When the smoke and dust cleared, a huge scorched pit, tens of meters in diameter, appeared on the ground.
The soil at the edge even showed signs of vitrification, and the power had increased several times.
Karl looked at the two contrasting pits below, and the smile on his face grew even brighter.
Although the process was complex and the consumption enormous, it pointed the way to a higher level of power.
This orange-gold energy, whether true divine power or not, represented a qualitative change.
He withdrew the precious wisp of divine power from his fingertip and descended to the manor below.
After Karl first succeeded in concentrating a hint of orange-gold energy that seemed like divine power, he realized the importance of establishing a stable channel for faith.
Although the power of faith has obvious drawbacks—dependence on believers, instability, and susceptibility to emotional contamination—
in certain specific situations, especially when he lacks divine power or needs to perform miracles over a wide area, it can indeed be an effective substitute.
Therefore, he summoned Hans that same day and ordered him to immediately begin searching for and hiring skilled stonemasons, carpenters, and other craftsmen.
He was ready to select a location on Terra and begin construction of a temple.
Of course, the temple was not dedicated to any known deity, but was to be built for him, the future Sun God.
He needed a place to gather, to process the faith of believers, and, if necessary, to convert the power of faith into visible miracles.
However, Karl had his own plan; he never intended to use the power of faith to condense his divinity.
In his opinion, that would be equivalent to tying his own fate to the beliefs of mortals, completely blocking his path to the future.
For condensing his own divinity, he had a grander idea, more in line with his own constitution.
But this idea was still far off, and his condensation of divine power was still at the most primitive stage of accumulation.
This meager trace of energy was far from enough to support such a grand, even insane, idea.
...
Over the next few days, Karl tirelessly immersed himself in the tedious process of condensing his divine power.
During the day, he absorbed sunlight at high altitudes; at night, he experimented with various methods of compressing and purifying energy, enduring the energy backlash and explosions caused by repeated failures.
At the same time, he occasionally diverted his attention to watch the stonemasons on the ground clearing the foundation and quarrying stone.
During such a busy day, once, as he was suspended high in the sky, directing the surging solar energy within his body towards a new wave of condensation,
a familiar voice clearly entered his super-hearing perception range.
It was Hen? Karl was slightly startled, then suddenly realized he had been so busy with territorial affairs and improving his own strength that he had almost forgotten about his sorcerer teacher.
No wonder the Magic Society was indeed much quieter than secular regimes.
Members were mostly immersed in their own magical research, academic discussions, and the internal affairs of the Brotherhood.
However, he had an entire territory to manage and develop, and many development directions and specific issues needed to be proposed and overseen by himself.
"Why has the teacher come suddenly?" A thought flashed through Karl's mind, and his figure was already rapidly descending towards the ground like a meteor.
When he was still two or three miles above the ground, the scene below was clearly reflected in his field of vision.
He saw the familiar figure of Hen, standing in the open space before the manor, surrounded by a group of knights armed with crossbows, seeming to face a great enemy.
Even with dozens of crossbow bolts glinting coldly, and even some of their plate armor clearly mixed with dimetrium, Hen's face remained calm and indifferent.
He said in a calm tone to Dalton: "Knights, don't be so nervous. I am Karl's mentor, Hen."
"I mean no harm. I think Karl should have mentioned me."
Hearing the identity of Karl's mentor, a flicker of suspicion passed through Dalton's eyes.
But he immediately clenched his fist and raised his hand, signaling all the knights to cease their advance and aiming, but not to lower their guard.
His hand was still on his sword hilt, and he slowly took a few steps forward, cautiously confirming: "Sir, you claim to be Lord Karl's teacher?"
"But I've never heard my lord mention it in detail. His teacher is... a sorcerer."
"However, my lord has displayed methods similar to a sorcerer's."
Hen calmly nodded and acknowledged his identity: "Karl didn't explain it to you in detail, perhaps he had his reasons."
Dalton wanted to ask more to confirm the other party's identity and intentions.
However, at that moment, Hen's expression suddenly changed, and his calm eyes instantly became sharp.
He abruptly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be silent and alert, and simultaneously shouted quietly: "Be careful! Something unknown is approaching at high speed!"
He looked at the clear sky directly overhead, and a flicker of doubt passed through his eyes.
Almost instinctively, a layer of flowing, compressed water shield instantly appeared around him.
At the same time, electric light flashed on his palm, emitting a crackling electrical sound.
He quickly waved his hands, and several flickering slowing runes fell around the water curtain.
"Someone in the air? Riding a griffin? Or... a dragon?" Hen muttered quietly, his voice full of confusion and vigilance.
"Could it be... has the protective magical item I gave Karl been taken by someone else?"
In his senses, the magical item he had created with his own hands to find and protect Karl was falling vertically from a great height at an incredible speed.
What's more, even stranger was that such a high speed did not produce the whistling sound of air currents.
At the same time, following Hen's reminder, Dalton also signaled all the crossbowmen to aim their weapons at the sky, nervously searching for possible enemies.
However, all the knights except Hen were confused.
They looked at the blue sky, where only a few birds were flying by, and saw nothing unusual.
"Enemy? Where is it?"
"There's nothing in the sky!"
"This sorcerer... maybe it's some trick to distract us and take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack?"
Suspicious glances again focused on Hen, and the atmosphere grew even more tense.
At that moment, in Hen's perception, the position of the magical item was getting closer and closer, descending a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
Such speed and stealth could even threaten higher vampires.
When he felt the distance to the magical item enter the optimal attack range, Hen hesitated no longer.
He fixed on a seemingly empty spot in the air directly above him, but which had a physical position in his perception, and suddenly released the violent thunder that had been building up in his hand.
BOOM!! A bright white lightning bolt, thicker than a barrel, tore through the air.
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