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

　That seems to be the case at present.

　However, such a massive nest could clearly not be contained by a single mountain. This suggests that the nest itself is quite unique, and like the carriage of the "pumpkin carriage," it likely incorporates folded space.

　If the giant whales and those mist beasts attack humans, it's not based on ideas like "protecting territory."

　The real reason is very likely within this nest! "The Goddess of the Mind."

　Dark called out directly, but "Magical Beast: Goddess of the Mind's Eye" simply shook its head and said, "There is no flow of divine aura."

　"That's a real shame." Dark tilted his head slightly, looking up at the top of the nest.

　Aside from its immense size, the nest was otherwise unremarkable. The surrounding rock walls were severely damaged by the giant whale's rampage. However, the area above remained untouched.

　"Judging from the giant whale's behavior, if there really is something there, it can only be hidden on the top of this nest."

　Darke then shared his guess.

　Upon hearing this, Professor Sylph had an idea and rode the "Storm Carpet" to the top of the nest.

　The entire nest space is shaped like a giant egg laid horizontally. The "top area" that was not damaged by the whale is actually only the very top small section.

　Professor Sylph controlled the "Storm Carpet" to hover below that area.

　The area at the top of the nest seemed to sense their approach, with golden characters emerging from the top, forming a total of four sentences.

　The first thing they said was, "Eliminate the invaders!"

　Those four sentences were not written in existing script. But as long as you look up at them, the meaning of the words will naturally appear in your mind.

　If the giant whale continues to live in this nest, then day after day, year after year, the suggestion of those words will take deep root in its mind.

　First, eliminate the intruders. Second, protect the nest. Third, protect the entrance. Fourth, ensure reproductive succession.

　There are only these four sentences, clear and concise.

　The first sentence is clearly the reason why the giant whale and the "Mist Beast" would take the initiative to attack those who invaded this area.

　The second statement is perfectly reasonable.

　The "gate" mentioned in the third sentence is most likely the entrance to the "Heavenly Court" that is being protected!

　This means that if they don't deal with the giant whale, they will actually be attacked by it when they approach the entrance to the "Heavenly Court".

　The attack of a giant whale itself might not be so unbearable. But its ability to open its massive jaws and swallow a person whole without making a sound is simply impossible to defend against.

　As for the fourth reason, it is probably because there are so many "Mist Beasts"!

　But judging from the unique size of the giant whale, it has no normal breeding partner—or perhaps it does not have the ability to reproduce normally.

　However, it clearly possesses another reproductive method, capable of producing (Mist Beasts) in large numbers.

　Over the years, this amassed an army of countless "Mist Beasts." "The matter is basically clear," Dark said. "But who wrote those four lines?"

　Professor Kazel squinted and said, "Perhaps a long, long time ago, someone trained guardian beasts here to protect this area. And the giant whale wandered into this place while searching for its nest, and has remained here ever since."

　"That's certainly a possibility," Dark said. "There's not much point in dwelling on the past now. What we need to consider is how to eradicate the suggestive power of those four sentences so they no longer attack the intruder. Would destroying the text work?"

　Professor Cazell shook his head and said, "It's unlikely."

　Dark said, “Okay, I know that’s not very feasible. After all these years, even if it’s fake, it has become real. The hints of those four sentences have taken root in its mind and have become part of its thinking. But even so, we must destroy the text! Otherwise, the new mist beasts it breeds will continue to be affected by the hints of those four sentences and will continue to appear one after another.”

　Professor Cazell nodded, saying, "That's true, but these four lines of text have extremely high research value. Starting with them, it could even initiate the deciphering of 'divine script'."

　Dark said, "What needs to be done?"

　Professor Cazell said, "Dig it all out!"

　The "Storm Carpet" continued to rise, and the "Fairy Barrier" embedded itself in the rock wall above, enveloping the area where the four lines of text were written.

　Professor Cazell immediately took action, digging up the four lines of text along with the entire piece of land!

　Then he took out another "Orb of Truth" and sealed it inside the "Orb of Truth".

　The piece of land he dug up was square, resembling a stone tablet. If the inscription on it were slightly modified, it might be used to tame other magical beasts.

　However, this method of domestication is ultimately a form of "brainwashing" and is not welcomed.

　But when it came to "brainwashing," Dak had a flash of inspiration and came up with a way to deal with the giant whale and the other "mist beasts."

　That is to fight poison with poison, and brainwash with brainwash!

　There was no divine aura in those four lines of text. Although it may have lost its divinity due to the erosion of endless years, it was still just four lines of text.

　If Ergani, being a "god," were to intervene, it wouldn't be difficult to break her brainwashing.

　Or it could be modified into other regulations.

　"I think I've found a way, Jo?" Because of the presence of these three people, he couldn't say it outright, so he suggested going back to the previous...

　Position yourself so you can get out of the "Mist Beast's" attack range first, and then rejoin the main force.

　Upon hearing this, Professors Cazell and Sylph almost instantly understood. Professor Cazell immediately agreed, saying, "This 'Mist Beast' is extremely dangerous; it should definitely be brought back to the team first."

　He was speaking, while Professor Sylph had already taken action. The entrance to the lair was right there; there was no need to search for it. Professor Sylph, riding her "Storm Carpet," silently rushed out of the lair.

　She must have encountered a large number of "fog beasts" along the way, but she forcibly smashed through them all.

　Once outside the lair, she unleashed her magic without hesitation, manipulating the wind element once more to create a "Wind Domain," and instantly accelerated on her magic carpet.

　Just as it went berserk upon sensing the disappearance of the water-elemental orb, the giant whale also immediately sensed this after Dark and the others dug away the four lines of text, and its rampage intensified.

　But bound by those four lines of text, it did not actually destroy the nest. After venting its frustrations, it swam out of the nest and headed without hesitation towards the place where it had first swallowed Dark and the others.

　But by the time it swam there, Dark and the others were already far away from the vicinity of the mountain.

　Because it needs to protect its nest, it cannot stray too far from it and can only swim around the edge.

　Dark and the others kept their distance and summoned magical spirits to scatter around the route, patiently waiting for the main force to arrive.

　As a result, we waited for two or three hours.

　The main force's movement speed was not slow.

　Especially after Ergani tamed the giant man-eating flower beast, they used it to clear the way, rampaging through the monsters along the way, and the monsters in the road were no match for them.

　The entire team stayed at the back and sped up, finally arriving near the mountain peak in just two or three hours.

　The professors' scattered magical spirits allowed the group to stop in time, and then, guided by "Magical Beast: God of Destruction" and "Magical Beast: Goddess of Mind's Eye," Dark and the others successfully found the group in the thick fog.

　After the two sides reunited, the Holy Trio immediately stepped off the "Storm Carpet" and rejoined the team.

　Dark and the others arrived at the pumpkin carriage and jumped down one by one. Professor Midia and Ollie stood on the carriage floor to welcome them. Chris emerged from Dark's shadow and gently embraced Ollie. Then Ollie decisively pushed him away and hugged her young master. Dark sensed her deeply suppressed emotions and sighed softly, letting her hug him.

　After a long while, Ollie finally released her, her expression quickly returning to normal.

　Dak smiled and inquired about their experiences during that time. Ollie led him into the carriage and recounted in detail what had happened after they separated.

　Dark's gaze immediately fell on the statue draped in black cloth in the corner.

　He was naturally curious about what the legendary "goddess of love and beauty" actually looked like.

　But Professor Cazell was the first to remove the black cloth from the statue… Professor Lily flew to his side, showing off their find. Ergane watched with a faint smile.

　As the black cloth covering the statue was removed, Dak was almost instantly drawn to it.

　His temple twitched slightly, as if something was eager to burst forth.

　It wasn't that I was awestruck by Aphrodite's beauty—after all, no matter how beautiful the statue was, it was still just a statue.

　The statue, devoid of divine blood, had no effect on him.

　Just looking at the statue gave him a peculiar feeling, an urge to inject something into its body.

　He quickly pressed his forehead to suppress his impulse, having already found the answer within himself. It was probably after seeing the statue that he instinctively sensed an terrifyingly high level of affinity between it and "Paradise"!

　"Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty... she does not possess the authority of the moon goddess. While that statue is highly compatible with the 'Moon Goddess Version of Elysium,' it is not as compatible as the 'Paradise Version of Elysium.'"

　"Of course, the 'Paradise' extracted from me should also be a perfect match."

　"It's a pity I didn't bring either of the two 'Bliss' potions, otherwise I could have forged it into a complete golem on the spot."

　Dark had a feeling that if he used this statue to create a golem, his alchemy skills would be greatly enhanced afterward!

　This statue of Aphrodite seems to have existed solely for him.

　If even this statue is so moving, what other treasures must be hidden in the "Heavenly Court"?

　Dak's thoughts fluttered slightly, but he immediately snapped back to reality.

　This mission isn't about finding treasure, it's about rescuing people!

　After a while, he finally listened to Ollie's account of the "flowerbed maze," and cold sweat almost dripped down his forehead.

　From Ollie's account alone, he deeply understood the danger of the "flower garden maze".

　Especially those statues, one after another, they're absolutely terrifying.

　It's hard to imagine that if he had been there, he would have been overwhelmed with ecstasy the moment he saw the statue of Aphrodite, who still possessed divine blood!

　The thought that there might be many similar things in the "Heavenly Court" instantly calmed his restless mind.

　Once you enter the "Heavenly Court", you must be careful at every step!

　Then, Dak recounted their experiences one by one. Along the way, he also took out the "Netherworld Pearl" and the "Water Pearl" taken from the giant whale to examine them.

　But when Professor Mitia asked about the "golden key," he glanced at Professor Cazell and said, "It's over there at the Holy Church."

　“Don’t look at me like that,” Professor Kazel said. “There are spatial fluctuations in that key; I suspect there’s a teleportation trap inside.”

　Upon hearing this, Dark couldn't help but open his mouth: "Then how..."

　Professor Kazel said calmly, "I will remind her to be careful when we are about to enter the 'Heavenly Court'."

　Professor Sylph looked at him and said, "Risk and opportunity go hand in hand. Even if that key does trigger teleportation, it might teleport you to some treasure."

　Professor Cazell said, "But that is ultimately an uncertainty. Only by eliminating the influence of uncertainties as much as possible can we proceed step by step."

　Dak agreed.

　Professor Mitis couldn't help but rub her temples; she just wanted to see what the "golden key" actually looked like.

　Afterward, Dak continued his story about the giant whale.

　When it came to the four lines of golden text, Professor Kazel took them out of the "Orb of Truth" and solemnly placed them on the table.

　His gaze then settled on Ergani.

　Ergani carefully examined the golden characters on the "stone tablet," and after a moment, she looked up and sighed slightly, "I wrote it."

　To be precise, it was the four lines of text written by Athena, the "goddess of war and wisdom".

Chapter 962 Ergane's Brainwashing Commands (4k)

　Ergani discovered traces of the "brain in a vat" in those four lines of text that only she could perceive.

　However, the application of the "brain in a vat" shown in those traces was far beyond what she could do at this moment.

　She had never imagined before that she could apply the power of the "brain in a vat" rules to writing. In fact, it was very difficult to do. With her current level of control over the authority, even if she managed to succeed, it would be impossible for it to remain effective after such a long period of time.

　Ergani almost immediately realized the difference in raw strength between herself and the original body.

　But even such a powerful god could not escape Ragnarok.

　For the first time, Ergane became interested in Athena's current situation.

　At the same time, Dak and the two professors were convinced of the feasibility of "fighting poison with poison" from her answer.

　Since those four lines of text were originally written by Athena, the "goddess of war and wisdom," it should not be difficult for the current "goddess of wisdom," Ergan, to break her brainwashing ability.

　Therefore, the only remaining challenge is how to deal with the "Mist Beasts" in addition to the giant whale.

　While the individual strength of those "Mist Beasts" was not a threat, there were simply too many of them.

　If Ergani were to use "Brain in a Jar" on all of these "Mist Beasts," the consumption would be far too great.

　Using limited divine power on those "mist beasts" is a huge waste.

　If it weren't for Ergani being able to not only break the giant whale's brainwashing, but also re-brainwash it, take control of it, or interfere with its thoughts to make it control the "Mist Beasts".

　"I can try."

　Although Ergane said so, she herself was not sure.

　The giant whale, having been influenced by Athena's writings for many years, might be immune to brainwashing by others in its mental judgment.

　With her current abilities, Ergane is certainly no match for Athena. However, since she and Athena are one, it's possible that she could find a weakness in Athena's power. This is something that can only be known by observing it firsthand.