A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 427 Central Point

Getting close to the center is easier than you might imagine.

Looking at the thing that was covered with countless corpses and body parts like a Christmas tree, Jiang Shuzhou was quite certain that the center point was right there.

A normal tree wouldn't grow like this.

"Finally, someone has arrived."

A very hoarse voice rang out.

Looking in the direction of the sound, it was the tree that had spoken.

Or rather, the tree covered in parts is not a real tree, but a deformed person.

The flesh and blood on that man's body grew wildly, like a towering tree, while he was merely a tree stump.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Shuzhou asked.

"I am Baker, or you may call me Marquis Baker."

"That tree," Baker said.

"You've come here to kill gods, haven't you?"

Jiang Shuzhou nodded and got straight to the point.

"That's right, I intend to kill the World Tree."

"Haha, good, good, that's ambitious!"

Baker laughed heartily, and every part of his body shook.

"You're a playwright, aren't you?"

Jiang Shuzhou was taken aback.

"I was referring to profession, but it doesn't really matter."

"Did you know? I'm also a playwright."

"What are you trying to say?"

Jiang Shuzhou was a little puzzled. This person kept rambling on and on, never getting to the point. Did he want to be a riddle teller?

Thinking of this, Jiang Shuzhou produced a knife in his hand. If the other party dared to play the riddle-maker, he would give them a ruthless lesson.

"Isn't it satisfying to manipulate fate? Unfortunately, have you realized that you're also one of those being manipulated?"

"Baker said."

Jiang Shuzhou was taken aback, but quickly understood. The so-called profession of playwright was to share the power of the god "playwright" and have the ability to write the fate of others, and to arrange the plot for them like a drama.

However, Jiang Shuzhou himself has never used this ability. After all, as a mage, Jiang Shuzhou naturally knows what so-called fate is.

Some things you should avoid looking at if you can avoid them. If you do look at them, just let them be and don't take them too seriously.

Take Roland, for example. If he hadn't looked, how could he have died a second time? Maybe he could have found a way to break through the limitations himself.

However, these are all false propositions. Perhaps even without reading this, Roland would have suffered the same fate.

Grace was the same.

Although Jiang Shuzhou remembered the prophecy, he didn't take it seriously. After all, sometimes prophecies don't mean what they say literally.

There are also many metaphors or imagery.

For example, the prophecy of light and darkness that Jiang Shuzhou once received has come true several times.

From then on, Jiang Shuzhou understood that prophecies should not be taken too seriously, otherwise one would become superstitious and see everything as a prophecy.

After all, Jiang Shuzhou had theoretically had his door broken into in his dreams several times before, but each time the intruder died a terrible death. This was because Jiang Shuzhou had learned from Grace's mistakes and had completely improved the magic array, so anyone who broke in would die.

Jiang Shuzhou's meeting with Grace was entirely due to luck.

Fate is a strange thing, isn't it?

"Look at me, you'll end up like that sooner or later."

Baker chuckled softly.

"The end result of every playwright is to become a part of a new drama."

"From a young age, I pursued power and became a playwright. Later, I squandered my fortune in order to become immortal, break free from the shackles of being a playwright, and escape the punishment of fate."

"Unfortunately, I was too careless."

"An accident led to me becoming like this."

"Baker said."

"I know what you want, nothing more than that broken axe. Since you want it, then come and take it, my fellow traveler!"

As Baker spoke, he began to shake his body, and countless parts fell off, creating a truly gruesome scene.

"I feel like I shouldn't keep this dress."

Grace accidentally got a piece of her heart on her clothes, which she found disgusting.

"Hahaha, take it! Use it to cut me down! Hahaha, you'll end up like me, dying and becoming a god-slaying weapon for someone else!"

With a clang, a rusty axe fell to the ground.

According to Baker, this thing might be the axe that could kill the World Tree.

Jiang Shuzhou walked straight forward, pushed aside the surrounding parts, and intended to pick up the axe directly.

But strangely, he couldn't pick it up.

"Haha, looks like you're not the main character!"

"Baker said frantically."

"Grace, you give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Grace disregarded her disgust and immediately picked up the axe.

"As expected, a protagonist always needs a wise mentor to guide him."

"However, this wise man won't live much longer either."

Baker laughed mockingly.

"What do you mean?!"

Before Jiang Shuzhou could get angry, Grace did.

"My master is still young, how could he possibly die!"

Baker seemed indifferent to Grace's questioning.

"Just like me, I thought I was smart and became a playwright, but what happened? I was just a pawn."

"Master, are you a playwright?"

Jiang Shuzhou nodded slightly.

"Be careful, you might live a little longer. Don't use the power of the playwright, or you'll be finished sooner or later."

"Baker said."

"Kill me, with that axe! I'll tell you the way to the bottom of the abyss to see the World Tree; otherwise, I'll never tell you!"

Baker's desire to die was so strong that it was clear he was in great pain.

But that's normal. Anyone who gets turned into this grotesque state by the overgrowth of flesh would probably want to die.

In particular, after comparison, Jiang Shuzhou discovered that these parts actually came from Beck himself, and that these parts were all living beings with consciousness.

Grace looked at Jiang Shuzhou, hoping that he would turn around and leave immediately, so that they could be master and apprentice for life.

But she knew all too well that it was impossible.

Jiang Shuzhou is a determined person; once he makes a decision, no one can change it except himself.

"Kill him."

Jiang Shuzhou said coldly.

He also threatened Baker.

"You'd better tell the truth, or I have plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead, even worse than you are now."

"I won't."

Upon hearing Jiang Shuzhou's order, Grace did not hesitate to start chopping at Baker with the axe.

And Baker kept his word, directly telling Jiang Shuzhou the shortcut to the abyss.

That was an underground area in a corner of the third floor, where a path led straight down to the bottom.

There's no danger, and it's very simple.

Finally, after Baker had said everything, he too was unable to survive, managing only to let out a sigh before fading away.

He originally possessed extremely strong self-healing abilities, and such injuries could be recovered with just a breath. However, the axe in Grace's hand suppressed his self-healing abilities, which is why he was able to leave so easily.