Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: The Shrines of Eurabia
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"I desire a sacred place that honors me."
"A sacred place…"
"For those who truly need and seek me, I wish to share all of my grace."
Eurabia spoke calmly, her voice now much more composed.
Truly, a god's emotions were ever-changing.
"Is that your wish?"
"It is. Ruiden and Haydn erased every trace of me. The insolent fools. I wish to make my name known in this land once more."
"Hmm…"
Do-jae stroked his chin.
What kind of sacred place?
A mystical mountain, a holy river, a wondrous cave.
Or it could be a temple, a sanctuary, a cathedral, or a shrine.
"I guess a shrine is the only option."
Among them, the most straightforward choice was a building.
For a specific region to become a holy land, it needed a fitting history or myth.
To create that, Eurabia's story would have to be spread far and wide, but with no TV or internet here, there wasn't enough time to spread it by word of mouth.
In other words, a shrine was the most suitable option—a place that could be explicitly and directly called sacred.
Especially now, with the clouds of war gathering.
Any sentient being would naturally seek something to lean on, something to believe in.
The timing was also perfect for building shrines.
"We shall establish the sacred places as shrines dedicated to you, Lady Eurabia."
"Shrines. Not a bad idea."
"Yes, and they will be magnificent and beautiful. How many shrines would you prefer?"
"Even one would suffice. As long as many followers come to visit."
"One… If we're going to build them, let's build five. In the east, west, south, north, and the center. Considering the size of the continent, it may seem insufficient, but the more sacred places there are, the more their meaning becomes diluted."
Images of crosses appearing every ten meters flashed through Do-jae's mind.
Whenever he saw them, he always thought they were seeking money, not God.
Over there, the god was invisible, so they tried to consume their faith in other ways. But here, the god could powerfully reveal her presence.
To make that presence even more certain, it was better to build one shrine in each of the five sections of the continent.
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Yet you speak as if you can build a few shrines with ease. Do you not know how many resources and how much labor it takes to erect a single building?"
Eurabia said, her eyes filled with suspicion.
It was because Do-jae had answered with such confidence.
"Do not worry. I have a plan."
"A plan?"
"Yes. That's right."
Do-jae smiled slyly and stared intently at Herteias.
Herteias, who had been staring blankly in dismay, glanced at Do-jae's intense gaze and took a step back.
"What… What is it now?"
"Heltein. No, I suppose the game is over now, isn't it? Herteias, is it alright if I visit your lair again?"
"My lair… Surely… you don't mean…?"
"Ah, I didn't get a proper look at your lair last time. Those golden statues can't be all there is, can they?"
Herteias trembled.
He had realized Do-jae's intentions.
With the treasure trove of a dragon's lair, the financial problems would be easily solved.
Furthermore, if they placed the sculptures and artworks from within it in the shrines, the artistic aspects would also be easily resolved.
"Oh, by the way, do you know where Briareus's lair is?"
"Are you thinking of raiding his lair too?"
"Of course. Briareus won't mind. It's all for the good of the continent."
"Fufu… Pwahahaha! Of course I know. Shall we pay a visit to his lair first?"
Herteias rejoiced like a child at the mention of raiding Briareus's lair as well.
But his expression quickly soured.
"No. Let's go to your lair first. Those golden statues were quite impressive."
"Ah… Understood…"
Do-jae patted Herteias on the shoulder before looking up at Eurabia again.
"We'll gather more than enough supplies and resources by raiding two dragon lairs. And for the construction… there's a very capable race gathered in the southern part of the continent."
Once the materials for the shrines were secured, the next step was to find laborers to build them.
And there was a race with outstanding stamina and large bodies that could easily carry heavy stones.
The Titans, who live in the southern rainforest.
The plan was to have their leader, Harkes, gather the Titans to lay the foundations and build the walls of the shrines.
Would any Titan refuse to build a shrine for Eurabia, of all things?
"Finally, there are friends who can handle the shrine's design and satisfy our aesthetic needs. They reside in the central part of the continent…"
A race with exceptional craftsmanship, the Dwarves.
They were gathered at Elatra's shrine.
If he asked Oson and his people to design and build shrines befitting Eurabia, they would undoubtedly create masterpieces of art.
"Hoh… You have a plan for everything."
"Did I not tell you? That I would fulfill your wish, Lady Eurabia."
"You are somewhat trustworthy."
Do-jae remained as confident as ever.
In truth, he was a little nervous, but since Eurabia's wish was simple, he could express his confidence fully.
And then, Do-jae posed one last question.
The most important and necessary one.
"Then will you become my Ascetic? You must witness the construction of your shrines, must you not, Lady Eurabia?"
***
Back to the present.
Harkes listened to Herteias's story and nodded.
"So that's what happened…"
"Oho... So if the shrines are built, Lady Eurabia's blessing will extend across the entire continent?"
"I don't know, that probably depends on the followers. And."
*Tap, tap-!*
Herteias slapped Harkes on the arm where he sat.
"My game is over now, so act properly, got it?"
"…Understood…"
"Anyway, Lady Eurabia is with me now, so if you have any questions, ask me."
"Really?"
Like Altein or Ruiden, Eurabia existed by Do-jae's side as a spiritual entity composed of grace.
And unlike the Ascetics, who had used most of their grace to seal Gellahan and the Apostate and to create the Heart of the Golem with Han's power, Eurabia had maintained her grace in its entirety, making her presence immense.
- Tell that Titan I am sorry. His lifespan has likely been shortened somewhat.
Eurabia spoke to Do-jae in an apologetic tone.
"Lady Eurabia says she's sorry. She said your lifespan has probably been shortened a bit."
"It is fine. If it is for the goddess, I would gladly offer my entire life."
"She says no. That your life is your own."
"Ooooh... Lady Eurabia..."
Harkes clasped his hands together again, overcome with emotion.
"Well, we can listen to the words of a god later… This has become a headache. I don't know where to start…"
Do-jae took out some food and handed it to Harkes and Herteias, lost in thought.
Do-jae was currently facing three situations.
All of them were so important that he couldn't prioritize one over the others.
To list them one by one.
‘I've dealt with Havik, so I can go back to Earth now. Right, Altein?’
- We can't return to the exact time and space, but we can get close. However, it won't be quick; it will take some time.
The first was returning to his original world.
His ultimate goal here had been to deal with Havik in the first place.
And he had achieved that goal.
It hadn't even taken a week, and it was unlikely that a year or two would have passed by the time he returned.
However, the following situations weighed on Do-jae's mind.
‘Now that Elatra's blessing is gone, I want to set up some safety measures at the shrine.’
With Elatra gone, Sarieta and Oson probably didn't even remember her.
He needed to find out to what extent they were aware of the situation.
He also wanted to watch over them until their safety was guaranteed and preparations for the war were complete.
‘In any case, the reason I can't return immediately is because of building Eurabia's shrines.’
He could just ignore what happened here and go back.
But if he did, it was obvious how Eurabia would react.
He had just barely managed to soothe her anger. What if he ignored her and went back to Earth?
From her perspective, it would be a blatant betrayal.
Then, not only would he be unable to use her power, but it was also highly probable that she would side with Gellahan.
‘In the end, I have no choice but to build Eurabia's shrines and help Oson and Sarieta.’
*Thump-*
Do-jae rose from his seat.
Harkes and Herteias, who were just about to eat, looked at him as if to ask what he was doing.
"No time to eat. Herteias, take us back to Elatra's shrine."
*Woong-*
All the food placed before them vanished into Do-jae's subspace.
"Understood…"
"Tch, and you were the one telling us to eat."
Harkes rose obediently, while Herteias grumbled and gathered his mana.
"Teleport!"
Soon, their forms vanished from Eurabia's sealed shrine.
***
*Clang-!*
*Clank-!*
In a corner of Elatra's shrine.
In a place where a sweltering heat could be felt, a smithy had been built.
"Hey, Kaison! What is this finish? Work more meticulously!"
"Don't rush me! We're busy over here too!"
"You there, Puhamdal! The handle is too thick! This axe is for the elves!"
"Alright! I'll fix it right away. Hey, you lot! Can't you do it properly?! How could you get that wrong! You, who's your father?!"
A dwarf with a braided silver beard was enthusiastically moving among the others, supervising them.
Oson Ironhammer was running around day and night to supply weapons for the war.
"Brother Oson! They say the dwarves from the Takr Mountains are on their way here!"
A young dwarf ran up to Oson, his face beaming with joy.
"Oho! Well done! Has contact been made already? As expected of the magically adept Gray Elves!"
The dwarves, whose magical skills were pathetic compared to their craftsmanship.
Because of that, it was difficult to communicate with distant tribes, but with the help of the Gray Elves, they were now able to contact dwarves scattered across various regions.
"All I did was go back and forth. It's fortunate that Lord Puson is fluent in the common tongue."
The young dwarf said in a respectful tone.
The reason Oson could speak the common tongue was all thanks to his father, Puson.
Puson was a dwarf who was not only a skilled warrior but also well-versed in various fields of knowledge—a true scholar and fighter.
He was the one taking charge of communications with the Gray Elves.
"My father is a great man! Anyway, we might have to expand the shrine or build new structures around it!"
Over the past few days, the races living in the central continent had been gathering one after another.
At first, the shrine alone was enough to accommodate them, but as different races from several villages flocked in, the inside of the shrine became packed.
"Lord Puson mentioned that as well. He told me to come and ask for your opinion, Brother Oson…"
As the young dwarf was speaking with sparkling eyes.
A bright light formed in the center of the shrine.
*Fwoosh-!*
"Master!"
Oson ran over, his long beard flying, his face bright with joy.