"W-which one is Groselle?" 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 wouldn't 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 shouldn't 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.
"That's Groselle.
"It looks like, in the traditions of the giants, clapping isn't a sign of affirmation and praise. Instead, it's a roar. The louder the roar, the higher the level of praise."
Miss Justice is acting like a folk scholar now... Thankfully, he's only shouting and not singing. If not, the noise would be worse. It's obvious that the giants here aren't adept at modulating their voices. That roar from before didn't have any rhythm to it... Klein nodded and said to Audrey, "Begin guiding him then."
As Audrey went forward as Leonard stepped back. He raised his right hand and stroked his chin.
"Tell me, in the Second Epoch, which supernatural race widely possessed the Beyonder characteristics of the Evernight pathway?"
"Isn't it the demonic wolves?" Klein glanced at Leonard, wondering if the poet had contracted the traditional disease of the Nighthawkshaving a bad memory.
"I know." Leonard maintained his original posture as he said with a strange expression, "Then how do they act as a Midnight Poet? Or should I say that the potion's name back then was called Midnight Roarer?"
"There wasn't a potion name in the beginning..." Klein's 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 couldn't help but mutter, "This might be more suitable for you. There's no need to write poems, making it very easy."
The corners of Leonard's mouth twitched as he said, "There are different types of poets. I'm a singing type."
As the two idly chatted, Audrey's guidance attempt gradually pushed through. Groselle's dream began showing the Waning Forest, Barren Tunnel, the corner of the Giant King's Court, Dawn Town, and the Nation of Gold.
Groselle wasn't a subordinate of the "deities" 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 King's Court and passageway. Furthermore, he didn't dare look at "Them" head-on, receiving them while genuflecting and having his head bowed. Therefore, he wasn't 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 King's Court and the giants, the "traitor" was synonymous with Soniathrym. They claimed that "His" abandoning of the alliance had resulted in the Sanguine Ancestor Lilith's 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 "She" plots is extremely hard to hide from "Her" 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 King's Court.
It was a pity that, shortly after the giant left the King's Court and passed through Dawn Town before arriving in the Nation of Gold, he obtained the book and entered it. He didn't know much about the styles and appearances of people from different regions.
"Currently, the most valuable piece of information is how to avoid the front entrance after entering the Giant King's Court from Afternoon Town. It's through the Waning Forest and the Barren Tunnel." Audrey ended the guidance and walked back to Klein's and Leonard's side. This is very useful for Little Sun and company's subsequent explorations."
"Yes, we can tell him at the next gathering." Klein nodded.
Just as he was about to suggest that they enter the book world's sea of collective subconscious through Groselle's dream, Audrey suddenly looked back and said in thought,
"There's one detail that's illogical."
"Which detail?" Leonard seriously recalled what he had seen and heard, but he didn't find anything suspicious.
Justice Audrey glanced at The World and said, "In the matter regarding how Giant King Aurmir's father and mother are buried in the Waning Forest, the rule that only the ancient god can enter is illogical."
Klein didn't notice that there was something wrong with that detail. But after Miss Justice mentioned it, he immediately had some ideas. He deliberated and said, "The 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..."
"That's right. Regardless of the race, they'll have some level of worship towards their ancestor. The giants are no exception. From Groselle's dream, the Keepers often make sacrifices to the ancestors outside the Waning Forest." Audrey nodded in agreement. "If there aren't 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 ‘He' can enter."
"Perhaps the Waning Forest contains immense danger. Aren't the oldest giants crazy, violent, and irrational? After their death, their corpses have corrupted the environment and affected the entire forest. It's not something that can't be understood." Leonard gave his opinion.
Audrey and Klein shook their heads at the same time, denying the statement.
"If it's 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 ‘They' are also forbidden from entering the Waning Forest, even with the ancient god by ‘Their' side." Klein simply explained his thoughts and guesses. "Perhaps what's buried inside isn't Giant King Aurmir's parents; there might be some other secret."
"That's more likely the case." Audrey nodded seriously.
She wore a silver mask, and her green eyes darted around slightly, faintly revealing a hint of curiosity.
"If that's the case, what would a secret that can't be known to ‘His' wife, child, subsidiary gods, or fellow members of the same race be? That's quite interesting..." 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 King's Court through the Barren Tunnel and enter the place that was frozen amidst the
sunset.
According to Klein's experience, this was actually the path to the borders of Groselle's 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 guards' 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 King's 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 didn't 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 wasn't only to Placate Klein, Leonard, and herself, but it was also to Placate the grayish-white cliff-Groselle's 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 "encountered" the last time didn't appear. Even the most unbearable feelings of loneliness, silence, and being infinite didn't feel that terrifying thanks to being able to speak to each other.
"This is the mind world. The domain of consciousness is indeed different from the others." 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 might've asked his dear poet to remain quiet, but here, he felt that it was good for him to say something-anything.
Audrey didn't reject the exchange as she said seriously, "That's 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..."
"...I now find psychology rather interesting," 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 wasn't 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 "water spout" 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 couldn't be concealed. It had obvious hints of destruction in it as it gnawed on a bloody human leg.
This was a demigod-level giant!
He was a projection left in the sea of collective subconscious. Perhaps it was an actual encounter with a human or some other race's 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 one's mind and consciousness!
