Chapter 122: branch Of The World Tree

"Eh? Where is this place?" Andreas slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

Wooden walls surrounded him, and both Liara and Kaisen had collapsed to his left.

Suddenly, a sharp headache struck, and the scenes of what had happened replayed in his head.

"Wait—Daniel?" He looked to his right, and when he saw Daniel rubbing his head, he felt relieved.

He had been scared something had happened to Daniel. If it had, the guilt would have never left him.

"You okay?" Daniel glanced at Andreas and asked.

"I’m fine, are you okay?" Andreas nodded. Aside from the headache, he didn’t feel anything else wrong.

Daniel nodded too. He didn’t feel any pain or discomfort either. It seemed like the poison was only meant to knock them out.

He then looked around. It was clearly some kind of wooden prison—like the inside of a hollowed-out tree being used as a cell.

But there was no light. Beyond the wooden bars, it was dark. Either they were underground, or the structure was built like a dungeon.

Daniel frowned. He really hadn’t expected something like this. He stood up and inspected the wooden bars.

The moment he touched them, a current of electricity ran through his body, shaking his bones. He immediately pulled his hand back.

"Damn it," Daniel cursed. During that shock, he realized something—he couldn’t feel his mana at all.

He tried to circulate it through his body, but failed. He tried with his mana essence—it still didn’t work.

It was simple. Either the Dark Elves had somehow sealed his mana and mana essence completely, or it was a property of the prison itself.

’Can you hear me?’ Daniel tried to contact his Fallen.

As long as they were still around, there was nothing to worry about.

’We’re here, my Lord.’ Thankfully, the Fallen responded one after another.

Daniel let out a breath of relief, then turned his attention to the three Lionhearts. The other two had also woken up, and Andreas was checking on them.

"I didn’t ask earlier, but now’s the time to tell me—what exactly is this treasure you’re looking for?" Daniel took a step forward and looked at them seriously.

Andreas turned and looked at Daniel. He didn’t answer. A spark of hesitation flickered in his eyes. It was more important than he could explain.

Besides, they had promised the Elves they wouldn’t tell anyone.

"We can’t say anything," Liara suddenly said before Andreas could respond.

"I’m not asking. I said you have to tell me," Daniel’s tone turned colder.

"And if we don’t?" Liara frowned, got up, and stood in front of Daniel.

"Then you’ll need to worry more about what I’ll do to you than the Dark Elves," Daniel shrugged calmly. "You’d better give me a good reason—was it really worth dragging me into this mess?"

All three of them frowned and exchanged glances. The kid had a point. They had put him in danger without even telling him why.

"Sit down, Liara," Kaisen told her, and after a moment’s hesitation, she sat back down on the ground.

"We’ll tell you, but the consequences aren’t on us," Andreas finally sighed and decided to explain.

Daniel said nothing. He waited for the answer.

"We don’t know the full story either. But it seems this Dark Elf tribe stole a branch of the World Tree. The Elves asked us to retrieve it."

"A branch of the World Tree? Are you kidding me?" Daniel raised his eyebrows. He’d expected many things—but not that.

The World Tree was said to maintain the vitality of the world. Without it, even the Celestial Domain would collapse.

A branch of something that important, stolen by a few weak Dark Elves? Did that even make sense?

The Elves were known to start wars over a single fallen kin. And yet, a branch of the World Tree had been stolen, and they’d done nothing? Just to avoid a potential war?

It sounded absurd. Ridiculous. He couldn’t believe it. Were the Lionhearts lying?

Daniel looked into Andreas’ eyes—but saw no trace of deception. He was clearly telling the truth—or at least what he believed was the truth.

"We were just as confused when we heard it," Andreas continued, seeing the doubt in Daniel’s eyes. "But that’s what the Elves asked. We agreed without question."

"So you’re saying a branch of the World Tree is here now?" Daniel sighed. For now, he had no choice but to go along with that assumption.

Still, if it was real, he wasn’t sure if he should even let these idiots have it.

We’re talking about a branch of the World Tree! Its value was beyond words. No item or treasure could compare.

But on second thought, he dismissed the idea. If the Elves hadn’t taken it back themselves, there had to be deeper reasons. If he tried to keep it, one of the most powerful races in the world would come after him.

Not worth it.

"So... will you still help us?" Andreas wasn’t worried about Daniel getting greedy or foolish. If he did, he’d be the enemy of the entire Celestial Domain. He doubted Daniel was that dumb.

"No problem. But the price just went up."

"Deal." Andreas knew he had no choice and accepted.

"First, we need to figure out how to get out of here." Daniel turned back to the bars and looked outside. There was a long hallway, and the end couldn’t be seen.

’My Lord, I sense the aura of a rank B in this area,’ Zargort’s voice echoed in Daniel’s head.

’Rank B? Here?’ Daniel frowned.

’Yes. They should be nearby. But they’re weak—very weak. Seems like they’re near the end of their life,’ Zargort confirmed.

Daniel’s frown faded. As long as there was only one, it shouldn’t be a problem. Especially with Zargort and the other Fallen around.

Actually, this could be a good thing. If he could defeat it, he’d gain another rank B Fallen—and a Dark Elf one at that.

The only issue was how to get out. The only idea he had was to summon Zargort and have him break through the prison.

"Hm?" But suddenly, he sensed something and looked out through the bars again.

"Someone’s coming," Daniel said loudly to the Lionhearts.