"Envoy, you see... I belong to the 'Spring Water Nymph' clan, known for healing and protection, and my power is the weakest among all nymphs."
"In recent years, with the expansion of humanity and the gradual indifference to faith in nature, my power has also weakened to a certain extent."
Her gaze looked into the depths of the lake, full of helplessness: "The existence at the bottom of the lake, that blasphemous stone monument, the filthy power they emit is constantly corrupting my lake and distorting my people."
"I have relied on the power of the lake to barely contain it at the bottom, but... I can no longer hold on."
"The power is growing stronger and stronger. When it completely breaks free from its bonds, or when the stele is fully activated..."
"Not only me and this lake, but I fear all living beings around will face a terrible catastrophe."
She again turned her sincere gaze to Karl, her deep expectation seeming to reflect on the blurred outline of her face.
"So I need your help, envoy."
"You carry the goddess's aura, and you possess... a mighty power I have never seen before."
"Perhaps only you can help me resolve this crisis."
Karl opened his mouth, feeling his throat go a little dry.
He was silent for a moment, recalling the intense discomfort and mental shock he had felt when looking at the image.
Remembering the descriptions of outer gods and old rulers, he spoke slowly, with apology and an imperceptible fear.
"Miss Nymph, I'm afraid... I truly can't do anything about your request."
He pointed to his forehead and said frankly: "I felt extremely unwell both physically and mentally just looking at the image you showed me, and I haven't even had direct contact with the creature at the bottom of the lake."
"The level of the being at the bottom of the lake is far beyond what I can currently contend with."
"I'm afraid that instead of helping you, I might get myself trapped there, or even... accelerate this entity's emergence."
Hearing Karl's blunt refusal, the nymph fell into a brief silence.
Her blue figure swayed slightly on the shimmering lake, as if reflecting her inner struggle and reluctance.
But she did not give up. After a short thought, she raised her soft face, looked into Karl's eyes, and said firmly:
"Don't be disheartened, envoy. The fact that you have been noticed by the Mother of the Trinity and received her response"
"in itself means that you possess potential far beyond ordinary people, and perhaps power that you yourself have not yet fully unlocked."
"I understand your caution. In the face of unknown horrors, fear is an instinct of sentient beings."
She changed her mind, a note of hope in her voice: "I have lived in this lake for a long time, and I am not without accumulated resources. I have... a collection."
"Perhaps they can somehow strengthen you or provide you with shelter, adding a bit of confidence when facing the filth at the bottom of the lake."
As the words fell, without waiting for Karl's answer, the nymph's slender hand gently rose and made an elegant summoning gesture towards the calm lake.
From the depths of the lake, bubbles rose like pearls, disturbing the lake's tranquility.
Immediately after, dozens of transparent water spouts emerged from the lake.
Atop each water spout was an object with different lusters and auras, slowly moving towards the lake shore in front of Karl.
These collections ranged from eggs to fist-sized gems containing elemental forces.
There were strange branches and plump acorns that still radiated life energy and green shoots.
There were also several artifacts emitting faint magical fluctuations, such as a small mirror engraved with runes, a rusty helmet with a strange structure, and so on.
And among this dazzling collection, one stood out: a long sword without a scabbard.
Its blade had a soft orange runic glow, flowing endlessly, like breathing, radiating a pure and persistent force.
Any one of these items would drive worldly kings and mages mad.
Karl's gaze quickly scanned these precious collections; many were not enough to stir his heart, but the suspected Lady of the Lake sword he thought was just okay.
However, when his gaze swept over the items raised atop the water spouts,
his gaze suddenly froze, as if firmly sucked in by a magnet, unable to look away.
It was not a dazzling treasure, but simply a palm-sized, irregularly shaped, crystal-clear fragment, like citrine.
It lay quietly atop a water spout, emitting no powerful energy fluctuations,
nor did it have a bright luster; it even looked a bit humble and inconspicuous among the surrounding pearlescent energies.
The moment he saw it, an indescribable and irresistible desire erupted in Karl's heart like a volcano.
It was a call of life instinct. Karl almost involuntarily took a quick step forward and approached the crystal fragment.
He looked at it intently; the fragment was crystal clear, extremely pure inside, and nothing unusual was visible to the naked eye.
"But the Lady of the Lake, how could you produce a useless waste product?" Karl was sure this item was not simple.
The glint in his eyes flashed again, his clairvoyance activated at full power, his gaze penetrating the fragment's surface and deep into its internal structure.
At first, nothing was found; the internal space was uniform and transparent, the purest natural crystal.
Karl did not give up. He concentrated and continuously increased the magnification of his vision, the fragmented structure in his field of view being amplified...
Just as he approached the limit of his clairvoyance and observation ability, he finally noticed an extremely faint anomaly.
In the deepest part of the seemingly uniform crystal structure was an almost imperceptible golden speck of light, countless times smaller than a speck of dust.
It moved and flickered very faintly at an extremely slow, almost stagnant speed.
There were very few of them, scattered, and it would be impossible to find them without his super-sensory perception.
And the source of the pulsation and the strong desire in his body were these almost negligible tiny golden specks of light.
At that moment, the nymph moved, as if gliding on water, and silently approached Karl.
She followed Karl's intense gaze and looked at the citrine fragment.
Immediately, she let out a sound of slight surprise: "Envoy, you... you are actually drawn to this?"
Hearing this, Karl immediately turned his head and looked at the nymph with burning eyes, waiting for her explanation.
An expression of recollection appeared on the nymph's face, and she slowly said: "This... this one is special. I just remember it was from a very, very long time ago."
╔══════════════════════╗
📘 Want more?
Join me on Patreon for bonus chapters
and early access!
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/cw/OverlordD
╚══════════════════════╝