Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree
Chapter 462 - 444: The Fallen Church

Chapter 462: Chapter 444: The Fallen Church

The gray sky loomed overhead.

Cracks, like serpents of lightning, snaked menacingly across it, constantly twisting and shifting, as if the entire sky might shatter at any moment.

There was not a hint of wind in the air, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The desperate cries and pleas only added to the growing restlessness and suffocation.

This was a small village, situated by the main road leading to Segis City.

At the village entrance, a woman dressed as a villager, who looked to be around twenty, clung to the leg of a man in Priest Robes, crying and begging as she spoke:

"Lord Priest, Lord Priest, my child doesn’t want to be a Child of Nature, truly doesn’t want to be. Please don’t take him! Please don’t take him! He’s only four years old!"

The priest remained expressionless.

Behind him stood a line of fully armed soldiers.

The soldiers were escorting a carriage loaded with young children.

The children were locked in the carriage, their cries echoing distantly, yet the soldiers and priest remained unmoved.

A considerable number of villagers stood around, watching.

They looked at the carriage and the woman with complex sympathy, but their gazes toward the priest and soldiers were filled with anger and hostility.

However, they were furious but dared not speak up.

They stood silently around, watching with open eyes as a young child was pushed into the carriage by the soldiers.

Cries filled the air.

Then the priest kicked the weeping woman away, his hollow eyes staring ahead as he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion:

"All children blessed by nature are naturally the clansmen of the Creator God under the Divine Crown."

"Becoming a Child of Nature and contributing to the revival of the True God is his honor."

With that, he gestured to the other soldiers.

Receiving his order, the equally expressionless soldiers changed formation.

They drove the carriage, flanking the priest as they turned and left...

Leaving the woman kneeling on the ground, crying in despair.

As the priest and the soldiers left, the villagers helped up the hoarse-voiced woman, and sighs arose among the crowd.

"Ah, there’s another one."

"The church has become more outrageous over the years. How are we supposed to live like this?"

"Shh, keep it down; it’s not good for opportunists to hear."

"Nina is pitiful, but it’s her child who’s naturally affiliated with nature... "

"Just hope her child can become a priest and not a sacrifice..."

"Who knows? So many children are forcibly taken each year, but how many become priests? And look at those cold-hearted guys; would you want your child to become like them?"

"Ah, better pray not to have naturally affiliated children."

The villagers sighed and shook their heads.

None noticed an inconspicuous carriage nearby that had observed the whole incident.

Inside the carriage, Hu Lu withdrew his gaze, frowning slightly:

"What the hell is this Creation Church doing? How come every place we go, we see them forcibly recruiting children?"

The other players looked displeased as well.

They had been away from Divine Grace Town for three days.

During these three days, in almost every human settlement they passed, they witnessed similar scenes.

Even knowing this was a game, having immersed themselves deeply, they couldn’t help but grow disgusted with these church clergy.

Of course, the task at hand naturally made the players see these ordinary people as their allies.

If their guess was right, once everything was settled, these humans might become followers of the Goddess.

One could say these humans were potential allies for the future.

This was why, initially, the players disguised themselves, secretly rescuing the children they encountered.

Hmm... that’s how you build faction favorability.

However, after a few attempts, they aroused the vigilance of the Creation God Sect, which then assigned soldiers to guard the clergy.

Fearing their interference might alert the enemy, they had to stop.

Yet, they grew increasingly disgusted with the so-called Creation Church.

Hearing the players’ words, the coachman explained while driving the carriage:

"Ah, sirs, you may not know, but this is how the church expands its clergy."

"Back when the Divine Race was still around, the church was highly revered, and many aspired to become priests as it was the highest honor..."

"However, since the Divine Race receded, the church has become more and more arrogant and corrupt... They started forcibly recruiting all children with natural attributes into the church."

"Children with potential are trained to become priests dedicated to the Divine, while those without are sacrificed as offerings to the Divine..."

With that, the coachman sighed:

"Nowadays, aside from the secluded Divine Grace Town in the Elf Forest, no one isn’t worried about their child having a natural affiliation..."

"The church is no longer what it used to be."

"Then why not resist?"

The optimist asked.

"How do we resist?"

The coachman shook his head.

"The church wields the most powerful forces; almost all second-tier or higher professionals come from the church. Who has the power to resist?"

Hearing the coachman’s words, the players glanced at each other, falling into silence.

Indeed.

Although the humans in this half-plane had elven blood, most had a tiny bit of extraordinary power, but at most at an apprentice level.

Rarely did anyone step into Black Iron.

The Black Iron Middle Rank individuals they encountered, except for the Divine Grace Elder Rueger, were all church clergy or soldiers.

"Is this the church established by those who betrayed the Goddess? To me, this church is no different from a cult."

Chopin shook his head.

The others shared approving expressions.

They were no longer greenhorns.

At this moment, if they still didn’t understand what these church officials were doing, they would have wasted the guidance they received from the leader.

Clearly, this church had long deviated from the path of a normal church.

They had shifted from preaching faith to forced indoctrination, from benevolent rulers to cruel exploiters, even directly sacrificing suitable children to the Divine!

Moreover, with the exploitation of life potential from the half-plane beings, it was evident that this "Creator God" was entirely opposed to the Goddess...

The carriage continued for fifteen more minutes before coming to a gentle stop.

Then, the coachman’s voice came from the front:

"Sirs, ahead is Segis City. I won’t be escorting you into the city."

He had no knowledge of the players’ true identities, only that the players were entrusted by the elder to handle matters in the city.

After hearing the coachman’s words, the players looked out of the carriage window, seeing a grand city with a discernible elven style.

They disembarked from the carriage and, after saying farewell to the coachman, watched him drive away.

"Captain, what do we do next?"

Several players turned to Lunchbox.

Lunchbox reached into his coat and drew out a crystal-like sphere.

At that moment, the sphere glowed with a hazy light, seemingly summoned by some force.

This was the tool given to the players by the Divine Grace Elder Rueger, capable of sensing the presence of the Heart of Life.

Its glow indicated that the players were close to the Heart of Life.

Lunchbox clenched the Crystal Ball and closed his eyes to sense it.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes:

"Follow the signal."

The group adjusted their gear and headed towards the city gate.