[Divided King's Soul]

[The soul gathered from the Four Kings of Little Londo who fell into darkness; part of the King's Soul initially found during the Era of Fire]

[In the distant past, the four were great leaders of Little Londo, thus able to meet Gwyn, who granted them royal status and shared his soul with the Scaleless White Dragon Heiss]

[Although it's only part of a soul, it is still sufficient to fill the Royal Artifact]

What appeared before the crowd was a mass of constantly flickering flame.

Even though it was a flame gushing out from the dark and impure bodies of the Four Kings of Little Londo, it was not tainted with any impurity. It remained vividly red, bright, and full of vitality. Approaching it did not cause burns; instead, it filled one's entire body with warmth.

Dal and the Fran Guards stared blankly at the seemingly ordinary flame in front of them.

They suddenly noticed that they wanted to get closer to the flame, to embrace it more closely, feeling the warmth it brought!

Since some members of the Demon Clan possess the ability to bewitch minds, the Fran Guards, who were experienced in battling such influences, knew that a strong desire to approach something often meant falling under a spell. At such times, the best solution was to realize this and use an iron will to refuse the unhealthy temptation.

But how could the King's Soul be considered an unhealthy temptation!

Everyone, including Dal, willingly gazed at that head-sized flame, feeling as though it represented their life's ideals and hopes, with no temptation greater than this flame.

They forgot to tend to their injuries, just staring at the flame.

From the scene, it looked somewhat inappropriate, but there were no outsiders observing them. If Dal were to comment on this scenario, he would certainly say:

"Don't you think this is sacred?"

Meanwhile, in the City Lord's room of Sain Dungeon.

"Is the King's Soul this tempting to them? When I previously tested others, there wasn't such a strong reaction."

Gong Qiying watched the scene in the Crystal Ball and pondered for a moment.

"Could it be that because the Fran Guards have accepted the Wolf Blood from Sain Dungeon and have a deeper connection, they are more easily attracted to the King's Soul?"

It was a reasonable explanation, one he himself believed.

The [King's Soul] that appeared before Dal and the others was created using the abilities of Sain Dungeon, but he didn't have the dungeon create a genuine original, instead making a replica that resembled the original in appearance and nature, but inferior.

As for why he did this, of course, it's because....

"The cost of a genuine one is too high; a full quarter's revenue can't cover it. Adventurers wouldn't have any use for the original anyway, so a replica does the job just fine."

Gong Qiying could have chosen not to offer anything, but he still did, showcasing the good character and integrity a competent Dungeon Lord should have!

Letting Dal and the others idly gaze at the King's Soul surely wasn't productive, so Gong Qiying decided to help them out.

"Snap!"

He snapped his fingers.

"!"

Dal's demeanor suddenly became clear, only then realizing that he had almost stuck his head into the flame, startled, he jumped back a step.

"What happened to us?" "Suddenly feel a bit dazed...." "A moment ago, it was like the body wasn't mine."

The Fran Guards also returned to their senses, looking around in confusion.

However, this confusion soon ceased to trouble them, as their attention shifted back to the King's Soul.

At this moment, everyone could still feel the immensely enticing aura from the flame, but it was no longer to the extent that they forgot to tend to their injuries. They went back to their tasks—healing for those who needed it, repairing equipment for those who could, while the others finally found a moment to study the King's Soul.

"Why only one piece?"

Someone raised a question that was on everyone's mind.

Indeed, why is there only one [Divided King's Soul]?

How are we supposed to share it!

The object in itself lured them all into doing something unimaginable, which had already made its mystical nature evident. Not to mention, now calmed down, the more they looked at it, the more wondrous it seemed. Who wouldn't want to have a [Divided King's Soul] in their bedroom?

"Is this soul something Gwyn divided among the Four Kings of Little Londo, the fire acquired at the very start of the Era of Fire, or part of the soul in the vision?"

Dal blinked, his eyes widening and refusing to shut.

Gwyn was a god.

The [Divided King's Soul] was a part of that divine soul.

The Four Kings of Little Londo who obtained it...

No matter the religion, they could be seen as subordinate deities, right?

"What did we just beat...?"

Dal hadn't looked this puzzled in quite some time. Scratching his head, he turned to the others for an explanation, but they all scratched theirs too, blinking, unsure what to say.

"Uh, right, it must be that the strength of the Four Kings of Little Londo recreated by Sain Dungeon differs from the real ones in history, right? It must be, right?" someone from the Fran Guards stammered: "Otherwise, there's just no explanation."