39: Victory celebration

The vault door slowly opened, and Shen Xiaochuan walked inside. Two treasure chests were suspended in the center, covered by energy shields, with golden and dark golden runes slowly rotating on the surface.

He reached out to check the status of the Seal, and after confirming everything was correct, he laid down three layers of alarms around it. Once anyone entered within a ten-meter radius, a thunderbolt trap would be triggered.

He said softly: "The Seal is stable, and the Formation is normal."

Then, he tapped his fingertips lightly in the air. A glimmer flashed, and the alert range quietly shrank.

After finishing all this, he turned and left the vault, returning to the Main Hall.

The Faith Mall popped up automatically, the page filled with a dazzling array of items. king-rank divine kingdom scrolls, ownership of the Pegasus planet, blueprints for the Dragon-Slaying Blade... Each item was priced at hundreds of thousands of faith points.

He scrolled through the page and stopped at the 'Controlled Nuclear Fusion Technology' section.

"If this had come out twenty years earlier, my father wouldn't have coughed so badly in front of the steel furnace." He whispered, his throat bobbing slightly.

He had already redeemed this technology, and the relevant data was stored in the divine kingdom's database, ready for building a reactor at any time. But looking at that high price again, his heart still couldn't help but race.

This technology was enough to change the country's energy landscape; it was the power he had most longed for when he heard his parents talk about their dreams for the future as a child.

But he did not continue to buy it.

He scrolled down and found that '+1 faith point per second' had been activated, and it supported automatic procurement of supplies.

He clicked to enter, selected alloy plates for reinforcing the city walls, and set it to automatically deduct every time fifty thousand points were accumulated, delivering them directly to the construction site.

"Letting resources flow in bit by bit is safer than dumping them all at once." He said, as if talking to himself, and also as if solidifying his own decision.

Outside, the noise was constant; laughter and shouts intertwined, and firecrackers went off one after another. Skydome City had been celebrating since early morning and had not stopped yet.

A knock on the door rang out, two light taps.

Lilith stood at the door carrying a tray with a bowl of hot porridge and a small plate of pickled vegetables. "My Lord, you haven't eaten all day."

Shen Xiaochuan took the bowl and smiled: "You guys still remember?"

Lilith replied softly: "What we remember isn't just the food, but also the first home you gave us."

The porridge was warm and palatable, the rice grains soft and mushy, smooth going down. He remembered when the sisters first arrived, they had proven their worth by cooking.

Later, when the warriors ate the food they prepared, their combat effectiveness clearly improved. Because of this, he established the Dietary Department to specifically study the impact of food on combat status.

"You have done well." He said.

Lilith lowered her head and smiled: "We just wanted to be helpful."

Shen Xiaochuan put down the empty bowl and stood up. "Go notify Zhou Mingrui; we will have a banquet for the whole city tonight. Take out all the meat, no limits on supply. Give two golden spirit fruits to everyone, and give an extra one to the elderly and children. Clear the square, set up tents and tables, and ensure everyone has a seat."

"Yes!" Lilith turned and hurried away.

He added another sentence: "Tell Lolia that the thunder-element battle blades are to be produced as usual, and the guards should eat in shifts; there must be no slackening."

"Understood!"

A crisp response came from afar; it was Lolia responding from the high tower platform, then immediately continuing to direct the craftsmen to adjust the power supply lines for the forging furnace.

The order spread quickly. Just past noon, the workers began moving tables and chairs. Three bonfires were lit in the center of the square, and whole red-feathered chickens and iron-horned deer were placed on the grills, the aroma filling the city.

The children were the first to gather, standing on tiptoe to gaze at the tempting sight of the roasting meat dripping with oil. The adults finished work one after another, walking to the square as families. Some hung up cloth strips that read 'Thanks to God Shen for his protection'; others held their children and knelt to kowtow.

Shen Xiaochuan did not go to the main table.

An hour after the banquet began, he picked up a jug of wine and a food box and walked out of the Main Hall. The night wind was cool, blowing the firelight until it flickered. He walked along the north city wall, and the shadows of the sentries gradually became clear.

Yang Lie stood there, clad in black armor, holding a long halberd. His face was no longer human; his skin was cyan, and the corners of his eyes were split—scars left by the former evil god's altar. He stood silent and motionless, like a stone statue, guarding before the city gate.

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the stone platform and set down the food box—inside were sliced roasted meat and a bowl of hot soup. He opened the wine jug, poured a cup, and placed it on the stone platform.

He raised his wine glass and said solemnly: "This cup is to honor you for guarding the first gate of Skydome."

Seeing that Yang Lie had no reaction, he did not urge him. He took a sip himself, then gently placed the wine jug on the stone platform, and added: "It doesn't matter if you don't speak; I just want you to know that with you here, I am at ease."

The wind blew by, and the firelight jumped lightly.

Yang Lie lowered his head, and a dull sound came from his throat. Then, the long halberd in his hand slammed heavily onto the ground—once, twice, three times.

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and turned to leave.

There was silence behind him, no footsteps, no words. But he knew the other party had heard him.

Returning to the city, the banquet was in full swing. People raised their bowls and toasted, shouting in unison: "Long live God Shen!" Young people imitated the appearance of Heroic Spirit Possession, waving wooden sticks as weapons, drawing laughter from the crowd.

A few children lay on the ground drawing floating towers with charcoal, muttering as they drew: "I'm going to build one too."

Shen Xiaochuan stood outside the crowd, watching quietly.

Anna was on standby in the corner with the medical team. Tang Keke sat on the roof, staring at the night sky, vigilant for any unusual movements. Chen Yan led the guards on patrol and waved to signal that everything was normal after seeing Shen Xiaochuan.

Chen Yan approached and lowered his voice: "My Lord, order is good; no one is drinking to excess or causing trouble, and even the children know not to run near the fire."

Shen Xiaochuan's gaze was deep as he said faintly: "They know in their hearts that today is not the end, but a new beginning."

He did not go on stage to give a speech, nor did he accept thanks.

Looking up, the nine floating towers glowed with a pale golden light in the night, like lighthouses illuminating the whole city. The more Believers there were, the stronger the incense, and the faster the faith points grew. Now he had achieved +1 per second, and once the divine kingdom was further stabilized, perhaps it could be increased further.

He touched the copper gear on his chest. It rested quietly against his clothing like an ordinary accessory.

He turned and boarded the nearest floating tower. The elevator rose to the top floor, and the observation deck was empty. He walked to the edge and overlooked the city.

It was brightly lit, and the sound of people was like a tide.

A trace of vigilance arose in his heart. He opened the System interface and checked the status of the vault. Seeing that the two treasure chests were still in their original places, the Seal intact, and the alarms normal, he felt slightly relieved.

Then he pulled up the map, and his gaze was drawn to a flashing red dot in the north—the signal there was stronger than in the morning, as if emitting some kind of warning.

He frowned and said in a low voice: "It hasn't disappeared... instead, it's getting stronger."

His eyes gradually sharpened. "It seems they are also waiting for an opportunity."

He tapped his fingertip, marking the task as 'S-level priority'.

Everything was not over yet.

The real trouble was still ahead.

The noise at this moment was just a moment of tranquility before the storm.

He stood in the high place, not drinking, nor sitting down. The night wind ruffled his hair, and the copper gear on the cuff of his work clothes swayed gently.

In the square in the distance, the last string of firecrackers was lit.

Amidst the popping sounds, a child raised a torch, looked up at the sky, and shouted loudly: "I want to be a god when I grow up!"

No one laughed.

Shen Xiaochuan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was fixed on the northern horizon.

The backpack suddenly vibrated.

A System prompt appeared: 【X-07 signal strength has reached the Breakthrough threshold】

【Recommendation: Immediate contact】

He raised his hand, preparing to input a command, whispering: "Finally here, are you? Then don't hide—let's talk face to face."