"La la la la, time to eat~"
The two puppet girls placed the breakfast trays on the dining table.
They hummed a song as they placed them, and after putting them down, they danced together in the air.
Since Juanlu had gone with Jason and the others on the treasure hunt, the puppet girls, Juanlu's apprentices, stayed with Alka and the others.
Simon sat down at the table early, slowly eating his breakfast.
In the past, he might not have even come to eat, but now he ate slowly, mainly to sort out his thoughts.
He was thinking about how to solve the problems he had encountered yesterday.
Just then, a crack opened next to the dining table, leading to a small world.
Alka walked out.
Lucelia swung her legs on his shoulders, her body pressed against Alka's head.
A smile still graced his face.
Arka pulled Sofia back with his right hand, their fingers clasped tightly together as they walked to the table and sat down.
Even the seats moved closer together.
However, Simon didn't understand any of these subtle changes. He remained focused on the food on his plate, his mind swirling with thoughts.
Suddenly, he asked, "Do you think it would be okay if we didn't use gemstones?"
At Simon's words, a slight daze crossed Arka's face.
It was difficult for him to focus on anything else right now.
"Huh?"
Hearing Arka's questioning voice, Simon looked up at Arka, a little puzzled.
"Gemstones aren't flexible enough to bear the weight. Would it be possible to use a different material?" he repeated.
At that moment, Arka understood, drawing his attention back to other things. After a long pause, he nodded.
"Maybe we can try. I'm not sure, but I can only say we shouldn't hold out too much hope."
Then the two of them slowly chatted while eating breakfast.
Alka also occasionally chatted and laughed with Sofia and Lusilia, as if they were inseparable.
A silver thread bound the back of the chair, and then a small figure swung up and sat on Sofia's shoulder.
It was Er. As soon as he sat on Sofia's shoulder, Er clearly sensed something was wrong.
Sofia had already finished breakfast, her chin in her hand, staring intently at Alka's face as she spoke.
Er frowned in confusion and couldn't help but poke Sofia's face twice.
Sofia simply fiddled with her finger, indicating that she should stop being annoying.
Strange, so strange.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you staring at Alka?"
The voice finally snapped Sofia's attention back, and she turned to look at Er on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about it."
"Something's wrong. Something's very wrong." Er, perched on Sofia's shoulder, couldn't help but observe her closely.
To everyone else, Sofia didn't seem particularly unusual at the moment. But to Er, something was terribly wrong with her.
Then she noticed Lucilia on Alka's shoulder was also acting strangely.
"What's wrong with them?"
Their behavior completely caught Er's attention, and she couldn't help but let go of her shoulders and took the two culinary-loving puppet girls away.
She decided to ask the other sisters.
However, given the puppet girls' experience, even after a long discussion, they ultimately concluded that the two were having a fit.
Or perhaps it was normal for such behavior to occur from time to time.
…
Lumina sat in front of Henges, the two of them riding together on a ghostly warhorse, slowly circling the Great Library.
But Lumina's eyes remained fixed fixed in one direction, their gaze filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Henges sat behind Lumina and followed her gaze.
They were in the library's reading area.
Your Majesty, Sofia, and Lusilia were flipping through books together.
There was nothing wrong with them.
But Lumina stared intently, even as she circled in different directions, observing from different angles.
"Lumina, what are you observing?"
"No, nothing." Lumina's voice was a little regretful. She hadn't seen the plot she'd hoped to see.
Instead, she saw an overly harmonious scene.
I couldn't help but lean back, pressed against Henges's soul armor.
Time passed, and everyone's daily lives seemed to return to normal.
Jason and the others searched for treasures in the distance, occasionally sharing their information.
Alka, in turn, relayed information about the treasures they had gathered, accelerating their treasure hunt. This cycle continued.
Alka himself occasionally joined Simon in his research, or forged treasure carriers and observed the treasures he handled.
The more treasures he collected, the more he discovered new insights and details within them that he had previously missed.
The treasure carriers and divine essences of the treasures would also change depending on their functions, which would help him improve his strength.
Lucille, mastering the spell sword, deepened her mastery of soul power.
And thanks to her nighttime activities, she gained more experience with souls.
Sofia always meditated at night, and when the moon was out, he felt its power.
After completing his meditation, he entered his small world.
In the Radiant City, a room had been requisitioned. If anyone noticed, they would notice that the light in this room flickered every night.
In the realm of dreams, within Alka's dream bubble, a similarly enclosed space was separated.
One could always see the presence of a soul moving within it.
Heavy breathing echoed around, but it wouldn't emanate from Alka's dreams. Only then did Alka's dream become exceptionally solid, rejecting any visitors.
Only the dream animals in the forest outside gradually grew accustomed to the noise.
Outside this enclosed space, numerous dream creatures would occasionally gather.
…
That day.
The door opened.
A group of people filed in.
"Huh, they're finally back."
The dusty group entered the living room.
It was Jason and his companions, who had returned after nearly a year of treasure hunting.
Simon, sitting in the living room, writing something in a notebook, a thoughtful expression on his face. Seeing Jason and his companions return, he smiled, put away his notebook, and stood up.
"You're finally back! This treasure hunt must have yielded quite a few rewards."
Hearing Simon's words, Jason smiled and nodded.
Several women went upstairs to change into clean, light clothes and wash off the marks of their travels.
After a long while, everyone gathered in the hall again.
"Where are Alka and the others?" Matlisa asked, somewhat puzzled.
What was unusual about the crowd gathered here was that, with the exception of Alka and the other two, everyone was there. "They should still be resting," Simon said nonchalantly.
"Rest?" Julia repeated, somewhat curiously.
Simon nodded, not seeing anything wrong with it.
"Are they that lazy? They've become so lax," Jason said curiously.
An hour and a half had already passed since the sky curtain was drawn.
You have to remember that this is the vast ocean, where night and day are equal.
Under normal circumstances, they should have woken up long before night and started doing other things.
They hadn't woken up during the day yet, which was a rare occurrence, and it usually happened to Simon, not others.
"Have you been studying lately? Spending a lot of energy?" Mathilda asked, looking at Simon.
But Simon's state didn't seem like it. If he were obsessed with research, he'd likely work for months without rest, especially now that he'd become even stronger.
But right now, Simon was in unusually good shape. Honestly, it was rare to see him in such a state.
This showed that Simon had been maintaining a fairly normal routine for a long time, which was incredibly rare for a research enthusiast like him.
Hearing this, Simon shook his head: "Our research has been stuck in a bottleneck for a long time.
So, I've recently shifted my focus to other areas, trying to find alternatives. I need to read more books.
Rest more and clear my mind, maybe I'll find some inspiration."
Next to Simon's feet, several thick books were piled up, all borrowed from the library.
As everyone chatted, a spatial rift appeared in the center of the living room. The rift opened into a portal, and Alka and the other two emerged.
Observing the three's state. Everyone clearly sensed something was amiss.
This state was a stark difference from when they had left.
Several people narrowed their eyes, observing.
Alka emerged, smiling and radiant.
Lucille, in her normal ghost form, wrapped her arms around Alka's shoulders, hanging from his back with a smile.
Sofia walked out, holding Alka's hand.
The three of them chatted and laughed, their conversation unclear.
But it was clear that the three of them had become incredibly close and harmonious, far more intimate than before.
It seemed normal, but Jason and the others, who had been working together for years, noticed something was amiss.
It was all too obvious.
"You're back! Thank you for your hard work," Alka said with a surprised smile, looking at the new group of people in the living room.
Although he had known Jason and the others would be returning soon,
Sofia and Lucilia also walked over to Julia and the others.
"Did nothing really happen?" Jason asked quietly, sitting next to Simon.
"What happened?" Simon turned, frowning, and couldn't help but think of something.
Looking at Simon's expression, Jason understood and waved his hand, "It's okay."
Why would he ask Simon such a question?
He started talking to Alka, who had come over.
Julia took Sofia's hand and looked at her face intently.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Julia's look, Sofia reached out and touched his face, questioning with confusion.
Watching Sofia touch his face, that delicate and charming gesture.
Something was wrong. Nine out of ten things were wrong.
Matresa also looked at Lucilia before her, then she turned and exchanged glances with Julia.
Along with Urulius, the three of them pulled the two upstairs.
They arrived directly at Sofia's room.
As soon as they opened it, a faint, very subtle, dull smell emanated from inside.
The windows were tightly closed, indicating that they hadn't been ventilated for a while, indicating that no one had lived here for a while.
This state of affairs was clearly inappropriate for a bedroom.
The few people seemed to understand something.
Matrisa reached out and touched the nearby cabinet, examining the light dust on her fingers.
With a wave of her hand,
vines stretched out, opening the window for ventilation and quickly sweeping away the dust in the room.
The girls sat down beside the bed.
Matlisa watched as Sofia touched her hand and arm.
"Your skin is smoother and more radiant," she said, looking up at Sofia's beaming face.
He stretched out his upper arms and pinched her face.
He placed his lower arms on Sofia's waist.
They seemed to be conducting some simple examination.
Sofia was groped and touched by the two women, confused and bewildered. She probably knew what they were examining.
Finally, Ululius even leaned over to sniff around Sofia's neck.
"The scent isn't right either. A sweet fragrance mixed with a seductive scent."
"What seductive scent? You're so weird!" Sofia said, pushing Ululius's head away and looking at the three of them in surprise.
"It's not surprising at all. Ululius and Jason did..." Before Ululius could finish her proud words, Julia immediately covered her mouth.
"I told you not to say such rude things."
Sofia and Lucilia also understood why the three of them had pulled her up.
They looked at each other and smiled.
They held hands together, looking at the three people in front of them, and said, "It's just as you thought."
A faint blush crept onto their faces.
Seeing the two admit it.
Julia's face was calm, but a hint of redness could still be seen. An expression of "as expected."
Mathesha, on the other hand, was a little shy, a noticeable blush on her face.
Ululius opened her mouth curiously, as if she wanted to ask something.
Then, amidst the chatter of the girls, occasional exclamations of surprise echoed.
Julia's expression grew surprised, and Matresa's blush deepened, yet she couldn't help but listen intently with wide eyes.
Urulius excitedly interrupted, dragging the conversation down a notch.
"Souls together..."
"Great, impressive."
"Shall I try with Jason, too?"
The conversation raced forward like a wild horse, spiraling into a direction impossible to pull back.
...
"You're quite happy, aren't you, while we were away?"
Jason nudged Alka with his elbow, a delighted smile on his face; he was a veteran after all.
Juanlu also smiled and nodded.
"Not bad," Alka said calmly.
"Stop it, look at that smile of yours," Jason said, glancing at him disdainfully.
Then several people burst into laughter.
Of course, Simon and Pororo weren't included here.
Their brain circuits and focus were slightly different from those of normal men.
After a while, everyone sat together in the living room again.
Alka looked at Jason and the others and asked, "How was the harvest?"
Although he asked that, Alka and Jason and the others kept in constant communication, so he had a rough idea of the harvest.
Jason nodded.
Then Urulius appeared, his hands wrapped around a dazzling crystal.
And within the crystal was sealed a divine essence.
In Alka
In Ka's eyes, the divine essence radiated an orange glow.
Within this divine essence...
Radiating a brilliant light, golden balls of light twisted and entwined within it, like a spiral.
This was the only orange, scepter-level treasure they had obtained this time.
It was also the last orange, scepter-level treasure they could obtain in World Scar at this stage.
The other orange dots of light still appeared on the map, but either no information was visible, or the information they did see was completely insignificant.
"Have you tried to determine who this divine essence is suitable for?" Alka asked, taking the crystal in his hand and examining it carefully.
Looking at the divine essence with his own eyes, it seemed to have a slightly strange function. He was at a loss for words.
Mainly, he had seen some kind of phantom within the divine essence, something he could only understand more deeply if he were to dream.
Jason nodded. "It suits Juanlu perfectly. A perfect match."
Hearing this, Alka looked at Juanlu and nodded.
This basically confirmed that this protection was a perfect match for Juanlu.
A perfect match, that was practically a foregone conclusion.
Then Urulius produced a treasure and another crystal.
These two treasures were of the Holy Grail level, radiating golden light.
One, however, was a hammer-like artifact, intricately patterned, neither dazzling nor plain.
The other crystal contained a divine essence.
A Holy Grail-level divine essence was very easy to identify.
This divine essence, like crystal, shimmered with brilliant, refracted light, light and translucent.
It perfectly matched the crystal envelope.
Alka looked at the divine essence.
He saw within it properties of toughness, stability, and a dazzling brilliance of color.
Like a gem.
Looking at the divine essence, Alka frowned, a sudden thought dawning on him. He reached out, grasped the divine crystallization in his hands, and examined it closely.
After a long moment of contemplation, a gleam of ecstasy gradually crossed his face. He turned to Simon.
"There's a solution, there's a solution!"
Looking at Alka's expression, hearing his words, and then looking at the crystal-encased divine essence in Alka's hand, Simon seemed to instantly realize what he had thought of, his face lit up with ecstasy.
"Will it work?"
The others were bewildered.