"Wait a minute! Where are you taking me——"

Herbert had his eyes covered by Fremay and was tightly hugged from behind as she dragged him towards the depths of the hot spring.

He tried to struggle a couple of times but eventually settled down.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to go with her; that wasn't the issue.

The issue was, going is fine, but could you at least give me a pair of pants?

Swimming naked, let alone drifting with the current, made him feel somewhat uncomfortable...

"Fremay, I don't mind going anywhere with you, but could you return my clothes?"

"I feel a bit... cold."

Sister, can I have a pair of pants, please!

But Herbert's humble request was rudely denied by Fremay, who had decided to disregard everything.

"No, you don't feel that way."

I don't want you to think; I want to think.

Fremay completely entered the domineering mode and said firmly, "Stop talking nonsense, just follow me quietly!"

"Oh, fine."

Seeing his request rejected, Herbert simply gave up and offered no more resistance, letting the water waves brush past him as he hung on mermaid Miss like a dead fish.

After all, before his soul returned, she had already seen everything there was to see; now it was pointless to try to hide... Not to mention there's nothing necessary to hide in the first place.

Moreover, since there were no outsiders here, he might as well be one with nature.

People are born naked and leave the world naked.

"...Isn't this path a bit long?"

Although Fremay wasn't swimming particularly fast, the depth of this underwater tunnel was indeed beyond Herbert's expectations.

No, that's not right.

Upon careful examination, he realized that Fremay wasn't entirely swimming downward, but rather undulating along the underwater tunnel.

The two seemed to be in a gigantic underwater labyrinth.

Where on earth are we heading?

Seriously, when did you come up with such a massive underground project?

Before Herbert could ask, the darkness that covered his eyes dissipated, and Fremay loosened her grip on him.

"Where are you taking me… huh? What's this place!!?"

Herbert initially thought he would see a place like an underwater cave, witnessing nature's uncanny craftsmanship...

But when Herbert blinked and saw everything before him clearly, he was stunned.

"Huh? This is..."

The scene before him was somewhat different from his imagination… no, very different!

Fremay brought him to a wondrous place.

Herbert had thought the underwater world was merely a monotonous blue or dark, at most with some glowing treasures.

Yet what unfolded before him was a magnificent scene akin to a dream.

Herbert seemed to be inside a lost temple buried underwater.

The massive stone pillars in the temple were carved with exquisite patterns.

There were ferocious giant dragons, gracefully poised mermaids, and many other magical beasts he couldn't recognize…

Those figures narrated countless stories, silently recounting past glories.

Luxurious archways connected the pillars, with countless gems emitting a soft light embedded at their tops, illuminating the surrounding waters with brilliant colors.

The ground was carved from a massive crystal block, with serpentine patterns on the surrounding walls, as if naturally grown vines.

Although the warm spring water had filled the place, it hadn't diminished its majesty and beauty one bit.

It was as if a benevolent priest might walk out at any moment to explain the splendor here and recount the greatness of the gods.

Herbert remained silent for quite a while, softly asking in his heart, "Nenasha, is this your temple?"

A place like this wouldn't appear out of thin air; it must have a source.

And since it lay deep within the misty mountains, the source pointed to a single existence.

A certain half-dead Miss Harmonious God, striving to cultivate allies, attempting to win the resurrection race.

["Yes, it's still a relatively intact fragment of a Divine Kingdom."]

At this point, Nenasha also showed some emotion, sighing as she surveyed the surroundings: ["It was hidden underwater so well, even I hadn't noticed before. She sure knows how to find things."]

["This isn't my main Divine Hall, just a small shrine on the outskirts of the Divine Kingdom where Heroic Spirits come to pray."]

There were strict hierarchies within the Divine Kingdom.

Heroic Spirits had their places to pray, as did the Holy Spirits, and angels... no one would disobey.

Herbert looked around, then asked unexpectedly, "Come to think of it, why don't I see your statue here?"

Though this was Nenasha's temple, it lacked the most crucial item.

The statue.

The statue is the incarnate embodiment of the god in the Mortal Realm, each representing the very existence of the deity.

The eyes of the statue are the eyes of the god, able to see the surrounding environment and overlook everything in the Mortal Realm.

Furthermore, the posture, expression of the statue, and the surrounding decorations convey special meanings, communicating the god's traits to the followers.

Some gods, having multiple common incarnations, possess multiple statues representing them.

Like the Ice and Snow Goddess, who has at least two forms: the petite Snow Elf and the arctic lynx.

["They've all disappeared."]

"Oh?"

Casually, Nenasha explained:

["After a Divine Spirit falls, the first thing to be affected is the statue; the visage shatters first, followed by the body, until it vanishes completely."]

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