But just then, the seawater at the cave entrance suddenly began to churn like boiling water.

With a bubbling sound, the water surged upwards, completely sealing the cave entrance. Simultaneously, a series of evenly distributed, unknown runes appeared on the interior walls.

Seeing this, Andre frowned but did not adopt a defensive posture.

"Andre, come up."

Hearing the voice from above, Andre picked up Ed with one hand and Jason with the other, leaping onto the ship's deck.

After landing, Ed looked around. The ship's interior, apart from its color scheme, wasn't vastly different from others. It likely also possessed an automated runic system, as the deck held only three religious members dressed in simple gray robes, with no crew in sight.

The three hooded figures stood side-by-side with their arms crossed. Andre walked toward them.

"What's going on? Why are we sealing this place off so suddenly?"

The church member in the center lifted his head slightly. "Because they will perform the Touch Ceremony here on the ship."

"On the ship? Here?" Andre's voice was thick with surprise. He quickly asked, "Isn't it too risky to bring the [Treasure] here?" His meaning was clear: Isn't this excessive?

"Archbishop Elan has returned to the embrace of the Mother Goddess. Too many believers are gathered at the cathedral in mourning; it is not suitable for you to go now."

Andre nodded as if he understood, though he still didn't see why they had to bring the treasures out. It still seemed like an unnecessary risk. If it was truly inconvenient, he felt they could have simply waited.

"Very well. Time is limited; let them perform the ceremony quickly."

Hearing this, Andre stopped hesitating. The two church members who had been standing silently on either side slowly extended their hands. A faint light emanated from their palms.

One light was transparent, like a flash of crystal, peculiar and shifting. The other was a soft, milky-white, holy glow.

Suspended within the transparent light was a mask, seemingly crafted from mirror, its surface clearly reflecting the surrounding scene. Within the milky-white light rested a simple headband woven from golden wheat ears.

"Choose, both of you. Choose the [Treasure] you wish to touch."

Hearing this, Ed and Jason tensed. Although Ed had seen many things, this was a matter of his future superpower; of course, he couldn't remain calm. The frantic pounding of their hearts echoed in their ears.

Andre paused, then raised his hands and gave them an encouraging pat, signaling them to proceed.

"If you do not know how to choose, stand in the middle, close your eyes, and walk slowly according to your instinct," Andre's voice instructed. He hadn't mentioned this earlier because he hadn't expected them to be given a choice.

Hearing this, the two turned to glance at each other, then simultaneously closed their eyes and began to walk forward.

With his eyes closed, perhaps because of the ring, Ed felt no disorientation or other unusual sensations. He walked straight ahead.

Suddenly, he sensed a presence and opened his eyes. He was now standing before the mirror mask. Had he somehow drifted to the left, even though he'd walked in a straight line?

He looked at the hooded figure whose face was obscured, and at the mirror mask held gently in the figure's hands, floating before him. The mask's surface, like a mirror, reflected his own face.

He saw his face as it was now, and yet it was as if he saw a face from the depths of his memory, both clear and blurry.

"Touch it," came the voice of the religious member beside him.

Ed swallowed hard. He slowly extended his hands and gently touched the mirrored surface of the mask.

A tremor ran through him.

Ed felt it, his body, his limbs, his heart, his brain, every part began to writhe. It was as if the blood vessels throughout his body had come alive, twitching and moving independently. His blood seemed to flow faster. Something had awakened within him.

A deep, icy coldness rushed to Ed's brain, bringing dizziness even behind his closed eyelids. Although he tried to control his body, he was becoming disoriented, unable to perceive his surroundings. His senses grew dull.

A rectangular frame appeared in his mind, with a slender "工" character at its center. It emitted a faint, transparent light, like the mirrored mask. Then it faded and disappeared from his consciousness.

Only then did the disorientation subside. Ed regained control. He could feel something flowing within him, something he seemed able to control just like his own limbs.

Ed tried to command it, but his control was clumsy and stiff. Attempting to direct it was like an infant trying to stand and walk steadily, wobbly and unsteady. In the end, Ed could only manage to contain it within his body, preventing it from wandering and keeping it near its point of origin.

Having stabilized the energy within, he opened his eyes.

The mirror mask before him was gone. The church member who had held it had also vanished. Only Andre and the central church member remained, watching them.

On the right, Jason also had his eyes closed, a faint milky-white light shimmering around him.

Seeing that Ed had awakened, Andre nodded to him. At that moment, the light around Jason subsided and disappeared. As it faded, Jason opened his eyes.

Seeing that both were awake, Andre turned and nodded to the remaining church member, then walked over. Without giving them a chance to speak, he grabbed them by their collars and leaped off the ship.

The moment they left, the water wall sealing the cave entrance collapsed back into the sea. The runes covering the cave walls vanished. The golden ship slowly retreated from the cavern.

Watching the ship depart, Andre turned back to the two youths. Ed and Jason were both in a daze, paying no attention to the outside world, utterly absorbed in experiencing their newly acquired power, feeling the magic within them that they could now control.

They were like children who had just received a wondrous new toy. This level of excitement was the kind that could drive a person mad with joy.

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