Game of the World Tree

However, she quickly grasped the reason behind its affectionate behavior.

If the Elves created by the World Tree were considered the offspring of nature, then these unicorns were its favored companions.

They shared an unparalleled affinity with nature and possessed extraordinary senses that can perceive the emotions and nature of beings around them with remarkable accuracy.

Despite wearing a disguise, Evé’s soul retained its unique divine properties, embodying the essence of being the Goddess of Nature.

And despite this avatar possessing only a small fraction of divinity from Hela’s soul-storing orb, Féng still inherently possessed a stronger connection with nature compared to that of other players, mainly due to the influence of Eve’s divine essence.

Archdruids can effortlessly win over magical beasts like unicorns, thanks to their impressive communication skills and a strong natural affinity with nature.

And Evé possesses both of these qualities, plus her affinity with nature is even more potent than that of an Archdruid, as Druids were originally created by the World Tree from itself.

Perhaps the unicorn couldn’t see through Evé’s true identity, but that didn’t prevent it from still showing its affection towards her.

Seeing the unicorn’s behavior shift from extreme vigilance to incredibly docile, the onlookers, including Alice and Thranduil, were left utterly stunned.

“Weren’t these unicorns supposed to be proud and cautious creatures? So, what’s with this dog-like behavior?” Demacia couldn’t help but remark as he stared dumbfoundedly at the fawning Unicorn at Eve’s feet.

Alice was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

In fact, she too was perplexed by the unicorn’s uncharacteristically odd behavior.

Although Alice had heard tales of immensely powerful Archdruids and a select few individuals with a remarkable affinity for nature who could easily win over a unicorn’s favor, those stories were merely about gaining favor and recognition not a full blown affection like the young unicorn is displaying now.

Moreover, it’s the first time she’s heard of or even seen a unicorn being able to make such flattering gesture of affection!

The Saintess glanced disbelievingly at the unicorn, then at the unfamiliar Chosen One standing before her.

In the end, Alice could only express with uncertainty, “Perhaps… this particular Chosen One was one of those few lucky ones I mentioned earlier…”

Lucky?

Several players exchanged confused glances.

First and foremost, they dismissed the possibility of this hooded player being an Archdruid since that advanced jobclass is still unavailable.

Hence, they are left with the implication that this specific player is just amicable, pure-hearted, and genuinely loves nature?

W-What a ludicrous idea…

They are players, after all!

They were the epitome of locust-like Fouth Catastrophe! ¹

With a totally unconvinced look, the crowd reexamined the hooded player’s public information—

[Username: Fēng]

[Jobclass

: Druid]

[Level: 18]

Among the more experienced players, this player’s level can only be seen as slightly below average. Her username was unfamiliar to many in the crowd as well, and her appearance wasn’t very much recognizable either.

Only Li Mu reacted as if he recognized her.

“So it’s you, Fēng. I’ve seen you a few times at Moe Moe.”

So it turned out that this person was actually a life-oriented player from the guild, Moe Moe Committee!

Many in the crowd showed expressions of realization, thinking, “No wonder I didn’t recognize her.”

A large number of life-oriented players from the guild Moe Moe Committee seldom got involved in combat and preferred to say within Elven Forest’s safety zone. As a result, they weren’t particularly acquainted with active combat players like Demacia, who enjoyed venturing out into more locations other than the forest.

Then, several players in the crowd grew excited.

“How did you manage it? Why did this Unicorn get so close to you?”

Looking at the expectant eyes of the players, Evé coughed a couple of times and simply said, “Perhaps… just like Alice mentioned, I’m just lucky.”

The Crowd: “…”

The Saintess gave Evé a puzzled glance, unsure of what to say.

Alice hadn’t paid close attention earlier, but now, upon much closer observation, she realized that this particular player before her did indeed possess certain distinct qualities.

And after giving her full attention to the other party, the Saintess was surprised to find that she, too, felt an unexplainable sense of intimacy towards this Chosen One within her heart.

How Bizarre.

After she thought about it, Alice explained with a touch of uncertainty, “I think… it might be because this Chosen One has a relatively high affinity with nature.”

“Affinity with Nature?”

The other players blinked in confusion.

“Indeed, that’s correct. Elves naturally possess a profound affinity with nature from the moment of our birth, and when Elves become druids, our connection to nature deepens even further. The primary reason Archdruids can quickly bond with magical beasts is due to their potent affinity with nature.”

“So… this Chosen One probably has an extraordinary affinity for nature, and a high level of affinity towards nature grants remarkable aptitude especially should one take on the Druidic path.”

Alice explained.

“Then… is there a way to see a person’s affinity value?”

Li Mu asked excitedly.

Alice shook her head.

“Sadly no, it’s only through intuition.”

“So, it’s like a hidden attribute.”

Several players were left slightly disappointed.

They then turned their gaze towards Evé, with their faces tinged with envy.

“That’s great! So this game also has hidden attributes!”

Listening to Alice’s explanation, Evé decided not to say anything further.

In a sense, what the Saintess said wasn’t entirely wrong anyway.

However, Evé’s affinity wasn’t just because of her high affinity with nature but rather, she symbolized nature itself!

Lowering her head, Evé gazed at the unicorn under her feet with its pure azure eyes fixed on her.

After pondering a bit, she decided to extend her hand and began to cast a basic healing spell upon it…

The young unicorn didn’t resist at all, and after a faint green light had briefly surrounded it, the unicorn’s injuries finally vanished completely.

Following that, the unicorn then gently rose to its feet.

Although not yet fully grown, it was almost as tall as Evé when it stood straight.

As it snorted softly and nuzzled against Evé’s face affectionately, several players gaped, feeling a twinge of jealousy and a touch of heartache at the sight.

“Seriously… it’s licking her like that?”

“So envious!”

“Man, I should’ve picked a Druid jobclass too.”

“Forget it dumbass, it doesn’t suit you plus Druids is mainly a support class and have a weak attack power.”

“But look, they can tame magical beasts!”

“Yeah well, Brother Mu is also a Druid, but it seems like he too is out of luck this time. In the end… it’s all about RNG!” ²

“I wanna have a Unicorn as a mount too…”

Watching the unicorn being so affectionate, even Alice was taken aback, but then she slightly nodded at Evé.

“Congratulations, Chosen One. You’ve gained this young unicorn’s approval.”

Then after she spoke, Alice glanced at the affectionate young Unicorn and softly chuckled.

“If you sign a contract with it, this young unicorn could become your companion.”

A contract, huh…

The thought flickered within Evé’s mind as she recalled related information about it within her inheritance.

In the world of Saigües, certain magical beasts can choose to form contracts with other sentient beings, thus becoming their companions.

These contracts usually had two variations:

Equal and Unequal and both of these contracts are strictly soul-binding contracts.

Generally speaking, those contracts actively initiated by magical beasts themselves are equal contracts. Such contracts accelerated the growth rate of both parties and posed no threat to either side.

On the other hand, unequal contracts were often forcibly imposed by some sentient beings upon an unwilling magical beasts. These contracts also accelerated the growth rate of both sides but had a more significant effect on the contractor’s growth. Additionally, they bound the magical beast’s life to the contractor’s.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Black Dragon Meryer had decided to sign an unequal master-servant contract with Evé.

Of course…Meryer also benefited from it. He had been growing rapidly lately and was showing signs of advancement, thanks to the effect of the contract he had with Evé.

However, elves and unicorns traditionally form their companionship contracts on equal footing with each other.

But regardless of equal or unequal, these contracts usually needs to operate on a soul level for it to function.

Henceforth, the players cannot sign such contracts since they technically didn’t have their soul bound in this world and just operating by linking their consciousness through the game’s system.

However, when the unicorn displayed its affection towards her, a new idea suddenly struck Eve’s mind…

True, a players’ souls aren’t bound in this world, thus they ultimately couldn’t form contracts with magical beasts. But—

—What if she approached it from a different angle?

Since, a soul contract was a form of connection between two life forms.

What if, she could slightly alter the target of such contracts?

Although players couldn’t sign soul contracts themselves, they could still operate and live within Saigües through the aid of the game system Evé had created.

The game system was built upon Evé herself, and fundamentally speaking, it shared certain similarities with soul power…

If that’s the case…

Why not modify the target of the soul contract towards Evé’s game system instead?

In other words…

Allow magical beasts to sign a contract with the game system itself!

Players had their consciousness coordinates recorded within the game system, so… by incorporating the exclusive consciousness coordinates of a particular player, it would then be akin to having players indirectly form a contract with magical beast!

To summarize it, make the game system the middle-man/attorney of the players so that it can sign the soul contract on their behalf!

Thinking of this, a gleam shone within Evé’s eyes.

It was a brilliant idea—why hadn’t she thought of this before?

If this idea was indeed feasible, then she could spread the provisional contract to the players and they could then seek out magical beasts to form contracts on their own!

Although a player’s body might die, their consciousness coordinates wouldn’t vanish. Thus, the contract would remain valid.

Moreover, magical beasts that formed contracts with the game system could also be integrated into the mount system, manifesting their specific information, effectively becoming a part of the mount system!

This… somewhat resembles Eve’s link of faith with her believers. Although, what’s linking the magical beasts wasn’t their faith per se, but a soul contract instead!

Furthermore, when magical beasts actively sought out players to form companionship contracts, the same principle could be applied as well.

As long as the mana fluctuations caused by the magical beasts when they actively form a contract were sensed, the game system could instantly act on the player’s behalf.

Players merely needed to provide their consciousness coordinates with the system’s assistance to form of a contract!

What’s more… for magical beasts that signed this kind of contract, Evé could use the game system to deduct half of the growth feedback between the beast and the player, redirecting a portion of the strength feedback to the game system, which would also indirectly benefit Evé passively!

This… was indeed another passive way to harvest profit!

Of course… the nature of this contract was rooted in the soul, thus it could only be an equal contract at most.

But… it was good enough for her!

Moreover, this also amounted to thoroughly refining the mount system. She wouldn’t need to tailor the system to specific races for integration—it would be a personal choice for players to find willing magical beasts and establish their own companion contracts!

—No.

This wasn’t just about mounts anymore; it was more like, magical pets!

It was the magical pet system!

Replacing the imperfect mount system, this was a more expanded magical pet system!

A sense of excitement began to build within Evé.

With these thoughts, she turned her gaze to the unicorn, preparing to make it her first attempt.

Evé then looked at the innocent looking young Unicorn and said gently,

“Would you like to form a contract with me?”

¹ (第四天灾) – the term Fouth Crisis originated from a game called Stellaris wherein during the later stages of the game, a galaxy-wide crisis event occurs, known as Crisis. Recently Chinese authors use this term to refer to summoned players. The players summoned in this manner usually believe they are just playing a game so they tend to go overboard with their actions, thus being called a ‘crisis/catastrophe.’

² RNG – (Random Number Generator) in video games is basically an algorithm that randomly decides a number value and implements it into the game when called for, which can change the course of a game drastically.

— —