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

　"Let me do it."

　Ergane pushed open the door and stepped out of the carriage.

　Professor Lily reluctantly put away the sledgehammer. Gavin North fell silent for a moment, observing Ergane cautiously as she finally emerged from the carriage.

　The college sent a total of fourteen people on this trip. However, several of them remained inside the train carriage and did not come out.

　This girl, who looks like a student, is one of them.

　Of course, he no longer considers her a real student... or even a girl.

　Given Professor Sylph's precedent, he was more inclined to believe this was another professor in disguise. "What would she do?"

　Not only Gavin North, but also Stanley Longfellow, Gwen, and the people from the Church were all watching.

　However, after Ergani stepped out of the carriage, she merely glanced at the statue for a moment, then glared at it. Those who were captivated by the statue were instantly jolted awake, their expressions changing drastically as they retreated hastily.

　The statue still emanated an aura, but it no longer held any allure. Ergani closed her eyes, then opened them again, her gaze returning to normal. She nodded to Professor Media, then gracefully withdrew and returned to her carriage.

　Gavin North and Count Stanley Longfellow looked at each other, completely bewildered.

　The female guard named "Gwen" narrowed her eyes, seemingly lost in thought. From one of the Holy Church's chariots, a soft "Eh?" also came from within. When Ergani used "Brain in a Vat" earlier, she had ultimately revealed a trace of her divinity.

　However, there are magical spirit cards that possess divinity these days, so it's not necessary to expose their identities.

　She returned to the carriage and greeted Ophelia, who was sitting inside observing the crystal ball.

　Ophelia looked up and asked, "How was it?"

　Ergane nodded slightly and said, "It went very smoothly."

　Ophelia said, "You don't need to worry too much. Now that we've planted a seed in their minds, it can save their lives if they encounter a similar situation again."

　Ergani said, "I know. It's a pity I didn't get the chance to leave my seed in other people's minds."

　Ophelia was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, it was my fault." Ergane said, "Judging from the aura emanating from that statue, what we've encountered this time is very likely related to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Based on Dark's experience, we might be able to obtain Aphrodite's divine blood and a golden key of unknown use."

　Ophelia shook her head and said, "This Mountain of the Gods is truly filled with more and more mysteries that are hard to fathom."

　Ergane said, "But isn't this the mountain of the gods?"

　...

　The appearance of two statues did not deter the group; instead, it gave them a real sense that they had "gained something."

　Moreover, this time, although they were still captivated by the statue, Ergani easily broke through their spell, and no one was harmed as a result.

　Therefore, after a short rest, the team rallied and continued their advance.

　After that, you would encounter a statue every now and then.

　The aura emanating from the statue grew stronger and stronger, and its alluring effect on people gradually intensified.

　But because of the seed that Ergani had secretly planted in their minds, they were no longer captivated by the statue.

　After continuing on their way and encountering a total of nine statues, they finally arrived at a seemingly "special" area.

　It was still a huge flower garden.

　But the flowers blooming in the flowerbed were more vibrant than any I had seen before. Moreover, the entire flowerbed was circular, divided into several large concentric circles with distinct layers from the outside in, and the flowers in each circle had different color schemes.

　In the very center of that flowerbed stood the last statue—a completely different statue from the previous nine!

　"This is"

　Professor Mitia's pupils contracted as she noticed that the statue in her field of vision this time was not the same as the one she had seen many times before, but rather a woman with an exquisite figure and ethereal temperament!

　Having reviewed the relevant information before setting off, she immediately recognized the statue as familiar.

　After a moment's thought, I was completely certain that it was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, one of the twelve gods of Mount Polopus!

　The statue that belonged to Aphrodite was as white as jade, exuding a pure and innocent charm that was completely opposite to the alluring beauty in mythology.

　With her eyes closed, hands clasped in front of her chest, and head slightly bowed in prayer, she resembled the "praying maiden" often seen in the squares of the Holy Church.

　However, this is merely Professor Mitis's personal opinion.

　If she were to ask others, she would find that everyone sees Aphrodite with a different temperament and image.

　The only thing they have in common is "beauty".

　Regardless of its style or image, it exudes an exquisite beauty. It captivates the viewer without them even realizing it.

　Those members of the team whose minds had already been planted with the seed by Ergani thought they would no longer be captivated by statues. But this time, after their attention was drawn to the statue of Aphrodite, they lost their minds without even realizing it.

　Their pupils were unfocused, but their faces showed admiration as they walked one after another into the flowerbed.

　The flowers and plants in the flowerbed consciously made way for small paths. They stepped into the flowerbed, their feet sinking into the slightly damp soil.

　Professor Mitia wanted to speak up to stop them, but she suddenly felt dizzy and had the urge to hug the statue.

　In the Northern Lands' group, everyone except "Gwen" walked toward the statue with dazed expressions.

　Showing no signs of resistance, even Gavin North, the "Tiger of the North Wind," lost his mind.

　One by one, people emerged from the carriage protected in the middle. Among them were not only Gavin North's daughter, Quintina North, but also an older young man, Fred North, Gavin North's son, who had not left the carriage since entering the Mountain of the Gods!

　Gavin North has now taken both his son and daughter with him to the Mountain of the Gods!

　"prayer!"

　A command suddenly rang out from within the Holy Church ranks.

　The paladins who were still gathered around the two chariots, though their minds were hazy, instinctively straightened their backs and closed their eyes to pray.

　Their prayers were synchronized, and they radiated a divine light. However, the prayers only lasted a few seconds before fading away, and the paladins walked toward the flowerbed with their eyes closed, muttering to themselves.

　The two chariots in the Holy Church's procession were also opened, and two nuns and two priests emerged from each chariot.

　Only one person remained in the chariot.

　The man chanted an incantation urgently, activating a magic card. A curtain of light descended from the sky and suddenly expanded, forming a huge circle beyond the flowerbed.

　She had thought this would prevent people who were captivated by the statues from entering the flowerbed.

　However, those people each used their own skills, either leaping over from above or attacking the light barrier directly.

　The four golden-armored paladins who remained here also attacked fiercely, shattering the veil of light!

　As one person after another walked toward the statue, its body gradually emitted a jade-like glow.

　An aura imbued with divinity silently spread out. The person sitting in the chariot was drawn by this aura, and the sound he uttered abruptly ceased, plunging into deathly silence.

　She was clearly greatly affected as well, and was fighting against it with all her might, no longer able to protect others.

　—It should have been a gradual process to get to this point.

　However, because of Ergani's intervention, they had not felt the strength of the previous statues at all. This time, a statue that could break through Ergani's interference suddenly appeared, catching them off guard and causing them to be hit by the attack.

　This even includes several people from the college.

　Professor Mitia was already seated, holding a crystal ball in her hands. She tried her best to concentrate on the crystal ball, and only then was she able to barely resist the allure of the statue.

　Ollie, who was beside him, was in an even worse state.

　Her mental strength is not low, but her resistance in this area is obviously slightly inferior.

　Inside the pumpkin carriage, only Ergane and Chris remained calm.

　Like Professor Mithia, Ophelia was struggling to keep up. Professor Lily was doing slightly better, even having the leisure to smile at Ophelia. Aurora and Angeli, however, were completely overwhelmed; the latter even subconsciously donned her golden armor.

　However, Trina of the "Leo Palace" possessed an incredibly strong will and determination. But neither of them was worried.

　Because Ergani is there. "This is an opportunity!"

　Ophelia warned the statue when she discovered that its allure was beyond what was expected.

　Ergani understood perfectly. She patiently waited until almost everyone was bewitched by the statue before quietly activating the "Brain in a Vat" and planting a seed in the minds of all the Holy Church and Northern personnel, except for the last person in the chariot and the female guard "Gwen".

　She then pushed open the carriage door again and slowly stepped out. The last person in the chariot and Gwen were struggling, but they were clearly not truly lost.

　Ergane judged that they still had the strength to spare, but chose to hide for the time being for certain reasons.

　But whatever their reasons were, they were not within Ergane's consideration.

　She looked up at the circular flowerbed, where someone had already walked into the last circle in the center and clearly wanted to go further and touch the statue.

　However, beneath that man's feet, vines covered in flowers emerged like snakes, winding upwards along his legs and binding his entire body, rendering him unable to move.

　His eyes remained vacant, but a strange look of pleasure appeared on his face, as if he had seen something he had longed for.

　Then, a second, a third... more and more people approached the statue, only to be bound by vines, staring at it with mesmerized expressions.

　Ergani wanted to continue watching to see just how far the statue could go.

　But the first person who was bound suddenly showed signs of life decline, causing her to frown.

　"Can't wait any longer."

　She thought with a touch of regret, then focused her energy and activated the power she held—"Fidelity"!

　The term "steadfast" does not mean "firm and principled," but rather "unwavering in chastity."

　"Fidelity" is the "lock of chastity".

　Her eyes gleamed slightly, as if she wanted to wipe away all the filth in front of her. She reached out and swept her hand horizontally, and the entire area within her sight was enveloped by her divine power.

　Under the influence of this divine power, even the most dissolute person will instantly become a stone man or woman.

　The desires that arose in everyone's hearts from the allure of the statue were suppressed in that instant.

　Almost instantly, their minds returned to complete clarity. The statue of Aphrodite was still beautiful in their eyes, but their appreciation of beauty was now limited to that.

　After all, a normal person wouldn't have any strange thoughts about a stone... probably.

　The silver-armored paladin closest to the statue, who belonged to the Holy Church, was about to draw his sword and cut off the vines binding him the moment he regained consciousness.

　Although the statue's allure was broken, the power of the vines remained undiminished.

　His whole body was numb, and he couldn't move an inch.

　Fortunately, someone behind him used a magic card with the "Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell" effect to free him from the vines' restraints.

　Even so, he had already lost more than half of his life force, and he was completely listless, clearly unable to recover in a short time.

　Similar situations have occurred with several other people.

　But to survive in such a perilous situation is actually quite lucky.

　If Ergani hadn't been there, they would all have become fertilizer for that flowerbed.

　"damn it."

　Professor Mitia slapped her head hard, dissatisfied with her own lack of resolve.

　But she quickly recovered, called Ergane, and headed towards the flowerbed. The statue in the flowerbed had reverted to an ordinary stone statue in her eyes. Aphrodite's true form was a beauty that blended regal elegance with alluring passion.

　Its face was beaming with a sentimental smile.

　However, as Ergani approached, the corners of her smiling mouth seemed to droop slightly.

　It gradually stopped laughing.

　His facial expression gradually hardened, becoming cold and hard, blending perfectly with the rock.

Chapter 959 Shadow of the Night (4k)

　In fact.

　The existence of the "golden key" is itself a speculation. Speculations based on a single sample are not accurate.

　Ergane considered a way to obtain the "Golden Key," which was to completely destroy the statue, just as Dark and the others had done to the "Flower of Demeter."

　But the statue contained no related elements, neither in its memory nor in its physical form. Unless its destruction could trigger some special mechanism that would cause the "Golden Key" to suddenly appear—but after careful study, Ergani ruled out that possibility.

　This mechanism exists only if someone has pre-carved it onto the statue.

　But that possibility is extremely low.

　Because it was originally just one of Aphrodite's many statues, an insignificant one.

　Unlike many sculptures that are sculpted with exceptional realism, even to the point of being able to speak and move, it is not special.

　It shouldn't have recorded that mechanism in the first place.

　Therefore, Ergane ultimately concluded that the "golden key" that Dark and his companions found in the ashes of the "Flower of Demeter" must be a special case.