The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 231

In Jupiter, now fully in summer, greenery embraced the land.

The world tree’s leaves, once a fresh green, had overnight deepened to a shade richer than Evelyn’s gaze. The golden spores, as if burned by summer, uniformly turned greenish-yellow, and the flowers planted throughout the castle also intensified their colors to match. Even the conifers, which usually looked similar year-round, changed.

Thus, looking out from beyond the castle, the difference between spring and summer was starkly apparent.

This was the clear distinction between the human world and Jupiter, and it showcased the immense power of the World Tree. Those who sought to live on this land were wise not to defy the rules and order set by the World Tree.

Cassis, keenly aware of this law, entered the Senate and sat at the round table, prepared after a long time. Although it was a round table where everyone was equal, meaning there was no head seat, he chose the spot closest to the entrance. The elders who entered after him were startled and quickly picked their remaining seats.

With Iel and Laocon also present and all seats filled, Cassis began to speak.

“Since the history of Jupiter began, truly many things have happened.”

Why was the King saying such a thing?

The elders thought to themselves, quickly exchanging glances. He wouldn’t offer such grand words merely for summer festival preparations. Especially these days, many matters had stabilized, and there seemed to be no particular concerns, except for the precarious life of the nymph, which was solely the King’s prerogative and difficult to interfere with.

Then…

Cassis’s hair, a particularly bright lemon color in the summer, dazzled the eyes of those looking at the King.

“Past events offer us significant lessons. It is only right that later generations examine the old ways, adopt what is commendable, and avoid what is undesirable to prevent future troubles.”

So, Your Majesty, what is your true intention? Stop beating around the bush and tell us plainly. The elders, far older than Cassis, couldn’t bring themselves to ask this directly and simply stared intently at his lips. For some reason, his golden hair was particularly dazzling today, making it difficult to look directly at him.

This was Cassis’s unique essence. One who silently carried out his duties, yet occasionally made even the long-lived elders tense with nervousness. His entirely brilliant appearance, except for a name resembling some tree’s fruit, would at times like this prevent others from approaching the King with familiarity.

Cassis swept over each member of the round table with eyes as majestic as the deep sea. The time the King’s gaze lingered on each person was not particularly long, but among them, quite a few found even that brief moment burdensome and swallowed their dry saliva.

What on earth is he trying to say that he’s building up so grandly? Just as the tension in the assembly was reaching its peak, Cassis finished scanning the last person, Iel, and continued speaking.

“As a result of recently searching through various ancient texts, I have found clues that matters currently set aside as having no solution could actually be resolved if examined carefully. For example, the repair of the sky stairs leading to Macriss’s old sanctuary, or the preparation of reserve space through mirror dimension gates. I believe both would be excellent for boosting Jupiter’s pride, and I’m curious about the elders’ thoughts.”

“That statement…”

The elders, finally learning the main point, were busy looking at each other.

Just because Jupiter’s history was long didn’t mean they had preserved all memories and wisdom of the past. What seemed natural while they were enjoying it often became recognized too late—when they realized that continuing as they were would lead to loss.

The broken sky stairs the King had just mentioned were ancient relics, so they couldn’t be fixed simply by replacing stones—they required implementing the exact ancient construction methods that existed at that time, making repairs so difficult they had been abandoned.

Moreover, mirror dimension gates? If they could create ample separate space with a single mirror imbued with powerful magic, it would obviously be of great help to Jupiter Castle, where expansion was difficult. Even just moving vegetable gardens or large storehouses inside would free up so much space, and it could serve as an emergency shelter too.

However, there was a reason the elders hadn’t attempted this despite knowing the story well. Eventually, one elder raised his hand in objection.

“Your Majesty the King, while that would naturally be wonderful if possible, unfortunately it is impossible.”

“What is the reason?”

Cassis’s lips, as he asked why, were tinged with confident arrogance. Making the worth of sitting together at the round table meaningless, anyone could see that he was the ruler here. He could only be that.

“First, the sky stairs are not simply stones with magic cast on them to float in the air. They require special foothold stones that prevent wind from blowing in the vicinity and protect against slipping… I believe the four that came from the quarters of His Majesty Rune Keor, the 23rd King, are the last ones.”

The process for making special foothold stones was complex. First, stones made by craftsmen had to be carved with the World Tree’s blessing and then processed, but only the World Tree’s ancient guardian could do this. Therefore, even if the current King Cassis went before the World Tree with stones, no finished product would emerge.

The elder didn’t want to say the crude words ‘Your Majesty’s abilities are insufficient,’ so he hastily continued with excuse-like words.