Michael took Vedora and flew away from the village built on the trees. He came to a mountain cliff where he first appeared in this world. The forest glistened like a neon city with flocks of magical flying beasts decorating the sky in the distance under the starry sky. Looking at the mother tree in the distance, Michael told Vedora everything that had transpired in the castle. After listening to Michael's story, all three heads agreed that making a deal with the old woman was the right thing to do. Otherwise, Michael would be in a constant war in this world too. For a change, Michael wanted some peaceful time here. But he couldn't have peace with the Skyhall soldiers running around.

"Good thing we have drones and Spyders to spy on them when they are in the ash field," said Sarba.

"But we have to be careful. They know we will do that. Still, they are going for it. It could only mean one thing, they can hide whatever is there from our eyes," said Cain.

Time flew past as Michael discussed every aspect of their plan with Vedora. He had to say that it was a wonderful conversation. A while later, Michael tried to contact Gaya, but he couldn't connect to her. The system asked way too many badass points, which Michael outright rejected. Wherever Gaya was, he trusted her to handle herself well. Gradually, Michael felt the exhaustion getting to him as he fell down to take a long nap. He only remembered closing his eyes. By the time he opened them, he saw the sun rising on the horizon.

This morning he woke up the same as every day, stretching his muscles. Despite being in a different world, he got up, freshened up, and waltzed into the forest to take a calm morning walk. There was a gentle breeze, creating the single sound of rustling leaves. The leaves appeared as though they were dying to fall out of the tree and join their companions on the forest floor. Together with pine needles and other colorful flora, the leaves formed a thick, springy carpet for him to walk upon. A lazy mist hazed his vision, making the forest and the horizon seem like one from a storybook. The forest around him was imperturbable, as if it was keeping a secret hidden deep within itself. Walking underneath the shade of the trees, he found himself appreciating the scent of these new alien trees. Encompassed by the thick heavy air, he watched as a single bird that looked like a sparrow fluttered high above the cyan forest. A few feet next to him was an eager red-furred monkey hastily scampered from tree to tree, awaiting the chill of winter. The forest, he realized, was home to many magical creatures he had never seen in his life before. In giving protection and food, the forest was gladly rewarded with the company of these animals. The forest was pure and clean, as though it had never been disturbed by man and his vicious life-killing machines.

Luckily, the alchemy book he bought from the system included the wildlife in this world. Otherwise, Michael would have failed to tell the difference between a poisonous plant to a medicinal herb. Some of the glowing mushrooms seemed toxic as hell. Michael collected all of them one by one for future experiments. After mastering all the formulas that exist in the world, he was researching new potions and pills.

He had collected hundreds of herbs on his way to the village. When he arrived at the outskirts, Michael simply leaped into the air and landed right beside his throne. The villagers knelt down when they saw him,

"You do not have to kneel down every time you see me," said Michael. Their kneeling became quite tiring so quickly.

"Isn't this our duty, Dark Lord?" Kirat asked Michael as he shook his head.

"There is nothing more dangerous than having blind faith in someone, Kirat. You are not mindless creatures. Keep your faith and loyalty toward me in your heart. That's enough for me. I do not expect you all to kneel down every time you see me," said Michael. One of the many reasons Qin Jiu and the Skyhall were so hell-bent on killing him was how Qin Jiu witnessed a future where people had no free will. Contrary to what she saw, Michael wanted everyone in the world to be free. If the Skyhall and the Guardian Guild hadn't tried to kill him and imprison him, Michael's aim would have been just getting stronger and living his life to the fullest. In a way, they pushed him to be the Dark Lord. So every step of the way, Michael had been cautioned that he wouldn't turn into something Qin Jiu said he would. Besides, if he had accepted the wood elves behaving like robots, their individual traits and talents might not come to light. Exploring their talents was just as important as exploring this world to Michael.

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The wood elves reluctantly nodded and raised to their feet. Then, Michael lazily sat on his throne with his gaze fixed on Kirat.

"How's the wounded doing?" Michael asked the elder elf.

"They are alive thanks to you, Dark Lord," said Kirat.

"So, what's your day-to-day life like? What did you people do all day before they invaded your land?" Michael was curious to learn about their day-to-day life. They had no fancy cities, arch energy, and evil cultivators to disturb their daily life. So Michael wondered how they passed their time.

"Oh," The old elf's eyes lit up,

"We wake up, tend to the forest, teach the children our ways, collect fruits and vegetables from the forest, and send gifts to the nearby tribes. But most of our time is spent before your statue, praying and talking to you about our lives,"

"You can talk to me now. Tazkin," Michael turned his gaze toward Tazkin. He had a feeling this particular wood elf has something in his mind. Although Michael had a pretty good idea about it, he wanted to hear from Tazkin himself. The moment Michael gestured at Tazkin to step forward, Kirat's heart started to pound against his chest. Tazkin was one of the few elves who lost their faith in the Dark Lord after the demons invaded their world.

"Speak your mind, Tazkin. I am a cooler god than you think," Michael reassured the wood elf with a gentle smile.

Tazkin looked a bit reluctant at first but seeing everyone's gazes were fixed on him, he sighed and decided to ask the one question that kept him awake many nights.

"When the demons invaded us and slaughtered thousands of our people, we prayed to you nonstop. But what did we do not to deserve your kindness and mercy then, Dark Lord?"

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"Are you questioning our god, Tazkin?!" Kirat's face twitched when he saw Tazkin question, Michael. But Michael shut him up with a wave of his hand. The wood elves who heard Tazkin felt chill running down their spine. The Dark Lord they learned from the notes, was not a cooler god, as he said. In stark contrast, he was a vengeful one. Thilve trembled, but Michael calmed their nerves with a smile.

"Do you see these scars, Tazkin?" Michael asked Tazkin, pointing at countless scars riddling his body.

Tazkin nodded,

"I wasn't born with these scars, Tazkin. Each of them has a story to it. You are very wrong if you think gods have no enemies,"

Kirat's jaw dropped a bit when he heard the Dark Lord.

"There are many worlds out there, each more powerful and dangerous than yours. I am at war with the demons you fought here, but what you've seen is not even a fraction of their power or what they could do," The wood elves behind Tazkin gasped.

"Let me simplify this. Out there, each of them could use what you call magic. Some of them are as powerful as I am at this point. When you were fighting your war, I was fighting my own. But if I have to fight two wars at the same time for my people, I will gladly do it," Michael's words brought tears to many eyes. The wood elves sobbed, feeling the radiance from his words.

"First, I have to prepare you for the future before us. Like it or not, this is just a temporary peace, and we will fight them in the future,"

"And we will fight for you, Dark Lord," Thilve stepped forward and gave Michael her word.

"You have to. Not because I ask you to, but because if they win, the world we know will disappear forever,"

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Michael warned them. The world he saw a glimpse of was still haunting his dreams. There was no doubt in Michael's mind higher powers were working against him. For instance, the one the past Dark Lord warned him about, the one who would get stronger if he slaughtered the beasts in the demon's grave. Another example would be Mugashuko and the one Dark Queen he serves. She was not only a threat to his universe but to multiple universes. Any one of them could be the reason for the future Qin Jiu witness. One thing was certain in Michael's mind; he was not responsible for that world she saw.

Everything Tazkin and the wood elves thought about the Dark Lord changed in a blink of an eye. They never expected the all-mighty Dark Lord to have enemies who could challenge him. Nonetheless, their faith in the Dark Lord only increased after he explained why he hadn't answered their prayers, not the other way around.

"Now that I am here, I will give you something that will let you directly talk to me. You will be able to contact me whenever you want. This way, what happened wouldn't happen again," said Michael as the wood elves gasped in surprise.

"Did my words satisfy you, Tazkin?" Michael asked the wood elf. To be honest, Michael saw great potential in Tazkin and Thilve. They could be his first subordinates in this magical world. But first, he needed to know their resolve and will to serve him.

"Please forgive me if I said anything wrong, Dark Lord," Tazkin lowered his head.

"Not at all. I like when my people speak their minds. In the future, if you want to ask or say anything, do not hold back. Even a god can learn much from mortals," said Michael. Tazkin and Thilve's eyes watered, seeing how down-to-earth their god was despite how powerful he was. As Thilve was standing with her watery eyes, Michael turned his gaze toward her.

"Thilve, I heard you have a map of this forest. Can I see it?"

"Yes, yes, of course, Dark Lord," Thilve bobbed her head up and down frantically before running into one of the wooden huts. A few seconds later, she came back with a big round white leaf. On its surface, Michael saw a roughly drawn map of this forest.

"System, locate what we need in this map," Michael asked the system. Soon, Michael saw a glow in the map far north from their tribe.

"It's time to make gold coins rain," Michael chuckled inside.

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