"Wait!" Kristin called out urgently, stopping William. "The best environment for the World Tree is a forest—the denser and more massive the better. And the Forest Guardians' power also scales with the size of their domain."
"Understood," William nodded. The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished—and reappeared, not in Oxford Castle, but on X-17, his personal planet.
"Sunday, have you finished exploring this planet and its star system?"
"Yes, SIR," replied the AI. "Over the past two years, I have completed a full scan of the entire star system. What would you like to know?"
"In your assessment, is it safe to plant the World Tree here?"
Sunday paused for several dozen seconds before responding, "SIR, the greatest potential threat is from the Predator species that have discovered this world. Secondary risks include possible encounters with interstellar pioneers and space pirates.
As for the planet's native lifeforms, no magical creatures have been detected so far.
I've also cataloged nearly two thousand microbial species and created countermeasures for each. If needed, I can begin manufacturing antiviral treatments at any time."
William hadn't paid much attention to viruses before, but thankfully Sunday already had plans in place. That meant it wasn't a major issue.
And as for space pirates and pioneers? Please. If he couldn't handle a few galactic scavengers at this point, what was the point of all his years of power-building?
Let's not forget Odin and the entire backing of Asgard—he wasn't exactly lacking for support.
Besides, if X-17 had naturally evolved this far without producing any intelligent species, it likely meant the star system was remote enough to be hidden from most advanced civilizations.
"Guide me. Take me to the largest forest on this planet."
Wearing his Sentinel Armor and flying at full speed, William traveled nearly 20,000 kilometers in under three minutes and arrived at the center of the planet's largest forest.
"SIR," Sunday reported, "this forest covers approximately 8.4 million square kilometers, with two rivers over 7,000 kilometers long flowing east and west toward the oceans.
The annual average temperature is comparable to the Amazon Rainforest—ideal conditions for the World Tree."
William grinned and let out a satisfied hum. But then he frowned slightly, "The planet is three times bigger than Earth, but the largest forest is only 8.4 million? That's only one million more than the Amazon."
"SIR, this planet's continents are highly fragmented. The largest landmass is only 60 million square kilometers, and there are eleven others over 10 million each.
That said, there are nine forests over 4 million square kilometers each. Overall forest coverage is around 40%, far more suitable for human habitation than Earth."
William nodded in approval. Then, chuckling, he added, "Once the World Tree grows, this place might really turn into a fantasy world."
He glanced into the distance and spotted a mountain range. In seconds, he flew over and circled it a few times. On his armor's HUD, he soon located a valley surrounded by mountains—200 meters above sea level, and over 1,000 square kilometers in area.
"Open a portal. Dispatch the scout drones. Let's check for threats."
"Understood, SIR."
Thousands of glowing drones poured out of a portal and fanned out through the valley.
Within minutes, holographic projections of various plants and animals filled the sky in front of William.
After half an hour, the scan was complete. No magical creatures detected. The most dangerous animals were just ordinary predators.
Now satisfied, William began surveying the valley to find the perfect location for Kristin's magic town.
Three days passed in a flash.
On the fourth morning, William appeared once more on the magic planet.
Before he could even walk into the magic town, a rainbow bridge flared beside him. Odin stepped out, Eternal Spear in one hand—and in the other, a short warhammer glowing with icy-blue magical light, even more fantastical than Mjölnir.
But instead of boasting, Odin immediately demanded, "Why couldn't Heimdall see where you were for the past three days?"
William's heart leapt in joy.
So Heimdall really couldn't track him?
"That's confirmed? He couldn't see me?"
Odin frowned, about to answer—when he saw William's glowing eyes fixed on the Ice Hammer in his hand.
"What exactly are you planning?"
William burst out laughing. "Don't worry about it. Remember how I told you to wait a few days?"
Odin hesitated, his irritation barely contained. But he gave a reluctant nod.
"C'mon, let me test the hammer. I promise—as long as it's legit, the World Tree situation will be handled without a hitch."
That was all Odin needed to hear to realize: William hadn't been honest with him earlier. He'd intentionally waited until Odin actually made the hammer before revealing his cards.
"You… You paranoid, manipulative bastard."
Odin was furious.
He was the King of the Nine Realms—the Allfather! Yet this punk didn't trust him one bit.
Clenching the Ice Hammer tightly, Odin had to stop himself from smashing William with it and freezing him solid on the spot.
"You'd better not be lying to a king. Otherwise…"
"Alright, alright," William waved him off impatiently. "Why would I cheat my number-one client? I've got a huge Self-Healing Sigil deal riding on this.
Now give me the hammer already. We'll talk when Kristin gets here—no need to repeat myself twice."
Odin stared at William's calm face—no fear, no panic—and couldn't help thinking: Did this lunatic go to Earth's core or something?
He was still brooding when hoofbeats echoed nearby.
Kristin rode out of the town on her rainbow deer. Seeing the tension between the two men, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you two ready? What happened?"
"Nothing," William said, waving it off. "As long as Odin's payment checks out, I've found the perfect location for the World Tree."
"Whoa—" Kristin pulled on her reins, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You changed your mind and didn't tell us? Mr. Devonshire, do you even realize what you're doing?"
But William was ready.
He pulled a device from his storage and dropped it between the three of them.
A beam of light shot into the sky, projecting a massive holographic display.
First came a panoramic view of a seemingly endless forest—intersected by two mighty, winding rivers.
Then the perspective dropped into a mountain-surrounded valley—vastly larger than the one Kristin's current village occupied.
Odin stared in stunned silence.
Kristin's breathing quickened with excitement.
William beamed. "So? That forest big enough for the World Tree and your Forest Guardians?"
Both of them were speechless.
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