After the Rain, the Sky Clears

A full decade and more.

The tribe had lived under the shadow of the sea monster's terror all that time.

On this day, at last, they had driven out that long-standing gloom that had festered in every heart, using their own hands.

But after a brief moment of celebration, the clansmen who had survived the battle looked around at the scene before them and fell into a daze.

The war was over.

Yet—

the tribe had paid an exceedingly heavy price for this hard-won victory.

Under the trampling of the monsters, mutilated corpses and collapsed ruins lay scattered across the island.

The new home they had so painstakingly built was now more than half destroyed.

Even those clansmen who had been fortunate enough to survive

had lost their kin and friends in this war.

At this moment, the people, immersed in grief, did not notice

that on the bodies of some of the fallen clansmen, a faint, weak glow seemed to suddenly flicker to life.

Those feeble specks of light, as light as dandelion seeds, drifted upward.

A gentle breeze blew, and they slowly floated across the mountains and fields, drifting toward the place that towered into the clouds.

Finally, they converged at the radiant place where the deity resided—

the Temple of Eternity atop the mountain peak.

After they had all sunk into the temple's dome, a ripple of soft radiance flashed through the sanctuary, then dimmed once more.

"Sleep well,"

the God said.

He waved His hand lightly.

And so, those souls ceased their separation, still wrapped and protected by divine power, becoming fragile clusters of light. They did not drift toward the divine artifact that stored color.

Instead, they floated into the darkness.

Within that darkness, they emitted a soft white glow.

The God would grant these souls the resting place they deserved.

What He could do

was only this.

Long before the war had even begun, the God had already seen everything.

But—

if a civilization truly wished to explore and conquer the sea, then learning to use courage and wisdom—rather than relying entirely on the gods—to drive away the sea monsters that invaded their home was a step that had to be taken.

If they could not take that first step, then the civilization could never survive long in the cruel ocean.

Fortunately, the people had truly succeeded in taking that step.

Everything was over.

After reclaiming the divine power of the Dropper.

Mona, within the Temple of Eternity, fully received those departed souls back into the darkness.

Then.

His gaze finally fell upon the hermit crabs that had invaded the island.

After glancing indifferently at the souls of these monsters.

The information on this group of monsters continuously surfaced.

The ages of these hermit crabs did not exceed that of the one he had dissolved earlier.

Among these ten hermit crabs.

The oldest had lived for seventy years.

The rest.

Had only lived for forty or fifty years.

Additionally, the luster of these hermit crabs' [Spirituality] and [Life Essence] was noticeably weaker than that of the previous hermit crab.

Therefore.

Whether in terms of life or soul strength, they were far inferior to the earlier hermit crab that had lived over a century.

That giant hermit crab which had attacked the ship alone.

Was likely the lord-like existence among this group of creatures.

After its death.

These hermit crabs, weaker than it, came to this sea area to occupy the dead lord's territory.

Mona withdrew his hand.

Savoring something.

Examining the souls of these monsters twice had already given him a certain understanding of the outside world.

The hermit crabs living near this sea area should have been mostly annihilated in this war.

The color of these hermit crabs' life structures indicated their extremely low reproductive rate.

Therefore.

It was likely that for a long time.

The hermit crab race in this sea area would vanish without a trace.

After dissolving and extracting part of these monsters' colors.

Mona only kept the [Hermit Crab Life Essence].

After manipulating so many insects to help the people repel the sea monster.

The Abigail Flower was also somewhat weakened.

It was already in a critical period, about to enter the next stage.

Dividing its power during this stage to manipulate the Rot Spirits.

Naturally, it would be much more strenuous and would also consume some life force.

Now.

As long as it absorbed all the life essences of these ten hermit crabs.

The Abigail Flower would surely recover and truly enter the next stage.

Mona looked at the scene on the Drawing Board.

After a brief moment of contemplation.

He took out his Paintbrush again.

"Let it rain heavily."

"After the rain, everything will be different."

He knew.

After a torrential downpour.

The gloomy sky would clear up.

The people also needed a rain.

To wash away the pain.

And better welcome new life.

Mona opened the [Palette] and dipped his Paintbrush into the color of [Holy Rain].

[Holy Rain]: A miraculous rain that nourishes all things. It can greatly promote the growth and recovery of living beings, alleviate water loss, and can also be used to purify the environment.

Mona, with his Paintbrush stained with the indigo Holy Rain, gently splashed the blue pigment onto the sky of the island on the Drawing Board.

Drops of blue rain began to fall continuously.

[You have bestowed Holy Rain upon the island.]

[Under the nourishment of Holy Water, both withered and growing plants will burst forth with new vitality.]

[On the mountain, the healing herbs that mend wounds will grow rapidly.]

[The Abigail Flowers, receiving the rain's moisture, slowly regained their luster of pale blue light.]

[As the cool Holy Rain touches the believers, it soothes their burning pain.]

The people, lost in grief and confusion, suddenly saw the gloomy sky unleash a torrential downpour.

It was clearly no ordinary rain.

The deep cyan water, carrying a refreshing coolness that seeped into the skin, was the Holy Rain bestowed by the deity.

Those tribesmen, drenched in blood and clinging to life, miraculously regained their vitality in the deluge, granted the hope of salvation.

"A god!"

"It's a god!"

"The Holy Water the god once bestowed in legend!"

"That's right, we still have a god!"

Sobs.

Excited shouts.

And... devout prayers.

All rose and fell amidst the rain.

All kinds of sounds gradually blurred together, indistinguishable in the ever-growing downpour.

After finishing all this.

Mona lightly waved his hand.

Switching his view.

The Drawing Board dimmed.

The world fell silent.

He had done everything he could for the living.

Mona's gaze turned to the clusters of light floating in the darkness.

Their already faint radiance seemed to have weakened a fraction further.

Some of the believers' souls.

He would not place into the Dropper to dissolve and separate.

Instead, he would keep them as mementos.

But.

To preserve fragile souls eternally and intact, he would need new power.

"It's time to create a new divine artifact."

Mona's gaze fixed on a spot on the Drawing Board, and he spoke silently.