Chapter 90: The Ox and the Young Fox

Suddenly, three bloodthirsty minotaurs sprang from behind the rocks, hefting enormous iron axes and bringing them down toward Sophie.

A wise choice, after all, for Sophie looked to be the strongest of the group.

“Oh?” little Honey cried, lifting a hand to point, but the girl was no longer the innocent child she had once been. She instantly remembered that minotaurs possessed astonishing resistance to mental domination.

So, without the least hesitation, Honey changed to a different divine art.

Arrow of Light!

A brilliant shaft of light silently pierced the left eye of the foremost bull-headed monster. Enraged, the creature let out a deafening roar and, brandishing its battle axe, charged at Honey instead.

Yet at the same time, the wolf-girl, carrying a fierce, unstoppable momentum, changed direction in midair and pounced upon the minotaur’s head. Bracing herself with all four limbs, she locked hard around its throat and drove her claws in rapid succession, instantly stabbing a row of blood-spraying holes through its eyes and nose.

Venigo laughed, and Azure Sky promptly released a current of air to help the wolf-girl twist aside once more with nimble speed, evading the minotaur’s dying struggle.

Whoosh. The wolf-girl descended from the sky, cutting a straight line of light as she plunged directly into the bull-headed monster’s crown. One strike through the brain. Kill secured.

Honey was chanting softly in prayer at this moment. Through her long years of devoted practice in the divine arts of light, she had finally achieved a breakthrough.

Divine Art of Light: One Day of Heavenly Blessing.

One Day of Heavenly Blessing greatly enhanced the entire team’s strength, endurance, and all other attributes, increased attack speed and accuracy, and made body and soul more tightly bound, so that they were less likely to die from grave wounds. Its effect was exceedingly practical. Although Honey’s divine arts of light were not as dazzlingly exceptional as her mental divine arts, her tireless efforts during this period had indeed brought clear improvement.

Once the art was invoked, Sophie, the wolf-girl, and the big cat all felt a powerful force surge through their bodies.

An all-around increase was not as simple as one plus one equals two. Sophie’s fundamentals were solid; she adapted at once to her surging strength and speed, her sword flashing faster and faster until she drove one minotaur backward step by step.

As for the wolf-girl, being the sort whose instincts ran swifter than thought, she hardly needed to adjust to the new speed. As though this were only natural, she launched an even more savage assault.

The two of them, each taking one, beat the two powerful minotaur hunters into utter helplessness.

Honey did not move further. Though One Day of Heavenly Blessing had also raised her own strength in every respect, she needed time to calm the violently trembling force of her spirit. The big cat likewise did not advance, but instead took up a protective stance beside her.

As for Venigo... he could feel the power of One Day of Heavenly Blessing rise faintly within his body. The bloodline cleansing from the Lord of Petitioners had already done some work, easing the world’s suppression.

By the time the power of One Day of Heavenly Blessing reached Venigo, not even one part in ten remained. Still, to Venigo, every drop of growth had value.

“Character build: Scavenger Cat, level ten. Build.” Venigo stretched lazily and took out a gold coin, setting it atop his head. His meaning was plain enough: you clear the way, I’ll handle the corpses...

The battle here soon alerted the scattered demons and minotaur hunters roaming nearby, and they began converging on the area. Venigo had no desire to linger. With a meow, he signaled the group to charge toward the hut on the mountaintop.

At the summit, amid the snow, stood an unremarkable little wooden house.

Venigo stepped up and knocked lightly on the door. With a creak, the wooden door opened, revealing a room within, spotless and dust-free.

This room... seemed much larger than it looked.

“Hmm, an unfamiliar visitor. An unusual species.” A metallic voice came from the depths of the room.

“Kreegan?” Venigo said in surprise. “So that’s it. You’re from the same race as Noua.”

“You know Noua? You are his... creation?” the voice asked in confusion.

“No.” Venigo shook his head. “Though I have fought a few of his works. As for Arcana, she counts as one of his masterpieces.”

The voice drew nearer. Venigo saw an elderly man, his beard and hair white, his entire body hidden beneath black cloth. Venigo knew this was only a guise. Under the cloth would surely be the same red and blue threads as Noua’s, along with a specially made human-skin mask.

“I recall that you are skilled at controlling the weather. So you are a meteorologist?” Venigo asked cautiously.

“How nostalgic... that word, meteorology.” The strange old man answered. “I am Nubo, a researcher of the Kreegan.”

“How remiss of me.” Venigo nodded.

“What business brings you to me?” Nubo asked in return.

“It seems your research is far more peaceful than Noua’s,” Venigo said with a smile.

“Studying weather and the stars only requires data; there is no need to labor over resources the way Noua does,” Nubo replied. “So I am merely a hermit.”

“The count of the northern lands hopes you can adjust the strange climate there once again,” Venigo said. “Winter came too early this year, and the temperature is far too low.”

“That is because of the crystal that suddenly appeared in Free Paradise. It triggered a mutation in the elemental realm,” Nubo explained. “I can help with that, but I will need him to provide the energy and some materials. Take this list to him, and have him send them over.”

Venigo nodded, then said, “I managed to obtain some gene-modulation potions from Noua. I can’t leave your place empty-handed.”

Nubo gave a chilling laugh, and after a moment asked, “What do you want, and what do you have that might move me?”

Venigo thought for a moment, then fished out the iron block the minotaur guard had given him. Nubo gave a small exclamation and took it, weighing it in his hand.

“Indeed, it is a fragment of our spaceship’s outer shell. Its physical properties are excellent, suitable for forging into all manner of weapons or armor.”

“Just as I thought.” Venigo put away the metal block. Clearly Nubo had no interest in it.

“I’ve studied a technique for creating tornadoes with air magic. Under strong convective conditions, one can form a tornado core and bring forth a tornado... Are you interested?” Venigo asked.

“Boy, if I were interested, I could easily summon lightning storms, tornadoes, and torrential rain. Don’t forget, we Kreegan are a race that slew the gods with technology.” Nubo sneered.

“Then I truly have nothing to move you with...” Venigo scratched his head. “Oh, right, you’re also an astronomer?”

Nubo nodded.

“In that case, what do you use to make telescopes in this world?” Venigo asked at once.

“Crystal, highly purified crystal. But I don’t have the equipment to make it, so I bought some from the market. Unfortunately, the purity isn’t enough, and it troubles me greatly,” Nubo replied.

“I’ll help you.” Venigo smiled.

Purification alchemy could refine substances, and the miscellaneous-crafting art, when used well, could turn crystal, copper, and other materials into telescopes. So in Nubo’s laboratory, Venigo purified all the crystal he had stored away, then empowered the constructed Nanoka with divine force and used her miscellaneous-crafting ability.

He did not disappoint Venigo. He obtained a proper astronomical telescope meeting Nubo’s requirements, along with roughly a dozen ordinary telescopes. Nubo was naturally not stingy. He ignored the telescopes scattered all over the floor and took only the astronomical telescope, carrying it to the roof to begin his stargazing.

Not long after, Nubo returned to the room with satisfaction and led Venigo down to his underground laboratory.

“What have you taken a liking to?” Nubo asked.

Venigo said nothing. His Eye of Detection swept the surroundings anxiously. Suddenly, he saw what he wanted...

A damaged divine emblem.

“This one.” Venigo pointed to the fragment, which looked like a piece of broken iron.

“This... I still don’t know what it is,” Nubo said, clearly indifferent to such things. “Anything else?”

“Anything else?” Venigo’s heart leaped. As if pointing casually, he indicated the shelf to his right. “What about that statue?”

“Take it.” Nubo waved a hand. Venigo had chosen nothing that interested him; these were merely objects Nubo had sensed as unusual but of unknown use.

Tiger Statue.

Like the Bear Statue, the Tiger Statue contained a ripple of divine force—the power of the God of Vengeance and Justice.

Unlike pearls, statues held less divine force and grew more slowly, but the divine force within them bore a much clearer divine character than that in pearls.

For example, the bear represented tyranny and strength; the tiger represented vengeance and justice.

A windfall! Venigo’s heart sang with joy, though his face remained calm as ever.

“Then I shall take my leave.” Venigo nodded to Nubo.

“Clear away the monsters you drew here first. Otherwise...” Nubo lifted his eyes to Venigo and said evenly, “Believe me, you will not wish to provoke a true Kreegan like me.”

True Kreegan were unlike the clones they bred as warriors. Clones were mere soldiers and destroyers. True Kreegan, by contrast, were madmen who possessed knowledge.

And madmen with knowledge were the most frightening of all... They were a race capable of slaying gods with technology.

“As you wish.” Venigo smiled.

He removed his outer cloak, revealing the blue bodysuit beneath, then took a round shield from his pack. He picked up the Tiger Statue, drew out the divine force within it, and poured it into the shield.

“Divine force infusion, character selected, analysis complete... reconstruction begins. Superhero: Captain America, construction complete!” Venigo murmured. “Ultimate justice, guided by the banner of stars and stripes...”

I’ve been working ten straight days, and I still have five to go... furious...