This was a language capable of communicating with the laws of nature.
As he entered this depth, Alka had kept his eyes, capable of seeing through secrets, open. So when this language reached him from the depths, he immediately sensed something was amiss.
It was some strange sound wave, mingled with spiritual elements.
Through this interweaving, this language allowed any intelligent creature to understand its meaning.
The words carried a clear implication of laws.
This was the first time Alka had seen or heard such a strange language.
But when these words reached him, everyone was on high alert.
Alka had never imagined that living creatures could exist in such a subterranean space. Perhaps they were.
The dreary odor upon entering had essentially confirmed that this had always been a closed space.
He was also fortunate not to have seen any difficulty level requirements for obtaining the treasures.
A flashing ball of light exploded.
It illuminated the entire underground space.
This was clearly an area used for sacrificial ceremonies.
The surrounding area was dotted with unknown symbols and various strange drawings.
And the golden treasure lay in the center of the altar, placed on a sunken stone platform.
It was covered in dust, but to Alka's eyes, the orb had a golden frame.
But after the entire area was illuminated, they couldn't see who had made the sound.
That sentence: "You're finally here."
Whose voice had come from?
Everyone used their own methods to check their surroundings.
"Did I hear correctly?" Jason asked uncertainly.
Everyone shook their heads, confirming that the sound he had just heard had been heard by everyone.
Maintaining vigilance and prepared for battle at any moment, Alka led the group as they slowly approached the center, spreading out to form a semicircle as they went.
They also informed the puppet girls above to remain vigilant.
There was clearly something wrong here, but they didn't see it, didn't even feel it, which became a much greater problem.
This forced them to pay close attention to their surroundings.
Stepping through the dust and mud, they arrived at the altar.
The radiant light from the explosion still scattered around, filling the entire underground space and illuminating the surroundings.
Circles of silver ripples continuously spread throughout the space, but there was nothing strange about it, no signs of souls or life.
Everyone glanced at each other, and Alka walked up alone.
They climbed a few steps to the base of the altar and looked at the sunken table where the treasure was stored, just above his chest.
He reached out, preparing to touch the treasure.
From its appearance, it looked like the treasure had been covered in dust and dirt for too long, practically entombed and fixed in its recess. It looked like an ordinary stone ball.
Just as Alka was about to touch it, a blue hand, seemingly composed of starlight and lines, covered the treasure.
The moment Alka saw this object, his figure became ethereal and vanished from its original location, reappearing below.
Everyone was instantly alert, and all sorts of treasures flew into the air, everyone entering a battle stance.
Under everyone's gaze, the blue light, or what looked like a hand made of starlight, began to extend upwards.
It connected to form an arm, then continuously extended upwards to form a hollow human figure composed of starlight.
The outline of the figure was indistinguishable, a perfectly standard human form.
Without eyes or a mouth, the twinkling starlight on his body slowly shifted and shimmered, as if a galaxy were draped over him.
Though he had no eyes, his star-studded head seemed to be watching them from above.
His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Alka.
"You're finally here..."
Alka frowned at the words.
Is it directed at him?
But the star-studded figure before him showed no hostility and even seemed to want to communicate.
Under such circumstances, it seemed impossible to launch a rash attack.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Are you talking about me?"
"Of course, unless there's another Alka here."
Though the crowd couldn't understand his language, they could tell from the messages he spoke and his tone that he seemed relaxed.
He wasn't nervous in the face of their vigilance.
"Don't be nervous, everyone. I come with friendship."
He said this with a gentle wave of his hand.
The entire scene shifted.
The surroundings changed from a deep underground sacrificial site to a simple ancient palace.
The altar before them transformed into a crystal-enclosed space, or rather, a square, enclosed area made of crystal glass panels.
Arka and the others were outside the glass panels.
The starry figure within also began to transform, transforming from an illusory figure into a real person.
He had long black hair and a face that looked handsome, yet also gave off a somewhat ordinary air.
He exuded the aura of a superior, yet it didn't intimidate, instead conveying a geniality.
They couldn't be mistaken for this aura, and someone with it would hardly be considered a villain.
His appearance was identical to that of a normal human, without any difference.
Alka took in the man's appearance and the surroundings, his brows knitted together.
He remembered this scene.
"It seems you remember. What took you so long?"
He asked with a smile.
This scene was exactly the revelation from the Mother that Alka had received in the church of the Stone Fortress several years ago. It had unexpectedly reappeared at this very moment.
The man before him must have been the male figure among the knights. It seemed he had sensed the revelation and his gaze, telling him to quickly find him.
"Did you deliver that revelation?" Alka frowned, looking at the stranger before him.
The stranger nodded. "Yes, I asked the Stone Mother to help convey this message to you."
This was interesting.
This meant the man before him knew the Mother, and he addressed her as the Stone Mother. Furthermore, his appearance suggested he was some ancient being. There was no respect or reverence in his tone, clearly suggesting he might be on the same level as the Holy Mother.
Is it some other deity?
Probably not one of the Four Gods.
"What do you want from me?" Alka thought for a moment and asked.
The man before him nodded.
"I need your help with something. In this world... no, in this entire star realm, only you can help me."
He pointed at Alka.
Hearing this, Alka couldn't help himself.
Alka blinked slightly at him, then felt a stinging pain in his eyes, causing him to cry out in pain and close them.
Seeing this, Sofia and the others around him immediately prepared to attack.
Clearly, they believed this strange man before them had done something to Alka.
Before Sofia and the others could make a move, Alka immediately extended his hand and lightly pressed, halting them. "It's okay. It's my own fault." He had just used his prying eyes to try to see what was happening to the man before him.
Then, he saw almost nothing, as if a meteor had struck him.
"While I approve of your behavior, you must understand that even if I did nothing, you can't spy on something you're not supposed to.
If the distance is too great, even just looking at it can cause you significant harm. I'm deeply aware of this."
The dark-haired man before him warned Alka, seemingly teasing himself.
He then shrugged, looked at Alka, and said, "I'm sorry. If we were outside, I might be able to make things easier for you, but not now. I'm confined to this small space; otherwise, I can't even enter this world.
Though your world is shattered, its deepest defenses still exist. It's truly astonishing.
A naive world consciousness, the children of this world have failed their mother. Of course, this isn't something an outsider like me should be able to say."
He seemed to have been here for quite a while, rambling on and on, satisfying his desire to talk.
And his words widened not only Alka's eyes, but also Sofia and the others beside him.
The implication was that the man before them possessed a strength, or perhaps even a stature, beyond their imagination.
And he knew a great deal, at least a very clear understanding of the causes and consequences of this world.
He knew the present situation, and what it had been like in the past.
Matlisa gave Alka a brief treatment, allowing him to at least open his eyes and see clearly.
After the treatment, Alka opened his eyes. Although his head still stung and his vision was blurry, he could at least see clearly.
His eyes were bloodshot.
"Tell me, how can I help you, and what can you give me in return?"
"My need for your help is simple, requiring no action on your part.
And the reward I can offer is immense, even significant. It could even determine whether your world can recover."
He immediately unleashed bombshell news.
Hearing this, Sofia and the others fixed their gazes on the man before them.
Alka looked at him, frowning. "It's not that I don't believe it, but I find it hard to believe you could offer such a reward. And I can't even afford it."
Alka had pondered this question long before, when he met the Mother, and had inquired about any way to save the world. After all, he had such a goal.
And the Mother seemed happy to place this goal on him.
Furthermore, truly restoring the world wasn't something that could be accomplished by the already ostracized gods like the Mother.
Only the creatures born after the War of Gods could accomplish this, as they weren't ostracized.
But when Alka tried to inquire about more detailed methods, the Mother didn't seem to know.
Or perhaps she didn't have a truly feasible, complete plan.
So, Alka found it hard to believe that this powerful being before him, clearly from another world, could possess such information.
And the price he could afford for such information.
After hearing Alka's words... The man before him smiled.
"For various reasons, I can't speak openly about some things. You just need to know that so-called transactions aren't necessarily equal.
As long as the transaction is equal in my opinion, there's no problem, or rather, I'm quite willing to help you."
After this, the man added, "You probably won't believe me. But you should trust the Stone Mother, right?
Why not ask her?"
Hearing this, Alka frowned, and Sofia and the others turned their gazes on Alka.
Then Alka's brows relaxed, and he took a few steps back.
"You're right."
In this situation, only the Mother could obtain the necessary information by asking.
It wasn't something he could resolve.
Stepping back, Alka folded his hands and began to recite the Mother's prayer.
Hoping that She would draw him toward Her kingdom, allowing him to meet Her.
With his eyes tightly closed, he felt the light outside.
A gentle breeze rustled beside him, and Alka could smell the aroma of wheat in the air.
When he opened his eyes, he was indeed in the Virgin Mary's kingdom again.
A world of endless wheat fields stretched as far as the eye could see.
This wasn't his first time here. Crossing the golden wheat fields, Alka spotted a farm ahead.
In the spacious courtyard of the farm, the Virgin Mary stood quietly.
She wore an exquisitely woven straw hat.
Children ran around in front of her, playing happily.
The girl who had been holding Alka's hand seemed to sense his presence and clung to his thigh.
She giggled and ran away again.
The Virgin Mary waved her hand, sending the children off to play in the distance.
Then she turned and looked at Alka.
Alka quietly came before her, lowering his head slightly.
"Stone Mother."
"It was indeed he who asked me to inform you of the revelation earlier," the Mother said, looking at him.
She was clearly aware of the situation Alka was facing.
Without waiting for Alka to ask further questions, the Mother spoke slowly.
"I don't know why he sought you out, but he's a newly ascended great power within the entire Star Realm.
Simply put, his rank within the Star Realm is no different from mine. I do have some connection to him, but I've never met him before.
I don't know him, but at least I can be sure his intentions aren't dangerous.
So I'm also curious why he sought you out and needed your help."
The Speaker Mother looked at Alka with a kind and gentle gaze. "But don't worry, he can afford the reward he promised. His world is well-known throughout the Star Realm.
If there's a place that knows how to repair the world, and who knows such a method, then he's definitely one of them. He's more than capable of fulfilling the conditions he promised."
After hearing the Mother Mother's words, Alka nodded.
"Well, child, this great power is waiting for you. Waiting too long is disrespectful. Come back to me later."
The Mother Mother placed her hand on Alka's head. When Alka opened his eyes again, he was back in the underground space.
"Well, I didn't lie to you, did I?" the man in the space said with a smile.
Alka nodded. "I'm still curious. How can I help you?"
He couldn't figure out what he had to offer that would warrant the help of such an untoldly powerful being.
"You have something. When you know it, you'll understand why I'm helping you."
As he spoke, the man in front of him silently made a mouth shape.
After seeing this mouth shape, Alka was shocked.
Alka's eyes were filled with shock.
"You..."
"Hush. Some things can't be spoken. Just understand, friend."
The man before him used a very equal address.
Friend.
The difference in power between him and Alka was like the difference between a god and an ant.
But he still preferred to call Alka that.
Alka was shocked, but after careful consideration, it wasn't impossible. He took a deep breath and nodded.
Today had been enough shocks.
"What I need is help reversing time and space, back to your very first moment. I need information about returning home."
The man before him said this.
Hearing this, Alka was shocked, but the shock still made him frown. "Why would you need something like this? You should be able to do it yourself, right? What's the difference between us?"
"Because I've been here so long, so long that I've lost track of it. And our methods are different."
Hearing this, Alka could only nod.
He didn't know whether the man before him was lying or telling the truth.
But he knew he had no room to resist, and this man before him was so powerful that he didn't know what to do.
The fact that he was willing to calmly strike a deal with him on equal terms, and even asking for his help, showed that he already had sufficient, even overflowing, goodwill.
In this situation, Alka didn't have many options.
Hearing Alka's agreement...
He waved to Alka.
"Come inside. Using my powers outside would be against the rules. It's not nice, it's rude."
Hearing this, Alka nodded, then gave everyone a reassuring look and stepped into the inner space.