The complex of buildings on the summit of the Ascension Peak extended all the way to the mountainside.
The Cathedral of Our Lady was also located in this area, nestled in a depression on a wide terrace.
The church was built here, surrounded by golden wheat fields that stretched to either side and below.
This area of the mountainside was very flat, barely a slope at best.
The wheat fields were cultivated not by farmers but by church members, even knights and priests.
A statue of Our Lady stood before the church, nestled at the edge of the wheat fields.
In the sunlight, it shone with a golden glow, its rays filtering through the statue's perimeter onto the wheat fields.
A knight in heavy armor stood outside the church, gazing down from the raised terrace at the golden wheat fields below.
He felt the gentle breeze drifting up from the wheat fields. A young priest followed him.
"What's the situation at World Scar?" the middle-aged knight asked.
Hearing this, the young priest shook his head, his expression looking very bad. "Very bad. The number of demons has almost far exceeded the total number of those we've killed.
That's not the main problem. The main problem is that there are many powerful demons. The high-end combat forces gathered at World Scar are somewhat stretched."
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight nodded and sighed slightly.
"Is there no good news?"
"Good news?" The young priest shook his head.
"There's even worse news. Due to the eruption of the Abyssal Aura and the Four Gods' announcement, various cults have emerged across the Boundless Sea.
Many pirates who weren't completely wiped out before have begun attacking the support ships, as if by agreement.
We need a large number of personnel to support World Scar. We simply don't have the manpower to eliminate these pirates."
The middle-aged knight fell silent after hearing this. "And the intelligence from the front lines is already a month old. We won't get the latest until tomorrow.
Based on our previous predictions, it might not be very good. Be prepared."
"Why do I have to stay here? Can't I go to the front lines to provide support?"
"The Seed of Life and the Church of the Holy Machine have all gone to provide support. If you go too, who will defend this island if it's attacked?
God Ascending Peak is a crucial logistical island. The surrounding island chains provide a near-endless supply of food and mineral resources.
It's also a trading hub for so many surrounding areas. We can't afford any problems here."
There's a reason why landmark islands like God Ascending Peak are so famous. Perhaps it's due to the abundance of resources or their prime location.
This is why there aren't many places like it in the entire Infinite Sea.
This is because it's a product of the perfect combination of time, location, and people.
Each one is crucial, especially during such a crucial time.
Almost every island like this is a vital blood pump. Any problem with one could have a chain reaction.
"Well, tell me some other information," the middle-aged knight said helplessly.
After hearing this, the young priest waited for a moment, then, as if conjuring up something, said, "According to information from the port, the Compass Eye, which departed from the World Scar a few years ago, has arrived here."
"Is that the Son of the Virgin?" the middle-aged knight couldn't help but ask.
Hearing this, the young knight looked at him and said, "Don't utter such suspicious terms. The Virgin Mary doesn't acknowledge him. You should call him a treasure craftsman, not the Son of the Virgin Mary."
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight's helplessness and irritation finally faded a little. He shrugged, revealing a certain uninhibited nonchalance.
"What's the matter? Everyone in the Church knows that this young man named Alka is essentially the Son of the Virgin Mary."
Hearing this, the young priest wanted to refute something, but he couldn't find a good reason, so he just told him to shut up. The main reason was that those within the church knew more, often receiving information specific to Alka from the bishops and archbishops.
This, coupled with Alka's experiences along the way, led many insiders, like those outsiders who were uninformed, to believe that Alka was the Virgin's son.
The main issue was that the Virgin didn't refute it, but she also didn't admit it.
"But I remember he'd only been away from the World Scar for a few years. How could he have arrived here so soon?" the middle-aged knight asked with some surprise.
If they had come here through normal channels, the distance wouldn't have been far. And he knew that Alka and his companions hadn't come in a straight line, but rather had been traveling to various locations, practically in a circular manner.
The distance between a circular route and a straight one was different.
The circular route might have been several times longer than the straight one.
"After leaving World Scar, their ship must have been upgraded and remodeled quite quickly.
Anyway, when I went to Seed of Life earlier, I saw many people paying attention to the information about Alka and his crew's ship. The Seed of Life people seemed quite concerned."
"Really?" The middle-aged knight acted nonchalant, clearly unconcerned with such matters. "Since he's here, is everything ready?"
The young priest nodded. "We've dispatched a team of Wheatear Knights and a group of ordinary Guardian Knights to wait around the Trial Tower.
Perhaps soon, perhaps within the next day or two, they should come to the church to retrieve the location information."
"Really? I'm getting impatient. I've heard so much about him, but I haven't met him in person yet."
He couldn't help but look at the priest in front of him and ask, "I asked him to help me replace the carrier of the treasure. Would he help?"
"That's a nice thought. Countless people want him to replace the carrier of their treasure. Who are you? Or can you offer something that would tempt him?"
"We're all believers in the Virgin Mary. Can't we help?"
"You're really thoughtful."
The young priest ignored him and rolled his eyes.
"By the way, there's one very important piece of information I just received a few days ago."
The young priest's expression grew serious.
Knowing from that expression that it wasn't good news, the knight's face fell. "What?"
"According to intelligence, the powerful aura sensed earlier, as reported by the Church of Storms, is likely the escaped Son of the Sea God, Nargaro."
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight couldn't help but frown. This Son of God was truly a Son of God, having survived from the Golden Age to the present day. Most importantly, he was an unmitigated villain.
According to ambiguous information, he had betrayed the world's existence and was deeply bound to the aura of the Abyss. If he weren't the Sea God, he would have nearly fallen into the abyss.
The fact that he appeared at this moment and radiated aura was self-evident.
"So it's bad news? Even something so hidden has begun to reveal itself?"
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh.
With so many bad things coming one after another, he couldn't help but feel pessimistic.
"No, quite the opposite. It's a good thing."
Hearing this, the middle-aged knight lowered his head in surprise.
How could he hear such good news at a time like this?
"This son of the Sea God, Nargaro, was somehow found and killed by Alka and his team."
"?" The middle-aged knight was filled with questions.
He hadn't imagined any connection between the two.
"How did it happen?" he asked curiously.
In any case, this was definitely a good thing. This being, capable of wreaking havoc and causing immense destruction, died like this. It was a blessing for everyone.
"A key member of the Compass Eye was named Matlisa, known as the Four-Armed Angel in World Scar. Her medical books and potion formulas are now renowned throughout the Infinite Sea.
Most importantly, her race: she was a Four-Armed Naga."
"Four-Armed Naga? What's wrong?" the middle-aged knight asked, somewhat puzzled.
He didn't see any difference between this race and the Sea God. Were they merely followers of the Sea God? Just another marine race, at most a rare and uncommon sight in the vast ocean.
Hearing this, the young priest couldn't help but sigh: "Rosk, I think you really need to recharge your batteries sometimes."
"The four-armed naga were the guards who once imprisoned the Sea God's son. After Nargaro escaped, he took with him many guards who had been bewitched by him and infected by the abyss.
At the time, the Sea God was furious and punished the naga, trapping them at the entrance to the forward channel until one of them could capture or kill Nargaro."
"Isn't this simply venting his anger? Sometimes I really think the Sea God's actions are unacceptable."
"Be careful what you say," the priest said, quickly interrogating Maslow.
"Why should I be afraid of Gadri? Can he bring down punishment on me at the Virgin Mary's Church?"
Gadri sighed helplessly and could only continue, "It must be because of this Matlisa that Alka and the others found the hidden Son of the Sea God and killed him.
According to members of the Church of the Storm, they have received the oracle of the Sea God, and Nargaro's soul has dissipated."
"How impressive!" Rosk said with admiration.
In the eyes of the leaders of various churches, this Son of the Sea God is a well-known and powerful figure.
Almost all churches have such a commission from the Church of the Sea Storm. If you find any clues, please report them.
"The third tower Alka and his team collected was located in a pirate lair belonging to an alien race. The Church of the Holy Machine was tasked with negotiating with them, but they declined.
The location was somewhat remote, and the combat effectiveness wasn't strong, so they had no choice but to abandon the project.
According to the intelligence I received earlier, members of the Church of the Storm later visited the area and discovered that the pirates were actually four-armed Nagas who had previously defected. So, it could be considered a coincidence."
"The four-armed Nagas were such an obvious target, why didn't the Church of the Storm notice them?" Rosk couldn't help but ask.
It's too obvious.
"It must be a blessing from some kind of son of the Sea God. However, with the recent rise in the abyssal aura throughout the world, these disguises have begun to fade.
And they just happened to run into Alka and the others."
"Then they're really unlucky."
"If Alka and the others come later, let me know. I need to find them and learn more about the whole process.
The Church of the Storm commissioned me to do this. It's a reward for exchanging information."
Hearing this, Rosk nodded.
It was approaching night.
Alka had accompanied Sofia and the others on a daylong tour and finally returned to the ship. However, they were the only ones back; no one else had returned.
"This place is truly bustling," Alka said.
Looking at the crystal ball in his hand.
The crystal ball contained an elemental creature.
A bird-like fire elemental.
However, trapped within this crystal ball, it remained dormant.
After all, it was still difficult for a fire elemental creature to survive for long periods of time in the vast ocean, given the high concentration of water elements there.
It was a shame; Alka had originally wanted to buy more, to form an elemental tribe.
However, there was only this one, but he had reserved many fire elemental cores so that he could cultivate them in a small area within the small world.
With the cultivation experience of the Stonehoof Clan and the Thundercloud Elemental, Alka now had some confidence. He could rely on his own abilities, from scratch, to cultivate a single elemental life form with a few elemental materials.
Shortly after Alka and the others returned to the ship, the others followed suit.
Looking at Juanlu carrying so many bags on his back, even his pocket ring was filled to the brim.
One could see that the bags contained almost all very exotic ingredients and seasonings.
Tons and tons of purchases.
Even Simon was carrying a large load of forging materials.
It seemed everyone had made a good harvest.
Observing the group returning, Alka looked over and asked, "Has Pororo and the others not returned yet?"
Jason shook his head. They hadn't even run into each other all day.
As soon as he finished speaking, a large figure approached them. It was Pororo.
Pororo and Matresa then boarded the boat.
"Where's Julia?" Sofia asked, puzzled.
She remembered the three of them getting off the boat together that day.
"Behind them."
As she spoke, she saw Julia approaching, followed by five others.
Five beautiful women followed Julia, their gaze fixed on the Voice of Dawn, examining her.
Judging by their attire and the faint, plant-based fragrance, it was clear they were members of the Seed of Life.
Julia trotted over and said to Alka, "They want to visit the Voice of Dawn. They really, really want to."
Hearing this, Alka smiled and nodded.
"No problem."
Then, looking at the five beautiful women behind her, she smiled and said, "Welcome."
The leader, wearing an emerald green dress, caught Alka's eye. The surrounding strength was surprisingly at the seventh stage.
That strength was already considered formidable.
She extended her hand and shook Alka's hand in a friendly manner.
"Sorry to bother you. It's mainly because our ship is so curious."
Looking at the apologetic smile of the woman before her, Alka smiled and nodded.
"No problem, Julia will show you around."
Julia then led the five Seeds of Life members on a leisurely stroll around the boat, congregating primarily around the large tree.
They observed the tree and the sounds of Dawn dancing within it.
Lucelia and the puppet girls were playing on the boat.
They couldn't help but observe these members of the lives of these tiny puppet girls with curiosity.
They even struck up a conversation with some of them.
Lucelia walked by and jumped onto Alka's shoulders.
A Seed of Life member stared at Lucelia as she leaped onto Alka's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Alka noticed her gaze and turned to ask.
This Seed of Life member also had pointed ears, but they were somewhat different from Lucelia's, with the outline and shape being slightly different.
However, it's said that there are quite a few humans with ears like this in the Sea of Life, so they're not considered a rare species.
She stared at Lucelia and asked, "Excuse me... are you a member of the Benavis family?"
Hearing this, Lucelia visibly shuddered.
Alka reached out to support Lucelia; he knew her last name was Benavis.
Lucilleia seemed remarkably calm, nothing unusual about her, and nodded.
"I didn't expect you to be a member of the Benavis family. I'm from the Sea of Life, too. I'm a member of the Nafos family.
It's right on the edge of the Great Woodlands Islands. Of course, I can't compare to the size of the Benavis family."
The member of Life looked a little excited, having unexpectedly met a fellow villager here.
However, judging by Lucelia's expression, it was clear she wasn't particularly keen on reminiscing about her hometown.