On the Ark.

Horn Peak pondered for a moment and then understood.

It must be that the young lady wants me to take good care of her friend! Yes, I've never heard of the young lady having friends in the temple before. She probably doesn't want to talk about it, but now that she's brought her friends here, that says a lot!

He will definitely treat the young lady's friends well.

Horn Peak made up his mind.

I wonder if her friend can handle spicy food... She should be able to eat some, right? People in Sherag eat spicy food, and Dr. Lin seems to be immune to spiciness, so let's add more chili sauce.

Lost in his own fantasy, Horn failed to notice that Lappland, who had been barking the loudest before, was now following behind the group with her tail drooping, silent, like a listless wolf.

……

"Ah, the house is destroyed, so we'll have to stay here tonight." As soon as she entered the house, Messiah sat down on the floor, smiling at the group of people behind her. "Sorry to bother you."

Chu Xue said, "This house itself is your property."

Messiah shook his head: "No, the temple up there is my house. This house was built by the people here and is intended for pilgrims to live in. It is not my property."

"...But this is also yours."

“What’s mine is mine, and what’s not mine isn’t mine. I can tell the difference,” Messiah said.

The first snow was at a loss for words.

Lin Ye found it quite interesting. He had never seen a god like this before. She refused things that were clearly offered to her by believers. In this respect, the Messiah was much more endearing than the gods who existed only in legends in his previous life.

Of course, it was also because she had given him a divine artifact that Lin Ye now wished he could join the Kalan Cult.

"And your sacred temple..."

"It'll be fixed tomorrow."

First Snow nodded: "I understand, I'll..."

"You should go back tomorrow," Messiah said calmly.

Chu Xue was taken aback: "What did you say?"

“I told you you should go back tomorrow, Enya.” Messiah then looked at Lin Ye. “And you, I think I told you before, when the maple tree in front of the door bears fruit, that’s when you should leave. Now you’ve got its fruit.”

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised, then looked down at his new sword: "Is the fruit you mentioned this sword?"

"Yes, its name is Maple Fruit."

"...It feels like such a casual name."

"Of course, because that's what I just thought of."

Lin Ye: "..."

“If you don’t like the name, you can just call it Maple. This is the fruit of that tree,” Messiah said with a smile. “It’s not an ordinary knife, you’ll see later. Be sure to use it well.”

Lin Ye nodded: "I understand."

“No.” Messiah shook his head. “You still don’t understand. What I mean is, you are not allowed to be defeated by anyone from now on.”

"Huh?" Lin Ye was truly confused now. "Why?"

Messiah stood up and gazed at Lin Ye in front of him. Lin Ye could see a helpless face reflected in Messiah's beautiful heterochromatic eyes.

"Although we're unlikely to meet again, now that you've taken my sword, you're mine," Messiah said with a smile. "Since you're mine, what right do you have to be defeated?"

Chapter 260 The Sacred Artifact Powered by the Sun

Lin Ye wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Messiah's way of speaking inexplicably sounded a bit like a domineering CEO. Although his voice was soft, something was wrong. If Messiah was a domineering CEO, then what was he? The naive and sweet female lead from a Mary Sue novel?

Crazy? No way, he's a tough guy!

So, even if it seemed like he was putting on airs, Lin Ye still wanted to act like a man in front of Messiah, this true god, and not to bow down for a pittance. So he cleared his throat and was about to speak, but Messiah spoke first.

“I have imbued this sword with some of my own power.” Messiah took the sword from Lin Ye’s hand and held it up to test its power. “You can try to unleash its potential, but it shouldn’t be a big problem for you.”

Messiah's words initially surprised Lin Ye, but then he was overjoyed.

This sword actually contains the power of the Messiah?! That's way too incredible! Who is the Messiah? The only true god of Kalan, a woman capable of suppressing natural disasters single-handedly… a goddess. If it's a weapon that contains her power, then what kind of weapon is it?

That should be called a cheat/hack!

Since arriving in this world, Lin Ye has always felt that fate has been unfair to him, a transmigrator, as it hasn't given him any special advantages... Well, if you have to pick one, it did give him a few, but they were mostly unrelated to combat. This made his battles extremely difficult, and he almost lost his life several times, having to wait for others to save him, which was a disgrace to the protagonists.

But things are different now. Heaven may not like him, but God does! As long as he obtains this sword and uses its power, if the sword contains even one percent of the Messiah's power, it will greatly enhance Lin Ye's combat strength. If it contains even one-tenth of the Messiah's power, Lin Ye feels he can be invincible.

Looking at the Maple in Messiah's hand, Lin Ye felt a brand new life was beckoning to him. As long as he had this sword, he would no longer be the protagonist of a Mary Sue novel who lives off his wife, but the protagonist of a shonen manga with cheat codes... Wait, did some strange words get mixed into his mind?

Messiah did not explicitly state what Maple's ability was, but instead returned it to Lin Ye: "However, the energy stored within is limited, and once it is used, the energy within the blade will be poured out all at once until it is completely depleted."

Just as Lin Ye was happily accepting [Maple] and fantasizing about how his fate would change from then on, Messiah's words were like a bucket of ice water, poured solidly onto his forehead.

"You mean... [Maple]'s ability can only be used once?" Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly.

“I didn’t say that.”

"But you just said..."

"If the energy is depleted, can't we just replenish it?"

"How do I get it? Should I come back to you?"

“No need for that,” Messiah shook his head and said, “You just need to place it in the sunlight.”

"Standing in the sunlight?" Lin Ye's expression was somewhat strange. "That's how you charge your energy?"

“Yes, [Maple] can replenish its energy through the sun,” Messiah said with a smile. “Isn’t that amazing?”

Lin Ye didn't know what to say.

This knife looks incredibly unscientific, yet it's actually charged by solar energy?

Knowing this, Lin Ye suddenly felt that there was nothing to look forward to in his future. His style always seemed to be quite different from that of other protagonists.

At that moment, he noticed Chu Xue, who hadn't spoken for a long time, squatting in a corner, doing something.

"Chu Xue, does your stomach hurt?" Lin Ye asked Chu Xue kindly.

Chu Xue glanced back at Lin Ye, but didn't want to say anything.

Lin Ye might not realize what "Maple" represented, but as the Holy Maiden of Kalan, she couldn't possibly be unaware. It was a weapon imbued with divine power, a sacred object, and an existence on par with her sacred bell. However, her sacred bell was a legacy passed down through generations of Kalan Holy Maidens, inheritable only by those whose bodies and minds were pure and recognized by the gods. This was also the "reward" the Sherag people received for their millennia of worshipping the gods, a symbol of Kalan's supreme authority.

To put it simply, the people of Sherag had worshipped the Messiah for a thousand years and only received a bell in return, while Lin Ye had only been in Sherag for less than a week and had already obtained a brand new sacred object, and it was even a weapon! In Chu Xue's eyes, this was simply incredibly enviable.

Why.

She is the true saint of Kalan...

She's the one who's truly been through countless trials...

She's the one who's known the gods the longest here...

But why is it that she is still using the old bell that has no combat power, while Lin Ye, who has only known God for two days, has obtained a brand new sacred object, and it is even a weapon.

If this news reaches Sherag, who knows what kind of sensation it will cause. I wonder if the people of Sherag will think they were adopted by the gods, while Lin Ye, this outsider, is the gods' biological son.

Regardless of the slight resentment in her heart, Chuxue managed to maintain her composure. She was determined to keep this matter firmly in her heart and never allow the Sherag people to have any dissatisfaction with the gods. This was what she, as a saintess, should do.

After all, the gods helped Sherag stop the calamity, and this was a sacred relic more valuable than any weapon. Snowflake could tell which was more important.

Thinking this way, she felt much more at ease and no longer felt the frustration she had felt before.

Just then, Horn Peak's voice rang out from outside.

"Second Miss, Miss Susuluo, you're finally back! Hurry up and get ready, dinner will be served soon."

"Wow, Uncle Horn Peak, can we have barbecue tonight?"

"Of course, didn't you see I've finished baking them? I can call the young lady out now..."

During the two days Lin Ye was inside the temple, Ya Xin and Su Su Luo spent their time near the cabin, as they couldn't enter the temple. Now they had returned, and it was almost dark. Chu Xue glanced at Messiah, who nodded; she had also decided to join the barbecue party that night.

Just as he was about to leave the room, Lin Ye suddenly called out to Messiah.

Messiah turned her head and looked at him with her beautiful eyes, which made him unsure of what to say. He could only scratch his head and then look at Chuxue: "Chuxue, could you take Lappland out first? I have something I want to say to Messiah... no, to God."

Chu Xue's expression immediately became wary: "What are you trying to say now?"

"I just wanted to ask a few questions..."

First Snow certainly didn't want Lin Ye and Messiah left alone. After these two days of interaction, she had sensed that Messiah's attitude towards Lin Ye was somewhat unusual. Who knew what would happen if the two were left alone in the room? What if Lin Ye persuaded Messiah to leave Kjerag? Then she, Enya Shivaesh, would become the last Holy Maiden, and would become a sinner of Kjerag!

So Chu Xue was unwilling, but what could she do? Faced with Messiah's knowing look, no matter how unwilling she was, Chu Xue could only help up the dejected Lappland, and the two left the room together. Before leaving, she gave Lin Ye a warning look.

Unfortunately, Lin Ye didn't understand. He thought Chu Xue was telling him to hurry up because the roast meat wouldn't taste good if it got cold.

The door closed, and only Lin Ye and Messiah remained in the room, just like in the main hall. But this time, Lin Ye asked a question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"Um," he scratched his head, "did you know me before?"

Messiah smiled: "Why do you ask that?"

"I have a feeling... that you're very good to me. No, it's not just a feeling anymore." Lin Ye wasn't stupid; he could tell these things. So, he hesitated slightly before saying, "That's why I wanted to ask why. After all, I know I'm not anyone special, and you are the god of Kalan..."

“A long time ago,” Messiah suddenly interrupted Lin Ye, his smile fading, “when I was not yet a god, when I was in my most difficult, hungry, and cold time, and was about to die, someone gave me a… well, a piece of clothing, and some food.”

"...And then what? Those things saved your life?"

“No, no, he was too late and couldn’t help me,” Messiah said softly. “No, it wasn’t that he was too late; it was that I couldn’t hold on until the end. So I kept thinking, if I had gritted my teeth and persevered a little longer, would I have been saved by that person, and then left that cold place with him? Would I have had a warm home then?”

Lin Ye didn't quite understand what Messiah meant. What did he mean by "arriving too late"? Wasn't Messiah perfectly fine? He'd even become a god.

“You and that person are a bit alike.” Messiah said, smiling again. In Lin Ye’s memory, she always seemed to be smiling. “So, I’m just making up for my regrets. After all, back then I really wanted a warm home, and that person really wanted to give it to me, but it was just a little bit short, just a little bit short.”

Lin Ye felt a pang of sadness from Messiah's words. His emotions were stirred, and he pressed on, "And then?"

"And then?" Messiah smiled. "And then, the barbecue was cooked, Dr. Lin Ye."

"what?"

"It's time to eat." Messiah opened the door, and the sunset shone in, bathing her in the afterglow, making her look somewhat unreal.

She spoke softly in the sunset.

"Lin Ye, the maple tree has borne fruit; it's time for you to leave. And my previous regret—staying by that person's side, having a warm home—is about to be made up for."

Chapter 261 She is the Goddess of Kalan