Book 8: Chapter 98: Teaming Up
Qin Lun lifted the emerald-green seed from the wooden box. Instantly, he felt the immense life force pulsing within it. The rhythmic beat made the seed feel like a tiny heart.
Actually, among all living beings, plants possessed the most potent life force. Some ancient plants lived as long as angels, demons, and dragons – the higher beings. It seemed Lost had paid quite a cost this time to meet Qin Lun’s request, persuading the Moonlit Elves to part with this seed formed during the dryad molt.
Adeline gave one last deep look at Ayala transformed into a seed. “Things are settled here. I should leave too!” She stood and headed for the door.
As an elf close to Lord Fernand, she was one of the few privy to the inner workings of this deal. Fernand Dryad hadn’t agreed to hand over Ayala’s seed solely because of Lost.
This was Ayala’s own parting wish. Failing to advance to Legendary, her main consciousness had slipped into deep slumber. Usually, such slumber lasted at least a thousand years. Over this immense stretch of time, all Ayala’s memories would slowly fade. Eventually, she would become just an ordinary tree seed. This was the unavoidable cost of failure.
Yet, within the Shattered Starry Sky, dryads possessed one other way to preserve consciousness: becoming an Artifact Spirit, recognized by Shattered Starry Sky and bound by the abilities of an Apostle. Becoming an Artifact Spirit meant her spiritual essence would be anchored into a piece of Apostle gear. Her life and death would rest in the Apostle’s hands. However, the diverse, adventurous lives Apostles led also offered a chance at a whole new existence.
This choice demanded extreme caution, though. Typically, after an Apostle perished, Star Void reclaimed their gear, and the Artifact Spirit vanished. Only a tiny fraction of Apostle equipment was ever acquired by other Apostles or beings from other worlds.
Fernand Dryad had met Qin Lun before. Though he disliked the murderer’s aura about the man, he acknowledged Qin Lun was a formidable being. That’s why he agreed to give Ayala’s seed to Qin Lun.
The sound of Adeline rising snapped Qin Lun from his thoughts. He reluctantly looked up from the seed. “Oh, this… Adeline, is this war truly so dangerous for the Elven Race?”