Game of the World Tree

Evé didn’t fully believe Reinhardt’s claim that he had no interest in acquiring the Scepter of Life.

Because as far as she knew, the dragon’s population had been in decline even dating back over the Twilight Era.

This didn’t mean they were any less powerful per se, but over time, the dragon race had suffered from a significant drop in population.

Not only that but nowadays, more and more dragon eggs were being born without any draconic markings at all, resulting in the birth of ‘dragon beasts’ which are sub-dragon species with low intelligence and mixed bloodlines.

It was a shame, really, since during their peak the dragons numbered in the millions, with their elite forces dominating half of the realms across the universe.

Alas nowadays, it is estimated that pureblooded dragons across the universe likely numbered less than ten thousand, and that figure was still decreasing.

For this reason, dragons began interbreeding with other races, hoping that some of their sub-species offsprings would exhibit atavism and possibly restore dragonkinds’ dwindling population.

As one of the most well-known and oldest dragon gods, Reinhardt had been tirelessly working to preserve the dragon species.

And one of his endeavors involved adopting abandoned dragon hatchlings from various places.

Therefore, given the Scepter of Life’s ability to evolve and purify one’s bloodlines, Evé wouldn’t believe that Reinhardt wasn’t tempted by it.

So, Evé already had a good idea of what he was really after when Reinhardt offered to hand over his portion of the fragments in exchange for a promise of some sort…

“Sure, if it’s within my power.”

Evé said with a soft smile, looking directly at him.

Hearing her response, the elven form of Reinhardt showed a completely serious expression.

He didn’t state his request right away, but instead began telling a story from his time sightseeing in Florence.

“While visiting Florence, I entered your temple…”

As he spoke, Reinhardt glanced at Evé with a hint of apology and added, “I apologize for not asking your permission and concealing myself. However, I suspect that you were already aware of my presence the moment I stepped foot into the temple.”

Evé simply smiled in response, neither confirming nor denying his assumptions.

Reinhardt wasn’t bothered by it and continued his tale.

“The moment I entered and saw your divine insignia, I immediately recognized it as the legendary Scepter of Life.”

“Moreover, during my visit to your temple, I also witnessed several half-elves undergoing a bloodline purification ceremony, as they transformed themselves into pureblooded elves.”

He sighed softly.

“At that moment, I realized you must have gained considerable control over the Divinity of Life and become the true Goddess of Life…”

With those words, Reinhardt directly stared at Evé, with his expression growing solemn.

“Lady Eve, the promise I ask of you is that once you have fully restored the Scepter of Life to its complete state, you will help purify the bloodlines of the dragon race.”

So that was it!

Eve wasn’t surprised by his request.

In fact, it was almost exactly what she had anticipated.

If her guess was correct, Reinhardt’s original intention in coming here in her territory was to confront Nidhogg and repair the Scepter of Life.

But after discovering that the Scepter was already in Eve’s hands and that she already gained control over the Divinity of Life, he likely had changed his mind.

After all, only a deity who has authority over the Divinity of life, could truly unleash the Scepter’s full potential.

Furthermore, Eve’s recent display of strength was an undeniable proof that she’s quite proficient in controlling her divinity.

Her ability to seal the Seventh Demon Lord all by herself was already common knowledge amongst the public.

As for defeating Nidhogg…

While no one had witnessed the event, Evé had informed Reinhardt while using an ancient language, passed down from the inheritance of the World Tree.

This particular ancient language originated from a mix of draconic, titan, and elven languages, which in turn imbued magical power within every words it’s spoken.

As a result, it would trigger a corresponding reaction when one spoke while uttering the name of a God while using this ancient language.

So when Evé uttered the name of Nidhogg yet it didn’t elicit any kind of response, Reinhardt instantly knew that his old adversary had indeed truly fallen.

As such, with her being capable of both defeating and sealing two mythical beings in succession was a definite good proof that she had sufficient control over her powers.

For someone like Platinum Dragon King, Reinhardt, who advocates justice and valued cooperation, it made perfect sense for him to give up acquiring the Scepter of Life and instead seek an alliance with her instead.

Not to mention Reinhardt was currently not even in his true form, but merely using a demigod incarnation.

So if a fight were to break out between them right now, odds are, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

In fact, if Evé really wanted trouble, then she could easily keep entrap him within the confines of the Elven Forest.

“So, what do you think?”

Reinhardt asked with a slight smile.

Evé raised an eyebrow.

“Helping the dragon race purify their bloodline? Such promise… seems a bit vague.”

Reinhardt nodded lightly.

“Of course, there are more detailed aspects to my proposal, and it’s not without compensation either. Rather than a mere promise, I would call it a long-term deal with the dragon race, or more like—”

He deliberately paused, raised his head, and stared directly at Evé, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, before continuing,

“—A Covenant between gods.”

A covenant?

So he intends to have a divine binding oath?

Evé felt a bit surprised.

Reinhardt was clearly showing her some goodwill.

Typically speaking, a covenant between gods often led to an alliance should it persist in the long run.

This proposal caught Evé off guard, as she had only expected Reinhardt to merely ask her to purify the bloodline of his relatives or something along those lines.

She hadn’t anticipated that he was going to to propose a long-term collaboration between them, possibly even an alliance.

Did he trust her that much?

Or… had he sensed something?

For a moment, Evé grew wary.

Had she somehow revealed her true identity?

Hmm…he mentioned an old friend of his.

Could it be that Reinhardt knew the former World Tree as well?

Eve’s mind raced with myriad of speculation.

However, despite Reinhardt’s expression of goodwill, Evé was no longer the inexperienced novice she once was.

She remained cautious for this deal seemed entirely too good to be true.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt whilst still smiling, patiently waited for her response.

After a moment of contemplation, Evé sighed ruefully.

“Alright, tell me the details…”

After considering her options, she decided to hear him out first.

Regardless of his true intent, she herself knew that Platinum Dragon was offering her an olive branch.

So as long as she could keep her real identity a secret, forging a friendship with the dragon race didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.

Furthermore, despite the dragonkind’s population being in decline, there were still some powerful individuals amongst them.

Hearing Eve’s response, Reinhardt’s smile grew even warmer.

“First off, I will give you all these fragments I’ve collected, and in return, I will send five dragon beasts or dragonkin, or bring five dragon eggs that have lost their draconic markings, to the Elven Forest each month. Once they arrive, I hope you can purify their bloodlines.”

Evé thought for a moment..

Five dragons per month?

That wasn’t too much of a burden.

Eventually, she nodded in agreement.

Reinhardt paused briefly before continuing,

“As for the reward…”

“Besides giving you these fragments, I am also willing to let the dragons that have successfully undergone bloodline purification to choose for themselves whether to form a companion pact with your chosen ones.”

“In addition, I also won’t interfere with their beliefs as well, as long as they properly grow into fine adult dragons.”

Evé was taken aback.

A Companion Pact?

This time, she was genuinely surprised.

— 421 —

【 PLATINUM DRAGON KING’S PROPOSAL 】

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