After dealing with the World Tree seed, Nara Dan's foundation had grown stronger by more than a little.
Nara Dan looked once more at Gaia, the World Tree of the Hunter World.
At that moment, Gaia had once again fallen silent.
Or rather, ever since Gaia had handed its seed to Nara Dan, it had remained silent.
Whether Nara Dan had tossed the World Tree into the Void Realm Sea or used a fragment of his consciousness to devour the intelligence of its offspring,
the World Tree Gaia had shown no reaction at all, with no intention of intervening.
Perhaps, to Gaia, giving its own seed a chance to survive was already the limit of what it could do. The Gaia Consciousness simply lacked richer emotions.
A glimmer of understanding flickered in Nara Dan's eyes.
"Perhaps, in Gaia's worldview, there's no such thing as being responsible for one's offspring—or any feeling of that kind."
"What people call Gaia's maternal instincts are nothing more than human imagination."
"In the worldview of a being like Gaia, the relationships between people, or between gods,"
"are defined by nothing but 'Karma,' apart from self-interest."
Nara Dan analyzed the matter silently.
"Sow a cause, reap its effect."
"In the eyes of Higher-Dimensional Beings, the relationships between them are nothing but inscrutable Karma."
"When Gaia produced the World Tree seed, it formed a bond of Karma."
"Being responsible for the seed to a certain extent is simply a matter of natural law and Karma."
"And once the World Tree seed has grown, it will have to repay Gaia in turn. That, too, is Karma."
"Giving me the World Tree seed also formed a bond of Karma."
"Once I reach a certain level,"
"that Karma might become a constraint on my Seeking the Way—a heart demon..."
"I'll