Whatever You Do, Do Not Laugh

Ethan reached out with both hands.

The heartwood felt slightly cool to the touch, its texture somewhat similar to the world fragment from before.

The seed was slightly heavy, weighing about two or three pounds. The moment the outer shell of the seed touched his palm, it trembled slightly, and the emerald-green light inside pulsed a bit faster.

“The heartwood is one of my core components, containing a portion of my origin. Since you practice wood-element cultivation, keeping it with you will benefit you. That seed is a new one I have produced; wherever you plant it, a new World Tree will grow.”

The World Tree's voice echoed in his consciousness.

“But remember, it takes time for the seed to sprout. Not years, nor decades. In terms of the Amons' lifespan, it will take about several thousand years to fully grow.”

Ethan put both items into his storage ring.

“Thank you.”

“Hehe, no need for thanks.”

Meanwhile, a bit earlier, in the sky above the Sacred City.

Meltbone crossed his arms, his dark red eyes staring in the direction of the distant Azure-Dyed Forest, his mouth curving downward. “Is there something wrong with Command's head? They're asking three Tier 3 Wizards to protect an apprentice? An apprentice! A Third-Tier Apprentice!”

Frostfall did not speak, only furrowing her brow slightly.

The more Meltbone spoke, the more worked up he got, the cracks on his dark red skin glowing brighter with his shifting emotions. “What are we? We are Tier 3 Wizards! The main vanguard of this World War! It's one thing for Command to have us deal with those three cowards hiding in the Sacred City, but ordering us to protect an apprentice on the way? A Third-Tier Apprentice? Is that kid the illegitimate son of Jade Shadow Star? What's his name, Ethan Leo? Never heard of him!”

“Cough.” Blood Bone cleared his throat.

Meltbone turned his head and glared at him. “What are you coughing for? Blood Bone, I just don't get it. Have those White Wizards at Command had their brains fried by energy particles? What could possibly be so important about a Third-Tier Apprentice that it warrants three Tier 3 Wizards making a special trip?”

Blood Bone did not answer.

Standing atop the bone dragon's head, his dark red eyes fixed on the distant Azure-Dyed Forest, his lips were tightly pursed.

An apprentice from his own academy had successfully negotiated with the World Tree. If he were to boast about this right now, he could hold his head higher than the heavens.

Meltbone, with his explosive temper, was still grumbling, becoming more convinced by the second that Command had lost their minds.

When he finally found out the truth, the look on his face would surely be priceless.

At that thought, Blood Bone's lips twitched.

He quickly turned his head to the side, pretending to look at the distant clouds.

Frostfall noticed his odd behavior.

She turned her head, her light blue eyes lingering on Blood Bone's face. “Blood Bone, what are you laughing at?”

“I'm not laughing,” Blood Bone said, his voice perfectly steady.

“You laughed,” Frostfall said, her tone as flat as if she were merely stating a fact. “You've been holding back a laugh this entire time. Your lips have twitched three times already.”

Meltbone snapped his head around, his dark red eyes glaring intently at Blood Bone's face. “What are you laughing at? What's so funny? Spit it out!”

Blood Bone took a deep breath, forcing the corners of his mouth back down. He turned his head to meet Meltbone's dark red eyes, his expression returning to its usual cold indifference. “I just thought of something happy.”

“What happy thing?” Meltbone pressed.

“I beat my son again this month.”

“??? What the hell?”

“Enough,” Frostfall said, unable to watch any longer. “It's an order from Command. Just carry it out.”

Blood Bone redirected his gaze toward the forest.

An apprentice from his own academy—a mere Third-Tier Apprentice—had slipped into the outskirts of the Sacred City all by himself, established contact with the World Tree, and actually fucking negotiated a deal with it.

If he were to brag about this right now, he could hold his head higher than the heavens.

But speaking of it now would easily invite jealousy.

A Third-Tier Apprentice had accomplished what three Tier 3 Wizards couldn't. If word got out, what would the people from the other academies think?

If Meltbone, with his explosive temper, found out, wouldn't he blow his top on the spot?

So, he held it in.

And it was an agonizing struggle.

...

The roar of the bone dragon swept down from the horizon.

Ethan had just put the heartwood and seed into his storage ring when he looked up. At the edge of his vision, the clouds surged, and a massive, grayish-white behemoth slowly emerged from the sea of clouds.

The bone dragon's body gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight. It was still far away, appearing no larger than a fingernail.

In the next instant, three figures appeared before Ethan.

There was no sound of rushing wind, no energy fluctuations, and not even his Combat Instinct triggered an alarm.

The three of them stood out of thin air less than three meters in front of Ethan, as if they had been standing there from the very beginning.

Ethan immediately bowed in greeting.

“Greetings, Headmaster, and greetings, my Lords.”

Meltbone's gaze fell on Ethan, shifted to Blood Bone's face, and then snapped back to Ethan.

His dark red eyes rolled in their sockets, and his lips twitched several times. The expression on his face shifted from confusion to realization, from realization to utter disbelief, and finally settled into a nearly contorted, savage grimace.

“Damn it... Blood Bone, you bastard.”

Frostfall turned her head, her ice-crystal eyes lingering on Blood Bone's face for a moment, but she remained silent.

Meltbone took a step forward, pointing his finger at Ethan, almost poking him in the nose. “I knew it! No wonder the name Ethan Leo sounded so familiar. You really are that number one on the Battle Merit Ranking from Blood Bone Tower!”

His voice rose half an octave, the cracks on his dark red skin brightening in tandem with his surging emotions. “Thirty-one million, four hundred and twenty thousand battle merit! Thirty-one million! I was wondering why those White Wizards at Command specifically ordered us to protect a Third-Tier Apprentice, and I spent half the time cursing them for losing their minds. Turns out he's from your Blood Bone Tower!”

Blood Bone stood where he was, looking at Meltbone, the corners of his mouth slightly pursed.

“Oh,” he said in a leisurely tone. “It's not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning at all.”

Meltbone almost choked on his own breath.

“Not worth mentioning?!” Meltbone's voice exploded over the canopy, causing the surrounding leaves to rustle violently. “A Third-Tier Apprentice, slipping into the outskirts of the Sacred City entirely on his own, contacting the World Tree, and actually negotiating a deal with it! And you're telling me it's not worth mentioning?”

Blood Bone could no longer hold back the curve of his lips.

He turned his head away, pretending to look at the distant World Tree, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly.

At that moment, Frostfall spoke up. “Blood Bone, the reason you were holding back a laugh on the bone dragon's back earlier was because of this.”

Blood Bone turned his head back, his expression already returned to its usual coldness. “Cough, Frostfall, you're overthinking things.”

“You laughed,” Frostfall said, as if stating an objective fact.

“I didn't laugh,” Blood Bone said, his voice steady.

“You laughed. Ever since the transmission from Command, you've been holding back a laugh. Your lips twitched seven times, and your shoulders shook twice.”

Blood Bone fell silent for two breaths.

Then, he stopped pretending.

His mouth split into a wide grin, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth.

An unvarnished smile blossomed on his usually cold face, his dark red eyes brimming with sheer smugness.

“Hahahahahahaha!”