“So...” Iluvia looked down at the black parchment floating in front of her, her tone a bit complex. “This thing I got should, logically speaking, be... a single page from that Transcendent Divine Artifact of the Undead Ruler?”
“Since this is a divine artifact belonging to the Undead Ruler, Dipu, and is even a part of a Transcendent Divine Artifact, why did it end up in the hands of a necromancer?”
She tapped the armrest of her Divine Seat, her delicate brow furrowing slightly, her mind filled with bewilderment.
“Just what is going on here...?”
The Book of the Undead was Dipu's Transcendent Divine Artifact. How incredibly precious it was!
How could such an object end up in the hands of an ordinary necromancer?
The other party was merely a low-tier necromancer. Forget touching a Transcendent Divine Artifact—they probably didn't even know the item's true origin.
Thinking of this, and recalling how the Undead Ruler, Dipu, had chosen to stand idly by during the divine war a thousand years ago, she felt as if a thick mist had appeared before her eyes.
The mystery only deepened.
Iluvia was quite certain that the necromancer was not a believer of any True God or ancient god. She had previously used Mikael's perspective to remotely probe whether the man possessed any faith, and the answer was clear: he was not a believer of any deity.
She felt that something was off about this entire matter, yet she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
“I can't figure it out.”
Iluvia shook her head gently, deciding not to dwell on it any longer.
Then, her gaze fell back upon the fragmented page of the Book of the Undead in her hand, and her expression instantly shifted.
A Transcendent Divine Artifact! A genuine fragment of a Transcendent Divine Artifact!
To be honest, she was truly covetous.
But she knew all too well in her heart—she couldn't control it at all, let alone modify it.
This was Dipu's exclusive Transcendent Divine Artifact, with the imprint of the laws etched into its very source. Aside from the Undead Ruler himself, no human or deity could ever employ its true power.
More importantly, she suddenly recalled a crucial rule!
The source of a divine artifact was connected to its owner, allowing them to vaguely sense its general location!
In an instant, the fragmented page of the Transcendent Divine Artifact—which had been incredibly alluring just a moment ago—became a hot potato.
Oh, no!
Dipu could sense the location of this fragment at any moment!
If she kept this item for herself and ended up being targeted by that ancient god who was a half-step God King, she would have no way to explain herself. That would be massive trouble!
At this thought, Iluvia's expression suddenly became delicate.
“...Maybe I should seal it away?”
She pondered for a moment and quickly made a decision.
“Yes, a seal. Completely sever its connection to the outside world. As long as Dipu cannot sense its location, he won't trace it back to the Starfall Forest.”
No sooner said than done.
Iluvia mobilized the divine power within her body and opened a small, independent space deep within her Divine Kingdom—no, rather than a space, it was more like a “box.”
This box was made of layer upon layer of divine power barriers. The outer layer was the gentle protection of the divine power of light, while the inner layer was the absolute lockdown of the divine power of order. It was equivalent to locking that fragmented page inside a small dark room with no windows, no doors, and walls made entirely of safes.
“There, he shouldn't be able to sense it now.”
Iluvia clapped her hands and nodded with satisfaction. Although she had wasted a few points of divine power, it was worth it for peace of mind.
However, after completing this, another thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
“Actually... if Dipu were truly willing to help, with his strength and status, the pace of my recovery might be much faster...”
But the moment this thought arose, Iluvia extinguished it herself.
“No, no, that won't do. He didn't even lift a finger during that situation a thousand years ago, so how could I expect him to help me now? Besides, I don't even know his attitude. If I rashly expose myself and end up drawing an enemy instead of an ally, I'll truly have nowhere to go to cry.”
She was very clear-headed.
Before she possessed sufficient strength, she should avoid daydreaming about “what if they're a good person.”
Having resolved the matter of the Book of the Undead, Iluvia breathed a temporary sigh of relief.
But soon, another feeling surged within her—
“Sigh... when will I be able to have a Transcendent Divine Artifact of my own?”
She sighed softly, a trace of envy in her tone.
But on second thought, while a Transcendent Divine Artifact was far out of reach, she had at least once possessed a family fortune of over a dozen True Divine Artifacts.
Even if... none of them were currently in her hands.
“Most of the previous Goddess of Light's True Divine Artifacts... were probably snatched away by those True Gods who participated in the divine war a thousand years ago, right?”
“I wonder if any were left behind outside. If there are...”
She mumbled, but then Iluvia's golden eyes suddenly lit up:
“That's right! Maybe there are?! What if a few were lost near the Starfall Forest and no one has found them yet?”
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
After all, this place had been one of the main battlefields of the divine war back then. The fighting had been earth-shattering, so it was entirely normal for fragments of divine artifacts and lost treasures to be scattered throughout the forest!
Iluvia immediately perked up. She closed her eyes and spread her perception outward.
She didn't dare expand it to the entire continent, only covering the Starfall Forest and the surrounding area within a hundred kilometers, meticulously searching for any fluctuations in the laws of a True Divine Artifact.
Time passed minute by minute.
Her brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
After a long while, Iluvia opened her eyes. Her small face slumped, filled with disappointment.
Forget a True Divine Artifact—she couldn't even sense the aura of half a fragmented artifact.
“Have they all been picked clean...?”
She pouted, her previous excitement instantly vanishing.
She was not smiling at all.
“Curse it...”
“My True Divine Artifacts!”
She cried out, wanting to weep but having no tears.
“Mine! All of those were mine!”
Iluvia puffed out her cheeks in an instant. She couldn't help but wave her small fists at the air in front of her twice, as if the True Gods who had stolen her divine artifacts were standing right there.
What a bunch of villains!
This was simply too much!
After swinging a few times, her movements suddenly froze.
She subconsciously looked up and scanned the empty Divine Kingdom.
Whew... thank goodness there was no one else here, otherwise this would have been way too socially embarrassing.
“Ahem...”
Recovering her composure, Iluvia immediately straightened her posture, reining in all her petty emotions. In a single second, she switched back to her dignified and sacred mode. With a serious expression and indifferent eyes, she restored the majesty of the Goddess of Light.
Steady, dignified, and elegant.
As a goddess, she had to pay attention to her image at all times and absolutely could not lose her composure. Yes, that was right, exactly like this.
After composing herself, Iluvia turned her mind back to another matter of official business.
“Right, I almost forgot. Since my believers are about to return, I must notify the players about this. Besides, the upcoming settlement work is related to the players. I wonder how many houses they've built over the past few days... Hm, I hope there's enough room for everyone to live.”
She tapped her fingertip lightly, calculating.
Settling the believers, constructing the teleportation array, expanding the housing... all of these tasks required the participation of the players.
Taking advantage of the migration, she could release a batch of construction quests. This would not only accelerate the expansion of the town but also allow players to farm experience points and Merit Points, killing two birds with one stone.
She just didn't know how many houses the players had built recently and if it would be enough.
She hoped it wouldn't be too crowded.
“As for the overall coordination of the resettlement... I'll leave that to Lilith. She'll have to work hard for a while.”
Iluvia pondered for a moment and made her decision.
Lilith was familiar with these matters and understood the situation of the believers, making her the most suitable person to lead the effort.
With a thought, she sent out two oracles simultaneously.
One entered the Temple of Light, landing in Lilith's mind, detailing the various matters of the believers' migration, resettlement, and the construction of the teleportation array.
The other transformed into a server-wide announcement, echoing in the ears of every player.
【Ding—Server-wide Announcement】
【Large-scale Story Event “The Return of Light” is about to begin】
【Event Description: The believers of Light in Windhaven Town will migrate as a whole to Castellan to co-build the Holy City with the God-Chosen Ones. A large amount of labor is required to participate in construction work such as housing expansion, street repairs, and material preparation.】
【Quest Level: Unlimited】
【Quest Rewards: Massive Experience Points, Merit Points, Personal Reputation Points (Note: Reputation can be exchanged for exclusive equipment)】
The moment the announcement went out, the players who were still grinding monsters, setting up stalls, and running daily quests all went wild.
Rate on N.U.
