["Every heroic spirit in the Divine Kingdom was an elite who achieved high honors in life, and they don't hope for greater honor."]

Nenasha told Herbert secrets about the Divine Kingdom that outsiders could hardly know.

Not all believers are qualified to become heroic spirits after death.

Although nearly every faith in the deities promised that each believer would be reborn in their realm after death… the truth isn't quite so.

The Divine Kingdom is not infinite, and the power of the divine spirits varies; they can't eternally accept mortal souls — the Death God who reaps souls wouldn't agree to it.

A portion of weak and faithless believers will be taken away by the Death God's messengers after death, pass through the Spirit Realm, and return to the Sea of Chaos to become the raw material for new life.

Most steadfast believers will be guided to the Divine Kingdom by heroic spirits, gaining no more than two hundred years of new life based on their achievements in life.

It seems like living anew, but it comes at a price.

During this time, they will still contribute to the divine spirits, responding to the priests' calls to descend to the Mortal Realm, engage in battles, and continue fighting for the great cause of the Divine Kingdom throughout their lives.

In the process, they gradually forget everything from their previous life, until they completely forget the past, losing consciousness and merging back into the foundation of the Divine Kingdom.

Only a few exceptionally excellent believers truly gain a new life in the Divine Kingdom, becoming powerful heroic spirits.

These people were legendary figures in the Mortal Realm when alive, once favored and awarded by the divine spirits.

So, for these heroic spirits, they have already succeeded.

Having already been bestowed with utmost favor, they have gained nearly eternal life and do not need more in the afterlife.

They no longer need to strive.

What could effort achieve now?

Advance from a "heroic spirit" to a "holy spirit", become an "angel", ascend to a "subordinate god", and finally become a "conjoint god"?

Difficult.

There is virtually no chance of success.

The process is too difficult, requiring an enormous amount of achievements over an almost despairingly long time, which almost no one can achieve.

After learning this part of hidden knowledge, Herbert pondered for a moment, his eyebrows twitching.

From the structure of the Divine Kingdom, those heroic spirits seem to be in a middle position, like the middle class.

Yes!

They are like aristocrats — not true powerful great nobles, but those who fall short of the top, yet remain above others, the minor aristocracy.

Financial (life) freedom, without urge and impulse to climb further.

For this group of vested interests, there is no need for further striving, they can just lie flat.

"Then they..."

Herbert's eyebrows shifted slightly, contemplating a possibility, and said uncertainly: "Surely, they aren't seeking fun?"

["Haha!"]

Nenasha laughed, feeling a sense of joy at Herbert's insight, saying:

["Congratulations, you got it right!"]

Hearing this answer, Herbert smirked and shook his head helplessly, sighing:

"Alright, I figured it would be like this…"

The reasoning behind this conclusion is not complicated.

When wealth and leisure are achieved, naturally, one begins to enjoy life.

But… what kind of life is there in the Divine Kingdom?

Although the Divine Kingdom is claimed to be an independent world, the power of the deities is limited; they cannot entirely create a real world.

If they truly could achieve that, they would be real Creator Gods.

So in that seemingly free world, the heroic spirits do not truly live freely.

And in the long span of years, they are compelled to endure this precious yet oppressive monotony forever.

Being bored, Herbert knows too well what nobility would do.

Just imagining it makes Herbert's eyelids twitch uncontrollably, already foreseeing the abstract actions heroic spirits might take at that time...

Initially, it would start with forming partnerships with other heroic spirits, loving each other for a while.

Then, when monotony hits, they could switch genders, queuing and configuring themselves anew.

After this, if stimulation proves insufficient, they might find more like-minded companions to pass the long hours together...

"But what does this have to do with this lake water?"

Herbert raised an eyebrow, blinking repeatedly.

He first thought of those tentacles, then the imagery of an octopus, finally experiencing an epiphany connecting to the grass carp in the monastery...

Hiss!

Could it really!!?

Upon thinking of such a possibility, Herbert struggled to maintain his expression.

Incidentally, after gaining more power, Herbert faced the bittersweet annoyance of an overly fast-thinking mind.

This ability allows him more strategic thought and precise decisions in battle.

However, it also causes him to think of all sorts of unrelated things occasionally.

Due to his rapid thoughts, by the time he realizes what he's pondered, it's often too late.

Herbert carefully chose his words, asking: "So... is that guy the heroic spirits' uh, source of happiness?"

["Exactly, it is the heroic spirits' favorite, a gift enabling them to temporarily forget all troubles."]

["The Wine of Oblivion!"]

["The Wine of Oblivion can make them forget their troubles and the memories of living in the Divine Kingdom for a long time, effectively starting a new life..."]

Herbert listened to the first half and his thoughts already went astray. He continued to immerse himself in his thoughts, muttering:

"But that's not quite right, is it? With so many heroic spirits using it together, there surely aren't enough tentacles, but it's not like everyone can just get a sucker each... hmm? Wine?"

What wine?

Herbert blinked, took a breath of cold air, and said in a daze, "Ah! It turns out to be the Wine of Oblivion, I thought it was something else—wait a minute, wine?"

But wine isn't right either, is it?

"Wine brewed by an octopus?"

["Mm? Who told you it was an octopus?"]

["What exactly have you been thinking?"]

Even Nenasha felt a bit strange, thinking Herbert's reaction was a bit off, but couldn't quite put a finger on it.

He only felt that Herbert seemed distracted and daydreaming from the start, but what he was thinking about wasn't clear.

"Ahem! It's nothing, I was just thinking of some trivial matters."

Herbert coughed awkwardly twice and asked calmly, as if nothing had happened: "Then what exactly is it? It doesn't look like something that can be directly drunk."

["Of course, it's not something to be drunk, but a container holding the wine liquid—the Forgetfulness Wine Cup."]

["But why it has changed from a wine cup to its current form, I'm not sure, I can only admire the creativity of the divinity."]

Herbert nodded slowly.

Case closed.

It's still a cup!

See!

I told you it's a cup!

Hmph, it wasn't wrong to suspect it!

["As for why it specifically sought you out, it may have detected the remnants of my aura on you."]

Even the Archbishop couldn't detect the faint aura, but for a creation born in the Divine Kingdom, belonging to the Divine Spirits, it was extremely keen.

For that Forgetfulness Wine Cup, which possesses a faint consciousness, it was an existence that couldn't be forgotten!

Therefore, upon detecting the aura, it actively moved to block Herbert's path with the entire lake of water, attempting to contact him.

"So now..."

["You scared it away yourself, it has nothing to do with me~"]

Herbert closed his eyes to sense but could only feel the calm of the lake, completely unable to find the octopus' position.

Even though he had made friends with the Water Element of the lake, he couldn't locate it specifically.

["That's normal, the Water Element just forgot about it, including its existence."]

Neenasha chuckled and comforted: ["But don't be too disappointed, the Wine of Oblivion isn't very useful to you right now."]

"..."

Seeing Herbert fall silent, He curiously asked: ["Hm? Do you have something you wish to forget?"]

"Of course I do."

Herbert rolled his eyes, exasperated: "A bunch of female goblins and minotaurs, do you think I wouldn't want to forget that? Seriously, what were you thinking to do such a thing?"

Are you even human?

You're practically a beast!

["Hehe~ well, ahem, hahaha~"]

The Harmonious God laughed dryly, but there was no guilt in the laughter, only uncontainable pride.

Hehehe, hahahaha!

"So since it doesn't plan on appearing, nor does it plan on letting us pass, we can only go straight through it?"

["Yeah, just walk through it, it's the only one there, nothing else."]

After another unsuccessful attempt to sense its presence, Herbert resigned to reality, returning to the shore to pick up the still-unconscious Valentina.

He gently stepped onto the lake's surface, small patches of ice formed underfoot to support him and then quickly dissipated.

Herbert walked effortlessly on the lake, still pondering over the tentacles he had seen earlier.

"Hmm? Wait a minute, thinking about it this way, all the elements are actually in place!"

Lake water, Holy Grail, Knight... I've seen this plot before.

So, what about the Lake Fairy?

Don't be shy, come out and hand me my Lake Sword!

He walked across the lake, daydreaming, not noticing the increasing number of snowflakes drifting down.

Whoosh...

Just as Herbert was about to reach the center of the lake, a cold wind, carrying snowflakes, swept in.

It ruffled the lake, causing Herbert to squint reflexively.

"Hm!?"

Herbert watched the small figure gradually take shape amidst the blowing snow, his brow raising involuntarily.

So...

Are you the Lake Fairy?

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