âW-which one is Groselle?â In the dream, Leonard looked ahead blankly.
There was a huge bonfire there, and there were more than ten grayish-blue-skinned, single-eyed giants who looked no different from each other.
To be honest, I wouldnât be able to recognize him without the ability of a Faceless... To me, without their age, hairstyle, height, scars, clothes, and maturity, giants all look the same... Klein mumbled inwardly as he looked calmly at Miss Justice, as though saying that it shouldnât stump a Spectator.
Audrey raised her hand and pointed at a giant who was gulping down alcohol. From time to time, he would shout twice to express his approval.
âThatâs Groselle.
âIt looks like, in the traditions of the giants, clapping isnât a sign of affirmation and praise. Instead, itâs a roar. The louder the roar, the higher the level of praise.â
Miss Justice is acting like a folk scholar now... Thankfully, heâs only shouting and not singing. If not, the noise would be worse. Itâs obvious that the giants here arenât adept at modulating their voices. That roar from before didnât have any rhythm to it... Klein nodded and said to Audrey, âBegin guiding him then.â
As Audrey went forward as Leonard stepped back. He raised his right hand and stroked his chin.
âTell me, in the Second Epoch, which supernatural race widely possessed the Beyonder characteristics of the Evernight pathway?â
âIsnât it the demonic wolves?â Klein glanced at Leonard, wondering if the poet had contracted the traditional disease of the Nighthawkshaving a bad memory.
âI know.â Leonard maintained his original posture as he said with a strange expression, âThen how do they act as a Midnight Poet? Or should I say that the potionâs name back then was called Midnight Roarer?â
âThere wasnât a potion name in the beginning...â Kleinâs thoughts were accidentally led astray by Leonard. The scene of such fellows crouching on the ground and howling at the moon surfaced in his mind. He couldnât help but mutter, âThis might be more suitable for you. Thereâs no need to write poems, making it very easy.â
The corners of Leonardâs mouth twitched as he said, âThere are different types of poets. Iâm a singing type.â
As the two idly chatted, Audreyâs guidance attempt gradually pushed through. Groselleâs dream began showing the Waning Forest, Barren Tunnel, the corner of the Giant Kingâs Court, Dawn Town, and the Nation of Gold.
Groselle wasnât a subordinate of the âdeitiesâ like the Giant King, and he was only able to occasionally see these high-level existences while on duty at the Waning Forest or in particular spots of the Giant Kingâs Court and passageway. Furthermore, he didnât dare look at âThemâ head-on, receiving them while genuflecting and having his head bowed. Therefore, he wasnât able to present the images of Giant King Aurmir, Giant Queen Omebella, and the eldest son of the Giant King, God of Dawn, Badheil. They only appeared as portraits.
Similarly, Groselle knew very few secrets. His grasp of history and the situation in the world was completely incomparable to Elven Songster Siatas. However, an interesting point was that in the Giant Kingâs Court and the giants, the âtraitorâ was synonymous with Soniathrym. They claimed that âHisâ abandoning of the alliance had resulted in the Sanguine Ancestor Lilithâs death.
Klein strongly suspected that, because of his bad temper, Soniathrym, was obviously not good at such things.
The Queen of Calamity seems capable, but the problem is what âSheâ plots is extremely hard to hide from âHerâ spouse, a true ancient god, Soniathrym... In contrast, Giant King Aurmir being the traitor makes more sense... Klein did a rough analysis as Audrey changed the direction of Guidance in an attempt to let Groselle present anything he had seen or heard beyond the Giant Kingâs Court.
It was a pity that, shortly after the giant left the Kingâs Court and passed through Dawn Town before arriving in the Nation of Gold, he obtained the book and entered it. He didnât know much about the styles and appearances of people from different regions.
âCurrently, the most valuable piece of information is how to avoid the front entrance after entering the Giant Kingâs Court from Afternoon Town. Itâs through the Waning Forest and the Barren Tunnel.â Audrey ended the guidance and walked back to Kleinâs and Leonardâs side. This is very useful for Little Sun and companyâs subsequent explorations.â
âYes, we can tell him at the next gathering.â Klein nodded.
Just as he was about to suggest that they enter the book worldâs sea of collective subconscious through Groselleâs dream, Audrey suddenly looked back and said in thought,
âThereâs one detail thatâs illogical.â
âWhich detail?â Leonard seriously recalled what he had seen and heard, but he didnât find anything suspicious.
Justice Audrey glanced at The World and said, âIn the matter regarding how Giant King Aurmirâs father and mother are buried in the Waning Forest, the rule that only the ancient god can enter is illogical.â
Klein didnât notice that there was something wrong with that detail. But after Miss Justice mentioned it, he immediately had some ideas. He deliberated and said, âThe father and mother of the Giant King are equivalent to the ancestors of the giants. Normally speaking, they should be consecrated by the entire race...â
âThatâs right. Regardless of the race, theyâll have some level of worship towards their ancestor. The giants are no exception. From Groselleâs dream, the Keepers often make sacrifices to the ancestors outside the Waning Forest.â Audrey nodded in agreement. âIf there arenât any other factors of influence, the Giant King should occasionally organize things and make it a point to honor their ancestors instead of making it a rule that only âHeâ can enter.â
âPerhaps the Waning Forest contains immense danger. Arenât the oldest giants crazy, violent, and irrational? After their death, their corpses have corrupted the environment and affected the entire forest. Itâs not something that canât be understood.â Leonard gave his opinion.
Audrey and Klein shook their heads at the same time, denying the statement.
âIf itâs only danger or corruption, Giant Queen Omebella and the God of Dawn Badheil can clearly withstand that. With the help of the Giant King, there are almost no problems. Yet âTheyâ are also forbidden from entering the Waning Forest, even with the ancient god by âTheirâ side.â Klein simply explained his thoughts and guesses. âPerhaps whatâs buried inside isnât Giant King Aurmirâs parents; there might be some other secret.â
âThatâs more likely the case.â Audrey nodded seriously.
She wore a silver mask, and her green eyes darted around slightly, faintly revealing a hint of curiosity.
âIf thatâs the case, what would a secret that canât be known to âHisâ wife, child, subsidiary gods, or fellow members of the same race be? Thatâs quite interesting...â Leonard smiled as he allowed his thoughts to wander.
After another round of discussion, the three of them made use of the time to enter the Giant Kingâs Court through the Barren Tunnel and enter the place that was frozen amidst the
sunset.
According to Kleinâs experience, this was actually the path to the borders of Groselleâs dream.
This time, there was no need for him to activate Creeping Hunger and use the strength of a Zombie to open the heavy door to the giant guardsâ quarters. Audrey directly influenced the dream and made the door flutter open like a piece of paper. Due to the Unshadowed Crucifix, Klein was unable to wear the human-skinned glove.
Outside the door was a hazy world. There was no longer the scene of the Giant Kingâs Court ahead of them, but a cliff.
After a brief exchange of the various situations that could occur in the sea of collective subconscious, Audrey made a staircase appear on the edge of the cliff.
The staircase spun around, sinking deep into the dark, hazy, silent, and bottomless mind world.
The three of them didnât delay as they stepped onto the staircase and walked down.
In this lonely environment that could drive one crazy, Audrey used Placate a few times every time they traveled a certain distance.
This wasnât only to Placate Klein, Leonard, and herself, but it was also to Placate the grayish-white cliff-Groselleâs subconscious. It was to prevent him from causing a stir that would contaminate their Astral Projection and Body of Heart and Mind.
The countless rotting giant palms that Klein âencounteredâ the last time didnât appear. Even the most unbearable feelings of loneliness, silence, and being infinite didnât feel that terrifying thanks to being able to speak to each other.
âThis is the mind world. The domain of consciousness is indeed different from the others.â Leonard looked around as though he wanted to use a few poems to express his feelings, but he eventually chose to give up.
If it were any other mission elsewhere, Klein mightâve asked his dear poet to remain quiet, but here, he felt that it was good for him to say something-anything.
Audrey didnât reject the exchange as she said seriously, âThatâs the essence of the environment that we can sense. The cliffs, precipices, and the hazy world are a reflection of our subconscious. If it were another race, it might not be like that...â
â...I now find psychology rather interesting,â Leonard said with interest after hearing that.
Klein glanced at him and resisted the urge to say that, with his personality and habits, he really wasnât suited to the Spectator pathway.
In this exchange, the three of them lost track of time until they finally stepped onto the solid but hazy ground.
Looking upwards, they could see the undulating shadows. They overlapped and formed an illusory sea.
Klein, Leonard, and Audrey were about to walk forward when a âwater spoutâ suddenly surged over. A rather blurry figure stood up from within.
It was a grayish-blue giant that was six-to seven-meters tall. His chest was covered with dragon scales, and there were all sorts of indescribable patterns, symbols, and labels that went beyond what one would consider a normal language.
His single vertical eye was filled with blood vessels as it emitted a violent aura that couldnât be concealed. It had obvious hints of destruction in it as it gnawed on a bloody human leg.
This was a demigod-level giant!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He was a projection left in the sea of collective subconscious. Perhaps it was an actual encounter with a human or some other raceâs ancestor; or perhaps it was something Groselle and the other giants had heard about.
The moment he appeared, the madness spread towards Klein and company like a plague that could infect them.
This was a world that directly came into contact with oneâs mind and consciousness!