The Ancient Tree of Eternity.
During the entire period of the Elven Empire, they managed to cultivate only two or three such trees. The difficulty in creating these beings was immense. Even for the Elven Empire, it was a significant strain on their resources. And what’s Giantree City? Just a place with only half a million elves. Compared to the empire, it was no more than a large tribe. For the elves in Giantree City, the thought of having a Level 3 Tree of Life in the city, let alone a Level 5 Tree of Eternity, was something they would not even have dared to dream of in the past.
However, the intervention of the Demon King, wielding his extraordinary powers, turned this unthinkable dream into reality for Giant Tree City. Giant Tree City now miraculously possessed an Ancient Tree of Eternity! Such a feat could never have been achieved without the direct intervention of the Goddess of Nature. Nancilia, Marilyn, and all the elven elders were overjoyed. With this tree, the revival of the elven race was no longer a dream.
Of course, the Tree of Eternity was incredibly precious, and countless powerful beings would undoubtedly covet it. The elves were well aware of their limitations. Even with the Elven King Nancilia, it would be challenging to protect the ancient tree. It was like a lowly commoner carrying a precious gem – the man’s wealth would bring upon troubles and his own ruin. Without the backing of a force like the Chaos Federation, without the magnificent presence of the Dragon Demon King, obtaining the Tree of Eternity for Giant Tree City might not be a blessing at all. It could instead attract disaster!
Nancilia spoke, a mix of excitement and anxiety in her voice, "Your Majesty, creating the Tree of Eternity for the elves must have come at a significant cost and sacrifice, hasn't it?"
Hearing this, Marilyn, along with the elven elders, ceased their jubilation, their concerns overshadowing their joy. Such a magnificent creation could not have appeared out of thin air.
The young Elven King was genuinely concerned for the Demon King.
Calmly, Zhang Nu responded, "You're right. The cost is indeed substantial, but it's worth it."
It was the truth. Tens of millions in gold, tens of thousands of precious gems—a steep price indeed. For the Demon King, it meant clearing one or two Level 5 monarch-class areas just to earn it back, a considerable expense. However, the idea of a high cost differed greatly between the elves and the Demon King.
Nancilia, Marilyn, and the Elven elders were immediately alarmed. They began to worry. The Demon King had acknowledged the cost. It had to be something significant—perhaps hundreds of cultivation levels, maybe even thousands of years of lifespan! The elves had owed the Demon King too much. How could they ever repay this debt? This favor had to be repaid for generations, for thousands and thousands of years to come!
Zhang Nu tried to prompt the upgrade interface again. He had just obtained a Level 5 special building upgrade scroll. The Ancient Tree of Eternity theoretically could be further upgraded, but what it would turn into after the upgrade was unknown to anyone. Even the ancient Elven Empire, with all its might, had never cultivated something more powerful than the Tree of Eternity.
However, upon receiving the feedback and seeing the required costs, Zhang Nu was left speechless. Just the gold alone would amount to several hundred million. The costs for other materials were ten times as much. Well, he decided to let go of the idea. Upgrading was too expensive; at least for the time being, Zhang Nu did not have the resources to further upgrade the ancient tree.
Fortunately, the Level 5 Tree of Eternity was already powerful enough. It unlocked a total of sixty thousand summonable elven units. The highest-level unit was the Level 5 overlord "Eternal Priestess." This Eternal Priestess was an upgrade from the Miracle Archpriest, possessing top-notch Level 5 overlord strength. When within the influence range of the Tree of Eternity, she could effortlessly confront or even suppress a Level 5 monarch-class unit. In other words, she was quite formidable.
However, the most important and core ability of the Tree of Eternity was still the creation of Eternal Holy Fruits. These fruits could be condensed over several hundred years by nourishing them with the souls of the deceased priests and generations of the Elven clan, using conventional methods.
But being the Demon King, Zhang Nu had a straightforward and unconventional method.
[Eternal Sacred Fruit] Level 5 orange quality. Costs 13.5 million gold each.
That's right. Zhang Nu could just buy them. For the Demon King, miracles could be created effortlessly as long as there was gold.
Although a bit expensive, he could afford it. Paying 27 million gold coins, he decided to buy two fruits to give it a try. While the elves were still overwhelmed with gratitude for the Demon King, the Ancient Tree of Eternity lit up with endless energy gathering between its branches. Eventually, two golden fruits formed and gently fell into the Demon King's hands.
"What is this…"
"The legendary Eternal Sacred Fruit!"
"There are records of this in ancient scriptures!"
"This is the sacred item of our elven race!"
Using the power of the ancient tree, the Demon King created two fruits, holding one in each hand. He glanced at the properties of the fruits.
[Eternal Sacred Fruit] Level 5 orange quality. Effective only for the elven race. It significantly enhances potential, aptitude, and bloodline strength, with a certain chance to directly activate the Elven King's bloodline. Each elf can only use it once.
A valuable item indeed. Its functionality was somewhat similar to the Soul Sacrifice of the Soul Altar in the Darkness City. However, there was a key difference. The materials for Soul Sacrifice were souls; to create a monarch aptitude, at least one or even several high-quality Level 6 souls were necessary. In contrast, the Eternal Sacred Fruit could be obtained with gold, something Zhang Nu found relatively easy to earn compared to souls.
Furthermore, the Soul Altar had a fixed limit for aptitude enhancement, which was monarch-level. In contrast, the Sacred Fruit had no fixed limit. Even if one already had monarch-level aptitude, it could still provide substantial enhancements. However, unlike the Soul Altar, the SacredFruit was only effective for elves. Additionally, each elf had only one chance to use it. Therefore, it was best given to elves with the highest aptitude and the greatest potential.
Zhang Nu said, "Nancilia, Marilyn, you've managed Giantree City for me during this time, and you've also shown great courage on the battlefield. I'm rewarding both of you with these two fruits."
The two elves received the glowing fruits with trembling hands. Shock, joy, surprise, gratitude, and a mix of emotions flooded their hearts, leaving them speechless.
"This item can't be kept for long. Use it quickly!" commanded the Demon King.
The two elves did not dare to delay and quickly swallowed the fruits. The Sacred Fruit was just a bit larger than a fist, almost melting in their mouths with no distinctive taste. However, it instantly transformed into a powerful surge, spreading from their bellies to their limbs and finally permeating every cell.
After a few minutes, "Ah!" Marilyn let out a light cry. A tremendous pressure emanated from her, causing all the elves present to change color, their faces filled with disbelief.
Monarch's aura? It couldn't be...
Zhang Nu had already noticed. Marilyn's name prefix had changed. Originally, her name was "Silver Spring Elven Chieftain: Marilyn." After joining Giantree City, her name became "Giantree City Grand Elder: Marilyn." However, at this moment…
[Elven King: Marilyn] Level 5 monarch.
Skills: Domain of Swiftness (Talent), Elven King Bloodline (Talent), Elven King's Aura (Talent), Wind Mastery (Talent), Insightful Eyes (Talent), Gale Qi (A-rank), Storm Arrow (A-rank), Tempest Art (A-rank), etc.
Indeed, Marilyn had exceptional innate talents. She was the only elf in the entire Chaos Forest, apart from Nancilia, with significant cultivation potential. However, to enhance her aptitude using souls, it would likely require two or three high-quality Level 6 souls. Even though Zhang Nu had two high-quality Level 6 souls, he was not willing to use them on Marilyn. But now, with just one Sacred Fruit, it was settled. It really saved quite a bit of cost.
Zhang Nu remarked, "Congratulations on becoming the Elven King."
Marilyn could not believe it herself. "I-I-I... I've actually become an Elven King!"
Nancilia gradually recovered as well. She felt her HP, MP, magical strength, everything, underwent a significant boost. Previously, she could control at most three Elemental Kings. Now, she felt confident in controlling four to five without any issues. However, Nancilia's actual level had not undergone any changes.
"Ah, Marilyn-sis, you're also an Elven King now! That's really amazing!" Even though another Elven King emerged, and theoretically, she should feel a sense of loss, Nancilia did not. Instead, she felt genuinely happy and relieved. This was due to Nancilia's personality. She did not attach much importance to the title of Elven King. Furthermore, she deeply believed that she was not leadership material. Being the city lord was entirely due to the pressure imposed on her by her people, which had weighed heavily on her from a young age. Now, with a second Elven King, she felt significantly less burdened.
Although Nancilia did not show any external changes, Zhang Nu could sense something deeper.
[Elven King Nancilia] Level 5 monarch unit. 5000 HP, 8800 MP, 65 Strength, 245 Agility, 175 Constitution, 1024 Will, Loyalty 99%...
Skills: Elven Empress Bloodline (Talent), Divine Tree Domain (Talent), Omni-Magic (Talent), Elven King's Aura (Talent), Elven King's Elemental Covenant (Talent)
Description: This is an Elven King with the potential to become an Elven Empress, possessing incomparably strong power and innate hereditary abilities. Her bloodline potential has not been fully unleashed.
At first glance, the changes might not seem significant, but upon closer inspection, one would notice that Nancilia's HP and MP maximum values had increased by at least 60%. This was a massive breakthrough. The primary reason for this drastic change was the alteration in her innate talent. "Elven King Bloodline" had transformed into "Elven Empress Bloodline." This surprised and astonished Zhang Nu. Did this mean that this little Elven King might potentially become a mythic-class elf in the future? How could this be possible?
Was the effect of the Eternal Sacred Fruit so powerful? Zhang Nu speculated that the main reason was still Nancilia's extraordinary innate potential. When Nancilia broke through to become an Elven King, Zhang Nu sensed that her bloodline power and potential had not been fully developed. This indicated that even with natural development and without encountering any extraordinary opportunities, she still had a chance to break through the limitations of being an Elven King in one or two hundred years.
Now, after consuming the Sacred Fruit, her talent had further enhanced. This might enable her to advance to that level several hundred years ahead of schedule. Currently, Nancilia was unaware of her potential to become an empress. However, as time passed and her strength increased, she would awaken more and more mythic-class elven talents. At that point, the elven race would realize that Nancilia was not merely a natural Elven King.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty's great kindness!"
"The elven clan is forever indebted!"
The elders were overwhelmed with gratitude and did not know how to express it. The Demon King, however, remained calm and said, "To achieve a complete revival for the elves, one Elven King is not enough, and even two may not be sufficient. There might be a third or fourth one in the future."
Upon hearing this, the elves were both shocked and deeply fascinated. The Three Dragon Kings of the Darkness City had successfully made their debut and were now the most dazzling figures in the Chaos Federation. If the Giantree City could have three or even four Elven Kings, wouldn't that be a grand spectacle? The Giantree City's Three Titans or the Elven King F4—how magnificent!
This move would not only enhance the elves' reputation and contribute to their revival but also significantly elevate the Demon King's status and influence in their hearts. The elves could clearly see the immense benefits of following the Demon King. While they did not expect to surpass the dragon-kind, they were determined to become the Demon King's most important allies outside his own race."