According to the Astronomical Society's survey—or rather, their cheating—methods, scholars had already figured out the size of this part of the Witch's Dream.

It had to be said that among the many Creators, this unknown deceased one was top-tier, capable of forging such a vast, illusory world merely through the laws and intellect they had once mastered.

Purely in terms of spatial scale, it was nearly unparalleled, rivaling any continent.

The region where the six countries were located was but a corner of this realm; beyond it lay an even more expansive world...

Huai Shi waved a paw, signaling him to stop beating around the bush. "Alright, alright, as if it's as simple as taking down Vegeta and then Frieza." He got straight to the point. "You just said that the blood of Giant Beasts can stop the deepening process?"

"I'm afraid that's a rule unique to this place," Jonathan explained, "one designed to force Explorers to evolve more rapidly. The Eternal War, too, is a ritual created to accelerate evolution!"

Huai Shi pinched his chin. "Isn't this just a Gu-breeding ritual? I feel like I've encountered this kind of setup before... You're not hiding anything from me, are you?"

"No, no!" Jonathan shook his lizard head like a rattle. "We're allies! How could I possibly deceive you?"

Finding an ally was hard enough; what if he scared them off? He wouldn't dare let slip words like 'Ranch Owner' or 'Destruction Factors', let alone mention the Abyss Food Chain.

When Scholars turn bad, they go utterly rotten. They'd forsake their own lives for research, let alone anything else.

"The Astronomical Society had an old joke: Three old Scholars were walking through Hell when a never-before-seen Destruction Factor suddenly grabbed them. Their first reaction wasn't to flee. Instead, they all started racking their brains, trying to figure out how to stop the other two from snatching the research topic. All while warily watching each other, lest the other two 'grandkids' decide to silence them for the sake of the paper..."

Seeing Huai Shi sense that something was amiss, Jonathan quickly changed the subject. "Over the past two days, I've scoured the area around the Capital City. I even risked visiting other nations, exploring nearly every ore vein I could access. This is what I've deduced from fragmentary records preserved in the magnetic fields. It's not necessarily accurate, but it's most likely very close to the mark."

Jonathan coughed seriously, then revealed crucial information. "The so-called Eternal War involves Giant Beasts slaughtering each other. Through this constant killing, they evolve, and the strongest among them emerges. This victor then fuses with the Divine Body, transforming into a new God. This new God is meant to protect their people, helping them survive the destruction of Doomsday and usher in a new era."

"What if our nation's Giant Beast gets slaughtered by someone else?" Huai Shi asked.

"Then it's all over for us," Jonathan replied, expressionlessly pointing to the ruins on another lonely mountain. That was the consequence of losing an Eternal War. "To survive Doomsday, every nation will stop at nothing to slaughter the Great Spirits of other nations. Starting at noon today, the Great Rift Valley will likely become the bloodiest battlefield imaginable. It won't just be the Giant Beasts fighting; the nations themselves will go all out to support their Great Spirits. However," he added, "I don't think the Lizard Men can do much more for us than provide food and drink. After all, the Country of Mist is currently considered the weakest of all the nations."

A silence fell. Huai Shi met Jonathan's gaze and suddenly asked, "Since the Eternal War hasn't started yet, do we still have time to become traitors?"

"Don't be hasty! Hear me out," Jonathan said, a little anxiously. He had a habit of drawing things out, but he hadn't expected Huai Shi to be so proficient at the thought of betrayal, so utterly lacking in integrity. "Although the Country of Mist is the weakest, its foundation is the richest. It's the only existing nation that has survived since three eras past. It has experienced at least three Eternal Wars and possesses a Divine Body passed down through three generations. It's truly the cream of the crop among all nations. Don't you want to take a gamble on that?"

"Not in the slightest," Huai Shi declared. "I told you, the Great Lizard Country is doomed. Fu Yi, pack your things. We're leaving..."

Just as Huai Shi was preparing to pack his bags and essentially give up on this whole venture, a resounding bell suddenly chimed from the deepest part of the Capital City.

Amidst a roar like that of a Giant Beast, an indistinct yet ferocious aura descended from the heavens. It instantly permeated the Temples scattered throughout the city, empowering Huai Shi and the others.

It was as if a God from the Sky Dome above had cast an indifferent glance downward, bestowing a meager Blessing.

In that instant, Huai Shi's bone metallization progress leaped forward significantly! After waves of piercing pain, his bone marrow began to emit a faint golden glow. His blood seemed to thicken into viscous iron slurry, flowing with a cold, silver light...

Feeling an itchy sensation spread through his body and a more than twenty-percent increase in his muscular strength, Huai Shi couldn't help but click his tongue.

Well, the payment for risking my life came quickly enough.

Jonathan, looking increasingly haggard, tried to console him. "Look at it this way: you're already here... Besides, your faction was locked in the moment you entered the city. Otherwise, why do you think I was chased around like a beaten dog when I visited other countries these past few days?"

Huai Shi thought for a moment, then asked seriously, "Because you're weak?"

Jonathan rolled his eyes, speechless. They'd had this conversation to death dozens of times already, and he didn't want to talk to Huai Shi anymore.

And so, amidst the continuous roars and the bellows of Giant Beasts, the prelude to the Eternal War finally, slowly, began.

When the resonant chimes of the bell finally dissipated, the previously silent Capital City seemed to erupt. Countless hoarse, fervent voices cried out, devoutly chanting sacred hymns.

Enveloped by the singing, the city seemed to shed its aged, decaying blemishes—the mold and sores—and return to its sacred past.

A final burst of life before death.

Countless Mutated Lizards in Iron Armor bathed in Holy Water sprinkled by Priests and monks. They greedily inhaled the rich Incense, their carapaces swelling further. Their eyes turned bloodshot as the desire to slaughter and feed surged wildly within them. Hoarsely chanting praises, they were already eager to begin.

Amidst the formations, mounted Priests held aloft Banners and bone Prayer Beads, loudly proclaiming to the soldiers who teetered on the brink of losing control:

"Let us throw ourselves into a holy war—a great war to reclaim glory for our Kingdom and our Gods! Let all pain and torment cease! Let us embark on the path to the Eternal War! Reclaim our glory from the hands of those vile Impures and demonic beasts!"

"Let those twisted by mutation, the tested ones, prove their faith in righteousness! Let those ignorant souls who have toiled a lifetime for mere wealth discover true Justice and Truth! Let everything in this world be bathed in sacred Blessings!"

The ancient Priest shouted with all his might:

"For the great Gods!!!"

And so, the sharp cries rose like a tsunami, surging towards the heavens, tearing through the murky clouds and shaking the indifferent Sky Dome.

Perched atop the massive city wall like a Mascot, Huai Shi looked down at the fervent, stirring Legion below. "Seems pretty impressive, huh?" he remarked, clicking his tongue in admiration. "They've certainly got strong voices; looks like the food rations are pretty good... Hey, buddy," he called to a nearby monk, "do you guys have any steamed buns? I didn't get enough to eat this morning."

The monk attending him wore a pained expression, unsure how to respond. Jonathan, standing nearby, had grown accustomed to Huai Shi's offbeat style and merely rolled his eyes without a word.

The dozen or so other recruited Great Spirits glanced over. These Giant Beasts, of various sizes, sensed the ferocious aura emanating from Huai Shi, and noted the strange iron pillar entwined by his tail. Their gazes grew somewhat wary.

No one spoke.

Into the silence, a Giant Bear wreathed in flames sauntered in late, lazily greeting its companions. Spotting the large Bell hanging on Huai Shi's chest, its expression turned mocking.

"Well now, friend, that's a nice dog Bell you've got there," the Giant Bear cackled. "So cute! HA HA HA HA..."

Huai Shi chuckled nonchalantly, glancing back at the bear. "Want me to get you one later?"

Behind him, his tail, still coiled around the iron pillar, slowly tightened. With a GRATING sound, it scraped against the metal, sending out blinding sparks. The steel groaned.

The Giant Bear's smile froze for a moment. It then shrank back and fell silent.

Only Huai Shi remained at the forefront, a roguish, dog-like smirk on his face as he gazed towards the distant cities.

Among the high mountains, fractured and separated by the Great Rift Valley, lay a vast, battle-scarred plateau. It was the size of two or three cities, riddled with holes and fissures. More than half of it had been leveled, clearly ravaged by war—likely the designated arena for the Giant Beasts.

They've even prepared the venue, afraid we wouldn't have enough fun fighting. How thoughtful of them... too damn thoughtful.

As Huai Shi surveyed the Giant Beasts in the surrounding cities, the other giants on their respective high grounds were also scrutinizing him.

When the other Explorers saw his immense size—colossal even among Giant Beasts—they couldn't help but gasp. Such a terrifying creature! He absolutely cannot be allowed to remain!

However, just as they hesitated, wondering whether to focus their fire and eliminate him in the first wave, they noticed something... off. It was the signature ice-blue eyes, the classic black-and-white fur, the lolling tongue hanging from his grinning mouth, and the slobber dripping all the way down to his chest...

Wait a second, where the hell did this armored, giant Husky come from?!

The various Giant Beasts collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

A False Alarm.

With a Husky like that in the enemy camp... for some reason, everyone suddenly felt a peculiar sense of security. They probably wouldn't even need to fight; the other side might just demolish their own base first, right?

Still, a few of the more cautious Giant Beasts remained uneasy. They turned to a grey penguin concealed within a shroud of mist. "Twin Moon," one asked, "can you make anything out?"

The massive penguin known as Twin Moon had piercing eyes and long, majestic eyebrows that swept towards his temples, giving him an imposing aura. Hearing the question, he fixed his gaze on the distant Huai Shi and couldn't help but snicker.

"His mind is completely unguarded," Twin Moon said. "Let's see... right now, he's thinking..."

Twin Moon squinted, deliberately reading out the thoughts:

Who... am... I?

Hmm? Twin Moon paused. He squinted again for a closer look and saw more large words swirling in Huai Shi's mind: Where... am... I?

And... what... the hell... am I supposed to do?

...

Alright then...

In the awkward silence, the Giant Beasts averted their gazes. They felt utterly foolish for ever being wary of a purebred Husky.

Only Huai Shi, looking completely bewildered, noticed the other Giant Beasts giving him inexplicably pitying glances. He sensed his Death Perception flare up abruptly, then just as suddenly vanish, leaving him utterly clueless as to what had just transpired.

"I feel like someone was just out to get me," he muttered to Fu Yi. "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

"How would I know?" the White Weasel retorted, rolling its eyes. It was clearly exhausted from the long-distance mind-meddling. "Maybe it's just because you're so devastatingly handsome?"

"Makes sense," Huai Shi nodded in agreement.