Cloud Mine.
While Daniel was still conversing with the Dark Star, Jarvan, a familiar voice echoed in his mind—Alice’s prayer.
Prayers like this were capable of traversing planar boundaries.
This was one of the reasons Daniel dared to come to the Undead Lands alone.
Communication through devotees was one of the backup measures he had left for himself.
If an emergency ever arose, Daniel would instruct one of his clones to contact either Alice or Charlotte. They would then transmit crucial information to him through prayer.
And now, the moment had come—Alice’s voice had reached him.
"Great Lord Crossbridge, your devoted follower Alice prays to You. I have completed my Star Upgrade Quest."
Daniel had already anticipated the kind of skills Alice would grant him.
Indeed, his status panel now showed two brand-new skills:
[Meteor Shot] and [Starfall Mark].
Naturally, these were the skills after Daniel had fully upgraded them.
Interestingly, both skills were directly related to stellar monsters. Whether by coincidence or not, they each had the special trait of dealing ten times the damage to stellar monsters.
Moreover, once a target was marked with [Starfall Mark], Daniel could bypass all restrictions and instantly teleport to the marked monster’s location.
At that moment,
The Dark Star Jarvan continued the conversation.
"Human, my faith lies with the Mist. Have you heard of her?"
Daniel nodded and replied,
"I know her. She’s the goddess ranked seventh in the divine order."
"Correct."
The Mist Goddess—known as the most enigmatic deity. No one knew her true name.
Yet despite that, no one dared to underestimate her.
Her presence struck fear into the hearts of many other gods.
Those who bore the power of mist... were said to be nearly impossible to kill.
"You may not be aware," Jarvan said, "but the Mist Goddess holds a very conservative stance toward the Origin Lands."
"She doesn’t want this realm to fall under the gaze or influence of external powers. In that sense, she stands in direct opposition to Aurelia."
"And that is why I believe we share a foundation for cooperation.
Besides, if you don’t work with me, you have no way of defeating Apollo."
"Even if you use forbidden methods to kill him, without someone to take his place, he will eventually reincarnate."
Hearing this, Daniel’s Eye of Insight once again confirmed the truth behind the statement.
Though Daniel deeply trusted the effectiveness of his God Rank Skill, he still remained cautious—especially in matters like this.
After a brief moment of reflection, he asked,
"So then, are you saying you’re a devotee of the Mist Goddess?"
"Of course I am," Jarvan replied.
"In fact, I’ve seen you before, Daniel—the man from the future."
Hearing his name spoken aloud startled Daniel. His eyes flickered with surprise.
That Glaton knew his name was understandable—he had ways to gather information from other souls, including those familiar with the Myriad Races’ world.
But the Dark Star Jarvan was different. He clearly didn’t interact with ordinary souls.
Then how had he come to know Daniel’s name?
Especially considering that Daniel had only become "famous" in the past two days at most.
More importantly, why had Jarvan referred to him as a "man from the future"?
Noticing the flicker of doubt in Daniel’s eyes, Jarvan continued.
"Human, you’ve made things far too simple in your mind.
Did you really think I would entrust something as monumental as the assassination of Apollo to a total stranger?"
Daniel furrowed his brow.
A theory had begun to form in his mind.
Then Jarvan added:
"To be precise, I met you 4000 years ago."
"Daniel, you promised to protect the human race.
Back then, you told me—if ever I doubted your identity or intentions, you said I should say this name."
"Durinsolo."
The instant that name was spoken, Daniel’s pupils contracted violently.
That name—Durinsolo—was the one he had used as a child in another world.
No one knew it except for his family. No one.
For Jarvan to know it...
It could only mean that Daniel truly had met him 4000 years ago and revealed that name as proof.
So the clue had come from himself all along?
Understanding dawned on him. Daniel stopped hesitating.
"If I agree to your terms," he asked, "can you guarantee that, once you replace Apollo, you won’t harm the humans or the myriad races?"
A firm wave of conviction surged through the mental channel from Jarvan.
"I can absolutely guarantee that. However, there are some questions I won’t be able to answer."
"You understand, as a devotee of a god, I am bound by certain rules."
Daniel nodded.
He could understand that much.
"Alright," he said. "I understand. I’ll make the deal. I’ll help you hunt down Apollo. But in return, you must tell me exactly what I need to do."
Jarvan appeared to fall into thought, momentarily pausing before responding.
On Daniel’s end, he had already made up his mind.
If all of this truly stemmed from his own instructions in the past, then there had to be a good reason for it.
He might not trust anyone else.
But he trusted himself completely.
And some decisions couldn’t wait for all the answers to be revealed.
Sometimes, choices had to be made in the dark.
From what he currently knew, Jarvan’s proposal was extremely enticing.
If, one day in the future, Jarvan became a threat—
Daniel could always use Time Stream to return to this moment and make a different decision.
"Apollo is extremely powerful," Jarvan explained.
"Even at the height of my strength, I was no match for him."
"But we can use Aurelia’s power. With her help, taking Apollo down will be far easier."
"However, before that happens, you must go back in time and locate Revelation."
"You’ll need Revelation to open the gateway to the Divine Lands."
"Through that gate—and with Aurelia’s help—we can kill Apollo. That is the core of my plan."
"As for how you acquired Revelation... I honestly don’t know.
But when I met you in the past, you already possessed it."
"One more thing—if you happen to meet my past self, please warn him."
"Tell him: If you choose to confront Apollo directly, you will die."
"Not that you need to worry too much about me," Jarvan added.
"That death is also a necessary part of me taking Apollo’s place."
"But now," Jarvan continued, "it’s time I sent you back."
"Take this scroll. It will transport you 4000 years into the past."
"And the rest... I leave in your hands."