The entrance to the Three-Eyed Raven's secluded dwelling was a fissure in the hillside, surrounded by the roots of a giant Weirwood. Moonstone told Mako that a sacred protection had been placed here, preventing the dead from entering.
Mako secretly grumbled, "In the end, didn't the Night King still get in? That little brat Bran, just like his brother Jon Snow, has a disaster aura. Everywhere he goes, bad luck follows! I hope that Jon doesn't screw me over!"
Only Moon Shadow and the others came in with Mako this time. He had arranged for the others to stay outside. This was the final step of the journey. From this point on, the last vestiges of magical power in Westeros would be in Mako's grasp!
After entering the passage, Mako's group found the road was even wider than in the TV series. However, both sides of the passage were lined with bones wrapped in roots, looking incredibly terrifying. It wasn't just here; a massive number of corpses were buried beneath the ice lake and a large area of land surrounding the giant Weirwood. This was why Mako hadn't discovered the Night King and his forces earlier.
Fortunately, these bones had already lost their life energy, so the Night King couldn't use them. Otherwise, Mako would be the one running away today.
After descending for a while, the road began to fork. Luckily, Moonstone was leading the way; otherwise, they could have easily gotten lost here. Mako also found that his perceptive abilities couldn't detect the situation nearby, as if the surrounding roots were blocking his observation.
This maze-like underground passage made Mako sigh at the power of the Children of the Forest. In some ways, they seemed to be a cross between the Forest Elves and the Dark Elves. Ye Zi had said that they used to live in cities in the forest, but due to years of war, those cities were destroyed in the war with humans. Forced to do so, they fled underground and built many underground passages for refuge.
After navigating a few more intersections, Mako and his companions entered a vast, empty cavern. The roof was filled with many stalactites, and even more stalagmites rose from the ground. Around the cavern were even more passages and stone chambers, endless, like an ant's nest!
The surroundings were the same as in the dream. The Three-Eyed Raven, enveloped by the roots of the Weirwood, was smiling at Mako and his companions. Around him, five Children of the Forest, who served him, were curiously watching Mako and Moon Shadow.
Moon Shadow removed their hood and ran over, chatting intimately with them. The unique cadence of the Children of the Forest's language echoed through the hall, like listening to a song, bringing joy to everyone's hearts.
Brynden Rivers watched the old man, entangled by the roots, with a complex expression. This was his former body, and it carried the memories of the latter half of his life. Seeing his former flesh and blood greeting him felt very strange to Brynden Rivers.
Naksis was carefully examining the cave walls of the hall, studying the writings and murals left by the Children of the Forest. He had always been very interested in these things.
Mummy Joman was curiously sizing up the Three-Eyed Raven. He had heard of a Child of the Forest who had lived since ancient times beyond the Wall, but he had never seen them.
Mako said to the Three-Eyed Raven, "Our journey is finally coming to an end. The power here is getting weaker, and there's no way to protect you any longer. It's time to leave!"
The Three-Eyed Raven said to Mako with gratitude, "Lord Mako! Thank you very much for your help. Let's begin! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time! Moonstone! Are you ready to enter a new world?"
Moonstone nodded and slowly walked into the roots. These roots seemed to have a life of their own, slowly wrapping around Moonstone's body. In a moment, they had encased him, forming a tree-like being.
"Human, you are truly amazing! Why do I sense the aura of the gods within you? Which god are you an incarnation of? And why have I never seen you before?"
Just as Mako was observing the transformation ritual with his perception, a voice suddenly entered his ears.
He turned his gaze around, but saw no one speaking to him. So, he thoughtfully shifted his gaze to the throne.
"Ever since the Green Seer met you, he's been telling me about your wonders, even saying you've changed the future! Now it seems, you truly have the ability to accomplish this!"
Seeing Mako looking at the throne, the voice appeared in Mako's ears once more.
"Are you this Weirwood?"
Mako asked in surprise. This was likely the first native extraordinary being he had encountered in this world. He just didn't know what kind of existence it was.
Swish!
Mako's vision suddenly went black, and his consciousness was instantly pulled into a verdant space. However, the space here seemed unstable, with everything around him twisting, as if it would shatter at any moment.
At this moment, a beautiful woman, entwined with vines, stood quietly before Mako. She was looking at him curiously, her eyes sparkling with golden-green light.
Her emerald curls cascaded loosely over her shoulders, exhibiting a unique charm. Her snow-white skin was dazzling, completely unhindered by the vines, and her perfect figure drew the eye, causing one to sink into it unconsciously. This was a beauty of nature, breathtaking and enchanting!
"Human, hello! I am one of the incarnations of the Twelve Gods. You can call me Greenheart. It's nice to meet you! Is this how I'm supposed to speak?"
The mysterious woman, calling herself "Greenheart," said to Mako, her tone somewhat awkward, as if speaking like this for the first time. This sentence pulled Mako back from being mesmerized by her exquisite face.
Her slight smile and shyness made him feel like a spring breeze, like an older sister next door, allowing Mako to converse with her calmly.
After steadying himself, Mako asked, somewhat strangely, "You! Or rather, 'you all,' what do you want with me?"
Meanwhile, at the periphery of the distorted space were towering figures. Their forms were varied and unfathomable, seemingly the product of some special existence.
It was clear these beings held no ill will towards Mako; otherwise, they would have likely already attacked. He could sense the energy fluctuations emanating from these powerful entities.
As he had suspected, these mysterious beings in this world were likely situated in a certain dimension or space, unable to directly interfere with this world. They could only exert influence through believers and magical creatures like the Children of the Forest.
This also explained why the Lord of Light's divine revelations were often misinterpreted by believers. Humans, unlike the Children of the Forest, couldn't store massive amounts of life energy within their bodies. The few reliable priests were several hundred years old, yet even then, they still couldn't comprehend the gods' revelations!
"From now on, the believers under our command will assist you in completing the transformation of this world. We once believed that the stone that fell from the sky would bring us change, but we were wrong. It was the beginning of all disasters!"
Greenheart's words reached Mako's ears, filled with helplessness and regret. It seemed they had experienced many things.
A mournful atmosphere permeated the entire space. The divine wills surrounding them seemed to be grieving, as if everything in this space was saddened by this event.
Mako nodded and said,
"So, what do you require? You don't seem to be the kind of gods who need faith for support. What is your purpose in helping me?"
Greenheart said softly, "We, like you, wish for this world to become stronger. We are one with this world. Unlike the gods of humans, we do not need to fight for faith. What we need is peace and stability, so that we can survive better!
Your purpose is to conquer and change this world, which does not conflict with us. On the contrary, you have been adhering to the cyclical rules of the world, and you have not, like other humans, blindly ask everything of us. This is also the reason why we want to cooperate with you. Our believers have been granted endless life, which has also caused them to lose the motivation to keep moving forward, while the humans of the First Age were too greedy, using our power wantonly. Perhaps you are the last hope!"
After hearing Greenheart's words, Mako fell silent. In Mako's opinion, the Old Gods of the North were more like gods. They would consider their believers and seek a way out for them.
Regardless of whether they were telling the truth or not, or what their purpose was, they had already shown their sincerity. Mako was naturally happy to agree to their request. After all, it wouldn't cost him anything, nor would he have to bear any obligations. Why not?
So he said seriously to the many phantom gods around him, "I accept your help. In return, I will not force my people to believe in other gods. They can still serve you, and the Weirwoods will not be destroyed. I promise you!"
As soon as Mako finished speaking, a wave of joyful and cheerful emotions spread throughout the space, and Mako also smiled happily. Greenheart turned into a golden-green light and flew in front of Mako. The two looked at each other. Just as Mako was wondering, Greenheart kissed Mako's lips.
Then, she disappeared from Mako's sight, and Mako stood there in a daze, his figure slowly disappearing from the spot.
After a while, in front of the Three-Eyed Raven's throne of vines, Mako slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden-green light passed through his eyes, and then he saw a completely different world.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received the blessing of the gods! You have obtained the special ability 'Vision of Nature,' granting the Host the power to glimpse the source!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 'Vision of Nature.' This ability is identical to the Dark Elves' spellcasters' 'Elemental Vision,' allowing you to perceive the flow of magic and attributes!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have been recognized by the Old Gods. You are completely acknowledged by this world, and the world's consciousness will provide you with some assistance!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the hidden quest, 'Taking Root.' You have fully gained the world's recognition. Rewards: 20,000 Gold, 30 Wood, 30 Ore, 20 Crystal, 20 Mercury, 20 Gemstones, 20 Sulfur."
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received a gift from the Old Gods. You have obtained a magical creature native to this world, 1 Dragon Egg. (It is a gift from the human Brynden Rivers to the gods.)"
A series of system notifications stunned Mako, freezing him in place. His eyes involuntarily drifted towards the Three-Eyed Raven's throne, but he was quickly drawn to the magical energy emanating from the Three-Eyed Raven.
At that moment, waves of golden-green energy surged from the Three-Eyed Raven's body. They were dazzling and full of life, but beneath this vitality, there was a hint of dark, cold black energy. It seemed to have merged with the Three-Eyed Raven, inseparable.
Mako's gaze continued to focus, and he saw the essence of this dark energy. They were composed of wailing souls, constantly devouring and killing, only to be consumed by a more powerful being. Then, they were annihilated by the golden-green energy, and these annihilated energies would then parasitize the golden-green energy, repeating the cycle, always existing!
At this moment, the golden-green energy was flowing through the roots of the Weirwood trees and into Moonstone's body, strengthening the weak energy within him bit by bit. It seemed they were already halfway through the process.
Intrigued, Mako turned his gaze towards his own body. He could finally see the magic flowing within him. It was a transparent, liquid substance that constantly circulated throughout his body, occasionally flowing out and spreading outwards. Mako was like a lightbulb, radiating his "light" in all directions, and this energy was gradually being absorbed by the surroundings.
This energy acted as a catalyst, causing the life energy contained within the surrounding objects to become active, especially the roots of the Weirwood trees. Under the catalysis of the magic energy, they seemed to become more vibrant, although this change was currently subtle, only noticeable to Mako.
Suppressing his excitement, Mako retracted his gaze and nodded in satisfaction. With this ability, his magic revival plan could finally be put on the agenda. "Vision of Nature" was truly a god-tier ability. With an understanding of how magic worked, wouldn't the revival of magic be within reach?
After Mako had sorted out his ability, the Three-Eyed Raven completed the transformation ritual. Moonstone, or rather, the Three-Eyed Raven, slowly opened his eyes, and the tree roots behind him gradually retracted. He stretched his limbs slightly and said respectfully to Mako:
"My Lord Mako! I am truly grateful for your help. Moonstone is truly talented and the most suitable successor. Thank you!"
Just then, a frantic and arrogant voice suddenly entered everyone's ears.
"You ants! One day you..." (Male voice)
"Will become the playthings of the Father God, he will take your souls..." (Old man's voice)
"Into a world where all is one..." (Young girl's voice)
"The Father God is the greatest of gods, his love for all people is the truest love..." (Girl's voice)
"There will be no more strife in the future, no more pain..."