Mythology: Ragnarok

As they spoke, a path suddenly appeared out of thin air. The Elf King led Agreed and Heya along the path into the ancient Elf Forest, where there were thick ancient trees that were tens of thousands of years old. Under the Elf King's guidance, the three of them soon arrived at the center of the forest and saw the towering tree that reached straight into the sky.

The Elf King humbly knelt before the ancient tree and cried out, "Teacher, I have brought him here."

Then a gentle breeze blew by, and an ancient and mysterious voice echoed in Agreed's mind.

“You have come, young nature god.”

Agreed looked around, searching for the source of the sound, spinning in circles like a silly cat being teased.

"Hehehe, stop looking for me, little guy. I am the giant tree in front of me. My name is Xiscana. It was given to me by the elves. In their language, this name means 'representative of nature'."

Agred stared at the giant tree before him, his expression one of utter astonishment. After a long pause, he finally asked, "You...you are speaking to me with your soul? It's hard to imagine that your body is so enormous."

"Being big also has its downsides. If I move even slightly, I could destroy this elven forest. I haven't been active for tens of thousands of years. My only pleasure is chatting with the elves."

Agreed continued, "Then what did you mean by... the nature god?"

Siescana paused for a moment, then suddenly shouted in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Abedo, you and that little girl go back and wait. He and I need to talk about some private matters."

The Elf King then bowed and left the Elf Forest with Heya as instructed. From the Elf King's perspective, the conversation between Agred and Xiscana was actually Agred talking to himself, like eavesdropping on someone's phone call but only hearing one person's voice. To find out what they were talking about, you had to guess from the other half of the conversation. Soul communication is hard to eavesdrop on. If Xiscana wanted to, no one but the person he was communicating with could hear what he said.

Agreed watched this scene and asked doubtfully, "Is it necessary? Do we have to avoid mentioning the Elf King in our upcoming conversation?!"

Siscan explained, "This is not a topic for someone of his level. Knowing these things will only fuel his greed and lead the elf into an abyss." As he spoke, an old elf made of vines appeared before Agreed from the ground beneath his feet.

Ciscana continued, "Isn't this better? I know it feels strange to talk to a tree, but this way we can have a pleasant conversation."

Agreed asked again, "Why did you call me here, and why did you say I was some young nature god?"

Ciscana looked at him as if admiring a treasure, and muttered to himself, "I can't be mistaken, this unbridled soul, this power that enslaves all things, from the moment you approached this forest, the earth began to kiss your feet, the forest began to welcome your arrival, and the breeze turned into a hymn to praise your greatness."

You are the very embodiment of the universe, born from its blood and flesh, the supreme god who rules over all things in this cosmos. I cannot mistake you; this could only be an exceptionally powerful soul born from the waters of the River Styx. It's just a pity that you seem… to have been born prematurely? But Mother Nature continues to nurture you, and I can feel you growing until you attain the divine position you deserve.”

Upon hearing this, Agred finally understood. It was the Styx Soul Forging that had led him to mistakenly believe that Agred was a god born from this universe. So, with a heart full of trepidation, Agred asked, "Then... can you help me protect my home?"

Xiskarna readily agreed, "Of course, my god. The mere Orc Empire is nothing but a handful of dust. I am, after all, a demigod-level powerhouse. I have no enemies on this planet. It would be my greatest honor to serve you. I will summon the Elf King to help you right away." With that, Xiskarna called out to the Elf King to come again.

Agreed asked with some hesitation, "Why are you helping me? Even if I am a nature god, I am still young. You don't need to be so humble."

Ciscana explained, “I am a creation of nature just like you. Besides, helping a nature god is a long-term investment. Such a small thing can make a nature god owe me a favor. It seems like a worthwhile thing no matter how you look at it.”

As the two were talking, the Elf King walked in again from outside. Siscana called out in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Abedor, I am sending troops to help the human kingdom fight against the orcs. Will you join me?"

The Elf King stared at Xiscana in shock, asking in bewilderment, "Why are you helping them? Please reconsider, Master, we..."

"Enough!" Xiscana interrupted him and continued, "I'm not discussing this with you. I'm just asking whether the Elven faction will send troops. It doesn't really matter whether you're here or not. I will send five thousand ancient tree spirits to reinforce you. You don't have to go."

Abedo immediately knelt down and cried out, "I dare not! The Elven race will do everything in its power. I will immediately order an army to aid Avalon."

After saying this, Abedo withdrew and returned to the Elf Palace to hurriedly issue orders.

After the Elf King left again, Hiscana continued his conversation with Agreed, saying, "Young friend, the preparation of the army will take time. If you are interested, we can continue our discussion."

Agreed readily accepted, saying, "That would be perfect."

Agreed spent the rest of the time there talking with Xiscana, or rather listening to him recount the stories that had happened on this land. Agreed gained a lot from these experiences, which were both insights and lessons learned.

Meanwhile, in the Elven Palace outside, the Elven King, with a grim expression, discussed the matter of sending troops with the other Elven nobles.

At this moment, a nobleman asked, "My king, are we really going to send troops to rescue Avalon? Has Lord Hiscana become senile? To actually help those foolish humans!"

The Elf King exclaimed helplessly, "The teacher has already spoken. To be frank, we are just temporary residents staying here. Do you still dare to cause trouble for the landlord?"

"But this also..."

"Alright! It's settled then. I don't want to hear any more objections. If anyone still wants to disagree, then go talk to the teacher yourselves," the Elf King snapped impatiently.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent. If Xiscana wanted to destroy the Elf Kingdom, he could do so with a flick of his finger. Who would dare to offend that demigod? So the nobles reluctantly withdrew and went to prepare their armies.

Then the Elf King's son came to his side and said worriedly, "Father, what kind of magic does that man possess that made Lord Xiscana send troops to help him? Moreover, according to reliable sources, at least a thousand ancient tree spirits in the eastern part of the forest have suddenly sprung up and are heading towards Avalon. This is truly unbelievable. After all, even during the chaos of the Elf Civil War, Xiscana only aided us with five hundred ancient tree spirits!"