Across this vast ocean, a dozen ships ply and ply.
The coming and going of these ships symbolizes the prosperity of this place.
But what's interesting is this:
Aside from a few merchant ships and transport vessels carrying supplies, the vast majority of these vessels are clearly personnel carriers.
Every one of these ships bears the emblem of the Church of Our Lady or features elements reminiscent of the Virgin Mary.
From afar, in the center of the ocean,
there lies a large island.
This island is the land of the Goddess, representing the joy of nurturing new life and a bountiful harvest. It is the headquarters of the Church of Our Lady in this boundless sea.
A faint, soft light shone down from beyond the clouds in the sky, blending in with the surrounding colors, appearing faintly.
The Voice of Dawn slowly approached the outskirts of this sea.
The island was already visible beyond the horizon.
Alka and the others stood on the boat, letting the Voice of Dawn lift them into the air with its vines, allowing them to more quickly view the island.
The Holy City.
The Church's headquarters.
Even in this remote area, they could already sense the ripples of power emanating from the Mother.
These ripples of power, along with the power contained in the beam of light drifting down from the sky, gave the surrounding sea a faint golden sheen.
"What a stable environment," Julia couldn't help but exclaim, sensing the surroundings.
"It's as stable here as it is in the Home Sea."
It must be the Mother's power that dispelled the surrounding chaos, making the environment so remarkably stable.
Jason swirled his hand through the air, bringing forth a faint golden sheen.
"Not only the environment, but even the magic itself is mingled with a significant amount of Holy Light. This place has practically become a forbidden zone for all evil."
The Holy Light of the Virgin Mary isn't the Holy Light of Punishment.
But this Holy Light has blended into the surroundings, making it unbearable for even cultists, let alone demons, to enter this area.
Their aura constantly clashes with the surrounding Holy Light, practically marking them out with a halo.
It's truly quite dramatic.
As the ship sailed,
A ship slowly approached beside them, rapidly moving forward.
Alka and the others looked at it.
It wasn't a Church ship, but it shared some of its design.
A pale gold and milky white hue.
It bore many of the characteristics of the Virgin Mary Church, and one could see that it was likely a personnel carrier, with rooms of varying sizes.
Because, aside from a few cannons, the cabin was surrounded by a variety of doors and windows.
On the deck,
A large number of people gathered, staring at the distant island as if on pilgrimage.
Though the island was so small it seemed to be astronomical.
It was still quite a distance away.
"A pilgrim ship?"
Alka couldn't help but ask, looking at the ship.
For saints of the Church of Our Lady, it was easy to sense the faith in Our Lady emanating from that ship.
As they sailed forward,
the number of these pilgrim ships coming and going grew.
But besides these, one could also see numerous warships of the Church of Our Lady, transporting knights and defenders to distant lands.
One could also see ships carrying supplies.
These fleets of transport ships bound for World Scar were arguably the most common vessels Alka and his companions had seen since leaving World Scar.
Sometimes, these ships could even be seen drifting in the sea.
This was enough to demonstrate both the sheer number of these vessels and the severity of the world's scars.
The support never ceased, and the entire world was sending blood transfusions there.
As they drew closer to the Holy City,
The calm glow grew increasingly prominent.
The surrounding magic began to be squeezed by the holy light.
The divine element began to fill the surroundings.
They practically sailed on a golden ocean.
This gold wasn't luxurious.
A golden color, similar to wheat, simply evoked the rich hues of autumn's harvest, more in tune with a simpler mood than a noble hue.
From afar, they gazed at the sacred island.
The island was covered in expanses of golden yellow.
A smile broke out on Alka's face at the golden color.
This golden color was all too familiar to him.
It was exactly what he had seen, what he had once known so well.
Golden ears of wheat.
However, they seemed to be heading towards the back of the island.
Although the island was flat, it still had slightly undulating peaks. Though not high, they were enough to block their view of the front.
Finally, they reached the perimeter of the island.
They watched the pilgrims' boats circle around the back, to the left.
That should be closer to the harbor.
Alka and his companions also began to circle slowly.
They deliberately slowed down their speed.
Before them lay fields of golden wheat.
"Are these all golden ears of wheat?" Sofia didn't quite understand, but since he had come from the Home Sea, he looked at Alka and asked.
Because she remembered that Alka's hometown was Golden Wheat Island, the home island of the Virgin Mary.
Alka nodded.
"Yes, these are golden wheat ears, but I didn't expect to see them here."
Matriasa looked at the wheat ears on the island carefully, then said, "These plants are different. They may look the same as the ones you see, but inside they are some kind of... ancient, strange creation. They absorb Holy Light."
In other words, they might be some kind of higher-level creation.
Upon hearing this, Alka said, "The wheat ears I've seen don't absorb Holy Light to grow."
"So these must be the legendary Holy Light wheat ears,"
Juanlu said.
This Holy Light wheat ear is actually a food, but Juanlu rarely uses it in his cooking.
The special feature of this golden wheat ear isn't its deliciousness, but its enormous yield and excellent taste.
In the environment of Holy Light, it possessed a near-infinite growth and unlimited output.
"Look at those windmills."
Amidst the vast expanse of wheat fields stretching all the way to the back of the mountain, one could see windmill after another nestled among them. Spreading across the entire island, these windmills formed a beautiful landscape.
"Dawn's Voice, move closer," Simon said.
Though no one knew why, Dawn's Voice moved closer, almost to the shore.
It was then that they realized the peculiar nature of these endless wheat fields, stretching as far as the eye could see, almost completely encompassing the back of the island.
Because the wheat ears were being automatically detached and then flying away.
These detached ears formed a straight line across the field, as if being pulled by some force.
The nearest windmill was less than a few hundred meters away.
The huge windmill slowly turned, its reliefs from the church clearly visible.
Simon's eyes flickered as he cast a spell that enhanced his vision.
Then he patted Alka's shoulder.
"Look."
Alka had already seen it.
These windmills only looked like windmills in appearance; inside, they were sophisticated creations of incantations and mechanical structures.
Simon explained to the others, "These windmills extend deep into the ground, forming a network around them, even across the entire wheat field.
The Holy Light Wheat Ears, in an environment of Holy Light, produce an infinite amount of food. This food is automatically harvested and quickly stored in the windmills."
This was a fully automated grain sowing and harvesting system, powered by plant machinery and incantations.
"Perfect."
Simon couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Then he pulled out a small notebook and began recording.
As their boat began to circle, they soon saw roads connecting each windmill, with a central intersection.
It seemed to be a transport station. People were constantly transporting grain away.
"Hi!" Suddenly, a few children emerged from the wheat fields on the shore, waving and greeting Alka and his crew. Wheat fields, windmills, children.
Seeing this scene, Alka felt as if she had returned to the Holy Mother's Kingdom.
She couldn't help but smile and wave at them.
"It's like... I've arrived in the Holy Mother's Kingdom," Sofia said. Although she had only been there once, that visit had left a deep impression.
Finally, they reached the front of the island.
From here, they could see many buildings.
Buildings stretched from the harbor all the way up the mountain, though the mountain wasn't very high.
A majestic church served as the administrative center of the Goddess Church.
It was one of the most conspicuous buildings, for it was the point of impact of the light in the sky.
The road leading from the harbor led straight to the church.
The church covered a vast area, with a tall spire and a facade of pristine white marble. The walls were intricately carved, depicting beautiful images of the goddess and stories from sacred scriptures and myths.
These were some of the details they could see even from the shore.
And on the shore, at the harbor, the most conspicuous feature was a lighthouse.
If it weren't for the golden beam of light projecting from the sky and the magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady,
then the most conspicuous feature would undoubtedly be this guiding lighthouse.
The lighthouse stood over a hundred meters tall.
Interestingly, its shape resembled a tall, upright ear of wheat.
The drooping fruit from the ear acted like a source of light. Alka and the others hadn't noticed the source of the beam of light that had just been cast across the sky.
They only discovered it now.
The port town was filled with a vibrant display of colors typical of autumn.
The roofs of most buildings were made of rubble, the color of autumn maple red, creating a vibrant atmosphere that made one feel as if they had entered a maple forest.
The houses were mostly painted in shades of light brown, yellow, and off-white, a harmonious overall color scheme that perfectly complemented the island's atmosphere.
The rich hues made it feel as if they had stepped back into the harvest season of autumn.
Ships came and went at the port.
A special harbor, built specifically for transporting people, was built to allow these ships to quickly disembark passengers.
These people could be seen, as if on pilgrimage, slowly but steadily making their way toward the massive church on the hilltop.
Alka and his men docked their ship at another port.
Apparently, Alka and his men's ship was unique, and the port had the ability to identify it, so there were no restrictions on their access.
No one even kept track.
However, when their ship docked at the port, a group of church knights approached.
Alka and his men jumped off the ship.
"Saint Alka," the knight pounded his chest and then made the sign of the Virgin Mary.
Alka made the same gesture and nodded, greeting each other.
"Finally, we have arrived, my lords. Please follow me. We have prepared a resting place for you."
With that, two of the soldiers led Alka and his men towards the church.
However, just as they reached the port, the leading soldier captain paused, turned to Alka and his men, and asked.
"Saint, would you mind not taking the Pilgrim's Avenue?"
"The Pilgrim's Avenue?" Alka asked, puzzled.
"It's the main road leading to the church. Almost all pilgrims take this route, making their way to the Cathedral of Our Lady at the top of the mountain.
Devout believers believe that walking along this avenue will bring the Virgin Mary's gaze upon them, examining their character."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
But thinking of the traffic on the avenue, Alka shook his head.
"No problem. It's fine to take the side road."
"That's good."
The soldier was clearly relieved.
It seemed even they themselves found the main road uncomfortable; it was quite crowded.
And the believers walked slowly, practically treading forward.
Then they began walking, and some of the surrounding residential and commercial streets began to detour.
Alka and the others followed behind, taking in the surrounding scenery.
The soldiers leading the way also deliberately slowed their pace.
Golden wheat ears could be seen between and around almost every house.
Children ran past them playfully.
"Is it my imagination? Why are there so many children?" Juanlu asked.
Some of the children seemed to recognize the soldiers leading the way, greeting them or hugging their legs.
One of the soldiers smiled.
"Yes, there are many children around the Cathedral of Our Lady, because it houses the largest orphanage.
They are all brought here by believers, even members of various churches, from all over the Infinite Sea."
Hearing this, everyone nodded.
This is a characteristic of the Church of Our Lady.
Generally speaking, besides its ability to quickly produce food, the orphanage is its most significant feature.
After all, the Virgin Mary possesses a certain power to nurture and raise children.
Therefore, nearly every church, even those surrounding the church, has an orphanage.
In this vast ocean, orphans and homeless children are not uncommon.
And all church members are dedicated to collecting and nurturing these orphans.
In fact, this is also where the majority of church members come from. Aside from descendants of the church itself, the rest come from these orphanages.
And some children sent by believers.
The surrounding shops sell a large amount of food.
To be honest, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly practical or expensive on this island.
It's just very ordinary goods.
But there are an unusually large number of people.
Coming and going.
As they headed to the church, they took in the flow of people on the main street; the sheer volume was terrifying.
Furthermore, these people moved upwards with an unusually slow pace, as if crawling, and it looked a bit tortured.
"
Are there so many people every day? Jason couldn't help but ask.
If that's the case, then the guards maintaining order must be working incredibly hard.
It's an intense day.
But the soldier in front did shake his head.
"Not really. Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival, a festival most cherished by the Virgin Mary and the ideal time for worship.
Even the Virgin Mary's child angels will descend to offer blessings, making it a very important festival."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.
So that's what happened.
No wonder the crowds were so frightening; it turned out they just happened to arrive at this exact time.
"In that case, we're quite lucky to have arrived at this exact time to participate in this kind of festival."
Hearing Sofia's words, the leading soldier nodded.
It seemed their timing was truly fortuitous.