After listening to Galvin's narration of the truth, the soulfire in Arthur's eye sockets violently flickered.
It was as if his subconscious had flipped a switch at this moment. Amidst the sharp stabs of pain in his soul, the haze obscuring his memories scattered like startled crows, fluttering and dispersing in his mind, revealing images—
A rainy night, an overturned carriage, silent knights closing in wordlessly, and when they roughly tore open the carriage's waterproof tarp to find it completely empty, the shock and fury that flashed beneath those masks…
The chaotic thoughts gradually converged, becoming clear.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Galvin. "I remember now. They did kill me, but I did not give them the holy relic."
Galvin frowned. "You didn't? Then where did it go?"
"Belle Brooks..."
Arthur slowly uttered the name. "That little girl from Ironboot Town. Do you remember? The one who always liked pestering us, saying she wanted to become a knight in the future... I secretly gave the holy relic to her for safekeeping."
"If everything went smoothly, she should have long since returned with her parents to their hometown in Allen Bridge Fort."
Galvin's frown deepened, his face etched with disbelief.
"Arthur, are you insane?"
"Giving something that important to a little girl under ten years old? How many years has it been now? Over a decade! She might have been found by the Border Corps ages ago, both her and the item gone for good."
Arthur fell silent for a moment. Seeing his Majesty's puzzled gaze, he proactively explained:
"That holy relic is called the 'Crown of Ignis.' Legend says it was forged by the sun deity Ignis from the last embers collected from a fallen sun's core, mixed with solar divine power and Oath Gold, within the Eternal Forge. But its actual origins are now impossible to verify."
"People only know it is a symbol of supreme authority, a gift from the sun deity Ignis to a king, capable of bestowing upon the wearer legitimacy and authority to rule. It was later reclaimed by the Church of the Sun and treasured in the main cathedral until it was stolen by the Border Knights."
He paused, his tone growing even more solemn. "It is said that in that ancient era, if a lord wished to become a widely recognized king, they had to undergo the ancient 'Trial of Kingship.'"
"And obtaining a 'crown' with legendary origins and formidable power was a highly significant part of that trial."
"The 'Crown of Ignis' is precisely such a powerful holy relic imbued with 'legitimacy,' particularly compatible with flame powers."
"And 'Lord of the Infernal Forge' Casaric, that greedy great demon, its desire to obtain this crown is likely because it wants to undergo the Trial of Kingship, to steal the legitimacy of kingship, thereby establishing a 'legitimate' demon kingdom in the Prime Material Plane."
"Trial of Kingship? A crown?" Chen Yu became interested.
Arthur nodded, his skeletal body straightening, soulfire burning steadily.
"In my view, a true crown rightfully belongs in the hands of a truly respected king, one capable of leading a kingdom to prosperity, not falling into the hands of a demon to become a tool of desecration and destruction."
He dropped to one knee, his armor clinking crisply against the stone floor, and requested with a voice full of determination:
"Your Majesty, please grant me permission to temporarily leave the territory and return to the White Horse Kingdom to retrieve the 'Crown of Ignis' and crown you."
"A knight willing to obtain the trial's token for you and witness your coronation is itself part of the tradition of the Trial of Kingship."
Galvin snorted coldly, muttering under his breath. "Hmph... After over a decade apart, your skills at flattery and pledging loyalty have certainly grown."
Chen Yu ignored his remark.
While Arthur usually seemed a bit dull, when it came to crucial moments, he acted more seriously than anyone.
He probably genuinely wanted to go retrieve that crown.
Chen Yu didn't immediately agree, nor did he refuse. He just felt this matter needed careful consideration.
"Let's wait until Count Bran returns. It might have more prudent suggestions."
Arthur continued, "Your Majesty, the Count has been away from the territory for several days already. We don't know when it will return. The crown is important. Delaying like this..."
Before he could finish, a familiar voice sounded from the tree hall entrance.
"Gah! Who's that speaking ill of this Count behind my back?"
"Is it you, Arthur? You good-for-nothing bag of bones! This Count just went out to enjoy myself... ahem, I mean, to search for treasures for our great Majesty for a few days, and you're already talking trash about me behind my back!"
They saw Count Bran, carrying a small pack on its back, fluttering its wings as it flew in. Its feathers were slightly disheveled, but it looked full of energy.
Seeing it, Arthur's mind instantly settled, his soulfire stabilizing a bit.
He was hesitating about how to explain the situation when Count Bran gracefully landed beside Chen Yu, mysteriously covering its beak with a wing, lowering its voice excitedly:
"Your Majesty, good news! Tremendously good news!"
"Lady of Contrariety truly continues to favor her most loyal servant. This Count has picked up an extraordinary treasure outside this time."
Chen Yu's gel body swayed slightly, somewhat suspicious.
Treasure?
He had a feeling Count Bran was talking about those shiny rocks again.
Those rocks were indeed quite pretty, but honestly, not very useful.
Count Bran saw through his thoughts and jumped up as if someone had stepped on its tail feathers.
"Your Majesty, how could you view your most loyal, most tasteful, most erudite Treasurer in such a way?! Is this Count such a vulgar bird?!"
"So... what is it, exactly?" Chen Yu's curiosity was piqued.
"Heheh, this thing is amazing, of extraordinary origins."
Count Bran proudly lifted its head. However, it didn't immediately take the item out, instead continuously scanning the unfamiliar Galvin nearby.
Only after Arthur understood and led Galvin away did it nod in satisfaction. It rummaged through the small pack on its back with its beak and soon carefully pulled out an object.
A seed with strange wooden grain patterns on its surface.
Chen Yu was stunned.
"A third seed?"
Noticing Chen Yu's reaction, a flicker of confusion passed through Count Bran's small eyes. "Huh? Your Majesty, that expression... do you recognize this thing?"
Chen Yu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he shifted his gel, slightly moving aside the Magic Leaves inside his body used to conceal the anomaly, revealing the emerald-green seedling suspended in the center of his gel body, emitting a hazy glow of life.
"Gah---!!!"
Count Bran was first stunned, then nearly jumped out of its skin in fright, its feathers completely puffed up.
It flapped its wings in panic, rushing right up to Chen Yu, desperately using its wings to block the leaking seedling's anomaly while looking around furtively like a thief, lowering its screech.
"Put it away, put it away quickly!"
"Your Majesty, my ancestor, are you trying to scare this Count to death so you can inherit my pretty pebbles and unpaid gambling debts?"
"If those old things saw this, forget that you're a Slime, even if you were a dragon, those maniacs would slice you into dragon meat and toss you into an alchemy cauldron to boil into glue."
"Even this Count would be implicated. My feathers would be plucked one by one to make divination tools."
Hearing this, Chen Yu used the Magic Leaves again to tightly conceal the seedling.
Only after that strange life glow completely disappeared did Count Bran seem to deflate, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Scared this Count half to death... Your Majesty, you are far too careless."
Chen Yu asked curiously, "What exactly is this? Why are you and Viola both so nervous about it?"
Count Bran nervously pulled Chen Yu, hopping to the most remote corner of the tree hall. After confirming once more that no one else was around, it spoke in an extremely serious tone:
"As Your Majesty guessed, the seeds you swallowed, and this one this Count found, they all originate from the same... alchemical item that should not exist in this world."
"Although this Count doesn't know how you managed to... ahem, acquire and activate their power through eating, you'd better keep this secret."
Its voice carried awe and lingering fear.
"If those legendary mages, secretive cults, or even... divine apostles detect the slightest sign, they will absolutely spare no cost to find you, transforming you and all your subjects into materials for refining that item."
Chen Yu realized the seriousness and grew even more curious about this alchemical item.
"So, what is it?"
Count Bran took a deep breath.
"This thing has many ancient alternative names, like the Hixiulong Twig Magic Bottle, the Embryo of Creation, the Seed of Primordial Origin... But in the most widely circulated records, it is called—the World Tree in a Bottle."
"World Tree in a Bottle?"
Chen Yu felt a twinge of surprise. "A tree as big as a world... grown inside a bottle?"
"Gah! Correct! That bottle is a world. Although a bit small, it's undoubtedly a bottled world."
"This Count has also heard that because the alchemist who created it performed such an unbelievable miracle, all records about him were artificially destroyed by certain mysterious entities. Only a very few still know the secrets of the Hixiulong Tree and himself."
"There are even rumors that he wasn't originally a human from Zeyarila, and his form differed from normal people."
"Fortunately, this Count is knowledgeable and discovered some clues from some ancient scrolls from ages past."
As it spoke, it proudly puffed out its chest. "Those ancient texts all seem to emphasize that the alchemist's greatest characteristic was apparently having a 'sphere forged purely from gold' within his body."
"It burns eternally, flawless and perfect, the core of all that alchemist's power and knowledge."
"A sphere forged from gold... eternally burning... flawless and perfect..."
Chen Yu was momentarily stunned.
This description...
Uh, why does it sound so much like the external manifestation of the Earth Immortal's Golden Core that cultivators in Xu Xuan Heaven dream of?
He even whimsically wondered if perhaps a cultivation senior had once come to Zeyarila and left behind his own legend.
Hiss...
Wasn't he himself a classic example?
Maybe the connection between Xu Xuan Heaven and Zeyarila, these two seemingly completely different worlds, wasn't as isolated and accidental as he initially thought.
Thinking about it this way, what seemed like a far-fetched idea might actually have some truth to it.
Count Bran continued cautiously.
"The World Tree in a Bottle, this thing is essentially a false tree growing inside an alchemical bottle."
"False to us, but inside that bottle, all the authorities of the World Tree can be realized."
"To put it another way, it's a world-creating deity trapped inside a bottle."
"..."
So he accidentally ate a world-creating deity...
Uh, Chen Yu suddenly felt that eating random things might be a bad habit.
Count Bran continued, lowering its voice further. "Precisely because its power is so terrifying, even touching upon the authority of 'creation,' it attracted unimaginable disaster."
"It's said the gods were shaken. In a fierce struggle, the magic bottle was ultimately shattered."
"After that Hixiulong Tree touched reality, it dissipated like a bubble or phantom. Only some fragments containing rules remained, transforming into seeds."
As it spoke, it subconsciously glanced at Chen Yu's stomach again and gulped. "You absolutely must not let anyone see this."
"Especially those ancient, tradition-bound spellcaster organizations that love pursuing knowledge of origins. If they knew a seedling of Hixiulong was gestating inside your body... this Count doesn't know what insane things they might do."
Chen Yu's gel body contracted slightly as he solemnly stated, "I understand."
Only then did Count Bran relax a little. Immediately, an indescribable excitement and anticipation replaced the fear. It hopped around Chen Yu, letting out soft caws.
"Astounding, truly astounding, Your Majesty. If you obtain this power through Devouring..."
It suddenly stopped, its gaze burning as it stared at Chen Yu, then looked at the pitch-black seed it had brought, filled with anticipation.
"Your Majesty, don't you want to know what changes eating it might bring?"
Chen Yu also wanted to know what talent gathering the last seed could nurture. Since he'd already eaten them and couldn't take it back, he might as well eat more.
At most, it would just make him more coveted by those entities.
Thinking this, he seemed to become more optimistic again and swallowed the seed Count Bran had brought into his gel stomach.
After a period of digestive churning, a surge of vibrant, life-filled energy suddenly spread out, merging into that seedling. The seedling sprouted green shoots, grew a bit taller, faintly reaching the size of a small tree.
[Devour Digestion Lv.7 triggered—Complete record of ??? partial characteristics obtained. Talent acquired: Hixiulong Part One Lv.1]
Count Bran observed nervously. "How is it? Any special sensations? Comprehension of laws? Surging powerful energy?"
"None."
Chen Yu reported truthfully. "It just feels a bit more vibrant."
"Gah?"
Count Bran was dumbfounded, tilting its head, seemingly not expecting such an unremarkable result.
"That's... that's it? Just a bit more vitality? Nothing else? Like hearing plants talk or something?"
"None at all." Chen Yu confirmed.
Count Bran seemed like it had been splashed with a small basin of cold water, its excitement fading considerably. It scratched its head with a wing.
"Uh... alright then. It seems the power contained in this seed isn't as abundant as I imagined. Perhaps more seeds are needed to see an effect."
It wasn't a good place to test the talent directly. Chen Yu temporarily set aside the matter of the Hixiulong Tree and his earlier speculation about the alchemist's identity. He said to Count Bran, "Arthur plans to return to the White Horse Kingdom to search for a very important crown. That crown seems related to some kind 'Trial of Kingship.'"
"A crown? Trial of Kingship?"
Count Bran's attention was immediately captured. It tilted its head, thinking.
"Oh, that trial necessary for founding a kingdom, right? Requires symbols, territory, all that troublesome stuff... However, if it's something useful for Your Majesty, then it's indeed worth acquiring."
It flapped its wings, flying up, looking eager. "Does that blockhead Arthur know the way? Does he need this Count, a widely-traveled ambassador, to accompany him? Guaranteed to help you retrieve the crown smoothly."
Chen Yu thought about it. With the strangely lucky Count Bran along, Arthur's crown-seeking journey might indeed go more smoothly.
However, as he worried, for a Death Knight to cross the border and infiltrate the heart of a human kingdom was undoubtedly fraught with difficulty and extremely prone to exposing his identity.
Arthur would need some additional help, like new talents for better disguise or crisis response.
"Alright, you can go together. But you'll depart in a few days. I need some preparation time."
"Gah gah!! This Count will go tell that blockhead first!"
After hearing this, Count Bran was about to excitedly fly out to tell Arthur the good news and properly show off its own importance.
But it suddenly seemed to remember something, slammed on the brakes mid-air, then flew back to Chen Yu's side furtively again, lowering its voice to ask, "Your Majesty, those pointy-eared elves... they've all left, right?"
"They've all left." Chen Yu confirmed.
"And I felt that Lady Viola was quite amiable. Maybe she never even held onto that old grudge of yours."
"Amiable? Your Majesty, you mustn't be fooled by the appearance of those long-lived races!"
Count Bran ruffled its feathers, its voice dropping even lower. "Haven't you heard? The older they are, the pettier they get. Dryads are the champions among them."
"Don't think just this little time has passed. Even if another hundred years go by, this Count thinks we can't let our guard down."
"Who knows if she's all smiles on the surface but has already noted everything down in a little book, just waiting for the day to catch this Count and turn me into a crow specimen to hang in her tree house."
The more it talked, the more plausible it seemed. It nervously preened the feathers on its chest.
"Perfect timing to return to the White Horse Kingdom. Consider it temporarily avoiding her, going on vacation. Gah gah, too perfect!"
It consoled itself, soon becoming pleased again, fluttering its wings as it flew away.
The tree hall grew quiet for a while.
Chen Yu stayed quietly in the corner, digesting the massive amount of information he had just learned—the World Tree in a Bottle, the alchemist who might be a cultivation senior.
After a while, he slowly moved aside the few Magic Leaves inside his body used for concealment.
In the center of his round gel body, that emerald-green seedling floated quietly, tender leaves unfurled, emitting a soft, life-filled glow.
"A seedling of the World Tree in a Bottle..." Chen Yu's gaze focused on this little thing.
"Bran and Viola were both so nervous, saying it contains some kind of rules... But besides providing a bit of vitality, there didn't seem to be any special changes after swallowing the seed last time either."
To be honest, he was still somewhat skeptical about whether this thing was truly as powerful as they claimed.
After all, this tree seedling had been quite well-behaved inside his stomach and didn't seem to exhibit any special effects.
Could it really just be a pretty potted plant?
He had to test it.