Following the Demon Spirit puppet’s aircraft, they no longer wandered aimlessly through the vast Endless Desert.

As dusk approached, the Abyss Royal City began to emerge faintly on the horizon.

The entire city was surrounded by a barrier that kept even the smallest grain of sand from entering.

The Cup of Desire pinned to Oran’s chest shifted slightly, its flower cup turning toward the distant Abyss Royal City.

“Master Oran, this city…”

Gamel hesitated, the words catching in his throat. He seemed to want to say something more but could not.

Finally, he managed to ask, “Is this the Abyss Royal City?”

He struggled for words to describe the sight. The city was magnificent, with an imposing exterior and thick, unyielding walls. Towering, peculiar buildings stood in rows, their structures connected by intricate corridors, rope bridges, and stone pathways.

The city carried the weight of the ancient and grand primordial era. Its complex and awe-inspiring construction reflected the former prosperity of the Abyss civilization.

As they spoke, the aircraft and flying carpet drew near the city.

Oran sat upon the flying carpet and answered Gamel.

“This is the Abyss Royal City.”

“What’s wrong?”

Gamel replied, “It feels as if we have arrived in another world.”

An indescribable shock filled Gamel’s heart. This city seemed to manifest a corner of the prosperity from the previous era that Oran had spoken of.

Although he had not been able to see the Lost Kingdom in the clouds, he felt fortunate to witness this Abyss Royal City in the sea of sand.

The sight gave Gamel a clearer understanding of the ancient era.

The aircraft descended gracefully through the towering city gate tunnel. The flying carpet glided closely behind it, slipping inside.

Ray stepped off the aircraft, his first action to rid his body of sand. He used divine techniques to clean himself thoroughly.

“This is the worst part about this place,” Ray said. “There is sand everywhere you go.”

He patted his metal head, which made a clang, clang sound.

Only then did Gamel understand why these Demon Spirit puppets wore clothes. Sand entering their metal bodies was not only uncomfortable but also hindered their movements.

Afterward, Ray led them through the labyrinthine city, guiding them between its tall buildings.

Throughout the city, the forms of numerous non-human presences could be seen.

Metal puppets, clay jar puppets, and glass puppet figures moved along the corridors outside the buildings. Occasionally, kite-shaped Demon Spirits glided through the sky above.

The city, with its fantastical design and the endless yellow sand surrounding it, created a scene both grand and dreamlike, as if it belonged to a mythological world.

Lost in thought, they passed a palace and eventually arrived at the Demon Spirit Pyramid.

Ray stopped here and turned to Oran.

“Oran, you have to stick around this time,” he said. “Help me build a new aircraft. My old one is good, but building a new one sounds like fun.”

Ray was straightforward. He did not seem to know what it meant to be polite, yet he understood that asking for help required giving something in return.

Oran nodded, his tone carrying a hint of meaning.

“Perhaps I will need some help from you as well.”

Ray departed, and a voice emerged from within the Cup of Desire.

“Master Oran… do I have to go in, too?”

Gamel felt the immense power of the Demon Spirit Pyramid. He could sense a vast force extending beyond reality, connecting to an unseen and mysterious dimension.

That power was far beyond what any mortal could possess.

His initial anticipation quickly gave way to fear and unease.

He realized that stepping inside meant facing a deity, the legendary God of Demon Spirits.

When Oran had spoken of it before, the idea had seemed so straightforward.

Meeting a deity had sounded like a simple task.

But standing here now, Gamel understood the true weight of such an encounter in the eyes of an ordinary person.

It was no surprise that his emotions were in turmoil.

Oran understood Gamel’s turmoil and sensed the worries in his mind, especially after they had witnessed the fate of mortals who encountered a deity.

“The Ruhe Great Gods are not like other deities,” Oran said reassuringly. “They hold immense power, and their every action carries unimaginable consequences.”

“Besides, we are not here to disrespect the divine.”

“So, there is no need to be anxious or fearful.”

“Gamel, Lady Elena is a noble and just deity. She has shown me kindness many times.”

Oran walked down the steps, entering the Demon Spirit Pyramid.

The moment his gaze fell upon the ancient temple dedicated to the Creator, the entire realm turned upside down.

Looking around, Oran knew at once that he was no longer in the mortal world.

He looked toward a distant, profound darkness that had no end.

“The Dream Realm.”

“The Kingdom of the Gods.”

Oran had journeyed through the Dream Realm with the dream-dwelling nymph race, so he recognized this place immediately.

The Demon Spirit Pyramid was a mythical artifact, divided into two distinct sides.

The inverted pyramid existed in the mortal world, while the upright pyramid resided in the Dream Realm.

However, very few were capable of entering the upright Demon Spirit Pyramid.

Atop the pyramid stood a temple. Inside the hall, a statue of the God of Demon Spirits, Elena, was enshrined. At this moment, the deity herself stood beneath her own statue, her gaze fixed on Oran.

The God of Demon Spirits stood silently, yet in the eyes of Oran and Gamel, dense patterns and seals emerged behind her. The sight was overwhelming and all-encompassing.

They saw the Abyss of the primordial age transform into a massive whirlpool behind her. The wills of countless People of the Abyss seemed to echo through the air, calling her name.

She was the inheritor of the will of the People of the Abyss and the final bearer of an entire civilization. The weight of her presence was immense.

Just looking at her, they felt pressed down by the heavy atmosphere of civilization and the oppressive force of mythical power. They immediately lowered their heads, unable to meet her gaze.

Oran stepped forward and bowed.

Although Elena had not possessed divine status when they last met, she had shown kindness to Oran. For this reason, Oran held deep respect for her.

“Great God of Demon Spirits, Lady Elena.”

“God Iva asked me to bring you His blessings. He congratulates you on returning from the ancient savage years and ascending to divine status in this era.”

“May you recover all that was once yours and restore the glory of the Abyss civilization.”

Elena’s voice came from above. It was the voice of a noble lady, yet it held a quality of hardness, like a knight forged from steel.

“Please convey my gratitude to God Iva for his blessing.”

“However, what was once mine belongs to the past, much like time that cannot be reversed.”

“The new era brings its own tales, and even mythology must embrace this truth.”

“There is no need for him to console me.”

Elena spoke with her usual directness, leaving Oran unsure how to reply. He realized these words were not truly meant for him.

The words that followed, however, were.

Elena turned her gaze to Oran’s God’s Form. A flicker of emotion crossed her expression as she regarded him.

“Oran, you were once a snake person, then a puppet, and now you bear God’s Form.”

“You seem to transform every time we meet.”

“What form will you take the next time we cross paths?”

Oran answered, “Great Lady Elena, perhaps I have just been fortunate.”

Elena chuckled softly, seeming to hold little regard for the word fortune.

“Everyone who reaches this step is fortunate, but fortune does not last forever. For some people, a moment of fortune is an opportunity. For others, it is a disaster.”

“Oran, the fact that you gained the favor of the wood nymphs and are valued by God Iva shows that you possess qualities others do not.”

Having said this much, Oran took the opportunity to ask the question that had been troubling him.

“Lady Elena, a question has lingered in my mind on my way here. May I ask you something?”

Elena did not speak, only looking at Oran.

Oran understood her silence as permission to continue.

“What do you think is the most important quality for becoming a deity?”

“What is needed most to become one?”

When God Iva told Oran he would become his follower, this question had been on Oran’s mind ever since.

He had gained some understanding of the relationship between gods and humans in the Thunderlake Kingdom. Now, however, he sought the perspective of a true deity.

He wanted to ask a deity who had lived through an entire era what qualities one should possess.

He also wanted to know what he himself must possess if he truly wished to become a deity.

Elena responded in a calm yet profound tone, “To become a deity, no specific quality is required. There was once one who, by sheer fortune, ascended without needing anything at all.”

Her words left Oran dumbfounded. Gamel, already dizzy from a topic meant for gods, felt completely lost.

Oran struggled to comprehend it.

“To become a god… needing nothing at all?”

Meanwhile, a single, incredulous question raced through Gamel’s mind. ‘Becoming a deity?’ he thought, unable to contain his disbelief.

Elena continued, “He was born a deity, but not from blessings. Instead, his birth came from nightmares and calamities.”

Her voice fell into reminiscence, as if she were recalling the savage affairs of the primordial age.

“He was known as the Little Person in the Bottle, an Evil God born from within its confines,” Elena began, her tone steady yet reflective.

“A creation of Anhofus, a being of immense power but without purpose or direction. Even eternal life became a curse to him, like poisoned wine.”

“He was trapped in that bottle from the moment of his birth, adrift on an endless sea, with no destination and no anchor to steady him.”

“Anhofus may have created him and granted him a place in mythology, but the one he despised most was Anhofus himself.”

Oran could not grasp who Anhofus was. He struggled to comprehend what kind of being could create mythology. The tragedies and pain hidden behind the myths and epics of the primordial age were even harder for him to fathom.

Elena emerged from her memories. She stood silently before the temple, her gaze fixed downward.

“Oran, becoming a deity does not require any special quality. Anyone has the potential to ascend.”

“But that is just the start.”

“What truly matters is why you want to become a deity, the purpose behind it.”

“It is that unwavering obsession, the one thing you cannot let go of, even after countless ages.”

“That is what defines you.”

“It is your anchor in the endless flow of time, the thing that keeps you steady.”

“It is your vessel to navigate the river of time, your anchor, your guiding light.”

Elena’s exquisite metal puppet face beneath her hood bore no expression as she spoke words as cold as metal.

“If you are still unsure, it means you lack the heart to become a deity, the strength to endure eternal life.”

“It also means you risk becoming like the Little Person in the Bottle.”

“Consumed by arrogance, lost in confusion, and ultimately destroyed by the very power you wield.”

“Oran, for those without the heart of a deity, eternal life is not a gift—it is a curse.”

“Over the ages, everything you hold dear will fade away.”

“All that you are will erode, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell—alive, but without purpose, without a heart.”

“Time may not claim your body, but it will break your spirit and shatter your will.”

Oran listened to Elena’s words, raising his head to look at her.

In that moment, the deity in his eyes appeared entirely different. The usual descriptions like mighty, powerful, or eternal felt hollow and inadequate.

He seemed to see a radiant, pulsing heart within the figure above.

These beings could ascend to divinity not merely because of their power, but because they carried an anchor that would never fade. Their hearts continued to shine, even as the relentless flow of time tried to wear them down.

Elena noticed the uncertainty still lingering in Oran’s heart.

“Iva chose you to become his follower, but the final choice still rests in your hands.”

“Have you truly thought carefully about what kind of divine being you wish to become?”

Oran did not speak. At that moment, he was also asking himself the same question.

“Oran, do you have the heart to bear the weight of eternal life, the heart of a deity?”

“Have you truly considered what it means to be a deity, and what kind of deity you wish to become?”

In that instant, Oran suddenly thought of Old Tut and the oath they had made together in their youth when they joined the Tower Spirit School.