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For instance, the nameless artifact that has brought me countless surprises, the silver crystal stone.

"Its name is ‘Tears of Gaia,’ a divine artifact from the Earth Mother Goddess," Youlijia said firmly when I casually mentioned this artifact. With her extensive knowledge, she could answer many questions, and it seemed she enjoyed such work. "The Earth Mother Goddess bestowed this artifact to repair the world damaged by forbidden curses. Its function is to eliminate the negative effects of forbidden curses and restore peace to the earth."

"Indeed, it’s the Earth Mother Goddess. No wonder there’s no response to prayers; after all, the mother of all gods never develops followers. Speaking of which, the records in the Half-Orc Temple mention that the ‘Tears of Gaia’ can protect their minds under the influence of forbidden curses, which makes sense now. But how does it explain giving me the ‘Holy Ice Thorn Aura,’ and granting Minos warriors the ‘Totem of Vigilance’ and the ‘Aura of Endurance Battle Song’?"

"According to records, a branch of the orc bull tribe called the ‘Yak Tribe’ had members who naturally mastered the ‘Totem of Vigilance.’ The ‘Aura of Endurance Battle Song’ was a natural ability of the leaders of the underground minotaur tribes. If the warriors you mentioned have mixed blood traits, then these abilities wouldn’t be surprising."

"But what does this have to do with the ‘Tears of Gaia’?"

"The Yak Tribe disappeared three thousand years ago at the entrance of Copper Furnace Mountain, which connects the underground world near the minotaur settlements. Their disappearance was due to a forbidden curse."

"A forbidden curse? The grandfathers of the Twelve Sages weren’t even born back then, so where did the forbidden curse come from?" Forbidden curses were the ultimate magic created by the Twelve Sages. Although half-elves live long lives, I knew they couldn’t have been more than a thousand years old when they died. How could they have cast a forbidden curse three thousand years ago?

"The perfected forbidden curse was indeed the work of the Twelve Sages, but the initial discovery of forbidden curses occurred three thousand years ago during an accident," Youlijia recounted a buried history. "At that time, the Great Demon King Balthazar was wreaking havoc. The allied forces of the Xinghai Continent, including the second army of orcs and high elves, retreated into the underground world for strategic reasons. Balthazar planned to join forces with the dark elves to destroy this army, but he clearly misunderstood dark elven culture and angered them with his conditions. As a result, the three factions united against the demon army. However, on the battlefield, the combined forces didn’t coordinate well. The dark elves’ spirit possession, the high elves’ super magic, and the orc shamans’ sacrifice spells reacted strangely, causing an explosion that destroyed almost all combatants. This was the origin of the first forbidden curse. Later, both the high elves and dark elves began researching this power, but due to their divine limitations, they couldn’t master it and eventually abandoned their efforts. It was the half-elf-born Twelve Sages who discovered these research materials and, using their unrestricted hybrid physiology, gradually perfected the forbidden curse into something controllable. When the Twelve Sages later examined the ruins of Copper Furnace Mountain, they found that all the magical pollution caused by the forbidden curse had vanished. Further investigation led them to discover the existence and function of the ‘Tears of Gaia.’”

Together, Youlijia and I deduced a plausible explanation. The Yak Tribe, relying on their strong selective abilities, must have interbred with the minotaurs in the underground world. The children born or conceived there were affected by the forbidden curse, transforming into a new race with characteristics of both. However, the two powers constrained each other, resulting in a weak Minos clan. They dared not return to the bull tribe and secretly moved to the northern Red River Valley. After the glorious battle, when the orcs retreated north, they discovered the Minos and slaughtered 90% of them to seize food supplies. The survivors were driven into the half-orc wasteland and exposed to the forbidden curse again. Surprisingly, this time the pollution not only didn’t harm them but partially unlocked and strengthened the Minos’ abilities, leading to the form I later encountered. Ultimately, the ‘Tears of Gaia,’ capable of eliminating the adverse effects of forbidden curses, fully unleashed their ancestral powers. Only the strongest and most resilient survived, and through continuous elimination, all the Minos warriors I met possessed the powers and rare talents of both ancestors.

As for my “Holy Ice Thorn Aura,” Youlijia explained: "The ‘Tears of Gaia’ absorbs the residual magical energy of forbidden curses, converting it into its own power. Under special conditions, this power is released, creating miracles. These conditions might not be fixed, perhaps a tear of regret, a specific sound, or some energy stimulus. In my case, I triggered the miracle at a critical moment. Since the Earth Mother Goddess doesn’t control the laws of the world, the miracle is randomly selected and mimicked from any deity through the World Tree system. I was fortunate enough to encounter the Light God’s ‘Holy Blood’ miracle, thus receiving the ‘Holy Ice Thorn Aura’ as my lunar attribute."

Additionally, Youlijia mentioned that originally, the ‘Tears of Gaia’ belonged to the Twelve Sages. To obtain the necessary “forbidden curse crystal” for the Crystal Dragon, they placed it within the magical defense array given to the pig tribe, enabling the “Twelve Star Palaces Gate” to withstand the attack of “Twilight of the Gods.” Eventually, this unique artifact fell into my hands.

"Ha, I suppose the ‘Twelve Star Palaces Gate’ hindered the ‘Tears of Gaia’ from restoring the half-orc wasteland. Now that I’ve left it in Fontainebleau without activating the shield, I wonder how long it will take to restore the wasteland to its former glory as a vast grassland, which is my fiefdom."

Chapter Sixty-One: The Crimson-Eyed Messenger Moves All Directions

In the blink of an eye, four months have passed since I arrived at Saint Spirit Mountain. During this period, I have completed the preliminary transformation of the “Ice Prison Magic Thorn Technique” and achieved some success in wielding the divine sword “Lightning of Divine Punishment.” Most notably, the “Doushu Eight Scenic Sword Technique” has greatly benefited from the numerous martial arts classics in the Temple’s collection. My sword technique has undergone four transformations and has fully formed its own style and path. I believe that upon reaching the ninth rotation, it will undoubtedly reach the supreme realm of swordsmanship.