Inside Aldrich's chest was a golden, throbbing heart, covered with mysterious patterns, like the marks of elements, yet more profound and advanced than the elements floating in the air, seemingly ruling over everything, exuding a sense of oppression.

This golden heart has a more familiar name.

--"godhead".

Upon realizing this, Nguyen Thanh An's hands trembled uncontrollably, but Aldrich grasped her wrists and pressed her hands against his dissected chest, touching the patterns on his golden heart, the greatest weakness to a god.

037 was dumbfounded: [This... how could this be...]

Aldrich is a god, and even more so... the god of light.

This is a fact that feels both absurd and perfectly reasonable, and it wasn't even mentioned in the original text.

After struggling, Nguyen Thanh An finally broke free from his grasp.

At this moment, Aldrich spoke in a low voice: "When I was in the realm of gods, I was ambushed by other gods and seriously injured. I was then thrown off the realm of gods and only managed to protect my damaged divine status."

"After many cycles of reincarnation on the continent of Hilar, my divine essence was finally restored, but because of the leakage of my aura, it alerted the god who had plotted against me, who sealed me away while I was still severely injured and my mind was incomplete. And after the seal was broken..."

Aldrich paused: "I am in my weakest state, my divine power is leaking out, and it is extremely easy for believers to notice."

"And if one obtains godhood..."

Ruan Qingan's eyes flickered slightly, and before Aldrich could speak, he spoke first: "There are two steps to becoming a god: possessing the power of a god, and possessing the corresponding divine status."

"To achieve even one of these conditions is to become a demigod."

Aldrich nodded slightly: "Yes, if the Archbishop obtains my divine essence, he will be a demigod—the only and strongest demigod in the entire continent of Hilar."

Such temptation is tantamount to fatal.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingan fell silent.

If that's really the case, then Aldrich indeed cannot appear. Believers have a sense of the divine, which is the origin of the divine descent technique. And if the archbishop at that time discovers that Aldrich's identity and strength have not been restored, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Judging from the archbishop's utter disrespect for the God of Light, it's likely that faced with the temptation of divine power that could severely injure a deity, the archbishop would resort to any means necessary and lose all reason in order to become a demigod.

If it weren't for Aldrich, things would be better. At least the Archbishop knew the identity that Nguyen Thanh An represented and that he couldn't be killed casually.

But if Aldridge were there...

Even if Nguyen Thanh An were the Pope or Archbishop of the Church of Light, he would probably still take the risk and gamble on becoming a demigod!

Before her, the high and mighty god knelt on one knee, like a big dog afraid of being abandoned, looking at her with pitiful eyes, extremely uneasy about all her reactions.

A dissected chest, a beating golden heart.

The divine status that the believers coveted was so openly and nakedly displayed before her, yet Aldrich seemed completely unconcerned, even—

He wanted to personally reach out and extract the divine essence to offer to her.

"But whatever the reason, I wasn't there when you were suffering; I could only watch when you were wronged..."

"This is my fault, a fault I cannot undo."

The god, who is worshipped as an idol, kneels before her, looking up at her as his "god." He is worshipped by millions of believers, yet at this moment he believes in everything he does.

Looking at Ruan Qing'an's soiled skirt and slightly disheveled hair, Aldrich's eyes were filled with heartache.

He bent down, took her slender ankle in his hand, and gently wiped away the tiny stain: "You should never have been here..."

Such a filthy and lowly place should not exist.

She should be sitting on the deck of a ferry, enjoying the sea breeze, eating fresh, expensive food, and being served by someone.

Yes, to him, that was how she was born.

Ruan Qing'an looked down at Aldrich, and as she lowered her head, she grabbed the collar around his neck: "Can you take it off?"

"So—why wear it at all?"

"My God."

But Aldrich simply held her hand and pressed a kiss onto the back of it: "No, you are my god."

"I want to be your most loyal vicious dog."

"The sharpest dagger in your hand."

“I willingly serve you as my Lord, Dolores Lancaster, and I long for you to give me a surname.”

He raised his eyes, his eyes gleaming with golden light. These eyes, which should have been looking down upon millions of kneeling worshippers in the divine realm, were now fixed intently on her alone, and he succumbed to their allure…

In the continent of Hilar, for all slaves, being given a master's surname is the highest honor, but—

This also represents an eternal constraint, an invisible collar.

Ruan Qingan was silent for a moment, then released his grip on Aldrich's collar: "Are you crazy? You're a god."

"But if it weren't for you, I would have fallen into the dust long ago."

Aldridge chuckled softly, burying his face in Nguyen Thanh An's palm. His eyes, radiating golden light, were tightly closed. Just the scent of her reassuring, cool fragrance was enough to make him tremble with excitement, and he couldn't help but crave everything about her.

Aldrich's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he whispered, "I won't regret it, never, Master..."

"..."

After a brief silence, Nguyen Thanh An finally spoke: "I bestow upon you the Lancaster family name, and upon you unparalleled glory. You shall live your life faithfully to the one to whom this honor has been given."

"I thank you, my master."

Upon hearing that last sentence, Aldrich finally laughed, as if satisfied with being accepted. While kneeling, he suddenly increased his strength, pulling his master down like a dog trying to please him.

He bit her lip, his eyes swirling with intense desire.

Ruan Qing'an did not refuse, but when she leaned over, she cupped Aldrich's face in her hands, gently parted her lips, and let him kiss her excessively unrestrainedly and stickily, letting his domineering aura invade her.

I love it, I love it so much...

I like her so much that I want to own her, to become hers, and I want her to belong only to me, to bear her unique mark.

—They belong to each other exclusively.

Between kisses, Aldrich's large hand rested on Nguyen Thanh An's slender waist, and as he pressed his lips against hers, he suddenly asked, "Master, do you want to become a demigod?"

"The only demigod in the entire continent of Hilar."

【Affection Level: 100】