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

　Then, after a period of time, the white light emitted by the jar gradually weakened. About half a month later, the white light disappeared completely.

　That moment.

　The entire jar turned into powder.

　It's like time, which had stopped flowing, suddenly started moving again, and the loan was paid off in full at once.

　The other items brought out of the temple were basically the same.

　The only difference is that some items maintain their luminescence for a longer period, while others do so for a shorter period. Just like "light infection," it is not stable.

　"Could you show us those temple artifacts?"

　Professor Kazel exchanged a few words with Dak, then looked up and said.

　Hannah rallied her spirits and quickly stood up, saying, "Of course. We'll set up the research lab in the isolation zone... well, we've already explained that before."

　"I never imagined that the white light could not only affect living beings, but also non-living beings."

　Dak felt a little uneasy.

　Although "light infection" and "light-emitting disease" are not exactly the same, they are similar in many aspects, making it difficult to distinguish them as two different diseases.

　Since this "light infection" is effective on non-living things, what about "luminescent diseases"?

　Since the subspace where the "Magic Kingdom" was located was originally empty, he never considered that possibility from the beginning.

　After they started building foundations in the subspace, they never studied it again.

　However, he did manage to retrieve the items that had been placed inside from the subspace.

　The object, however, did not emit any light.

　"It might be a matter of time."

　Professor Kazel stated, "The effect of 'light infection' on inanimate objects, as it has been observed so far, is that it grants them 'immortality.' However, once they leave the temple's boundaries, this 'immortality' disappears."

　Dark said, "It would take years or even decades for an object to acquire this property."

　Professor Cazell stated, "Things like this, which require time to verify, are difficult to determine with absolute certainty. But psychologically speaking, there is a purpose to 'infect' the temple buildings with light, and one of the most obvious purposes is to ensure the buildings remain intact forever."

　But Dark paused for a moment, then looked up and said, "No, that's only one side of the story. If we look at it from another angle..."

　The camp set up an "isolation zone" near the temple entrance.

　Investigators who have just come out of the temple need to be disinfected and purified in the "quarantine zone".

　Most of the temple items are also placed in the "quarantine zone" for research.

　As Dak and his group arrived at the entrance to the "quarantine zone," a thin, invisible protective shield was placed over them.

　Further inside, researchers came out of the building to welcome them.

　“This is Ms. Fremont, the head of the research lab,” Hannah introduced. Dark said, “Ms. Fremont, please take us to where the temple's items are stored.”

　Ms. Fremont is older and was born with a "double uterus".

　She had a cold demeanor, rarely changed her expression, and was very stable in her mental state.

　After introductions, they began discussing their research on "light infection." Compared to "discussion," Dark was better at "listening."

　As he listened to Professor Cazell's conversation with Ms. Fremont, he became increasingly certain of his own ideas.

　Soon, they arrived at the place where the temple's items were stored. It was a room divided into many sections by a barrier. Each section contained a temple item.

　The temple items included everything from bricks and tiles to bottles and jars, from armor and broken swords to stone statues and decorations.

　Several researchers dressed in white were walking around the room, taking notes as they went.

　Dak glanced around briefly, then walked to a jar that was still emitting a white light and squatted down to examine it.

　A maid came over and handed him gloves.

　He put on gloves, picked up the jar, and examined it thoroughly inside and out. Then, he summoned the "Magical Beast: Goddess of the Mind's Eye" to confirm that there was no divine aura flowing in the room.

　This means that the glowing phenomenon was not caused by ordinary divine magic. At least after the spell was cast, it was not necessary to continue casting the spell to ensure the effect lasted.

　That is, it permanently alters the properties of the substance.

　"It's not about preserving things forever, but simply about erosion and assimilation."

　“Something has permanently altered the properties of these items.” “When non-living things are corrupted and assimilated, their forms remain intact, but they turn to ashes once they leave the temple’s perimeter.”

　"After life is eroded and assimilated, it simply turns into light and disappears."

　"It's not 'light infection' that preserves the items, but rather the temple that makes them immortal. Once outside the temple's range, they lose its protection and naturally disintegrate."

　"Legend has it that the people of a divine kingdom are immortal, all thanks to the protection of the gods." "These items are similar."

　"It is 'light infection' that destroys the 'immortality' bestowed upon objects by the gods."

　"It is not aimed at inanimate objects, but at the properties bestowed by the goddess of life."

　"It is in opposition to the divine power of the goddess of life."

　"...

Chapter 1437 Darkdemon's Theory of Inanimate and Living Things (4k)

　"Could it be?"

　"My previous assumptions were wrong all along."

　"The light within this temple does not originate from the goddess of life, but from outsiders, just like... the dark substance remaining in the Temple of the Sun and Moon."

　After a moment of contemplation, Dak continued to examine the other temple items.

　He did not make a clear judgment; everything was just speculation based on personal bias.

　But his mind has been opened up, and the distance between him and reality has become slightly closer.

　Given the long history of human civilization in deifying "gods".

　When investigating temples, they always habitually place themselves in a lower position.

　Then it will be ignored.

　These temples are remnants of Ragnarok. Therefore, when investigating these temples, one must pay attention to one crucial question: how did the god who belonged to that temple fall?

　During his adventure at the Temple of the Sun and Moon, Dark witnessed the fall of the two Sun and Moon Beast Gods. In the Heavenly Court, he also witnessed the ruins of the divine kingdom left behind after the fall of the twelve gods of Porobos.

　He should have already possessed the relevant experience and should have immediately realized that the white light emanating from this Temple of Life did not necessarily originate from the Goddess of Life. Moreover, considering the relative instability of the white light's effect compared to the "luminescence disease," he could easily deduce that it was indeed merely a "remnant."

　But does this mean...?

　Within the subspace where "Magical Heaven" resides, the pathogenic factor that causes life to transform into light after twenty-four hours is the "original."

　In fact, that pathogenic factor does not emit light.

　Dark calls them "luminescent diseases" simply because their symptoms cause living organisms to become luminous and then disappear.

　They exist in the subspace, just like oxygen in the real world—ubiquitous yet invisible and intangible.

　The difference is that in the present world, humans are already able to collect oxygen. But in the subspace, Dark has not yet been able to identify the entity of that pathogenic factor.

　They are truly "invisible things".

　However, if it can be proven that the white light in this Temple of Life is a different stage of the same substance as the pathogenic factor of "luminescence disease," then the white light in this Temple of Life is the "tangible manifestation" of that pathogenic factor.

　Only by being able to identify it can it be collected.

　Only then can it be analyzed and cracked.

　"Is this the statue of the goddess of life?"

　Dark looked up at a statue that emitted a faint white light. Meanwhile, the little goblin, who showed no interest in the study, was circling around the statue's head.

　A label on the ground in front of the statue provides a brief introduction to it.

　Dak crouched down, examined the label carefully, and confirmed that the statue was indeed that of the goddess of life.

　"This statue was originally located on both sides of the entrance hall after entering the main gate of the temple, and there are quite a few similar statues. However, considering the needs of research, it has not been moved out for the time being."

　A researcher in a white coat approached and explained to Darke...

　Dark nodded slightly and asked, "How long has it been out?" The researcher replied, "Three days."

　“Three days…” Dark said, “Have you ever compiled statistics on whether there is a correlation between the speed at which these white lights dim and the length of time it takes for the items to disintegrate?”

　Surprisingly, the researcher shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. Sometimes, when the white light is at its brightest, objects will suddenly disintegrate."

　Dark said, "As expected."

　The researcher asked curiously, "What did you figure out?"

　Dark said, "It's nothing, it just slightly confirms one of my conjectures. Since the speed at which the white light dims is unrelated to the time it takes for an object to disintegrate, it means that the 'light infection' that causes an object to glow and the thing that keeps an object 'immortal' are two different things."

　The white light completely disappears and the object instantly disintegrates at the same moment. This is simply because both the white light and "immortality" are manifestations of an object's properties being altered.

　Therefore, the white light disappears the instant the object disintegrates. This information can easily be misunderstood when viewed solely from written sources.

　Half an hour later.

　After their observations concluded, Dak and Professor Cazell reunited. They quickly shared their findings.

　Darke then shared his conjecture.

　Professor Cazell frowned and pondered for a moment before agreeing. But he had made another discovery.

　He believed that the white light emanating from those objects should not have existed in the first place.

　These are phenomena caused by some kind of error, that is, a bug, which is obviously an angle that Dark had never thought of.

　But after hearing Professor Cazell's thoughts, Dark immediately realized the contradiction in his own conjecture.

　If those white lights had nothing to do with the temple.

　Therefore, they should not change simply because they are not inside or outside the temple.

　In fact, they not only gradually dimmed after leaving the temple, but also lost their "pathogenic ability".

　Therefore, if we want to prove his conjecture, we must explain why this contradiction exists.

　He shared his thoughts, and Professor Cazell immediately offered an explanation.

　"Luminescence is just a phenomenon, an outward manifestation of an object's properties being altered."

　"This is the same phenomenon as the symptoms of 'luminescence disease'."

　"As I said, the reason those objects continued to glow without being destroyed while inside the temple was because of a 'mistake.'"

　"Those white lights originally did not have the ability to cause disease."

　"The investigators were infected when they entered the temple, not because of the white light."

　Don't be misled by appearances.

　"There must be a 'pathogenic factor' within the temple, just like the 'luminescent disease.'"

　"What caused the investigators to be 'infected by light' was still that kind of 'pathogenic factor.'"

　"The temple items continue to glow because they are constantly being infected, thus repeatedly generating errors."

　"Therefore, once the items from the temple leave the temple, they will not be reinfected."

　"But as you said, the 'pathogenic factors' in those temples have deteriorated and become unstable for various reasons."

　"We can start with the easier ones, and then gradually, step by step, crack the more difficult ones."

　"We need to go check out the temple."

　Dark and Professor Kazel reached an agreement and immediately changed course to the temple.

　It was already night, but the two showed no sign of stopping to rest. Professor Lily followed behind, utterly bored.

　She floated forward in mid-air, chin propped up, maintaining this languid posture.

　soon.

　Led by Hannah, the three arrived at the Temple of Life. The temple entrance was guarded, reportedly on a 24-hour shift system. However, after listening to Dark's advice, Hannah immediately realized that simply guarding the main gate wouldn't prevent others from entering the temple.

　So she had already sent people to the ground to keep watch on the way, to prevent anyone from "digging into" the temple.

　Only a small part of the entire temple was exposed from underground due to the earthquake, but it happened to expose the "door".

　It's as if the door was deliberately opened to lure people in.