Ronan looked at the powerful stranger in front of him, blinking repeatedly to signal that Daniel had not released him from the invisible restraint.
Daniel glanced at Ronan and noticed this, then lifted the binding on him.
“Thank you, sir. May I ask what brings you to Dragonscale Bank? I am Ronan, the manager of Dragonscale Bank here,” Ronan said, his voice carrying a trace of unease.
For someone to appear silently in his office and be immune to his instant-cast spells, binding him effortlessly—it revealed a significant power gap.
Now, Ronan could only hope that this visitor wouldn’t kill him.
“If there is anything in Dragonscale Bank that has caught your eye, I could offer it to you directly,” Ronan added, gritting his teeth.
A person of such strength entering Dragonscale Bank could only want one thing. However, being the Winterrealm branch, his vault didn’t hold anything truly exceptional.
Even the most valuable item in storage was something Ronan could pay for out of his own pocket.
Daniel didn’t respond immediately.
He prepared to take out the Sacred Time River fragment when he noticed something strange—the fragment had transformed into a leaf-like shape here in Winterrealm.
In the snowy mountains, it had remained in its fragment form, but now it looked like a leaf. This could only mean one thing: that figure might have a significant connection to Winterrealm!
Upon seeing the leaf in Daniel’s hand, Ronan’s face turned astonished.
He genuinely recognized the object in Daniel’s hand.
“Sir, are you here to inquire about this leaf?” Ronan asked in surprise.
Daniel hadn’t expected such a reaction from the Dragonscale Bank manager, Ronan, just from taking out the leaf.
“You recognize this object?” Daniel asked, looking at Ronan. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
“Yes, if I’m not mistaken, this item should be…” Ronan began, then stood up and started searching his bookshelf.
The books looked distinctly Winterrealm in style, some even bound in leather.
Noticing Daniel’s gaze, Ronan explained, “Sir, these are books I’ve collected over the years in Winterrealm. They record significant events in Winterrealm, though mostly folklore.”
“I found it!” Ronan exclaimed as he retrieved a leather scroll from the shelf. “Sir, if I’m not mistaken, there’s a record of the leaf in this parchment.”
Ronan unrolled the scroll, and Daniel’s mind instantly scanned the content, absorbing all the information on the parchment. Sure enough, he found the details he needed.
“Please look here, sir!” Ronan pointed, excitement in his voice. “I was right! This leaf is related to the Tree of Origin!”
In the beginning, everything was chaos until the World Tree grew and spread, forming the heavens and earth, thus shaping the world.
With the formation of the world, the World Tree lost its primary purpose, withered, and fell.
However, it didn’t disappear entirely; instead, it transformed into saplings that continued to propagate.
The Tree of Origin is one of those saplings.
Legend has it that Bear Prime, who founded Winterrealm, grew up under the Tree of Origin.
Later, he came to this frozen land, shattered the ice mountains with his broad hands, and created a place where life could flourish.
Daniel’s leaf was likely a leaf from the Tree of Origin, with a 90% chance of being authentic.
“Is there any other record about the Tree of Origin?” Daniel asked Ronan.
After reading the stories, he was now almost certain that finding the mastermind required locating the Tree of Origin—or perhaps the legendary Bear Prime.
Ronan’s face showed hesitation at Daniel’s question: “Sir, this parchment is the only record we have of the Tree of Origin.
I’ve searched through my entire collection, and this is the only source.”
Fearing that Daniel might be dissatisfied with this, Ronan added, “These books and records about Winterrealm are things I’ve spent years gathering, and I’ve read almost every one of them.I’m sure none of the other books mention the Tree of Origin. I wouldn’t deceive you.”
“It’s just a little hobby of mine. If you’re willing to wait, my team is always searching, so there might be new findings in the future,” Ronan suggested.
“I don’t have that much time,” Daniel replied. He knew breaking the Sacred Time River couldn’t stay secret for long. Sooner or later, someone would notice if they ventured into Voidland.
He needed to find the figure behind it quickly but without causing a commotion.
Depending on Ronan’s uncertain timeline… wasn’t practical. “Never mind. In Winterrealm, there should be people who know about Bear Prime or the Tree of Origin, right?”
“Indeed, the people at Winterkeep Citadel should know,” Ronan replied.
Winterrealm was a vast empire built within an icy world, with Winterkeep Citadel connected to Bear Prime, thus maintaining control over Winterrealm.
If Daniel wanted to learn about Bear Prime, Ronan believed the royal family of Winterrealm would be the best source.
“Half a month from now, there will be a Trial of Gods event, during which Bear Prime’s consciousness is said to descend upon Westwind Pass,” Ronan added, seemingly recalling something.
Trial of Gods? This wasn’t Daniel’s first time hearing the term.
When he entered Westwind Pass, he vaguely overheard people in the long line outside discussing it, with the phrase ‘Trial of Gods’ mentioned frequently.
“What is the Trial of Gods?” Daniel inquired.
“It’s a special Winterrealm event held every three years,” Ronan explained.
The trial, he continued, was supposedly a selection process by Bear Prime, seeking individuals who meet certain criteria.
Held every three years, participants had to be under sixteen, and even outsiders from non-Winterrealm transcendental systems could join.
After rounds of selection, those who performed well received blessings from Bear Prime, with the top-ranked individuals granted entry into Bear Prime’s god realm.
This has only heightened people’s desire for the god realm, turning it into a legend.
And this year happened to be the year of the Trial of Gods. Soon, the trial would commence, with five slots available at Westwind Pass for Bear Prime’s selection.
“Have those who entered the god realm ever returned?” Daniel asked, looking at Ronan.
“Well…” Ronan hesitated, unable to answer.
“Never mind. I have a general idea,” Daniel said, surmising that those taken into the god realm had likely never been seen again; otherwise, Ronan wouldn’t have hesitated to answer.
Setting aside the mysterious god realm, Bear Prime’s blessings were still highly prized.
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Many people cared more about the blessings than the enigmatic god realm itself.