After pondering, Carl formed his response, Interesting human. I am willing to bless you!

...

"Interesting human."

The ultimate panic made Ayala's eyes lose focus, her consciousness blurring, until a distant voice rang out. It sounded as if it came from the sky, yet also as if it were right beside her ear, or perhaps echoing within her heart.

Strangely, the voice seemed oddly familiar.

"I am willing to bless you!"

BUZZ!

The panic receded.

A warm, gentle force slowly enveloped her body and seeped into its interior.

SNAP!

It was like something had been crushed and dispersed. Ayala's spirit violently shook.

She looked down.

The blood on the ground and the Divine Grace Coins had disappeared, and the pattern had been erased by an invisible force.

Had a Divine responded to her?

Ayala blinked, as if remembering something, and suddenly raised her hand to look at her arm. The skin, shriveled from severe dehydration, felt wrinkled and rough to the touch.

But then...

"Not wet?" Ayala stuttered. "No... no water?"

For a person suffering from dropsy to not expel fluid from their body, the implication was obvious.

"It's cured!"

"I'm cured!"

THUMP!

Ayala, her face flushed with ecstasy, abruptly tried to get up but collapsed to the floor due to weakness. The pain didn't make her cry; instead, she laughed out loud.

"Haha..."

"I don't have to die! I don't have to die!"

After her burst of laughter, she propped herself up, pushed open the door, and ran outside. Such good news, of course, had to be shared immediately with the most important person in her life.

"So..."

Carl had already returned from the Divine Domain Fragment. After seeing Ayala, he had arranged for some food to be sent to her.

Watching Ayala wolfing down the food, he said slowly, "Your dropsy is cured?"

"Mhm." Ayala replied, her mouth full of bread, cheeks puffed out, nodding vigorously. "It's cured!"

"It seems to have worked." Carl sighed. "It's a pity this method was discovered so late; otherwise, little Ben wouldn't have died."

Ayala's movements paused. She lowered her head and chewed slowly, finding that the sweet, soft bread now seemed tasteless.

"Forget about it." Carl waved his hand. "Let the past be the past."

"But you must remember, never try to contact that Divine again, not even once."

Ayala looked up, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, then nodded. "Yes!"

Even though that Divine had cured her dropsy, the stories of the Evil God were deeply ingrained, and she too was terrified.

Moreover, the aura leaked by the Divine at that moment had nearly taken her life; she would definitely not make contact again. She just feared the Divine might contact her. In all the stories about Evil Gods, once contact was established with one, it was impossible to break free.

"Also," Carl continued, "don't tell anyone else about this. For those who know you had dropsy, just make up an excuse."

"This..." Ayala considered for a moment. "You're right! If people found out my dropsy could be cured, there would surely be endless trouble in the future."

Carl nodded. He rubbed his forehead, a weary look on his face.

Receiving messages from others through the Divine Domain Fragment puts such a strain on the mind. Just one person, Ayala, and it's already unbearable. If there were more… I might have to change the method of contact!

The moment he responded to Ayala's prayer, her entire life experience was crammed into Carl's mind. Regarding his understanding of Ayala, Carl now knew her even better than she knew herself. Although his body's instincts had blocked out many memory fragments, it still left him with a pounding headache.

He now understood more about the Divine Domain.

First, Divines can control everything about their followers—not just life, but also memory and soul.

Second, he could use the Divine Domain Fragment to respond to believers' prayers and grant their wishes, but this would consume the Divine Domain's power. The greater the wish fulfilled, the greater the consumption.

Third, the Divine Domain Fragment could currently only passively receive messages. As long as someone drew the pattern and chanted the correct holy name, he was forced to hear what they said, whether he wanted to or not.

This was also one of the reasons Carl had told Ayala to keep it a secret. If several people contacted him at the same time, it would be like several people whispering in his ear non-stop.

How do other Divines manage to ignore it? Those Righteous Gods receive countless prayers and blessings every day. How can they remain unaffected?

「 * * * 」

Time passed.

Carl had peeled back a layer of the mystery surrounding Divines, and life in both worlds gradually got back on track. The Otherworld awaited news from the Duke, while the Main World awaited the opening of the Star Gate.

Meanwhile, his Constitution score was getting closer and closer to Perfection:

4.96!

4.97!

After the experiment on Ayala, Carl had gained some understanding of how to use the power of the Divine Domain Fragment. However, to be on the safe side, it was still necessary to find a Great Knight to test it on.

He was in no rush. After all, his Constitution had not truly reached Perfection.

「One day」

A visitor came to the island.

Bach!

A Bloodline Wizard apprentice, one of the few acquaintances Carl had in the Swamp Alliance.

"You've come at just the right time." Carl said, rising from the ground and greeting him warmly. "The sweet potatoes are just ripe. My variety, improved by the Wizards, tastes much better than those cultivated by ordinary people."

"Let's make some sweet potato salad later, and you can try my handiwork."

"Good!" Bach was very happy today, his face beaming, and he laughed. "I've come to tell you some news."

"What news?"

"My tutor is dead!"

"..." Carl opened his mouth, intending to say something comforting, but seeing Bach's exuberant expression, he seemed to need no consolation.

"Good riddance!" Bach grinned.

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