Several figures swam rapidly upwards in the deep sea, leaving behind a strong trail of water.
Passing through the cavernous vines, with a splash like an explosion, Pororo leaped from the water, holding the now limp and trembling Alka in his arms.
"Huff, inhale... Huff! Cough cough!"
Alka knelt on the deck, coughing frantically as he breathed in the fresh air.
A thin layer of frost still lingered on his body, freezing it from the inside out.
"A mistake... Damn you, evil spirit," Alka muttered, his teeth chattering.
The three spheres that had swollen around him returned to Juanlu's side.
They had been frozen into ice sculptures, their bodies also covered in frost.
However, they had not been attacked, but rather had eaten too much of something they shouldn't have. I hadn't expected to be immune to the most deadly soul attack, but instead, the accompanying frost element, which seemed insignificant compared to the soul attack, caused such severe damage.
What a mistake.
Matlisa also came up to the boat from below to check on Alka.
"His soul isn't injured, but he has severe frostbite." The fine needles inserted into Alka were already beginning to resist the chill from within.
Waves of warmth flowed through the needles into his body.
Matlisa waved at Juanlu. "Do you have any lava peppers on you?"
"Yes." Juanlu quickly pulled a long, red, carrot-like pepper from his pocket ring, emitting an astonishing heat, and tossed it over.
Seasonings and precious ingredients like these were stored in his pocket ring.
Some were obtained from random islands.
It's gone, and I might never encounter it again in this lifetime.
Matthia reached out to catch it, then crushed it into pieces. Her hand was covered in a thin, watery film to prevent the chili flakes from burning her palm.
Even so, the film was still emitting steam.
This showed the incredible heat of the chili.
"Open your mouth!"
Arka opened his mouth at the words, his brain numb from the cold. Then he felt something searing like lava enter his mouth.
The lava stretched from his throat all the way to his stomach, as if it had settled in his heart. A searing flame began to erupt from within.
Arka's face flushed crimson, and even his mouth swelled slightly.
"Water! Water!"
A large amount of clear water appeared out of nowhere, falling directly from the sky, landing on Arka's head like a waterfall.
By this time, the frost on Alka's body had long since vanished, and the clear water falling on his head instead emitted a startling vapor.
Alka's entire body was now flushed, radiating an inordinate warmth.
It took a long while before Alka finally recovered.
The redness on his skin finally faded.
He stared at the sky, panting.
He had somewhat underestimated the hatred those evil spirits held in their final moments of near death.
It was as if they had foreseen their own demise.
The hatred penetrated his body and exploded within it.
Though it didn't harm his soul, the vibrations of the evil spirits' self-explosion were filled with a chilling chill.
It nearly froze Alka beneath the deep sea.
Thankfully, this time, Alka employed a clever trick to coordinate with Hochalmera's spirit and retrieved her body.
Julia placed the corpse she was holding onto the boat.
Everyone looked at the body, examining it with curiosity.
"Has this person really been dead for tens of thousands of years?" Jason couldn't help but ask, looking at the corpse.
The main thing was that the corpse, though pale and incredibly stiff, showed no sign of decay, and its original appearance could almost be seen.
She must have been a beauty in life. Even now, after so long, her body had turned pale, yet her former beauty still shone through.
Aside from the armor and the grime tangled in her hair, it was hard to believe this corpse had been dead for tens of thousands of years.
Ten thousand years without decay?
"Ten thousand years already?" a faint, ethereal voice echoed.
Everyone immediately perked up, alert.
A frail, indifferent spirit floated out of the corpse, looking at Jason and asking.
Looking at this spirit, everyone understood.
The soul of this corpse is still preserved?
What kind of strong soul must it be to survive for ten thousand years in such an environment?
However, Jason nodded and replied, "If you indeed died during the God War, then it's been over thirty thousand years."
"Thirty thousand years? What an... unspeakable distance," she muttered to herself, her voice filled with vicissitudes and a sigh.
Then she looked at Alka, who was resting beside her on the edge of the boat.
"Thank you. You seem to still have a connection with our god. If possible, could you please let me see her one last time? I will give you everything I have left as a token of my gratitude for saving you."
Looking at the voice of this indifferent soul before her, Alka nodded.
"No problem. I wonder if you can sense it. The Flower Fairy isn't far away."
Alka pointed in the direction of the fragrant aroma.
The spirit looked in Alka's direction.
With a slight shake of his head, his soul solidified in that instant, allowing everyone to glimpse his past.
A woman with long hair, a delicate face, and a tall figure.
She stood there like a bouquet of pale white flowers.
"No, she's here. My God!"
Hearing this, everyone looked.
A faint floral scent drifted in on the wind, a scent that was very familiar to them.
Especially to Alka.
The mark of the Flower Fairy's blessing on his forehead flickered slightly, heralding the arrival of the former benefactor.
A pile of petals suddenly exploded before them.
As petals scattered to the ground, a figure emerged from among them.
A beautiful woman, clad in a regal floral gown, her body adorned with floral ornaments, emerged.
Her long, pale pink hair fell to her waist.
Seeing this figure, Alka immediately bowed her head. "Flower Fairy."
Hearing Alka's address, everyone reacted immediately, bowing their heads in respect.
No one had imagined the Flower Fairy possessed a physical form.
A god walked the earth.
Even Alka, even as she lowered her head, was filled with shock.
Looking at the Flower Fairy before her.
Hochalmera's spirit trembled, and she knelt on the ground, even her soul shedding a mist resembling tears.
"I...a god."
The Flower Fairy said nothing, quietly approaching and embracing Hochalmera's spirit. "You're actually here, so close, spending so long... so long in the lonely depths of the sea."
The flower fairy's tone was filled with emotion, a mixture of grief and self-blame.
It seemed as if she had fulfilled her wish, or perhaps her spirit's energy was no longer sufficient to sustain her actions.
The spirit began to disintegrate, becoming increasingly faint.
Watching this, the flower fairy didn't give Hochalmera a chance to speak.
A flower sprouted from her feet, and her soul was absorbed into the flower.
From a bud, it grew into a bud, waiting to bloom.
The flower fairy lifted the flower from the ground, roots and mud all together, and it vanished.
She waved at the corpse not far away.
The corpse also vanished.
A divine essence, shimmering orange, remained in its place.
Aside from the orange border Alka could see, the entire divine essence was a brilliant pale and deep blue.
Combined with the sensation it emanated, it resembled a starry sky, or rather, a star enveloping the starry sky.
The divine essence floated in the flower fairy's hand, and another flower appeared.
The flower enveloped the divine essence within.
"Alka, accept it. This is Mera's promise." The flower fairy's voice lost its usual playfulness. Instead, it was gentle yet serious.
Alka, standing nearby, nodded and held out his hands.
The flower floated into his palms.
A tiny starlight streamed down his palms into his mind.
The flower fairy's figure vanished as the petals fell, leaving only a voice floating in the air.
"Remember to come and claim your reward."
After the flower fairy left, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, one could only imagine the pressure of having a god standing nearby.
"Why would a flower fairy walk on the earth?" Simon asked, somewhat confused.
Alka simply shrugged at this question. How could he know? Before, the flower fairy could only stay in the flower in his dream.
Now, a body of its own had appeared before them. Alka could guarantee that such a thing had never existed before.
He suspected it might be the essence of the Flower of Heaven.
"Forget it, forget it. This isn't something we should be peeping into."
Everyone nodded at this, their desire to continue the conversation waning.
Discussing a god so freely, especially one who had just been there, was truly audacious.
Then everyone's attention turned to the flower in Alka's palm.
They had witnessed the divine essence just now with their own eyes.
The vibrations and energy emanating from that object were identical to the divine essences they had seen before, except that the fluctuations seemed a bit stronger.
"What level?" Jason couldn't help but ask.
Alka looked at the new flower.
"[Scepter]"
"!"
Everyone's faces were filled with surprise, their faces filled with curiosity.
Sofia, on the other hand, frowned and asked, "How do you use divine essence at the level of a [Scepter]?"
Although they had used divine essence at the level of a [Holy Grail] and had even personally crafted a suitable carrier for this level of divine essence,
If possible, they would naturally prefer to obtain the divine essence rather than the original treasure.
Because that would allow them to create a vessel more suited to the tendencies expressed by the divine essence and their personal habits.
It would also make it easier to improve the compatibility of their other treasures.
These were all things they had researched before.
However, these were only rough results and had not yet been fully verified.
Now, a treasure they had never obtained before had arrived.
This was at the level of the [Scepter].
It was unclear whether their previous experience was applicable.
Seeing the slightly worried expressions on everyone's faces, Alka smiled and said, "Don't worry. The Flower Fairy has passed on all her experience using the Hochalmera and the specific abilities of this divine essence."
"The Flower Fairy even told me, based on the current system of treasures in the world, what materials would be most likely to perfectly carry this [Scepter]-level divine essence."
This was a perfect after-sales service.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
At least it was much better than their wild guesses.
Sofia looked at the shimmering flower in Alka's hand. "So what should we do now? What are your plans?"
Alka looked at the object in his hand.
He hadn't expected it to be a divine essence; he'd thought it was a treasure.
Generally, if it was a divine essence, the treasure information would mention it, but this time it simply stated that it would be everything for Hochalmera.
He had to make some adjustments to his previous plans.
"Let me think about it."
Alka began to think carefully, analyzing the information sent by the flower fairies.
This divine essence is related to stars and starlight. The primary connection is to the stars, with the starlight being secondary.
The material that can perfectly carry it is preferably also related to the stars.
Simply put, the best material to use is a fallen object from the sky, that is, a meteorite.
Preferably, a gemstone from a meteorite.
Are there gemstones among the meteorites?
Arka hadn't really learned much about this, so she could only ask Simon, who had a deep understanding of the subject.
It's best to use some star spells or similar rituals when blending the materials to enhance the harmony of the fusion.
And there were the last words left by the flower fairy.
Arka hadn't had time to listen.
Taking this opportunity, Arka's mind activated the brief message left by the flower fairy.
"Arka, you have talent, ability, and a future. After you successfully complete this treasure, I suggest you consult your deity.
This concerns your future, your destination. Actually, I don't think I need to remind you."
The tone of voice, a departure from the flower fairy's usual peculiar personality, was distinctly serious.
It was a very serious suggestion.
After hearing this, Arka couldn't help but frown. It seemed truly important.
But if he were to consult the Stone Mother... would that be possible?
He wasn't sure.
Although Alka had a rough understanding of his origins and knew that his so-called deepest secrets were nothing to the Stone Mother,
But now, asking him to seek an audience with this deity he'd only ever spoken about verbally and only later believed in, he still felt a little uneasy.
Would it be too offensive?
Alka's expression became conflicted.
After a long pause, he felt a pat on the shoulder from Sofia.
Looking at Alka returning, Sofia couldn't help but ask, "Have you thought it through? You look a little off."
"It's okay," Alka smiled, then looked at Simon and asked, "Simon, did you know there are gemstones among meteorites?"
"Meteorites? And they have to be gemstones?"
Hearing this, Simon frowned and lowered his head in thought.
Clearly, this wasn't something easily obtained.
"It's definitely available. I don't know about other places, but if it's from the Holy Machine Church, it's definitely available. It'll just take a while."
He looked at Alka.
The meaning was clear: there was no way they could get similar materials here.
They had to return to the Twin Islands.
Everyone looked at Alka, awaiting his decision.
"Don't worry too much," Lucilia said from the side.
"We can leave a team of puppet girls on the island. I can sense their locations through the connections between them, so we don't have to rely on luck for a long time at sea."
"Is it feasible?" Alka asked uncertainly.
"It's feasible. Even if it's not possible now, it will definitely be possible once we reach the fourth stage."
Hearing Lucilia's affirmative voice, Alka stopped hesitating.
After all, by the time they reached Gemini Island, completed all this, and returned to the Marsh Sea, everyone would surely be close to the fourth stage.
It would definitely take at least half a year to go back and forth, not to mention that they still had to forge a [Scepter]-level treasure on Gemini Island.
"Okay, pack up, we'll go to the Land of Fragrance, meet the Flower Fairy, and then we'll leave. "
After hearing Alka's decision, everyone nodded and began to move.
After sending the others back to camp, some began to pack up.
Juanlu, Sofia, and Alka headed for the Land of Fragrance.
Alka needed to meet the Flower Fairies and receive their reward.
The others needed to purchase some supplies, and then everyone gathered and began to return.
Alka and the other two quickly arrived at the Land of Fragrance in the Flying Swallow.
"I'll go see Gilliana first and let them know," Alka said, bidding them farewell.
Sofia and the other two also separated, each going to purchase the necessary supplies.
Alka soon arrived at the military camp.
"Alka?" Gilliana asked uncertainly upon seeing Alka.
Hearing this questioning voice, Alka looked at himself and asked, "Have I changed much?"
"Haha, of course not. Congratulations. Gilliana noticed that Alka had successfully reached the fourth stage.
"You're here, what's going on? Wasn't it always Jason?"
"I'm here to say goodbye. We need to leave for something and won't be back for about six months."
Gilliana nodded at this, not offering to persuade him to stay.
But her expression was still filled with regret.
Although they were indeed facing a difficult situation and needed the strength of Alka and the others, that wasn't a reason to ask them to stay.
"Then I wish you a safe journey. May the flower fairies always protect you."
Alka smiled and nodded.
A purse then appeared in Gilliana's hand and she handed it to Alka.
"This is your reward for your time. I hope we'll have more opportunities to work together in the future." Alka weighed the purse and put it in his ring, then reached out and shook hands with Gilliana.
"Don't worry, it won't be long. We haven't caught that guy yet. He'll definitely be back."
Hearing Alka's words, Gilliana nodded in relief.
It's only half a year; they can definitely hold out.
Not to mention the many promising results they've already discovered.