Feeling Phield’s angry gaze, Firomina was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable sense of bitterness. A moment later, however, irritation returned. She clutched her head and muttered,

"Damn it. Your soul power is making me less pure. A Calamity only needs to kill. Why should I have to think about anything else?"

"But in the end, your kind only faces destruction."

Phield had always felt that Calamities were strange beings. They did not even seem to know why they slaughtered others. They simply enjoyed the act of killing itself. Rosalia had been the same before forming a contract. She had been nothing more than a machine of slaughter.

After struggling internally for a brief moment, Firomina finally relented.

"Fine. Tell me where you want me to dig."

"Come with me."

Phield secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As the lord, he could not allow his Divine Chosen to do whatever they pleased. They still needed to be kept in check when necessary.

The two arrived on the northern side of the castle.

After comparing the location with his map for a while, Phield pointed ahead.

"Right here. Please blast out a huge pit."

"What are you digging a pit for?"

Firomina glanced sideways at him.

"I was hoping you’d say it was for a sacrifice. At the very least, to hide corpses."

"Are you insane? I already told you we’re building a pond. I want to improve the environment around the castle and throughout the territory."

"How boring."

She rolled her eyes elegantly before summoning the Nirvana Seed.

The moment the black and golden Nirvana Seed appeared, the temperature of the surrounding world rose dramatically.

Brilliant streams of golden starlight poured out without restraint, instantly covering the open ground before Phield.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous explosions echoed continuously.

The earth was subjected to relentless bombardment. Soil flew everywhere, while vast amounts of dirt were burned into microscopic particles before vanishing into nothingness.

The bombardment continued for a full ten minutes.

When it finally ended, an enormous crater had appeared where the field once stood.

Golden flames still filled the pit, continuing to scorch everything nearby.

"Holy..."

Even though this was far from the first time Phield had witnessed it, he still could not suppress his amazement.

This level of destructive power surpassed what many Second Tier Divine Chosen could achieve.

Even more terrifying, Firomina had never once revealed her true Divine Technique.

"I’m not interested in your compliments."

Firomina lazily waved her hand.

"If there’s nothing important, don’t wake me again."

Purple flames burned within her eyes.

Moments later, she reverted to her Moonlight form.

"Master!"

Her previous indifference disappeared completely as she called out sweetly,

"I missed you."

The abrupt change nearly made Phield cough up blood.

"Now she really has split personalities... and she’s learned another new phrase. Of all things, she learned something this embarrassingly affectionate."

Phield helplessly shook his head.

Every one of his Divine Chosen was a troublesome child in their own way.

"Firomina, plant the Flawless Moonflower inside this pit."

"Mmm?"

"Oh right. You don’t understand."

"I’ll control it myself."

Phield directly took control of Firomina and summoned her Divine Artifact.

Her Divine Artifact also possessed two forms.

Previously, it had appeared as the Seed of Nirvana.

In her Moonlight form, however, it transformed into the Flawless Moonflower, a Divine Artifact capable of greatly increasing the territory’s divine power concentration while also producing extraordinary materials.

A flash of violet light appeared.

A purple and white moonflower gracefully bloomed into existence.

It slowly descended into the enormous crater that had just been blasted open.

The blazing golden flames surrounding it were extinguished instantly.

Like an incoming tide, streams of crystal-clear water surged from the Moonflower, gradually filling the entire crater.

As the pond filled, incomparably pure divine power slowly spread throughout the surroundings.

The water within the pond visibly formed countless tiny whirlpools.

Sparkling points of light gathered together, resembling an inverted river of stars.

The overwhelming vitality was enough to refresh both body and mind.

"Huh? The concentration of divine power throughout the territory suddenly increased by so much!"

Ashina hurried over from the distance, her face filled with astonishment.

"I knew Lord Phield was responsible."

"I didn’t expect the effect to be this incredible."

Phield finally recovered from his shock.

"My own mana is actually increasing on its own."

At the same time, a brand-new entry appeared on his territory interface.

Miracle: Tier 1 Flawless Moon Spring (Artificial Wonder, Divine Artifact Transformation)

Effect: Slightly increases the accumulation speed of extraordinary power throughout the territory. Slightly increases the birth rate of extraordinary beings. Every night, the Moon Spring produces Moonstones.

Note: All effects disappear once the Divine Artifact is removed.

"Huh?"

"I only blasted out a random pit. How did it become a Miracle?"

Phield wore an expression like an old man staring in confusion at a subway phone screen.

"It really comes down to Firomina’s Divine Artifact. I never imagined it could provide such an absurd enhancement. It’s even more terrifying than I expected."

Unfortunately, Firomina’s Sunlight Pattern was incredibly arrogant.

Handling her required great care.

"Hehe."

Firomina simply smiled foolishly.

"This Divine Artifact is unbelievable."

Ashina looked eager to summon her black wolf just to see whether it could transform into something similar.

"My divine power was already accumulating quickly. With divine power this dense, reaching the Third Tier may not be very far away."

"That’s fantastic."

Phield’s face lit up with delight.

"I have a feeling something major is about to happen within the Empire. The enemies we’ll be facing aren’t limited to the Shadow World Sect. There are also the Night Owl rebels and the neighboring nations."

Every additional bit of strength meant one more layer of security against the chaos that was approaching.

Phield gently patted Firomina’s head in encouragement.

He suddenly recalled a saying he rather liked.

Unused Divine Artifacts can always be rented out.

If Firomina wasn’t out fighting, then her Divine Artifact could at least strengthen the territory.

He intended to squeeze every bit of value out of it.

"So nothing bad happened after all."

A gentle voice suddenly sounded.

"You really scared me. There were explosions everywhere, followed by such an overwhelming surge of divine power."

Rosalia had appeared before them without anyone noticing.

Still recovering from her injuries, she possessed an unusually delicate beauty.

Her long, slender legs carried her slowly forward, her pale bare feet stepping directly onto the ground.

She had rushed outside wearing nothing but a nightgown.

The gentle breeze made her frail figure appear even more unsteady.

With the Greatsword of Gluttony shattered, her divine power had become so depleted that she could no longer even weave the magical clothing she normally wore.

"Why did you come out? You’re not fully recovered yet."

Phield hurried over to support her, guilt written across his face.

"This is my fault. I shouldn’t have started construction while you were still unconscious."

He had only wanted to improve the surroundings to create a better environment for Rosalia’s recovery.

Instead, he had accidentally frightened her awake.

"It’s alright."

Rosalia gently shook her head.

"I was about to wake up anyway."

Ashina nodded.

"You look much better now. Don’t worry. Once I grow stronger, we’ll fight together."

"Ding dong... Ding dong..."

Just as Phield was about to study the spring water more closely, an unfamiliar ringing sound echoed through the air.

"Huh? What’s that sound?"

Ashina spun around before pointing at Phield.

"My lord, I think it’s coming from you."

"I know what it is."

Phield smiled.

"It’s those pirates. Looks like they’ve finished their survey."

When they had agreed to explore the mausoleum together, the Divine Chosen named Contily had given him a pearl.

After appraising it, he had learned that it was a communication device.