Chapter 469: 469: An Archverse - The God Tree

Chapter 469: 469: An Archverse - The God Tree

Chapter 469: An Archverse - The God Tree

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It was an odd feeling for Neji.

As he sat under the God Tree, he felt at peace. Even his breathing felt peaceful. Though he suspected, more than the tree, it was the woman beside him who was doing this magic. His head rested on her shoulder and he relaxed into her.

Her hand gently caressed his hair, patting his head as she looked at him curiously.

"How old are you?"

"...."

"You can't speak?"

He shook his head. He wasn't surprised that she noticed it so fast. However, this prompted him to try something out. He focused his mana, turning it into Smoke, it was easy enough to manipulate elements at his power level, and formed those smokes into blocks of texts over his head.

It worked. [Hi.]

"Oh, hello," she smiled at the text. "That's a neat way to communicate. So how old are you? And your name?"

In this way, he could communicate. He could have used this to communicate with Kimi too, except he couldn't access his mana or any of his powers due to the chains that would let him manipulate smoke.

Neji hesitated from answering Life.

From what the She Beyond Omnipotence had said, all these debuffs were here for a reason. In that case, what could be the reason behind his speech blockage? If he spent a second thinking, it must be because he shouldn't be telling people around about his situation. In that case, he shouldn't tell his real name either. He didn't want to mess up the timeline.

[...Prima. It means just 'First' in Italian, a human language.] he said using the text above his head.

"Huh, interesting name," the Omniverse was vast, and people had many names, so Lady Life didn't find it weird. "And how old are you?"

Neji hesitated again, [It's different for my body, my soul, and my memories.]

"Tell me all."

[It's 17 for my body, 32 if I count my soul age, and 104 if I count my close memories. I also slept in the void for 153 years, and lastly I have the memory of a God aging a couple of billion years old.]

Lady Life blinked in surprise, "Huh. That is... curious." She hugged him, startling him a little as his face pushed against her chest. "So in truth, you're just 32? How terribly, terribly young you are for the pain you're suffering. Do you feel better now?"

She had healed his physical wounds with a wave of her hands, so he was doing fine. The pain he felt from his Status Defects, plus his mental limits, were also relieved by her presence.

Neji relaxed into her hug. [Yes.]

"I'm unsure what to do," she said. "I can feel that the moment I leave your side, you will return to your chaotic self. The God Tree's presence can help you a little, but it's not enough. But I can't stay by your side all day long, either... I have duties to see to the higher realm, I had only come down here to sprout a new God Tree in this Megaverse."

'Huh,' Neji was sure his eyes saw merely galaxies in there? Perhaps he had reached Jogan's perception limit. 'I have to Level it up more, I guess. It'll be useful.'

Lady Life continued, "The God Tree is the Archverse, while this forest is the Realm of Gods local to this Archverse. Good people, very respectful."

[I imagine few people would not be respectful towards an Abstract Entity,] he said, which got a burst of sweet laughter out of her.

"Well, I guess." She shrugged. "From the perspective of their subjects, the living beings within leaves and branches, they might not come off as the best of Gods... Anyways~ breakfast is ready. Sit down on that table,"

She pointed at an empty spot near Neji, and a table sprouted out of the ground. He obediently took the seat, as Lady Life walked over and presented him the food.

He ate, blinking in surprise at every dish. Each bite was a new world of flavors, and his surprise made the watchful Lady Life smile. As he sampled each dish, Lady Life enthusiastically explained their origins and unique qualities.

"This," she said, handing him a piece of tender meat, "is from the Starlight Seraph. It's a dragon-type divine beast that wanders through the celestial realms. The meat has absorbed the essence of stars, giving it a flavor that's quite literally out of this world." As Neji tasted it, he found the description apt; the meat burst with flavors that reminded him of the night sky, filled with stars and cosmic mysteries.

On a gut feeling, he used [Mine] on the food. It worked.

[You have mined Sight of the Starlight Lords — bloodline ability.]

[Jogan and Sight of the Starlight Lords are compatible for merge.]

"And these," she continued, pointing to the glowing fruits and vegetables on his plate, "are Lumina Berries and Twilight Roots. The berries are bathed in the light of celestial bodies, giving them a sweet, honeyed lightness. The roots, on the other hand, are from the eternal twilight zones of the Archverse, with a taste that's both sweet and earthy, like the moment when day turns to night."

[You have mined Photosynthesis — bloodline ability.]

She smiled seeing him devour the food faster, both for the abilities he got, and the taste. "I am glad you like it. The Archverse God Tree truly is a wonderful place."

Neji listened, fascinated not just by the food but by Lady Life's detailed knowledge of each item. She seemed to take genuine pleasure in caring for him, explaining each dish with a motherly tenderness. He liked that. Anyone else, and he might have thought they were just trying to fatten him up to eat him later.

He couldn't help but wonder about this nurturing aspect of her character. Was this her natural disposition, or was there something more to her motherly nature?

As they chatted and he ate, Neji found his gaze drifting back to the God Tree. Since the source of this food was that tree, he got curious.

'I wonder... how much will I level up if I destroy that thing,' he thought, a cold look in his eyes.

Something told him Lady Life wouldn't appreciate that.

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