Chapter 89
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Chapter 89: The True Heritage
For dark elves blessed with long lives, time seemed endless.
Yet now, Mason felt an unfamiliar restlessness gnawing at his heart for the first time.
“Reveal the item’s location immediately, and I’ll grant you swift deaths,” Mason growled.
To emphasize his threat, he casually raised his weapon and fired. A low gunshot echoed as a robed elf’s head exploded like a melon smashed by an iron rod, splattering red and gray chunks across the ground.
Surrounding elves around level 20 glared with fury at their fallen comrade but remained frozen in place.
“We are gardeners of the Dawn Garden, servants to the Tree of Life! Dark spawn, do you believe we’d yield to brutality?” A white-haired elven elder spat, his mournful eyes fixed on the corpse.
Mason twitched his fingers, fighting the urge to shoot the elder. This elder held the highest status among the captives—killing him risked losing the only lead to the seed. In the past, the Blood Blade Thieves Guild would’ve extracted the information through countless methods, but now, alone and outnumbered, Mason had no such luxury.
Worse, he couldn’t shake thoughts of that unassuming boy. Just as Midi had known the dark elf wouldn’t perish in the abyss, Mason was certain Midi had survived the magic veins’ darkness. Once inside the Palace, that swordsman would surely head for the Palace of Stars—and its Palace’s heritage.
If Midi uncovered the hidden secret here, Mason doubted he could defeat such a foe. Speed was critical.
His icy gaze swept the crowd like a wolf stalking prey—then halted.
At the group’s edge, partially shielded by two adults, cowered a young female elf no older than eight. Her features mirrored the elder’s family.
_Clever rats._
Mason’s weapon barked, riddling the girl’s protectors with holes. He yanked the blood-splattered child up by her arm, her tiny frame trembling.
“Now,” he purred, trailing a knife-like finger down her cheek, “where is it?”
“Monster!” The elder shook with rage, fists clenched but rooted in place.
“I’ll carve her piece by piece—fingers, toes, limbs, face… then her heart.” Mason’s smile froze. “One minute. Where’s the seed of the Tree of Life?”
The Yggdrasil seed.
_So he seeks that._
Hidden in the Shadows, Midi stifled a sharp breath.
“Destruction births new life”—the gardeners’ adage meant every dying Tree of Life left a seed to regrow. Yet these ancient trees, guarded at kingdoms’ cores, rarely perished. Now, as Skyfire ravaged the Elven Kingdom, its dying tree’s seed became the ultimate treasure.
Beyond priceless. Beyond measure.
Because this was not merely a “treasure,” but a divine artifact powerful enough to establish an entire nation.
Whether on the surface, in floating islands of the sky, or within the underground world, planting the seed of the Tree of Life in any area with magic veins would ensure its growth within three years. During this time, it would merge all nearby magic veins—regardless of size—within hundreds of kilometers into a unified network.
Over time, these newly formed magic veins, nurtured by the Tree of Life, would expand their influence until coalescing into a “dragon vein” capable of affecting tens of thousands of kilometers. The master of this dragon vein would naturally reign over the vast territory it encompassed—much like the Mistress of the forest, the Mist Sorceress Alice.
Moreover, the dragon vein surpassed the guiding magic array in every way. While the array could be dismantled through persistent sabotage from the outside, the dragon vein operated through attraction, not manipulation. Once formed, surrounding magic veins would naturally converge toward it without requiring any array, rendering destruction impossible. The sole method to dismantle it would be to strike the dragon vein directly, but doing so would unleash the full defensive might of its accumulated magic—a hopeless paradox.
Thus, even the mightiest expert could never breach a dragon vein’s defenses alone. In Midi’s past life, even the colossal Delos Empire had relied on traitors and spies to challenge the Nibelungen Dragon Sealing Array of the Belmahton duchy, which guarded its dragon vein. On the Arad continent, only those who possessed a dragon vein could claim the title of “nation.”
Now, this nation-forging power lay within Midi’s grasp.
With the Delos Empire stirring and war looming, Midi—a reincarnator—knew survival was uncertain. He had long planned an escape route for himself, Fina, Alice, and the fledgling Hawk Brigade. But the seed of the Tree of Life promised more than mere survival—it offered a new realm to thrive.
In his past life, Midi had ventured across every corner of Arad, unraveling secrets from Sky City to the Behemoth and even the Demon Realm. Choosing a location posed no difficulty. His only task now was seizing the seed.
Despite his racing thoughts, Midi remained motionless, his gaze steady and aura suppressed, blending into the shadows like a stalking panther—patient, ruthless, fixated solely on his prey.
A Demon Swordman’s stealth was far from perfect. Under normal circumstances, Mason, a level 45 expert, might have detected him. But now, the dark elf’s attention was split between the defiant Elves and his hostage—a trembling elven girl. He toyed with his pistol, jostling the child as he coldly addressed the elven elder.
“Time’s up. Decide,” Mason drawled, his earlier impatience replaced by calculated calm. He understood fear eroded resolve, even in self-righteous “gardeners.”
The elder’s lips quivered silently. Then the girl’s terrified wails pierced the stillness, gnawing at the Elves’ fighting spirit until it shattered.
With a heavy sigh, the elder relented. “Release her. The seed… is yours.”
“Lead me,” Mason ordered, dropping the child. These Elves posed no threat; the hostage had merely been a shortcut to break their will. Speed was critical—he needed the seed before Midi intervened.
Unbeknownst to Mason, Midi exhaled in relief. He couldn’t have let the child die, even if intervening meant revealing himself. Principles mattered more than gain—without them, victory meant nothing.
Now, sensing Mason’s plan to slaughter the Elves after securing the seed, Midi waited. The dark elf’s momentary lapse in focus would be his opening—and he’d strike without mercy.
