The noisy gods were not idle either, humming pleasantly by his ear, speaking words no one else could hear but him.

["At most, we'll just soak you guys back in the Heroic Spirit Pool a bit, we won't do anything excessive~"]

Herbert's eyebrows twitched, almost unable to maintain his expression, and he quickly called out again.

"He shall return!"

"He shall return!!!"

["That's right, that's right, I will definitely come back! It won't be long!"]

...

This chant continued for quite some time, and even when Herbert stopped proactively, they did not cease immediately.

Instead, they spontaneously chanted, reciting prayers that hadn't been spoken in a long time.

However, because their memories were incomplete, no one could recite the prayers in full.

But with one phrase after another, even if someone forgot, others would fill in the next phrase, and eventually, they pieced together most of the holy prayer.

And amidst the resonating prayers, Herbert turned to look at the Heavy Knight Heroic Spirit who had been silent all along.

He lowered his head, his spear already resting on the ground, exuding a sense of desolation.

His appearance was like someone who had lost the belief that always supported him.

No.... or perhaps he finally regained the belief he had lost.

Herbert watched the Heavy Knight nod gently and asked softly, "Now, do you understand?"

The Heavy Knight shook his head in silence, then nodded again.

Did he understand? What did he understand?

Herbert actually didn't know, but he felt that this Legendary Heroic Spirit had figured something out.

After waiting for a moment, the Heavy Knight Heroic Spirit raised his head and asked slowly, "Lord Angel, will He... will my Lord truly return?"

Even though he vaguely realized that Herbert might be using words to deceive him, he still wanted to believe.

Will my Lord truly not abandon us?

"He will certainly return."

Herbert nodded seriously, and promised, "And He will return soon."

He will return like lightning!

For a long while, the Heavy Knight shook his head slowly and said hoarsely, "I hope you are not deceiving me."

Herbert laughed, shaking his head slightly, "I will not deceive you, and your faith will not deceive you."

"And now, stand aside."

He no longer paid attention to the Heavy Knight Heroic Spirit and continued to pace forward on Sofia.

"... Understood."

The tall, aged Heavy Knight Heroic Spirit lowered his head in silence, kneeling on one knee at Herbert's side, respectfully sending off this unfamiliar angel.

Perhaps his words were deceitful.

But he did indeed inject a new power into this shattered kingdom that had been silent for countless ages.

And this power is called—hope.

The Heavy Knight kept his one-knee kneeling position and began to pray silently.

"May you ultimately return."

...

["Herbert, why did you do that?"]

"Hmm?"

["With such a commotion just now, some people might notice, right?"]

"Let them notice, it can't be hidden anyway." Herbert smirked, not taking it to heart.

He had figured it out.

This time, in his investigation, he had to remain low-key in action, but in performance, he must not stay low-key.

Be low-key in life, and high-profile in actions.

His current identity is a recently awakened Divine Kingdom Angel.

The more high-profile Herbert behaved, the more suspicious those watching would be, making it harder to pin down his identity.

The more dangerous the place, the safer it is.

["But, isn't this still a bit too fast?"]

Nenasha understood this point, but to Him, Herbert's actions seemed a bit reckless.

"First, they won't be so impulsive; they will certainly observe for longer, which will give us some time to develop."

There are plenty of powerful beings in the Misty Mountains, any one of which can easily destroy the current Elda.

Herbert must intimidate them, making them hesitate to act rashly.

If he can't do it with power, he can only bluff.

And in this, he is very skilled.

"Secondly, Nenasha, do you really want to wait that long?"

Herbert chuckled softly and said, "You can wait, but I certainly cannot wait that long."

He didn't want to spend decades slowly building up, ultimately succeeding in encroaching on the Outer Ring, then continuing to push inward.

That's too slow.

Too fast is bad, too slow is bad as well.

Nenasha pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: ["Oh~ I get it, you really want to see me quickly, huh!"]

"Huh?"

Herbert: ?

What is this all about?

How did your thoughts jump to that?

["Isn't it so?"]

"I... is it?"

Is this right?

This... probably is right.

"My dear goddess, if you really want to thank me, perhaps think of a way to come out sooner, so I can cling tightly to your thigh."

I, ah, don't want to strive hard anymore.

And upon hearing Herbert's heartfelt words, the Harmonious God laughed with immense delight.

["Hehe~ Well, that can't depend on me; now it's all up to your efforts~"]

"Sigh."

With the art of conversation, successfully passing through the pass occupied by Heavy Knights without any loss, Herbert and his companions successfully entered the Central Ring.

And upon entering the Central Ring, Herbert distinctly felt a change.

The mist enveloping the surroundings seemed driven by some mysterious force, becoming increasingly denser.

Accompanied by the change in the mist, the aura of the Divine Kingdom also became more intense.

In Herbert's vision through Spiritual Vision, the broken condition of the "Divine Kingdom" looked much better than before.

If the Outer Ring was like ruins, the Central Ring could only be described as having suffered some warfare, somewhat damaged, but many areas still retained their former appearance.

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