The illusion realm in the depths continued.
The foreign envoys, dressed in black gauze, spoke in hoarse voices: "Viper God, your land is rich in resources and prosperous in living, yet situated in a region surrounded by wolves on all sides."
"The mighty warriors are dwindling; may I ask, God, how can the territory be defended?"
"Even if Your Highness is a natural myth, are the enemies not myths themselves?"
In this jungle of survival of the fittest, wars are frequent, and instances of mutual population plundering are common.
"Moreover, many nations have adopted a method to enhance their combat strength... (*some deliberately omitted fragments)"
This strange method seems to have sparked much discussion among the snake-man nobles.
"Emperor, I've heard about this method too. Sending our warriors to compete against theirs would quickly reveal who is stronger." A great scholar proposed a solution.
"Agreed!" The Snake-man Emperor waved his hand.
As the gambling duel proceeded, Lu Yuan discovered that his perspective hadn't switched.
The ability of historical retrospection also has its limits; perhaps to avoid certain dangerous content, this archaeologist didn't confront the battle head-on.
From within the palace came earth-shattering cries, blood splattered three feet high, even staining the ceiling above.
The snake-man nobles gathered together and whispered among themselves.
Within mere moments, the battle ended.
The final outcome was self-evident.
The Snake-man Emperor fell silent for a moment, his face looking troubled: "Outsiders, tell us about this method—what do you seek to gain from it?"
"Ten million people!"
"This is impossible!"
The envoys in their black gauze spoke eloquently: "Your Majesty, by conquering the cities of other civilizations, you can seize more slaves. We only require those slaves—not your own people."
"We need a powerful ally to offer this mystical method..."
"Otherwise, we will keep it hidden."
"Your Majesty, if you refuse, you will watch as your lands are annexed, your citizens reduced to slavery, and your people slaughtered by external forces."
The scene slowly faded into obscurity, and this segment of historical retrospection ended abruptly.
Lu Yuan steadied his nerves, finding himself still seated in the grand hall of the Immortal Palace.
His heart harbored countless questions.
The other six strangers also wore solemn expressions, absent their usual carefree attitudes.
Lu Yuan was about to speak.
"It's not over yet," the old snake-man said, "Don't speak, and don't ask questions. Even if you suspect something, keep it in your heart."
Divine Skill—Memory Library!
The obscure images once again surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind.
It is unclear how many years had passed.
A small-scale pool appeared near the Snake-man Palace, shimmering with golden light, steam rising like colorful clouds, its momentum grand and magnificent.
It seemed as though infinite energy surged from within the pool.
Pockets of mist sparkled with golden bubbles under the sunlight, and the sounds emanating from the depths of the spring roared endlessly, reminiscent of crashing waves.
Even though the resources of the Snake-man City were plentiful, they had never witnessed such an extraordinary phenomenon.
The nobles, one by one, gasped in astonishment, flicking their tongues repeatedly while gesticulating wildly in excitement.
"This power is too astonishing!!"
"No wonder those enemies... their combat strength has significantly increased in recent years; the pressure on our borders keeps growing..."
"Now that we have this, we too can cultivate higher-level warriors."
The more the nobles discussed, the more fervent they became, eager to drink deeply from this spring.
At that moment, the mythical-level Snake-man Emperor suddenly spoke. He had been quietly contemplating, yet he shook his head decisively: "Everything comes at a cost. I don't believe using this spring doesn't require some form of payment."
"Where does it come from? Why is its effect so powerful? These are all mysteries."
"If the cost exceeds what we can bear, what then?"
"Emperor, without using this spring, we won't have sufficient power to guard the borders." Several nobles bowed respectfully, "If others use it while we don't, we'll face extinction within a century."
"Have you inquired about the cost?" asked the Snake-man Emperor.
An elderly snake-man emerged from the crowd.
His eyes shone as brightly as starlight: "Through my divinations, the first to use it would pay almost no price, but the more races that use it, the heavier the cost becomes. If all were to use this spring, the cost would grow so immense that we couldn't possibly endure it."
The crowd erupted into discussions—what does this mean?
The Snake-man ruler let out a deep sigh, his gaze fixed on the eternal sun far off in the sky.
In this world, the sun never sets, perpetually poised at its zenith, endlessly casting its light and heat.
Yet, the era subtly shifted.
The brief historical retrospection ended once more.
Lu Yuan was expelled from the illusion realm. Once he regained his senses, he mulled over the information for a long time but couldn't make sense of it. His eyes widened: "That's it? Is that all the secret you've kept for so long contains?"
"I waited so long for this!"
The old snake-man retorted impatiently: "There's more, but it's not suitable for you to see. After all, you'll have to leave this different space eventually—you wouldn't stay here forever, would you?!"
Lu Yuan froze; he did indeed need to leave.
"These two scenes already contain plenty of information. If you can't piece things together yourself, you can't blame us!"