Right after the heroes left, the whale and the others got to merchant Larimar. Bruno completely healed Nebai and confirmed that his son hadn’t suffered at all.
Luckily, Bruno had received those divine runes left by the God of the Forge. With that, it was simple to use Kaiyka’s soul techniques to make that hero believe the God of Alchemy was a deity watching everything inside Almin.
’Our plan to get to the Nine Star Tree Sect completely failed,’ Alm muttered coldly. ’Now we know there’s something shady between the queen and that tree. Maybe this will lead us to some discovery.’
Bruno nodded. The legends about that tree even existed in the universe they lived in. They attributed it unmatched size, power, and dominion. Plus, each leaf was considered an alchemical treasure, imbued with the essence of nine primordial elements. (Chapter 428)
Everything seemed so exaggerated that many believed it was just fantasy. But after they revived the tree back then, they felt its potential was immeasurable. However, even after it grew considerably in their city, the tree still gave off an impression of being incomplete.
It was similar to the chaos tree they created. Both didn’t have a spirit or consciousness. When analyzing their internal structure, it seemed impossible for them to ever develop a soul. In all forms of physical life, there’s a mental sea where the spirit settles, along with the three energies of life. But in both trees, none of that existed, making it clear they’d forever be empty shells.
’There’s a lot of information we don’t know. Maybe Heaven’s Will gave us this side quest to force us to uncover clues and seek the truth. Something really big must be hidden,’ Bruno commented seriously.
The whale turned to Zaimo and Nebai, and Bruno confirmed, "Go back to the dwarven galaxy. Zaimo, it’s time for you to recruit the talented young dwarves. Create an army and put them in the array." Then he turned to Nebai. "You need to rest…"
"Don’t worry, sir, I won’t be a burden. I’m fine, I’ll do my best to help you, just tell me what you need." Nebai replied quickly, bowing.
"Alright." The whale sighed lightly, "I urgently need all knowledge about… no, look for ancient tales and legends about the Nine Star Tree. I want anything, no matter how strange it is."
Nebai nodded but didn’t get up, looking hesitant. The whale stared at her while Bruno reflected, recalling the stories the God of the Forge had written for the dwarves.
"Looks like you discovered my true identity," the whale said gently, and Nebai trembled in response. "Well, sooner or later I’d reveal it. In fact, I’m not the reincarnation of the God of the Forge. But don’t blame me; he’s the one who set everything up for you to believe that, and I just followed the script."
"I understand, sir. The whole universe is against you, and the God of the Forge wanted your race to follow him; making it look like he reincarnated was indeed a simple and straightforward way," Nebai replied, clenching her fists.
The whale huffed. "He sacrificed himself in the past to build a path for his race. He also helped me a lot with his Dao and at other times. Unfortunately, he’ll never reincarnate, but I’ll do everything to take care of you."
Suddenly, Nebai lifted her gaze. Her eyes met the whale’s, and there was immense confusion and strangeness in her expression.
Alm and Bruno looked puzzled. "Is something wrong?"
"The God of the Forge... he’ll never return?" Nebai murmured.
"In the soul crystal I got at the convention, he left his will. He assured me of that," the whale replied calmly.
"But... that seems wrong." Nebai looked stunned and thoughtful. "The God of the Forge left many things before he left, and there’s also the sacred bell."
Alm and Bruno remembered reading and even briefly seeing this bell. It was an item made to teach and train new dwarf disciples. Upon examining it, they saw a storage seal and one for enchanting.
From the fluctuations, the bell was enchanted with soul power, and the storage seal was supposed to contain Qi. Using both at the same time, a sound pressure emitted by the bell would affect the dwarves’ souls. It was like a simple attack on the soul that helped gain resistance without being fatal.
For a training disciple, strengthening the soul a bit could make creating rune seals easier. Alm and Bruno found it clever, but didn’t think much of it, since their array could nurture their allies’ souls infinitely more efficiently.
"I remember the bell, what’s up with it?" Bruno asked, curious.
Nebai nodded. "Everyone says that bell was left by him, but it wasn’t made directly by the God of the Forge; it was made by one of his disciples later. The only element of the God of the Forge in the bell is the clapper. After the battle where the God of the Forge died, many disciples couldn’t accept his death and tried to find him."
"But anyone who entered that desolate field would die. Then, a hero, wanting some weapons from one of those disciples, searched and brought back some wreckage. Among the items, there was a small fragment from the tip of the Soul Piercer Spear, one of the God of the Forge’s personal weapons."
Alm and Bruno nodded, surprised. They had read about all that dwarf’s personal weapons. The Soul Piercer Spear had an enchantment seal that used soul power. It was a flying weapon, created to attack both the body and the spirit. Even if someone managed to defend physically, their soul would still be affected.
Nebai added, "The soul power in the spear came from the God of the Forge himself. The disciple recovered that fragment and quickly sealed the energy. Then, he created the bell, and the clapper was made with that power."
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’...the God of the Forge couldn’t have foreseen that a fragment of that weapon would survive, let alone be found so quickly. If it took a few centuries, all the soul power would disperse,’ Bruno murmured seriously. ’That means that...’
Nebai, as if reading their thoughts, said, "That bell contains part of the God of the Forge’s soul power. He never lost his strength, which means his soul wasn’t destroyed in the battle. This made everyone believe even more that he would eventually reincarnate and come back."
Alm and Bruno were stunned. They didn’t know what was more surprising. The dwarf had made all those hidden plans for a missionary to save his race, but this randomness shattered the whole chain. He planned to completely destroy himself, and the dwarves, finding that fragment, would know he wouldn’t reincarnate easily.
But... that didn’t happen, and the soul power in the bell remained intact.
’Damn... so his plans completely failed. If he didn’t die totally, it can only mean the queen and the heroes did something to prevent his death; he must’ve been captured,’ Alm spat coldly.
Bruno thought. ’If he was captured, that means we were playing with danger all along by following his plans. But, so far, nothing has happened... this is all really strange, there are too many missing pieces.’
Alm and Bruno felt a chilling premonition. The reincarnation plans and Isla’s tattoo technique enhancement... her power was essential for the queen to obtain the Reincarnation Mirror.
’If the queen figured everything out, putting myself in her shoes, I’d do the simplest thing. I’d find and mark her soul, hoping she’d complete the technique herself. Once it was ready, I’d just capture her and take everything,’ Alm murmured, as a pain shot through both their chests.
They had helped Isla immensely to complete her Dao faster. Then, in that universe, thousands of years passed. She was cursed, and she would always live for a short time. So, there was a chance she’d lived hundreds of lives and had already completed the technique.
’We need to get stronger quickly and figure out what’s going on. If even after claiming to be the God of the Forge, the queen hasn’t moved to discover who we are; that means the God of the Forge found a way to hide that information. She could be fine... or not...’
Bruno tried to comfort himself, but both he and Alm instinctively felt the opposite. Their senses had always been sharp, almost premonitory. Maybe that was a free gift they’d received as missionaries; and unfortunately, that had never failed them.
The whale took a deep breath, trying to calm down. A cold aura began to emanate from him, surprising everyone around.
He turned to Nebai. "That means the God of the Forge has been discovered. But don’t worry, if he’s still alive, I’ll save him. Just get what I asked for quickly, the situation is getting urgent."
After speaking, the whale turned and quickly left, heading back to the sect and his building. At that moment, Nebai and everyone in the group felt an immense pressure weighing down on them.