EeDechi strode into the palace, where everything glittered with gold and splendor. The domed ceiling was covered in exquisite carvings and colors, and the murals depicted endless wars, grand and majestic.
Supporting the dome were dozens of towering stone pillars. Looking around, each massive pillar had a huge skeleton nailed to its broad surface.
The skeletons' expressions were either ferocious or furious, but all carried a dignified air, with solemn features. Even in death, nailed to the pillars, they still radiated an unmatched divine majesty.
"That's the elven goddess Elariontha!" Antilene raised her hand, pointing at one of the pillars, her face filled with utter shock.
"That's Gaia!" Barrett glanced at one of the nailed corpses, equally stunned.
"The goddess who rules over magic!" Franco's eyes bulged as he pointed at a delicate, translucent skeleton, hopping mad. "I was planning to get it on with her after I ascended to godhood—how the hell is she here?"
"And there's the dwarf god Grondar," Barrett said in a low voice. He'd once had a dwarf companion, so he knew a fair bit about the dwarf pantheon.
"Meow~" Cheeko curled up by EeDechi's pant leg, rubbing against it uneasily.
On top of that, through Barrett's identification, the divine remains on the pillars included the wild gods worshiped by goblins and orcs, as well as the sky and wind god revered by the birdfolk, the ocean and water god of the merfolk, and countless others.
"It looks like the Eight Greed Kings once broke into their divine realms, slaughtered those high-and-mighty gods, and dragged them down from the heavens."
EeDechi tilted her head back to stare at the gods nailed to the pillars, surprised. "But... if these corpses are real, I clearly remember that Gaia and the elven goddess Elariontha still exist in the world—their divine powers and faiths are still active."
EeDechi and the others were filled with doubts as they continued deeper into the temple.
A grand voice echoed from the dome: "Guests from afar, please step onto the circular stone ring ahead. We have been waiting for quite some time."
EeDechi looked forward and saw a massive circular jade stone on the floor. Without much hesitation, they all stepped onto it.
The circular jade platform slowly rose, lifting bit by bit toward the sky, while the ceiling suddenly split open, revealing a round hole that perfectly matched the jade platform.
It turned out this was an elevator platform, designed to carry EeDechi and the others to the upper level of the temple.
With the deep grinding of stone slabs, the elevator platform came to a halt, and EeDechi and the others arrived in another grand hall. This hall was vast and open, airy on all sides, with white clouds drifting outside.
Surrounding EeDechi, the four people and one cat, on all sides of the hall, were 30 towering thrones. And upon those thrones sat 30 level-100 guardians of various appearances and forms, upright and alert.
The 30 level-100 guardians of the Eight Greed Kings had finally appeared!
"Guests, you have endured many trials to reach this place. What brings you here? What do you wish to know?"
A man with a golden crown-like helmet on his head, clad in gold and red armor, spoke first. He seemed to be the leader of the 30 guardians.
EeDechi glanced around at them and said clearly and precisely, "I want to know — where have your eight kings gone?"
The man stared at EeDechi, his blue-green eyes filled with endless reminiscence. "This is a tale from the distant past—it's a long story. Five hundred years ago..."
"Hold on!"
A jarring voice suddenly cut in, interrupting the man's account.
EeDechi turned her head to look, and the voice belonged to another female guardian. She had a slim and adorable figure, with two snow-white rabbit ears on her head. She sat cross-legged on the throne, hands on her hips, her face full of discontent.
"Boss, you've hogged all the talking. Are we just for show?" The rabbit-eared guardian pouted her rosy lips, glaring resentfully at the man in gold-red armor.
"Ahem, mind your manners. We're the face of the emperors, you know. You've totally wrecked the mysterious and solemn vibe I was going for!" The man stayed upright and alert, struggling to keep a serious tone.
"I don't care, I don't care! You've done all the posing yourself—what about us?" The rabbit-eared guardian shook her head wildly, her cute snow-white ears flopping back and forth.
"Yeah..." "Exactly..." "We want to talk about our eight masters' epic journey too..."
The other 28 level-100 guardians chimed in with their own chatter, and in a flash, the solemn temple turned as rowdy as a bustling market.
"Fine, fine!" The man waved his hand helplessly to quiet the uproar. A metal object appeared in his palm as he said, "Let's roll the dice."
EeDechi peered closely and saw that in the man's palm was a 30-sided die!
"Everyone, settle down. We'll roll the die—whoever's number comes up gets to say one sentence."
The man's gaze was stern and grave. He slowly closed his hand around the die, then with the utmost solemnity... blew into his palm.
"Ho!" With a light shout, the man tossed the die onto the ground. Instantly, all the level-100 guardians locked their eyes on it, brimming with anticipation.
Watching the 30-sided die spin wildly on the ground, EeDechi felt totally speechless inside, wondering how this goofy bunch had ever helped the Eight Greed Kings conquer the whole world.
The die stopped spinning, showing the number 6 on top. A bear-like guardian was thrilled, dancing on his throne. "Aha, it's my turn!"
The man raised his palm, signaling that he'd already used up his one-sentence chance, then lightly waved his hand, sending the die spinning again.
The surrounding guardians burst into laughter, while the bear guardian covered his face and sighed, blushing with embarrassment at his impulsiveness.
Everyone kept staring at the die. The rabbit-eared guardian sat cross-legged on her throne, rubbing her hands together in eager anticipation.
EeDechi felt resigned and simply sat down on the spot. At this rate, how long would it take for these 30 goofball guardians to finish their story?
The 30 guardians took turns speaking, one sentence after another, as if reading each other's minds, weaving together the tale of their masters—the Eight Greed Kings—and their conquest of the world.
Over five hundred years ago, after several years of warfare, the Eight Greed Kings had completely dominated the world with their unmatched power.
From the skies above to the depths of the sea, from the noble dragon clans to the lowly goblins—everything and everyone submitted to the Eight Greed Kings. The empire's proud banner flew high across the entire world.
But the Eight Greed Kings still hungered for more. Yet, looking across the world, who remained unconquered? No one—the whole world already knelt at their feet.
Still, the eight imperial lords felt a vague sense that something was missing in the grand scheme of things.
These ambitious rulers didn't rest on their laurels. They advanced magic, delved into science, unearthed ancient legends, and ceaselessly explored the world.
"The three dragon gods under the World's Throne: Dragon Progenitor, Dragon Emperor, Dragon Endbringer. Dragon Progenitor governs creation, Dragon Emperor governs rule, Dragon Endbringer governs destruction!"
This ancient dragon myth struck like a bolt of lightning, igniting excitement in the eight emperors' dull and weary reign.