Chapter 10: The World Tree and Whispers of Destiny

On the very evening of Lance’s visit, Qing Yu divulged everything to Aldoran.

Aldoran, in turn, declined all upcoming celebratory events, choosing to remain at home specifically to assist Qing Yu in his search for the necessary information.

“Aldoran, are you certain it’s alright to decline all those activities?”

Qing Yu asked Aldoran while rummaging through the bookshelves, as he couldn’t shake the feeling that keeping Aldoran at home simply to accompany him was somehow improper, especially since Aldoran undoubtedly had her own affairs to attend to.

Aldoran, however, adopted a nonchalant demeanor.

“It’s fine. I believe we truly need more time together.”

Aldoran reclined in a chair, diligently perusing the thick tome, ‘A Comprehensive Study of Midgardian Species,’ in her hands, allowing Qing Yu to continue his search amidst the valuable ancient books.

In truth, Aldoran had never informed Qing Yu of the true worth of those antique volumes.

“Are there any books about this world’s legends?”

After a fruitless search, Qing Yu decided to interrupt Aldoran’s reading once more, asking if she possessed any books detailing the legends of this world.

“I recall there being a copy of ‘Midgardian Legends’ on the top shelf, furthest to the left.”

Aldoran then snapped her fingers, and a thin parchment-bound book flew from the towering stack of volumes, landing directly in Qing Yu’s hand.

“Is this it? It feels so thin.” Qing Yu examined the book, which contained only a few dozen pages, and gave it a light shake in his hand.

“In fact, Midgardian myths and legends are almost entirely disseminated by bards, and during their transmission, various inaccuracies inevitably arise, ultimately resulting in a highly intricate and complex system of Midgardian mythology. The book you hold records what is, to date, the earliest discovered creation myth.”

Aldoran set her own book aside and moved behind Qing Yu, taking his hand as she turned to the book’s first page.

“Approximately three hundred years ago, in a glacier somewhere in the Northern Duchy, explorers discovered an ancient ruin. The ruin was so exceedingly old that no one could determine its age using magical measurement methods.”

“Inside the ruin, the explorers found a colossal mural.”

At this juncture, Aldoran led Qing Yu’s hand to turn to the book’s second page, which conveniently depicted the mural’s design.

A colossal, sky-reaching tree.

Aldoran then began to explain to Qing Yu, pointing to the illustrations as she spoke.

“This tree is named Yggdrasil, or you may also call it the World Tree. It is the very world beneath our feet; it was born in the past, flourishes in the present, and extends into the future. On that mural, the World Tree was divided into nine layers, but aside from knowing that the world we inhabit is called Midgard, the names of the other eight layers had all been erased.”

“Along the edge of the mural was a lengthy narrative poem. It chronicled the world’s creation myth and recorded the names of thirteen deities, but all those names had been obliterated.”

“But didn’t Aldoran say there were only twelve scattered gems in this world?” Qing Yu inquired, puzzled.

“That’s correct, but in the creation myth depicted on the mural, there are indeed only twelve deities. Archaeologists are still researching the precise reasons for this discrepancy, as the latter half of that narrative poem has yet to be deciphered,”

Aldoran replied, then continued.

“However, with my birth, the name of the erased God-Lord from that narrative poem appeared.”

“Odin?”

“Mm.”

Aldoran nodded, as if it were no great matter.

“Is that why everyone holds Aldoran in such high esteem?”

“Not entirely. Do you know? Everyone in this world believes in the guidance of destiny.”

“Yes, and I’m very curious why everyone places such profound faith in something as enigmatic as destiny.”

Having grown up on Earth and embraced a scientific education, Qing Yu struggled to comprehend why the inhabitants of this world placed such fervent belief in something as abstruse as destiny.

“Because of Mimir; she is also a deity.”

“What?”

“A deity who appeared long before me, she possesses the power to foresee the future. From the moment she first appeared before everyone, she consistently made one prophecy after another, and every single one of them came true. From the loss of a small cat to the outbreak of a war, she had never once erred.”

“Even more peculiar is her power itself—a power that Midgardians could not wield, exceedingly pure and exceptionally unique. The very power of a deity, as described in the narrative poem.”

“It was also she who prophesied my birth, the revelation of Odin’s name, my destiny to become the God-Lord, and even that I would have a wife.”

“In fact, all these prophecies have come true, haven’t they?”

Aldoran nodded.

“Even before my time, she became a goddess trusted by all, thanks to that power and her prophecies, which is why everyone placed such unwavering faith in her words.”

“Then, are there other reasons? Reasons why everyone in Midgard believes so strongly in destiny?” Qing Yu pressed further.

“Everyone has received the guidance of destiny. It is an indescribable, peculiar sensation. I cannot tell you what it is, but one day, you will experience it yourself.”

Aldoran gently caressed the gem on Qing Yu’s collar; a hint of helplessness crept into her tone.

“I know you won’t understand unless you’ve experienced it firsthand. But one day, you will feel it, and then you will comprehend what destiny means to us.”

“Is that so?”

Qing Yu couldn’t help but grow curious. He was eager to discover what this ‘guidance of destiny’ Aldoran spoke of truly was and how it guided everyone.

At that moment, however, Qing Yu failed to notice that as he continuously questioned Aldoran, the small blue gem on Aldoran’s bracelet emitted a faint shimmer.

In the instant that light flickered, a flicker of icy light swiftly passed through Aldoran’s eyes.

“Aldoran?”

Receiving no immediate reply, Qing Yu, fearing that Aldoran might be growing impatient with his barrage of questions, tentatively called her name.

“Ah, ah, it’s nothing, nothing at all.” Aldoran finally snapped back to attention, patting Qing Yu’s hand, then gently withdrew the book from his grasp.

“I believe it’s time for afternoon tea now.”

Aldoran then clapped her hands, and the same golden-haired maid from yesterday entered.

“Mistress, how may I serve you?”

“Please prepare tea and refreshments, Thrud.”

“Yes, Mistress!”

“Oh, so that maid’s name is Thrud!”

Qing Yu exclaimed, his attention immediately drawn to the maid.

“What is it? Do you two know each other?”

“Yes, yes, I accidentally bumped into that maid yesterday in the corridor!”

“Is that so? Were you hurt?”

Qing Yu quickly shook his head.

“That’s good. Her name is Thrud, and she is a demigod.”

Qing Yu exclaimed once more.

“In fact, all the maids in this house are demigods. I’m not entirely sure of the specifics, but ever since I was chosen by Odin’s Emblem, many maids with peculiar powers have arrived, and they all claim to be Valkyries.”

Aldoran pulled Qing Yu down to sit beside her, and, rarely, offered Qing Yu a sweet smile.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? But according to the narrative poem, Odin possesses a palace known as Valhalla, where the Valkyries reside, alongside the souls of heroes slain in battle.”

“Then where is that palace?”

“I don’t know, and in fact, the maids themselves don’t know either. They were all guided here by destiny.”

“How truly wondrous…”

Qing Yu scratched his head. In this world, the word he heard most frequently was ‘destiny.’

The inhabitants of this world were truly fixated on destiny, weren’t they?

“If you wish to learn magic and combat techniques, the maids can also assist you. Their combat skills are formidable enough to contend with most people in this world, and they approach their work with great seriousness. Having them teach you would be much more effective.”

Aldoran suddenly suggested.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Having only Aldoran teach me will be just fine.”

Training with the maids sounded quite appealing, but the thought of undergoing strict training made Qing Yu’s heart waver. After much deliberation, he concluded that it would certainly be better to be trained by the gentle Aldoran.

“Is that so? Very well then.” Aldoran, of course, understood Qing Yu’s true intentions, but she couldn’t bear to see him overly exhausted, so she ultimately agreed to his request.

‘In any case, I’ll protect him myself from now on. For his regular training, I’ll go easy on him, and if he wants to slack off or anything, I’ll just turn a blind eye.’

‘However, at the very least, he needed to learn some escape magic, otherwise…’

Thinking thus, Aldoran unconsciously rubbed the gem on her bracelet.

Just then, Thrud served the tea and refreshments.

“Alright, come have some afternoon tea.”