Chapter 25: The Dragon King of Ancient Times
Above the deathly still River of the Dead, a pale figure darted through the mist.
“The so-called River of the Dead—what exactly is it? No one has ever been able to give a definite answer, not even we who are the Death God's followers.”
“It is said that this long river is the origin of souls, the source of life, and that it existed even before the world was born.”
“But there is no solid evidence for this, and it contradicts certain doctrines of the Earth Mother Church, so this theory has never gained wide acceptance.”
“The most widely accepted hypothesis regarding the River of the Dead is the 'Divine Kingdom Theory'.”
“According to this hypothesis, the River of the Dead is the divine kingdom carved out by the original Death God, and thus it flows through all four realms.”
Perched on Sylvia’s shoulder, Lakdevo spoke eloquently.
“Hypothesis?”
Sylvia sharply caught onto a particular word in his explanation.
“That’s right.”
“Because even the current Death God cannot confirm the river’s origin.”
“Even though He already fully controls this long river.”
Sylvia nodded, then said with some subtle meaning,
“From your tone, I sense a lack of reverence toward the Death God.”
Lakdevo fell silent for a moment after hearing this question, then answered,
“Yes, actually most members of the River Council share my attitude toward the Death God.”
“I can’t tell you the specific reason. It’s the same reason as before.”
“Hmm.”
Sylvia nodded on the surface, but inwardly she felt as though a small hand were scratching at her mind.
I’m really so curious!
She helplessly grumbled inwardly, and began to slow her flight above the River of the Dead.
Because at that moment, Lakdevo reminded her they were not far from their destination.
However, right then, an unexpected change occurred.
Within the dense gray mist ahead, a silhouette rapidly took form.
“Hmm?”
Seeing the sudden shift in front of her, Sylvia raised an eyebrow.
Because not far ahead, a figure had appeared.
That figure was heading directly toward her, rushing from the opposite direction.
A Death Herald Crow?
No, it wasn’t.
Sylvia quickly denied that guess in her mind.
Because that silhouette was clearly humanoid.
And more importantly, she couldn’t sense any divine aura from the figure.
But...
The puppet girl took another careful look, and a strange expression flickered in her eyes.
Because in her vision, the gradually clarifying figure gave her a sense of bloodlust and savagery, as though she were facing a terrifying beast from ancient times.
As she pondered, the distance between them steadily closed.
Until the two were close enough to clearly see each other's appearance—
It was a voluptuous woman, her light green hair casually tied up, dressed in a golden-yellow robe of the clergy.
At the same time, Sylvia noticed that the robe bore symbols signifying the sun, harvest, and similar meanings.
But that wasn’t the key point.
As her gaze moved upward, Sylvia’s vision pierced through the woman’s body and locked onto her soul.
In the next second, she saw vertical pupils of a crimson-gold hue, and illusory scales spreading across the woman’s cheeks!
This was—
“Dragon.”
At that moment, Lakdevo’s voice echoed faintly, answering her unspoken question.
Just then, the figure also began to slow down and offered a greeting to Sylvia as they passed.
But the puppet girl saw clear confusion on the woman’s face.
It was understandable, though—anyone who saw an apostle of the Death God wearing a robe of the Church of Radiance would fall into momentary bewilderment.
It was due to haste and a bit of carelessness that she had rushed out without changing her cloak.
Sylvia nodded slightly in response, but didn’t return the greeting.
She didn’t intend to engage with this person here, at least not for now. This was the River of the Dead—territory ruled by the Death God—not the physical world.
After that, the two passed by each other without further interaction.
Until the woman’s silhouette disappeared, neither the girl nor the crow said another word.
Soon after, they arrived at their designated location.
In the next instant, everything around them shattered, and the surrounding scenery shifted—
In the darkness, the sound of flowing water could be heard.
It was a section of a sewer, but no one else was around.
As the black veil imbued by the Authority of Sloth spread out, Sylvia got her bearings and began moving in the designated direction.
To avoid alarming her target, she slightly altered the location where she descended into reality.
“What was that just now?”
She asked while walking.
That thing just now was a person, right? But why did it give off a draconic feeling?
“A Prosperity High Priest from the Golden Land,” Lakdevo replied.
The Golden Land was said to be the divine kingdom of the Earth Mother God; and the Prosperity High Priest was one of the thirty-two extraordinary paths.
“Golden Land?”
Thinking of the woman’s lofty demeanor, Sylvia nodded thoughtfully, then frowned:
“How can a Prosperity High Priest enter the River of the Dead?”
“They can.”
Lakdevo nodded confidently.
“The domain of the Prosperity High Priest includes both abundance and decay.”
“And decay overlaps with death to some extent, so they too can enter the River of the Dead.”
“But I’m quite curious—those folks aren’t usually in the New Continent. What are they doing here?”
Lakdevo murmured to himself, but Sylvia paid him no mind and instead asked:
“You’re saying those marks on her were... of a dragon?”
“Yes.”
Lakdevo nodded.
“The Earth Mother God's followers typically possess the bloodline of dragons. This originates from Her blessing.”
“Oh?”
Sylvia responded with interest.
Seeing this, Lakdevo continued,
“The title ‘Earth Mother God’ only appeared a little over a thousand years ago.”
“As one of the most ancient deities, Her name in the olden times was ‘King of Bounty and Sun’.”
“At that time, She was a Dragon King.”
“Dragon King…”
Sylvia repeated the term, and then her eyes slowly narrowed.
So the Earth Mother God wasn’t a human deity at all, but a dragon god who had survived from ancient times.
This was the first she had heard of it.
“That’s right.”
Lakdevo acknowledged her repetition.
“Among the Nine True Gods, there are three who are non-human deities, and the Earth Mother God is one of them.”
“Three?”
Sylvia was surprised again, though no emotion showed on her face.
“Yes.”
The plump crow perched on her shoulder gave a nod.
“The God of Spirituality—also known as the Mother of the Moon—is the deity of the elves.”
“And the Death God is also not human.”
Hearing these words, Sylvia nodded in thoughtful silence.
As for what race the Death God belonged to, she didn’t ask.
Because she knew that pertained to the “greatest secret above the River of the Dead”—otherwise, given Lakdevo’s ‘loyalty’ and personality, he would’ve told her outright.
In fact, whether dragons or elves, both were once the overlords of the land in ancient times.
But ever since humanity came to rule the world, these extraordinary races had grown increasingly rare.
Until now, they had nearly vanished.
So, lost in thought, she continued walking forward.
Until, after turning a corner, several figures appeared not far ahead.