"Any progress on the mutated Sun Emblem?" George asked after finishing Roselle's diary pages.
Using that artifact as a bridge to siphon high-tier knowledge from the Eternal Blazing Sun was currently the fastest and safest option available.
Klein raised two fingers.
"Almost ready. If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to request access again in two days."
He had already arranged matters with Azik.
A controlled ghost incident would justify deploying the artifact.
Two days later, during an operation with his teammates, Klein slipped the mutated Sun Emblem into the gray fog and summoned George.
George accepted the emblem.
Warmth radiated from it in steady waves.
Purification.
Mental influence.
A condensed core of solar authority.
"This thing carries serious power," George said calmly. "Comparable to high-tier operatives."
Instead of divining its origin like Klein had before, George went straight for the source of its power.
The essence.
If the emblem truly derived from the Eternal Blazing Sun, then he could connect directly to that god.
Holding the emblem, George entered deep meditation.
Instantly, a blazing golden sun appeared within his inner world.
Along with it came a torrent of knowledge.
Formulas.
Abilities.
Ritual structures.
When George reached the formula corresponding to the fourth rank, a cold snort echoed from within the sun.
Divine power surged.
Flame poured toward George through the link.
Klein had nearly died from a trace of this backlash.
George didn't even blink.
He continued.
More knowledge flooded in.
Third rank.
Second rank.
First rank.
Then, just as George reached for the final step—
The sun transformed.
A youthful figure emerged, clad in pure white robes, short hair blazing like living gold. In one hand rested a book. In the other, a sphere of condensed light.
The figure's gaze locked onto George.
"Impudent mortal. You dare窥探 my divinity. Receive judgment."
Power exploded.
This time, vastly stronger.
It surged along the divination channel like a roaring inferno.
George sighed.
"Touchy."
He brushed the flame aside and severed the connection.
If this were outside the gray fog, even he would have needed to take the hit seriously.
Inside, where divine power was weakened to a fraction, it was manageable.
But continuing now would be unwise.
The Eternal Blazing Sun had noticed.
If George pushed further and revealed he was unharmed, a far more dangerous response might follow.
"Are you okay?" Klein asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," George replied. "He reacted too fast. Otherwise, I might've gotten the final formula too."
George briefly summarized what he had obtained.
High-tier formulas.
Abilities.
Ritual structures.
Enough to radically accelerate future development.
"Still," George added, "this works better on false gods and corrupted entities. They can't descend personally. As long as you survive the backlash, you can strip them clean."
Klein shuddered at the phrasing.
"I need to head back," Klein said. "If I'm gone too long, my teammates will notice."
They parted.
Back in his physical body, George immediately began studying how to convert the newly acquired solar knowledge into usable spell structures.
Light-based magic.
Holy fire.
High-purity radiance.
With a matching theoretical framework, cross-world conversion became far easier.
He already understood fire.
If he ever obtained storm-related knowledge, lightning and wind conversions would follow just as smoothly.
George leaned back.
"If I can convert sealing techniques… I should be able to suppress the unborn horror inside Megose. That thing might become another excellent divination anchor."
One week later, opportunity arrived.
Not through Megose.
But through Old Neil.