Game of the World Tree

Divine Clan?!

Wait…are they talking about us?

All five players bore looks of confusion.

However, as the other group approached closer, the players got a clearer view of the newcomers.

The group consisted of five men and two women, all of whom appeared to be human.

They wore simple leather armor, carried crude longbows on their backs, and held dull longswords in their hands, which gave off the distinct appearance of low-tier adventurers.

Their attire looks quite unremarkable, but what stood out from the norm was their striking appearance…

Compared to the humans they had encountered in Holy Maniya Empire, these NPCs have much more refined appearance.

They were not as beautiful as elves per se, but they easily surpassed half-elves in that regard.

Moreover, their skin wasn’t rough and uneven like that of ordinary humans, which is dotted with small pits, blemishes, or hair.

Instead, it was smooth and fair, resembling that of elvenkind.

And upon closer inspection, one would also notice that, although these humans lacked the prominent elongated, pointed ears of elves, or the half-pointed ears of half-elves, the tips of their ears still stood slightly upright.

Amidst their bewilderment, the players heard a familiar, cool female voice echo within their minds.

“They aren’t ordinary humans and most likely carry a trace of elven blood.” Zero casually said.

Instantly, the whole team breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if they had found their support.

Everything will be fine just as long as Lady Zero is here to guide them!

With her at the helm, they wouldn’t have to wander around aimlessly like headless chickens.

“Divine Clan? Why are they calling us the Divine Clan? Is it because we look like elves?”

Evé showed a thoughtful expression as she pondered about this specific term these humans had just used.

Humans exist in this demi-realm?

Moreover… they even have signs of having elven blood?

Noticing the unique traits of these humans, Evé grew increasingly curious about this demi-realm.

After a brief silence, Evé once more spoke into each players’ minds:

“Go properly greet them and learn more about this demi-realm. Ask them what they mean by ‘Divine Clan.’ There’s no need to hide your identity aside from the secrets of the Divine Matriarch.”

After hearing Eve’s instructions, the whole team exchanged pointed glances.

Finally, Calabash stepped forward with a friendly smile and greeted the locals:

“Uh… ahem, hello!”

“I’m Calabash, an elven mage. These are my companions. May I ask… who are you?”

As Calabash asked his question, the humans continued to size up the players.

Their eyes gleamed with amazement, curiosity, and admiration.

At the same time, the players overheard their whispered conversation:

“Elves? What are elves?”

“No idea…”

“But those ears… and that elegant, beautiful appearance, they must definitely be a part of the legendary Divine Clan!”

“So members of Divine Clan still exists! The gods haven’t completely forsaken us! They must have been living here in the Forbidden Lands all this time!”

“It has to be related to the miracle we witnessed yesterday! I knew it! That wasn’t some doomsday omen like the Church proclaimed, and was instead proof that Divine Beings are coming back!”

“Curse that Church! They’ve been deceiving us all along!”

Their voices were filled with overwhelming joy and deep resentment toward this particular Church they mentioned.

Divine Beings?

Miracles?

A Church?

Seeing these local humans in a state of excitement, the five players grew even more bewildered.

However, Evé had already formed a few ideas herself.

That miracle these humans spoke of…

It was probably the disturbance she caused yesterday when she tried to enter this demi-realm forcefully.

Well, it *was* a miracle….in a way.

But what about this Church they’re talking about?

There’s a religious institution in this demi-realm?

If that were the case then…

Which god does it serve?

Based on her preliminary investigation, she haven’t sensed any fluctuations of divine power when she initially discovered this demi-realm, apart from the vague consciousness that seemed to be born from the demi-realm itself…

This left her deeply puzzled.

As a true god, Evé was highly sensitive to the power of faith.

Hence, if this demi-realm had indeed been used as a source of faith by any Deities, then she would have already noticed it during her initial investigation.

Eve felt a stirring of curiosity.

“This demi-realm…does indeed contain secrets!”

Meanwhile, the conversation between the players and the humans continued on.

“Uh… may I ask who you are…?”

Looking at the locals who was caught up in excitement, Calabash asked again with gritted teeth.

The first to respond to him was a human girl, bursting with enthusiasm.

“L-Lilia, My name is Lilia!”

She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed lightly in a leather armor that’s typically worn by hunters.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Calabash and the others.

“These are my companions! We’re good friends who grew up together. This is my older brother, Nissia, and this is Heath, and…”

She went on to introduce each of her companions to the team, one by one. Then, after finishing, the girl respectfully bowed to the players in a formal manner.

“Lilia…greets the esteemed members of the Divine Clan!”

Following her lead, the other locals also bowed deeply to each players.

“Greetings, esteemed members of the Divine Clan!”

The five players were momentarily speechless by the formal and reverent attitude of these unfamiliar NPCs.

After all, mostly throughout their whole experience in playing Elven Kingdom, their first encounters with elven NPCs usually involved the latter giving them disdainful looks or the greedy, condescending stares from other races.

However, Evé, who was silently observing from the background, noticed something unusual in the way these humans performed their introductory greetings.

“Hmm?”

“Their manner of greeting is quite similar to the etiquette of the Church of Nature in the past…”

“Perhaps, these humans are somehow connected to my predecessor? Were they once followers of the World Tree?”

“But if that’s the case, what is the Church they’re speaking of?”

Eve’s curiosity deepened.

Meanwhile, Lilia continued her conversation with the players:

“Lord Calabash, and the other esteemed members of the Divine Clan! We never expected to meet you here! Have you been living here in the Elven Forest all this time?”

“The Elven Forest?”

The players were startled.

“Indeed, isn’t that the name of this forest…The Elven Forest?”

Lilia tilted her head, speaking with some hesitation.

This forest is also called the Elven Forest?

The players were surprised.

Calabash thought for a moment and said:

“That’s right, we actually do came from the Elven Forest, but…not this one. We come from the real Elven Forest…”

“The real Elven Forest…”

Lilia and her companions exchanged confused glances.

Calabash didn’t explain further, and instead asked:

“So, Miss Lilia, may I ask where you come from and what brings you here?”

Sensing these locals’ subconscious respect and reverence towards their team, he decided to probe for more information.

Lilia responded just as directly:

“Esteemed members of the Divine Clan, we are the descendants of those who once served the Divine Clan. We live in the town of Divine Grace, just outside this forest…”

“We know the Elven Forest is a forbidden land, and we shouldn’t be here.”

“But our elder is gravely ill and needs a rare medicinal herb for treatment. Alas, the herb can only be found here, so we had no choice but to risk entering these forbidden lands to find it…”

“I heard the sound of someone falling into the lake earlier, that’s why I called everyone over here to rescue them…”

After she finished, she bit her lip, glanced at a specific part of their body with her face slightly flushed, and quickly looked away.

Lilia then bowed deeply to the players once more, kneeling as she spoke:

“P-Please, esteemed members of the Divine Clan, forgive us. We truly didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Following her lead, the other locals also knelt and pleaded:

“Please forgive us, esteemed ones…”

The players exchanged awkward glances upon hearing this.

It was only then that they realized…

They had stripped off all their gear and outerwear while drying the water out from their clothes earlier, leaving all five of them practically naked, with only the glowing auras provided by the system to conceal their sensitive areas.

Boxlunch: “…”

Calabash: “…”

Chopin: “…”

Optimist: “…”

I-Am-Invincible: “…”

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【 PLEASEFORGIVE US ESTEEMED ONES 】

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