Elara had not expected the Divine Attendant Palace to approach her on their own.
Since arriving in this world, she had never come into contact with this legendary top-tier power.
After bringing them into the Imperial Palace, Elara spoke directly, "You said you have a way to resolve the Puppet Soldiers. I would like to hear the details."
Among the people from the Divine Attendant Palace, the leading man at the front slowly stepped forward.
He had ankle-length snow-white hair, each strand smooth and silver like snow, his delicate features glowing faintly under the light. His skin was translucent and fair, his entire presence resembling a snow spirit that should not exist in the human world.
"The solution lies not elsewhere, but within Your Majesty."
Elara looked up and carefully observed the snow-like man in front of her, "What do you mean by that?"
The snow-haired man took two more steps forward. His gaze toward Elara was clear and gentle, with a faint smile, "Who better than Your Majesty to know how to draw out the true value of divine artifacts?"
Elara paused and looked at him deeply again.
What did he mean?
Wasn't the Divine Attendant Palace always known for collecting and serving divine artifacts? They should be the ones who understand them best. Yet now he claimed she was the one who could bring out their greatest value?
Elara stared across at them, unable to suppress some suspicion. Since they had always studied and served objects related to the Divine Bloodline, perhaps the palace had knowledge of that unknown time when a higher civilization with advanced technology had once appeared and then vanished…
Were they saying this to her now because they had detected something different about her, such as the faint presence of the System within her? Was that why they were so certain, even upon first meeting?
Elara calmly glanced at the other members of the Divine Attendant Palace. Seeing that their expressions remained largely neutral, she withdrew her gaze, her face also showing little emotion.
"What are you trying to say? In front of the Divine Attendant Palace, how could I possibly be the one who understands divine artifacts the most? I have barely come into contact with many, and based on what I know, even the most powerful divine artifacts cannot resolve a continent-level catastrophe like this."
The snow-haired man's smile grew slightly and he shook his head, "Indeed, it is not just about the divine artifacts. On their own, even the strongest cannot function independently, nor solve this disaster. But if you are added to the equation, this catastrophe might be unraveled."
Elara's brows furrowed, "What are you trying to say exactly? What does that mean?"
The snow-haired man smiled at her, his tone unhurried and light, "Surely Your Majesty has come to understand parts of this world by now. The Puppet Soldiers issue has existed long before the majority of the nations in this world were even formed."
"They were always suppressed and handled by our Divine Attendant Palace, which is why most countries and powers never knew about them."
"But this time is different. On the other side of this world, the thing that the 'Divine Master' once suppressed is beginning to stir, on the verge of awakening."
"If it fully adapts to the laws and origins of this world, and awakens within it, the world will face true destruction."
What? Abruptly exposed to the core secrets of this world, Elara's brows tightened further.
It was getting more and more surreal… Was the other side of this world truly, as she had previously guessed, a hellish land overrun by monsters?
The snow-haired man's voice remained calm and pleasing, his clear eyes fixed on Elara, "Fortunately, when the Divine Master left, he spoke of a 'certain person' who would one day truly resolve and eliminate the source of evil sealed on the other side of the world."
"And we, the Divine Attendant Palace, believe that person is most likely you."
Just a few short sentences, yet the amount of information was overwhelming.
What did he mean by "this world"? A "certain person"? A "divine prophecy"? There was an almost detached, outsider tone hidden within the words of the Divine Attendant Palace. Why did it sound like they were observing this world from beyond?
Was it because their era of the 'Divine' had passed so long ago that they no longer saw themselves as part of this world, now overtaken by a new civilization?
Or… had Elara's previous speculation been wrong? Was the civilization of the 'Divine' not a super-civilization from this world's past, but from an entirely different star system?
Were the people of the Divine Attendant Palace the ones who came from beyond the stars along with the 'Divine'? Was that why their tone carried that sense of detachment?
Elara stared at them for a while, her thoughts racing, "Why do you say this? What is it about me that makes you think so?"
"Many things," the snow-haired man's gaze slowly moved from Elara's face downward, "The most obvious are two. First, your current 'Divine Arcana' has already reached the eighth level, correct?"
"In the past, although a few lucky individuals received blessings left behind by the Divine Master and were able to practice the Divine Arcana, none were able to go beyond the sixth level, even with our help."
"Yet Your Majesty has reached the eighth level alone, and within just a few months."
Elara's fingers tightened slightly around the wine cup. At the mention of the 'Divine Arcana,' her expression changed faintly. She lowered her eyes to hide the emotions flickering in them.
"Divine Spirit Mystic Arts"was a self-selected reward from the System. She had only ever given it to Uno. How could anyone else know? Especially those from the Temple of Divine Attendants who had never even interacted with her?
Elara..."Divine Spirit Mystic Arts"was something closely connected to the "God" of this world. It belonged to the many divine relics left behind by the deity.
But... how could the System's reward include a divine relic of this world?
Could it be that the System in her mind was also deeply connected with the "God" of this world? Had they originated from the same civilization? Or... was the System once something that belonged to that "God"?
The more Elara thought about it, the more her brows furrowed. She could not help but send a "?" to the System in her mind.
The System was also a bit puzzled. [Master, those reward books and such all came from the Main System. The Main System... never told me anything else... Master, hold on, I will go check.]
While the System was checking, Elara listened to the silver-haired man continue, "The second reason is that your spiritual power is too conspicuous."
"Spiritual power cultivation was introduced to this world by the Divine Lord. In theory, aside from the traitors and thieves from the Dark Mist Hall, it would be impossible for outsiders to cultivate spiritual power without the elders of the Temple of Divine Attendants personally teaching them."
"Yet not only have you cultivated it, but you also advanced to a high and extremely pure level within just a few months."
"Even among those in the Temple of Divine Attendants who have practiced spiritual power since childhood, less than thirty percent can truly awaken it. Of those, fewer than one in a thousand reach the middle level. And someone like you, who directly reached high-level spiritual power, is one in ten thousand. Your spiritual purity even far exceeds the usual high-level spiritual cultivators. Even our temple's hall masters cannot compare to you."
"You must have heard from the Petunia Kingdom. When their people were infected with parasite eggs, even our Green-Robed Hall Master could not fully purify them. But you could, and you did it easily."
For the entire day afterward, Elara stayed in the temple with the attendants, listening to them talk about various strange and mystical things.
In the end, the System could not find the explanation Elara wanted.
The Main System's database was separate from it, and at a higher level. As long as the Main System did not permit access, it could not retrieve anything.
Elara continued speaking with the people of the Temple of Divine Attendants. From them, she learned many previously unknown secrets. They also analyzed her "uniqueness" from all angles and became even more certain that she was the "chosen one."
Interestingly, their analysis of her "uniqueness" all stemmed from characteristics that only appeared after Elara arrived in this world and entered this body, including abilities granted by the System's rewards.
"Even with all this, we still do not dare be one hundred percent certain of your identity, so we came today to ask if you would be willing to undergo one final test."
"What test? How is it done?"
The silver-haired man shifted his body slightly. His long white fingers gently extended, palm facing up. A small ring glowing with silver light appeared in his hand and slowly expanded, eventually forming a delicate and futuristic silver archway.
"The testing ground is in the secret hall of the Temple of Divine Attendants. As for the method, you will likely be pleased. If you are truly the chosen one, the content of the test will actually serve to enhance you greatly in every aspect."
"Oh, and please bring all the divine relics on you that are of middle-grade or higher. They will be useful during the test."
Elara stared at the glowing silver archway. It looked exactly like the "teleportation gate" she had found in the Divine Relic Site, only this one was an upgraded version.
She watched the glowing teleportation gate that stood over two meters tall but did not stand up.
"Bring all my high and middle-grade divine relics and follow you into the Temple of Divine Attendants? How long will the test take? How can I be sure you're really just testing me? After all, today is the first time we met."
Even though the Temple of Divine Attendants had a great reputation in this world, and they had just shared much with her, this was still Elara's first contact with them. Her usual cautiousness made it impossible for her to go with a stranger without any security.
The silver-haired man blinked his thick white lashes and then nodded.
"You are right... how about this, I will place my 'weakness' in your hands. As long as you hold it, you will be able to sense whether my words are true or false."
Once again, he opened his fair palm. A snow-colored crystal with intricate patterns slowly condensed in his hand.
The moment the crystal appeared, it automatically floated into Elara's hand, drawing slightly surprised looks from the others in the temple.
Elara curled her fingers slightly and held the ice crystal. It felt like holding a heart carved from icy jade.
The crystal pulsed faintly in her palm, its rhythm similar to a human heartbeat.
And the moment she felt that slight pulse, Elara vaguely sensed through the mystical crystal the inner emotions of the silver-haired man—calm, sincere, without the slightest hint of concealment.