For the next while, Shade continued searching through the ruins. Although he found nothing else of value besides the coin, the serpent's shedding, and that stone slab, he at least sketched a rough map of the area. The War Curved Arc had not been wasted.
When there were about ten minutes left before he had to leave, Shade finally headed for the Temple.
The Temple stood beneath the high platform in the northwestern part of the mountaintop, its rear nearly pressed against the rock wall on the platform's eastern side.
Shade had seen from afar that the Temple doors were closed when he arrived earlier. It seemed Mr. Snake had no intention of welcoming him. So Shade stood before the entrance and used Thunderclap Wave to push the doors open from a distance:
"Mr. Snake, are you there?"
The two great doors opened easily, and the Temple's interior was much the same as before. But this time, there was no statue of a giant serpent, nor did a man with Snake Eye pupils emerge while pacing about.
It was waiting for Shade to enter, but Shade would never step inside. Luvia had warned him never to enter this place alone. She had even made him leave the Snake Eye that could obtain clues through murals on the ship before setting out, all to prevent him from barging into the Temple for clues.
Shade remained at the doorway, staring at the Ouroboros relief on the wall directly opposite the entrance. He believed the being behind the wall was watching him as well, and he also believed that compared to himself, the other party was the more anxious one.
Sure enough, the silence was eventually broken by a slick voice from within the Temple, accompanied by hissing sounds:
"God Summoner, now that