Morning.
Ron forced himself out of bed.
As usual, he did his morning training, took a bath, and had breakfast.
Unlike usual, the moment Nora saw Ron, her face flushed red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
At times like this, Yuna would stand nearby, trying hard not to laugh while throwing Ron a look that clearly said, "You pervert."
Sylvie also skipped her morning prayers.
She had transferred several priests and nuns from the church and was now instructing them to prepare everything Ron would need for his trip to the Royal Capital.
Ron, as always, finished breakfast and went into the study to read or craft a few Legendary Kill cards to pass the time.
It wasn't until around nine o'clock that he checked the time, confirmed it, and rose from his seat to leave the study.
"Your Highness Ron, where are you going?" Sylvie stood up from the sofa in the living room and followed him.
"To the Divine Tree in the eastern part of the city."
East City.
Back when Ron was assassinated, before the assassin even had a chance to strike, the badge's passive skill, Vital Bloom, had turned him into a giant tree.
Because Ron had publicly claimed it was divine punishment from the Goddess of Harvest, all the shops along this street near the Divine Tree had been purchased by the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and converted into simple prayer houses.
Upon hearing the news, believers from all over came to worship and pray.
Even followers from the Northern and Western regions had traveled long distances to get here.
Relying on the Divine Tree, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest in the City of Chaos had made quite a fortune.
The once aging church had been renovated to look brand new, and Bishop Morris now wore far more smiles on his face.
But none of that had much to do with Ron.
Other than attending regular prayers every weekend, he never interfered in the church's internal affairs despite his status as the goddess's Chosen One.
As for matters concerning the Divine Tree, he simply took his share as agreed and didn't take advantage of the church.
A cold wind sweeping down from the north slipped through the carriage window, carrying scattered snowflakes with it.
A thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the road, only to be crushed into dirty slush by passing carriages and pedestrians—an unsightly mess.
"If this were the Royal Capital or a city even farther north, the city would probably already be sealed in by heavy snow by now, right?" Ron stretched his hand out the window, catching a few snowflakes and watching them slowly melt in his palm.
"Yes." Sylvie nodded. "At Twilight Snow Pass, the northernmost stronghold of the Empire, the snow is probably already as tall as a person. In the Royal Capital, it should be just enough to bury a foot."
"Then I'm looking forward to it." Ron leaned back comfortably in the carriage. "That's one more reason to visit the Royal Capital."
The carriage stopped at the entrance to the street where the Divine Tree stood.
Ron and Sylvie stepped down and walked inside.
Their boots crunched softly against the snow-covered street.
Seeing that only a handful of people were gathered before the Divine Tree, Ron nodded in satisfaction.
He had chosen this time deliberately.
It was Thursday, just past nine in the morning. Most commoners were busy working at this hour; only nobles would have nothing to do.
And the Church of the Goddess of Harvest had very few noble followers.
So at this time of day, aside from a few devout believers who had traveled from afar, there wouldn't be many people.
Ron entered one of the prayer houses on the street. Upon seeing him, a priest quickly rose and hurried over, bowing in greeting.
"Your Highness Ron."
Ron drew the symbol of a sheaf of grain over his chest in return and said, "This morning, I received a divine decree from the Goddess. I must perform a blessing for the Divine Tree. Please have the believers temporarily keep their distance and refrain from approaching it."
The priest froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. "Yes, yes, of course. I'll have someone ask them to step away immediately."
"Mind your tone," Ron reminded him. "If anyone is unwilling to leave, simply invite them into the prayer house to sit for a while. The blessing won't take long. It won't delay their prayers."
"I understand."
The priest hurried off to call for help.
Sylvie tilted her head curiously. "A divine decree from the Goddess?"
"Yes." Ron had used the goddess's name to get things done more than once. Even under Sylvie's questioning, he remained perfectly composed.
A trace of envy flickered in Sylvie's eyes. She was deeply curious about how the Goddess transmitted her decrees.
Those favored by the divine were truly enviable—able to communicate directly with the Goddess. It was something countless believers dreamed of their entire lives.
Ron waited in the prayer house for a short while.
Soon, the already few believers were invited inside.
None of them was willing to sit down. They stood by the doorway instead, gazing toward the Divine Tree, hoping to witness the entire blessing.
Ron rose and walked out of the prayer house to the fence surrounding the Divine Tree.
The priest respectfully opened the gate for him, allowing Ron to step beneath the tree's shade.
He stood before the Divine Tree, its trunk so thick that three people would be needed to encircle it, and looked up. His gaze grew slightly distant.
Come to think of it, he hadn't been here in over half a month.
The Divine Tree had grown even more luxuriant. Though only a little over ten meters tall, its trunk and branches were thick and sturdy, and each leaf was as large as a human face, brimming with vitality.
The human face left on the trunk by the assassin back then was no longer visible.
It was like someone gaining weight and losing their abdominal definition in the process.
Ron shook off the thought. Standing before the tree, he made a show of drawing the sheaf of grain symbol over his chest and silently activated the divine mark between his brows, making everything look convincingly ceremonial.
Then—
He took out a piece of Emerald Cypress.
The moment the Emerald Cypress emerged from his [Backpack], it was as if it had spotted a peerless beauty. Without hesitation, it twisted and lunged toward the spot where the assassin's face had once been.
Its tendrils pierced into the bark of the Divine Tree one by one.
The two quickly entwined together.
From a distance, the believers only sensed a flicker of shadow before everything returned to stillness.
Because they were far away—and because Emerald Cypress could assimilate its exterior to match the host plant's bark—no difference could be seen from afar.
Ron raised a hand and cast the Plant Manipulation Spell on the Emerald Cypress, allowing its bark to rapidly evolve into the same coloration as the Divine Tree's.
Only after the two were indistinguishable even at close range did Ron nod in satisfaction.
Earlier, he had tested all the plants provided by the system. Aside from the Puppet Tree, which had the honor of being favored by Emerald Cypress, none of the others had caught its interest.
So Ron thought of the Divine Tree in East City.
In essence, this Divine Tree—born from the badge's passive skill—could also be considered something created by the system.
Now that he had brought Emerald Cypress to try it out, the two proved to be remarkably compatible.
Unfortunately, he couldn't bring the Divine Tree into the breeding space. He could only let it slowly merge and grow together with Scalevine here.
He was only a Tier 2 mage at the moment. A small Plant Manipulation Spell was nowhere near enough to satisfy such a massive Divine Tree.
If relying solely on Emerald Cypress to gradually transform the Divine Tree into an Emerald Cypress Hybrid, it would probably take several months before any noticeable effect appeared.
Hopefully, when he returned from the Royal Capital, he would see some changes.
By then, the scale leaves produced by the Divine Tree would likely have even stronger healing effects.