The girl's voice seemed imbued with a strange, almost magical allure, and with merely a few words, Robert's emotions were stirred to their zenith, filling him with rapturous delight.
Yet a swirl of doubt lingered in his mind. What did it truly mean to be the perfect sovereign of all gods? To Robert, the Flame God and the Ocean God already stood as unparalleled existences. How could any force surpass them? Unable to conceive an answer, he pinched his left hand sharply to steady himself and asked with strained reason, "How… how do you intend to help me become the perfect King of All Gods?"
The girl regarded him with gentle exasperation. "Master, I understand that you have many questions, and I wish to continue our dialogue. But I must clarify two points first…"
"First, while you are within the Dream-Sea, your body in the physical world appears to be in a deathlike state. Meanwhile, the cleanup of the cathedral's ruins has already begun, and the restoration workers will soon come into contact with your body. If you do not return to the tangible world promptly, there is a very real risk that your body will be treated as a corpse."
Robert froze. In the customs of the Yalan Church, the dead were cremated without ceremony. If he did not return, he could very well be burned alive!
"Second," she continued, "I, the Star of Yalandis, encountered unforeseen complications upon my arrival. Now that you understand my existence, I must pause our communication to examine these issues. But fear not, Master, for I am yours. In time, we shall resume our dialogue and gradually resolve all your uncertainties, understood?"
Robert's heart thundered in his chest. To hear such a beautiful girl say, 'I am yours…' stirred every pulse within him—any man would be unmoved only at his own peril.
Casting a glance at her ethereal form, the rogue in him flared, and he replied with a mischievous, double-meaning grin, "Very well, then. We shall take our time in… 'communicating,' and perhaps explore our 'conversation' more deeply."
"Of course, Master. I shall fulfill all your communication needs!"
The girl seemed oblivious to his playful innuendo. "However, before we part, you must know this: though your transformation has not officially begun, the fusion process has already initiated subtle, beneficial changes in your body. Soon, you will notice extraordinary alterations beyond the realm of ordinary humans. When that happens, do not be alarmed."
With these words of caution, she bade him farewell. She waved gently, and in the blink of an eye, the vast, mysterious Dream-Sea began to warp and dissolve around him.
Robert, ever the mischievous observer, could not help but notice the brief exposure of her snow-white chest as the veil fluttered…
Enormous!
The Star of Yalandis was truly a fatal enchantress in a man's eyes. Robert mused privately that the name "Star of Yalandis" was unwieldy, overly formal, and utterly unworthy of her celestial beauty.
Seizing the moment as he exited the Dream-Sea, he called out boldly, "Hey, you recognized me as your master at the Yalan Cathedral, and you're stunning… can I call you 'Yaer' from now on?"
"Yaer?"
The girl tilted her head in mild surprise, then, once Robert had departed, her lips curved into a playful, delighted smile. "Hee, what a lovely name!"
Yaer shrugged and muttered with a touch of exasperation, "To be called Yaer and end up with such a mischievous master… how unlucky!"
…
Robert returned to the real world, slowly opening his eyes, still maintaining the posture he had assumed in the Dream-Sea: one hand and both legs clinging tightly to the goddess's thigh, the other hand attempting to brush aside the obstructive strands of cloth.
Cloth? Squinting into the light seeping through the rubble, his eyes widened. He grinned. The church artisans had sculpted the goddess with astonishing realism—every intimate detail was replicated with unflinching fidelity, magnified only in scale…
As Robert chuckled at his discovery, the sound of digging reached him from outside the rubble.
"D*mn it! These are fragments of the goddess's statue. By the heavens, it's been shattered by lightning—dig, dig quickly!"
"Hurry! My friend's still down there!"
Robert's heart leapt with joy. Among the voices were both church guards and his companion, Sena. They were desperately clearing the debris, and soon, he would see the sky again.
Yet…
A memory of his father flashed in Robert's mind: "Boy, the influence of the Yalan Church across the southeast of the continent is immense. If you hope for a prosperous future, with wealth in one hand and beauty in the other, you must revere the Yalan faith. And the leaders of the church must witness your devotion firsthand."
His father had long impressed this upon him. For this was the Divine-Gift Continent—a realm where gods ruled above all mortals, their dominion enforced through selected human proxies, endowed with fragments of divine power to govern the lands on their behalf.
The Yalan Church served as the goddess's chosen representative, overseeing thirteen nations in the southeast.
Within this framework, his father's counsel became clear: to carve out a prosperous future, Robert had to embrace the faith and, more importantly, demonstrate his unwavering devotion before the church's leaders.
Contemplating his father's guidance, Robert cast a surreptitious glance between the goddess's legs and the nearby rubble. A sly smile curved his lips.
To show piety, was it? Now was the perfect opportunity.
Using both hands, he moved a loose brick to create a narrow gap, then crawled inside, kneeling before the goddess, murmuring prayers and sacred incantations, his voice choked with reverence.
Moments later, a church guard pried away bricks, creating a shaft of light that illuminated him. Alongside the light, a voice filled with sorrow, fear, and overwhelming guilt reached him, trembling almost into incoherence:
"Goddess! The statue has been destroyed. I wanted to protect you, but… I was powerless. I could only watch as it happened… Woe is me! Punish me, please!"