Suinhor

If the Shepherd’s River was the waterway connecting the north and south of Ruhe Beast Island, then the Great Serpent Road was the main land route between Suinhor and the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents.

Passing through the Alpens Fortress, Kurmis left the borders of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents and entered this famous trade route.

Along the way were many villages and towns, where caravans passed in an endless stream. Inns for rest and lodging were found all along the route.

Of course, groups of bandits would occasionally rush out from the dense jungle, adding to the dangers of the Great Serpent Road.

Especially in recent years, the bandits on the Great Serpent Road had been increasing day by day. These early bandits had even established extremely hidden gray-zone settlements along the Great Serpent Road.

These bandit gangs of various sizes and gray-zone forces were notorious in both Suinhor and the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents.

As these forces grew stronger, they also recruited a large number of Ability Users.

This place had now completely become a lawless zone. Their power was even strong enough that towns on the borders of both nations were influenced and controlled by these people who walked on the edge.

For caravans to pass through this trade route, they not only had to have intricate connections with these forces, but also had to cultivate their own guards or hire mercenaries for protection. This made the mercenary guilds at the borders particularly prosperous.

Alone on this road, Kurmis walked without flying or using any Divine Techniques, moving just like an ordinary Snake Person.

Sukob had taught him the method to transform into God’s Form, but Kurmis had never considered changing his form after becoming an apostle. He preferred to keep his current appearance. He wanted to feel everyone’s gaze on him as if he were just an ordinary person.

Along the way, Kurmis particularly enjoyed observing and collecting various plants, gathering seeds from gymnosperms or seed ferns.

“So there are plants like this as well.”

“What kind of plant is this? Its vitality is so strong that it thrives in sand and even in the cracks between stones.”

“And why do some of them have seeds while others do not?”

Kurmis had a basket strapped to his back, brimming with various items.

He appeared no different from a simple farmer hailing from the mountains.

After becoming an apostle and a Reincarnator, Kurmis began to uncover the deeper mysteries of spiritual power. He found that he no longer needed to physically touch others as he had before. Instead, he could now observe the world through spiritual power from a unique perspective. This allowed him to perceive the hidden secrets within other living beings.

His powerful and special spiritual power even allowed him to sense the terrifying aura of the Ruhe Beast, which shrouded the skies above Ruhe Beast Island.

However, the moment he observed the phantom formed by that condensed aura, he was struck by an intense fear. It felt as though the very air had been pulled from his lungs.

He did not dare look again.

He noticed that every intelligent life carried spiritual power. This power had the ability to influence intelligent races, and it could even partially affect their health and lifespan.

When intelligent races were nearing death, their spiritual power would begin to deteriorate in a strange and inexplicable way.

It was not a matter of depletion. It was a form of decay that seemed to rot away.

This decay was nearly impossible to reverse. Even when Kurmis used his spiritual power to mend it, he could only provide temporary relief.

He found it impossible to greatly extend the life of any intelligent race, including his own.

To escape the constraints of lifespan, only two paths existed. One was to break through mortal limits and become an apostle. The other was to master the secret of reincarnation.

After mastering spiritual power, both Sky Messengers and Feathered Serpents had primarily used it for healing.

But now, a novel idea came to Kurmis.

What would happen if he infused spiritual power into these plants?

Throughout his journey, Kurmis continued experimenting with this power, hoping to uncover something new. Despite his persistent efforts, he ultimately found nothing.

“Plants are not like intelligent races. They do not have the capacity to carry spiritual power.”

“Or perhaps it is possible, but I have not yet discovered the way.”

Although Kurmis failed, he continued to search and attempt.

Kurmis continued his journey along the road, aware of the dangers but undeterred. His luck had held so far, but it was only a matter of time before he encountered trouble.

As he walked along a narrow path, several figures suddenly emerged from both sides. They had clearly been lying in wait for some time, ready to ambush an unsuspecting traveler.

“Oi, you! Stop right there!”

“Hand over your things, now!”

A group of bandits in tattered clothes, gripping a few wooden sticks, came chasing after Kurmis with fierce and menacing looks.

“I said, hold it right there, you bastard!”

The ones who stopped Kurmis were an unprofessional group of bandits. This was not surprising, as Kurmis’s current attire and situation did not make him appear to be a wealthy target. Robbing him seemed like a futile effort. Only bandits who were truly desperate and impoverished would choose to rob someone like him.

In addition, this area was already near the city, a location large bandit gangs typically avoided. With so many people around, they could easily be discovered and then dealt with by the city’s guard officials.

These people attacked Kurmis directly, without the clear division of labor that skilled bandits had.

Kurmis extended his hand, and a ball of light spun out from his palm. As currents of air from the surroundings fell into his palm, the bandits all seemed to have their strength drained and collapsed to the ground.

“Ah, no!”

“He’s an Ability User!”

“We’re done for!”

Kurmis walked toward one of them. The man lay on the ground, weak and powerless, his terrified eyes fixed on Kurmis as he shouted.

“Please, sir, don’t kill us! We didn’t know you were an Ability User.”

“We ain’t done this before, honest! Just spare us this once, please!”

Kurmis found their words hard to believe, but as he observed them, they truly did not seem like professional bandits. Their lack of proper weapons made this evident.

He looked at them and asked, “Why did you choose to become bandits?”

The other replied, “We can’t make a living. We’ve got no land left.”

“The taxes piled up, and the noble lords took everything we had.”

Kurmis knew of such situations, having seen quite a few before. He sighed and said, “You could work the land for the nobles. It might not be much, but at least you could survive. Why would you choose to become bandits instead?”

The other suddenly shouted with extreme anger, “Work their land?”

“By the end of the year, there’s barely enough food to go around. Every winter, people starve and freeze to death like it’s nothing. They’re doing everything they can to get rid of us, treating us like we’re not even people.”

Kurmis was deeply puzzled. In his time, working the land for nobles had been a respectable way to make a living.

Back then, the population and servants were seen as valuable assets. Most nobles treated them with care and ensured their well-being.

Now, in Suinhor, the situation seemed entirely different. The nobles appeared indifferent to the population and servants on their lands.

Kurmis did not know why this was. He could only assume it was a situation peculiar to the border territories.

“Are the nobles at the borders truly this cruel?”

Kurmis offered another suggestion. “You could consider working in the workshops. It might provide a way to support yourselves.”

In his time, workshops had also been a decent livelihood. Many people without land would choose that path.

Kurmis did not expect that the moment he mentioned workshops, the other would immediately shout in anger.

“What? You think I don’t know about that?”

The man’s voice rose with anger. “Those workshop owners are worse than the nobles! They work us to the bone, day and night, until we drop dead after just a few years.”

“They don’t see us as people, not even as animals. At least animals get fed properly. But us? We’re starving while they squeeze every last bit of strength out of us.”

“And when it’s time to pay our wages, they come up with every excuse to dock our pay. The little they give us isn’t even enough to keep us alive.”

“You try working when you’re hungry and exhausted. The moment you slow down, they beat you and call you lazy.”

The man sat up from the ground, pointing to the scars on his body.

“See these scars? They’re from the beatings I took. The workshop owner’s thugs nearly killed me.”

“I’d rather die a bandit than rot away in one of those hellholes.”

As he spoke, the voices of the others grew heavier with despair. One by one, the bandits began to break down, some even crying openly. Finally, one of them shouted, his voice raw with anguish.

“Just end it, Ability User! Go on, kill us!”

“There’s no living for us anyway.”

“Do it! Put us out of our misery. At least it’ll be quick.”

Kurmis felt a pang of sympathy for these bandits, but he was unsure how he could help them.

He placed some money on the ground for them, choosing not to say anything lofty or profound.

Without another word, he turned and walked away. He had decided to see for himself what Suinhor had truly become.

Kurmis continued his journey and eventually arrived at Moonlight City in Suinhor.

As he approached the city gate, the guards stepped forward to block his path. One of them spoke firmly, “You need to pay to enter the city.”

Kurmis looked at the guards with confusion. “I am a physician, and as you can see, I am only carrying my personal belongings. I am not a merchant bringing goods into the city. Why is it necessary for me to pay taxes?”

“It does not seem fair to demand payment from someone like me.”

Long ago in Maya City, only merchants bringing goods into the city had to pay taxes.

The guard replied, “What are you talking about? You expect to enter the city without paying?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

Kurmis said, “More than a hundred years ago, in Maya City, people did not have to pay taxes just to enter the city.”

As soon as these words came out, all of them started laughing.

“What?”

“More than a hundred years ago?”

“Even in Maya City?”

Hahahaha!

After laughing, they immediately surrounded Kurmis with fierce and menacing looks.

“You’re not here to cause trouble, are you?”

“This is the law, a decree issued by the city lord. Everyone who enters the city must pay taxes. Otherwise, all you poor wretches would sneak inside.”

“Looking at you, you seem like a farmer, yet you claim to be some kind of physician.”

“I might as well say I am an Ability User, sir. Why don’t you bow to me?”

Kurmis had once been a guard himself. He had served as a close attendant, guarding the city lord from a young age. Now, he was witnessing the authority and demeanor of those in his former profession.

He chose not to say anything further and paid the money to enter the city.

As he stepped through the city gates, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. He remembered what Long had once said to him.

“Kurmis, it’s been over a hundred years since you left. Even if you go back, things won’t be the same.“

Having just stepped into this country, Kurmis felt as if he had entered a completely different nation. Everything familiar seemed to have vanished.

After more than a hundred years, he found himself looking at it all again through the eyes of a mortal.

“It seems that after a hundred years have passed, everything truly is different.”

“Has this country changed? Or have the people changed?”

“Or perhaps, have I changed?”

The cities of Suinhor had populations that were much larger than those in the north. Many of these cities had histories that stretched back hundreds of years, with some even dating to the era of the Fire Guardians.

In contrast, the cities of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents were mostly newly established.

The city was filled with foul odors, and everywhere was a sea of people.

On the streets, people were crammed together. If one was not careful, they would step in the excrement of humans and beasts.

In the outer areas, large numbers of poor people had built shacks that were squeezed together, piled and compressed upon each other.

As twilight descended, the air grew heavy with a dark and oppressive atmosphere.

Kurmis made his way into the slum, where the faint sounds of life echoed from a nearby fresh food market.

The stench was strong enough to make one faint, but the people living here seemed to have already grown accustomed to the smell.

Kurmis did not concern himself with the lives of the nobles. His purpose here was to observe how the lower-class people of this city lived and to determine if it was truly as the bandits had described.

He had come from a similar background. His parents had been workers in a workshop, and he had grown up in the city before eventually becoming a guard at the city lord’s mansion.

Each morning, before the first light of dawn, he watched groups of workers trudging to their jobs, moving like lifeless shadows. Even when the sky turned pitch black at night, these same people had yet to return.

“The sky is already dark. Why have they not returned?”

“How are they supposed to work in such darkness?”

Kurmis secretly went to investigate and found something new: gas lamps.

These were also known as alchemy gas lamps. Despite the name, they contained no supernatural power. The term “alchemy” seemed to be used more as a marketing ploy than an accurate description.

However, this device completely changed the city’s night and also changed Suinhor’s workshops.

Ever since cheap alchemy gas lamps arrived from the Land of Sunrise, night could no longer prevent workshop owners from earning their gleaming coins.

Workshop owners had workers work in two shifts, never stopping whether day or night.

When Kurmis went to observe these workshops, he discovered that inside were not only large numbers of women, but also many children.

The women were all hunched over, while the children were even more so, nothing but skin and bones. The scene looked quite horrifying.

As he observed what every household ate, he noticed it was a kind of paste that barely resembled food. It gave off a foul smell and seemed almost impossible to swallow. Even with such meager sustenance, they could not be sure they had enough.

They ate one meal without knowing where the next would come from.

Sometimes, people from the slum would gather to chat, and Kurmis would join in with his identity as a physician.

He had recently treated many people in the slum for their illnesses, and in this area, he was regarded with kindness and appreciation.

At this gathering, he found himself compelled to ask a question.

“Why do the workshops not employ adult men? Most of the workers are women and children.”

“Is it because they are unable to hire men?”

Someone in the crowd scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? Women and kids are cheaper.”

“Those greedy workshop owners save a fortune hiring them. They pay women half, sometimes even a quarter of what they’d pay a man. And the kids? Some of them work for scraps, or for nothing at all.”

“Why would they bother hiring men when women can do just as much, and kids, even if they are slower, cost next to nothing?”

Kurmis was taken aback. “So that is how it is.”

Someone replied, “We’re still better off here. At least we have a roof over our heads and some freedom.”

“Some kids don’t even get that. By the time they’re ten, they’re sold off to those workshop owners and treated like animals.”

He shook his head as he spoke, his voice heavy. “You haven’t seen it. It’s heartbreaking. The way they die in those places… when they’re dragged out, they don’t even look human anymore.”

Someone nearby scoffed, “Look at you, barely scraping by yourself, and you still find time to feel sorry for others.”

Another chimed in, “He’s just worried his own kid might end up like that.”

The second half of the sentence the other did not say out loud. He was worried his own child would end up this way in the future.

With that one sentence, suddenly everyone fell silent.

Kurmis asked these people again, “But slaves are considered wealth, are they not? Logically, would it not make sense for workshop owners to value them? If they die within just a few years, would that not result in a financial loss?”

The other said, “Slaves aren’t worth much. You can buy a kid for just a few copper coins.”

“Sometimes, you don’t even need money. People will sell themselves or their kids just for a single meal.”

Kurmis asked, “How can this be?”

The other replied, “A lot of folks can’t even feed themselves, let alone their children. Being a slave might be the only way to avoid starving to death.”

Kurmis was silent for a long while. “Is it all like this?”

The other shook his head. “Where isn’t it like this?”

Kurmis suddenly wondered whether his hometown was also like this.

“Why has it turned out this way?”

“It was not like this in the past.”

“How is it that after so many years of progress and development, things have not improved but have only grown worse?”

Everyone spoke all at once, but no one could give a true reason.

Someone muttered, “If only there was food that never ran out. Then no one would have to go hungry.”

These words sparked a thought in Kurmis.

For those living in this world, nothing was more important than food.

In the distance, a strange jungle glowed softly. Towering plants stretched skyward, each adorned with a large, luminous ball. The light they emitted was cold and dreamlike, casting an otherworldly aura over the landscape.

Kurmis looked at this jungle and spoke its name.

“Moonlight Jungle.”

It was one of the famous Forbidden Zones of Death on Ruhe Beast Island.

Although Moonlight Jungle was not as vast as other forbidden zones, it was extremely dangerous.

In other forbidden zones, there were at least legends of people returning alive. While the areas were large, the truly dangerous places were not extensive. From Moonlight Jungle, however, no one who entered was ever heard from again.

Even the surrounding area was avoided by everyone. Forgetting entering the jungle itself, no one dared to even approach it.

There was a reason Kurmis had come to this place.

According to legend, at the dawn of the era, Alcina, the ancestor of the City-State people, discovered Curled Ball Ferns in this very jungle. This discovery marked the beginning of the City-State civilization’s rise throughout the southern regions.

Over time, Curled Ball Ferns were introduced to the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, the Land of Sunrise, and the Thunderlake Kingdom.

It could be said that the civilization of the Snake People today owes its existence to this jungle and the discovery of Curled Ball Ferns.

Kurmis did not dare to enter the jungle itself. However, walking around the outskirts, his apostle power gave him enough confidence to keep fear at bay.

“Why would Curled Ball Ferns be born here?”

“Is it because this place has something special? Or is it because of this jungle?”

Kurmis raised his head and gazed at the massive, glowing plants in the distance.

He began to wonder if the emergence of Curled Ball Ferns could be connected to the legendary Ruhe Great God.

Driven by curiosity, Kurmis decided to search the area, hoping to discover any unique plants.

He even aspired to find plants as remarkable as the Curled Ball Ferns.

He shuttled ceaselessly around the outskirts of Moonlight Jungle, carrying a woven basket and wearing very short sleeves, with vines tied around his waist as a belt.

After several days of wandering, Kurmis discovered many novel plants he had never seen before. However, he still had not found the kind of plant he was searching for, one that could rival Curled Ball Ferns as a source of food.

On this particular day, Kurmis was crouching carefully on the ground, observing a plant. Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor from the earth beneath him.

“Has a caravan come?”

Kurmis looked in the direction the movement came from.

He saw a shadow approaching from the distance. In the blink of an eye, it swept past on the road, disappearing into the distance with a faint reddish afterglow under the setting sun.

Where it passed, one could faintly see images of blooming and falling flowers beneath the wheels. They were blood-colored flower cups.

Ordinary people might not notice anything unusual. As an apostle with heightened senses, however, Kurmis immediately recognized the unique traits of the presence that had just passed.

His spiritual senses were overwhelmed by the sensation of a vast sea of blood. He could hear the endless chanting of the Most Ancient Race, their voices echoing in his mind.

“Sage of Truth…”

“Inheritor of the Temple of Truth’s legacy, inheritor of the Saint’s Will…”

“Great Sage of Truth…”

The aura the other possessed was vast and profound. It did not have the agility and mystery of the Wisdom Ability. Instead, it carried a terrifying presence, like the wrath of the heavens.

It was an aura that bore a resemblance to the Ruhe Great God.

“It is a divine being’s vehicle!”

Kurmis quickly rose to his feet, his movements swift and fluid.

He tried to follow, but the divine vehicle had already vanished into the distant horizon.

As it passed, the figure within the vehicle seemed to cast a fleeting glance in his direction.

It was a beautiful woman.

The other stood by the window, her red hair glowing like flames under the setting sun. As the vehicle passed Moonlight Jungle, her gaze briefly fell upon Kurmis.

Kurmis felt a sudden shiver run through his body. His face lit up with excitement as he spoke.

“Scarlet Goddess!”

He had seen her before, in Maya City over a hundred years ago.

Kurmis involuntarily prostrated on the ground and kowtowed, calling out her divine name loudly.

“Scarlet Witch, Ruler of the Blood Kingdom of the Deep Sea. Great Blood Progenitor, Queen of the Most Ancient Race.”

“I have witnessed Your descent to the mortal realm again.”

When he was young, he had been a devout believer in this goddess. She had once saved his hometown and family.

Regardless of the present, he could not forget the grace he had received from her in the past.

After standing up, he looked into the distance for a long time.

Kurmis found himself speaking softly.

“Why do I always encounter divine beings?”

It felt as though he carried a peculiar kind of luck, or perhaps it was misfortune.

Kurmis shook his head once more, convincing himself that it was nothing more than coincidence.

“No, that cannot be the case.”

“Perhaps this is simply a unique time. Divine beings have started to walk among mortals, and so I happened to cross paths with them.”

On the Great Serpent Road

“They’re coming! They’re coming!”

“And making a hell of a racket too.”

A group of bandits crouched low, pressing their ears to the ground to catch any sign of movement. The faint vibrations reached them, and they quickly stood up, shouting to alert the others.

Before their voices could fully carry, a shadow appeared in the distance, moving toward them at an incredible speed. Without hesitation, they scrambled down the path in a rush.

“Oi, stop right there!”

“Hey, I said stop!”

But the arrival rushed past like a storm. Before they could catch a clear glimpse of it, it had already vanished into the distance.

The bandits exchanged confused glances, unsure of what had just happened.

“What was that?”

If someone could see clearly, they would realize it was not a vehicle in the traditional sense. There was nothing pulling it from the front.

It was a house moving across the earth. Two large wheels on either side touched the ground, and behind it was a wheel resembling a clockwork spring.

This was the Miracle Tool known as the Magic Wheel House.

It seemed almost surreal, as if it had stepped straight out of a storybook.

Inside the Magic Wheel House, the red-haired demigod observed the scene on the Great Serpent Road. She noticed the bandits scattered across the area and the gray forces entrenched along the route, their presence a stark reminder of the growing unrest.

A hint of worry crossed her eyes, followed by a soft sigh.

What concerned her was not only the chaos itself, but also the underlying reasons driving it.

At that moment, someone stepped forward and stood behind the red-haired demigod.

“Lady Vivien, we have arrived at the border.”

Vivien looked at Alpens and Smerkel, who had always followed by her side. “There really is a very big problem here.”

These years, though Suinhor still appeared strong on the surface, the lower levels had in reality erupted with extremely intense contradictions and conflicts.

Between the cities and within them, wars and conflicts broke out frequently. However, none of these people had yet dared to openly rebel against the Divine Blessed King.

The Divine Blessed King’s control over this nation was undoubtedly growing weaker. It seemed there was no way to reverse the current situation.

Large numbers of farmers had lost their land. This led to the rise of banditry, which was now rampant everywhere.

The problem was not confined to the land. The seas were also plagued by pirates, whose presence was impossible to ignore.

They established strongholds on various islands scattered across the sea. From these bases, they navigated their ships to raid and plunder in all directions, launching relentless attacks on the border coasts of Suinhor and the Land of Sunrise.

At this point, Suinhor resembled a porcelain jar riddled with cracks, teetering on the brink of bursting under the pressure of the water within.

Only a powerful force held this delicate and ornate piece of porcelain together, stopping the water inside from bursting out.

That force came from the nobles, the Ability Users, and the will of divine beings.

It was the authority that divine beings had bestowed upon royal power.

Vivien looked at Alpens and Smerkel and asked, “Tell me, what do you think is the most fundamental problem here?”

Alpens replied, “The population is increasing too quickly, while the amount of cultivated land continues to decrease. Internal conflicts keep intensifying, but they are being suppressed by supernatural power.”

“Behind all of this chaos, there is only despair.”

“Ordinary Snake People cannot even voice their struggles before being completely overwhelmed. It leaves one with no sense of hope.”

Smerkel added, “The cultivation of Curled Ball Ferns requires specific conditions for the land. The amount of suitable farmland in all of Suinhor is limited and has already reached its maximum potential. Many areas are either too barren or unsuitable for development.”

“There is too little farmland, and the population keeps growing.”

“In the end, this is what happens.”

Vivien then asked, “If we were to withdraw the divine authority that supports royal power, could that change anything?”

Smerkel shook his head and said, “That would still not be enough, because it would not address the root of the problem.”

Alpens explained, “A change in dynasty is nothing more than using war to reduce the population and redistribute land and wealth. It is an endless cycle.”

“Reduce the population, redistribute resources, and then the next kingdom repeats the same cycle.”

“This might hold meaning for mortals, but for you, Lady Vivien, it is far from sufficient.”

In fact, it was entirely without meaning.

The Scarlet Goddess nodded. “Yes. A civilization that cannot move forward, one that constantly treads in place and goes in circles, has no hope.”

However, even divine beings are not always able to solve every problem.