Swear Fealty To Me, My Subjects!

Chapter 73.1: Departure to the Homeland of Order (1)

Rayne and Hela spent an eventful month in the monastery.

Finally, the monks of Remembrance Pure Land sent Rayne a piece of good news.

"Your Highness Rayne, you have completed the first test of Remembrance Pure Land. In the past month of cultivation, you have perfectly maintained the purity of your heart. Now, your soul has returned to peace and the degeneration and decay have left you. You have passed the sacred test of the lake. We will now allow you to pay your respects to the divine being of Remembrance Pure Land, the giant of the lake."

Therefore…

After using another golden item to pay as a ticket, Rayne finally had a chance to meet the giant of the lake.

The summoning ritual of the lake giant was held that night.

The monks brought Rayne to the lake beside the monastery.

In reality, the monastery and those monks were just a bunch of mortals who were disturbing the place for no reason.

The lake was the true Remembrance Pure Land.

Here, the monks began the sacred ritual of summoning the divine being in the lake.

Under the bright moon, almost everyone in the monastery was mobilized. In the quiet night, they chanted a sacred true name softly and set up a sacrificial altar.

They prepared sacrifices and used a spell to transmit their voices to the bottom of the lake.

This was their method of communicating with the divine being at the bottom of the Lake of Remembrance.

In theory, as the divine being of the Lake of Remembrance, the lake giant was not someone that anybody could meet just because they wanted to.

However, Rayne was an exception.

As the prince of the Haines Empire, he had a noble and prominent status; he must have visited Remembrance Pure Land because he obtained some information that tempted him.

Therefore, the monks tacitly agreed that this benefactor must have brought an Imperial Guard to Remembrance Pure Land for the sake of the lake giant.

The reason was simple.

The lake giant had an extremely alluring ability, possessing endless wisdom, knowledge of history and insight into the future.

After a mortal passed the giant's test, the giant could answer any of his questions.

Without a doubt, that was exactly the reason why Prince Rayne was here.

Unfortunately, the monks were only half right.

Rayne was indeed here for the lake giant, but he did not have any questions for the giant.

The long ritual lasted for a full three hours.

Ripples finally appeared beneath the quiet lake.

Thereafter…

Accompanied by a gentle light, mist began to spread on the surface of the lake.

A tall figure close to three meters tall gradually appeared in the mist. He stood quietly in the middle of the lake and looked at the mortals opposite it.

"Your Highness, the divine being of the lake has already responded to your request. Go and meet him and accept his final test."

After saying that, the monk pointed to the small boat that was prepared for Rayne to head to the middle of the lake.

However, Rayne did not board the small boat because Hela had already raised her hand to create a crystal bridge on the surface of the lake for him.

Rayne looked at Hela gently. "Hela, do you remember what I said to you?"

"Yes."

Hela nodded gently. "I'll block my perception. I won't eavesdrop on your conversation with that giant, Your Highness."

After confirming things with Hela, Rayne walked towards the crystal bridge that led to the giant of the lake.

Under the encouraging gazes of the hundreds of monks of Remembrance Pure Land...

Rayne was about to complete the final segment of the ritual and accept the test of the lake giant.

In reality, the lake giant before Rayne was completely different from the titan he had encountered in Gold Village.

Compared to the titan which could be transformed into a Mobile Gundam Suit by the dwarves and was evenly matched with the Abyssal Sacred Vow…

The lake giant was truly way too tiny.

However, it did not matter.

The so-called lake giant was merely the humanoid image of the Lake of Remembrance beneath Rayne's feet.

His size was meaningless.

At the end of the crystal bridge, Rayne finally saw the true appearance of the giant in the mist.

The image of the lake giant was an enlarged mortal old man with a benevolent expression.

He smiled at Rayne in a friendly manner.

"Greetings, customer of Remembrance Pure Land."

The lake giant's voice was gentle.

"Pardon me for mentioning it, but I can sense an aura of degeneration from you. Are you carrying any blessings from the gods of the Nether Realm?"

Rayne nodded and admitted frankly, "My Imperial Guards and I stopped an invasion of the Gospel Blood Cavalry in Gold Village last month. Thereafter, it seemed like… I received some unnecessary protection at that time."

"Gold Village… I see."

The lake giant said, "In that case, are you here to look for a way to dispel the blessings of the Nether Realm from me?"

Rayne said, "No, but if the corruption makes you uncomfortable, you can seal it for the time being."

The lake giant said, "Indeed, it's extremely difficult for me to resist the Nether Realm corruption. Thank you for your consideration."

The giant expressed his thanks to Rayne.

Thereafter, under the guidance of the giant, the Lake of Remembrance established a connection with Rayne and absorbed all the Nether Realm corruption on him instantly.

The dragon and blood eyes blessings were extinguished rapidly.

Both Nether Realm doors in the eyes of Rayne had been suppressed temporarily.

The lake giant continued.

"If you wish for me to answer your questions, you will first have to endure my test and drink the water of the Lake of Remembrance. With that, you can no longer hide any secrets from my eyes. If your soul can withstand my scrutiny, I shall answer three of your questions and tell you everything you want to know."

Rayne: "No problem."

Therefore…

On the quiet lake, a ball of water floated into Rayne's hands.

Rayne raised the lake water and drank it.

Rayne said, "Alright, prepare yourself mentally, Respite."

"Alright… hmm?"

The lake giant was stunned.

Did this person just... reveal his true name?

As Rayne drank the water from the Lake of Remembrance, the final ritual began.

Rayne established a connection with the mind of the lake giant and his soul was fully displayed in front of the lake giant.

Rayne's memories were continuously injected into the mind of the lake giant—this divine being of Remembrance began its scrutiny of this lost soul that yearned to be guided.

The monks by the lake watched the ritual nervously.

In fact, all the monks of Remembrance Pure Land had a good impression of Rayne—after all, this generous guest had paid way too much.

They wondered if this guest could withstand the test of the lake giant and fulfill his wish after he paid the price of two golden items.

A monk said to Hela, "Imperial Guard, His Highness Rayne will be under some pressure under the watch of the lake giant. It will cause him pain, but please don't be nervous. He will definitely not be hurt."

However, Hela ignored him.

Although Hela was already tamed by Rayne, she still had the same arrogant attitude towards mortals other than Rayne.

As she ignored the chatter of the ant beside her ear, Hela focused on admiring her lover's charming back view.

She had to take a few more glances at her beloved Highness Rayne now… because her vacation in the capital was about to end the day after tomorrow.

On the other side.

As the ritual began, as expected, a pig-like howl sounded from the center of the Lake of Remembrance.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

An old voice mumbled incoherently as it shrieked.