Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

Luca wasn't particularly surprised by this.

The power of the Ancient Gods and that of the deities were inherently repellent to each other. Fratis was able to contain both powers because her body had been altered by the Ancient Gods.

Perhaps later she could ask Zenobia for guidance on how to use them.

That is, if she was willing to share…

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the others arrived.

Luca stored the shard of the Primordial Crystal away.

The fate lines in his eyes gradually faded, and the divine power of the stars around him slowly dissipated.

"Luca is amazing!" Fratis cheered, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. She was deeply thankful—if not for his intervention, she couldn't even imagine how things might have turned out.

However, she couldn't shake the feeling that the power he had just used seemed strangely familiar.

"Such a young man!" The gaze of Ziegfried and the others toward Luca was complex. This turmoil, which had been specifically aimed at Fratis, had barely begun, but it was already over.

The power of the divine was far beyond their imagination. Superclass beings in Luca's hands couldn't even stir up a ripple. In other words, if they had been in the same situation, they would likely have met the same fate as those who had just fallen.

The others looked at the bloody, mangled body of Milo and the scattered magical mechanical parts, exchanging glances.

Had it not been for Prince Isaacs begging for mercy and revealing Milo's role, they would never have guessed that this seemingly inconspicuous man with thick brows and big eyes, who had always been in the background, had secretly interfered with Clinton's political affairs.

Luca paid no attention to their gazes. He addressed everyone: "Everyone, the First Prince and the other rebels have been eliminated. The remaining matters are up to you."

"That's right. The most important thing now is to deal with the aftermath." His reminder made everyone snap back to reality.

Aside from Fratis, the royal family and nobility had been all but wiped out.

Now, the major factions were left leaderless, making it the perfect time for a counterattack!

With that thought in mind, they didn't waste another moment.

They quickly summoned their trusted subordinates and rushed toward the palace at full speed.

Luca then turned to Sophia and said, "Sophia, could you come over for a moment? I have something I want to ask you about."

The others were puzzled, but Sophia immediately understood. Luca probably wanted to ask Zenobia something. She nodded slightly.

Ignoring the others' gazes, the two of them found a quiet place. Luca got straight to the point: "I just obtained a shard of the Primordial Crystal from that fat guy."

"A shard of the Primordial Crystal?" Sophia's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected that such a thing would be found on Milo, from the Via Empire. Does this mean that the Via Empire…

As this thought crossed her mind, Sophia's expression gradually grew serious.

She didn't dare take things lightly and immediately sent an inquiry to Zenobia in her mind.

Moments later, a brilliant light emanated from the crystal ring on her hand.

At the same time, a seductive voice echoed in Luca's mind.

Zenobia's voice came through with a chuckle: "I know how to use this, but why would I tell you? Don't you think too highly of yourself?"

In response to her mockery, Luca's face remained unchanged.

He spoke slowly: "If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. However, I was thinking of exchanging the whereabouts of the Celestial Pearl…"

The moment the words Celestial Pearl left his mouth, the voice in his ear grew sharp and piercing.

Zenobia's tone became urgent: "You've found the whereabouts of the Celestial Pearl?"

"Did I say that?" Luca narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing the hidden meanings in Zenobia's voice. It seemed that after the Divine Cataclysm all those years ago, when Zenobia was cast into the abyss, she had indeed lost possession of the Celestial Pearl.

Given this, the credibility of the information he had was even higher.

"I'll tell you how to absorb the Primordial Crystal if you tell me the lead on the Celestial Pearl," Zenobia proposed without hesitation.

However, Luca's lips curled into a cold smirk. He scoffed, "Do you take me for a fool? The premise of a trade is that the values must be equal. Do you think these two pieces of information hold equal value?"

Forget the fact that the Primordial Crystal could only be dropped by the Ancient Gods, and whether or not he would even have a chance to obtain it.

Just this shard he had was nothing more than a fragment. How could it possibly compare to the Celestial Pearl, the treasure of the gods?

Zenobia, the Lord of Sin and Desire, really thought she could deceive him like a child.

"Then what kind of trade do you want?" Zenobia's figure appeared in midair, her violet eyes glinting as she gazed at the young man before her. A murderous intent flickered in her gaze.

A mere human dared to bargain with her—how audacious! She was the mistress of the divine, and he was simply an ant!

Sophia sensed something and furrowed her brow, her voice cold. "You'd better keep those thoughts to yourself, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Luca glanced at Zenobia and noticed her clenched teeth as she glared at Sophia, but the murderous intent around her seemed to be quietly fading.

Indeed, since Zenobia was bound to Sophia, it was clear she was under some sort of restriction. Otherwise, she would not have behaved so meekly. This gave Luca a bit more confidence.

Luca pondered for a moment before speaking slowly: "If you tell me how to use the Primordial Crystal, I can take you with me to search for it."

He didn't know the full details about the Celestial Pearl, only that it was somewhere in the Western Sea. The exact location, however, was known only to the Via Empire.

But even so, finding it wouldn't be easy. If it were, they wouldn't have dared to meddle in Via Empire's political affairs.

For Luca to get his hands on it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Thus, he needed more help.

Zenobia was by far the best candidate.

Given the importance of the Celestial Pearl, she would likely stop at nothing to track down even the slightest clue.

This way, he would gain an additional free enforcer.

He could even have her assist in crafting and finding the potions that Fratis needed.

It was truly a win-win situation.

Even if Zenobia later realized he had deceived her, it wouldn't matter.

Because with Sophia's shackles on her, they had the upper hand.

Even if Zenobia was furious, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"Damn human, you will pay for this!" Although Zenobia had figured out Luca's plan, she gritted her teeth in fury, wishing she could tear the ungrateful boy apart, flay him alive, and crush his bones into dust.

But in the end, she reluctantly agreed.

Luca was right—she was indeed bound by Sophia, and the restrictions were far stronger and more inescapable than the ones Luca had placed on Jormungandr.

This was a divine spell she had cast on herself all those years ago in an attempt to leave herself a slim chance of survival. With her current power, there was no way to break it.

The only way to break these chains was through the power of the Celestial Pearl.

So to her, this artifact was far more than just a treasure—it was a necessity.

She had to get it, no matter the cost.

Seeing Zenobia agree, Luca felt a sense of relief. Dealing with a deity was never without its pressures. Even if her power was no longer as terrifying as it once was, dealing with him, a mere mortal, would still be as easy as swatting a fly. Fortunately, she had chosen to compromise in the end.

"Now, what should we do next?" Luca took out the shard of the Primordial Crystal from his storage ring, its seven-colored glow shimmering in the light as he looked toward Zenobia.

Zenobia was in a foul mood, so much so that she didn't even feel like speaking to Luca. With a wave of her hand, a surge of purple divine power shot out, landing directly on the shard of the Primordial Crystal.

Immediately, the seven-colored crystal began to melt at a visible speed, transforming into a pool of liquid that rapidly merged with Luca's body.

Almost instantly, Luca felt an overwhelming force, like an ocean crashing into him, flooding his body with power.

Hiss!

Luca sucked in a sharp breath. The torrent of power felt like a violent tsunami crashing against his blood and flesh, threatening to tear his body apart.

With no preparation whatsoever, Luca had just enough time to curse before the intense pain, as if his very flesh were being torn apart, engulfed him.

The game's pain suppression mechanism seemed to have failed at this moment. His body's protective instincts tried to make him faint, but the force continued to expand his body and divine soul.

His senses became razor-sharp, and the pain was magnified to the extreme—this felt worse than death.

[Ding! You have absorbed the "Primordial Crystal Shard" and gained 14 Source Power!]

[Ding! You have absorbed the "Primordial Crystal Shard" and gained 27 Source Power!]

[Ding! You have absorbed the "Primordial Crystal Shard" and gained 36 Source Power!]

...

Game notifications popped up, but Luca didn't notice them at all.

His body trembled, his eyes bloodshot, and he couldn't help but punch the ground.

Boom!! The ground shook, and the stone tiles around him shattered as the immense force caused a deep, bottomless pit to form in the palace courtyard.

Below the ground, Luca's palm pressed against the earth, gritting his teeth as his skin visibly turned blood red.

A stream of heat rose from his head, and he felt like a lobster being boiled alive.

Though he could feel his strength increasing rapidly, if Luca had the choice to make again, he would absolutely not choose to absorb this so-called Primordial Crystal!

"Luca!" Above the pit, Sophia's eyes flashed with worry.

She quickly turned to glare at Zenobia, her killing intent palpable. "What did you do?!"

Faced with Sophia's questioning, Zenobia shrugged and said, "I didn't do anything. He asked me to help him integrate the Primordial Crystal, and I just did as he asked. It's just that..."

Her lips curled into a lazy smirk. "It's just that divine power and Source Power naturally repel each other. Forcing the absorption is almost like remaking his entire body, but this was his choice. You can't blame me."

"You'd better pray nothing happens to him," Sophia's chest heaved with icy fury. "Otherwise, I'll make you pay."

With that, ignoring Zenobia's dark expression, Sophia jumped straight into the pit below.