Tisiana mumbled softly before drifting off to sleep while holding onto Phield’s arm. Her sleeping face looked peaceful and sweet.

"She’s really that exhausted? Little Angel is just too weak. No wonder she kept begging for mercy. I thought she was just playing hard to get."

Phield shook his head. Completely awake now, he carefully considered each advancement option.

"Maybe I should remove Little Angel’s negative status."

His first instinct was to eliminate it, but then he reconsidered.

"Wait a second. Tisiana’s so-called negative status is just... becoming like a dairy cow. It doesn’t affect her combat ability at all, aside from periodically needing relief because of the extra weight."

"...And it actually tastes pretty good."

Phield licked his lips twice.

"It’s even better than cow’s milk."

"Using an advancement point to remove such an insignificant drawback feels like a waste. Maybe I should leave it alone for now."

As for the Divine Guard, Tisiana had never possessed that ability before.

Abilities such as weaving clothing from divine power, reinforcing ordinary weapons with divine power, or commanding a Divine Guard were not standard features shared by every Divine Chosen. Those depended entirely on talent or luck.

"I’ll skip the Divine Guard too. I can barely afford to maintain Rosalia’s Divine Guard, let alone raise another one."

Corrupted Greatsword Warriors required complete sets of armor and weapons, while Ashina’s wolf cavalry needed Greatwolves. Both demanded enormous investments. Although they would become incredibly powerful once fully equipped, none of that mattered without sufficient money and resources.

In the end, almost every problem came down to one thing.

A lack of money.

"As for talents... if I somehow rolled something on Firomina’s level, I’d hit the jackpot. But the odds are probably tiny."

Every one of Firomina’s talents was extraordinary.

Ninety-nine percent physical damage immunity.

Fivefold divine power.

And the mysterious ability to absorb magical beast blood.

Every one of them was an absolute top-tier talent, perhaps even exclusive abilities.

"Maybe I should just choose a new Divine Technique instead... But if I never gamble on talents, I might never choose them for the rest of my life. What if they’re all god-tier?"

After wrestling with the decision for a long while, Phield closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross.

"God, please bless this pull."

The moment he made his choice, a mysterious ripple spread through heaven and earth.

Instantly, information about the new talents flooded into his mind.

1. New Exclusive Talent: Four-Winged Angel

The Divine Artifact Wings of Sacred Embrace undergoes a qualitative evolution, growing an additional pair of auxiliary wings. The primary wings are greatly strengthened, becoming as sharp as blades while enhancing ranged attacks, melee combat, Divine Techniques, and defensive capabilities. At the Third Tier, it unlocks a brand-new advancement path.

2. New Additional Talent (Granted by the Lord): Reward and Punishment

Tisiana can alter the nature of Holy Light itself. She may use it to slowly restore a target’s vitality or transform it into burning Holy Light that inflicts agonizing pain upon enemies.

"Holy..."

Phield was overjoyed, clapping his fist into his palm.

"I knew it. Since talents are grouped together with Divine Techniques, they were never going to be mediocre."

"Then again... maybe my soul power influenced the result, or maybe I just got lucky."

"Whatever. The outcome is excellent."

"The only downside is that she’ll have fewer abilities than someone who picked a new Divine Technique."

Giving up a Divine Technique was certainly a significant sacrifice.

Fortunately, Tisiana’s Divine Artifact had evolved, so she would likely become extremely powerful in the future.

"Sigh... Why can’t I have everything? Every time I have to make such a difficult choice."

"I hope that when my Lord level increases, I’ll gain some useful abilities too."

"I bet once I reach the Fourth Tier, I’ll finally uncover the secret behind Divine Chosen advancement."

Setting the matter aside, Phield quietly slipped out of bed and headed to the study, where he began planning the territory’s future development.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

After arranging everything within Nightfall Domain, Phield departed with Tisiana, Firomina, Rosalia, and twenty soldiers, transporting a large shipment of supplies toward the Flooded Ruins.

Long before they arrived, they entered an area untouched by the gray mist.

The surrounding fog dispersed, revealing an enormous heavy warship soaring majestically through the sky like a legendary leviathan, floating high above the Flooded Ruins.

Countless corrupted flying creatures circled overhead, launching relentless assaults against the vessel.

Every attack was blocked by the ship’s divine power barrier.

Meanwhile, magical turrets lining both sides of the ship continuously fired enchanted bolts, shooting the corrupted creatures out of the sky.

"Holy..."

Phield’s eyes widened with envy.

"Whose ship is that? It actually flies!"

"It’s practically a flying city."

A floating city would be unbelievably convenient for both logistics and warfare.

If it could remain airborne indefinitely...

He could simply park it above Starnight City and create a true three-dimensional city.

"Pretty impressive, isn’t it?"

Two Divine Chosen gracefully descended before Phield’s group, smiling cheerfully.

"That’s a Sea Whale-class Heavy Magic Vessel. It was built by a Divine Chosen and serves as one of our nation’s primary ocean-going naval flagships."

Phield elegantly faced the newcomers.

He had intended to perform a flawless noble greeting.

Instead, he froze.

Among Divine Chosen, the two women were perhaps seven or eight out of ten in appearance, nowhere near Ashina’s level.

The truly shocking part was how boldly they were dressed.

The woman on the left wore little more than two seashells and a layer of luxurious silk as thin as a cicada’s wing.

The slightest movement threatened to reveal far more than propriety allowed.

The woman on the right was even more eye-catching.

Her bronze skin radiated vibrant health.

Three tiny shells, barely secured by several cords, provided only the most minimal covering.

"Hiss..."

Phield inhaled sharply.

"As expected of a merchant nation."

Compared to them, the Sacred Griffin Empire suddenly seemed remarkably conservative.

Even its boldest fashions still involved proper dresses.

The women before him left Phield feeling as though everything beyond a certain point had been blurred out.

"Lord Phield."

Tisiana looked at him with quiet reproach.

"Things that are bad for your health shouldn’t be stared at for too long."

"Hehe. It’s just too hot."

One of the women laughed playfully.

"My name is Marianne."

"I’m Shelley."

The other smiled.

"Girls where we’re from all dress like this. Unlike your Empire, where everyone’s so old-fashioned."

"Our country values trade and exploration. We believe in living freely."

"That’s... quite an impressive ship."

Phield awkwardly cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure.

"Ladies, are you officers of the Stormsea Mercantile Nation’s navy?"

"More or less."

They grinned.

"You could say we’re naval officers with pirate licenses."

"But your Empire doesn’t need to worry. You barely have any maritime trade."

"We have principles."

"We don’t raid on land."

The two exchanged mischievous smiles.

"Your Empire’s navy?"

"Total small fry."

Like the Blue Dragon and the Magic Tower United Empire, the Stormsea Mercantile Nation was an oceanic power with an exceptionally strong navy.

Its land forces, however, were notoriously weak.

They rarely set foot on land because doing so almost guaranteed defeat.

Ignoring their taunting smiles, Phield let his own smile fade.

The invisible pressure of someone accustomed to command quietly spread from him.

"I’ve heard the Stormsea Mercantile Nation is willing to sell anything."

He looked toward the flying warship.

"So tell me... how many gold coins would it take to buy this ship?"

"Six million five hundred thousand gold coins."

Shelley put away her teasing grin, though a faint smile still lingered.

"That includes the complete defensive systems."

She shrugged casually.

"Like you said, we’ll sell anything."

"My first night once had a price too."

"Five hundred thousand gold coins."