Augustus lowered his right hand from his eyes and spoke with solemn gravity: "The Lord has heard our prayers and bestowed upon us Divine Arts, so that we may spread His glory and proclaim His truth!"
"This is the greatest reward for our piety!"
As he spoke, the milky-white radiance around his body surged and transformed into golden sunlight, billowing outward in waves in every direction, engulfing Harold, Milna, and the other dwarves.
Harold immediately felt his power surge once more, his emotions growing frenzied and filled with the ** of battle, utterly fearless of despair and pain!
This was the feeling of a true warrior!
This was the fifth-rank Divine Art "Battle Tide" — the limit of what Augustus could currently achieve!
Now, all the worry and sense of danger within Augustus's heart had vanished completely. The great God of Steam was not incapable of bestowing Divine Arts — He simply preferred the mysteries of steam and machinery. And so, with a smile that was both warm and solemn, he said: "I have heeded the Lord's teachings and come to understand that the deepest and greatest secrets of the entire world are hidden within steam and machinery. If we can master them, we shall possess power that surpasses even Divine Arts — just like the weapons of the Eternal Blazing Sun."
"The Lord tells us that Divine Arts are merely temporary weapons for self-protection at one stage of our journey — not the true substance upon which we should build our lives and spread our faith. Once we have passed this stage, we must naturally set aside Divine Arts and devote ourselves entirely to steam and machinery, uncovering their mysteries, and through our own efforts obtain the true power within our grasp. Only in this way can we build an earthly Atlantis."
Harold, Milna, and the remaining core dwarves raised their voices: "Great God of Steam, Your love is upon us, just as You hold supreme dominion. Under Your protection, may we restore the glorious civilization of steam!"
Augustus hesitated for a moment, but having experienced that holy, vast aura and those miraculous Divine Arts, he maintained his solemn demeanor and said: "Pray before the Holy Relic one by one. The Lord will bestow Divine Arts upon those among you whose faith is sincere."
What?
Really?
Ecstasy struck Harold, Milna, and the other dwarves once more. Having just witnessed what had happened, they had assumed this was a divine grace bestowed solely upon the High Elder — that they, with their slight wavering in faith deep down, would need to wait much longer and prove themselves through action before receiving Divine Arts again.
They never expected that the great God of Steam would bestow Divine Arts upon them without the slightest reservation!
"You are the embodiment of virtue, teaching us the truth of forgiveness."
Harold and the other dwarves once again covered their eyes with their right hands, praying with absolute sincerity. They felt their spirits grow serene, their faith deepen further, and tears of joy glisten at the corners of their eyes.
Then, Harold approached the silver-white "nuclear bomb" Holy Relic and silently recited the contents of the Mechanical Apocalypse.
The surrounding clamor faded away. Milna and the other dwarves watched Harold with focused attention and breathless anticipation — would the Lord send down His grace?
Suddenly, a brilliant, pristine beam of light shot forth from the silver-white Holy Relic once more. It fell upon Harold, draping him in what seemed like a sacred vesture, making him look much like an "angel" of the Church of Truth.
He really was granted Divine Arts!
Milna and the other dwarves were moved and exhilarated — they had witnessed a miracle, witnessed the Lord's favor upon the dwarven race!
Harold's aura surged rapidly, only slowly settling once it reached the rank of Bishop.
Seeing this, High Elder Augustus quietly breathed a sigh of relief. By the standards of the Divine Arts realm, he was a fifth-rank Bishop while Harold was only third-rank — he was still the leader of the Dark Night dwarves, still the Archbishop of the Church of Steam!
Afterward, the dwarves came before the Holy Relic one by one to pray, but not every one of them was granted a Seed of Faith or grew a Heart of Faith. Only Milna and seven or eight other dwarves received Divine Arts. Likewise, only Milna and Quiggins achieved the rank of third-rank Bishop like Harold.
But at this point, none of the remaining dwarves had any complaints, for those who received Divine Arts were the most devout believers among them — the ones who had become leaders precisely through their "piety." Once they became leaders, even if they were no longer so devout, they had to appear devout. Otherwise, how could they command their subordinates?
The ceremony concluded, and Archbishop Augustus once again stood before the Holy Relic, speaking with extreme gravity: "Divine Arts are somewhat at odds with our goal of building an earthly Atlantis. Therefore, the Lord instructs us not to flaunt this matter, lest we become lost in power. He warns us to keep this secret, showing it only quietly to devout believers. Whoever tells an outsider, or uses Divine Arts in front of outsiders without necessity, will have their power revoked and become a sinner!"
In truth, he did not fully understand why the great God of Steam had issued such a decree. But having experienced the miracle and received Divine Arts, he dared not question it in the slightest.
Harold, Milna, Quiggins, and the other dwarves were even less inclined to raise any objections. All of them covered their eyes with their right hands and said:
"We shall obey Your teachings. You are the Lord of life and death, the King of kings, and the God above all gods."
The milky-white glow swirling around the silver-white Holy Relic gradually dimmed. Were there any Archmages or Legendary-rank beings present, they would have been able to glimpse within the light a vast, boundless universe, with stars of various colors scattered throughout, each radiating its own hue.
Inside the Atomic Universe.
Lucian hovered above a relatively stable silicon-element planet. Before him stood an altar inscribed with intricate arcane patterns, and upon the altar sat a statue of a bald dwarf.