You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Only Chlorine, Rick's sister, who was in charge of all sorts of miscellaneous affairs in the village and was essentially the head steward, kindly arranged accommodation for Iori and provided her with some food and daily necessities.

This woman was quite observant and noticed that Rick wanted to be alone with Iori, so she pulled Ginny, who was trying to disguise herself as a human, away.

—Thank God, Miss Mori originally wanted to find an opportunity to return to her clan, but after witnessing Iori's manipulation of time, she completely lost hope and is just waiting for Iori to have mercy and release her one day.

Yes, Ms. Mori Sei wasn't grateful at all for being saved by Iori, just as Iori didn't really care about her.

However, Jinna's mental defenses couldn't withstand the repeated collapses, and she gradually became dependent on Iori. Now, even if she were to leave, she probably wouldn't be able to shake him off.

"...It's unbelievable. Lord Aizen, the other world you described actually has such an advanced human civilization?"

"Just call me Iori."

Inside a cave, Rick and Shubi are listening to Iori recount stories of another world.

"Do the sun and stars really exist?"

"It exists."

Iori took out a small projector from her personal space, and the soft light projected a three-dimensional model of the solar system. Then she zoomed out, and constellations and nebulae swept by, finally showing the slowly rotating Milky Way.

"There are too many to count!"

"It's true..."

Rick murmured, Hugh looked at him with concern, while Rick was lost in thought.

"A meteor shower like falling torches, a frozen continent, endless grasslands, forests like oceans... they actually exist... Hehe... Hmm!"

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, but he was still smiling.

"They didn't lie...they didn't lie...the world wasn't always like this, and one day we'll see blue skies again..."

Humans are a species with a lifespan of only a hundred years, and the average lifespan in this world is only in the teens or twenties, with very few living to forty. Therefore, from the moment we are born, the world we see presents a despairing picture.

The sun, the moon, and the stars are just imaginations existing only in beautiful stories passed down by word of mouth. No one has ever actually seen them, and gradually everyone has begun to think that they are just fictional things.

Upon hearing the definitive answer, Rick was so excited that he couldn't speak for a moment.

"Do you like to have a look?"

"Of course! But..."

Rick smiled dejectedly: "This world is nothing but earth covered in black ash and a blood-red sky."

"Indeed, it's a terrible world."

Iori looked out from the cave entrance and thought, "This situation is only a step away from destruction. It's a miracle that this planet has survived this long..."

Disboard—this planet is ridiculously hard!

Considering that the Star Cup is set at the center of the entire universe, Disboard is no ordinary planet; its status is equivalent to Earth in a geocentric model. Therefore, its extraordinary strength can be explained.

"I still can't quite believe it."

Rick looked at his bandaged hands, lost in thought.

"In this other world, there are humans who can use magic, and there are even guys who can fight against those monster races... As for us, let alone the superior races, we would be easily killed if we even saw vampires or orcs."

"It's just a difference in circumstances."

Iori said softly, "You're just unlucky, but it's not your fault."

Iori calmly commented, "In this unreasonable world, it's already remarkable that you've survived."

"Ha ha……"

Rick gave a fake smile. "Maybe so."

"Heaven helps those who help themselves; your perseverance until now has not been in vain."

Life is a painful journey; all that you have accumulated in the past will become both a burden and a help.

"Assistance?"

"I."

Iori said bluntly and without any modesty, "To be honest, I admire people with strong will. Your struggles and perseverance have shown me the most shining part of humanity—it is only right to lend a helping hand to such people."

The brave deserve to be rewarded!

Furthermore, Iori really hates those self-righteous aliens who ruin the environment.

"……Thanks."

Rick was silent for a moment, "But how will we survive in another world? I hope everyone can adapt to the environment and not suffer from acclimatization problems."

"When I said I'd lend a helping hand, I didn't mean I'd take you on an immigration trip."

Iori pointed downwards: "Right here, in your homeland, begin building a nation and even an entire continent that belongs to humanity."

"Is it right here?"

Rick hesitated: "Even if I could borrow your power... it would be meaningless if humanity couldn't survive independently. The wars in this world will never end, and without magic, I'm at a huge disadvantage against other races. I can't stay in the paradise you created forever..."

Iori nodded, agreeing with Riku's opinion and admiring his sense of responsibility. He didn't blindly cling to anyone who came along, nor did he entrust his safety to others—even though this person seemed very reliable.

Based on Iori's understanding of this world over the past few days, and the information she obtained from [Sky Wisdom], there is only one conclusion that can be drawn:

There is no set of rules in this world suitable for human development!

It's not that humans don't try, it's that they were never even on the table in the first place!

Humans were originally destined to be gradually eliminated, just like various animals that went extinct one after another, but they persevered in adversity and continued to spread the flame in such a harsh world.

This is truly remarkable; even Iori holds it in high regard.

"But haven't you still managed to survive until now? There will be many changes in the future, and you need to learn to adapt."

Iori said thoughtfully, "I want to know what you are good at, only then can I decide how you should develop in the future."

"Skilled at? Maybe only... hiding."

Rick clenched his fist: "Erasing ourselves, barely surviving in a corner where no one notices us—that's how we survive."

"Rick?"

The mecha girl reached out her small hand and tugged at Rick's clothes.

"Shubi..."

The boy wore an indescribably complex expression. "We humans can only hide like rats. We are beings that cannot be exposed to the light. If we are discovered, we will be easily eliminated by those monsters... If you ask me what humans are best at, this is the first thing that comes to my mind."

"This is such a heavy question."

Iori shook her head: "The civilization has been interrupted, and it's difficult to start developing from scratch... Let's cheat a little."

"Cheating?"

"Would you be willing to be my guinea pig? If you succeed, you can use magic, even if you are a human with no talent."

Iori smiled and asked, "However, I need a sample of a local person to collect data."

“Experimental subject… Rick, no.”

"No, Shubi, Iori wouldn't hurt me on purpose."

Rick raised his head and looked directly at Iori: "As the leader, it is only right that I be the first to accept help."

"Help me... Don't worry, I'll be very gentle."

Iori thought for a moment and said, "It might hurt a little, just bear with it."

After saying that, a golden cup, thirty centimeters tall, slid out from the spatial rift and landed on Iori.

Rick and Shubi's eyes were immediately drawn: "Another item not in the database... What is this?"

"The all-powerful anal-bursting machine that can grant any wish—it can give you an immortal life."

Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, Iori smiled slightly.

The third method was easy for him now, since it was just the soul of an ordinary human, and the magic power it consumed was less than one percent of Iori's.

In fact, Iori has now transcended the original scope of "Heaven's Feel" and is fully capable of fulfilling the Einzbern family's long-cherished wish—to save all of humanity.

Transforming billions of people is too much trouble, so let's start with these few hundred refugees for now.

What? Why would we need to retrieve the Holy Grail?

Do you understand the sense of ceremony?

Iori scooped a handful of water from the bucket in the room and poured it into the golden cup, where it turned crimson like blood.

"Come, Rick, drink it and accept your fate!"

Chapter 542 The Human Completion of Einzbern

"...Is this the underground city of the [Goblin Race]?"

The buildings, constructed from various metals and rocks and bearing a strong racial style, have been largely swallowed by the dark earth, but traces of their former glory can still be seen.

"As expected of the servant of the god of forging."

Rick laughed sarcastically, "In a world of death, can such a spectacle still be created?"

The goblin race is the servant of Okunin, the god of forging. They are not flesh-and-blood beings in the traditional sense. Their body parts are composed of various extremely rare gems and minerals. They are highly adaptable to "elves," or rather, too highly adaptable... like a cannonball with an overload of propellant, it will explode once fired, so they cannot use magic directly.

But they are skillful and have been given the talent of forging all things by the main god, so they are very good at making all kinds of magical weapons and props, from a lamp or a watch to a warship or a city.

Yes, it is quite obvious that they are a race created based on the prototypes of "dwarves" and "gnomes".

It is worth mentioning that although there is a huge disparity in strength among the fifteen races in this world, most of the superior races have not built up the size of a "nation" in terms of population, nor do they have any demands for territory.

For example, the largest group of dragon spirits consists of only about seven or eight dragons.

The Skywing species are relatively numerous, but only one floating city (the Fantasy species Abant) is needed.

Therefore, the real players in the battle for supremacy are actually the lower-ranking races with the largest populations. Among them, the Forest Elves, as professional players with MAX magical talent, naturally occupy a large territory, while the Goblins are surprisingly the second most expensive spenders after the Long-Eared Goblins.

Looking at the data alone, the forest elves are undoubtedly the top of the lower-ranking races, but in reality, they can't beat these miners...

The reason is simple: goblins excel at group cooperation. They can even turn an entire mountain into a factory and mass-produce warships. Essentially, they already have an industrial-age organizational model. On the other hand, forest elves still have a noble lord system, which leads to severe internal competition.

The areas where these two races live are generally the largest and have the best conditions.

—The races that participated in the Great War, while not caring at all about how this planet had become a hellish place, seemed to care a great deal about their living environment.

Forest elves use magic to create isolated "oases" that are like fairylands, with clean air and water, and even various wild animals.

Goblins, on the other hand, prefer to build cities along mineral veins. Once a region is hollowed out, they simply move on. Their habitat is filled with gems rich in elven resources, and they don't care about water or air—they don't depend on these things.

"Wow, it's huge... I've always come in through the sewers or vents before, this is the first time I've come in through the main entrance."

As Rick walked along, he tried to use the magic to light up the streetlights on both sides. The various colored crystals lit up one after another, adding a touch of brilliance to this long-dormant city.

"This place is already so magnificent. It's hard to imagine what a city that hasn't been abandoned must be like... Compared to the goblin race, the forest elf race's cities seem to be more beautiful."

Rick encountered a large door and stopped Shubi from helping him. He took a deep breath and stretched out his hands, slowly and carefully increasing the force until he exceeded a certain threshold. This extremely heavy iron door, which would have required at least dozens of people to push, was opened by him all by himself!

Unbelievable—Kina, the forest elf lagging behind, stared wide-eyed. Rick's performance along the way had left her speechless, completely overturning her long-held beliefs.

A wild monkey that knew absolutely no magic could walk across the wilderness in just one day, ignoring the attacks of spirits. It could learn magical techniques with just a few pointers, and its physical abilities had improved to a level comparable to that of a pure-blooded orc...

This is outrageous!

You have to understand that racial talent is racial talent. In theory, it cannot be improved by means of artificial means, let alone this kind of transformative level - it is no exaggeration to call it a miracle, right?

It seems he really is a god among men—Jinna trembled even more.

Her fears were justified, because the relationship between forest elves and humans was not good, and could even be described as extremely hostile.

The legendary Elven kingdom of Elvengard is a paradise in the eyes of humans. Furthermore, the Elven society is semi-feudal and semi-slave, with a tradition of capturing lower races as servants. Therefore, many humans, despairing of the future, are even willing to become slaves.

Unfortunately, given human lifespan and physical condition, humans are considered the lowest class of slaves by the forest elves. Their treatment is not as good as one might imagine, and it is common for them to be killed at will or used as experimental subjects.

Furthermore, they would limit the number of slaves, just like raising livestock, controlling their breeding, setting lifespans, and categorizing them according to their purpose... If there were enough slaves, they would simply kill any wild humans they encountered.

After all, clean food and water are the most precious things in the world. The entire forest elf race is extremely shrewd and petty, and it is impossible for them to provide these resources to objects of no value.

If the slaves they treated like this were to rise up, what would await the forest elves?

The thought of this made Jinna sigh, but thankfully they also had their own main god to serve. In Jinna's opinion, even if Iori was a newly born god, he could not possibly be able to defeat "Kainas, the god of the forest".

Of course, it would be best to avoid war if possible, since they were already struggling to deal with the goblin invasion.

It would be even better if we could form a united front with humans, because humans clearly yearn for the living environment of the forest elves. Compared to the goblins who live with fire and stone, the forest elves would offer more leverage.