Game Transmigration: Saving the World Again 1000 Years Later - Chapter 270

270 Shadow of Conspiracy

The 880th year of the Platinum Calendar, two years after William left, was a turning point in Ravenwood.

The Father of the Wilderness, known for his hunting prowess, was felled by a giant deer during a hunt. On the same day, the Holy Tree Matriarch’s Listener died from poisoning after ingesting Rotten Root Tree Liquid during a divination.

The top hunter among the Forest Elves was killed by his own prey, and the high priest, a master of witchcraft, was dead from a poison she concocted herself. These events happening on the same day was a clear indication of foul play.

But the most pressing matter for the Forest Elves was who would take their place instead of tracking down the possible mastermind.

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In order for the Father of the Wilderness to perform the divine matrimony, a bride had to be selected through the prophecy of the Matriarch Listener. But before being recognized, every Matriarch Listener had to pass the Father of the Wild’s test.

This was essentially a question of which came first: the chicken or the egg—if both the Father of the Wild and Matriarch Listener needed each other to keep the legacy alive, how did they come to be in the first place?

The answer was simple. They were a manifestation of the original agreement between the Forest Elf ancestors and the World Tree. They were the embodiment of that contract.

This was not a rite to be performed every time a new ruler took the throne. It was merely symbolic, representing the agreement made between the Forest Elf ancestors and the World Tree’s will.

And without them, the Forest Elves’ way of life would crumble and the blessings they enjoyed would be ineffective.

The death of both leaders on the same day was unprecedented, and Ravenwood was left leaderless.

The tension on the continent was at an all-time high, and the representatives of the various tribes were feeling the pressure. In a bold move, they proposed a solution: they wanted to sign a new contract with the World Tree.

They wanted to choose a primordial Matriarch Listener and Father of the Wilderness as witnesses to the new contract, just like their ancestors. The aim was to modify some outdated contract terms that no longer aligned with the times.

This was necessary because ever since William Kane left, the Doomsday Watchers were struggling to maintain peace on the continent, with various kingdoms expanding their military and the Holy Spirits Church seeking to restore its political status. Meanwhile, Ravenwood was unable to form a normal army due to its tradition of not producing rot.

With the Moon Realm threat eliminated, many ancient contracts should have been modified or abolished long ago. The deaths of both leaders provided an excellent opportunity for the Reformists.

The Reformists found Frost Lich Nehe, the third Judge with a deep connection to Ravenwood, hoping that he could ensure that the proposal was set in stone.

Despite rumors circulating in the outside world, Nehe was invited to Holy Tree City by the Forest Elf’s Reformists as a consultant. They promised that if they signed a new contract, Nehe could obtain a reward that would allow his soul and body to rest in the Matriarch’s arms, even though he couldn’t regain his status as a druid.

The leaders of Holy Tree City were in a state of intense deliberation. They weighed their options, they plotted, and they parried back and forth with their opponents. But in the end, their fear won out. The Blackwater Kingdom had awakened the Rotten Moon Tide of the Undead, and the entire Vic Continent was on edge. Every kingdom was scrambling to bolster their armies, and the threat of all-out war loomed on the horizon. If Holy Tree City didn’t renew its contract with the World Tree, Ravenwood would be at the mercy of the others. The stakes were too high to ignore.

Nehe single-handedly bridged the massive power divide between the Conservative and Reformist factions.

With even the most stubborn members relenting, all that was left was to sign a new treaty.

But things took a dark turn. When the top forest druids visited the secret chamber housing the World Tree’s core, they found that the acorn had vanished, along with the guard assigned to protect it. There were no signs of a fight at the scene… Needless to say, the druid in charge of guarding the acorn had stolen it.

The thief’s motivations were unknown, but Ebony speculated that a conservative faction was behind it, hoping to prevent the new treaty from being signed.

The theft had disastrous consequences. Without the acorn, the World Tree would die and the Ravenwood Forest, along with all its inhabitants, would wither.

But with the help of one of the top five magic chanters on the continent, they retrieved the acorn before things went south. Nehe redesigned the protective barrier, using Inverse Entropy to ensure its safety. He left only one key to the barrier, to be given to someone trustworthy.

The Conservative’s reputation plummeted, and the Reformists redrafted the treaty with little resistance. The Forest Elves could finally shed their burdens and progress towards a more modern nation.

Once the treaty was signed, Nehe could finally have his eternal rest in his hometown of Ravenwood as he dreamed of.

“Wait, what do you mean by eternal rest?”

On their way out of the underground roots, William couldn’t help asking for clarification.

William couldn’t shake off his unease from this statement.