He flew in an unknown direction along this rainbow beam of light at an unimaginable speed.
"What is this...!?" Karl's heart skipped a beat. This time, Freyja seemed to no longer hide it.
This rainbow beam of light was a passage beyond ordinary teleportation.
The form and characteristics it displayed instantly triggered a series of associations in Karl's mind!
A rainbow bridge that can cross the void... A magical tool connecting other realms...
"...The Bifrost?!" Karl almost blurted out.
These strange runes in the ancient language, Elven, but strikingly similar to some he had seen in the temple...
Only twenty-four basic characters, each possessing mysterious abilities... Could it be... Runic runes, right?
And the Conjunction of the Spheres, which periodically occurs in this world, causing collisions and mergers of worlds from different dimensions...
A bolder and more surprising hypothesis formed in Karl's mind.
"Could it be... that the so-called Conjunction of the Spheres is actually a chain of nine stars?!"
"This celestial phenomenon in Norse mythology causes the nine great nations in the World Tree system to overlap and merge?"
If all these hypotheses are true... then the connection between this world and the Norse mythological system could be much deeper than he had imagined.
Just as Karl's thoughts raced, the rainbow light around him began to dim and fade, and he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
He was leaving the sky, leaving the rapid passage, and found himself in a familiar place – Freyja's divine realm.
Birds sing, flowers bloom, life is vibrant, and snow-capped mountain peaks are visible in the distance.
A lush plain lies nearby, dotted with bright wildflowers.
A clear stream flows gently, and the air is filled with an exceptionally fresh fragrance.
He stood next to a rural stone table, which, as always, was set with simple but exquisite utensils.
After the shock and speculation just now, Karl truly calmed down.
He took a deep breath, and the bright air of the divine realm naturally approached the stone table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
His gaze swept over the table, and he saw a delicate silver cup filled with a milky white, warm, and rich liquid.
He didn't stand on ceremony; he immediately picked it up, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.
The texture was smooth, with a rich milky aroma, mixed with a sweet and refreshing taste, no fishy smell, and the temperature was just right.
"Delicious?" A voice with a smile and an ethereal melody sounded.
Karl looked up and saw that Freyja was already somehow sitting opposite him.
She still wore that simple, pure white long dress, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall.
At this moment, she was resting her chin on her hand, smiling and looking at him, her golden eyes shining with a sly light.
"I just squeezed it, and it's still warm," Freyja added softly.
"Huh? Cough...!"
Karl almost spat out the milk in his mouth, coughing violently.
He put down the cup, his eyes confused as he glanced at the remaining milky white liquid, and the smile on his face was a bit strained.
After a long pause, he finally managed to speak: "This... this is milk, right?"
Freyja snorted softly, neither acknowledging nor denying, but the sly glint in her emerald eyes grew stronger.
She tilted her head and asked: "If it's not milk... then what kind of 'milk' do you want to drink?"
Karl: "..."
He decided not to dwell on this topic and quickly changed his expression.
"Um... Freyja, you always... secretly watch me?" Karl voiced the question in his heart.
"You suddenly teleported me here – what happened?"
A flicker of guilt quickly passed through Freyja's eyes, like a child caught peeking.
But she quickly concealed it, shook her head, and forced a smile that looked more "serious."
"It's not 'always' watching," she emphasized.
"It's just... you are the most promising and special person I have seen in all these long years."
"Isn't it normal for me to pay due attention?"
"This time, I felt your aura – it has become much stronger than before, and I noticed that you are preparing to cleanse the filth hidden at the bottom of the lake..."
"So I thought, before you set off, I could give you a blessing that might save you some divine power."
Perhaps fearing that Karl would misunderstand or ask additional questions, she quickly added.
"Don't think too much! I'm not just watching you do this... what mortals are willing to do..."
Mid-sentence, Freyja seemed to suddenly realize she had let something slip, and her voice abruptly stopped.
She immediately shut her mouth, quickly looked away, and pretended to admire the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees, acting as if she hadn't just said anything.
Karl looked at this goddess, who seemed sacred on the outside but now looked a little embarrassed, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
He finally understood that when Freyja first interacted, she did indeed radiate an unattainable and mysterious atmosphere.
But as their contact intensified, especially in this divine realm, where besides flowers, trees, and animals, there seemed to be no other intelligent beings to communicate with,
gradually, another side of her emerged – not just loneliness.
There is also a kind of "restrained flirtation," almost like Geralt's, and a somewhat awkward honesty arising from a lack of communication.
Karl sighed and decided to get straight to the point and end this gradually drifting conversation.
He looked at Freyja expressionlessly and said calmly: "Hurry up and give me your blessing. By noon, I need to gather to deal with the evil god, so I don't have time for idle chatter."
Freyja was stunned for a moment by Karl's sudden shift to "coldness."
She turned her head back to Karl, her golden eyes blinking, her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.
Perhaps realizing she had lost her composure, or understanding that Karl had little time, she stopped talking and joking.
Her expression became serious and dignified.
She slowly stood up, left the stone bench, and walked over to Karl.
Then she extended her hands, palms facing each other, and carefully folded them.
A single, pure golden radiance, as if compressing the brilliance of all life in the world,
in the void between her palms, it shone, gathered, and grew stronger.
Freyja closed her eyes, her long blonde hair flowing without wind, and her entire body began to emit a gentle and broad divine radiance.
She parted her red lips and began to recite in an ancient language, so beautiful that even Karl could not understand.
"May the spring rains come on time, soaking the fields you have tilled."
"May the fertile soil bring forth fruit to you through hard work."
"May your family, like the ancient oak, have roots deeply embedded in the rock of fate."
The golden light in her palm grew brighter, like a miniature sun.
"I give you the wisdom to see the road ahead and the fearless courage to cut through the thorns."
"Even if a storm suddenly breaks and waves rage, the waves will clear a path for you."
The golden light turned into countless tiny runes, like living fireflies, swirling around Karl.