NOVPUB"Pleased to meet you. I am the Queen of the Elves, Eno Lucia."
Under the towering Tree of Life, the breathtakingly beautiful elven queen in a white dress smiled at Ye Bai, her entire being bathed in a dreamlike glow.
Even Ye Bai, the creator of this world, found herself momentarily lost in the scene—one so perfect that every frame could serve as promotional art for a game. After all, she had only designed the races; the elven queen before her was now a fully realized individual.
It took a moment before Ye Bai snapped back to reality. "Hello... I'm Bai Ye."
At the same time, she used her [Insight] ability on the elven queen.
[Eno Lucia, Queen of the Elves]
Level: 1??
HP: ?????/?????
Skills: Emerald Dream, ????, ???
Weaknesses: ???, ???
A deity over Level 100—this elven queen was the real deal. The revelation left Ye Bai strangely surprised.
In this desolate realm of gods, where she had witnessed the last ancient dragon perish, the Sea God Kraken starved to the point of spiritual and physical separation, and the Infernal Demon God imprisoned by curses, encountering a high-ranking race leader in perfect condition—one who could even hold a conversation—felt almost too good to be true.
By now, the guiding lights that had led Ye Bai here had flown toward Eno Lucia, swirling playfully around her like affectionate fireflies.
With a tender smile, the queen allowed them to alight on her shoulders and hair before nodding at Ye Bai. "I understand your purpose here. The other key you seek lies at the summit of the Tree of Life."
Ye Bai followed her gaze upward, but the Tree of Life was too vast, its canopy veiled by a shimmering layer of pure life energy. From this angle, she couldn’t make out anything beyond the dense foliage.
Out of habit—her mind still in mission mode—Ye Bai asked, "What must I do to obtain the key?"
Eno Lucia tilted her head slightly, her ice-blue eyes blinking in confusion. "Oh, nothing at all. I’ll send you up there myself. You are the Herald of the God King. I’ve been waiting for your arrival."
"Really?" No quest requirements? No challenges?
The ease of it made Ye Bai wonder if she was dreaming... Well, technically, she was in a 'dream.'
"Of course." Eno Lucia remained patient, unbothered by Ye Bai’s skepticism. "If you wish, I can send you up now. The other two versions of me up there will assist you as well."
"Wait... other two yous?" Ye Bai latched onto the odd detail.
"Ah, I nearly forgot to explain." Eno Lucia’s expression brightened as if recalling a trivial matter. "This dreamscape has its limits. Even with the Tree of Life’s power, sustaining the entirety of the Emerald Forest and the High Elves was no simple feat. So, I split myself into three—one at the base, one at the trunk, and one at the summit."
"Since we share the same essence, reuniting would cause us to merge. That’s why I can’t personally escort you. But rest assured, with the God King’s token, the other versions of me will aid you."
Split into three... Ye Bai finally understood. Even the seemingly untouched elves had paid a price for survival.
"And the elves...?" She gestured to the floating lights.
"Just as you suspect." Eno Lucia’s smile faltered, her gaze drifting to the luminous orbs around her. "They returned their physical forms to the Tree of Life, reverting to pure spiritual essence."
Sensing their queen’s sorrow, the lights swirled around her snow-white fingers, brushing against her in silent comfort.
Eno Lucia quickly composed herself, turning back to Ye Bai. "But your arrival changes everything. Before the God King departed, he said the bearer of the second key would herald the end of the Great Annihilation."
Ye Bai seized on two more critical clues. "Do you remember when the God King left? And what is the Great Annihilation?"
Eno Lucia shook her head gently. "Time is elusive in dreams. The God King came to the Emerald Forest, taught me how to migrate it into this dreamscape, and then left. As for the Great Annihilation..." She paused. "I don’t fully comprehend it myself."
Effects: Fully restores HP and SP; removes all non-soul debuffs; +4000 max HP; +2000 max SP; +30 to all attributes; +1,000,000 EXP.
Description: A crystallization of the Tree of Life’s essence, gifted only to the most honored guests.
Now this is royal generosity!
In that moment, the elven queen’s charm skyrocketed in Ye Bai’s eyes—she was utterly smitten.
"Ahem!"
At that moment, the sound of a donkey's bray rang out. Autofis tilted its head, widening its pitch-black beady eyes as it looked at Eno Lucia.
"Oh, my apologies. I nearly forgot we had another guest."
Eno Lucia paused briefly before smiling and flicking her fingers once more. A leafy tea table, identical to the one before Ye Bai, materialized in front of Autofis, followed by a Life Tree Fruit landing gently upon it.
Autofis let out a cheerful cry in gratitude before leaning forward to nibble delicately on the fruit, its eyes shimmering with bliss.
This was the first time Ye Bai had seen Autofis eat something without swallowing it whole—proof of just how extraordinary this fruit was.
Taking her cue, Ye Bai carefully picked up the emerald-like Life Tree Fruit. Even before bringing it to her lips, an invigorating fragrance filled her senses, sharpening her mind instantly.
Crunch…
She took a slow bite, and just like Autofis, her eyes fluttered shut as an indescribably exquisite flavor overwhelmed her.
By the time she regained her senses and opened her eyes, the fruit was already gone—consumed without her even realizing it.
A system prompt chimed in her mind:
[You have consumed a 'Life Tree Fruit.' Max HP +4000; Max SP +2000; All Attributes +30; EXP +1,000,000.]
[You have gained the temporary effect 'Life Surge': HP and SP recovery speed increased by 200% for 24 hours.]
All the legendary mutated foods Ye Bai and Autofis had eaten during their journey paled in comparison to this single fruit. Its effects surpassed even the stat gains from leveling up.
After finishing, Ye Bai turned to the smiling Elven Queen, thanking her for her hospitality before pressing further on her earlier questions.
Eno Lucia took a moment to gather her thoughts. "The Divine King described the Great Annihilation to me as: 'The balance of this world has been shattered. If every race does not restrain itself, all living beings will, at an unknowable time, face an unknowable end.'"
"An unknowable time… an unknowable end…" Ye Bai repeated the words, sensing a vague thread of understanding. She pressed on, "Then what does 'restraint' entail?"
"What you see now is the result of that restraint," Eno Lucia replied. "After relocating the Emerald Forest into the Dream Realm, aside from returning the Life Tree's physical form, the elves have not brought forth a single new life since."
Ye Bai was stunned. This level of restraint went far beyond a mere fantasy version of "population control."
Moreover, the Elven Queen had acted on the Divine King's words without fully comprehending the Great Annihilation—proof of her immense trust in him.
Then another thought struck Ye Bai: the Abyss, which had been moved to the Purgatory Layer. If any race struggled with restraint, it was Purgatory—without question. The very nature of the Purgatory Core was to endlessly spawn Purgatory creatures.
Was that why the Divine King had placed the Abyss and Kraken in Purgatory? To suppress its resurgence the moment its power stirred?
The more Ye Bai pondered, the more plausible this theory seemed. Could the Divine King's treasure hold the key to countering the Great Annihilation? But if a solution existed, why hadn't he enacted it when the crisis first arose?
Ye Bai pressed for older details. "Did the Divine King seek you out only after Purgatory's invasion?"
To her surprise, Eno Lucia blinked in confusion. "Purgatory… invaded us? I don’t recall such an event…"
Her reaction left Ye Bai equally bewildered. A frown creased her brow as suspicions flickered through her mind—had the Paper Man lied? But that made no sense, given the Life Tree Branch now hanging at her waist had been plucked from a Purgatory Archdemon's wound.
Studying the Elven Queen's genuine confusion, Ye Bai suddenly had an epiphany.
"…Could it be that your memories were also split into three?"
Eno Lucia jolted, then brightened. "Yes! You're absolutely right! So that's what happened… So Purgatory did invade us before…"
Ye Bai: "…"
So even the seemingly composed Elven Queen was, like the other rulers, not entirely whole—though she remained amiable and coherent, her memories were fragmented.
But then, Ye Bai witnessed the unexpected boon of the Elven Queen's forgetfulness.
"Oh dear, I nearly forgot again!" Eno Lucia suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something important. "I mustn’t neglect my guests!"
With that, another spatial rift opened beside her, and two more Life Tree Fruits descended before Ye Bai and Autofis.
Staring at the mythic emerald-hued fruit, Ye Bai's conscience urged her to say, "You already treated us just now."
But Autofis, devoid of such scruples, acted faster—
Crunch crunch… Hee-haw! The shameless donkey had already devoured its share and brayed its thanks with gusto.
Eno Lucia smiled warmly at Autofis. "You're most welcome."
And so, Ye Bai bid farewell to her conscience as well. "Thank you ever so much! Crunch crunch…"
