Attention of an Entity Beyond the Stars…?
When Alvin saw that message, his first reaction was shock. True, the system had warned him earlier that the moment he touched that sword, beings from beyond the stars would take notice. Still, he hadn't expected it to happen this soon.
But soon after, he let it go.
In truth, Alvin hadn't accepted Gaia's "invitation" solely for the sake of the Holy Sword of the Stars.
After all, if not touching that sword meant avoiding being noticed by those beings… was that really a solution?
Now that ancient Britain had seen an influx of transmigrators, who knew whether some alien lifeform was already watching?
Rather than waiting until those entities noticed and reacting afterward, wouldn't it be better to start preparing in advance?
That being said — what exactly was the anomaly that had just appeared in the forest?
The blood-red moon that had surfaced in Alvin's vision floated once more in his mind. For some strange reason, even though he had never seen it before, it felt oddly familiar.
Alvin wasn't the only one who had sensed something stirring in the forest. Many transmigrators from the modern world had also noticed it.
The moment the northern woods showed signs of disturbance, they began heading that way, eager to investigate.
Ishtar, too, looked very interested. She suddenly grabbed Alvin's wrist and exclaimed, "That thing just now looked like a 'meteor' falling from the stars, right? Come on, let's go check it out!"
This goddess really doesn't mind stirring the pot just to watch it boil…
But that blood moon earlier really had left a strange impression… In the end, Alvin nodded and agreed to go with Ishtar toward the northern forest.
Along the way, they saw plenty of carriages headed in the same direction. Judging by their course, it was clear everyone was going toward the forest.
"Looks like this disturbance is really something," Alvin said softly as he sat in the carriage.
Who would have thought something this big would happen in ancient Britain… Could Gaia have predicted that something extraterrestrial would arrive, and purposefully timed her offer to win him over?
Thinking that, he glanced at the goddess sitting across from him.
She still seemed oblivious to what had really happened. Her face was full of excitement, and her sparkling eyes made it look less like she was heading into an unknown danger — and more like she was going on a date.
From the very beginning, Ishtar had always been like this. Showered with the affection of the gods, she was bossy and unreasonable, but deep down she was still relatively pure and kind...
"Pure" in the sense that she simply adored gold and treasure, to the point that she once even joined Alvin in stealing from Gilgamesh's treasury.
As for "kind"... well, even though she was a proud goddess, who almost destroyed Uruk because Gilgamesh rejected her ...compared to most gods, Ishtar was more compassionate.
Sensing the boy's gaze, Ishtar shot him a sideways glance, then quickly frowned and said,
"You've been smiling like an idiot for a while now. We're almost there.
Be careful from here on, I'm not guaranteeing your safety the whole way."
Who's protecting who is still up for debate… Alvin grumbled inwardly.
Even though it was Gaia who "cheated" to bring Ishtar into this world, the current Ishtar was still far from being at full power.
After all, the one who summoned her was King Marco.
Even a magus from the Age of Gods couldn't possibly bring forth a complete version of a goddess, much less him.
Of course, if he said that out loud now, she'd probably snap again…
As Alvin's thoughts wandered, the black-and-gold carriage silently rolled into the entrance of the forest.
Just moments ago the sky had been bright and sunny, but at some point, heavy leaden clouds had begun creeping in, casting a suffocating pressure over the land.
Alvin jumped down from the carriage, scanning the forest now thick with magical energy.
The "clop-clop-clop" of horses and wheels rang out behind him, along with the chattering of voices from other arrivals.
He closed his eyes and in an instant, his senses extended outward, covering the entire forest.
"There really are a lot of people coming… Seems like everyone moved pretty fast," he muttered.
Ishtar gave a casual glance and quickly said, "Come on, let's head in and take a look."
"But we still don't know which direction that disturbance came from... we'll probably have to search around for a while."
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Noticing the boy beside her had gone quiet, she looked over curiously and said, "Don't tell me… you're scared?"
No… something was off.
Ishtar quickly sensed something unusual.
As she realized what Alvin was about to do, the usually arrogant goddess froze like a statue, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"This guy… is he seriously trying to cover the entire forest with his magical energy?!"
Wasn't that way too excessive?!
By covering the massive forest in his mana, any anomaly within it would be instantly detected by Alvin.
And to think, he could still pull off something like this after signing a contract with "Mother" to provide her with magic… Just how massive was his magical reserve?!
Alvin remained still, eyes shut.
As the power of the White Dragon's core spread outward, every noise, be it the rustling of beasts in the bushes or the thundering wings of flocks of startled birds, was clearly transmitted into his consciousness.
Among the magi now flooding into the forest, Alvin quickly noticed something strange.
He opened his eyes, turning toward the forest's left side, and said, "Over there. Let's go."
Ishtar snapped out of her daze and clicked her tongue. "Are all of Britain's fantasy creatures this freakish?"
Such overwhelming magical energy… it might already rival that of the gods themselves during their prime.
No wonder Gaia sought him out…
Recalling the scene of Alvin resisting the Holy Sword of the Stars' rejection and pulling it out with his freakishly strong body, Ishtar couldn't help clicking her tongue again, this time in awe.
She quickly cleared her thoughts and followed Alvin deeper into the forest.
There were still many magi wandering the forest's edges, but the deeper they went, the fewer people were in sight.
Faintly, an oppressive aura began to press in from ahead.
When they finally got a clear look at the object that had fallen from the sky, Ishtar's eyes widened in shock.
"How could something like that exist in ancient Britain?!"
At the forest's end, resting atop a bed of crushed shrubs, was a glowing object shaped like a disc, radiating a soft halo and emanating a cold, metallic aura.
It was completely silver, and the gentle white glow surrounding it carried a disturbing chill.
Even standing outside its perimeter, one could feel a terrifying presence.
An extraterrestrial vessel—a flying ship from beyond the stars!
Even though she was a god on Gaia's side, seeing such an otherworldly craft descend before her eyes filled Ishtar with awe and unease.
Boom!
As if reacting to the presence of intruders, the ship's soft glow suddenly sharpened into deadly brilliance, a beam of energy flashing toward Ishtar at terrifying speed.
"You're underestimating me way too much!"
Ishtar raised her right hand, forming a finger-gun shape as a beam of magical light shot forward.
With a deafening blast, the two energy streams collided midair, shaking the sky with thunderous force.
But the vessel acted as if it had been provoked, launching more beams in rapid succession, now targeting the airborne goddess.
A wave of danger washed over Ishtar, and her body tensed instantly.
She spun midair and lifted her hand again.
Just as another magical shot fired from her fingertips, multiple beams shot up from the ground as if slicing through space itself—the very air seemed to distort faintly.
Unable to dodge in time, Ishtar watched in horror as the beams streaked straight for her.
"Roar—!"
Just before the blasts could hit her, a deep growl rang out behind her.
Alvin suddenly grabbed Ishtar's shoulder with one hand and, with the other, punched the oncoming beams, shattering them into fragments.
Ishtar's heart pounded in disbelief as her dazzling eyes locked onto Alvin.
This guy's physical body… it's practically on par with Him…!
"What are you spacing out for? Let's move!"
At that moment, the boy's voice suddenly came from beside her.
Before Ishtar could even react, Alvin grabbed her wrist.
In the next instant, a sensation of weightlessness overwhelmed her, and she felt herself becoming light as a feather.
When she looked closely, she saw that Alvin had somehow already picked her up in a princess carry.
Behind his back, a pair of black-and-white interwoven wings had spread open as he shot rapidly toward the direction of the alien vessel.
With a sharp rush of wind, before Ishtar could fully process what was happening, Alvin had already gently set her down.
Feeling the cold touch of the floor beneath her feet, Ishtar finally snapped back to her senses.
Realizing that they had entered the vessel's interior, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of humiliation.
A dignified goddess of the heavens… and yet she actually needed someone else's help?
If only her summoner wasn't King Marco but someone with far greater magical power, she wouldn't be in this frustrating situation right now.
"Let's be clear—what happened just now? I could've handled it myself."
Though it was a bit embarrassing, the goddess of heaven wasn't one to back down easily.
She glanced at Alvin silently, then muttered, "…But I'll admit, you didn't do too badly."
"To take on that level of magical force with just your body, even in the most glorious days of the Age of Gods, I've only seen one other person like that."
"I've got some extra buffs while in Britain…" Alvin paused, then added, "Looks like I was right, once we're inside the vessel, it stops attacking. Let's keep going and see what's deeper in."
Although it was supposedly a craft from beyond the stars, the interior had a very modern aesthetic.
Every so often, they passed by walls inlaid with shining gold, embedded with precious gold coins.
Each coin was engraved with intricate runes and designs.
One design showed a woman wielding a massive sword, her figure towering and exuding a deadly aura.
Ishtar didn't seem very interested in the coins, walking straight ahead deeper into the ship.
Alvin glanced at her, unable to resist teasing: "Didn't you always love gold and treasure? Why aren't you—"
"I like gemstones, not coins. Besides, this pile of treasure is nothing special."
She shot him a casual look.
Alvin blinked, then chuckled. "That's true. You probably extorted a fair share from King Marco, huh…"
"Extorted? You mean tributes! Learn the difference!"
The goddess of heaven planted her hands on her hips with an annoyed expression. "And even the wealth Marco had was barely anything."
"I've seen a treasury so vast it could literally be called a 'mountain.'"
Alvin looked around the interior of the ship. "You're talking about the Hero King?"
"You know about that too?"
Ishtar gave Alvin a quick side glance. Then her gaze turned sharp and dangerous. "Seems like you've been digging into a lot of my history."
"I just overheard a few things from other transmigrators about Uruk, that's all."
Alvin smiled casually, but in fact, his full attention remained on the vessel.
Because… something was wrong.
As the White Dragon, he could sense a person's heartbeat, pulse, even breath, yet from the moment he stepped aboard this vessel, he hadn't sensed a single living being.
Could it be… everyone on board had already left?
"Look! What's that?!"
Ishtar's voice suddenly rang out as her curious eyes locked onto a closed iron door up ahead.
The door looked ancient and unremarkable, but golden light could be faintly seen seeping through its seams.
Alvin composed himself and walked forward.
Creak…
With a heavy groan, the door slowly opened.
What lay beyond stunned him into silence.
Jewels and gold—an entire room overflowing with treasure.
The dazzling light reflected from the piles of riches was nearly blinding.
"My gods! How can there be so many gemstones?!"
Behind him, Ishtar's eyes lit up like stars, utterly thrilled by the sight.
"I've only ever seen this many gems once—in the Hero King's treasury!"
As if remembering something, Ishtar suppressed her excitement, a radiant smile blooming on her face. "Alvin, since you're a witness too… why don't we split the treasure fifty-fifty?"
Ishtar was great in many ways… except when it came to treasure.
One look at a gemstone and she completely lost her mind.
Alvin said helplessly, "I'll pass. You can help yourself."
"But don't take everything. And you don't even like gold that much, right…?"
"I don't like gold, but that doesn't mean I can't take it all—"
Ishtar's words suddenly froze.
Like a statue frozen in time, she stared at Alvin, those beautiful eyes full of disbelief.
That strange sense of familiarity surged up once again.
"This… this is that Golden King's treasury, isn't it? If we took all his treasure now, he'd go crazy when he comes back!"
"Savis, since you're the one who brought me here, take anything you want. I, the great goddess, am always generous with friends."
The boy standing at the edge of the treasury sighed softly, clearly helpless. "…I'll pass. Just take what you want."
"But at least leave him some gold. You're not even that interested in it anyway, are you…?"
"Better than nothing. I came prepared with several whole sacks, you know."
In front of the glittering King's Treasury, the goddess of heaven lay amidst the pile of jewels, her crimson eyes full of joy as she happily watched the boy standing at the doorway.
Even though the white mask concealed his original face and voice, Ishtar could still hear the helplessness in his tone.
'Why am I suddenly remembering something from so long ago?'
Ishtar's expression became slightly dazed as Alvin's face reflected
in her golden eyes.
He didn't seem to notice anything strange yet, hesitating as he asked, "Did I say something wrong—?"
Unusually, there wasn't a trace of a smile on Ishtar's face.
"Alvin, ever since I met you, there's been something I've wanted to ask."
She slowly extended her right hand, and without anyone noticing, a white mask quietly appeared in her palm.
The surface of the mask was a swirling white pattern, radiating an aura both divine and seductive.
Boom!
The moment he saw the mask, it was as if thunder exploded in Alvin's ears.
His eyes widened slowly in shock.
Savis's mask!
Back during the age of Uruk, he had helped the Hero King break ties with the gods, and afterward, had vanished from the world completely.
Since then, even the system had recorded no information about the mask.
And now, at the very end of the Age of Gods, the mask had fallen into Ishtar's hands?!
"You recognize this, don't you?"
Ishtar's voice pulled Alvin back to reality.
Alvin came to his senses, but before he could respond, Ishtar had already stepped forward.
Under his increasingly stunned gaze, she gently placed the mask onto his face.
.
.
.