335 Favor
Floral and Ebony were filled with panic when they saw William collapse silently after drinking the strange liquid.

They hadn’t thought that this peculiar potion could harm such a legendary figure from over a thousand years past.

According to some legends, this man had consumed more than 100 types of raw materials and used himself as a test subject to uncover the hidden nature of those alchemical substances. He had also devised over 20 classic alchemy formulas. Now, the highest honor awarded by the Riel Empire’s Alchemy Association every year was the Royal Potion Award. Among the relief sculptures of the five pioneering alchemists on the medal, William Kane was ranked third as the Great Alchemist.

Since he had dared to drink it, he would surely be fine.

However, the crucial issue was whether he had been too hasty, for him to be unconscious at such a time.

Was the legendary Presiding Judge, the incarnation of the Eighth Holy Spirit the empire believed in, so free to do as he pleased?

Floral and Ebony couldn’t help but exchange helpless glances. Then, they could only sigh slightly. They carried the unconscious William to the door of the Canopy Temple and made him sit down with his back against the dark brown wooden door.

“According to the Presiding Judge, his ultimate goal is to completely destroy the entire country you used to rule. Don’t you have any complaints about this, Ms. Floral?”

Ebony settled William against the wooden door. As he stood up, he suddenly asked the Holy Tree Duke, whose body and soul each originated from two different timelines.
In the history of Hobien Ebony, there were considerable deviations in the timelines on both sides. The divine marriage ritual between the Holy Tree Matriarch and the Father of the Wilderness was still preserved on this side. The strongest warrior selected through the Blood Moon Game would marry the Holy Tree Matriarch’s incarnation and kill her after consummating the marriage to officially crown the Holy Tree Duke.

Although there was a similar ritual process in the normal timeline, after the two Forest Elf gods lost their lives in the past, this ritual essentially became a formality and no longer caused casualties.

It was also because of this that the influence of the hunting tribes that believed in Beast Spirits had been diminishing for the past thousand years, and the Oak Council that believed in tree spirits gradually took over.

As for Ebony in the normal timeline, he was nothing more than a puppet installed by the Oak Council. The Great Spirit that the Council had ‘confiscated’ from numerous hunting tribes was tattooed on him, granting him the qualifications to become the Holy Tree Duke. Moreover, they had found Floral Kane, who lacked any faction support, and planned on exploiting her unique talent to turn her into the Matriarch’s incarnation…

Of course, because the Oak Council had misjudged Floral’s personal strength, all their plans had failed.

In the normal timeline, Ebony and the Holy Tree Duke shared a complex relationship… Although it was difficult to say whether they were friends or foes, the two of them were trying to change Ravenwood in their own way and had reached a consensus on altering those ancient traditions. Although the solutions they offered could be considered diametrically opposed, at the very least, they held respect for each other in their hearts.

As for the Floral whom Ebony knew, she was not someone who could be easily persuaded.

However, Floral only replied casually to Ebony’s question, “Isn’t that obvious? Or do you think I should still try to save such a world after seeing that scene at World’s End?”

Ebony shook his head and looked at the mess in the Canopy Temple.

“But if it were you from another timeline, you might actually do so. With my understanding of her, even if she discovers that the timeline she’s in is nothing but an empty imagination, she will do her best to try and save her home… Even if the price is sacrificing the entire world.”

He had originally thought that Floral, whose soul came from the other side, would make the same choice.

“Is that so?”

Floral looked up with a sigh.

Although her memories and perception still came from this body, the voice deep in her heart clearly told her that it wasn’t so.

“Then, you must have misunderstood something… I don’t have deep feelings for Ravenwood. From the beginning to the end, my only dream was to shed all my responsibilities and leave this place completely,” she said softly.

Floral had never felt that her soul belonged here, and her desire to protect Ravenwood stemmed from her adoptive parents and the promise she was bound by to her teacher, Nehe…

“Therefore, we’re very willing to help you now, Your Grace.”

A discordant voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Ebony turned his head. From his point of view, a young man with a wolf tattoo on his face was slowly walking up the steps with a group of grotesque sutured creatures.

In this timeline, the so-called Wild Hunt was a terrifying stitched-together beast—a beast that had completely lost its will and only obeyed its master’s orders.

Ebony had seen the young man with the wolf tattoo leading it in both timelines—Quayle Wolfspeak, the son of White Bone Castle clerk Garet Wolfspeak. It’s worth mentioning that he had a bad relationship with his father in both timelines. It was just that he was overly close to the Oak Council on one side, and overly close to an unknown anti-imperial organization on the other.

Floral propped up the magical medium in her hand as if she had been waiting for them. She stared fixedly at the vague figures surrounding them and maintained her dignity as the Holy Tree Duke.

“What did you mean? Son of Garet.”

Quayle pretended to bow and said, “Literally, Your Grace. The Oak Council has already obtained control of the Wild Hunt troops under your command, and the empire’s embassy has clearly turned to support us in reviving the ancient Mother Goddess faith… Since you yearn to shed your responsibilities as ruler, your dream can be realized now.”

Then, he stood on his tiptoes slightly and looked past Floral at the tragic state in the Canopy Temple. Then, he said regretfully,

“But unfortunately, the first thing you might do after leaving office is return to the Holy Tree Matriarch Temple for investigation. You’re suspected of sabotaging the Matriarch’s descent ritual, of slaughtering innocent Forest Elves, and of arson…”

Floral didn’t reply. Instead, she gently tapped the magical orb in her hand, and countless sharp icicles instantly filled the space between her and the stitched-together monsters.

You can give it a try.

She looked at the other party and conveyed her thoughts silently.

No matter which timeline it was, Floral’s authority as the Holy Tree Duke stemmed from her invincible strength in Ravenwood. If the other party thought that she could be captured just by relying on numbers, she was very willing to let the other party understand how ridiculously wrong they were.

Surging mana wove a large spell in Floral’s ether domain that could freeze all the trash present with a single strike.

Although it hadn’t been released and covered a small area by her will, its powerful intentions already made everyone present feel a coldness like phantom pain.

A serious casting by a Divine Realm mage was definitely enough to freeze everyone present.

However, Quayle continued his pretentious attitude and sighed. Then, he slowly said,

“Lady Floral… Could it be that you still believe that you’re blessed by the Matriarch? Or have you always felt that your god-like power really belongs to you?”

With that said, he took a step back slightly, and two figures appeared on his left and right.

Floral could sense that it was a tree spirit formed by countless green specks of light and an empire ambassador dressed in Platinum Palace-styled clothes.

It was still very difficult to call them opponents, although it took more effort than those small fries.

Ebony saw two people suddenly appear. One was a high-level undead covered in blood, and the other was a monster with a spider lower body and a beautiful upper body. Moreover, the entire body was filled with pitch-black miasma.

“With just them…”

Floral didn’t manage to finish her mocking words. Almost instantly, she felt the surging mana in her ether domain disappear like a popped balloon.

The immense mana that could originally be controlled at her whim was like the Wild Hunt troops that had betrayed her. It instantly escaped her control.

Her magic had been nullified…

Although her will could completely construct those complicated magic spells, those spells were just wishful thinking without mana as fuel.

“It looks like someone is no longer favored by the Matriarch. It looks like your legend of suppressing Ravenwood alone is about to…”

Quayle said as he looked at Floral’s shocked gaze.

At this moment, he looked very happy.

This joy lasted until another sudden voice sounded.

“But she’s under my care now.”

A slightly hoarse voice sounded from behind the Canopy Temple’s door, and an unknown gray-haired man walked out.

The person who appeared was a human wearing a complicated and gorgeous mage robe and holding a lead-gray heavy magical medium. His gaze swept across everyone and lingered on the empire ambassador for a moment. Then, he looked at Floral and said, “Therefore, Floral Kane’s legend is destined to continue.”