Game of the World Tree

If it was simply replaced by one of Hela’s guardian spirit, then perhaps it can still be hidden due to Eve’s deliberate concealment but as the creator of the gemstone, Hela could easily discern that one of Eve’s disguises had the Soul-storing gemstone as its core.

However, the mere fact that Hela herself stated this in the first place indicates that she doesn’t particularly care much that she’s using it.

Actually, it is quite common in Saigües to come across artifacts like these, and the deities don’t pay much attention to these artifacts as they possess only a miniscule amount of divine power stored within them.

Thinking of this, Evé chuckled dryly.

“To possess the skill to create an artifact capable of containing the essence of a deity, Your Majesty, I genuinely admire your profound comprehension of the complexities of the soul.”

“Ahha, aren’t you the same in this regard?”

Hela smiled and looked outside the temple.

“I still haven’t figured out how you summoned these seemingly soulless Elves. Did you perhaps conceal their souls? I’ve been observing them, and they appear to possess the ability to resurrect indefinitely, much like my guardian spirits, but without any noticeable side effects. Moreover, they also seem to possess their own knowledge inheritance as well…”

As Hela spoke, she seemed somewhat lost in thought.

Eve’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that Hela had noticed the oddity of the players.

While the existence of the players might deceive the other deities, it could never deceive the Goddess of Death, who possessed a profound understanding of the inner workings of the soul.

The other party must’ve easily saw through the players’ inherent nature and the only thing she’s missing was knowledge of the players’ actual origins.

However, it was precisely because of this that Hela probably would never have guessed that these Elves were actually summoned by Evé from another world’s virtual network.

“Let’s set aside this matter for now. I assume you have a reason for visiting my shrine, right?”

Hela abandoned the topic of the players and once again looked at Evé with her incredibly profound crimson eyes.

Evé nodded, her expression grave.

“Indeed, I have visited your shrine to inform Your Majesty that Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows, is actively attempting to influence my followers with the goal of overthrowing your reign in this city. I felt it necessary to give you an advance notice regarding this situation…” Evé explained, then tilted her head slightly.

“Nevertheless, now that Your Majesty has personally descended, I am confident that these mortal servants of Hodur will face considerable challenges in their attempts to cause any significant disturbance within your territory.”

“Of course.”

After hearing what Evé had said, Hela nodded and then asked, “Since you have come in person yourself, do you have any other plans in mind as well?”

“Certainly, I would have gladly seized the chance to display goodwill towards the Church of Death. As the saying goes, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ and interestingly enough, I also hold my own grievances against Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows…”

Evé replied.

As Hela displayed her goodwill, Evé responded in kind by being completely transparent.

She also noticed that, despite both of them being gods of the Netherworld, Hodur should theoretically be subordinate to Hela. However, it became evident that the Goddess of Death still doesn’t have the means to assert her dominance over him.

It is even possible that Hodur coveted Hela’s own divinity!

The Goddess of Death didn’t seem to be surprised by this, and she merely sighed.

“Hodur… well, he has been getting too close to the gods of the heavens. If it hadn’t been for him, then how could I have remained trapped in the Netherworld for all these years…”

So it turns out that the Goddess of Death isn’t actually confined to the Netherworld for a reason but instead is subjected to some kind of restriction.

A sudden thought stirred within Eve’s mind.

Hela didn’t elaborate further but simply looked at Evé yet again before sighing.

“It seems…the prophecy was indeed truly accurate…”

…Prophecy?

Evé raised an eyebrow but before she could inquire any further, Hela continued,

“Actually, I had already been waiting here when the mana in Saigües began to return. Now that I’ve seen you arrive, I have gained a somewhat clear understanding of your motives… Are you perhaps, asking me to join your forces as an ally?”

The Goddess of Death then crossed her arms together.

“But… what sort of price are you willing to offer? You see, I currently stand at the pinnacle of intermediate divine power, whereas you merely possess only a weak divine power…Not to mention, despite Hodur causing me some inconvenience, he is ultimately just a single god with intermediate divine power. But you—”

Hela then paused deliberately and showed an expression of amusement.

“You are facing the entire Heavenly Gods!”

“I acknowledge your immense potential, but your potential alone isn’t sufficient enough. In the end, it remains just that—a mere potential. If my judgment is correct, the dimensional portal within Saigües is expected to reopen within the next twenty years, allowing true gods to roam the mortal realm once more. However, if your power grows too rapidly, then it may accelerate the dimensional reopening even further.”

“Not even the might of the great World Tree could contend against the wrath of the heavens a thousand years ago, and now, after a millennia have passed, your enemies have grown even more powerful than before!”

“Under such circumstances, do you still think you can drag me down along with you?”

Here comes the moment of truth!¹

Eve’s heart shuddered as she steeled her resolve.

Extending good intentions is ultimately just that—a show of goodwill…it isn’t sufficient enough to sway another god without tangible benefits.

Furthermore, based on her conversation with the Goddess of Death, Evé realized that Hela knew she was not the actual World Tree of the past but rather its successor!

Moreover… no matter from which angle one look at it, it really seems like she truly have no chance of winning.

Taking a deep breath, Evé spoke out the reasons she had already prepared beforehand to convince the Goddess of Death.

“Since Your Majesty is already aware that I am different from the World Tree a thousand years ago, then you should also know that my personality differs from my predecessor…Just because she couldn’t do something doesn’t imply that I can’t. Once I am fully recovered…”

Evé paused for a moment and said meaningfully,

“…I have already made contact with the dimensional origin of the world of Saigües.”

Upon hearing these words, Hela’s pupils immediately contracted.

A look of realization flickered across her face, and she gazed at Evé with a somewhat strange expression.

“I see. I forgot that you are not ‘her.’ Your predecessor won’t flip the table,² but you just might… Even though a thousand years have passed, the world of Saigües is still the primary source of faith for the true gods… It’s truly a huge threat to those parasites…”

Par…parasites…

The corner of Eve’s mouth twitched at the blatant mockery in the words of the Goddess of Death towards the heavenly gods.

Evé paused for a moment and continued.

“Furthermore, I understand that Your Majesty’s Divinity is not yet fully perfected, thus preventing you from taking the final step towards attaining your full potential. This incomplete state also hampers your ability to exercise complete control over the Netherworld. As a result, it has even allowed Hodur, who was originally meant to be your subordinate, to foster ambitions instead.”

Upon hearing these words, The Goddess of Death fell deathly silent.

Hela’s smile gradually faded upon her face as her voice began to carry a hint of coldness into it.

“….What do you want to say?”

“I think…I can help with perfecting Your Majesty’s Divinity.”

“Life and Death are two polar opposites, but at the same time, they are interlinked with one another. If Your Majesty, Hela, can form an alliance with me and help me conceal the truth of the World Tree’s resurrection, as well as provide me a certain amount of support within the realm of Saigües, then in return, I can offer my expertise in the Divinity of Life to aid in perfecting your Divinity of Death. Through this alliance, you shall ascend as the true Goddess of Death and Sovereign of the Netherworld!”

Finally, Evé revealed the plan she had prepared!

Upon hearing her words, Hela once again fell into silence.

After a moment, the Goddess of Death sighed and regarded Evé skeptically.

“You seem to have thought this through, but… how can I trust you?”

“Our Divinities may be intertwined but alas, Life is ultimately not Death, so how can you be so certain that you can truly help me in perfecting my Divinity? In the end, its merely just a possibility. Moreover, even if it is possible… how long will this entire process take?”

“If your identity is exposed during this whole process, then I will end up being an enemy of the heavenly gods just like you.”

“Moreover, why can’t I simply reveal your true identity directly to the gods of the heavenly realm instead, in exchange for their assistance in perfecting my own Divinity?”

Upon hearing Hela’s rhetorical question, Evé replied without hesitation.

“Indeed, while there is no guarantee but this also means that there is a slight possibility, doesn’t it? At the very least, it is still preferable to Hela’s current situation of maintaining the status quo.”

“Also, if Your Majesty, Hela wants to deal with the Lord of Darkness and Shadows, then I can also assist you…I can attack his sources of faith within Saigües!”

“As for revealing my real identity to the heavenly gods…Can Your Majesty really trust the gods of the heavenly realm? If my assumptions are correct, they too are wary of you, aren’t they? It is likely that they would not welcome the emergence of yet another uncontrollable deity, especially one who possesses the authority to govern over death!”

After finishing her words, Evé then looked at Hela directly in the eyes.

A tense silence reigned for a moment, with neither of the two moving an inch. However, it was finally broken when the expression on the face of the Goddess of Death became somewhat complex, and she let out a deep sigh.

“I must say, Your Excellency Yggdrasill, I have no idea where you found this successor of yours, but I must admit… your words have truly convinced me.”

Agreed?

Eve felt overjoyed within her heart.

“However…”

Hela’s tone suddenly changed, and an ambiguous smile crossed her face.

“I can only help you conceal your true identity, so don’t expect me to publicly assist you in battling your enemies, especially the gods of the heavenly realm! I cannot openly support you in any direct confrontation. So even if you find yourself in a religious war with other true gods in Saigües, I will refrain from joining such battles.”

“And if you somehow expose your own identity and face the heavenly wrath, then don’t blame me for withdrawing and not assisting you…”

“What I can do is help you conceal your real identity and providing a logical justification for it.”

Eve: “…”

“And also…”

Hela changed her posture, crossing her legs.

“Your promise must be fulfilled, first… assist me in dealing with the followers of Hodur in Saigües, and help me perfect my Divinity!”

“I heard… that Uller seems to be secretly searching for the divine blood crystals of the previous World Tree?”

“We can begin from there. Assist me in locating some as well, as analyzing these divine blood crystals would be beneficial to me too. Besides, these crystals don’t hold much divine power, and I can’t even use the Divinity of Life, so they shouldn’t pose any threat to you.”

“Of course, I won’t ask for these divine blood crystals without offering something in return. If you’re lacking in divine power, then I can exchange an equal amount of my own divine power or even provide you with additional compensation.”

Eve: “…”

“Furthermore…”

Hela crossed her arms and continued.

“This time, when Hodur launches a counterattack in Blackrock City, I need your assistance in pacifying it.”

“Their trump card is Hodur’s legion of shadow creatures. I can take care of his followers, but I need you to handle his shadow legion. I don’t want too many of my devoted followers to perish… Besides, your Elves appear to be unafraid of death…”

“What do you say?”

After she finished stating her conditions, Hela then glanced at Evé and playfully raised an eyebrow.

Eve: “…”

She pondered for a moment and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“It seems Your Majesty has calculated everything meticulously.”

Evé did understand Hela’s emphasis on her followers safety. After all… perfecting her Divinity with the power of faith was another path Hela could take!

However, the Divinity of death was too powerful, and that alternative path was not easy to take.

Nevertheless, even though Hela’s conditions seemed somewhat demanding, Evé was still content in this outcome.

Being able to obtain Hela’s consent and her assistance in concealing her true identity was more than enough for her!

The reputation of the Goddess of Death was still quite useful, enough to make most gods afraid and allow Evé act like a paper tiger, ³ while also giving her an opportunity to expand and strengthen herself!

Thinking this way, Evé nodded.

“Deal!”

Hela also seemed quite satisfied. The Goddess of Death smiled and extended her hand, transforming her divine power into a rolled up golden scroll.

“So… let’s sign the Oath of the True Gods!”

The Oath of the True Gods is a contract between deities, considered the strictest contract that exists, guided by the laws of the World. Violators would face severe backlash upon their divine souls, so even true gods would have to pay a great price to break it…

Eve nodded solemnly.

Soon, the two true gods with their own intentions signed the contract.

The contract had three crucial stipulations:

1. Both parties will establish an alliance. From the date of the alliance, Hela must assist Evé in concealing her identity, while Evé disguises herself as a God of Death. The followers of both sides will establish a friendly agreement and not invade each other’s faith or territories.

2. Evé must assist Hela in perfecting the Divinity of Death, regularly providing Hela with divine blood crystals from the World Tree, and Hela will reward her with 1.5 times the divine power of death.

3. Evé must assist Hela’s followers in combating the influence of Hodur, the Lord of darkness and shadows, in the world of Saigües. Hela’s followers need to share intelligence about Saigües with Evé.

…

¹ 肉戏来了 – Originally this literally translates to ‘The meat scene is coming’ which is a chinese phrase that means the most important/juicy part of the scene has arrived.

² 掀桌子 – Flip the table is a chinese phrase that means ‘To get angry or be pissed’

³ 纸老虎 – Paper Tiger is a chinese term which refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge.