I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

Chen Lun silently recited the honorable name of the Lady of the Holy Tree in his heart.

Immediately, he felt a gaze from a distant end cast upon him.

'Mother Nature's favor...'

Chen Lun was both surprised and delighted.

To gain favor from such a high-level being was a rare event. Except for the most outstanding believers of various churches and a very few zealots who had this privilege, ordinary believers wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

And he secretly guessed that he had this honor probably because he was favored by Cat God Maggie, even though he was neither a Transcendent of the natural pathways nor a member of the Naturalist Sect.

"Thank you for your gift."

Chen Lun bowed respectfully, speaking in a deep tone.

This phrase was directed both to Lady Moose and to Mother Nature, who had noticed him.

"You may leave now, Jack."

Lady Moose nodded and gestured with her hand.

"When the time is right in the future, you can come here again... Since ancient times, Destiny, Nature, and Magic have been one, cooperating and promoting each other's development... Then you will understand what I am saying to you today."

"Yes, Lady Moose."

Chen Lun nodded in response, his face pensive.

Immediately, he bowed again to the woman on the vine throne and turned to leave.

'Nature and Magic, adjacent to Destiny... Does Lady Moose mean that in the past eras, Transcendents of these three pathways were not only not enemies, but also stood on the same front? According to the third law of Transcendence, the Supernatural Asymmetry Law, to journey on the path of the Gods and be stronger than ordinary people, one must continuously delve into Supernatural Knowledge of adjacent pathways to achieve spiraling ascension.'

Chen Lun pondered as he stepped out of the "Heart of the Holy Tree" sanctuary.

Outside, Golian stepped forward quickly, waiting for him.

"Mr. Jack, the Saintess has sent a message, saying she can personally take you to the Augusta Mountains to meet the hermit Fleurette of Meteor Tower."

Chen Lun was somewhat surprised, but then nodded immediately.

"If that's the case, then we would be grateful for Her Majesty the Saintess's trouble."

*

*

*

A moment later.

Chen Lun followed Golian and the Holy Tree Guardian down the spiraling staircase to the ground. Saintess Lutina had already changed her attire and was waiting at the entrance of the sanctuary.

Her original white filigree robe had disappeared, replaced by a brisk deep yellow trench coat, paired with a wide-brimmed cowboy hat and knee-high leather boots, making her look like a professional Hunter who frequently travels to the frontier.

"Jack, since you have already met Lady Moose, let us be on our way."

Lutina spoke with a light chuckle.

She gently stroked her golden hair and patted Noah, who was a head shorter next to her, on the shoulder.

"After your matters are dealt with, we shall proceed to the Royal City together, how do you find that?"

"It is entirely as Her Majesty the Saintess wishes."

Chen Lun spoke very respectfully.

Having a high-ranking individual accompany him, he was more than pleased.

Lutina nodded, a graceful smile on her face, hands slipped into the pockets of her trench coat, and she turned to walk behind the Holy Tree.

"Follow me... It would take several days to cross the forest by foot to the Augusta Mountains, but actually we can take a shortcut."

Chen Lun, along with Noah and Anton, followed behind the Saintess.

This time, Olga and Golian did not follow, as Lutina had informed them earlier, indicating no need for a send-off.

Just like on the way here, Lutina led Chen Lun and the others into a large tree hole and down into the underground. In the pale blue tree root space, illuminated by the glow of fungi, Lutina tilted her head slightly and explained to Chen Lun:

"The roots of the Holy Tree stretch across the entire Kellettville Forest, and many of the colossal trees that appear normal are actually roots sprouting from the ground… Therefore, within the forest, there is almost nothing that can escape our perception."

"No wonder Priest Olga could easily find me."

Chen Lun raised an eyebrow, realizing it suddenly.

He inwardly marveled that in Kellettville Forest, the Naturalist Sect certainly held absolute home-ground advantage... It was no wonder the Empire only banned them from preaching within its territory instead of expelling or suppressing them.

It was not that the officials didn't want to, but that they couldn't.

The influence of the Naturalist Sect was entirely comparable to any Righteous God Church, and with the home-ground advantage, they even surpassed it!

The group traveled for most of the day through the underground root tunnels, and suddenly Lutina stopped, pointing to the furthest right of three diverging paths ahead.

"Here we are... Exiting here, we will be at the northern edge of the Kellettville Forest, and you can clearly see the Augusta Mountains."

All along, Chen Lun was amazed at how Lutina's choices were always spot-on, without any deviation, as if she memorized the entire "underground network".

"Thank you for leading the way, Her Majesty the Saintess."

Chen Lun said.

Lutina gave him a glance with a light laugh.

"Actually, you can just call me Lutina. I prefer that name over 'Saintess.'"

Seeing this, Chen Lun was quite tactful in his reply:

"Thank you, Miss Lutina,"

"You're welcome,"

The Saintess replied with a sweet smile.

She led the way out of the tree hollow, with Chen Lun and the others following close behind.

Just as Lutina had said, this area was on the edge of Kellettville Forest; the view was no longer obstructed by dense, towering trees and was quite open.

The Sun's rays, piercing through the clouds, bathed the world in a golden hue, creating a breathtaking scene. An ancient mountain range lay in the distance, but curiously, Chen Lun saw no sign of any buildings.

"See that highest peak?"

Lutina, sensing Chen Lun's puzzled expression, smiled and pointed toward the northwest of the Augusta Mountains.

Chen Lun followed the direction of her pointing finger, indeed there was one peak that was noticeably higher, yet its summit was flat with even some indentations around its edges.

"That is the Augusta Volcano Crater, an active volcano that has erupted three times since the Fifth Era... However, the most recent eruption dates back over six hundred years,"

Lutina explained softly.

"And the location of Meteor Tower is hidden beneath the crater, if not for the hermit Fleurette intervening, the previous eruptions would have been enough to obliterate Kellettville Forest... So, he is not only a friend of the Naturalist Sect but also a lifesaver for the inhabitants of the Empire's Northern Territory."

"So there's such a backstory..."

Chen Lun raised an eyebrow.

"Hermit Fleurette not only possesses great strength but his integrity is also of the highest standard, he is truly a respectable figure,"

From Lutina's brief introduction, Chen Lun could already sketch a rough image of a great person dedicated to peace… The reason he chose to live in the solitude of the Augusta Mountains wasn't merely due to its remote location, but perhaps also because of the need to suppress the volcano.

Lutina nodded in agreement and then slowly continued,

"Let's go, we have several hours of journey ahead. We aim to reach Meteor Tower before the Sun sets."

Chen Lun nodded in agreement.

Noah and Anton rarely spoke, they followed the leader quietly, like two well-behaved and sensible followers.

However, Anton kept looking all around, curious about everything along the way, while Noah, upon encountering some beautiful scenery, would stop to appreciate it, seemingly eager to etch the images into his mind to paint them later during his free time.

In the evening,

The setting Sun dyed the clouds and the sky red, turning all visible things into shades of crimson. Chen Lun and his party had already climbed up the Augusta Mountains, drawing increasingly closer to the volcano crater.

This area was quite barren; although the vegetation was lush, there were hardly any traces of wildlife, let alone people.

Soon, Chen Lun followed Lutina onto a giant rock at the highest point.

The rocks underfoot were deep black, their surfaces pitted and uneven.

Chen Lun recognized at a glance that it was a piece of obsidian, a type of volcanic crystallization, so Lutina's claim that this was an active volcano was likely no falsehood.

The space ahead was vast, hundreds of meters in diameter. Black crystals covered the rock walls below their vantage point, and a hot air current billowed from the seemingly bottomless crater.

Some forty to fifty meters below their feet, an ancient tower, pale yellow in color, stood tall. Its outer walls were covered with smoke stains, and around its base sprouted numerous red and blue crystalline growths.

"That's Meteor Tower."

Lutina looked down at the tower and spoke softly.

"Go ahead, I'll wait here for you,"

Chen Lun nodded, thanked her, and asked Noah and Anton to stay behind as he himself leapt down.

Meeting the heatwave head-on, he performed an 'Aerial Walk,' elegantly landing at the entrance of Meteor Tower. He stepped forward and knocked on the thick, material-unknown door.

Thud, thud.

After a while,

Apart from the faint howling of the wind from the Abyss beside him, there was no response from inside the Meteor Tower.

Chen Lun furrowed his brows and knocked again.

At the same time, he respectfully said,

"Respected Miss Fleurette, my name is Jack Spett, and I have been fortunate to acquire a set of 'Carmen's Notes,' which has benefited me immensely... Mr. Carmen mentioned in his notes that he hopes I could personally deliver this set to you."

He took out three copies of "Carmen's Notes" as well as a letter from Lady Elk.

"In addition, Lady Elk of the Naturalist Sect has entrusted me to deliver a letter to you."

A few breaths later,

The thick door in front of him suddenly creaked, opening slightly.

"Pass the items through."

A languid, mature female voice came from within the Meteor Tower.

Chen Lun was slightly startled, then he breathed a sigh of relief and handed the notes and letter through the crack in the door. It could have been an illusion, but he felt a cold, stiff hand taking the items from him, and a dim blue flicker disappeared in the gap.

The inside of Meteor Tower fell silent once more.

Just as Chen Lun was uncertain whether to keep waiting or to turn and leave, the door fully opened.

Creak, creak, creak...

"Come in,"

The languid female voice beckoned again.

Chen Lun took a deep breath, stepped forward, and walked into Meteor Tower.