After a long escape, resistance, and fighting, the Forest Master still couldn’t evade disaster, and humans found its final hiding place and subdued it.
The true form of the Forest Master knelt in the icy tundra of the Polar Scientific Research Station, secured within the site funded by the Northern Military Industry. Its head was buried in its dry front paws, its body covered with heavy ice and snow, resembling a pale coffin.
Every day, four times, an excessive amount of sedatives and nutrient solution were injected into this ancient being. An open wound on its abdomen connected to a huge extraction machine collected the essence of life force from the Forest Master, an essence that encompassed the nature of life force and demigod power, potent enough to heal any severe injury and complex illness.
Large shuttle machines constantly traveled between the research station and the military base five kilometers away, transporting personnel and materials. The base was equipped with an armory, an automated military factory, a shuttle aviation station, and multiple fire support platforms, with short- and medium-range missiles and high-frequency electromagnetic beam weapons, as well as reality proof code verifiers, to detect the influence of Reality Manipulators on the station and base, reinforcing various defense measures, allowing the Northern Military Industry to develop the Forest Master without disturbances.
In these times of continuous economic decline, profiting from ancient beings still remained a surefire business.
They even intentionally released information about the Forest Master on the internet, luring its followers to attempt a rescue and then killing them all, weakening the Forest Master’s Secret Ritual Group.
Because of these torments, the Forest Master yearned for freedom even more desperately.
"...I can give you everything..." the Forest Master whispered through the Golden Branch to Farosa, "But... when? When will it be?"
"Within three months," Farosa said, "I promise you, within three months, Zenith Yan Duo will be released and then sent northward."
"How dare you?" the Forest Master was immensely troubled.
"There’s something I hope you understand. I am capable of doing much more than you imagine."
"My request is so simple," the Forest Master whispered, "Peace. But humans will not grant it, and even by your side, you will not provide me with the peace I seek."
"No, I will give you peace, everlasting peace," Farosa said.
"...That would be best," the Forest Master responded.
To be tormented for three more months... just to be freed from the endless bondages and pain.
Perhaps Farosa could do it. A thousand years ago, she quickly climbed to a high position in the divine Church through her cunning, grace, and lies, making her the most suitable candidate to assassinate a deity. Since then, the Forest Master had been observing her and secretly guided her escape.
The Forest Master didn’t want to bring up the favor from the past, knowing Farosa’s nature was extremely evil. But it did not regret once showing favor to such a Witch. After all, times had changed, and now she had the opportunity to lend a hand.
The Forest Master, Zenith Yan Duo, and Farosa, no matter what, would form a mystical alliance that was difficult to break.
"There is indeed my Secret Ritual Group in Aizu City," the Forest Master uttered in a suppressed breath, like crumpling a thick stack of paper, "Deep in Number 26 Highland, in the Iwaki Abandoned Apartment Complex, Building B7, their belief turns into Dewdrops there."
"Understood, thank you for the information," Farosa nodded, "I will make sure they die a swift death."
Dewdrops are the crystallization of belief, nurtured by the locals, by now they should have developed fine quality.
By killing all of the Forest Master’s followers, the impurities of belief within the Dewdrops could be gradually removed. If Farosa absorbed them properly, she could turn the divine power in the Dewdrops into her own, taking her great power to the next level.
The thorns and brambles on the Golden Branch receded, the sap dried up, and the Forest Master thus severed the connection, and Farosa knew that maintaining such communication for so long was a miracle. After being in the cold and arid extremes of the north for so long, any tree would have died, yet the Forest Master continued to stand strong.
Farosa held the no-longer-glowing Golden Branch in her hand.
They were harvested from what was once a lush golden forest, a sacred place deep within the woods of the Taixi Continent. However, with the expansion of industrialization and urbanization, the trees had been leveled, leaving Golden Branches scattered around the world.
After the communication was complete, Farosa arranged her next steps in the plan.
The road to Ascension required utmost caution...
The "essence of a god" and the "appearance of a god" were both critical. The essence was divine power, whereas the appearance was the collective imagination of the followers towards the New God, forming the outer shell of a deity.
The greedy gods forged ancient thrones and claimed them for themselves, monopolizing divine authority and leaving the ambitious to only sigh in longing from behind the annals of history, watching witches and humans vie for the rise and fall of power.
To enhance one’s strength, consuming the flesh of gods naturally proved useful. That piece in the Suzuki Spring Family Shrine, after all, was only a small fraction of the divine beings’ once massive mass. Luckily, a number of Ocean Descendants had now been domesticated near the industrial park, their bodies carrying remnants of Divine Power. They had effectively become like a breeding farm, ready to be divided and eaten once they were sufficiently nourished and robust.
Following the Witch Wars, the company dismantled all churches, essentially destroying all the remnants of gods within to prevent witches from gaining promotion through contact with the divine. However, Farosa knew that there must still be some churches left in Taixi Continent; surely there were sympathizers among the company, or those who wished to use the gods for their own purposes.
Should the Iris Group, transformed from the Cardo Royal Family and its descendants, remember their debt of gratitude, it might be possible to make contact and utilize their resources to search for church locations. Farosa mused. Alas, humans were often fickle, and one still needed to prepare sufficient sincerity to move them, as when dealing with the Forest Master.
Moreover, there was the collection of Dewdrops for ingestion, as well as establishing her own Secret Ritual Group, to conduct round after round of Ascending God Ceremonies, eliminating the perishable parts of Farosa.
Only by becoming a lesser deity herself could she suppress the ancient god now ingested within her body, which at every moment buzzed and clamored, demanding her constant, extraordinary effort to control. If not for Farosa’s astonishing willpower and patience, she would surely have fallen into madness.
Power and wisdom—these were Farosa’s greatest desires. She looked indifferently upon the various events of the past thousand years, including the current chaos of society, readying her entire being to pursue powerful, unique prestige.
Farosa arrived at Xu Yang’s office, where he was planning the future.
"Now, with the help of the Golden Branch, we can even grow crops in the darkest, lightless places," she handed the Golden Branch to Xu Yang, "It’s a vessel of Divine Power, not like other plants that are weak; it doesn’t need light and can emit power on its own."
"With this, the Ratmen underground will be able to see the light," Xu Yang secured the Golden Branch, "After freeing themselves from hunger, the next steps are promoting education and hygiene."
"You really are interested in those ant-like creatures," Farosa leaned over Xu Yang from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.
Xu Yang felt only softness, delicacy, and a fragrant scent.
"Don’t be so condescending; our fates are intertwined," Xu Yang said.
"What connection? Ants are ants," Farosa’s hands moved in front of Xu Yang from behind, covering his eyes, her voice lowered to a whisper by his ear, "Pour boiling water into their nest, and they will die en masse."
"You must have wondered about one thing," Xu Yang didn’t move, "The power of witches comes from the stars, so what do the stars signify?"
"I have never thought about that question."
"You said that the Four-Star Chart represents the positions of the stars, the gods, the witches, and humans. Meaning, even if as powerful as the gods, they too are under the canopy of numerous stars, and from such a height, both gods and witches seem as ordinary as ants."
"Yes," Farosa released her hands and supported Xu Yang’s shoulders from behind.
"So," Xu Yang turned around and drew her into his arms, "what we, the ’ant-like’ beings, need to do is to cooperate in building a fleet that can navigate the stars, instead of harming each other. You have to elevate your perspective to such heights to see a farther future."
"The stars are right there... so we must go," Farosa murmured, "But it will be tough, so you’re not allowed to leave me along the way."
"I’ve come to ask you for something," Farosa said, "a type of vehicle that can travel through the deep sea."
"We have it," Xu Yang said, "Shuttle Machines."
"Anonymous? It’s not big enough."
"No, another bigger one, it’s about to be delivered. Why the sudden interest in wandering the ocean depths?" Xu Yang switched to the order interface, with the cargo ship already at White Island’s Port, soon to be delivered.
During an earlier large purchasing period, Xu Yang had ordered a "King Class" large Shuttle Machine from Suvy Metals, a true war beast, which he bought for 5.8 million funds. Capable of carrying 20 people, twice that of Anonymous, it also came equipped with a slew of cannons and missiles, full of combat power. Although not a professional submarine, its maximum diving depth could reach 1,000 meters.
In the future, it would become a vital core of the Nestor Corporation’s combat system.
"Just a stroll in the sea," Farosa began unbuttoning her shirt, "I’ve said what I had to say. Now it’s time for official business."