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Medieval Black Death

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Experience Space

Forseti found himself in the experience space. The scene around him was an ancient square with numerous steps, occasionally revealing ruins. Dominating the view was the infamous Doomhammer of Azeroth.

Before him stood a treant, its branches lush and massive, towering like a tall building.

Among all the bosses Forseti had encountered in the experience space, including Ragnaros and Archimonde, Teddis Twisted Wood was undoubtedly the largest.

Despite its imposing size, Teddis Twisted Wood's strength was not commensurate. It stood alone as a fifth-level boss, hardly a challenge for Forseti today.

Forseti circled the treant twice, akin to observing a giant panda, before ascending to its crown and gripping its branches with both hands.

"Boom--"

Fiery flames surged from Forseti's hands, engulfing Teddis Twisted Wood in a conflagration that blazed skyward.

After a moment, Teddis Twisted Wood vanished into thin air amidst the flames, leaving behind a loot drop.

Bending down to examine the drop, Forseti couldn't help but be surprised.

Among the loot dropped by Teddis Twisted Wood were two items, each unexpected.

Soulmark: Guardian of the Ancient Tree

Description: Imprints a tree's seeds or saplings with the soul of the guardian ancient tree, allowing them to grow into such a guardian.

This marked the second time Forseti had encountered a soul imprint, a unique attribute of guardian ancient trees.

Considering the existence of a guardian ancient tree, Forseti wondered if there might also be an ancient tree of life or war... It left him contemplating.

The second item dropped by Teddis Twisted Wood was equally unique.

Book of Experience: Lord Gordok

Type: Boss

Level: Level 7

King Gordok, the ogre king of Dire Maul, left Forseti speechless. He hadn't anticipated this boss to be rated at level seven.

What in the world?

Clearly a boss that could be soloed, yet it was rated as level seven?

According to the standards of the holy deeds, King Gordok shouldn't possibly be classified as a level seven boss. Forseti carefully read through the instructions and quickly found the explanation.

Explanation: ...Do not kill any ogres other than Lord Gordok, or you will lose the ogre tribute.

Ogre tribute?

Forseti suddenly realized that in World of Warcraft, becoming the ogre king of Dire Maul by killing King Gordok would earn him the ogre tribute.

The fewer ogres he kills, the richer the tribute when he becomes king. However, the rules in Sanctuary have clearly been altered to require only Gordok's death, or the tribute will be canceled outright.

From this perspective, the challenge Forseti faces likely involves more than just King Gordok alone; it's probably a group of ogres.

Forseti contemplated this and decided to venture in to inspect. He entered the experience space of King Gordok.

The scene mirrored before him was reminiscent of Dire Maul.

Forseti glanced up and saw seven burly ogres standing in an ancient square before him.

Seven!

Three ogre guards—Moldar, Fingus, and Sly'Kik—along with Craig the Stomper, Krokas, Krush the Observer, and their king, Gordok the Great.

Seven majestic ogres stood in a neat formation, exuding a formidable presence.

Upon Forseti's arrival, they all turned to look at him, approaching with characteristic ogre laughter: "Uh haha..."

Seven bosses, and not a single one can be taken lightly. It's no wonder this challenge is rated level seven. Forseti even felt it wasn't an exaggeration to call it level 8.

To defeat these seven ogres, he estimated he'd need to attempt dozens of times before having any hope. It was definitely impossible for the time being.

With thoughts still on protecting the ancient tree, Forseti refrained from initiating a battle. He cast a glance and exited the experience space, then opened the holy deed to the page of the soul imprint: protecting the ancient tree, studying it for a moment.

Need a tree...

Coincidentally, Forseti had a variety of tree species on hand—seeds from the Thunder Tree's fruit.

Thinking quickly, he rummaged through boxes to find Thunder Tree seeds, long neglected and gathering dust.

Fortunately, his preservation methods had held. Despite centuries in storage, the seeds appeared intact—visually, at least.

Forseti withdrew a seed and placed it on the holy deed.

Dead species.

He swapped another seed and placed it on the holy deed again.

Dead species.

Frowning, he continued to test tree species, but each proved lifeless.

Not all were dead...

Forseti grew concerned. He hoped to use Thunder Tree seeds to bear the soul imprint protecting the ancient tree. Besides the Thunder Tree, he couldn't think of any other magical trees capable.

The World Tree was out of reach. Whether it existed as a genuine tree in the Nine Realms remained unclear.

Fortunately, perseverance paid off. After replacing hundreds of seeds, Forseti finally found a viable Thunder Tree seed.

Substitution rate: 77%.

Considering this, Forseti decided to test all Thunder Tree seeds in his possession.

One by one, he tested the seeds on the holy deed. After considerable effort, Forseti identified three live Thunder Tree seeds. The highest substitution rate among them was 83%, not stellar but acceptable.

Forseti intended to place a soul imprint on this seed when inspiration struck.

Why not attempt sanctification first?

Regardless of the seed's nature as a Thunder Tree, sanctification shouldn't consume too much time. With two additional seeds in reserve, any mishap could be rectified.

Forseti immediately cradled the Thunder Tree Seed in his palm, infusing it with holy light.

The process spanned half a month. Upon completion, the Thunder Tree seed had been sanctified. Forseti then placed the sanctified tree seed on the holy deed for identification.

Substitution rate: 153%.

Forseti was taken aback by the substantial improvement and promptly applied a soul imprint to this sacred tree seed without hesitation.

Having undergone sanctification and now imbued with the soul imprint of guardian ancient tree, the Thunder Tree species' appearance remained largely unchanged, similar to ordinary tree species.

Forseti strolled to the medicine garden.

"Buzz." Shilut, reclined beneath the Thunder Tree, waved to him, gripping a half-gnawed boulder.

Today, Shilut appeared even larger, standing over three meters tall with a waist circumference near three meters. He sprawled on the ground like a small hill.

Digging soil in a corner of the medicine garden, Forseti meticulously planted the Thunder Tree seed, lightly watering it, then awaiting its germination.

Born from holy light and thunder... Forseti wondered how the ancient guardian tree would eventually appear.

"Buzz?" Shilut approached, curiosity adorning his face.

Forseti patted him. "Guard the ancient tree's seeds; keep watch in the garden as usual."

"Om." Shilut nodded.

Forseti lingered in the medicine garden, his attention gradually fixating on the Thunder Tree, evoking memories.

In bygone days, he and Hela often held barbecues beneath this tree. Observing it now, memories flooded his mind.

Where had Hela gone? Was she contemplating a return...

Forseti sighed, a touch of melancholy in his voice.

After a while, Heimdall's voice echoed. "Forseti, been occupied lately?"

"What ?"

"An intense plague recently erupted in Midgard, devastating northern Europe. People, dying or wounded, frequently invoke our names."

"This plague appears human-caused. I've reported to Your Majesty; I hope you'll investigate." Hermond said.

"Agreed." Forseti nodded. "Summon Ander to accompany me."

It was the fourteenth century, and the plague ravaging Europe—the Black Death—loomed large.

Leaving home, Forseti arrived at the Rainbow Bridge teleportation hall. Ander appeared almost simultaneously.

"Heimdallr, have they found the culprit?" Ander inquired.

"You mean Harrokin?" Hermond sighed. "No, let's not revisit that."

Harrokin's murder of Haldo had stirred Asgard profoundly—not just the incident but Harrokin's inexplicable disappearance post-murder, as if evaporated from existence.

Heimdall had searched extensively but in vain, the case weighing heavily on his heart.

Lorelei, implicated, was sentenced to a thousand years in prison.

"Tell me about the Midgard plague, Heimdall," Forseti requested.

Heimdall nodded. "The plague, dubbed the Black Death by Midgardians, has claimed millions, a dire tragedy. Based on my recent findings, it seems artificially created; its perpetrators likely lurk somewhere in Western Europe."