As for David, given the vastness of The Netherworld, if their teleportation points were far apart, Faye had no way to reach him and could only pray he stayed safe.
Now, Faye understood it was better to focus on enhancing her own strength first.
However, after sensing her surroundings, she opened her eyes with some frustration.
"Ancestor, I don't feel anything special here." Faye couldn't help but ask.
Felicia smiled faintly.
"Your soul hasn't even reached the legendary realm. How could you possibly sense the Plane's Origin?"
"Let me handle this." Felicia said, immediately taking control of Faye's body.
Instantly, the girl's expression changed. She closed her eyes for about ten seconds and then looked down at the pool she was standing on.
Without warning, she plunged into the water, diving deeper.
As Felicia moved, even within her sea of consciousness, Faye felt a wave of cold and frigid energy surge into her body, making her extremely uncomfortable.
As Felicia swam deeper, Faye noticed that the water became clearer and more transparent. It felt less like swimming in water and more like being surrounded by crystal glass.
In the pool, Faye saw many powerful monsters, including a BOSS-level creature that made her heart race—a giant crab-like entity.
But Felicia, fully focused, used her demigod-level soul power to completely shield Faye's presence.
She also expended energy to create a watery veil, making their form semi-transparent and effectively camouflaged.
The BOSS sensed something but, finding nothing, retreated to rest under a massive rock.
Felicia looked confident: "That's why I told you not to harm the native NPCs. If you do, even if I can cloak your presence, the world's will would force all monsters to attack us."
"The tracking power of the world's origin is something even gods can't avoid."
Felicia was quite pleased with herself.
"I understand, Ancestor." Faye nodded obediently in her consciousness space.
Then, she hesitated: "Ancestor, why didn't you tell me earlier? I haven't informed Mr. David yet."
Felicia: "..."
She was at a loss for words regarding her foolish student's thought process. Can't you be more like me in my prime, focused solely on your career and not on romantic interests?
She could only console herself silently. After all, that David was also a rare genius. Building a good relationship with him was definitely worthwhile!
Felicia continued to dive for about three more hours. The scenery in the water changed again.
The water's color grew deeper, transitioning from light blue to deep blue until it was impossible to see anything outside.
The surrounding temperature dropped to terrifying levels, creating a frigid frost that continuously invaded Faye's physical body.
At this point, Felicia activated her powers. The girl's legs merged into a single tail, transforming her into a mermaid. With this new form, even though her body was almost frozen stiff, her swimming speed in the underwater environment increased significantly.
She silently chanted a spell, causing a faint dark green glow to envelop Faye's body.
With incredible speed, Felicia shot toward the bottom of the pool. It felt as though she had pierced through an invisible membrane.
Suddenly, Felicia felt a lightness in her body, and her view opened up. She found herself in a deep pit, surrounded by darkness. The only light source came from a small pool of liquid at the bottom.
"Oh no! Are we going to be punished with disasters?"
Hearing this, the Pope impatiently opened his eyes. "Silence!"
"This is a sacred place. How dare you make such noise?"
At his command, many believers looked to the Pope as if he were their anchor.
"Sir, we didn't mean to, but it's..."
Before the worshipers could explain, the Pope harshly reprimanded, "Don't make excuses!"
"Take them away to the Inquisition!"
However, the soldiers who came forward were trembling and looked incredulous.
The Pope sensed something was amiss. With a composed and elegant demeanor, he walked into the cathedral hall.
The next moment, the Pope forgot all about the Inquisition.
Clang!
The scepter in his hand hit the ground with a crisp sound, and the Pope himself sat down abruptly, eyes wide with terror.
"How is this possible!?"
The Pope saw that among the three statues representing the god—
The "Young Heaven Water God Statue" was inexplicably weeping tears of blood, and cracks were appearing all over it, as if it were about to shatter!
At this moment, both the Pope and the surrounding believers were petrified. Even if these statues didn't possess divine power, such a bizarre sight would inevitably lead to wild speculations.
"Could this be an omen of some disaster?" the Pope murmured.
In a place beyond his sight...
The will of the entire world of The Netherworld suddenly began to weaken! While the inhabitants couldn't sense it yet, an outsider would see that the previously solid world crystal wall was starting to fracture!
Simultaneously, in a void space...
The demigod Richard, who had previously helped Sterl and others teleport, was now kneeling respectfully before a woman in a purple robe and a thin veil.
"Goddess, the time has come."
"Just as you predicted, the Netherworld Water is being taken."
"And with any one of the three portions of Netherworld Water missing, your divine power can fully enter the Netherworld."
Richard spoke with utmost reverence.
The goddess, however, wore a complex expression. "Felicia, the aura I sensed back then—it was indeed you."
"Only you could hold the key to the Netherworld."
"I'm sorry, but I must use you once more."
"For the sake of..."
"My homeland."
"I must obtain—"