Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Klein gazed at the golden ocean outside the window, his eyes sparkling.

They arrived at the ocean at dawn.

Just now, the sunlight outside the window suddenly became bright and blazing in, making the restaurant look extremely messy.

The boundless ocean outside seemed to be burning with golden flames, as if it were always at noon!

Klein raised his head and squinted. He saw that the sky was filled with direct sunlight, there were no clouds, and the sun was nowhere to be seen, all in a golden hue.

The Magic Mirror Arodes describes this place as an unreal ocean, a remnant of the war between the gods.

As his gaze swept across the area, he noticed a pile of ruins not far to his left.

Most of the ruins were submerged by seawater. What extended beyond the surface were piled-up gray stones and pillars, with a dome-like structure at the top that created a considerable space by its curvature.

These ruins must have originally been enormous!

Through the clear water, Klein could see that it stretched endlessly down to the seabed.

"The Legacy of the War of Gods"

Klein murmured, "The 'Sun' is the authority of the 'Eternal Sun'."

This is the battlefield where the gods once fought, and the residual power of their battle still resonates here.

Besides the "Eternal Sun," there may be remnants of the power of other gods.

There is no historical record of this "war" that once triggered a battle between several gods.

But Klein had already vaguely guessed the answer—

Based on the secrets he knew, he was certain that there was only one war of the gods.

That is, the time when six of the seven existing gods attacked that ancient sun god at the same time!

"This is a very dangerous ocean." Admiral Cattleya had appeared beside them at some point.

-

"abyss."

Bernadette murmured softly, her eyes losing their anxiety, seemingly lost in thought.

They had left the seemingly boundless, dark ocean and arrived at the seemingly endless mountain peaks.

Beyond the mountain peaks, an endless expanse of black mist still stretched out, seemingly covering an entire continent in a hazy haze. This was her first time entering the abyss, and probably her last.

After all, if it weren't for the doll's request, she would never have set foot in this area in her entire life. Whether or not she could leave the abyss safely, this would be the last time she came here.

However, this abyss was completely different from what she had imagined.

It's very quiet here, deathly quiet.

Legend has it that the Abyss is a paradise for demons, but so far, they have traveled astray without seeing anything.

Not to mention demons, we didn't even see a demon's corpse!

Descending along the mountain peak, there is a winding road that seems to lead directly to that continent shrouded in black mist.

However, if you look down from the mountain peak, you will find that there seems to be no bottomless abyss below.

Bernadette had a premonition—

If she hadn't descended along the mountain path, but instead had used her angelic powers to leap down.

She will be forever falling, never reaching the end.

Bernadette's eyes were full of wariness, even though she was an angel.

Because there are always some great forces in this world that even angels cannot resist, and the abyss is just one of them.

Bernadette was about to cautiously continue her exploration downwards when the petite doll on her shoulder suddenly spoke:

"Stop here."

Bernadette stopped in her tracks, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Now that we've come this far, shouldn't we continue exploring?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, a full moon suddenly appeared before her eyes—

It was a cold and dark, mysterious moon. It rose from nowhere and hung high in the abyss's "sky". The bright moonlight was extremely penetrating, and even the black mist that seemed to be able to corrode gods could not stop the moonlight from spreading.

Bernadette's breath caught in her throat, for she had seen this moon before.

But that was beyond the starry sky, and now the moon has reappeared in her sight, in the abyss.

Under the moonlight, the entire abyss seemed to boil.

The world was tinged with deep blue by the cold, dark moon, and the swirling black mist quickly vanished without a trace.

The original mountains and bottomless abyss had all vanished, leaving only a cold, full moon and an endless expanse of blue ocean. The ocean, like a mirror, reflected Bernadette's image, but what lay hidden beneath its surface remained unseen.

But the scene before Bernadette's eyes changed again in the next moment.

Her gaze pierced through the sea, revealing an endless expanse of black mist beneath, and the continent shrouded in that mist.

But suddenly.

The black mist that shrouded the continent suddenly began to tremble. The liquid-like mist seemed to surge with turbulent waves, boiling endlessly.

Beneath the boiling "Black Sea," the continent slowly "stood up"!

It was only then that Bernadette suddenly realized that what she was seeing was not a continent at all.

That was clearly a giant serpent as large as a continent!

Its thick, round body stretched as far as the eye could see, seemingly without end. As it 'rose,' the black mist parted, as if giving way to its master, its king.

On that ferocious snake head, two scarlet eyes were staring intently at them, staring at the cold, dark moon!

Whoosh!

The giant snake flicked its scarlet tongue and suddenly opened its massive jaws to bite at them!

Bernadette averted her gaze in horror, and at the same moment, the giant serpent suddenly rushed into the moon's domain.

On the azure sea, a terrifying giant serpent coiled in one corner, its forked tongue flicking as it stared intently at them.

Bernadette regained some composure, but an indescribable fear still lingered in her heart.

That giant serpent was undoubtedly a true god!

Even though He looks incredibly fierce, like a mindless beast.

Even if His current size has shrunk by tens of thousands of times, from the size of a continent to less than a hundred meters long.

But He is still a god!

The petite doll spoke softly:

"Rakad".

The giant snake stared intently at her, but kept its body coiled up, not daring to approach rashly.

The giant serpent named Lakad suddenly turned around, its back facing them.

On the snake's back, amidst its menacing scales, a gigantic, grotesque human face stared at them. Or rather, at the tiny doll perched on Bernadette's shoulder.

The man's expression seemed somewhat solemn as he said in a deep voice:

"Get out of here!"

The doll's gaze remained calm and unwavering as it softly said:

"You seem to have regained some of your senses."

Laqad said in a deep voice:

"I am free, Lani!"

Lani ignored her and said calmly:

"That's good. Now you can better fulfill the mission given to you by the King."

"Lani!"

"Um?"

The petite idol tilted her head slightly, looking at the giant snake roaring in anger, and asked softly:

"So, what are you trying to say?"

Laqad said in a deep voice:

"Lani, I am your brother, you should set me free!"

Lani remained unmoved and calmly said:

"My brother died the moment you devoured him; all that remains is a writhing, immortal serpent. You inherited his name only because I like to call him that; it doesn't mean you are truly him. And,"

Lani touched her fingers together, her tone turning cold:

"It is the king's mercy that has allowed you to live until now. Are you implying that you are unwilling to continue serving the king?"

Laqad was once her brother, and the siblings were each other's most loyal allies during the Broken War.

Even on that night of conspiracy, Laqad was involved.

Before the king appeared, Lacad was her first choice in the plan.

Unfortunately.

The once ambitious overlord ultimately succumbed to the taboo of immortality, becoming an undead serpent that devoured all the noble knights who had served him. The once noble king was left with only the most base greed.

He has survived to this day entirely because of the king's mercy.

If he were to betray this kindness, then he would have no reason to live.

Lani's expression was perfectly calm, as if she were simply catching up with her brother whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

Even Bernadette, as an observer, could hear the chilling murderous intent hidden in that indifferent voice.

Lakad's massive, towering serpentine body suddenly lowered its head, coiling into a ball, and a deep, human-faced voice spoke:

"The last time."

"it is good."

Lani nodded slightly and calmly withdrew her gaze.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will indeed be the last time.

"As for you..."

Lakad stretched out his snake head again, reaching towards Bernadette, a hint of surprise in his eyes:

"You have a familiar scent about you~"

"Ah, I remember now, it's Him! You're His daughter?"

"Him?"

Bernadette's eyes flickered, and she asked in a low voice, "You...you know my father?"

"certainly."

A flicker of memory crossed Lakad's eyes, and he murmured softly, as if from long ago:

"Your father once came to the abyss, and we worked together; it was a very pleasant experience."

"What was his name again? Oh, right, Russell, Russell Gustav."

Bernadette's expression shifted slightly; she had never heard her father mention this before.

Not only her, but no one in the world knew that Russell Gustave had ever been to the Abyss!

Was he deliberately concealing it? Or was he being covered up for by someone? When did that happen?

If he has been to the Abyss, what about other places? Has he been to other areas considered forbidden?

Bernadette.

Lacad suddenly murmured, "Ah, I remember now, Bernadette, He often mentions you in his dreams."

Bernadette's expression grew increasingly complex, much like her feelings for her father.

"he……"

Bernadette remained silent for a long time, then hesitantly asked:

"What kind of person is he in your eyes?"

The petite doll calmly observed everything, neither attempting to interrupt their conversation nor interfering.

Lakad paused for a few seconds, seemingly deep in thought, before finally chuckling softly:

"Crazy, stupid."

"Your father was incredibly crazy, but unfortunately too foolish, so the only thing he'll be remembered for is his failure."

Bernadette remained silent.

In his later years, he did indeed go mad, and he personally destroyed the kingdom he had built.

So from an outsider's perspective, he seemed both crazy and foolish at the time.

Bernadette has always believed there's more to the story.

And now, a god's assessment of him is equally insane and foolish.

What exactly did he do?

Bernadette was suddenly overcome with a strong urge to find out what her father had done!

Because she suddenly realized that her understanding of him was only superficial!

Bernadette didn't know why he had come to the Abyss, or why he had gotten involved with Raccard. What had happened between them, and what exactly they had plotted?

Was there any influence from other gods behind his sudden transformation of the republic into an empire?

Were the things he did in his later years manipulated by someone?

-

Time passed quickly, and lunch was soon ready.

Just as Klein was about to leave the deck and head to the restaurant, he suddenly realized that the surroundings had darkened!

The sky, which had been at midday, was now completely shrouded in deep darkness, devoid of sunlight.

The change was so fast and so abrupt that Klein's first thought was, "Who turned off the lights?"

Silently, the "Future" was enveloped in a layer of dazzling starlight, illuminating the paths leading to all directions.

The slightly magnetic voice of "The Hermit" Cattleya was amplified once again, echoing in everyone's ears:

Go back to your room, or find a corner anywhere, and fall asleep.

"Then wait for me to wake up naturally."

Frank Lee, the "toxin expert," asked in a somewhat puzzled voice:

"What will happen if I don't sleep?"

At that moment, his voice boomed, as if a giant bear were speaking.

Cattleya stood behind the captain's cabin window and said:

"When we wake up, we'll find you gone, never to be found again."

Klein raised an eyebrow slightly; he didn't doubt that Cattleya was exaggerating.

The recent events have confirmed that Cattleya has some knowledge of this place, and for the first time, Klein is grateful that he has hired "The Hermit" Cattleya instead of "The Hanged Man".

Otherwise, they would have been burned to ashes by the suddenly appearing golden carriage at noon, simply because they looked up.

He was just about to get up and go back to his room when he suddenly heard Cattleya's voice beside him:

"The night will lead us into a shared dream."

"A dream?"

Klein's expression shifted slightly, and he asked in a low voice, "Like another dream?"

Cattleya wasn't beside him, but he believed she could hear him because he was on her ship.

The other dream he knew of was naturally the dream created by Karula.

The Hermit, Cattleya, remained silent for a moment, then said softly:

"Similar, but more dangerous. Do not explore further."

Klein's expression turned serious. Since "Cattleya" had said so, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to explore the dream.

However, Klein suddenly had a bold idea—

What would happen if he prayed to Karula at night and entered the dream world of "Dark Souls"?

Or, if both dreams are pulling him in different directions, which dream will he eventually enter?

Or is it that you can't access either of them?

Caldelia remained silent, and Klein dared not delay. He did not attempt to enter the gray fog, nor did he actually try to frantically pull between the two dreams.

Instead, he quickly returned to his room to fall asleep, for he dared not challenge the power of the gods.