Chapter 157

【"Every spirit in the Divine Realm was once an elite who earned the highest honors in life; they seek no greater glory."】

Nie Nasha told Herbert secrets of the Divine Realm that outsiders could scarcely know.

Not all believers are worthy of becoming spirits after death.

Though the gods have all promised that every believer would come to Their realms and be reborn after death… the truth is far different.

The Divine Realm is not infinite; the gods' power varies in strength, and they cannot permanently accept mortal souls—Death itself would never agree.

Some weak and faithless believers are taken away after death by Death's messengers, pass through the Spirit Realm, then return to the Chaos Sea to become raw material for new life.

Most believers with steadfast faith are guided by spirits into the Divine Realm, where, based on their deeds in life, they gain a new existence lasting no more than two hundred years.

It seems as if they have lived again, but there is a price.

During this time, they still serve the gods, answering priests' calls to descend to the mortal world, wage wars everywhere, and continue fighting for the Divine Realm's grand cause for life.

And in this process, they gradually forget everything from their past lives, until they lose all memory and consciousness, then remerge into the foundation of the Divine Realm.

Only a select few exceptional believers truly gain rebirth within the Divine Realm, becoming powerful spirits.

These individuals were legendary figures in life, having once been favored and rewarded by the gods.

Thus, for these spirits, they have already succeeded.

Having already received supreme favor and glory, they possess near-immortality and need no further divine favor after death.

They no longer need to strive.

What further progress could striving bring now?

Ascend from "Spirit" to "Holy Spirit," then to "Angel," then to "Divine Vassal," and finally to "Sub-Deity"?

Hard.

Success is virtually impossible to envision.

The process is too difficult, too difficult—beyond the excruciatingly long time required, it demands immense merit; almost no one can achieve it.

After learning this hidden knowledge, Herbert paused, his brow twitching.

If viewed from the entire structure of the Divine Realm, these spirits seem to occupy a middle-class position.

Exactly!

They are nobility—but not true great nobles, merely petty nobles who are neither high enough to rise nor low enough to fall.

Wealth (life), freedom, and no desire or drive to climb higher.

For this privileged class, no further struggle is needed; they can simply lie flat.

"Then they…"

Herbert's brow twitched slightly; a possibility occurred to him, uncertainly he said: "They're not… looking for amusement, are they?"

【"Aha!"】

Nie Nasha laughed, a look of satisfaction—Ruzike Sect—brightening her face:

【"Congratulations! You're right!"】

Hearing this answer, Herbert curled his lip, shook his head helplessly, and sighed:

"Alright, I knew it would be like this…"

The reasoning behind this conclusion was not complex.

Once one has wealth and leisure, one naturally begins to enjoy life.

But… what kind of life could there be in the Divine Realm?

Though called an independent world, the gods' power is limited; they cannot fully create a true world.

If they could, they would be true Creation Gods.

Thus, in that seemingly free world, spirits live far from true freedom.

Over countless ages, they are forced to endure this precious yet maddening boredom.

He knew all too well what nobles do when bored.

Merely imagining it made Herbert's eyelids twitch—he could already picture the absurd things the spirits would do…

At first, they would pair off with other spirits, loving each other for a while.

Later, if life grew monotonous, they could switch from male to female, female to male, then begin recombining.

After that, if still unsatisfied, they might gather more like-minded companions to waste away the endless time…

"But how does this relate to the lake?"

Herbert raised his brow, blinking rapidly.

He first thought of the tentacles, then the shape of an octopus, and finally—suddenly—it struck him: the carp monk from the monastery…

Sss!

Could it be…?!

The moment he imagined that possibility, Herbert's expression nearly cracked.

By the way, after his strength increased, Herbert gained a painful yet pleasurable problem—his mind now moved far too quickly.

This ability gave him more time to think in battle and make the most accurate decisions.

But it also made him constantly think of random, absurd things.

Because his thoughts moved so fast, by the time he realized what he was thinking, it was already too late.

Herbert weighed his words carefully and asked: "Then… that thing is the spirits'… uh… source of joy?"

【"Correct. It is the spirits' greatest favorite, a gift that lets them temporarily forget all troubles."】

【"Wine of Forgetting!"】

【"The Wine of Forgetting allows them to forget all troubles and memories of life in the Divine Realm for a long time—equivalent to starting a new life…"】

Herbert heard the first half, his thoughts already veered off—he sank into his own mind, muttering to himself:

But this doesn't make sense either—so many spirits used together, the tentacles definitely wouldn't be enough; it's not like each one gets its own suction cup… Huh? Alcohol?

What alcohol?

Herbert blinked, sucked in a breath of cold air, and murmured dazedly: "Ah! So it's the Wine of Forgetting—I thought it was something else—wait, alcohol?"

But alcohol still doesn't make sense!

"Alcohol soaked by an octopus?"

【"Huh? Who told you it's an octopus?"】

【"What exactly are you imagining?"】

Nie Nasha also felt something was odd; Herbert's reaction seemed off, but she couldn't figure out why.

She only sensed that Herbert had been distracted, lost in random thoughts since the beginning, but she had no idea what exactly he was thinking.

"Cough! Nothing, I just thought of some boring little thing."

Herbert coughed awkwardly twice, feigning calm as he asked: "Then what exactly is it? It doesn't look like something you can just drink."

【"Of course it's not for drinking—it's a vessel holding the liquor: the Cup of Forgetting."】

【"But why it changed from a cup into this form, I myself don't understand—only marvel at the creativity of divinity."】

Herbert slowly nodded.

Case solved.

It's still a cup!

Look!

I told you it was a cup!

Hmph, I knew I wasn't wrong about it!

【"As for why it came here specifically to find you, it must have sensed the lingering trace of my aura on you."】

Even the High Priest couldn't detect such a faint aura, but for a creation born within the Divine Realm, everything belonging to the deity, it was extraordinarily sensitive.

For the faintly conscious Cup of Forgetting, that presence was utterly unforgettable!

Hence, upon sensing the aura, it moved of its own accord, dragging the entire lake to block Herbert's path, attempting to make contact.

"Then now…"

【"You scared it off yourself—don't blame me~"】

Herbert closed his eyes and sensed—only the lake's stillness remained; the octopus's location was gone entirely.

Even though he had befriended every water element in the lake, he still couldn't pinpoint its exact corner.

【"That's normal—the water elements have simply forgotten it, including its existence."】

Nie Nasha smiled, soothingly: 【"But you needn't be too disappointed—the Wine of Forgetting holds little use for you right now."】

"…"

Seeing Herbert fall silent, she asked curiously: 【"Huh? Do you have something you actually want to forget?"】

"Of course I do."

Herbert rolled his eyes, exasperated: "A bunch of female goblins and minotaurs—do you think I want to forget them? You're truly a bastard—how could you possibly have done something like that?"

Are you even human?

You're nothing but a beast!

【"Hehe~ Well, hehehe~"】

The Trickster God chuckled, but his laughter held no guilt—only unmistakable triumph.

Hehehe, hehehehehe!

"If it won't show itself or make way, then we'll just have to walk right through it?"

【"Yes, walk through it—it's the only thing inside, nothing else."】

After another attempt at sensing yielded nothing, Herbert accepted reality, returned to shore, and lifted Valentina—who still hadn't woken in half a day—back into his arms.

He lightly stepped onto the lake's surface; small patches of ice spontaneously formed beneath his feet, supporting him before vanishing instantly.

As Herbert strolled effortlessly across the lake, his mind still turned over the tentacles he'd seen.

"Huh? Wait—now that I think about it, all the elements are here!"

Lake water, Holy Grail, knight… I've seen this plot before.

So where's the Lady of the Lake?

Don't be shy—come out and give me my Sword in the Lake!

As he walked across the lake, he let his mind drift aimlessly, unaware that snowflakes falling from above were growing thicker.

Huh…

Just as Herbert neared the center of the lake, a gust of icy wind, swirling with snow, swept toward him.

It rippled the lake's surface and made Herbert instinctively squint his eyes.

"Huh!?"

Herbert stared at the petite figure slowly forming in the snowstorm, his brow lifting involuntarily.

So…

You're the Lady of the Lake?

(End of Chapter)