Chapter 685: Tree Root

Chapter 685: Tree Root

“This place really is fucking massive.”

“Rael… Please maintain a modest tone. Do not cuss,” Anna said suddenly.

He tilted his head in confusion.

Gaia, did you hand her an elementary school notebook or something?

[I merely told her how people act, and what makes their act less appealing to others,] Gaia replied.

Oh… So you find my cursing unattractive, then?

It was supposed to be a joke question.

He kind of expected a joke answer too.

But instead…

[Yes.]

Ouch.

Regardless of the heartbreak Rael had gone through in that split second, Anna and he continued toward that massive tree root.

It had been a few hours since they had entered.

The Ancient Primordials he had seen heading for him weren’t here yet.

Rael deduced that time flowed slightly differently here, and that’s why they weren’t here yet.

But he also considered the fact that a wormhole might take them to another location other than his own.

Nonetheless, the two of them continued on ahead, and all the while, Rael got a little bit curious.

“Anna, how are your memories now?”

She turned toward him.

“Memories? What kind of memories?”

Rael rolled his eyes.

“Any kind. I know your memories haven’t been erased, but I’m curious if you got any crucial memories regarding Solenne. Her weaknesses, maybe?”

Of course, his words weren’t very well received.

“Had I known any of her weaknesses, don’t you think I would’ve told you by now?”

It looked like Gaia taught her a little bit of snarkiness too.

Regardless of that…

“So what’s your goal now, then?” Rael asked straight up. “You’re not under her control, and from what I understand, since you’re not my primary shadow anymore, you’re basically free. Do you want to return to Solenne, or…?”

“I simply want to experience this life a little more,” Anna replied blankly. “According to Gaia, there is a lot to live for and experience other than fighting and murder. Perhaps I want to try something a little more mundane?”

She tilted her head.

“I’ve heard raising a child is awfully relaxing. Perhaps I might try to raise one myself.”

Hmm…

While Rael didn’t want to be that guy, could shadows even procreate?

After all, while she did look real enough… Rael had his doubts.

However, if Gaia planted those ideas inside her head, then that must mean it was somehow possible.

So Rael didn’t comment on that further, as crushing the hopes and dreams of someone so old yet so naive was definitely not on his bucket list.

Though, he was glad she wasn’t a lifeless husk like before.

This made her a lot more approachable.

“Say, Anna. Why don’t you raise my kid instead?”

“How about you raise your own kid instead?” Anna scoffed. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you interacting with him for longer than a few minutes. I believe Gaia would call this bad parenting.”

“…”

Maybe I should just shut up.

With those thoughts in mind, Rael decided to stop his own remarks and focus on the path ahead.

It only took them a couple more hours to reach the base of the tree root, and the moment they did, only then did they realize it was far larger than it had seemed from the distance.

Furthermore, inside the root, there were dozens of caves and tunnels carved.

Some led up the root, while others led to dead ends.

Rael didn’t really get what it was for when, out of nowhere, he spotted someone moving inside.

Wary, Rael put his guard up, only to lower it when he realized it was just some normal pair of human children playing around.

Confused, he glanced over to Anna.

Although she was more expressive now… she didn’t really react that much to surprising things.

So her look was as blank as ever.

Still…

There’s a whole civilization here?

Rael asked.

[Indeed. In your worldly standards, this place here would be considered the slums. This is where all the people who don’t want to be beside Yggdrasil live,] Gaia replied warmly.

[Though, that’s not to say these people live terribly. They have their own farms, houses, and enough people to procreate and continue living for however long they want. That’s the beauty of this place, and that’s also why I chose to reside in the heart of Yggdrasil.]

Huh.

A place where, no matter what circumstances you have, you can live happily.

It seemed like a fairyland at first.

But then again… he was in front of a tree root that was several times the size of hundreds of skyscrapers stacked on top of each other.

And yet, he couldn’t even see this Yggdrasil she was talking about.

It really was mystical.

“Gaia mentioned that we have to follow the tree root to reach Yggdrasil,” Anna said.

Rael nodded.

It was a bit obvious.

“Shall we step inside first?” he offered.

Anna hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

“Very well.”

With that, the two of them entered the tree root.

Despite their random appearance, none of the people that were here even reacted to their presence.

Some did, but they only waved at Rael and Anna before returning to their duties.

In the end, this place seemed to be so peaceful that they didn’t even entertain the thought of someone evil coming after them.

One could say they were brainwashed.

Or maybe overly optimistic.

Nonetheless, Rael glanced around the perfectly carved ecosystem.

Stairs, houses, stalls made for merchants, and even playgrounds for children.

It really was beautiful.

Rael kind of wished he could take Zafira and Lilith to this place.

But… living beside the Divine Realm could pose quite a lot of risks.

So he went against that for the moment.

Though, he was hopeful that in the future, the possibility to buy this place would present itself.

Because so far… no matter how thoroughly he looked through the Premium Shop, it was nowhere to be seen.

Turning to one of the merchant stalls, a faint smile appeared on Rael’s face.

“We’re in a hurry, but we shouldn’t keep ourselves starving. Let’s get some food, Anna.”

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