Game Transmigration: Saving the World Again 1000 Years Later

245 Wild Hunt and Minding

William parted ways with Nizemar and set off on a journey to the heart of Holy Tree City—the massive World Tree that seemed to touch the heavens.

As he approached the tree, William couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. The thick branches intertwined above him, and occasionally, dead leaves would fall like a blanket, causing those beneath the tree to scurry out of the way.

The tree’s roots were a sight to behold as well, stretching out in a huge network that reached every corner of the city. The subtrees that made up the city’s buildings were all connected to their mother, the World Tree, through this root network.

Not only was the World Tree massive, but it was also incredibly complex.

!!

It was said that all kinds of plants from the Vic continent could be found on the World Tree, making it a complete ecosystem—or, as William thought of it, a living gene bank (if such a thing existed in this world).

William strode forward, encountering no obstacles as he made his way to the base of the World Tree. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of surprise at this.

In the past, this had been an area that was off-limits to outsiders.

A thousand years ago, no human would have dared to set foot in the heart of Holy Tree City. But now, it seemed that the rules had changed. Humans could come and go as they pleased.

“Maybe it’s because of the Unification War,” William muttered to himself as he continued on his journey.

As the historical records tell it, during the Unification War, Ravenwood’s Holy Tree City stood tall and proud, protected by the blessing of the World Tree’s Matriarch as it repelled the empire’s seven attacks. But it all came to an end when Great Sage Yeats, armed with his first Platinum Ring, unleashed a spell of destruction called ‘Fire of Calamity’ after a grueling ten days and nights of chanting. He gave an ultimatum—surrender or face the burning of the entire forest.

Faced with this dire threat, Holy Tree City’s ruler, the Father of the Wild, finally submitted. He appeased the Matriarch’s anger and pledged to accept the empire’s rule, all while ensuring the Forest Elf’s contract with the World Tree remained intact.

And thus, with Ravenwood as its core, the Forest Elf settlement in the southwest of Vic Continent was divided into the current Emerald Jade Province. In this new era, the title of ‘Father of the Wild’, once the object of the Matriarch’s holy marriage, was abolished and replaced by the Holy Tree Duke bestowed by the Platinum Throne.

This change in leadership brought about many new developments and abolishment of taboos. For example, someone like William could now walk freely under the shade of the World Tree without any trouble, whereas in the era of the game’s plot, he would have attracted at least half a dozen guards whenever he approached this area.

William approached a staircase made of intertwining vines and roots, ready to continue on his journey down the tree-lined road. But as he stepped forward, a guard clad in gleaming beast leather armor and wielding a white bone sword stepped in front of him.

William’s mind raced as he wondered if this was the end of his journey. He considered using an illusion spell to try and sneak past the guard, but before he could even begin to cast the spell, the guard spoke.

“Sir, if I may ask, are you here to take in the sights of the World Tree or to pay respects to the Holy Tree, Matriarch?”

“Sightseeing?” William repeated, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

Does the World Tree still provide sightseeing services? This was far different from his memories of the forbidden holy land where foreigners were captured, imprisoned, flogged, or even executed.

“Wrong entrance, buddy. South Four and South Seven are the closest for sightseeing. But you better hurry, the Heavenly Saint Beetle Express only runs once an hour and you’ve missed South Four. Maybe you’ll catch South Seven.”

Perhaps because he didn’t hear the questioning tone in William’s voice, the Forest Elf guard in front of him gave such an answer.

William’s shock was palpable.

What the hell was the Heavenly Saint Beetle Express?

He knew the Heavenly Saint Beetle was a sacred insect, raised by the forest druids in the past, only used to carry sacrificial items during a sacrifice.

Now it seemed it had been commercialized?

The old Forest Elf who blocked William’s path looked like he had seen it all. His light-brown skin was rough and wrinkled, like tree bark. He saw the shock on William’s face and spoke in a calm, patient tone.

“The path behind me leads straight to the Cenmu Gate of the Holy Tree Matriarch’s Temple. There are 7,800 steps to climb. Only those who make the journey without any outside help will be able to enter. If you’re just here to sightsee, I suggest taking the Beetle Express to the Holy Tree. Trust me, I’ve seen too many people get stuck halfway up the steps.”

Cenmu Gate was one of the seven doors of the Holy Tree Matriarch’s Temple. Due to the influence of the Holy Spirits Church, this door represented Mother Holy Spirit. In the game, passing through this door had the same effect as touching the statue of Mother Holy Spirit.

Despite the surprise, William quickly adapted to the situation. After all, 1,000 years had passed and this change was barely within his understanding.

With a deep breath, William adjusted his expression and spoke confidently.

“Actually, I plan to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Tree Matriarch Temple to pray for good health.”

William couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety as he spoke. He feared that the other party would try to convince him to purchase incense and candles.

The vivid thought of it made him cringe.

But as he spoke, the guard simply looked around, then leaned in and lowered his voice.

“If you’re here for the Matriarch’s blessing, I have to tell you, the rumors about receiving health blessings after completing the pilgrimage are just that—rumors. It’s no different than passing through the door of a cathedral in the empire. There’s no need to climb 7,800 steps for something like that,” he said, his tone sincere and honest.

This is an honest person… William thought to himself.

Ordinary cathedrals may offer blessings, but with certain harsh conditions, they could also augment those blessings with a holy halo. This tactic was widely used in the construction of faith, management of subordinates, and even in the techniques of pick-up artists. But if William was truly on a pilgrimage, he would have listened to the guard and taken the Heavenly Saint Beetle Express.

But William’s mission was not one of pilgrimage. He had come to the Holy Tree Matriarch’s temple with a different purpose—to borrow the power of the World Tree and rid himself of the remaining curse of the Lady of Starvation. He was determined to reach the top, no matter what.

The guard, seeing the determination in William’s gaze, sighed slightly and said nothing. He turned and walked to a small pavilion grown from mushrooms. He picked up an eagle feather quill and dipped it in ink.

“Then, I must register your identity first.”

Before William could reveal the alias he had carefully crafted, a pack of more than ten sickly-looking men appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the tree’s roots. They were covered in beast hide and wielding crude bone weapons.

With their sudden arrival, the once noisy surroundings fell deadly silent.

“Who the hell are they?” William whispered to the guard.

“They’re the Holy Tree Duke’s hounds, the Wild Hunt,”

the guard replied nervously, his voice trembling with fear.

“The Wild Hunt…?” William began to ask, but the guard quickly placed his index finger on his lips, hushing him

“When the Wild Hunt is around, don’t say a word. Don’t do anything to attract their attention. They have unlimited law enforcement rights and they’re all lunatics,” the guard whispered.

Before he could even utter a word, William’s human appearance had caught the attention of one of the Wild Hunts in the crowd of Forest Elves. It was clear that this Wild Hunt had either overheard William’s conversation with the guard, or his appearance was too striking to ignore.

The Wild Hunt approached William with an oppressive aura, his grin almost sinister

“Why, are you here, human?”

as he spoke in a staccato voice, as if he was under some heavy pressure. He couldn’t speak a normal flowing sentence.

“I’m making a pilgrimage to the temple,” William replied nonchalantly.

The Wild Hunt’s eyes narrowed as he sized up William’s calm expression, his teeth gritted as he spoke, “We, are searching for an anti-imperialist who is believed to have fled to this city. Would you be willing to come to Green Prison and assist with our investigation?”

“That’s more like it…” William muttered under his breath.

“What?”

...

“I said, this is more like it. How can Holy Tree City not pick on a person’s race?” William raised his voice slightly. He looked the Wild Hunt directly in the eye,

“And my answer to your question is no. I mind.”