The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Spera was a brown-skinned girl who was mute and could not speak, but she could play beautiful music on her flute.

　She kept snakes in cages, and whenever she played the flute, the snakes would crawl out of the cages and sway their waists to the music.

　And her snake was a jet-black oil snake!

　"Spera."

　He murmured the girl's name, lost in thought.

　……

　"Spera."

　Aurora awoke with a start; she had the same dream. But in her dream, she was playing the role of a girl named Spera.

　The girl deeply admired the divine messenger named "Bach," but the messenger had no eyes for her.

　She was not discouraged by this, but went to the temple to worship every morning and looked at the messenger's seemingly unchanging face.

　When the end times came and the kingdom of God decayed, she was not devoured by the "serpent" like most of her followers; her "oil serpent" protected her.

　But death is inevitable for everyone. Spera was just an ordinary person. She witnessed the rise and fall of the divine kingdom, the fall of the gods, and finally met her death on the ruins of the divine kingdom.

　……

　Lily rubbed her eyes and smacked her lips before slowly waking up.

　In her dream, she played the role of a "disciple" who always accompanied the messenger Bach, and what she saw was almost exactly the same as what Dak, who played the messenger, saw.

　……

　After all three woke up, they subconsciously looked at each other and immediately realized that they had all been dreaming.

　The morning air was crisp and cool. Everyone sat together, drinking the porridge that Ollie had cooked, while listening to Dak recount his dream.

　Dak tried to explain in as much detail as possible, while Professors Aurora and Lily would occasionally add a few words.

　Soon, everyone learned about the origin of the temple.

　After listening, Ollie said, "So, does that 'oil snake' mean the snake-controlling girl Spera's snake?"

　Aurora nodded and said, "It should be. Although the 'oil serpent' has grown much larger, I still remember its details. I never imagined that such a small oil serpent could grow so enormous after so many years. It probably received the temple's protection while protecting it."

　Dark said, "This right shrine wasn't damaged by outsiders. The divine power within those two statues must have been absorbed by the 'oil serpent,' which is why it's become so weak."

　Then he smiled and said, "Since it is Spera's oil snake, can we, like Spera, use a flute to awaken and drive it?"

　Lily blinked and asked, "Isn't Little Nora the one who played Spera in the dream? She should know the method, right?"

　Aurora frowned, deep in thought.

　Dark couldn't help but chuckle: "It was just a dream, how could you remember so much? When we get back, we'll find some books on snake charmers to read; perhaps we'll find something useful. I think this 'Oil Snake' is more powerful than the 'Thunderous Roc' and the 'Earth Bear,' perhaps it has the potential to become a divine beast."

　"Chirp chirp chirp!" The toy chick protested.

　But the protest was ineffective.

　The power of that "oil snake" was visible to the naked eye, and it had not only absorbed the divine power of the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf," but also the power of those "snakes."

　If properly nurtured, it may even become a beast-shaped deity like the "Sun-Devouring Lion" or the "Moon-Eating Wolf".

　Moreover, for a mage, the value of this "oil snake" is by no means limited to its own power.

　In this light, it may be the greatest gain that Dark and his companions made after entering the temple.

　……

　After discussing the topic of "oil serpents," Dark and the others naturally steered the conversation toward the fall of the divine kingdom.

　Dark did not witness the fall of the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" in his dream, but Aurora witnessed it in its entirety.

　The "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" truly lived up to their reputation as beasts that had become gods. When they revealed their true forms, they stood tall and imposing, as if they could truly devour the sun and moon.

　However, after the destruction of the divine kingdom, countless black snakes, under the control of the power of the abyss, coalesced into a "snake" even larger than the original forms of the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf".

　The "snake" opened its huge mouth and swallowed both the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" whole.

　Then the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" manifested the sun and moon inside the "snake's" belly. The blazing sun and the icy silver moon burst open the "snake's" belly, and the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" roared out.

　But after that, the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" did not launch a counterattack, but instead fled in panic.

　From the perspective of ordinary humans, it is impossible to discern what exactly happened to the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf." However, they were clearly terrified and had absolutely no intention of retaliating.

　This is utterly incredible for a god who has transformed a ferocious beast into a deity.

　"I wonder which era the divine kingdom we saw in our dream belongs to?"

　"From the current perspective, it is most likely the era most recent to the present."

　The exact number of eras this world has gone through is impossible to count.

　The entire trajectory of history is like a cycle, with the rise and fall of the gods as the nodes, repeating itself endlessly.

　Generally speaking, humans refer to the period after Ragnarok as a new era.

　Therefore, the "Sun-Devouring Lion" and the "Moon-Eating Wolf" are very likely gods from the previous era.

　This inevitably leads to the question: how did the previous era end?

　They were completely unaware of this issue before, but now they have become somewhat aware of it.

　The "snake" that the three saw in their dreams may be one of the reasons.

　……

　However, discussing those things from their current perspective doesn't make much sense.

　Therefore, after saying that a demerit has been recorded, it can only be temporarily put aside.

　After the discussion ended, everyone cheered up and prepared to head to the final temple—perhaps there they could find more clues related to the "snake".

　However, before setting off, they did not forget the statue in the right shrine.

　Dark took out paper and pen, and had Aurora write a brief explanation on the paper, along with a map. Three copies were made in total. Then, Professor Lily summoned three magical fairies called "little fairies" to deliver the three letters to the temple entrance, Expedition Team Nine, or another team, respectively.

　The person who receives this letter will naturally try to send people over to move the two statues away.

　After finishing this task, everyone set off again.

　But what they saw in their dream did have an impact on them, and even Professor Lily stopped acting recklessly and became much more cautious.

　However, there were indeed no traps, obstacles, or barriers within the temple to stop them. So, they continued forward, and after more than three hours, they finally arrived at their final destination.

　"found it!"

　Above the cliff, Lily flew in the air, her little hand shading her forehead as she looked down.

　Less than a hundred meters away, a temple directly facing them came into view.

　Dak quickly followed and observed carefully, discovering that the temple was magnificent and far larger than the previous three temples.

　If it weren't for last night's dream, he would probably have mistaken it for the "harem".

　However, at this moment, he was very clear that this temple was the central temple of the entire divine kingdom!

　……

　"I never expected it to actually be like this."

　Dak observed the scene around the temple and couldn't help but sigh.

　As far as the eye could see, most of the central temple was nestled into the rock face. Beyond the walls on either side of the temple, there were also steep cliffs stretching as far as the eye could see.

　Thus, it is clear that although this temple is located in the central position within the divine kingdom, it is actually the deepest part of this "temple" located beneath the City of Freedom.

　This means that the entire divine kingdom was divided in two, with the other half perhaps in another place, or perhaps long since disappeared into the dust of history.

　The "temple" preserved beneath the City of Liberty is only the part of the remaining half, resembling the "inner city".

　"Let's rest for a bit before going down."

　Dak raised his hand and offered a suggestion.

　This time, no one objected. The group rested on the spot and began to summon any magical spirits they might need.

　In addition to the "Fantasy Fairy Dragon" that always followed her, Professor Lily summoned a large number of "little fairies" in one go.

　After receiving their orders, these "little fairies" flew off in all directions like a swarm of bees to scout the situation.

　Dark summoned "Single Sword Sheath" and "Dronbalut".

　Ollie and Angeli immediately began getting dressed.

　……

　About ten minutes later, the group descended from the cliff onto the flat ground. Professor Lily's little fairies also relayed the intelligence they had gathered.

　Apart from the central temple, which was inaccessible, no dangers were found within a radius of nearly a kilometer.

　The central temple in front of them did not exude any particularly dangerous aura like the right temple.

　Everything was peaceful.

　At least that's the surface.

　As Dak walked forward, he slowly recalled what he had seen in his dream.

　In his dream, he played the role of "Bach," the only messenger in that divine kingdom.

　The apostles below him were all followers of God, belonging to the lower ranks of God's messengers.

　Bach spent most of his life in this central temple.

　He knew the temple better than anyone else.

　Thanks to him, Dak had a deeper impression of this central temple than of other places.

　But the temple he was looking at was no longer the one he was familiar with.

　The entire hall's doors and walls were covered with a black substance, and in front of the doors was a black mud pit, which had clearly solidified.

　A thin layer of black mist hung in the air, emitting a pungent odor.

　Wearing the "Aries Palace Holy Legend" costume, Ollie stepped forward, and the magic card in her hand released a pure white light, purifying and dispelling the black mist that was of unknown toxicity.

　Angry stomped his foot, and water gushed out, covering the dark mud pit, then quickly froze, turning into an ice bridge.

　Dark and the others crossed the ice bridge and finally arrived in front of the central temple.

　The stone statues that should have stood on either side of the temple entrance have long since disappeared, and even the temple entrance itself is now only half-open. However, the black substance covering the walls is extremely filthy, and the goblins that Professor Lily summoned tried to pass through it but were corrupted and disappeared.

　"These black substances should be of the same origin as those snakes."

　After observing for a moment, Dak said, "Chop the door open."

　“Okay.” Aoli responded, then instantly raised her hand, condensing a lightsaber atop the warhammer and swinging it toward the temple gate.

　"Boom!" The black substance on the palace door was wiped away by the lightsaber, leaving an extremely long sword mark on the door wall.

　Ollie remained calm and continued to draw her sword.

　After a few sword strikes, the gate and walls were breached, revealing the interior of the central temple.

　Almost simultaneously, black mist burst forth, but was purified by the light in the blink of an eye.

　Professor Lily waved her hand, and a group of little fairies emitting white light darted in, illuminating the interior like orbs of light, and then the scene inside came into view.

　Inside the temple, as expected, it was extremely dilapidated, with signs of collapse and corrosion everywhere. The black substance was also everywhere, some piled up in the corners, some falling from the ceiling, and some hanging in the corners like a spider web.

　Directly ahead, the enormous statues I had seen in my dream still stood atop the high platform. However, the upper halves of both statues had been corroded, leaving only the lower halves covered by that dark substance.

　A hint of doubt appeared on everyone's faces.

　"Fantasy Beast: Goddess of the Mind's Eye" brushed aside her bangs and opened her third eye on her forehead, the divine light shooting out from it shining forward.

　After a long while, it closed its eyes and said, "Although it was destroyed, it does retain a faint divine power and divine aura. Moreover, the corroded moon wolf statue still retains a trace of the original divinity belonging to the moon god."

　Dak nodded, but did not enter easily.

　The situation inside this hall was somewhat eerie.

　As the saying goes, something unusual must be amiss. Even the two temples ahead were fraught with danger, so the fact that this central temple was so quiet was rather strange.

　But after observing carefully for a while, he found nothing amiss.

　After Professor Lily's little fairies entered the hall, they began to scout around. They even burrowed into the ceiling and under the floor, but found nothing.

　Dak and the others had to face reality: it seemed that there really were no dangerous things like the "God's Guardian" skeleton and the "Oil Snake" inside the temple.