Although the World Tree cannot express its thoughts in words or directly manifest its power, it operates in a way that defies imagination.
Its existence is like a super-brain that never sleeps, performing meticulous analysis and processing on this vast, boundless stream of information.
The light dance of every falling leaf, the melody of every birdsong, the fall of every ray of sunlight... everything in the Star-Song Forest is keenly captured by it and transformed into the driving force for the evolution of the forest and the entire natural world.
Under the World Tree's unparalleled calculation power, countless pieces of information and intelligence weave a precision network that spans both the past and the future.
Anything it foresees is like the starry trajectory, inevitably moving toward a predestined outcome. Every revelation the World Tree has bestowed thus far has been fulfilled without exception.
But this secret is known only to a very few core members, even within the elven race.
Every so often, the World Tree selects an elf who can listen to its revelations to serve as its connection to the world; these individuals bear an extremely secret title: “God-favored”.
And Moen, as a Nature Priest who received the Blessing of the Mother Tree for a full one hundred and one years, is the God-favored of this generation of elves.
Unlike other elves, the blessing she carries is not limited to physical enhancement; it has established an indescribable and profound connection with the World Tree.
And the Angela standing before Starlight and the others is actually a spokesperson for the World Tree's consciousness. Compared to an ordinary God-favored, however, her constitution is more unique, allowing her to remain at the core of the World Tree for extended periods to transmit necessary information at any time.
As Moen finished her soft explanation, the once-still air seemed to be stirred by an invisible force.
Not only Starlight and Po Kong, but even Xia Duo wore a look of disbelief.
She stared straight at her sister, her lips parted slightly and unable to close for a long while. Having lived together for over a decade, this was the first time Xia Duo learned that Moen held such an identity.
Before this, she had never imagined that the World Tree, which they saw only as vast and mysterious, actually harbored such profound secrets and power.
At the top of the altar, silence fell for a moment.
“If what Moen says is true and this event is certain to happen... did the World Tree specify when? Or how to deal with it? After all, the concept of 'the future' is a bit too broad. We can't just wait here forever, can we?”
After a moment of reflection, Starlight looked at Angela on the vine chair and voiced his concerns.
“No, the World Tree does not yet possess that capability; it cannot pinpoint events to such a degree. However, my guess is that all of this is likely related to the information you brought back from the outside world.”
“Actually, the Council Chambers sending Moen and Xia Duo—two rare and vital talents—to the human kingdom was also based on a revelation from the World Tree. It was simply conveyed through me.”
“You can understand this arrangement as a calculation performed by the World Tree regarding what might happen next. Once you brought back the news from outside, the result of that calculation was finally completed.”
“In any case, I believe the World Tree must have sensed something to make such a decision... Also, you should pay attention to the wording of this revelation. This catastrophe belongs to the elven race, not a predicament faced by the tree itself.”
Angela looked up toward the top of the tree hollow and spoke slowly.
“If that's the case, why don't you take action yourself, Senior Angela? With your power and wisdom... there shouldn't be anyone on the entire continent who could stop you, right? Then this so-called catastrophe would naturally be averted,” Po Kong asked suddenly.
“I cannot. I am no longer the same person I was thousands of years ago. From the moment I renounced the mortal world and committed myself to the World Tree, I was destined to never be able to leave its range for long. Even if I possess enough power, I cannot influence places further away.”
Angela sighed softly. Her slender figure, seemingly bearing the weight of ages, slid slowly from the vine chair. Under the stunned gazes of the four, she gracefully turned around.
It was then that a strange sight met their eyes.
A delicate, translucent vine hung gently from the back of the chair. Its end was deeply embedded into Angela's flawless back, emitting a faint glow. It looked just like an umbilical cord connecting her to the World Tree.
“While the link with the World Tree has granted me near-infinite life, it has not given me the power to change all this. This is precisely why I called the four of you here.”
Moen looked at the vine shimmering with soft light on Angela's back. A flicker of inexplicable emotion passed through her eyes, and she asked with a hint of worry and unease in her voice.
“Aunt Angela... what should we do next? Faced with this impending unknown disaster, I feel a bit lost...”
Angela gazed at Moen tenderly, her eyes full of maternal love. She gently patted the back of Moen's hand and comforted her softly.
“Little Moen, you needn't worry too much about that. I didn't gather you here to impose some heavy burden on you; I simply wanted to meet you and have you keep an old soul like me company for a chat.”
“As for the things destined to happen, they have their own trajectories. Even the World Tree cannot foresee every detail, nor can it fully control the development of events. But we can choose how to face them and how to prepare.”
Angela's words suddenly reminded Starlight of the girl in his dream, who had once said something similar to him.
“Regarding that prophecy you heard, it is something that will certainly happen!”
These so-called prophecies... and the revelations of the World Tree... what exactly are they?
Since leaving the valley, he had felt more than once that he was already caught in a complex web, with every movement guided by some unknown force.
Starlight did not like this feeling. He longed to master his own destiny rather than be bound by so-called prophecies or revelations.
Yet he clearly realized that he seemed unable to escape that seemingly omnipresent invisible hand. This contradiction and struggle inevitably gave him a bit of a headache.
Although he did not voice his thoughts, Angela, standing nearby, seemed to have already seen through them and turned to speak to him.
“Starlight, you must be very confused, aren't you? Indeed... the Radiant Elemental Body, an existence that is both a blessing and a curse. Even in my era, it was considered a terrifying constitution.”
She paused, an unusual emotion surfacing in her eyes as if she were reminiscing about the past.
“A close friend of mine was also a possessor of the Radiant Elemental Body. His short life was full of brilliance and legend, but in the end, he still failed to escape that predestined fate.”
Starlight looked up into Angela's jewel-like eyes, took a deep breath, and asked.
“Then... if I may ask, Senior, do you know anything about this so-called curse? Is it truly impossible to break?”
Angela shook her head gently and replied with a regretful tone.
“After he disappeared, my companions and I tried more than once to find clues related to it, but it all came to nothing in the end. And in the years that followed, I used the power of the World Tree to observe two others with the same constitution. Their endings were no exception...”
However, just as Starlight was feeling dejected, Angela's tone shifted, and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.
“But in you, Starlight, I seem to see something different. There seems to be a special power within you. Perhaps you can forge a different path. If possible... the Saint Rank will not be the end for you, but a beginning.”
“Then I thank you for your kind words, Senior... but I'm just an ordinary person right now. The Saint Rank and such things are still far beyond me...”
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