With a wave of Daniel's hand, the seeds were planted into the soil and began to sprout slowly.
To the old man and his disciple Ryze, it was nothing short of a miracle.
It felt like a dream—one they never wanted to wake up from.
"Ryze, go… go check on the seeds," the old man said, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Yes, ntor," Ryze responded, inspecting the Tree of Origin seeds buried in the ground.
Under the nourishnt of the liquid from the forges, the seeds were bursting with vitality.
It felt as if they could break through the soil at any mont, growing into towering trees.
Daniel approached the old man and observed him quietly.
"You look like you're about to die."
"I am," the old man replied without hesitation.
For a long ti, the old man had been hovering on the brink of death, sustained only by a single, unyielding resolve.
Without that determination, he would likely have passed away long ago.
But now, he had t Daniel.
He had "seen" a glimr of hope for the world's salvation.
The crisis he had spent his life preparing for—the mission passed down through generations of oracles—was nearing resolution.
With that, his final thread of resolve was beginning to unravel.
Without it, the end of his life was near.
The old man understood this well. He knew his ti was short.
Hearing Daniel's blunt observation, he didn't shy away from the truth. Instead, he nodded and said calmly,
"Yes, my life has long been a flickering candle in the wind, soon to be extinguished. I won't live to see the day when the Tree of Origin restores the world, but that's fine. Ryze will witness it for ."
"We oracles have always passed our mission from one generation to the next. My ntor entrusted it to , and now I'll entrust it to Ryze. But I'm fortunate… fortunate to have t you before the end of my days."
At this point, the old man addressed Daniel with a tone of reverence.
Though blind, his heart was sharp.
Despite Daniel's youth, the strength he displayed left no doubt in the old man's mind that he deserved such respect.
Daniel recognized that the old man had co to terms with his fate and said no more.
...
After a mont of silence, the old man asked,
"Could I ask you for one favor?"
"What is it?" Daniel replied.
"I want Ryze to follow you."
"Why?"
"We oracles have always dread of seeing the individuals destroying this world punished, their sches shattered. I know you have the strength to make this happen, and I believe you will.
"So I want Ryze to follow you. Only by being at your side will he see more of the world, more of its possibilities."
The old man smiled, his expression serene.
Though his sight had been gone for many years, it seed as if, for the first ti, he could truly see the future.
"I can agree to that, but I won't force your disciple to follow . Whether or not he chooses to co is up to him," Daniel replied.
"I understand. I wouldn't impose such a burden on you. But I believe he will choose to follow you."
...
Daniel sought out Nina, who was playing with a group of bears.
"Headmaster, are we leaving?" Nina asked.
"No, we'll be staying here for a while—perhaps quite so ti," Daniel replied.
"What for?" Nina inquired.
"To save this dying world," Daniel said matter-of-factly.
Nina was stunned.
"To save… the world?"
"Yes."
"How are we going to do that?"
Daniel glanced at the seeds he had planted.
He needed to wait until the Trees of Origin in the small world had grown sufficiently before transplanting them into the main world.
Once that happened, those who sought to corrupt and destroy the world would be caught off guard.
Corrupt the world?
How dare they!
Daniel left the small world with Nina and the small bear.
Since the Trees of Origin were growing in the small world, there was no need for him to stay there constantly.
Compared to the barren plains, he preferred the liveliness of the outside world.
...
"Master."
Not long after leaving the small world, Ryze followed Daniel out.
"How is your ntor?" Daniel asked.
"He passed peacefully," Ryze replied, a trace of sadness in his expression.
However, he seed more composed than distraught.
Perhaps those like him had long accepted such inevitabilities.
"Did your ntor leave you with any final words?"
"Yes. ntor told to follow you," Ryze answered honestly.
"And what about you? What do you think? I don't force anyone to follow ," Daniel asked.
If Ryze chose to follow him solely out of obligation to his ntor, Daniel would rather let him go.
It would be better to clarify things now than to let Ryze suffer the burden of such a choice later.
"Actually, I want to follow you. I want to see the Trees of Origin take root in the world, to see it revived with my own eyes."
For generations, the oracles had strived for this mont.
Now, in Ryze's ti, the ancient mission was finally nearing completion.
It left him feeling lost—until his ntor's words awakened him.
If you don't know what to do, then go and see the world.
Following Daniel ant witnessing more than he ever imagined.
How many could casually produce hundreds of transparent forges, after all?
Ryze's decision was clear.
Daniel nodded and let the matter drop.
...
"The Grand Duke of Winterkeep Citadel…" Daniel said, briefly ntioning the man.
He rembered how Ryze had shown little regard for the Grand Duke, even though he was Ryze's father.
"Master, the Grand Duke is the nominal ruler of Winterrealm. In truth… my father holds that position because I beca an oracle's disciple," Ryze explained calmly.
Daniel understood.
"In that case, can you obtain so advanced techniques for fatecasters and bloodline warriors?"
With the Tree of Origin issue temporarily resolved, Daniel turned his attention back to his original purpose.
The resources provided by Dragonscale Bank were limited, and Ryze's influence in Winterrealm's royal family might grant him access to more useful materials.
"If that's what you need, I'll arrange for them to be delivered imdiately," Ryze said.
"Good. I want all the advanced techniques for both class systems. Also…" Daniel glanced at Sif.
"Provide her with ingredients daily so she can practice cooking."
"Understood."
For Ryze, these requests were hardly difficult.
...
"What about , Headmaster? You're reading, Sif's cooking, but what do I get to do?" Nina interjected, eager for a role.
"How long are we staying here?"
Daniel looked at her, montarily forgetting about her presence.
After calculating the growth ti of the Trees of Origin, he replied,
"We'll likely stay here for four or five years. You should focus on improving your level. By the ti we return to the academy, you might still be the weakest one."
"Don't worry, Headmaster! I'm working hard! Maybe I'll surpass Nora by then!" Nina declared confidently.
Daniel chuckled at her enthusiasm, saying nothing further.
Rose, Green, Reed, Nora…
I wonder how they're doing, he thought.
"Master," Ryze interrupted, "there are places in Winterrealm well-suited for training."
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