Chapter 177

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Chapter 177: Rod of Eden? Hurry and Take It!

The Divine Force Field, while dense from the perspective of a “barrier,” was really only a few steps away in terms of “distance.”

A few seconds after Dorothy stepped out, she sensed the “softening” of the power.

As she approached the center, the two types of divine power gradually ceased their fierce clashing. Though their strength increased, from the perspective of magic flow, it felt more as if they were peacefully coexisting.

The Power of the Evil God blocked the Holy Light power, while the Holy Light power washed over the Power of the Evil God. There were some violent reactions at the edges, but within it was not so extreme.

However, even without the interference of divine power, the terrain itself posed a huge obstacle for Dorothy, who was weak and sickly!

Beyond the barrier lay a giant pit approximately twenty meters wide and over five meters deep.

The ground, resembling blue stone, was cracked, and there were scattered stones that appeared to have fallen from a tall tower.

Although the slope was not steep, the cracks in the ground were more than half a meter wide. Combined with various broken walls, the path to the bottom was certainly not easy to traverse.

Dorothy slowly descended using her hands and feet, while the three people outside the barrier observed this scene and found it somewhat amusing.

“This warlock of hers really taught herself, but she learned something quite peculiar…”

Patricia remarked with discontent.

A typical Superoperator, even if they are a spellcaster, would learn some movement spells to ensure their mobility, even if their physical strength is no different from an ordinary person at Superlative Level.

It appeared that Dorothy truly could only control magical creatures and possessed no other magical abilities.

In a situation without other creatures, she seemed to have even less combat capability than a farmer.

However, Dorothy herself didn’t perceive anything wrong with this. She slowly moved downward; although it was challenging, she made it safely to the bottom of the pit.

Then, she spotted a golden staff at the lowest point of the pit, emanating a soft Holy Light. The staff pointed upward, with a golden sphere at its end, and the top and most of the staff were deeply embedded in the ground, making its design unclear.

But Dorothy remained quite certain this was the Divine Artifact that The Church of Light sought.

According to the Lady of Light’s instructions, if she observed the lost staff emitting a strong wave of Holy Light, it could be identified as a Light Artifact.

This half-buried staff among the rubble clearly fulfilled the requirements.

All she needed to do was approach and pull it out, and that seemed to suffice.

However, several sculptures around made Dorothy feel somewhat uneasy.

Those sculptures were pitch-black, solid figures that appeared to be carved by the most skilled artist from solid black crystal, frozen in a dynamic pose.

They all seemed to be running toward the direction of the staff, each extending their arms, with their fingertips pointing to where the staff had fallen, as if they were casting some kind of spell at that moment, their faces displaying either determination or resolve.

And the staff was firmly imprisoned by the potent Power of the Evil God.

Dorothy examined those “figures” and hesitated for a moment, but then slowly approached.

The two kinds of divine power here were extremely calm, yet their concentration was almost at a “terrifying” level.

It was like the power strength found only at the core of a Forbidden Spell Level divine spell.

However, the two kinds of divine power still balanced each other, creating a state of nearly complete stillness.

“Did the ancestors gain power here…?”

Dorothy stood a few steps away from the staff, feeling a strong power flowing around her body. Some of it seemed to gradually be absorbed into her own body, but the rate of growth was not much faster than her own training.

She felt somewhat disappointed.

The “Hero’s Blessing” that had been passed down through generations by bloodline and mystical techniques was still not comparable to the real thing.

It allowed her to move normally within the divine power, but she could not absorb and utilize it like her ancestors could.

However… even so, Dorothy did not remain dejected for long.

From a young age, she had grown too accustomed to disappointment.

Although she was born as the heir of the Golden Peacock, her circumstances could hardly be called “fortunate.”

Her mother was in a deep sleep, and she was under a curse. The entire Golden Peacock was almost in turmoil during her childhood, surrounded by formidable enemies outside and powerful ministers inside… Although Aunt Maria had resolved these issues now…

But Dorothy understood that the aunt who now managed the Golden Peacock, her mother’s twin sister, was definitely not someone she could depend on or trust.

So, she simply hadn’t grown any stronger.

For Dorothy, this was also anticipated.

“To become stronger overnight is truly an unrealistic notion.”

She shook her head, dismissed the impractical fantasy, and decided to focus on retrieving the Light Artifact first.

At the very least, she needed to ensure she could secure the friendship of The Church of Light and the reputation of “retrieving the Divine Artifact.”

Of course, meeting Patricia, this Great Sage, was already a significant achievement.

Although this Great Sage was not very reliable and Dorothy often criticized her actions during the journey, she could sense… that the Great Sage actually held a favorable opinion of her.

Thinking thus, Dorothy reached out for the gleaming staff.

The Power of the Evil God seemed not to realize that her goal was to free the staff; instead, they treated her as one of their own, allowing her hand to reach into it.

The gentle power of the Holy Light did not impede her; her fingertips softly touched the end of the staff, and Dorothy seemed to faintly hear the choir in the church singing the Gospel. Her emotions settled considerably, and her body felt warm.

She was bathed in the Holy Light.

Lolth, observing this scene, slightly nodded her head.

“So, they came for the Light Artifact… No wonder The Church of Light gathered at the New West Line… They are here to escort these two!”

She began to comprehend their intentions.

As for what they planned to do with the Light Artifact—whether to return it to The Church of Light or something else—Lolth did not concern herself.

It would be best if they took the broken staff and departed quickly; after all, she was not interested in the Rod of Eden… Something like that would only bring complications, as The Church of Light would be watching her constantly.

It would be better if she could devise a way to let someone witness it before they took it away—if she lost a Light Artifact in her territory, wouldn’t that merit a demotion and the removal of her Chief Consultant title?

While Lolth was contemplating, Patricia and Tina also held their breath and observed Dorothy inside the barrier.

After recovering from the Holy Light’s embrace, Dorothy’s expression grew resolute as she grasped the staff of light and slowly began to extract it.

And in that moment, while Patricia, Tina, and even Dorothy were unresponsive, Lolth’s expression suddenly transformed drastically.

“Don’t move anymore!”

She shouted, disregarding the Divine Force Field, and rushed directly toward Dorothy!