Alka looked at the ring on his finger.
"Galaxy."
"What?" Sofia, standing beside him, asked, somewhat bewildered.
"This ring." Alka shook the ring on his finger and said, "It's called Galaxy."
It didn't seem like Alka had chosen the name, as if he had chosen it for himself.
"Galaxy? Very accurate," Jason said, observing the ring's shape.
As the ring slipped onto his hand, the Dreamcatcher and the mirror didn't react at all.
Neither offered any resistance nor did they leap for joy.
There was silence, as if nothing had happened.
Alka raised his hand, and starlight, seemingly from nowhere, gathered in his hand. A long sword made of starlight was grasped in his hand.
One after another, starlight flashed like missiles, appearing beside him.
Trailing a long trail, it flew around like a meteor.
"How powerful is it?" Jason asked impatiently.
Alka controlled the starlight that flew around, as if preparing to test its power. Sofia, standing beside him, quickly grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't test it here... We can't afford the damage."
Hearing this, Alka looked at the smooth stone walls around them and nodded silently.
Indeed, if they smashed a few holes in this place, they would be truly penniless.
"Let's get out first."
With that, Alka led the group out of the secret room.
The priest who had brought them here once again walked ahead, leading them out.
This time, however, he led them towards the church hall.
Without waiting for Alka to ask, the priest said, "Follow me, Master Alka. The Holy Mother... wishes to see you."
"Oh, okay... wait, who are you talking about?"
Alka, about to follow, froze in disbelief.
He wondered if he had just heard something.
He couldn't help but rinse his ears with clean water.
The faces of his companions around him were also somewhat stunned.
Their first thought was impossible.
Jason scratched his ears, making sure they weren't blocked. So, what had he just heard?
The priest leading the way turned to Alka, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, but he still repeated, "The Holy Mother, wishes to see you."
"Holy, Holy Mother," Alka stuttered.
He had always wondered when he would have the opportunity to meet the Holy Mother.
The flower fairy had also said that it would be best for him to meet the Virgin Mary after he finished crafting the treasure. He hadn't expected the Virgin Mary to see him until he'd finished.
But now that he was actually going to see the Virgin Mary, he was incredibly nervous.
The priest stopped talking and silently led them to the largest prayer hall.
Before them stood the statue of the Virgin Mary.
The priest looked at his companions behind Alka and said, "Everyone, follow me."
Everyone nodded, glanced at Alka's back, and followed the priest.
Alka was beneath the statue of the Virgin Mary. He could clearly hear the pounding of his heart.
It beat faster and louder.
His palms began to sweat slightly.
"Huff, puff..."
Alka took a deep breath, calming himself down.
After all, he had to meet her. This was an honor other believers couldn't even dream of.
He crossed his arms over his chest.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head.
He silently chanted a prayer to the Virgin Mary.
Suddenly, Alka felt a breeze carrying the scent of wheat pass by him.
It felt cool, yet also seemed to carry a hint of warmth.
Sensing this change, he immediately opened his eyes.
The moment he opened his eyes, his surroundings had completely changed.
He seemed no longer in the church hall; he was now in a field of golden wheat. These golden wheat fields reached up to his waist.
Fields of wheat ears swayed in the breeze like waves.
This was a wheat field, but also a sea of wheat ears.
Looking into the distance, the golden rice fields stretched as far as the eye could see, like an endless ocean.
The autumn wind blew. Alka stood there, his face filled with confusion.
The change was a bit too sudden, but he probably knew this must be the Virgin's divine domain.
After all, a good harvest and wheat ears are symbols of the Virgin.
Suddenly, a childlike laughter rang out beside him.
Alka walked forward, following the direction of the laughter, feeling no fatigue. He walked forward, the laughter coming from time to time.
The voice was filled with innocence, the innocence of a child.
It seemed to foreshadow the Virgin's other domain of responsibility, nurturing growth.
Finally, after walking for an unknown amount of time, he heard the sound of wheat ears swaying ahead.
What was running in the wheat field?
Suddenly, a figure bumped into his leg. Alka looked down.
A child had accidentally bumped into his leg.
Alka looked down at the little girl with pigtails at his legs. She smiled brightly at him, her two-toothed mouth visible.
"Hehe, Alka, you're back."
"Brother? Me?" Alka looked confused, crouching down to look at the little girl before him.
He pointed at the little girl and then at himself.
"Look, I should be the older brother."
"Ah!" The little girl pulled her cheek and made a face at Alka.
Then, taking Alka's hand, she ran forward.
"Come with me! Mom's waiting for you."
Alka, led by the little girl, ran forward.
To accommodate the little girl's size, he had to hunch his waist and walk quickly.
Then, the sound of more children's laughter rang out from the front, both boys and girls, and faint cries.
Then, more children emerged from the wheat field, both boys and girls, and they looked at Alka.
Some showed fear, some curiosity, and most were filled with surprise.
A few of the boys were surprisingly brave and ran up to Alka, hugging his legs and waist.
"You've grown so big?"
"How did you get so big? Teach me!"
"Carry me quickly."
"Ehh!"
A variety of voices filled Alka's ears.
"Quiet, you troublemakers."
A gentle, moving voice echoed, and the surrounding children immediately shut up.
They ran toward the sound.
Let the figure hug them.
Alka looked.
In the wheat field ahead, a female figure had appeared out of nowhere.
She stood in the wheat field, ears of wheat waving like waves, swaying silently beside her legs.
She was only about 1.7 meters tall, dressed in a conservative wheat-yellow dress.
Her golden hair was braided into a thick, long braid, cascading down her back.
She was dressed with unusual simplicity, devoid of any extravagance.
Yet, looking at her, no one could have suspected she was less than distinguished.
She embraced the young girl Alka had brought with her and then stood up.
Alka, now she had a clear view of her face.
She seemed like a young girl in her teens or twenties, yet also a beautiful woman in her thirties or forties.
She looked incredibly beautiful, yet at the same time, she felt ordinary.
These contradictory features appeared on her face, yet they didn't seem out of place. On the contrary, they were as they should be.
A gentle smile graced her face, radiating an approachable, friendly aura.
Her beautiful appearance evoked no indignant thoughts.
She held the little girl in her arms and rubbed her cheek against hers, making her giggle.
Then she patted the mischievous little boy below: "Quiet down, you naughty kids."
The children then stood quietly around, occasionally nudging each other and making small movements.
She looked up at Alka, smiled gently, and waved.
Alka slowly walked over to her.
He bowed slightly.
"Stone Mother."
Then he felt the Stone Mother's gentle touch on his head.
"This ring is not suitable for you. It will block your path forward. The compatibility between the Holy Grail and the Scepter is a function of mutual connection. The absence of any compatibility means the Scepter suppresses the Holy Grail; they are actually mutually exclusive."
Hearing this, Alka nodded in understanding.
So that's how it is.
No wonder I had a premonition; this is the reason.
If you want to become a god, to advance further, you must possess a compatible treasure.
"Everything in the world can blend and exist within it, but things also need something to connect them. Otherwise, they are incompatible and contradictory."
The Virgin Mary taught.
"However, you can continue to use this ring without any impact, as long as you don't try to delve into it and completely control it."
Alka nodded.
"You've formed a deep bond with this world, which is good. You're doing what you want to do.
But it won't be easy; it's extremely difficult."
Arka understood what the Stone Mother was saying, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why don't the Four Gods try to piece the world back together?"
This was arguably his biggest question.
Based on what they'd heard from the dwarves earlier, they didn't know about the other gods, but the Stone Mother and the Sea God might already have the power to recreate the world.
They were powerful beings, renowned throughout the astral plane.
But they lacked the ability to piece this shattered world back together. This shouldn't be the case.
Upon hearing Alka's question, the Stone Mother caressed the little girl's head in her arms, looked up at the sky, and then said, "It's not that we can't do it, but that the world won't allow it; it rejects us.
Because we, the beings who have brought the world to this state, are the ones responsible. We have betrayed the 'mother' who gave birth and nurtured us."
Though the Stone Mother's words were simple, Alka instantly understood their meaning.
So that's what she meant.
"So, no one can help us in this matter, right?" Alka asked, looking at the Stone Mother.
The Stone Mother shook her head. "Not really. Only the old gods are rejected, and the new gods are the world's new hope."
"So, there's a chance it can be done, right?"
"Of course, it's just very difficult, very difficult."
Alka nodded. As long as there was hope, that was all that mattered. The Stone Mother's meaning was clear: the first and foremost requirement for piecing together the world was to become a god.
Sufficient power is required.
The Stone Mother looked at Alka and said calmly, "When you need help in this area, any of the Four Gods' churches will be willing to provide assistance, provided it's truly effective."
"Well, the time limit is almost up. Let's get out of here."
After hearing the Stone Mother's final words, Alka nodded and disappeared in an instant.
"Will he succeed?" asked the little girl in the Stone Mother's arms.
"Perhaps. The future always holds infinite possibilities, and so do you."
Alka's real body opened its eyes and looked at its arms.
He was back.
He had just truly seen the Stone Mother, seen her true self.
Warm and kind.
He left the prayer hall somewhat dazed, looking at Sofia and the others standing outside the door.
The moment Alka emerged, everyone's eyes turned to him. "Let's go."
With that, Alka led everyone out of the church quickly.
Everyone was silent along the way.
Jason and Sofia kept staring at Alka.
Sensing their gazes, Alka said helplessly, "Alright, ask whatever you want, if you can."
"What does she look like?" Sofia asked impatiently.
Everyone pricked up their ears.
Although this wasn't Alka's first encounter with a god, they had previously seen the Flower Fairy in her true form.
But that was a fallen god they had never heard of, and only heard of later.
But the Stone Mother was different. She was one of the Four Gods.
She was the faith Sofia and the others had embraced since childhood.
"Beautiful and gentle, like... a mother," Alka described simply.
"Did she say anything to you?" Jason asked.
Hearing this, Alka scratched his forehead.
Thinking carefully, it seemed she hadn't told him anything truly significant.
It was more like she had answered some of Alka's questions and given him some information that might not be relevant now but might be useful later.
"She told me the galaxy wasn't for me, and told me not to try too hard to control it.
She also explained why they couldn't piece together and repair the world. And if anyone needed help with repairing the world, they could contact any of the Four Gods Churches; they'd be happy to help."
"The reason? What was the reason?" Julia asked immediately.
Alka briefly recounted the reasons he knew.
"So that's the reason? The world is rejecting its former perpetrators."
It seemed to make sense.
Everyone chatted as they soon returned to the ship.
Alka sat by the flower bed, looking at the ring on his finger.
Although he wouldn't try his best to control it and make it his own, using it at this stage was perfectly fine.
To be honest, Alka hadn't had the heart to experience the power of this scepter-level treasure just now due to the sudden summons from the Holy Mother.
Everyone else didn't rest, but instead watched Alka from the deck.
"I'm not familiar with controlling this treasure at this stage. It seems that due to my strength, the range of abilities I can use is limited."
Alka spoke of his conclusions as he sensed the treasure.
After all, the fourth stage was the minimum standard for using a scepter-level item. Trying to fully utilize this treasure at this minimum standard would obviously be impossible.
A faint starlight appeared around Alka.
It was like some kind of starlight effect surrounding Alka, a truly fascinating sight.
Alka then slowly floated up into the sky, lifted by the surrounding starlight.
On the entire ship, only Sofia and Alka could fly.
Sofia transformed himself into a beam of light, soaring into the sky at breakneck speed. Alka, on the other hand, soared through the air by imitating a winged creature.
Alka then floated down again and stood on the deck.
"What's wrong?" Sofia asked, puzzled, as Alka floated briefly and then descended.
"I'm not proficient. I don't dare to fly recklessly."
Even in mid-air, he could already feel himself wobbling and losing control. To truly soar through the sky like a shooting star, he needed to master it.
Then, starlight, like stars, merged into Alka's fist, and he gently waved it.
The power of the starlight flew out, impacting the nearby seashore.
The splash was minimal, not causing much impact.
But this change caught everyone's attention.
This meant the power was extremely concentrated, which meant it possessed strong penetrating power and sufficient speed.
It even had the property of concealment.
Alka launched his own punch attack from the deck.
This time, he employed melee rather than ranged attacks.
His attacks were so swift that they left trails through the air like meteors.
"Increased attack speed and increased attack power seem to have some strange properties."
Alka couldn't quite understand what special effects these starlight-like properties could bring to an attack.
Then he looked at the patrolmen milling about outside the warehouse, and at the constant activity of the port, even at night.
Ship after ship came and went around. Clearly, this wasn't a very good place for experimentation.
"Forget it, let me get used to it for a few days, and then we'll see how far I can go."
Mastering this scepter-level artifact wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.
What Alka had just used was only the most basic and simplest method.
He needed to carefully experiment with the ring and the information in his mind.
The others nodded.
"It seems this artifact isn't quite right for you right now," Simon said with a smile.
Hearing this, Alka nodded in agreement.
It was indeed very difficult.
It didn't feel that easy, a bit like when he first mastered the Dreamcatcher.
It would take a long time to become familiar with and then master the abilities of this artifact.