Alka looked at the priest approaching him.
He said bluntly, "I'm sorry, we don't know this person. We're just visiting this church."
"You don't know him?" The priest asked, puzzled, and looked Alka and the others over.
He paused for a moment, as if recalling something, but Alka had already noticed: he seemed to be casting some kind of spell.
His eyes were glassy, and the aura of the Virgin Mary intensified in that instant, likely drawing upon some power from the Virgin Mary.
After a second or two, he regained consciousness, gave an awkward smile, and said to Alka and the others, "I'm sorry, I recognized the wrong person."
"Please, friends. This place has been really turbulent lately. If possible, you'd better leave as soon as possible.
How about staying in the church for a while? I haven't seen any other believers here in ages, let alone a saint."
Clearly, the Virgin Mary's church was a safe place, unless one was a pure cultist or a mindless idiot. Otherwise, no one would dare risk the wrath of a real god by invading his church.
In this world, there's no such thing as a god unable to manifest.
The pastor rambled on, then slapped his head.
"Look at me, I'm so rude. My name is Ted, and I'm the pastor of the Church of Our Lady at the Southern Cross Island Church." He turned to Alka and the others, folding his arms and introducing himself.
Alka nodded and made the same ceremonial gesture of the Church of Our Lady: "I'm the leader of the Compass Eye, Alka. These are my companions."
Sofia and the others also folded their arms: "Nice to meet you. My name is..."
After a brief introduction, Alka and the others sat down in the seats next to them.
The pastor, Ted, also sat down in the seat across the aisle.
With his hands on his knees, he leaned slightly forward, looking at Alka and the others.
"You look like you should be very powerful. Why have you come to such a remote place?"
The priest asked, looking at Alka and the others.
Although he couldn't see Alka and the others' specific strength, he could tell by the aura of the Virgin Mary and a certain temperament they exuded.
He could roughly tell that their strength was definitely not weak.
The strong aura of the Virgin Mary emanating from Alka, and the same aura from Sofia behind him, were both much stronger than even a priest like him.
But he didn't describe himself as a member of the Virgin Mary Church in his introduction.
That meant only one possibility: a believer who had received the Virgin Mary's gift, and therefore must be very powerful.
At this, Alka blinked slightly.
He looked at the priest before him and said, "We're here to await the arrival of the Saint Prince you just mentioned."
Hearing this, the priest frowned slightly.
He felt a mixture of wariness and doubt, but then his wariness faded, largely due to Alka and his fellow Virgin Mary believers.
He scratched his head again, feeling somewhat troubled.
After a long pause, he asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
He seemed a little hesitant to get into trouble, afraid of getting dragged into something troubling.
Alka smiled and waved his hand, "No, it's just a personal matter for us, and it's inconvenient to ask for help."
The priest nodded, and he seemed relieved.
Although it was unknown how long the priest had been stationed here, it was certainly not short.
It was better not to drag innocent people into personal grudges.
At least that was what Alka thought.
Afterward, the group chatted casually, awaiting the arrival of the prince they had never met.
"So you're from the Home Sea?" the priest asked in surprise after learning of Alka and the others' origins.
"Yes, it was probably a few years ago that we arrived near the Broken Sea. This time, we're coming from the Twin Islands to settle some old matters."
The priest nodded at Alka's words. A simple reflection on the circumstances during that time gave him a rough idea of what these people were up to.
It was likely to be related to Kriel.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Kriel?"
Alka nodded.
"Kriel is truly extremely ambitious. About three years ago, after returning from an absence, he began implementing even stricter policies to restrict the missionary activities of the Holy Mother Church.
He began vigorously promoting their ancient faith, the Mist Serpent.
It was around that time that several trainee priests and shepherds from the Holy Mother Church left. The mission assigned to me by the bishop was completely unfulfilled."
At this point, the priest sighed.
He had probably already guessed the goal of Alka and the others.
"What do you think of this man?" Alka asked, looking at him. Hearing this, the priest wrinkled his nose in slight disgust. "An ambitious man, high and mighty, viewing ordinary people as ants. A man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Though, on the surface, he's made this country seem better over the years.
He always prefers to sacrifice the few to secure the interests of the majority, and these interests are closely tied to his ambitions.
He cares nothing for the people of this country; he only cares about his goals, whether his savagery can be achieved.
Anyone who stands in his way, no matter who they are, will be wiped out without hesitation.
Yet you have to admit, he does have some abilities and means."
Almost identical to Balazs's assessment.
A capable man who will stop at nothing.
It seems that, despite his youthful appearance, this priest has a deep understanding of the situation here.
From an outsider's perspective.
"So, do you know this prince?"
The pastor nodded. "We were childhood playmates, sort of. Back then, he and I were taught by the old pastor together.
I'm about ten years older than him.
But he seemed to have a higher talent in the end. After obtaining some consent, he left here and went to a larger church.
Later, I heard he became a saint, a formidable figure."
Alka looked at the pastor before him. Judging from his appearance, he looked to be in his thirties.
That meant the prince was probably in his twenties, a young man.
Perhaps around the same age as them.
Suddenly, Sofia, standing next to him, gently nudged Alka with his elbow.
Feeling the touch, Alka raised his head and looked toward the closed church door.
Tad and Jason turned their heads, following Alka's gaze.
Footsteps could be heard, and from the sound, they could tell there were only two people present.
The church door opened.
A middle-aged man in light armor walked in. His expression seemed rather stern, and he carried a greatsword on his back.
His armor was emblazoned with a red cross, clearly a knight of the island's royal family.
Next to him stood a young man with wheat-colored hair.
He wore a gentle, gentle smile, and was also wearing armor, but it was embroidered with intricate religious patterns.
The patterns represented a bountiful harvest and bore the symbol of the Church of Our Lady.
A one-handed sword was tucked away at his waist.
He was clearly a knight from the church.
"Brother Ted, long time no see."
He walked over and, while Ted stared at him with a slightly bewildered look, gave him a hearty hug.
Ted broke free from the embrace, looked at him, and then suddenly realized, "Your Highness, Narx, welcome back."
Hearing this, the man named Narx looked displeased. He looked at the statue of the Virgin Mary inside the church and said, "Under the Virgin Mary's gaze, there's no such thing as Your Highness. We are all her faithful followers."
Hearing this, Ted smiled helplessly.
The two exchanged a few brief pleasantries.
The prince looked at Alka and the others nearby, then set his sights on Alka.
He could sense Alka's strong aura of the Virgin Mary, and for someone who was also a member of the Virgin Mary Church, this message was extremely obvious.
"Who is this?"
Ted quickly introduced, "A fellow Virgin Mary saint like you. I'm here to see you."
"Seeking me?" Narx looked at Alka.
Alka smiled and took a few steps forward, extending his hand. "Meet me, my name is Alka."
"Hello, Narx."
The two briefly shook hands, acquainting themselves.
Ted silently stepped aside.
The knight who had been following Narx stood silently behind him, saying nothing.
"Friend, you've come all the way here to wait for me. Is there something you need?"
Alka smiled and said, "Just like you. Why have you traveled so far back to your hometown? What's your reason?"
Narx frowned at Alka's words.
The middle-aged knight behind him was about to step forward. Alka had already seen through his strength: a fifth-stage powerhouse.
Narx, whom he was guarding, had only a little over fifty spirals, roughly mid-fourth-stage.
Observing his actions, Sofia and Jason, standing behind Alka, frowned. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Narx reached out to stop his knight: "Uncle Vesk, it's alright."
"You came all the way here to wait for me, so you should know what's happened in this country recently. My father died at the hands of his own brother, along with my family.
And I need to find this uncle and demand an explanation from him.
Or rather, revenge."
A flicker of hatred flashed in Narx's eyes. He spoke fearlessly, unconcerned about whether anyone around might spread the news.
He knew the Saints of the Virgin Mary and had a basic trust in them.
Similarly, the reason for his return was obvious to any normal person; it would be strange if he didn't have such a purpose.
"So what happens next? What happens after you kill your uncle?" Alka asked, looking at him.
Hearing this, Narcus frowned and stared at Alka. "What do you mean?"
He was even pessimistic about whether he could kill his uncle, but he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.
The stranger before him directly asked him what he would do after killing his uncle.
If it weren't for the man's strong aura of the Virgin Mary and his belief in her, he wouldn't have bothered to talk to him.
"No, I haven't thought about it. That's something I'll do after I achieve my goal."
"Then you can start thinking about it," Alka said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Narmins frowned and stared at Alka. "Are you sent by the Church to help me? No, that's impossible. I know the Church of Our Lady; they wouldn't help me with something like this.
They have no reason to help me.
Then why have you come here to find me?"
Hearing this, Alka smiled and sat down beside him. "Look, although I'm a saint, I'm not a member of the Church of Our Lady. I act according to my own free will, but I don't violate the teachings of Our Lady.
And your uncle was so cruel as to kill so many of his loved ones. How deep must his grudges be?"
At this point, Alka pointed at himself and the others behind him, including Sofia. "We, on the other hand, have a grudge against him that needs to be repaid with his blood.
The teachings of Our Lady don't teach us to complain with virtue, but to fight tooth for tooth. Of course, we must know when to stop and avoid harming innocent people."
The prince also sat down beside him, his knights still loyally guarding his back. Narmins looked at Alka and the others. "So, you mean we form an alliance?"
"Yes, that's obvious, isn't it? Your presence will save us from facing fewer enemies and prevent us from worrying about harming innocent people."
After hearing this, Narmins was silent for a long time, unsure what he was thinking. He turned and looked at Alka.
"While I long to avenge my uncle, I want to know why you need me.
You must have been here for quite some time, and you must have been in the church for quite some time. And you came here specifically to wait for me, knowing my itinerary.
You seem to have a very detailed plan. What role do you want me to play in it?"
Although the people before him were saints, Master Nar would trust himself more if they were unreliable.
Looking at the prince before him, Alka smiled. "Very perceptive, just as you said. We arrived here months ago, seeking revenge. It was shortly after your uncle killed your father and his men.
We were ready to take action, but we have a friend here who also needs revenge and doesn't want his homeland plunged into turmoil."
"Royal disputes, bloody revenge, and so on—you know."
Hearing this, the prince probably understood what Alka and the others meant and said, "So, you want to nominate me to the throne of this country?"
"It's yours, isn't it?" Alka said, looking at him.
This was a surefire deal, and Alka and the others perfectly matched the prince's needs.
"I don't know if this is my luck or the grace of the Virgin Mary, but I must say, thank you for your help."
The prince stood up and extended his hand to Alka, who smiled and shook his. "In that case, rest here and enjoy yourselves. Someone else will come to discuss this with you.
We'll discuss this later."
Alka said with a smile, then said goodbye to Sofia and the others and left the church.
Watching Alka and the others disappear through the church gate,
The knight who had been standing behind the prince finally spoke.
"Your Highness, you shouldn't be so trusting of others, especially when it comes to something so important. They are strangers."
Hearing this, the prince smiled. "No, Uncle Wimink. He's not a stranger; he's a saint of the Virgin."
"Is that because of you?"
"Of course, because of you."
"...your will."
For someone who was always loyal, he simply couldn't understand the strange trust between believers.
This was especially true of the Virgin's teachings, even though he had been following her from Narmins to the larger church.
Ted just stood back and listened to the conversation between the two.
Miao was still swept up in it.
Alas.
For the Virgin!
…
"There's someone following us. Should we shake him off?" Sofia casually said, walking beside Alka.
"Forget it, let them follow. We'll avoid alerting the enemy."
As Alka spoke, the group began to wander around the city. Admittedly, it wasn't easy to buy practical items here. But there were plenty of luxury goods.
After purchasing some interesting items, they left the royal city and headed towards the port city.
About halfway, the group following them each left.
As the night sky became a curtain of stars.
Alka and the others finally returned to the Voice of the Dawn.
"You're back on time," Pororo said, smiling as he leaped onto the deck from the water.
At that moment, the air on the deck was filled with an enticing aroma, whetting everyone's appetite.
Jason chuckled twice. "It's a good omen! It smells delicious! I think I can smell honey-coated pork chops."
Chatting and laughing, the group entered the dining room.
However, only Juanlu was at the table.
Looking at Alka and the others who had entered, he shrugged helplessly.
"Where are the others?"
"Where else could they be? Of course they're working on their research. They're going crazy," Juanlu said helplessly.
Hearing this, Alka simply smiled.
This situation would likely continue for a while.
"No problem. I'll send it to him later."
"Send it?" Sofia glanced over at him. "I see you want to join them, too."
Alka smiled awkwardly and ate silently.
After finishing their meal,
Alka entered the space within the treasure.
He landed directly in the research temple.
Just then, he saw Simon emerging from the laboratory's mezzanine.
His eyes lit up as he saw Alka and he walked over.
"The thing you asked me to make for you is ready, but you need to verify it yourself."
He led Alka into Laboratory No. 1.
This was a mechanical laboratory, filled with various forging machines and raw materials.
It was more like a forge than a laboratory.
One of the forges was filled with various miscellaneous items. On the tool table sat a tumbler that looked freshly crafted.
Alka narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the tumbler, its blue frame shimmering.
"Is that it?"
Simon nodded. "That's it. Take it and study it for a while, and I'll tell you about its abilities."
"No rush." Alka took the packed lunch box from her hand and handed it to him. "Take it first. Take the rest to Julia and the others.
I'll study it for a while. Don't worry, I was involved in the design, wasn't it? It'll be fine."
Simon thought for a moment, nodded, and walked out with the lunch box.
A short while later, he returned, leaving only his portion in hand, quietly eating.
Alka studied the tumbler in his hand while briefly chatting with Simon, who was also eating beside him.
This tumbler in his hand was Alka's secret weapon against Kriel.
It was specifically designed to prevent this enemy from escaping or teleporting.
They used Vastva space technology, but in reverse, reinforcing the stability of space.
This would limit Kriel's artifact, which allowed him to teleport over vast distances.
Simon named it the "Space Anchor."
As for the tumbler shape, it was just a playful idea.