The Will Of The World Tree

Chapter 2 Connecting

As the words left her mind, the Oak Guardian's massive frame shuddered once more. His kneeling posture grew even more reverent.

He bowed deeply, his voice trembling with an emotion akin to a child receiving praise from a mother:

"Basaka praises the Mother Goddess!"

At that moment, Eve felt a surge of pure, warm energy emanate from the Oak Guardian. It seemed to bridge the void, channeling directly into her and gathering in the deepest recesses of her being, where it merged with her residual natural power.

To her surprise, she noticed that her depleted pool of divine energy—which had just been slashed by a third—had recovered slightly.

Sifting through the inherited knowledge in her consciousness, Eve quickly found the answer.

"The power of faith?"

The Segas Continent was a magical world where true deities governed reality. A god's power was rooted in faith; the devotion of living beings converged upon the deity, whose "Godhood" then distilled that raw belief into pure divine power.

What had just flowed from the Oak Guardian was, without a doubt, the power of faith. Having been personally awakened by Eve's divine touch, this Treant had become her loyal "Chosen," naturally providing her with a steady stream of devotion.

Watching the obedient Basaka, Eve felt a growing sense of satisfaction. She felt she had finally grasped the key to her restoration.

She delved back into her inherited memories and, as expected, found more detailed information:

The Segas Continent was home to the True Gods, categorized into two main factions based on the source of their power: the New Gods and the Old Gods.

The New Gods, also known as the "Faith Deities," were usually ascended beings. They relied primarily on the faith provided by their followers to convert divine power, strengthen their divine offices (Priesthoods), and perfect their "Divine Kingdoms"—their personal celestial realms.

The Old Gods, known as the "Mythic Beings," were primordial deities born of the world itself. Their power was derived from the fundamental laws of the universe, or from their innate ability to draw energy directly from the void.

While the Old Gods did not require faith to survive, they could use it to bolster their strength. The World Tree fell into this category.

In her prime, the World Tree could draw energy directly from the void or convert the life force of other organisms into her own divine power. However, in her current near-death state, Eve had lost the ability to siphon energy from the void. She was effectively paralyzed, able only to influence the outside world indirectly through divine power. This meant she couldn't even actively absorb the life force of the surrounding forest to heal herself—she simply lacked the "machinery" to do so.

For now, faith was her only viable path to recovery.

Yet, the path of faith was fraught with peril. Her memories warned her that the struggle for followers among the deities of Segas was incredibly fierce. In fact, it seemed the fall of the previous World Tree was linked to this very conflict.

Looking down at the Treant she had just created, Eve began to see him as a priceless treasure.

A fanatic! Just one step away from being a Saint!

"If only I could see Basaka's abilities more clearly... like a character sheet in a game," she mused.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt a tiny sliver of her divine energy vanish. Instantly, a semi-transparent data window appeared in her consciousness—exactly like the gaming interface she had imagined.

[Name: Basaka]

[Race: Oak Guardian]

[Class: Druid]

[Level: 51 (Silver-Tier, Intermediate)]

[Deity: Eve Iggdrasil]

[Faith Level: Fanatic]

[Titles: Blessed by Nature, Guardian of the World Tree]

[Abilities: War Rite, Oak's Grasp, Nature's Whisper...]

Eve's mental jaw dropped.

Wish fulfillment? No... this is the power of a True God.

Though she was still reeling from the novelty of it, she realized that by merging with the core, she had technically become a deity. True Gods touched the laws of the world. While she hadn't fully mastered her power yet, she could use her divine energy to manifest miracles—and projecting a status screen was a relatively minor feat for a goddess.

However, sensing the slight dip in her energy, she felt a pang of "financial" pain. She felt like the CEO of a multinational corporation on the brink of bankruptcy.

She scanned Basaka's stats and felt a bit underwhelmed.

"Silver Intermediate... that's a bit low."

Through her inheritance, she now understood the world's power scaling: Mortal/Class Tier, Legendary Tier, Demigod Tier, and Mythic Tier. Each was separated by a vast chasm.

The lowest, the "Class Tier," was divided into Iron, Silver, and Gold, with each subdivided into Low, Intermediate, and High ranks. Silver Intermediate was merely middle-of-the-road—a far cry from the power of a Legend.

"I can't believe creating a Silver-tier follower cost me so much. This feels like a bad investment," Eve grumbled to herself.

"Now, show me my own status!" she commanded.

Another window flickered into existence.

[Name: Eve Iggdrasil]

[Race: World Tree (Old God)]

[Level: 150 (Mythic)]

[Status: Feeble Divine Power (Bordering on Eternal Slumber)]

[Domains/Priesthood: Nature, Life, Elves]

[Titles: Mother of Nature, Goddess of Life, Sovereign of Elves]

[Divine Power: 10/500]

[Followers: 3 (Saints: 0, Fanatics: 1, Devout: 1, Casual: 1)]

[Abilities: Communication, Bestowal, Awakening, Healing, Summoning, Incarnation...]

Wait... I already have other followers?

The number surprised her, but then she remembered the faint prayers she had heard before her fusion. If her hunch was correct, those voices belonged to her other two believers.

10 Divine Power... that's pathetic.

It meant that "awakening" Basaka had cost her a staggering 5 points—half of what she currently held. And simply unlocking the "Observe" ability had cost her another point.

"I have to get stronger... this energy isn't going to last."

Beyond mere survival, Eve desperately wanted to move. In her current state, she was a glorified wooden stake. Aside from being conscious, she was no different from a person in a vegetative state—the most miserable True God in existence.

The initial excitement of reincarnation was wearing off. If she had to spend eternity standing still as a piece of background scenery, she would lose her mind. She needed to hoard enough power to recover from her "near-death" status and manifest a Divine Incarnation—an avatar that would allow her to roam freely within a certain range.

She checked the requirements: an Incarnation required at least 100 points of Divine Power to sustain. At her current rate, that was an astronomical sum.

She sighed internally. I'm broke.

Her only hope was the faith of her followers, but with a grand total of three—one of whom she had literally just manufactured—the situation was grim. Was there any god in history more destitute than her?

Suddenly, she felt a spark of interest. Where are the other two?

If she could connect to the Oak Guardian, surely she could reach them. She submerged her consciousness once more.

She returned to that mysterious green space—which she now recognized as the Divine Core of the World Tree, the seed of a future Divine Kingdom. The space was still shrouded in a chaotic, hazy green light.

As the master of this realm, she knew she could shape it to her will, but she didn't dare try; she couldn't afford the "mana cost."

Within the space, she found three clusters of green photons, shimmering like stars. These were the connection channels to her followers.

But next to them, Eve was shocked to find that the blue light orb she had seen before her transmigration was also there. Moreover, the sense of intimacy it radiated was growing stronger by the second.

Hesitating, she bypassed the other followers for a moment and cautiously extended her consciousness into the blue light.

The moment she touched it, a tidal wave of data—numbers, symbols, and fragments of information—overwhelmed her!

"Virtual Reality technology to spark a new technological revolution?" "Reports suggest full global VR network coverage by year-end!" "Pro gamer dies of exhaustion after a week-long stint in a gaming pod..."

Eve severed the connection after a few seconds, panting mentally.

She stared at the blue orb in utter shock, her mind reeling. This orb wasn't a connection to a follower—it was a link to the Internet of her past life!