Chapter 207: Chapter 207

"Greetings, young god."

Jenkins turned his head, scanning his surroundings. The voice didn't seem to come from the Star Spirits before him, but rather from every direction at once. The three transparent, celestial beings maintained their humanoid forms. The eldest-looking one had a long beard, the young man held a book, and the young woman wore a pair of chic glasses.

"Hello. Can I go back now?"

He shrugged and pointed down. After that bewildering journey, he could once again feel the direction of his physical body. If they weren't holding him here, he would already be back inside it.

"Young god, you cannot bring this object into your world."

The voice belonged to the young man.

"This stone? You want it?"

He held up the stone.

"No, it belongs to you. But it cannot appear in the material world just yet. Therefore, please leave it here in the care of our kind."

Jenkins's brow furrowed, but he had already decided to drop the object and run if things went south. He dared to speak so defiantly only because he knew Star Spirits were a unique species. In terms of alignment, they were the definition of neutral good. Unless someone was foolish enough to challenge them directly or attempt to harm the astral plane, Star Spirits rarely interfered with other races.

"Of course you can. But you must take responsibility for the consequences."

That was the old, wizened voice. The three voices corresponded perfectly to the three figures before him.

"In that case, may I know what this is?"

He asked again. Based on his understanding of Star Spirits, he had already resigned himself to handing over the stone. Besides, they were known to be quite generous.

Jenkins gave a slight nod to show he understood. He released his grip, watching as the stone slowly drifted toward the elderly Star Spirit. Without any visible action from the being, the stone simply vanished into the starry expanse.

"Young god, outside the material world, you may retrieve what is yours at any time. Safeguarding this item here benefits us as well, so we can offer you compensation."

The three voices spoke in unison.

The young man declared, "Young god, in the name of the starlight, I grant you new knowledge."

Jenkins felt a fresh wave of obscure and wondrous knowledge settle into his mind.

The young woman announced, "Young god, in the name of the starlight, I grant you a new ability."

The orbs of light representing his abilities appeared before his eyes, and a brand-new yellow orb materialized among them.

Finally, the old man's voice proclaimed, "Young god, in the name of the starlight, I grant you our friendship."

His soul began its descent, plunging back into the material world.

"Wait, I still have questions!"

He shouted, but all he heard was the Star Spirits' final answer: "Young god, may the starry sky guide you!"

He gasped, his eyes flying open as he scrambled up from the balcony floor. His body was surrounded by a ring of dead insects, their tiny corpses forming a perfect oval. It was late autumn, the last days of their lives.

Jenkins paid them no mind. He raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and reacquainted himself with the feeling of his own flesh. He summoned the orbs of light, confirming that it hadn't been a dream. The new Spell ability was indeed there: Rakour's Starlight Illumination.

He spoke the incantation from the knowledge he had just received. Instantly, two silver points of light flew from his chest, illuminating the area before him.

"This... what's the use of this?"

He glanced at his left hand. The starlight emblem was gone, leaving only a pinch of fine dust. Looking up at the sky, he could only feel his spirit steadily increasing; nothing else strange occurred.

Completely bewildered, he walked back inside, only to find Chocolate curled up asleep on the table, clutching the metallic cube that sealed a spark of godhood.

Jenkins gently separated the cat from the metal. It let out a soft meow, not even bothering to open its eyes, and pawed at his hand before latching onto his arm and falling back asleep.

Lying in bed, Jenkins still couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Was the starlight emblem some kind of beacon? What was that stone? And what did the Star Spirits, who had appeared out of nowhere, want from him?

But the new astrological knowledge and the additional ability orb were undeniable proof.

"How can something so strange happen even within the Church of the Sage?"

He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"So, what in the world just happened?"

Sleep was now impossible, so he decided to perform a ritual alone, calling upon the Sage's gaze. A Righteous God wasn't human; it wouldn't mind being summoned so late at night.

He offered a small piece of silver. Nothing unexpected happened. The Sage's gentle gaze lingered for a time before fading on its own. He hesitated for a moment, then took out the Magical Conch.

"If I don't get to the bottom of this, I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

He gritted his teeth and carefully composed his question, then brought the conch to his lips. "Excuse me, what was my location and the exact time fifteen minutes and three seconds ago?" Fresh chapters posted on novel※fire.net

He asked this way because he couldn't rule out the possibility that he had traveled through time. He had worried the conch might count it as two separate questions, but to his surprise, it began to respond.

He pressed the conch to his ear. First came the soft rush of ocean waves, followed by the distant sound of a horn. After the call of some strange sea creature faded, a gentle female voice answered, almost as if singing: "Location: Shadow Kingdom, Wright Town. Time: 15th Epoch, year 5213, July 20th, 3:54:09 AM."

With a sigh, Jenkins watched the conch crack and crumble into fragments in his hand. He fell back onto the bed, deep in thought. "History before the 17th Epoch is mostly a blur, but even I know the 15th Epoch only lasted for a little over two thousand years."

He summoned his ability orbs again. With a thought, a red Soul Emblem materialized in his hands—the emblem for his Twin Demons ability, just like his green and purple ones.

"And then there's this. I only have two souls, so what does this third emblem represent?"

That night, Jenkins tossed and turned for a long time before finally drifting into a fitful sleep, where he witnessed one bizarre scene after another.

When he awoke, the dreams were already hazy. All he could remember was that at the very end, a cat that looked just like Chocolate had suddenly rushed out and devoured every terrifying thing in sight. Even so, a profound fear still lingered deep in his heart.