The zone where Nol and his companions entered was precisely the territory of the dog-headed beastmen.
The dog-headed knights generously provided snow goats for these four "frail" humans to ride. These tall and sturdy goats treated cliffs as if they were flat ground. In less than half an hour, Nol and his companions were brought down the mountain.
The knights' village was called "Sheepskin Ball Village", located at the foot of the snow mountain, with over a hundred households residing there.
Nol hadn't made any specific settings, but according to the racial ecology of Shiva, it wasn't strange for such small villages to exist—
The northern part of Shiva bordered Gratice, with a harsh climate surrounded by ice and snow all year round. The inhabitants here were mostly thick-furred beastmen. Once the population of any tribe became too large, a portion of the youth would often voluntarily leave to establish new villages.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, the small village resembled gingerbread decorations on a cream cake, quaint and adorable.
Nearly every household in the village raised snow goats and high cliff chickens. These goats could grow as tall as horses, and the high cliff chickens were significantly larger than normal chickens—their eggs were comparable to the size of an adult's fist.
At this moment, smoke wafted from several small houses, and fluffy dog-headed cubs frolicked in the snow.
"Humans, I must first take you to see the village chief. Without a pass, you'll find it difficult to move a step in Shiva," Knight Saint Bernard said seriously. "Of course, this pass is temporary. Once you reach human territory, you'll need to apply for official identification."
"We understand." Painter nodded in agreement. "I've heard about the severity of poachers."
The dog-headed beastmen were somewhat better off, but the fur and scales of some other races were hard to come by on the black market; not to mention races like succubi, elves, and sirens, which were inherently valuable.
Shiva didn't completely refuse humans, but due to its multi-racial characteristics, it was particularly strict with immigration control.
This was a setting already present in "Tahe World". This feature made Shiva a bottleneck for Player levels, only opening up in the mid- to late-game.
Nol curiously observed the surrounding houses. The dog-headed beastmen were equally curious about them, with many puppies clamoring at the windows to watch the excitement.
Their gaze held only curiosity. For these richly furred races, the bald humans—regardless of gender—really had no appeal.
The village chief's house was in the center of the village, indistinguishable from the other small wooden houses. Saint Bernard didn't even knock. He just pushed the door and entered.
"I smell humans, and other strange things." A hoarse voice spoke, fluent in the common language. "Bonakani, what have you picked up this time?"
Upon entering, the warmth enveloped Nol, making him squint. When he looked again, he saw a Border Collie's head wearing glasses.
The village chief, wrapped in a goat skin coat, lifted his nose, sniffing suspiciously.
"A human nun from the Temple of Life, one who ate too much boom fish, and one contaminated with the sea's filth." Knight Alaskan quickly answered.
"That's right," Saint Bernard said gruffly.
The Border Collie chief eyed Painter for a while, then with a roll of his eyes, said, "Well, since they say so… let them stay here for a night and set off tomorrow morning. Let the humans handle it themselves."
"Thank you for your generosity." Painter lifted his skirt, performing a perfect curtsy.
"Later, there will be goat milk porridge, boiled eggs, roasted meat, and apple sweet wine. Bonakani will bring it to you." Border Collie's eyes briefly passed over the group. "But you aren't residents of our country. These services are not free… Hmm, including the service of bringing you down, there will be a charge."
Saint Bernard looked bewildered, its tail drooping, remaining silent in confusion.
"Theoretically, it's 300 gold wheels per person, but since you brought three cubs, a total of 1,000 gold wheels will suffice." Border Collie pushed its glasses up.
Nol was shocked—while it was reasonable to compensate these furry knights, this was a bit too much! Even as nuns from the headquarters of the Temple of Life, they wouldn't carry around 1,000 gold wheels in cash.
Teest also expressed surprise with a "huh."
"This…" Painter showed a somewhat troubled expression.
"Can't pay, can you?" Border Collie's claw tapped the wooden floor. "Ah, well. We won't be too harsh on guests… In that case, you can work off the debt."
Nol was uncertain about where this was going. [What's going on?]
[I haven't heard of this rule,] Teest responded. [At least, it wasn't the case when I last entered.]
[…Did you enter as a human last time?]
[Not exactly. I disguised myself as an elf then.] Teest winked at Nol. [Too bad. If we weren't disguised as nuns, I could have brought back the succubus outfit.]
It seemed like this was a special treatment for humans. Nol sighed internally—if not for fear of being targeted by the Temple of Life, they could easily disguise as a monster squad to enter.
"What form of work will pay off the debt?" Painter asked politely.
The Border Collie chief didn't answer directly but signaled to Knight Saint Bernard. "Call Samobain and Hashbyte in."
"Yes!"
Soon, along with the original Saint Bernard and Alaskan, four dog-headed knights stood firm in the chief's room.
"You should thank these knights. Pay off the debt with fifteen minutes of head patting," the Border Collie chief said calmly.
Nol: "…?"
Is there such a good deal?
Standing in front of him was the newly arrived Samoyed knight, who smiled at him and wagged his tail in a friendly manner. "It's okay. No need to force yourself."
"No, no, not at all." Nol tried to control his voice. "I'm more than happy to do it."
Before the Border Collie chief could start, Nol began patting the Samoyed's head.
Indeed, it was warm, fluffy, and soft… When was the last time he had touched a dog?
Nol actually disliked staying alone in an empty house. He longed for the companionship of another life.
Many neighbors in Joy Garden had dogs, and he often saw them walking their beloved pets. He had always wanted to pet them, but work had been so busy that he hadn't even touched a single dog's hair…
In fact, Nol also loved cats and had seriously considered adopting one. However, sometimes he had to work overtime and stayed at the company for two or three days straight, leaving him with no confidence in taking care of a cat…
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head and sneak a peek at Teest, who was nearby—Teest was looking at the Husky knight with a face that hadn't been touched yet.
He noticed a very subtle expression on the face of the Mad Monk.
Not just Teest, Painter's gaze also carried a bit of surprise. The Samoyed knight seemed to enjoy being petted, wagging his tail so much that his cloak fluttered.
…Oh, right, he forgot. In "Tahe World" humans were quite afraid of beastmen.
About twenty minutes passed, and the Border Collie village chief chuckled twice.
"That's enough. Take them to the guest room. Dinner will be served later." His attitude was a million times better than when they first entered.
The "guest room" he mentioned wasn't a simple room, but a detached wooden cabin.
The cabin had two bedrooms, a fairly large living room, and a blazing fireplace. Outside the window, large snowflakes quietly fell. The glass was covered with a layer of water vapor, and the warm light turned into blurred orbs.
"The village chief is quite interesting," Painter said.
"Nol and I will stay in this room." Teest directly ignored him and pointed to the better-conditioned bedroom.
Fischer looked at Painter, openly showing a look of disdain. "My Lord, Painter and I…"
"Who said you could sleep?" Teest said coldly. "You're on night watch. A Supplement Demon can endure."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Far from being discouraged, Fischer seemed invigorated, as if he had received a reward.
"The village chief is really interesting," Painter persistently repeated.
"Go ahead." Nol had no choice but to pick up the conversation.
"He probably smelled something off about us—if trained, dog-headed beastmen can distinguish the scent differences between men and women." Painter added some wood to the fire. "I thought we'd have to use illusion magic, but it seems he doesn't intend to wade into these waters."
"The prolonged head-patting just now was also a test. If we had any malice or disdain for dog-headed beastmen, it would be hard not to show it… Anyway, it's best if you don't get any ideas about making a move on him."
"Is it really okay to just leave it like this?" Fischer coldly retorted. "I also felt that thing smelled something."
"Hehe, trust me. They, like us, especially enjoy seeing the Temple of Life in disarray." Painter waved the fire poker. "In times like these, maintaining peace is the best. Right, Teest… hmm?"
Teest had already disappeared, taking the attentive Mr. Nol with him.
Painter paused, sighing deeply. "Young people, really…"
"What?" Fischer asked sideways.
"It's useless to tell you." Painter pouted, focusing on tending the fireplace. "The former High Priest of the Eternal Church could never possibly have a partner."
Fischer: "..."
Fischer: "?"
Inside the bedroom.
Teest solemnly drew the curtains, darkening the room immediately, leaving only a candle burning by the bed. The two sat side by side on the bed, the candlelight casting Teest's shadow on Nol's knees.
"You seem to really like dogs," Teest said with an inscrutable tone.
"I like all animals except bugs," Nol earnestly confessed.
It was hard to tell where the Mad Monk's thoughts had wandered, but it was best to start with the truth.
"You really are overflowing with kindness… Never mind." Teest shook his head. "I just wanted to show you a little trick."
He snapped his fingers, and something furry jumped out from Nol's knee.
"…Ben?"
The shadow wolf had shrunk to the size of a puppy, similar to their size when they had traveled to the past—the shadow wolf could slightly adjust its size, but it has a limit and definitely couldn't shrink this small.
"I've been pondering the matter of time reversion for a while." Watching Nol lift Ben with a smile, Teest's tone became cheerful.
"Don't you find it interesting? Both the Time Reversion Potion that travels through time and the Age Reversion Potion that reverses physical age are closely related to the concept of 'time'… and they both taste terrible."
Nol hugged the whining Ben. "So?"
"I suspect they used the same core material." Teest shrugged. "So I analyzed the magical fluctuations of the potion in my body and tried to replicate Ben's state during time reversal."
"Of course, I don't have your ability to create magic. Ben truly shrank once before, and there were residual magical traces inside it… I just found the pattern and restored it."
Nol took half a second to respond.
The core material of a potion determined its magical properties.
Therefore, potion masters often kept their formulas secret to ensured their potions couldn't be deciphered by others.
Teest found a clever workaround—he didn't directly unravel the secret of the potion but used the magical properties of "age reversal" to restore the residual "time reversal" on Ben.
This act of using one's own key to unlock a neighbor's door was a success for Teest.
The Pomeranian-sized fluffy black ball licked Nol's hand eagerly.
"Amazing. I hadn't considered this at all." Nol hugged the moving Ben.
"Because you always think too much." Teest laughed. "And I just thought, a little dog might make you happy. This way, it can always stay outside."
"Besides, I know a little secret you don't."
Saying this, Teest leaned in closer. "The potion for creating a Supplement Demon actually tastes quite good—I've tasted many potions. Only those two 'reversion' ones tasted like they were fished out of a trash can."
Watching Teest lean in proudly, Nol felt his cheeks heat up. He swallowed the "thank you" that came to his mouth and decided to express his gratitude in a more direct way.
He turned his head and kissed Teest's cheek. "An impressive discovery. I'll keep it in mind."
Nol felt a subtle mood, thinking this had little to do with "Teest dressing as a woman"—they had changed their appearance, presenting a non-threatening facade. All the previous uses and tests were washed away by this harmless appearance.
Despite countless changes in identity, the attraction remained the same.
Teest seemed to have similar troubles, hesitantly reaching out to grasp Nol's front, drawing the kiss to his lips.
The miniaturized Ben jumped off Nol's knee, scampering to a corner, and curled up neatly. The room grew hotter as the faint sounds of kissing overshadowed the crackling of the candle.
It felt unbelievably good, Teest thought. Whether it was seeing Nol's surprised smile or kissing.
He thought trying it out thoroughly for one night would make him lose interest. However, his God had a deadly magic that was more exciting than fresh blood.
Teest's hand reached under Nol's wide robe, but before he could explore, he was stopped.
"This isn't right," Nol murmured breathlessly. "Kissing is okay… Let's wait for the rest."
"Honey, I'm only a year older than you." Teest raised an eyebrow. "Even if you're nominally seventeen, I think the problem is.."
"No, you look too young." Nol shook his head. "I can't get over that."
Teest's expression froze, and he looked at Nol incredulously.
Nol chuckled, rubbed Teest's warm ear, and added another kiss. "Just a week. Or are you updating your prayer schedule again?"
"Since you say so, I'll consider it carefully."
The Mad Monk tidied his messy hair, muttering, "Morning and evening prayers are already scheduled… Let me think about it…"
"I smell dinner." Nol ran to the corner and picked up the soft shadow wolf. "Let's go eat. We'll think after dinner."
Ben sniffed and agreed with a "howl".
As for himself, Nol thought, he couldn't let Teest's brilliant idea go to waste. It was time to study those bizarre potions from the Eternal Church.
After dinner, he needed to talk to Fischer.
...
Fischer believed in Teest, and Teest believed in Nol. With this wonderful nesting doll relationship, Fischer's attitude towards Nol was still okay.
"Only the Pope knows the exact source of the potion." High Priest Fischer sold out his former employer quite calmly. "There is indeed a difference between the Supplement Demon Potion and the Age Reversion Potion. The former has stock; you just go and apply when it's used up. The latter, it is said, is issued along with the oracle. That's all I know at my level."
Coincidentally, there was a Pope here. Nol turned his questioning gaze to Painter—Painter was happily sipping apple cider with grilled meat, looking blissfully content.
Feeling Nol's gaze, he decisively shook his head. "Don't look at me. Although the Temple of Life isn't much, we don't have those kinds of bizarre potions."
"What about the oracle?" Nol casually continued.
Painter's action of pouring the wine paused imperceptibly, and when he spoke again, his tone was as usual. "Well… no comment, no comment. Our relationship hasn't reached that stage yet, young man."
Nol didn't expect Painter to tell him directly—the mystery of the oracle was known only to the Pope within both religions, clearly not information that could be casually shared.
However, Painter's choice of words was interesting. He could casually mention a "price" for his own oracle, but when it came to the source of the oracle, he only had one sentence about having nothing to do with it.
Painter could no longer be loyal to the Temple of Life. Nol could only understand that the secret of the oracle was of great significance, like the secret of the dragon race. A little carelessness could bring great disaster.
"Forget it."
Nol breezily changed the topic. "I'm just about to go to Ice Rock City. I should first figure out the little secrets of the Eternal Church."
"Then you must take me along!" Painter drained his cup of apple cider.
The next day, Knight Saint Bernard prepared a goat snow cart for them.
Two sturdy snow goats pulled the wooden cart fitted with sleds. The cart was lined with thick leather, not letting in a bit of cold wind. The knight also gave them a metal thermos engraved with thermal insulation magic for warming hands.
They seemed afraid that these hairless humans would freeze to death.
Knight Alaskan drove the goats in front of the cart, while Saint Bernard accompanied the four inside. The snow cart slid swiftly on the thick ice, as fast as flying.
"The First Brigade of the Investigation Knights is over there." Saint Bernard carefully instructed, "I will take you all the way into the tent. Only after they confirm your identities will we leave."
"It's not that I doubt you, but only after the humans on that side sign off will our responsibility here completely end. After that, the affairs of you folks will be entirely up to the Temple," he patiently added, fearing they might misunderstand.
Well, that's good. As long as the Temple signs off, even if they start going mad afterward, it won't affect this lovely race.
"Sir Knight, are there other races nearby?"
Teest naturally leaned on Nol's shoulder and asked "innocently".
Knight Saint Bernard's furry face darkened for a moment.
"No." He said listlessly, "That human knight order doesn't get along well with anyone. No one wants to be near them."
That meant there were no other racial territories nearby. Nol casually wrapped his arm around Teest's shoulder, frantically mapping out possibilities in his mind. In case things went awry, they needed to find the easiest escape route.
Fischer looked puzzled at their intimate actions. It was unknown what he was thinking, but his expression gradually became calm again.
With the muffled wind outside the cart, Nol closed his eyes.
...
Black Forest, Lost Tower.
"What did you say?" Lynn pressed her temples and asked.
"…Mr. Xu has evolved into the new Demon King."
Anakin took a sip of fruit soda, reaching for the crispy pepper chips. Awesome, only the Lost Tower had such authentic Earth food.
She was numb to the news of "Xu Yue being the Demon King". It didn't matter—Paradise, heroes, Demon Kings—they were all their own people, so she could just take it one step at a time.
As long as that Mad Monk wasn't staring at her side, her psychological pressure in Paradise was almost zero.
Poor Miss Lynn was still trying to digest this fact.
"That is to say…" Witch Lynn summarized in despair, "The creators of the previous three worlds were all from Earth, and for some reason, they became Demon Kings. Now it's Xu Yue's turn, and the system has issued a mainline quest to kill him. Is that it?"
"And now the Temple of Life is already on their trail, so that guy doesn't dare to contact home at all, rushing towards those lunatic headquarters."
"Pretty much." Anakin crunched on the chips.
Wow, that's really thrilling when you put it like that.
"How did the Players react?" Lynn took several deep breaths.
Anakin swallowed her chips, her expression becoming serious.
"Hot Ash has doubts." She said quickly, "With the elite group incident, both Dorothy and Hot Ash felt that the game was getting weirder. They plan to contact Mentor to discuss this matter."
"But it's hard to control ordinary Players. Once they see that wishes can be fulfilled, they get excited. If it weren't for a few strong leaders, morale would disperse."
"This can't go on." Lynn sat back in her chair, worried. "If the Players become more aggressive, they definitely won't accept leaders being cautious at this time… You need to be more careful. If anything goes wrong, come to Paradise immediately."
"Thanks, Lin Jie."
Anakin happily agreed, then remembered something. "Oh, you have a way to contact Mr. Xu, right? I have a very important matter."
"Eugene and Golden Sword are heading to Ice Rock City. Tell them to be very careful."
Lynn's expression that had just relaxed suddenly returned to agony.
"…Okay."
The author has something to say:
Furry, furry~
Fischer: They must be acting.
Fischer: Look, what a great performance!
Painter: (Doesn't want to talk to this Eternal Church's lifelong single)