The roots of the world tree

This is a very difficult thing to explain.

Even Mason, who thought he was already proficient in all kinds of nonsense scripts, could not help but remain silent.

He had planned it well. No matter what the other party asked, he just had to say he didn't know. Facing a cub, the God of the Sun who loved humans shouldn't pursue it too much.

Moreover, according to records, this god is a playboy, and he has given an insane number of favors to a large number of people. In the era of favors, six out of ten favors were favors of the God of the Sun. Otherwise, there would not be such a strange incident that Christine got the favor of the God by giving a fruit.

But this does not include in front of the other party! Expand [Heaven]! Face A! Be discovered! The mark on the body comes from the future!

It's no wonder Mason didn't think of it. If you find a banana peel in the corner and can't remember when you threw it away, would you judge at a glance that I passed by two minutes later and just finished eating a banana?

Nasir had not pointed out anything unusual before, so Mason completely ignored it.

Countless plans flashed through his mind quickly. The silver-haired child looked up at the god on the throne, his azure eyes as clear as a mirror.

The light from the temple was reflected in his eyes, but it could not illuminate any emotion. At this moment, he was like an exquisite puppet, and his clear voice echoed in the temple without any hesitation.

"You gave it to me. I came from the Black——"

Just as he was about to say that word, the God of the Burning Sun suddenly sat up straight, as if struggling with something unbearable, and said in an extremely stern tone: "Don't say it!"

A huge thunderous explosion came from outside the temple, rang out at the same time as his voice, drowning out the child's voice.

The silver-haired child who overturned the chessboard when he couldn't play the game shut up. The God of the Sun breathed a sigh of relief, and actually felt relieved. He didn't dare to ask any more questions, as fate was ordering him to stop the other party's actions.

He finally understood why the mark of God's favor on this little guy was so strange. He must have done something so bold in the future, so in the future he not only punished him, but also secretly marked him.

He looked at the blond knight: "Christine, can you go out and wait for us for a while?"

"You guys are actually talking behind my back."

Christine complained hypocritically, knowing that this was a sign of respect. Otherwise, with the power of the gods, they could have communicated directly without him. The knight patted the cub's shoulder comfortingly and then walked out.

After he left, countless rays of light enveloped the entire building, forming an unbreakable secret room.

The God of the Burning Sun spoke, as if explaining but also warning: "Christian is the thirteenth candidate for the right god that we have identified. No one is more suitable than him to become the next god. Therefore, we must protect him."

But Christine did not become a god and died early.

This thought flashed through Mason's mind, and the God of the Burning Sun said solemnly: "No, don't hint to me, don't say it, and don't even think about it. The insight of the gods is amazing. Even if it's just a consciousness, it is very likely to be captured in my realm. Destiny has infinite possibilities, but when I know what the future will be like, this is the only future we can go to."

Mason quickly did as he was told. He tried to clear his mind as much as possible, and stopped himself from thinking too much by asking, "What exactly is heaven?" Seeing this, the Sun God calmed down.

"Before you understand these, you should first know the nature of the world."

"You mean pollution?"

"Yes, being able to talk about this concept, you should have some understanding of it. What we want to explain is what pollution is and why it comes."

"Until then, come to me."

Mason stepped onto the steps and came to the throne. The God of the Sun extended his index finger and gently touched his forehead.

With just this one movement, the surroundings suddenly darkened.

It was like being squeezed into some kind of viscous liquid, and it was as if the concept of the body did not exist at all. His consciousness was floating in the endless void, and when Mason refocused his mind, he saw a shocking scene.

He had seen this scene several times before. The world was divided into countless frames at an extremely slow speed, and only the god in front of him was shining like the sun.

Untroubled by the divisions of the world, He points His hand downward.

Mason followed the trend and found that the floor beneath his feet had become transparent. Through the body of the cloud whale, he saw countless people on the ground working, praying, crying, and rejoicing.

There were two things emanating from their bodies, one half was shining gold, and the other half was murky black.

The joy of a child's birth and the pain of a mother's childbirth.

The glory of victory in battle and the hatred of defeat.

The satisfaction of eating and the pain of seeing the prey die.

The final nobility of the despicable, the cowardice of the brave before death, the arrogance of the king in control of power, the worry of the common people for their livelihood...

Every person and every thing is made up of two sides, one side is full of human goodness and the other side is full of human evil.

Threads from the twelve righteous gods covered the entire earth, and through people's prayers, these thoughts were transmitted into the bodies of the gods.

There are also countless messengers from the gods traveling between the kingdom of God and the human world, faithfully carrying out the gods' orders and resolving worldly disputes.

Kindness will be rewarded, and evil will suffer the consequences.

Not afraid of hardship and sacrifice, helping the weak, caring for companions, and being fair and impartial.

Knights led by the Glorious Knight Christine are active on the continent, and loyal priests carry out the will of the gods on earth. Good deeds form a kind of order, and everything is thriving.

Falling, falling, falling all the way to the deepest point.

The scenery in front of them blurred again, and they felt a strong sense of falling, until their vision became clear again. They appeared in a phantom land full of devastation.

The four sides are pierced from above by huge roots. On the ground, there are deformed monsters beyond imagination. Natural disasters occur in every corner. The malicious whispers are incessant, pulling at the emotions of those who come.

Just as he set foot here, Mason felt an inexplicable sense of hostility in his heart, which aroused the jealousy and hatred deep in his heart.

He remembered that Shaken had killed him when they first met, and he could not help wanting to torture him in the most cruel way now; Aibo had dared to show off his achievements in front of him, and his head must be chopped off.

Later, he was proud of the servility of others, and was delighted by their suffering. The more miserable others were, the happier he could not help being.

[Heaven] quickly unfolded, purifying all distracting thoughts with the purest power. Mason came to his senses and took a breath of cool air. He had only been standing here for a few seconds, but countless vicious thoughts that even scared him had already popped up in his mind.

If there is no [Heaven], if this vest is not Canaan, I would probably be deeply trapped in it and unable to extricate myself.

"This is beneath the roots of the World Tree."

The God of the Burning Sun waited until he was sober before speaking. He pointed to the twelve celestial bodies of different colors in the sky, which radiated powerful forces and suppressed everything here.

“All negative energy will gather here, be absorbed by the World Tree, and be invested in destiny to form future obstacles. Each righteous god represents a sun here. We are always observing here and maintaining order. Humans are both eliminaters and providers.”

"Take Christine as an example. Even if disasters come one after another, he never backs down. Such a person can eliminate a lot of negative energy and provide a lot of positive energy. Good will cultivate more good, so the Twelve Gods must be good gods, symbolizing some kind of beautiful pursuit or quality of human beings to prevent the world from being out of balance."

All the scenes disappeared like bubbles, and a silver-haired child stood in front of the throne. He was taller than before and looked to be ten years old.

The God of the Burning Sun withdrew his hand and asked, "Now, do you know what heaven is?"

The answer was a little dry: "...It is a symbol of humanity's separation from humanity and its transformation into a more powerful being, the God. [Heaven] is the process of assimilating others with the pollution of the god himself. In other words, once the pollution from humans exceeds the pollution of the god himself..."

"That's right. [Heaven] is what humans call it, and we call it [Pollution Realm] internally. Every living thing has its own pollution realm. If the concentration is too high, the gods will be polluted by human beliefs, corrupted, and finally poisoned to death."

The God of the Sun said calmly: "The God of War, who governs glory and victory, may become bloodthirsty. The God of Beauty, who loves the purest and most beautiful things, may become greedy for pleasure. Even the sun and the moon may lose their brilliance."

"The first fruit of the World Tree became the first human. Although the people who came after them lost some of their power, the pollution from them will still subtly change the world. Only this thing must not happen. Even if I am shattered to pieces and die, I will prevent all this from happening."

At this moment, Mason looked at the god in front of him who spoke decisively, and there was no despair or pain in his heart, only unspeakable sadness and confusion.

His lips moved but he was powerless, like looking at a ship destined to sail towards an iceberg.

If the Age of Darkness was caused by a fallen god, he would do whatever it took to get rid of him.

If the pollution of the Dark Mist Age came from the World Tree, he would do everything he could to purify it.

But he finally understood that the culprit for all this was human. Even though the process was not very clear, he could still outline the general context in his mind.

Perhaps for some reason, the gods finally chose to exalt their kingdom and distance themselves from humans.

After they left, the era of God's favor came to an end. Even when Christine died, not a single one of his many friends came to help him. Did they know what would happen next?

In the era before the Dark Mist, humans and alien races started a conflict. Race and war are always linked together, neither side is necessarily wrong, but each side wants to survive.

Malice continued to spread, breeding countless negative emotions, which in turn triggered a series of subsequent events.

Logically speaking, the pre-dark fog era lasted so long that it would not change suddenly in a few decades. However, Mason understood what the last straw that broke the camel's back was.

It is the technological development of the Mechanical City that has given ordinary people power.

If before this, power was held by a small number of people, they could be restrained through education or inheritance and made to follow a certain order.

Then when ordinary people pick up the wooden warehouse, even the smallest thing will trigger a conflict. Moreover, the feudal monarchy was used in the pre-Black Mist era. Under this system, ordinary people are destined to be oppressed to a greater or lesser extent. When they have the power to resist, the consequences are set in stone.

This is probably the reason why ordinary people are not allowed to hold guns during the Black Mist Era: firepower is always the most dangerous weapon, and having weapons will create conflicts. Even if you don't do it, as long as you have such a thought in your mind, the Black Mist will take advantage of it and cause you to become mutated.

Therefore, it became a rule that ordinary people were not allowed to carry guns. On the contrary, bloodline people possessed a large amount of negative energy and would not be affected too much.

In the Age of Darkness, the theme of the entire era is madness and chaos, and maintaining order has become precarious. More and more people indulge in evil, and more and more people begin to despair. As a result, the whole world crashes into an iceberg. Facing such a giant ship that is gradually sinking into the sea, what can he do?

It was the first time that Mason felt such powerlessness. To think that he could raise the moral standards of all mankind by himself was a bit too high a view of him.

Of course, there are many alternative methods: use Oreis to control everyone, use Canaan to purify everyone...but Mason doesn't want to leave.

He wanted to take one path, and only this one path.

But how should he go?

A hint of confusion appeared on the face of the silver-haired child. The God of the Sun looked at him for a long time, and a hint of praise flashed through his heart.

He began to admire him. Knowing what he was about to face, the silver-haired cub had a look of worry and confusion on his face, but he did not back down.

"Go talk to Christine. He is a very outstanding person and can definitely give you some advice. I will then inform the other gods and they will come to you at the appropriate time. It is up to you whether you can gain their approval."

"Thank you."

Since the gods said so, it should be correct. The silver-haired child thanked him and walked out of the temple. The God of the Burning Sun sat alone in the temple. There was no one else around, and the surroundings became very quiet.

Without His permission, the angels would not enter the temple without His permission. It was a peaceful and holy place, and it met all the fantasies of God. But perhaps because the sun was so hot, the God of the Sun always felt that it was too lonely.

He lowered his head, his gaze passing through the floor and the body of the cloud whale, and fell on the ground.

The sound of countless prayers echoed in my ears all the time, and along the other end of the golden thread, the emotions of each believer were clearly transmitted to the heart of the god.

He understands their lives and wishes, and knows what kind of people they are. From the moment humans choose to believe in Him, He also chooses these humans.

"...death...?"

For gods, this term is too far away. He comes from the earliest human prayers to the sun, and can be said to be a part of the sun. Even if the earth goddess died and the power was scattered, the sun is still the most sacred existence in people's hearts.

The God of the Burning Sun had never thought about the day when he would fall, until this young one favored by God appeared before him.

Even if He didn't take the initiative to pay attention, He could still analyze many things from every word of the other party. The thinking of the gods was far superior to that of mortals, like the most accurate computer, and He had already figured out the end before He could react.

A huge sea of ​​clouds slowly slid across the sky, casting a shadow on a small hill full of flowers. A little girl in typical Kloto clothing was picking wild vegetables on the hillside with a basket on her shoulder.

She looked to be no more than eight or nine years old. She would pick any flower she liked, muttering, "This one is for Brother Gunther, this one is for Sister Claire, this one is for Dad, and this one, I'll give to Mom when I get home..."

Suddenly she saw a dirty old man in front of her. He smiled and asked, "Little guy, can you give me the most beautiful flowers?"

The little girl was a little hesitant, looking at the basket and then at the other person. The most beautiful flowers should be given to mom and dad, but this old man looks so pitiful... He is dirty. Mom said she should help others to the best of her ability...

"Okay! I can pick the most beautiful flowers for Mom and Dad tomorrow, and I'll give you the most beautiful flowers today."

The little girl made up her mind, took out a beautiful red flower from the basket and handed it to him, with the other person's figure reflected in her clear eyes.

The old man took the flowers carefully and smiled with his missing teeth: "Thank you, my dear little boy. In return, I will give you a gift."

"Will you give me flowers too?"

"Yes, I will give you my favorite flowers."

A glimmer of bright gold flashed in the old man's eyes. To him, this world was like a unique flower.

He tried his best to keep the flower blooming in front of these lovely people. The sun shines on the old and the young, and on every corner of the world.

From the past to the future, He will always shine on this beautiful land with His love for mankind.

......

Mason found Christine sitting alone on the edge of the whale, looking down.

The wind blew through the young man's hair, adding some softness. He looked at the ground under his feet, as if he was appreciating a beautiful painting. Seeing the other party, Christine took the initiative to wave.

"It's you, come and sit with us?"

Mason sat down as he was told. He was confused, and looking at Christine's smiling eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "Christine, have you ever encountered a problem that you couldn't solve?"

"Of course."

Christine answered without hesitation.

"My hometown is a small town with a mountain nearby. When I was a kid, I loved climbing to the top of the mountain to see the view. To me at that time, a mountain was an insurmountable peak. Later, Neil became my companion. I met many people and experienced all kinds of incredible things. From an ordinary child to a knight, I gained many things that I never dared to expect."

"Every time I fight, I get hurt, I feel pain, and I get scared. When I meet people I hate, I get bothered and upset. Sometimes I feel that people love Christine the Brilliant Knight, not me as a human being. But every time I see the smiling faces of the children, hear their thanks, and see those who are in pain regain happiness, I feel genuine joy."

"Canaan."

Christine called out the other person's name, and looked at the child in front of her tenderly with her sea-blue eyes.

"Don't try to use yourself to fight a monster that you can never defeat. Don't try your best to fill the emptiness in other people's hearts that will never be satisfied. Have you ever picked wheat ears? When I was a child, my father often took me to the farm to pick wheat ears. Experienced farmers know that when picking wheat ears, you must look at the wheat ears on the ground instead of focusing on how far the road ahead is."

"Every time you pick up an ear of wheat, you gain a little more joy. When I came to my senses, I had come to the end of the wheat field. It turned out that I could overcome the things that had hurt me and caused me pain. And the people and events that were engraved in my heart, I brought their stories with me."

“So, now I can tell you with certainty: I have certainly encountered problems that I couldn’t solve, and even made me frustrated and cry. But I still came here. One day in the future, I hope you can see the same scenery as me.”

Mason's heart was moved: "Can I? No matter how much time has passed, there is only one Christine in this world."

The blond knight smiled and replied, "Of course, because Christian is also an ordinary person. He just always hopes that people can be happy."

The problem was not solved, but he suddenly felt relieved. Mason's eyes were filled with warmth: "Christine, if you have an apprentice--"

He told the story of Oreius's background. From Oreius' birth, being rescued by him, growing up, and making a promise; to the Roland Ag family growing up to be the ruler of the empire, and him coming to the empire and taking Oreius away; to the two people's journey, Oreius regarded him as a brother...

He whispered about their separation, and just as he was about to tell why Christine died, the blond knight suddenly stopped him.

"That's enough, Canaan."

He said gently, "That's enough of the story."

Great sorrow overwhelmed Mason's heart, and he was speechless for a moment. Did Christine really not know what this meant? He had already collected all eleven familial seals, but before he could become a god, the disaster would come.

The Glorious Knight knew everything. He just faced the coming future calmly, frankly and without fear.

"Thank you for everything you have done for me, Canaan. I know you have a lot of secrets, but that is not important to you and me. To me, you are just someone I watched being born. Well, although there were some small mistakes in the middle, I know you are a good child. And for the stories you told, I understand, I understand."

"Each leaf of the world tree records the direction of destiny, and each difference will produce different branches. Maybe in another world, the story you told will come true. Or maybe in the future, I will really meet such a child. Who can say what will happen in the future? So please don't tell me."

Like a moth that flies into a flame, the whole era is thrown into a vortex. Mason knows everything that will happen in the future, but he can't do anything about it. Christine strokes his hair, her eyes are sincere, her smile is warm, and her tone is firm.

"Even if the future is really predetermined, we will try our best to change it. Does a flower know that it will wither and choose to give up from the beginning? No, everyone on this continent will not give up. So, don't tell me the ending of the story, good child."

"If you can really meet my disciple, my younger brother, in the story, please convey my message to him."

"It was all my choice, not his fault. I made my choice and he had his way. As long as he didn't give up on himself, I'm proud of him."

The silver-haired child stared at the other person deeply, as if he wanted to remember him forever. Christine stretched out his hand to gesture, and suddenly asked curiously: "Have you grown taller again?"

"Um."

"Then we have to hurry up. Children grow up very quickly. If we don't take you to see some good places soon, it will be too late."

The blond knight patted his butt and stood up, smiling and changing the subject: "Do you want to go somewhere nice with me?"

Mason nodded absently. Christine laughed and whistled. A moment later, Nell trotted gracefully over and cupped his palm affectionately.

"Let's go, let's go to a few more places before we go back."

The pure white Pegasus carried the two people down and flew away.

For two days, Christine took the cubs out to play.

He took Mason to see the most powerful wind monster [Sky], which was a three-headed giant bird that could speak human language. It was once a monster that caused trouble to the people. Christine got to know it after fighting with it, and later helped it find a suitable habitat.

In the dim night, the burning bonfire made the branches crackle slightly. The blond knight flipped the grilled fish while chattering about the story of his friendship with Sky. Behind him, the monster hatching eggs was yawning.

Before leaving, Mason left some energy to help its children hatch better, and received the feather of [Sky] as a gift.

Then I went to various countries: La Serena is close to the ocean, with developed commerce and fishing industries, the windows are decorated with blue and white ribbons, and you can always smell the scent of the sea when walking on the streets.

Palenque is located in the wilderness, and most of the tribes live in scattered areas. The hunters carry bows and arrows, wear ornaments made of colorful feathers on their heads, have unrestrained and simple personalities, and their rough singing can be heard in the sky.

Inko is a religious country. Churches of various gods can be seen everywhere, and pious and melodious bells ring every morning...

As the strongest among humans, Christine even had connections with the few foreign races at that time. He took Mason to the forest where the halflings lived. These little guys, who were only as tall as children, had excellent cooking skills and gave him a delicious meal.

When they came back in style, Nasir gave them a cold look and said with a fake smile, "So you two remembered to come back. I almost thought the Brilliant Knights would get lost."

The blond knight held up his purchases and spoke enthusiastically, "It's a long way. Look, Nasir, I brought you a gift."

As he spoke, he gave a silent look to the cub beside him. The cub slipped into the house, opened the door, entered the study, and closed the door in one go.

Nasir almost laughed at the two people's little thoughts. He was too lazy to pay attention to Christine. He pressed his face with five fingers and pushed him away, then turned around and walked in ruthlessly.

Christine wanted to go in as well, but the door slammed shut in front of him, almost hitting his nose.

The blond knight jumped back quickly and said, "Don't be so fierce, Nasir!? My nose is almost flattened!"

The black-haired man's voice came through the door, with a chill like ice.

"Just to wake you up. The ceremony is almost here, and you haven't prepared the materials yet. If you miss the lunar eclipse in half a month, you will have to wait another five years."