It had been a few weeks since Adam left Hannes City, heading for his next destination.
Ever since then, he had continued to read the scroll given to him by the Agent of the Brotherhood. He read it over and over again, trying to make sense out of it.
But despite all the knowledge he possessed, he was still unable to.
He rode atop Luna, and Valerian comfortably sat before him, playing with the horse's mane. The trio moved across the grassy plains as the wind brushed against them.
Luna, for one, was thrilled to run freely. Valerian, on the other hand, continued to count the gold coins in his leather satchel over and over again with a foolish grin on his furry face.
The young dragon's love for gold far surpassed his brother's.
As for Adam, his face was plastered with disbelief as he read the contents of the scroll. It had to be noted that it had already been two weeks since he ca across this information.
Still, he found it difficult to believe what he was reading.
His eyebrows creased together, and he thought incredulously, So the ash tree I planted there over a decade ago… has grown up to be more than twenty ters tall?
That's twice what a regular ash tree would grow to in that span of ti!
But that's not even the main issue…
Adam's brows creased even further. The ash tree has begun showing abnormalities?
And the scholars and researchers of the Brotherhood stationed in that town are shocked by their findings. Just… what the hell did they find?! Why didn't Hudson write in detail?
No, more importantly…
Just what the heck happened to that ash tree?
He recalled that at the ti when he had planted the seed of the ash tree, he had carved mysterious runes on the ground around it.
At the ti, he didn't know what those runes were. He had only seen in the mories that the Herbalists would carve those runes around plants and trees that he grew.
Adam stroked his chin, deep in thought. With his much deeper knowledge of rune magic, he now knew what those runes symbolized.
But those runes are only supposed to increase the fertility of the soil and boost the growth of the tree, he thought.
That could be the reason why the ash tree grew to such a height in only a little over a decade.
But the Agents there ntioned a bizarre situation that was different from the growth of the ash tree.
So they imdiately called for , thinking I would know sothing about it since I was the one who planted the seed.
But what could it be?
In ancient legends, it was stated that the universe was supported by a divine pillar known as the World Tree. Its branches and roots extended to every corner of existence.
It is said that the World Tree manifested itself in the form of an ash tree. It was also said that all ash trees in existence were extensions of the World Tree.
Herbalists believed that the World Tree would give them her blessings if they planted an ash tree in their herb fields.
And that was precisely the reason why Adam had planted that seed there. Although that place wasn't his herb field, it was going to be nad after him by the people who settled there. As such, the place was dear to him.
Thus, he hoped that planting an ash tree there would be symbolic of that settlent holding a special place in Adam's heart.
The World Tree was indeed sothing of great value and admiration for Herbalists.
So legends claid that the World Tree was the source of the rarest magical herbs in the world. Others believed it to be the wellspring of ancient herbalism knowledge.
Regardless of whether these legends were true or not, Adam knew that the World Tree, in fact, existed.
By the native inhabitants of the Greater Universe, the World Tree was known as…
The Great Mother Yggdrasil!
Adam suddenly recalled sothing else, causing his eyes to narrow. Right! After planting the seed and carving the runes, I did pray to the Great Mother…
But that was just a ceremonial act. Could that have caused so changes?
I don't know… I'll have to go there and see it for myself.
As far as he could rember, he had only made that prayer in passing, asking the Great Mother to bless the seed and allow it to protect the people of that settlent.
At the ti, he didn't think much of it. But perhaps sothing had happened when he made that prayer to the ancient existence.
After all, he knew that the World Tree was a sentient life form and was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, entities to exist in this universe.
Could it really be? He thought, his eyes flashing with shock.
"Brother! Brother! Look!" Valerian suddenly pointed at the town that had co into view in the distance. "Is that our destination?"
Adam snapped out of his deep thoughts and turned to look in the distance. Gazing at the familiar buildings within the town walls, his lips curled into a faint smile.
"Yes," he softly muttered. "This is Behal Town."
Through the familiar connection they shared, Valerian could instantly tell that sothing was wrong with Adam.
The young dragon turned around and looked at his big brother with beady eyes. He could tell that although Adam showed a calm expression on his face, in truth, his heart was churning with tumultuous waves.
Valerian had never seen Adam go through such feelings before.
The young dragon got on his hind legs and gently tapped Adam's chin. "Brother… are you alright?"
Adam lowered his head and warmly smiled at Valerian. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Valerian's lips quivered. "You're lying…"
Adam's gaze softened, and he gently ruffled the young dragon's furry head. "Little Val, this is the town I grew up in."
"Really?" Valerian was pleasantly surprised. "Brother! Brother! This is your birthplace?"
Adam chuckled. "Yes."
He then directed Luna to take the dusty path that ran adjacent to the town, leading out to the outskirts.
"Little Val, I'll introduce you to soone," he said in a slightly emotional voice.
"Who? Who?" Valerian asked excitedly.
Adam's lips curled into a gentle smile.
"My mother and my father."
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