Arthur turned away from the window.
"Now, listen to me carefully."
Something in his voice made Erica fall silent.
"Abandon the old World Tree."
For several seconds, there was no response.
Then Erica finally spoke.
"What?"
"Stop defending it. Withdraw your people."
"Arthur—"
"Let the Church have it."
His voice remained perfectly level.
On the other end of the call, Erica gripped the phone so tightly that her fingers began to ache.
"Are you serious?"
"Completely."
"But if we abandon it..."
Her voice faltered.
"The blessing of the World Tree is already weakening. If we lose what's left of it, our people will become even weaker."
Arthur glanced toward the System notification that had appeared earlier.
"I am coming back."
Erica fell silent.
"And I've found people whose blessings can help us grow the new World Tree."
For a moment, she seemed unable to process his words.
Then her breath escaped in a quiet, unsteady rush.
"You found them?"
"Yes."
