As an extraordinary noble, Orff was acutely aware of where the soul would drift after the end of life. Being a noble without any true faith, he knew what kind of fate awaited him after death.
Precisely because he knew, he became all the more fearful of the end, resisting its arrival even more. This meant he found it difficult to reject this group of alien race that approached him.
"You will soon feel the strength of this body, Lord Orff. The original blood used in your transformation ceremony comes from the great Cycle Snake, granting you nearly infinite vitality; you can feel it now."
"I can already feel it!"
Orff clenched his fist, and the trace of sadness in his eyes vanished instantly. Compared to the strong power surging in his body at this moment, especially the intoxicating vitality, abandoning his human identity seemed insignificant.
"Humans are truly too fragile, but with the blessing of the Cycle Snake, you will become a perfect being superior to humans."
"Since humans are so fragile, why do you still disguise yourself as one now?"
Orff glanced sideways at the man, not allowing this Snake-man to continue boasting. Even though he was now a non-human alien race, he had been living as a human for hundreds of years.
"Because this is a world dominated by humans. However, it won’t be long before everything, under the guidance of the great Ritual Snake, returns to our Sitra Empire, and glory shall belong to us."
An exceedingly elegant man, at this moment, showed a fanatical expression. Under this overly excited emotion, green scales emerged from his skin, revealing alien features distinct from the human race.
"The Ritual Snake? How many snake gods do you have?"
Upon hearing the name of another esteemed being, Orff couldn’t resist asking.
"The great snakes sheltering the Empire are too numerous for you to imagine!"
Seeing the newborn Snake-man in front of him questioning him, the man showed an arrogant expression,
"The Ritual Snake is just the most active great snake in the Empire at present!"
"What about the Cycle Snake that granted me the original blood? How does it compare to this Ritual Snake, Your Majesty? Which is greater?"
Orff’s mind moved, and he immediately questioned further.
"That is a very presumptuous question, Lord Orff. This is the first and last time I remind you, each great snake is a supreme existence for us."
The originally fanatical man’s eyes suddenly turned calm upon hearing such a query, then unfriendly reminded this newly transformed Snake-man,
"However, I can tell you, the Cycle Snake is one of the oldest snake gods in the Empire. Unfortunately, this great snake has only been active three times since the Empire’s founding, and every time it was very brief."
"How long has the Empire been established?"
Orff immediately sensed something amiss; even among divines, there are strengths and weaknesses. How could the great snakes worshipped by the Sitra Empire be the same?
"From the coronation of Snake Emperor Valtus selected by the Nine Snakes to today, the Empire has continued for more than three thousand six hundred years!"
"Three thousand six hundred years? An empire nearing four thousand years?!"
Orff’s complexion turned exceedingly grim at this moment. Not only was the original blood source—the entity known as the Cycle Snake—not manifesting even once a millennium.
More importantly, he suddenly realized that the alien force he had now allied with might actually be a true empire, not some preposterous alien species arrogantly calling themselves so.
In a world where the extraordinary rampaged, every faction’s establishment required substantial strength. To establish a state recognized by surrounding areas, at least legendary combat power was necessary.
Without legendary power, even occupying a territory, it could only be termed an Independent Domain or Free Territory.
A single or multiple legends establishing a nation could be termed a Duchy or Knight Country, but claiming it a Kingdom would require at least ten legends, including a high-rank legend.
An Empire had even higher requirements, needing at least three near-saint legends, effectively controlling territory over half a continent, and possessing strong military power capable of cross-plane, multi-front warfare, among other stringent demands.
It couldn’t just be called whatever you want. Of course, some monsters proclaimed themselves king as soon as they emerged, calling themselves a kingdom once they gained some footing.
But such ridiculous monster factions were considered jokes in front of orthodox civilizations.
Initially, Orff regarded these Snake-men claiming to be from the Sitra Empire as spokespersons for some unintelligible monster faction.
He only sought to acquire the transformation ceremony that could prolong life from them. He planned to wait patiently for an opportunity to break free from these monsters and potentially eradicate them completely after transformation.
Empire, indeed, how many years had it been since the Xilantia Continent birthed such a level of nation? Not only the Xilantia Continent, even across other continents, it’s questionable whether an empire exists; thus, from the start, he treated them as reckless wild beasts.
However, looking at it now, what stood behind them was not some foolish monster faction but a true empire, a strong empire capable of cross-plane conquest and colonization.
Considering such a possibility, Orff was almost suffocated; if it truly was an empire, what chance did he have to struggle and resist?
"You look very shocked, Lord Orff!"
Admiring the expression displayed by this former human noble in front of him, the Snake-man priest showed a satisfied look,
"I know you never believed in the existence of the Sitra Empire. After all, living on such an ignorant and backward land, disbelief is normal.
You’ve never felt the Empire’s radiance, but it doesn’t matter. You’re already one of us, and I can now show you the Empire’s existence."
"How do you plan to show me? Take me on a one-day tour of the Sitra Empire?"
Orff prudently asked. Although he believed, doubt persisted more.
"Of course not. Although you are already one of us, your merits are insufficient to bask in the radiance of the great snake."
The Snake-man priest’s face showed a mysterious smile,
"But you can visit the Snakes Hall established by the Empire on this continent, and your transformation ceremony will be completed there thoroughly!"
"What? Isn’t my current state complete?"
"Of course not. The original blood of the great snake can grant you more innate power. How could it merely be an animal-like shell?"
Orff was confused, but having undergone a metamorphosis in life form with no way back, he followed the beguiling Snake-man priest with great vigilance and an inexplicable sense of anticipation to the so-called Snakes Hall.
"Is the so-called Empire only able to hide in underground caverns?"
Seeing the meandering, directly underground tunnel in front of him, Orff couldn’t help but mock. This was vastly different from the magnificent scene he imagined.
"The Empire’s current forces invested here are limited and shouldn’t be exposed, so concealment is necessary."
The Snake-man didn’t mind this native’s mockery. He had experienced similar situations countless times; once the Snakes Hall was seen, it would all be clear.
The palace and city walls forged from unknown magic alloy emitted a faint glow of secret pattern light, with snake-man statues reaching over ten meters tall, leaving Orff, visiting for the first time, immensely shocked.
This was a vast metallic catacomb hidden deep within the caverns—primal, profound, ancient, mysterious, with powerful alchemy techniques, and magic arrays far beyond his current knowledge.
He believed the Sitra Empire truly existed.