The number of people sent must be strictly controlled, because every additional person will increase the pressure on the front line defense.”

“And the situation at the palace might be quite bad,” Holman added. “According to the original plan, Commander Soren and his Royal Knights should have already set up defenses at the palace, but I sent a spell message to the palace immediately after entering the barrier, and I haven’t received a reply from the palace yet.”

"You should know that the palace should have been guarded by Archmage Bazeir. Now that both of these important figures have lost contact, it means that the crisis facing the palace is likely to be just as severe as that on the front lines, or even more dangerous and unpredictable."

Holman's words cast a shadow over everyone, and for a moment, everyone's expressions became somewhat solemn.

The palace, located at the rear of the western district, should have been the last line of defense. However, the sudden and unusual situation, without any intelligence feedback, has undoubtedly exacerbated everyone's anxiety.

After a moment, in the quiet atmosphere, Li Cheng, who had been silent all along, seemed to break the silence intentionally or unintentionally, his gaze falling on Skadi seemingly casually. "So, Your Highness... how should we divide our forces?"

As he asked the question, everyone in the room turned their attention to Skadi.

Is this... a decision for me to make?

She glanced at Isaac subconsciously, only to see him nod slightly and earnestly.

Looking at the gazes that were all fixed on her, Skadi suddenly felt a tremor in her throat for some reason, but she quickly regained her composure. "Then, gentlemen, as a member of the royal family, I will take on the responsibility of mobilizing troops."

"Governor Holman, you have experience fighting against armies of corpses on the city walls. I believe it is most suitable for you to oversee the defense of the inner walls and cooperate with the Bishop of Holmes and the members of the Church."

"Commander Isaac, given your exceptional abilities, I hereby appoint you to assume the duties of the portion of Governor Holman's Guard lost in battle, ensuring his safety."

“Mr. Li Cheng and members of the Seven Luminaries Society, your individual combat capabilities are outstanding, comparable to the elite troops in the military. I am considering leading you to the palace to resolve the root cause of this crisis.”

"At this time of turmoil in the capital, regardless of our past stances, I earnestly request that you set aside past grievances, work together, and overcome this difficult time."

She seemed to be beginning to understand that the word "king" was far more than just a symbol of power.

It is not a title passed down through fancy celebrations like the foundation-raising ceremony, but a truly important responsibility concerning the life and death of millions of citizens.

"Then... the future of the empire is now in your hands."

"Yes, Your Highness!" everyone said in unison.

Chapter 191 Pioneers

"Oh, Your Highness, what about me?"

“Miss Heville…you may go wherever you wish.”

Ella covered her mouth and chuckled, "Then I'll go to the palace with Your Highness."

"Tsk." Skadi curled her lip and ignored Ella.

Skadi naturally didn't want Ella to come along, but even if she rejected it, it would be even more troublesome if the woman secretly sabotaged things.

Keeping it under one's nose would probably make one feel more at ease... I guess.

"Gentlemen, let's rest for twenty minutes, and then set off immediately."

Skadi then instructed everyone to prepare. Although the situation was critical, they had just gone through a battle outside the walls, and they needed to give everyone some time to rest.

Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood; rushing to the palace in poor condition might backfire.

“I had heard that Her Highness the Princess and the Holy Maiden of Light did not have a good relationship…” In another part of the room, Holman looked at Isaac beside him, “I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

“There are indeed some personal grudges,” Isaac said expressionlessly, “but don’t worry.”

Are you really not worried...?

Holman watched Skadi and Ella standing at opposite ends of the spacious hall, each whispering to their subordinates without interfering with each other, feeling somewhat worried but helpless.

……

Leaving aside Skadi and her party's intense preparations within the imperial city, making final preparations for their march into the palace.

In the Lyra Basin, nestled in the Sharp Howling Mountains far from the imperial city, the sky is obscured by a towering Tree of Life, its trunk reaching straight into the clouds as if touching the edge of the heavens.

Ye Xiao, Zhu Jun, and Dong Muge were slowly walking along the lush branches of the giant tree. Their figures were faintly visible among the green leaves, as if they were strolling through a naturally formed maze.

"Unlike the dead trees I saw in Greygold Town, this tree is full of leaves."

Ye Xiao walked along, observing the surrounding scenery.

“This tree, after all, comes from the origin of the power of life,” Zhu Jun explained, “and is different from those derivative products.”

"Was your powerful regenerative ability earlier also due to this tree?"

"Hehe, you still can't resist asking questions even at a time like this." Zhu Jun chuckled. "But I can tell you the truth, it's true."

"So to kill you, I have to destroy this tree first to sever your immortality." Ye Xiao nodded knowingly. "So honest, aren't you afraid I'll burn this tree down on the spot?"

"A product originating from the laws of life, even the God of Light can only seal it," Zhu Jun shrugged. "If you can do something like that, why would you need to be wary of me?"

"Reasonable."

As they spoke, the three of them finally approached the massive tree trunk. Ye Xiao had observed from a distance that there were many small holes on the surface of the trunk. Of course, "small" only refers to the vast scale of the giant tree. In reality, the openness of these holes was comparable to that of a typical mine, and four or five people could walk side by side without any problem.

"Where do these openings lead?"

"The core of the Tree of Life," Zhu Jun's voice echoed in the cave, "is also the truth about everything concerning us that I will show you."

"Are you so confident that I'll join you after reading this?"

"It's not confidence, it's stance." Zhu Jun's lips curled up slightly.

"As I told you before, this is the Life Research Institute branch of Kaiser Permanente."

"Kaiser Corporation... I wonder if you still remember this name after so many days since we collectively transmigrated to this world?"

"The developer of the groundbreaking virtual reality online game, 'Otherworld'," Ye Xiao replied.

He walked along the long and deep passageway. Although sunlight could not penetrate the surroundings, a soft, milky-white glow permeated the area, as if awakened from nothingness by some mysterious force, quietly filling the darkness that should have been present in this space.

This peculiar light made the tunnel not dark and gloomy, but rather gave it an unusual brightness and tranquility, as if one had walked into a tunnel woven from moonlight.

“I remember it very clearly.” Zhu Jun affirmed Ye Xiao’s answer. “On June 10th, the moment when ‘Otherworld’ ended its public beta and officially launched, all the players who participated in the test and the new players who logged in that day were collectively transported to this unfamiliar world. This groundbreaking event is now widely known as the ‘Great Transmigration’ on the system forum, becoming the starting point for all of us in this new world.”

"You and I, we both came into this world in this way."

"Arriving here with that special system called the 'World Tree System,' I struggle to survive in this magical world filled with evil spirits and monsters, fraught with danger."

"But have you ever thought about why all of this happened? What is the purpose of our special group of 'players'?"

"According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I, being at the bottom, don't have the time to consider such a grand topic," Ye Xiao replied expressionlessly.

"Hehehehe," Zhu Jun's laughter always carried a hollow, forced smile. "As long as you want, you can escape your ignorant and lowly status at any time."

"Explaining the player and the purpose of time travel directly to you might be difficult for you to understand."

"But we can look at it from a different angle."

"You're probably familiar with the story of Columbus discovering the New World."

On October 12, 1492, Columbus, with the support of the Spanish royal family, led a fleet across the Atlantic Ocean and unexpectedly discovered the Americas.

Ye Xiao nodded. "You mean to say we're 'Columbus'?"

Zhu Jun waved his hand, "No, the first great man to discover the New World, as a pioneer, is someone that we players can't compare to."

"To be more precise, our role should be that of colonizers and explorers sent by Earth to the unknown world after the discovery of the new continent. Just like those fearless adventurers who ventured into the Americas, some of them paid the price of their lives in the process of exploration, but others also took root and multiplied on this new land, eventually bringing immeasurable wealth and civilization to their homeland."

"So you should feel lucky, Ye Xiao. Stop worrying about the lives and deaths of those natives. Broaden your perspective. This is essentially a confrontation between two civilizations. You should recognize your true position and focus on the mission we should truly bear."

"This is also the original intention of the Caesar Corporation: to send pioneers from Earth to other worlds, aiming to create a new era that represents the future development of the human race on Earth."

Zhu Jun paused briefly, then extended a hand to Ye Xiao. "Ye Xiao, I've already explained the background to you. Take a few more steps, and we'll reach the end of the tunnel. What follows is a company secret."

"Therefore, I now formally invite you to join us, for the sake of your homeland and the future of the entire human race."

Chapter 192 Life's Remains

"It sounds like I have some incredible mission." Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow. "But I originally just wanted to play a game. Is it a bit against my will to force me to become a pioneer of a new world?"

“Exploration always comes at a price.” Zhu Jun frowned slightly. “Don’t you understand the profound significance of this?”

"So that's why you sounded a bit fanatical when you got to this part. It's all because of this so-called sense of mission." Ye Xiao glanced at his blood-stained hands, then decisively shook hands with Zhu Jun. "Well, I think I understand what you mean."

"According to you, I am also a member of Earth, so it seems there is no reason not to join."

After shaking hands, Zhu Jun withdrew his hand expressionlessly, pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped his palm. "Not bad, it's good that you understand this principle."

"What I'm going to talk about next is how we should accomplish this mission."

"The natives of this other world are not incapable of resisting high technology, and we players are not steel fleets that can cross oceans with guns and cannons."

"In fact, as players from Earth, we lack the mysterious magic to explore the wonders of the world and the physical strength to fight monsters. Compared to the so-called 'natives,' we, as visitors, are even weaker."

"Therefore, the company developed the World Tree system for this purpose."

During their conversation, the three of them had already reached the end of the tunnel.

By passing through the thick outer bark of the giant tree, Ye Xiao was finally able to see the secret hidden within its body.

Looking around, one can see magnificent circular platforms suspended in mid-air, tightly wrapped by countless vines that resemble the veins of life, layering up to the top of a giant tree whose peak is nowhere in sight.

On the platform, people dressed in white lab coats, looking like researchers, moved around, making Ye Xiao feel as if he were back in a modern research institute on Earth.

Inside the tree trunk, the mountain of glass containers was a spectacular sight. However, the size of those containers far exceeded the bottles and jars in an ordinary alchemist's laboratory. They contained human bodies of various shapes and sizes. Some had tentacles all over their bodies like sea monsters, some had mutated limbs that were as flexible as spider legs, and some had skin that looked like dried-up ancient trees, weathered and mottled.

The most eye-catching feature is the colossal object in the center of the circular platform. Inside, a massive, pitch-black stone pillar stands majestically, like a mountain that can support the sky and shake the earth. It runs through the entire giant tree, spanning countless layers and pointing straight to the depths of the heavens.

Standing beneath such a colossal object, the three appeared incredibly small, like insignificant ants beneath a telephone pole.

This is……

Facing the towering stone pillar, Ye Xiao felt an indescribable sense of familiarity, until his gaze fell upon the huge rings on the side of the pillar that seemed to lead to the entrance of the abyss, and the mysterious tadpole-shaped runes densely covering them.

No, this isn't a stone pillar, this is... a tentacle?!

Ye Xiao's eyes widened. If the scale were reduced, this thing should be the dark tentacles that Ella summoned.

However, the tentacle in front of them was ridiculously large. Not to mention its height, even its width was like a mountain range stretching across the platform, with no end in sight.

If we were to estimate its proportions, this towering tree almost fills the entire Lyra Basin, and the width of this tentacle would probably occupy half the area of ​​the basin.

What kind of creature can grow such large tentacles...?

Ye Xiao immediately recalled the "third body" that he had inadvertently awakened in Storm Harbor, which was floating in the void.

Its enormous body, resembling a black sun, held the entire world as if it were a glass bead at the tip of its tentacles.

However, Ye Xiao's understanding of the void and the third body was very limited. He didn't know whether the body proportion was an actual physical proportion or just a difference in size in some special sensory dimension. After all, according to Gretia, the void had no concept of space and time, so it probably didn't have the concept of "size" in the spatial dimension either.

But that's all just his opinion. As for the tentacle in front of us, its origin is almost obvious.

"This is the origin of the Tree of Life, or to put it more directly, the remains of the God of Life."

Zhu Jun raised his head slightly, gazing up at the enormous tentacle, as if admiring the relics of a god.

Ye Xiao remained silent, gazing thoughtfully at the tentacles.

Just then, a middle-aged woman in a white shirt walked over and said, "Supervisor, everyone else has arrived."

"I understand." Zhu Jun nodded, then looked back at Ye Xiao. "Some players who recently joined the company will be here soon. Let me introduce them to you; they should be considered your future colleagues."

Ye Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Manager, I didn't realize you held such a high position in this company."

“Hehe, to some extent, I owe you a great deal of help in this regard. We’ll talk about that later,” Zhu Jun said with a faint smile. He turned his gaze to the side, where researchers in clean white robes were leading a group of visitors out of another tree hollow. “Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Kaiser Company Life Research Institute branch.”

"Let me introduce you. This is your new colleague, Ye Xiao."

"I imagine some of you may have already met him before?"

Ye Xiao followed Zhu Jun's gesture and saw several familiar faces.

Dong Hu of the Red Lion Comrades, Lu Fan of the Mist White Society, and two black-robed sorcerers from the Black Mountain Hermitage who always wore black masks and covered their faces.

They were the leaders of several large player guilds in the Imperial City, which explains why Ella hadn't seen them in the Imperial City.

Perhaps there should have been a Grizzly Guild feud, but Ella took it away earlier.

Besides these few people, there were many other players dressed in various styles. Although Ye Xiao didn't recognize them, he guessed that they were leaders of some medium-sized guilds or players with considerable strength.

"Okay, so it seems like half of the players' alliance's leaders are here." Ye Xiao curled the corners of his mouth.

“Mr. Ye is truly a man of few words who doesn’t reveal his abilities.” Lu Fan spoke with his usual seasoned wisdom. “Being personally invited by Supervisor Zhu must mean he is exceptionally capable.”

Dong Hu had absolutely no recollection of Ye Xiao, and asked the person beside him with slight surprise, "Who is this person again?"

"Looks like a player from the Seven Stars Guild." "Oh, there's such a person..."

A group of players whispered among themselves. The atmosphere of this meeting was far from harmonious; rather, it was as if an intruder had suddenly appeared in a group of people who were originally united by interests.