"Uh… this…"
Hearing Seva's question, Liam immediately found himself in an awkward position.
He knew that the Draconid people worshipped the Sky Dragon—Rayquaza.
And now, the question Elder Seva was asking gave him a massive headache.
Was he really supposed to tell her, "Yeah, I fought your god once"?
"Hm? What's wrong, Mr. Liam? Is there something difficult to say?"
Seeing Liam hesitate, Seva frowned slightly, her tone lowering a bit.
"Uh…"
"Alright. Since Elder Seva wishes to know, then I'll just say it directly…"
Liam could already sense the subtle shift in Seva's attitude. He was certain that if he kept dodging the question, he might get thrown out the next second. And if that happened, the meteorites Seva had promised him would also go down the drain.
Unable to think of any good excuse on the spot, Liam finally decided to tell the truth.
"Actually, not too long ago, my Aerodactyl—the one you just saw—fought against a black Rayquaza at Mt. Chimney. I believe the aura you sensed was left behind at that time."
Liam did not hide the truth.
But the moment Seva heard his words, her face instantly filled with shock.
"What?! You actually encountered the Dragon God?! And it was the black Dragon God at that?! And you even battled it?! What was the result?!"
"Uh… naturally, I lost badly. If that Rayquaza hadn't left on its own at the end, I probably wouldn't be standing here right now."
Liam smiled bitterly and shrugged helplessly.
"Ahahaha! Of course defeat was inevitable! That was the Dragon God! The ruler of the skies itself! Haha… how enviable. Mr. Liam, you actually battled the Dragon God… that's truly an incredible blessing…"
Hearing that Liam had suffered a crushing defeat, Seva first burst into laughter, then looked at him with obvious envy.
"Heh… heh…"
Liam could only laugh awkwardly in response to her admiration.
"Ahem… my apologies. I became too excited after suddenly hearing news about the Dragon God."
Realizing she had overreacted a little, Seva quickly composed herself and bowed apologetically.
"As descendants of the Dragon God, our tribe has worshipped it for generations. But for reasons unknown, beginning with the previous generation, the Dragon God stopped visiting our tribe, and we gradually lost contact with it."
"And now, to suddenly hear news of the Dragon God again… it truly excites us greatly. Thank you very much, Mr. Liam, for bringing us this information."
Her attitude toward Liam had clearly softened, and a smile once again appeared on her face.
"Uh… I didn't really do anything. Elder, you're being too polite…"
Seeing Seva bowing her head slightly before him, Liam quickly waved his hands in embarrassment.
And just then—
"Grandma~ Big Brother~ I already set out the dishes~ Come eat quickly~"
Zinnia's sweet voice came from inside the house behind them.
"Oh~ Alright, we're coming right away~"
Seva responded to Zinnia first, then turned back toward Liam.
"Mr. Liam, it's only a simple meal, but if you don't mind, please join us. After dinner, I'll go retrieve the meteorites for you to use."
"Thank you very much. Sorry for the trouble."
Liam smiled and nodded gratefully.
After the simple meal, Seva returned from her room carrying several smooth meteorites roughly the size of palms and gently handed them to Liam.
"Mr. Liam, these are all I currently have. See whether they're enough. If not, I'll think of another solution."
She made a welcoming gesture as she spoke.
"Thank you. I'll try them now."
Liam thanked her repeatedly before placing the meteorites on the table and bringing the core crystal close to them.
"Wiiing~"
The instant the core crystal approached the meteorites… the light inside the core crystal suddenly surged brightly!
The meteorites also began glowing!
The two resonated with one another, their yellow radiance intertwining and growing stronger and stronger until the entire room was flooded with golden light!
Then—
"Wiiing~"
Accompanied by a burst of brilliance.. colorful auroras suddenly appeared throughout the room!
Like ribbons of rainbow silk, streams of shimmering aurora drifted gracefully through the air, transforming the room into a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
"Waaah~ so pretty~"
Sitting on a stool nearby, Zinnia stared upward in fascination, stars practically sparkling in her eyes.
Even Liam and Seva were stunned by the sight, though they remained relatively calm.
However…
The auroras came quickly… and vanished just as quickly.
In less than a minute, the flowing lights began dispersing and fading away, while the glow of both the core crystal and the meteorites dimmed once more.
"Ah! The pretty lights disappeared!"
Zinnia looked disappointed as the final traces of aurora vanished from the air.
"…Still not enough?"
Meanwhile, Liam stared at the still-unchanged core crystal in his hand, frowning slightly.
"Mr. Liam, that was truly an amazing sight just now…"
"But judging from the appearance of this stone, nothing has changed. Does that mean the meteorites I prepared still weren't enough?"
Seva asked with some confusion.
"Yes. The energy inside these meteorites has already been completely absorbed. It'll take a long time for them to recover naturally."
"Elder… do you have any other meteorites?"
Liam asked hopefully.
"The meteorites I possess are all here already. Our tribe gathers meteorites as offerings for the Dragon God. These smaller pieces were considered unsuitable due to their size, so I separated them out."
"As for the larger meteorites… they are currently enshrined atop the Sky Pillar altar."
Seva shook her head.
"I see! Then… may I go to the altar? Elder, don't worry—I only want the core crystal to absorb a little energy. I won't take anything away."
The moment Liam heard that there were still many meteorites atop the Sky Altar, he immediately asked eagerly.
"The Sky Altar is a sacred place for our tribe. Outsiders are not permitted—"
"Grandma! Let Big Brother go! Didn't Big Brother already say he won't touch anything there? I trust him! And besides, the lights earlier were so beautiful! I want to see them again!"
Before Seva could finish refusing, Zinnia tugged on her clothes with a pleading expression.
"This…"
"Ah… very well. Since Zinnia says so, and since Mr. Liam is someone connected to the Dragon God… I shall allow it."
"Mr. Liam, in the name of the elder of the Draconid Tribe, I hereby grant you permission to ascend the Sky Altar. This is both the Dragon God's blessing and the sincerity of our people. Please cherish this opportunity."
Looking slightly helpless, Seva rubbed Zinnia's head before turning toward Liam seriously.
"…Thank you. I will remember this kindness."
After hearing Seva's words, Liam nodded deeply and expressed his heartfelt gratitude toward both Seva and Zinnia.