As soon as the Forest Guardians rooted themselves into the ground, their seven- to eight-meter-long arms began to shake. Within moments, the limbs transformed into branches, and leaves sprouted from both their heads and arms.
From a distance, they were indistinguishable from ordinary trees. The only clue was that these dozen "trees" all stood in clearings. Once other vegetation grew around them, they'd blend in perfectly.
Kristin, satisfied that the Forest Guardians were settled, dashed into the sanctuary and disappeared, leaving William standing there bored—until a strange voice echoed in his ears.
Startled, he immediately extended his spiritual awareness, scanning the nearby forest. But even after several sweeps, he detected no other intelligent life forms.
Just as he was about to send out probes, the World Tree swayed gently—drawing his attention. A warm and cheerful voice then echoed directly in his mind.
Wait a second—telepathy?
Surprised, William stared at the World Tree, then floated up to it and placed his palm against its massive trunk.
A voice echoed within his mind.
"I am Selia—the World Tree Selia. Thank you for helping me and the Elven race."
"You can already communicate?" William blinked in surprise.
"Not exactly, human…"
"Hold it right there," William cut in. "My name is William Devonshire—Grand Duke of England and the owner of this planet. Call me William."
"Very well, William," Selia responded warmly.
"As thanks for your help, I shall grant you three drops of Life Water every hundred years.
Each drop can extend one's life by a century and enhance their magical affinity."
"Well, thank you," William said with a grin.
This tree really was a shrewd old thing. First thing it did after waking up was start handing out bribes.
He could already guess what was coming next: Selia would say she was too weak, needed his protection, needed him to channel magic into her, and that he'd have to wait a hundred years for any return.
Like hell. In a hundred years, William planned to have toured half the major powers in the universe. A single drop of longevity water wouldn't even be worth his time.
"Don't thank me—thank Odin Borson. I didn't do this out of sentiment," he said bluntly.
"You've taken up residence on my land. Paying a little rent is only fair, right?"
"Y-Yes," Selia stammered. She hadn't expected William to be so direct.
A second later, Selia claimed fatigue from her awakening and abruptly ended the conversation.
William sneered. Did she really think a few sweet words and empty promises were enough to rope him in? He wasn't some naïve rookie.
Not long after, a wave of magical energy radiated from the Light Elf Sanctuary, forming a two-kilometer-wide glowing dome that shimmered briefly before vanishing into the forest—completely hidden.
Kristin came running out, beaming, and didn't even glance at William before embedding a glowing orb into the World Tree's trunk.
Immediately, William felt the surrounding magical energy freeze—like it had been locked in place.
Fury surged in his chest. Thankfully, he wasn't here for the tree; his true goal was still the Reality Stone in Odin's possession.
Snorting coldly, William's eyes glowed blue as he tapped into the power of the Space Stone. With just a thought, he began teleporting the remaining elf sprites from the magic town—one after another—directly into the forest.
Kristin turned to him, her expression as pale as if she'd seen the devil himself.
According to her inherited knowledge, the Magic Nullification Orb fused with the World Tree should prevent anyone from casting spells within a kilometer radius.
But William was still using magic—spatial magic, no less—to teleport everything and everyone.
And to drive his point home, William began dumping all the sprites' belongings into the sanctuary in a chaotic mess, stacking the entire place full of furniture, beds, and assorted trinkets.
Then, donning his Sentry Armor, he soared into the sky and began surveying the surrounding mountains.
"Sunday," he said calmly, "set up outposts in those ridgelines. Our priority is to protect the World Tree—but also to prevent the elves from expanding beyond the valley.
And I want constant monitoring. I don't care if it's just a breeze shaking Selia's branches—I want to know about it."
"Understood, Sir. Task created."
Smirking down at the World Tree, William scoffed.
This wasn't some purely magical world, and Selia wasn't an invincible being. If she were, the Dark Elves wouldn't have nearly wiped them out.
Just to be sure, he ordered Sunday to dispatch a 100-meter-class spacecraft, fully equipped with destructive weaponry, to patrol the planet's orbit 24/7.
The moment he gave the word, he wanted the entire valley leveled.
With that, William opened a portal and returned to the magic planet.
As soon as he left, Selia sighed. She knew Kristin had screwed up by activating the Anti-Magic Field without warning—completely offending William.
And now, Selia could sense a looming threat hanging over her and the elven race like the sword of Damocles.
Still, the elves were pacifists by nature, and with nearly a thousand square kilometers of forest, they had plenty of space to grow.
Perhaps—just perhaps—by the time William's contingency plans were ever triggered, centuries or even millennia would have passed. He might not even remember why he'd made them.
When William returned, he saw Thor standing nearby, scowling silently, still simmering with resentment.
Seeing William appear, Odin beamed. "All done over there?"
William nodded—then suddenly realized something.
If Heimdall couldn't see X17, then Odin would have to rely on William every single time he wanted to visit or return from the planet.
That was… inconvenient.
With a sly grin, William said, "Looks like Asgard might need a permanent diplomatic office in London. Otherwise, our communications and travel coordination will be a huge hassle."
"True," Odin agreed readily, relieved that William wasn't trying to exploit the situation.
But now he had to decide who to send to Earth.
After some thought, he made up his mind: Angela.
She had a complicated status in Asgard, and most didn't fully accept her. Odin also hadn't given up on matchmaking her with William.
So, when William saw Angela walking into his London estate a few days later, he realized with a groan that Odin wasn't the only one giving him a headache anymore.
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