Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 58 Ten Thousand Years
"NUE_MOURNFULLY_MOANS_AND_WAILS, JUST_LIKE_EVERY_OTHER_DAY. (The tiger thrush cries as it always has)"

A song sung in a special language came from the depths of the sea, as if a thousand or ten thousand people were singing for her. Although she couldn't understand it, the girl could instinctively understand the meaning of the song.

That was a lament for her untimely death.

In front of the girl, the giant squid leisurely sank into the deeper part of the sea, as if deliberately guiding her. The squid was not very fast, and sometimes it would stop to wait for the girl.

And so, the girl swam deeper into the sea.

"ALL_FLOWERS_AND_BUDS_SHALL_PASS. (Suddenly looking back, all the flowers have faded.)"

Amidst the mournful cries, the girl finally glimpsed some light in the deepest, darkest part of the sea…

There, is a dreamlike underwater city.

Exquisite houses are scattered throughout the city, and magnificent underwater bridges crisscross the city. Fountains and sculptures can be seen everywhere, making it look like a garden. Countless flowers fall from the sky and turn into an endless rain of flowers. Walking in this city is like walking in a sea of ​​flowers.

Strange snake-men with scales and tall stature, mermaids with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a fish, fish-men with ferocious faces and weapons in their hands... and all sorts of strange creatures that are neither human nor non-human, all move forward in this dreamlike city.

Some people ride graceful dolphins, while others ride enormous whales, undulating freely in this underwater city shrouded in a rain of flowers.

And surprisingly, water is still flowing in this underwater city.

No, that wasn't water, but moonlight. The moonlight, bound by magic, flowed quietly through the city like a river.

Endless prosperity, like a boundless golden age.

The girl stared in astonishment at everything before her, only one thought occupying her mind...

“Nano…”

Only in this underwater city of snake people in the swamp world, a city steeped in ancient legends, could such a magnificent and prosperous scene exist.

"LIKE_AS_COMFORT_IN_MIND_WHICH_RUNS_AWAY_IN_A_MOMENT. (Like a heartfelt comfort vanished without a trace)"

As the girl drew closer to the legendary city, other things began to appear around her...

A snake-man riding a huge whale and wearing ancient armor looked at her with some surprise, but then seemed to remember something, realized what was happening, and respectfully pounded his chest and bowed to her.

The girl didn't understand why, and her eyes showed some confusion.

However, ahead of her, a giant squid became impatient, emitting rapid, short sounds that urged the girl to follow it.

"ALL_THE_GODS_ARE_TO_COME_IN_A_NEW_ERA. (All Gods Gather for the New World)"

The singing grew clearer and clearer, to the point that the girl could vaguely pinpoint its location.

The song that called to her came from a magnificent palace that towered above all other buildings.

The song that made her feel somewhat sad was calling to her, although she didn't know exactly what she was sad about.

In her mind, a vague, hazy female figure appeared, seemingly familiar, yet she couldn't recall who it was, and it was growing increasingly blurry...

Unbeknownst to the girl, the memories of living people were gradually fading from her mind.

"IN_THE_BREAKING_LIGHT_OF_DAWN, NUE_WILL_SING_ALL_OVER_AGAIN. (Night Tiger Thrush Cries)"

Bare toes gently touched the solid stone slab.

Unlike the feeling of looking down at the city from above, stepping into the city allowed the girl to truly appreciate its vastness and grandeur.

The towering buildings everywhere made her appear incredibly small.

Amidst a shower of petals, a single petal gently landed on her.

She didn't know where she should go, but she just felt that it might be good to walk in the direction of the song.

"BUDS_BLOOM, WORSHIP_THE_GODS. (Flowers bloom in prayer to the gods)"

The soft, melodious voices of many women reached her ears.

A young girl, not yet eleven or twelve years old, wore a slightly oversized, gorgeous robe. Her face, as pure and unblemished as a clear sky, held a hint of bewilderment in her clear eyes.

Beside her, the snake people and all sorts of creatures she encountered along the way all bowed and worshipped her figure respectfully, murmuring praises of the illustrious names of the father and daughter of the snakes.

For some reason, she felt no emotion towards these things, as if they were simply a matter of course.

She ignored the figures kneeling before her and walked towards the tallest palace. "IN_THIS_LIFE, MEN_EXIST_WITH_HOLLOW_BODIES. (Life is but a fleeting sorrow)"

Along the way, there were crowds everywhere trying to kneel before her. In their eyes, she was the incarnation of the Snake Woman, and their reverence for her made it difficult for them to suppress their worship.

Whether it's prayer or praise, the reasons for worship vary, but the fervor is exactly the same.

However, no matter how fervently they worshipped her, no one dared to stop her from advancing. They all spontaneously made way for her, allowing her to go directly to the palace.

"WHEN_DREAMS_ARE_GONE."

Amidst the rain of petals, the girl gazed at the palace before her. Beyond the gates, she could only vaguely see the hundreds of steps leading up to it, and the temple perched atop the mountain within the palace grounds.

Before them stood the towering palace, its gates already open to visitors, yet no one dared approach or enter.

The melodious singing still lingered in her ears, but the girl had a vague realization that perhaps only she could hear it.

For some reason, as she listened to that song, she felt a pang of pain in her heart, as if she would lose something extremely precious if she entered this palace...

A blurry figure kept replaying in her mind, but she couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, beautiful or ugly.

I guess... once I go inside, I'll understand everything.

With that thought in her mind, she took a step forward.

"ALL_DISAPPEAR_WITH_ETERNAL_REGRET. (Hate the drifting)"

After walking up hundreds of steps, the girl did not feel tired. Or rather, how could a dead body feel tired?

Before them lay the temple gate, which was ajar, not closed, waiting for someone to push it open.

The singing gradually stopped.

The girl reached out her hand.

The image of the person had completely disappeared from his mind; it was empty, devoid of any memory.

She calmly pushed him away...

"Crack..."

Inside the temple was a completely new world: blue sky, white clouds, clear water, streams and springs... and beautiful figures, some sitting and some standing, with stunningly beautiful faces, gazing at her with curious eyes.

The women there were all different types: some tall, some delicate, some gentle, some heroic... it was as if all the beauties in the world had been included in this one place.

The only difference between them is that they all have vertical snake eyes, which not only does not detract from their beauty, but also adds a strange kind of beauty to them.

"A little girl has arrived..."

They watched the young girl with curiosity, whispering and talking to each other in secret.

Among these many figures, one stood out: long, flowing red hair, a composed and dignified demeanor, and an air of authority in every movement. She was truly the most dazzling pearl among all the beauties.

At that moment, the snake woman walked to the girl's side, took her hand with her delicate, white arm, and whispered something to her.

“For the past ten thousand years, I have chosen a maid every hundred years to perform songs, dances and music for my father. You are the hundredth.”

“From now on, you will be our sister, and you will serve my father with us. How about that?”

The girl didn't ask anything, she just nodded gently. From the moment she stepped into this place, she already knew what she should do.

The snake maiden took her hand and, under the watchful eyes of many, led her to a spot by the stream. The girl sat down silently and, along with the many snake maidens, murmured prayers.

He clenched his hands and murmured softly.

That pure and serene heart was untouched by worldly dust, having long forgotten everything from its previous life and no longer concerned with the outside world, but only praying to the great serpent.

……

In the deepest part of the ocean, the giant serpent, which had been sleeping for a long time, slowly opened its eyes, listening to the prayers around it, its heart indifferent.

"Ten thousand years..."

(The music mentioned in this article is a translation of "Puppet Ballad" from Ghost in the Shell. The previous chapter used Romanized pronunciation, while this chapter is a reprint of someone else's English translation. "Puppet Ballad" is based on Taoist ritual music and is a very nice and interesting piece of music.)
(End of this chapter)