A strange, awkward incantation uttered from Jason's lips.
Jason stood there, his hands raised above his head, like a scale.
"Honestly, this pose inexplicably reminds me of Alka that day."
He wasn't referring to Alka opening the door.
Hearing this, Ululius, standing next to him, lashed his tail across Jason's thigh, making a sharp sound.
"Hiss! You're killing me!"
Ululius simply glanced at him silently, saying nothing more. Jason closed his mouth in pain.
Behind the two of them, Pororo and the others were watching them.
As Jason regained his composure, the Libra Gate appeared before them. This was the second time they had opened it.
Pushing the door open, everyone walked in.
Standing beneath the scale.
This time, it wasn't just one person.
Instead, Ululius and Jason stood there together.
Even though they were already standing there, Jason turned around, looked at Pororo and the others behind him, and said, "Why don't we roll the dice?"
"You talk too much nonsense! Can you please be quick?" Pororo said irritably.
Jason had said this many times along the way.
"But deciding to swap out of nowhere like this makes me feel really guilty. Do you understand what I mean? It's like I owe you something.
It makes me feel like I've let you down and I have to compensate you somewhere else. That's a bad mentality.
Next time I mock you or do something bad to you, I'll be very suspicious."
Jason's inexplicable words made the veins on everyone's foreheads throb.
Ululius couldn't stand it anymore. He swung his tail again, lashing Jason's calf. This time, the force seemed intense, causing Jason to jump and rub the area he'd been whipped in.
"Arka gave this key, which can be used to exchange treasures, not to any of us, but to you. The message is self-evident, isn't it?
Do you intend to go against his will? His eyes can see things we can't," Julia asked from behind.
Hearing this, Jason shrugged helplessly. "Alright, alright. Alka's will.
It better not be a real will."
With that, he placed the key on one side of the scale.
He began to cast the spell to open the door.
As the spell continued,
A light shone on the empty side of the scale.
When the light faded,
the divine essence within immediately flew out, crashing straight into the chests of Jason and Urulius.
The two simultaneously entered a state of mastery over the treasure, and their mastery caused them to float and spin in a corresponding circle.
Observing this, the crowd watching from behind silently stepped back, leaving enough space.
However, this state of mastery over the treasure seemed unremarkable.
No one felt a single emotion.
"Has anything...changed?" Porollo asked, somewhat puzzled.
Mathelisha beside her shook her head.
Julia, on the other hand, frowned slightly.
At some point, a harp appeared in her hands, and she began to gently pluck a brand new tune, performing it for the crowd.
This piece of music brought a noticeable shift in everyone's emotions. Hope and countless positive emotions emerged within them.
As the song ended,
Jason and Ululius also released their grasp on the treasure and opened their eyes.
Looking at the expressions of the crowd.
"I see."
"It's hope, the divine essence that represents hope. This world needs this emotion. Everyone needs this emotion. Especially now, especially at this moment."
Hope. With this crown-level divine essence entering their bodies, Ululius truly became the Dragon of Savior.
This was destined.
Jason also said, "This divinity seems to have flowed from the Crystal Dragon King's body into the world after his death."
"Because at that time, hope was shattered, and that extinguished hope also took away the Crystal Dragon King's last hope."
Ululius seemed to sense the lingering despair left in this divinity by his ancestors.
However, they also faced the remaining hope and ultimately formed the Crystal Dragon King's phantom, providing some direction for the salvation organization at the time.
They left behind the Sky City, leaving the final members to write and compile a meditation method.
"However, this divinity won't manifest itself for the time being."
In any case, another member of their group had obtained all the treasures, and it was time to begin the path to godhood.
"So, are you going to get busy too?" Juanlu asked from the sidelines.
After all, the lessons learned from both Sofia and Lusilia showed them the world's current thirst for gods.
Since Alka's sacrifice, Sofia and Lusilia had fallen into a workaholic state.
First, to avoid letting their emotions show, otherwise, in their free time, they would definitely want to pursue Alka's cause.
Second, because there was simply so much work to do.
Regarding this kind of thing...
Jason smiled. "Haha, no, hope isn't something that's constantly operating, but an emotion that emerges at crucial moments.
So we're not busy."
This put Jason, who had been mentally preparing himself, in a good mood.
With everything done, it was naturally time to leave.
…
The new anti-magic wall on the front line.
The front-line walls were no longer as densely packed with defenders as before; their numbers had been reduced by at least half.
This also left the once-wide wall slightly empty, though many guards still remained.
As the brilliant stars and moon in the sky vanished, the curtain of night was torn apart, revealing the bright daylight.
The dazzling light suddenly appeared, causing the soldiers, who had been guarding all night, to squint.
Under the sunlight, a massive crystal pillar, located just a few hundred meters in front of the city wall, radiated a brilliant glow, illuminating the surroundings.
"Time for a shift change."
Another group of guards came up to exchange shifts with the soldiers who had been on duty overnight.
As the exchange progressed,
The spirited soldiers knelt on one knee facing the spot where the crystal lay, pounding their chests with their hands and bowing their heads in a salute.
This was a gesture of gratitude for Alka's service to the scars of the world, to the world itself.
Juanlu, also on duty, gazed at the towering crystal pillar ahead.
He gazed at it, his thoughts etched in his mind.
But to the surrounding guards and those passing by, he seemed to be reminiscing about his companions.
Simon approached beside Juanlu.
Looking at Simon, Juanlu asked, "Theoretically, how long can it last?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be ten years. After ten years, the crystal Alka has transformed into will shatter, and his dreamland will dissipate."
Hearing this, Juanlu nodded, then stretched out his hand and waved it in the air.
"Lucelia said that the light of Alka's burning soul is wandering in this air?"
Simon nodded.
Observing Simon's expression, Juanlu stared at him and suddenly said, "You look worried. What happened?"
Hearing this, Simon looked at him and sighed.
"Something I don't know whether it's good or bad. You were on duty on the city wall yesterday, so you don't know."
Hearing this, Juanlu frowned, waiting for Simon's next words.
"The Wise One wishes to see me."
Hearing this, Juanlu's frown relaxed slightly, and he said, somewhat curiously, "Shouldn't this be a good thing?"
Being able to face the gods he believed in couldn't be considered a bad thing, could it?
"If it were just me, then it would certainly be a good thing, but...
The Sea God wishes to see Pororo, and Life wishes to see Julia."
The three gods wanted to meet their three followers separately.
And this was not long after Alka's sacrifice.
It was hard not to think of something else.
Hearing this, Juanlu couldn't help but frown, but he patted Simon's shoulder with a more reasonable attitude and said, "Don't be so vigilant. Maybe it's actually something good."
At least, he felt that Sofia and Lucilia were much more informed about this information than they were. If it were really a bad thing, Sofia and Lucilia would have come down to tell them long ago.
Simon nodded.
He was just a little worried, or rather nervous. No believer wouldn't be nervous.
Night was approaching.
In full view of everyone.
The three of them collapsed onto the sofa and fell asleep.
Jason, sitting next to them, suddenly said, "Matthia, why didn't the Sea God summon you?"
Although their group each worshipped the Four Gods, each person's level of faith varied.
For example, the Virgin Mary had saints, Alka and Saint Sofia.
Lucille, while also having a certain faith in the Virgin Mary, was certainly different from Alka and Sofia.
For example, the Church would consider Alka and Sofia its own, but not Lucillia.
This included Juanlu and Jason.
Because both of them had emerged from the Sea of Home. Juanlu's situation was similar to Lucillia's. Jason's situation is roughly between that of Sofia and Lucilia.
However, perhaps because of Ululius, while he still believes in the Mother, his alignment may be more towards Ululius.
The Believer of Life is naturally Julia, and she has the most complex story. After all, Julia's faith collapsed due to some events and she no longer believed in Life.
However, after experiencing some events, she understood her past and returned to the path of faith.
The Believer of the Wise, naturally, was only Simon from beginning to end.
There are two Believer of the Sea God:
Pororo and Matresa.
However, their situations are somewhat different. Pororo is a Storm Champion Warrior who has come through trials.
Even though he rarely interacts with the Sea God's Storm Church, from every interaction with the church, it can be seen that the members of the Storm Church have a great deal of respect for Pororo.
It seems that the title of Storm Champion is a prestigious one, and carries a high status.
As for Matresha, she's likely been a saint of the Sinful Clan from the beginning. The church has also treated her with a cold shoulder, and Matresha is also reluctant to interact with them.
Although she's also a saint, she's certainly no match for Pororo, as she's from an exiled clan.
Hearing Jason's irrelevant remarks,
Juanlu couldn't help but elbow him.
Unexpectedly, Matresha smiled and said, "It might be rude of me to say this, but I don't really believe in the Sea God. You know, he exiled our clan to the end of the forward channel.
If everyone in the tribe hadn't believed in the Sea God and been docile since childhood, how could I possibly believe in him?"
Not to mention that she had already completed her tribe's atonement mission, killing the Sea God's son with the help of Alka and the others.
This made her feel even more confident that she owed the god nothing.
If Pororo hadn't believed in him, she would have long since given up on him.
Besides, whether Pororo's behavior even truly constituted faith was questionable.
She might as well have simply turned to Sofia or Lucilia.
Of course, a better option would have been to become a god herself.
Hearing this, Jason gave Matlisa a thumbs-up.
Their internal opinion of the Sea God, this volatile being, had always been that way.
Certainly not as good as the Mother Mother.
Even Pororo himself didn't act like a believer.
He never prayed to the Sea God, hardly ever mentioned his name, and didn't even understand his unique prayer gestures.
He had even made a fool of himself when he first came into contact with the church.
At most, Pororo would recite the Sea God's name during each sea trial.
Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't even notice he was a Sea God devotee.
But the Sea God simply favored him.
It seemed he favored battle-crazed individuals like Pororo.
Pororo was the first of the three to awaken, leaping straight off the sofa.
Then he gasped.
"What's wrong with you?" Matlisa asked Pororo.
This wasn't a meeting with the gods; it felt like a nightmare.
Pororo gasped a few times, then shook himself, as if stretching his muscles.
"The Sea God is truly formidable! It seems we won't be able to teach him a lesson anytime soon," Pororo said, smacking his lips in frustration.
This short sentence held immense information.
"Huh? Wait, wait, what were you doing?" Jason couldn't help but ask, pondering the question.
"Nothing much. I just challenged Poseidon to a fight, but obviously didn't win," Porollo said nonchalantly.
Everyone was stunned by Porollo's words.
Even Simon and Julia, who had just woken up, couldn't help but stare at him from behind with dazed eyes.
Just waking up to hear such explosive news.
Simon looked at Porollo: "If you say so, it doesn't seem surprising."
Everyone else, for some reason, agreed with this statement.
"I'm not stupid. I'm just annoyed with him," Porollo said.
What's the difference between what you said and what a fool would say?
A fool wouldn't realize he was a fool, would he?
But Mathilda, baffled, hugged Porollo's arm tightly, a look of joy on her face.
Julia, watching this scene, understood something instantly and nodded in sudden realization, though she didn't say it out loud.
"Alright, alright. What I'm more concerned about now is what you did with the gods. There must be something going on, otherwise why would all three of you be summoned by your respective gods at the same time?"
Urulius asked anxiously.
As the granddaughter of the Crystal Dragon King, her bloodline and inherited memories meant she didn't have much respect for these gods.
Perhaps, they were peers of her grandfather's generation.
She would show some respect, but expecting her to show it too much was clearly impossible.
Hearing this, the three of them couldn't help but look at each other with mixed expressions.
Seeing this complex expression, Pororo and the others couldn't help but sit still.
She waited for their answer nearby.
Julia said, "Life told me something and gave me a crown-level treasure."
She spread out her hands.
A strange brown gem, resembling mud flowing through it, appeared in her hand.
"Me too." Simon also spread out his hands.
What appeared was also a gem, the kind unique to a crown-level divinity.
"But this divinity isn't suitable for me."
Pororo nodded, and a crown-level gem also appeared in his hand.
"This one doesn't suit me either."
The situation this time was self-evident.
"Life said this was a deal they made with Alka," Julia said silently.
"What? Could it be..." This statement immediately made Jason suspect something unpleasant.
After all, each god gave away a crown-level divinity. It was hard to see the positive side of the situation.
Julia shook her head and said, "Life's answer is relatively positive."
Pororo and the other two nodded.
This eased everyone's expressions slightly.
"It seems we should go to the Libra to make the exchange."
Three crown-level treasures at once?