338 Mother Goddess’s Rebirth
The air gradually turned turbid as they proceeded down the winding maze-like underground root system. The mixed smell of damp mold and soil filled the passage, causing people walking inside to have the urge to hold their breaths.
However, Nizemar wasn’t in the mood to pay attention to the smell in the air. She stared at Remides, who had just revealed the shocking secret, and asked carefully, “You weren’t joking, right?”
Perhaps feeling that there was no need for her to answer such a stupid question, the person in control of Ava State didn’t reply. Instead, she continued down the passageway formed by the roots of the World Tree.
After walking a few hundred meters in silence, Nizemar couldn’t help but ask again, “Since you’re not joking, why didn’t you tell the Presiding Judge about this previously?”
Especially in this crisis.
“After the Presiding Judge disappeared, I studied the soul box that Nehe found with Sibylla and came to a conclusion. Do you think I should tell William about this? Tell him that Nehe knew that he threw the soul box into the underground river?”
Without turning her head, Remides’s ghostly voice echoed in the narrow passageway.
Nizemar naturally couldn’t and didn’t dare to refute such an answer. However, she felt that she ought to say something. After a moment of silence, she asked curiously,
“Therefore… why did the Presiding Judge throw the soul box into the underground river back then?”
After asking this, she seemed to find it inappropriate and added, “Of course, I completely believe that the Presiding Judge must have made this decision… for Mr. Nehe’s long-term happiness.”
Remides didn’t reply. The three of them walked in awkward silence to the door of the underground hall they had previously come to. Only then did she say,
“It’s probably because of his self-righteous worry… the worry that Nehe would choose to end his life after he leaves.”
Her voice revealed a hint of sadness before she continued, “Looking back at it now, if only he hadn’t done so back then and let Nehe destroy that box.”
…
“What are you talking about?”
Floral, who was standing high above and looking down at the empire’s ambassador, found it difficult to breathe.
What the empire ambassador had said made her hair stand on end.
“My soul is the same as Mr. Nehe’s soul. They’re both Camilla’s… children?”
How is this possible?!
Opposite her, the empire ambassador, who was originally in an absolute disadvantage, straightened its back as if it had gained the initiative.
Taking advantage of Floral’s shock, it stepped on the invisible spider silk and moved to a spot that was more convenient for it to escape. Then, it revealed the mysterious smile unique to the Whispering Empress’s Lunar Monsters and said, “That’s right. According to historical records, Camilla, who was still a mortal back then, devoured a total of three children to complete the ritual—two men and a woman. Since you were sealed in the same box, you might be Nehe’s elder sister.”
However, it was obvious that Floral wasn’t interested in determining the seniority of both parties. Her voice trembled as she said, “So, the real ‘me’ is the same as the real Nehe; we were already dead?”
She completed the lich conversion ritual when she was 22 years old. In other words, the person named Floral Kane had actually died during the conversion ritual at the age of 22. And what was driving this body now was only the soul of the Void Sovereign’s child from over 5,000 years ago.
As the Webweaver secretly weaved threads in preparation, it replied with feigned casualness,
“Here’s the thing. Back when your adoptive parents helped you complete the lich conversion ritual with the soul box, the real Floral was already dead. As for you, you’re still alive. You’re just a shell controlled by a soul from the past like a puppet.
“However, you don’t have to pay too much attention to it. It’s just like the other puppets in this timeline. They haven’t even been themselves for one day. In comparison, you at least left some memories of your 22 years of life before you completed the conversion, right? Ah, from the looks of it, those memories don’t seem to belong to you.”
It tried its best to attack the weaknesses in the other party’s mental defenses to close the gap in strength and fight for a chance to escape—this was the escape plan the Webweaver had chosen.
For this reason, this blow was far from sufficient. It still needed to use the information it knew to further destroy the other party’s mental defenses.
Therefore, it struck while the iron was hot and continued,”By the way, your adoptive parents taught you the magic power circuit you built to communicate with the Astral World, but it’s only fake comfort. To you, the inexhaustible mana doesn’t come from the Astral World, but from the souls imprisoned by your descendants for thousands of years in the form of trees that serve as coffins.”
“My… descendants?”
Floral pointed at herself in confusion.
“The faith of the Dark Mother in the Ravenwood area—to obtain powerful strength by devouring one’s children. Genetically speaking, as one of the descendants of the original Mother Camilla, you used to be the oldest mother of the Forest Elves in Currere. Therefore, every time you cast a spell, you were actually devouring the souls of your children and converting them into mana. You just didn’t sense it…”
“The fuel originally used to reverse the two timelines should have been ignited by you as the spark… if not for the dreadful Moon Realm Calamity’s appearance. Isn’t it a pity? That way, at the very least, you would have had a less miserable ending. By the way, do you want to know why your mana flow has been severed? It’s naturally because of the image of the ancient Mother Goddess—your mother has been awakened and She is retracting Her power.
“Under the authority of the Dark Mother, the concept of a mother has absolute control over her descendants. Therefore, no matter how powerful you are, you’re just food in front of your mother.”
With that said, the Webweaver couldn’t help but laugh.
“My mother, Lady of Starvation Camilla… Is that so?” Floral asked solemnly.
The Webweaver replied with a polite smile, “Yes and no. Or rather, not yet, but it will be in the future… The one awakening is a faith god named the Holy Tree Matriarch, but it won’t be long before She is born again as the Lady of Starvation, Camilla.”
…
“But… isn’t it a good thing that the Holy Tree Matriarch is awakening?”
On the way to the World Tree, Ebony, a pious believer of the Matriarch, couldn’t help but ask after hearing that the Holy Tree Matriarch was about to awaken.
“Of course not. When She wakes up, the countdown to Ravenwood’s destruction will officially begin,” William replied.
“But why…” Ebony asked in confusion.
“As far as I know, if the Void Sovereigns want Their main bodies to step into Currere without opening a Moon Realm rift, there’s one last crazy way—hold another advancement ritual in Currere and make themselves born into Currere a second time. For this reason, Camilla is probably planning on committing ceremonial suicide in the Lake of Entropy,” William replied with an unrelated answer.
This was also why Zamara had to remind him to leave quickly even if it meant breaking Her contract. The Lady of Starvation had probably gone completely crazy under Beatrice’s bewitchment and anger.
“What does the Lady of Starvation have to do with the awakening of the Holy Tree Matriarch…”
Before Ebony could finish speaking, William, who was commanding Quayle to lead the way, interrupted him and said, “In this timeline, the Holy Tree Matriarch is a portion of the Holy Spirit’s divinity that was stripped from Camilla. Perhaps it’s mixed with some human residue, but I don’t think there’s much. Camilla originally planned on using Her as a tool to manage this timeline, but from the looks of it, it seems to be an opportunity for Her to flip the table.”
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