"Ang!"
A high-pitched cry.
As the sea surface broke open, a massive figure emerged, its piercing sound waves spreading throughout the surroundings.
This enormous marine creature.
It was massive, resembling a whale.
But even more striking than its whale-like appearance was the dense network of holes covering its body.
From these holes emanated a single, proud cry.
The cry was incredibly piercing.
It even seemed to be stirring something around it, influencing them.
Even Alka couldn't help but frown, for he could sense that even he was affected.
The space itself was being disturbed by various factors.
At this moment, silent sound waves emanated from Julia.
Silent sound waves counteracted the high-pitched cries, canceling out all the noise, forming a wall of sound.
The waves rolled.
The seawater, shaped into some strange force, attacked the people on the boat.
"Don't hold back! He's stealing Jason's magic."
The whale monster was drawn to Jason's rising magic; it was another sea monster seeking magic.
It was just that the whale was enormous and incredibly powerful. Alka even felt it had reached the seventh stage of perfection.
For a sea monster, such strength was a bit too strange. He seriously suspected a divine presence within it.
Because in Alka's eyes, it wasn't just the concentration of its magic that had reached this level; it was the actual quality of its magic as well.
It felt very familiar.
It somewhat resembled the monsters of the Golden Age that Alka had seen in his visions of history.
This sea monster was no simple matter.
Everyone exerted their own strength, quickly halting the whale's attempt to absorb magic power.
Although the whale hadn't suffered any serious damage, it seemed to sense a threat.
A sudden surge of power surged.
Then, all sorts of strange objects suddenly emerged from the seabed and slammed towards them.
Upon closer inspection, they were the wreckage of various abandoned ships.
It was unknown how long these wrecks had been submerged in the sea; many were now covered in marine vegetation.
These ships were tattered, reduced to a pile of rotten wood, but most were still connected, their simple outlines still visible.
A large number of them fell like flowers scattered from the sky.
The sudden attack descended, one after another, crashing towards them.
Then, the sea monster unexpectedly took this opportunity to dive directly into the water.
Observing this, Lucilia's figure flashed and disappeared.
She emerged from the sea, raised her cursed blade, and swung it downwards.
"Ang!"
A high-pitched cry echoed again.
This blow had clearly struck the monster hard.
Even so, the monster didn't stop, instead accelerating, plummeting into the depths.
In an instant, it sank a hundred meters below the surface.
Its enormous size must have inflicted an unimaginable amount of damage.
"Very clever," Alka suddenly said with a smile.
"Is that a divine creature?" Lucilia, returning to her feet, asked Alka.
Hearing this...
Everyone's attention shifted, and Alka nodded.
"Yes, it's indeed a divine creature, and I saw a scepter-level divine essence within its body."
Everyone's gazes grew even more perplexed.
Because if Alka had acted instantly, he could have definitely stopped the divine creature.
But Alka hadn't just forced his way in. Instead, he used considerable force to stabilize the wreckage that had been thrown towards him, allowing it to land safely on the sea surface. The debris was still floating around.
"What are you thinking? This divine creature must have been around since ancient times. And I sense the aura of the Sea God within it; it might be one of His followers.
It was simply drawn here by the magical energy generated by Jason's advancement; it's just instinct.
And actually, after seeing Pororo, it didn't really want to stay."
Because of his eyes, even if Alka didn't intentionally use them, he could still obtain subtle information from the monster if he wanted.
So, these auras were the easiest medium for gaining confidence, and Alka could easily see through them.
"And...most importantly, the divine essence within it doesn't seem suited to you."
...So, that's actually the main reason.
Looking at the messages expressed in everyone's eyes, Alka smiled.
That was indeed the reason.
But it was just a minor incident and didn't cause them much trouble.
"But that's not why I call him clever."
He gestured around.
Everyone looked.
Countless shipwrecks drifted on the surrounding sea, some even suspended in mid-air due to the high concentration of magic power.
After all, Jason was still advancing directly above the ship.
The surrounding magic power still swirled. Although Alka had suppressed the surface, the wreckage wouldn't sink for a while, held aloft by the pull of magic.
"There's a lot of good stuff in these wrecks. He might have thrown them out on purpose.
Hmm, maybe it's to ward off disaster."
"That's quite clever indeed."
For money, he could indeed spare its life.
Then Alka waved his hand.
Under Alka's control, the various points of light from the wreckage flew over, piling up onto the ship.
Many of the items here, perhaps from having spent so long at sea, were covered in various barnacles and seaweed.
A thick layer of dirt even coated them.
Juanlu looked at a box, thought for a moment, and pried it open.
With a gentle push, he pried it open, and a pile of golden sails slid out. These gold coins, though also covered in dirt, were in this heap, numbering over a thousand.
"What a treasure!"
"None of that matters. What matters is..."
Alka waved his hand, and three items flew out from the treasure pile.
They were also covered in dirt and seaweed.
With a gentle pinch, they flew out. Elemental energy gathered around them, instantly clearing away all the dirt. The three treasures appeared before everyone, resplendent.
Arka examined two of them and tossed them into the treasury.
"Those two are Holy Grail-level treasures."
They're useless, so they'll just be thrown into the treasury as collectibles.
Then he looked at the only remaining item in his hand.
He suddenly became curious.
He wondered if the giant goldfish that had just escaped knew there was a scepter-level treasure inside.
That's right.
The remaining item in his hand was indeed a scepter-level treasure.
Based on the wreckage of the ships just thrown out by the whale, there were probably seven or eight of them.
Judging from their appearance, they had been submerged in the sea for who knows how long, yet they still maintained their normal appearance when they were thrown out.
The sturdy material alone speaks volumes about the former strength of these abandoned vessels, and it also indirectly indicates the existence of someone who possessed them. They undoubtedly possessed a wealth of treasures, with treasures or colored gems left on each vessel.
Interestingly, the scepter-level artifact in Alka's hand was a walking stick.
It was roughly the size of a forearm, with a hand bone still firmly attached to it.
This meant that the owner of this artifact never let go until their death.
"This is a scepter-level artifact. Try it."
Hearing this, a hint of confusion crossed everyone's faces.
This...this is another scepter-level artifact?
This is too far-fetched.
Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Alka couldn't help but smile.
"Although it's a bit strange, among the debris he threw out, there's indeed a scepter-level treasure. I wonder if that was intentional."
Hearing this, Lucilia couldn't help but say awkwardly, "Then I shouldn't have struck that last blow. Why didn't you stop me?"
After all, the person had given so many gifts, and even ran away, and she chased him down and struck him with a sword.
And it struck the soul. While it wouldn't necessarily have been fatal to such a massive creature, it still hurt.
The chirping sound perfectly conveyed the pain of that blow.
Hearing this, Alka gave an awkward smile.
"I didn't see the treasure at the time."
At the time, he was still blocking the abandoned shipwreckage, only seeing a number of light spots on it, but he hadn't had time to notice their colors.
"Alright, alright, none of this matters."
With this, Alka handed the treasure over. The few who were still missing one treasure took turns trying.
The final one who was suitable for the treasure was Julia.
Just then,
Jason seemed to have completed his advancement.
The surrounding magical vortex began to gradually subside. Jason, feeling his own strength increase, approached the crowd with a smile.
Then he saw Julia grasping the treasure.
The treasure seemed to be stirring everyone's emotions.
"Hmm?" Jason's face was filled with confusion.
He had been so engrossed in his advancement that, protected by Alka and the others, he hadn't even noticed a whale monster had attacked them.
"How did this treasure suddenly appear? Where did it come from?" His voice was filled with confusion.
Could it be that his advancement took him a long time?
That's not right.
He calculated that it had only taken him half a day.
Though he was concentrating, he still had some sense of that tiny moment, so he wasn't even misperceiving time.
Juanlu briefly explained the group's experience when he advanced.
"I only advanced, and it only took me half a day. Why do I feel like I missed something big?" Jason said somewhat dejectedly.
Pororo patted him on the shoulder.
"Actually, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't advanced and acted as bait, we wouldn't have been able to catch such a large whale."
"You're not happy at all."
Just then, a massive teleportation rift opened above the deck.
A gigantic figure rushed out from it.
It was...
Urulius.
Her body length had reached over twenty meters, and as her wings spread. Her entire body was enormous, like a giant monster from ancient myth.
But because of the dazzling brilliance of her body, it was exceptionally dazzling in the sunlight, like a sacred beast.
"Getting bigger and more beautiful," Sofia said nearby.
Urulius's crystal wings, reflecting the sunlight, were truly stunning.
A giant dragon, seemingly the size of a ship, flew down, then transformed into a humanoid form and landed.
However, even Urulius's human form seemed to have grown as she landed.
If she had previously resembled a naive young girl, she had now become a youthful and beautiful young woman.
She landed and was caught in Jason's arms.
"Finally awake."
"Hehe."
Just then, Julia, who was nearby, finished mastering the treasure and opened her eyes. I just happened to see Jason and Ululius nearby.
"Congratulations."
"Haha, congratulations to you too."
Julia now became the last person on the ship to have mastered all the treasures, leaving only the crown-level treasure.
"What are the powers of this treasure?" Juanlu asked curiously.
After all, it only took an hour for this treasure to be acquired by accident, found its owner, and fully mastered.
Julia nodded and gently waved the cane in her hand.
The sound of music rang out.
The music was as stirring as the drumbeat of war.
As the music spread, the first person to be affected was Pororo.
Instantly, a faint red hue appeared on his body. Even the lightning-like patterns on his body glowed slightly.
A certain violent aura stirred within him.
They had seen this state many times, especially on the Memory Battlefield.
Pororo was always in this state when preparing to fight, and it was especially obvious mid-fight.
"How did you do that?"
Pororo glanced at his hands, calming himself.
However, everyone could hear the clear, almost uncontrollable fighting spirit in his words.
"This treasure's ability is to stir. It can stir your memories, even your emotions.
Combined with my music and movement, it can instantly mobilize your enthusiasm, memories, and emotions, bringing you into a state of mind."
I understand.
A state of mind buff.
If you add Julia's own emotionally stirring movement to this, along with the added power of the movement itself...
In an instant, their state was transformed into the intense state of mind they'd felt after a long battle.
For a battle, especially a large-scale one, the ability to quickly enter the state of mind is crucial.
The state at the beginning of a battle is completely different from the state in the middle of one.
And this is what Julia had just mastered.
Clearly, there are more uses.
"It can also trigger the enemy's emotions and memories, but that's just a superficial use. From my understanding, it should also be able to trigger the forces of nature."
Hearing this, everyone finally understood.
The ability of this treasure is likely to produce some kind of influence, just like a drop of water on a calm surface can create enough ripples.
And this treasure is that drop of water.
Through this drop of water, he can control the generation of these ripples to achieve the desired effect.
An ability that may not seem powerful or direct, but has great potential for development.
Most importantly, it sounds perfect for Julia.
The music itself is complemented by Julia's various treasures.
It's a highly accessible medium. Coupled with this power, her music could have an even more dramatic impact.
Honestly, even if Julia played a single piece of music and caused both sides on the battlefield to lay down their weapons and coexist peacefully, no one would be surprised.
Given the current treasures, it seems Julia could truly accomplish such a feat.
After a night's rest on the island,
The group set out again.
The quest to collect the Trial Towers was nearing its end.
As for the location of the 11th Tower, Alka wasn't worried at all.
"How long until we reach the Holy City?"
Alka asked.
"Less than half a year."
"That's pretty soon."
However, curiosity was evident on the faces of Alkashadeti and the others.
For the 11th Tower's sphere of influence lay within none other than the Holy Mother Church's headquarters in the Infinite Sea.
The Grace of the Virgin Mary, the Golden Heaven, the Holy City.
This was also the information about the first tower Alka had obtained.
So it's not an exaggeration to say that the entire collection process is nearing its end.
Whether it's this 11th tower or the 12th, obtaining them won't be too difficult.
They're already on their way to the Scar of the World.
They're just collecting these two towers along the way.
"The Virgin Mary's headquarters! I really want to get there and see what it's like."
Because of Alka.
Although everyone worships different gods, they generally interact more with the Virgin Mary Church.
Unfortunately, since it's not on their way, they can only visit the Holy City on this trip.
What exactly is the headquarters of one of the Four Gods Churches like?
Since arriving in the Infinite Sea, I've heard so much about this information. Now, all of this will appear before their eyes.
From the text and pictures, to the real scene.