Balance

"Weren't you afraid my blood would contaminate you?" Truman held Lilith back with one hand as she tried to pounce on him. She seemed to be having trouble suppressing her instinct to drink blood.

Of course, it was more likely she was deliberately putting on a show for Truman.

"Contaminate me?" Lilith bared her two sharp fangs, her eyes still bloodred. "There's not a trace of impurity in your blood."

"There's another possibility: my blood itself is an impurity, just excessively pure." Truman poked fun at himself.

There was something very wrong with his blood. It might already be close to a Sefirah.

Who would dare eat a Sefirah raw?

"Even so, it's harmless." Lilith remained steadfast. "To my nose, your blood smells human, but also like Elf. It even smells like Giant Sanguine blood."

"But my Spirituality tells me it's harmless." Lilith made no attempt to hide her longing.

"But the look in your eyes makes me uncomfortable." As Truman spoke, his expression darkened slightly, and the atmosphere between them shifted in a subtle way.

The Goddess had looked at him like that the first time she saw him, and Lilith had too. It felt awful to be treated like some Mysterious Tang Monk whose flesh was a delicacy!

He had even created the Dream Council to prevent something like that from happening.

The Dream Council had been established because of this trait of his. Everyone could enjoy the benefit, but no one could have it all to themselves.

That was the balance Truman had created.

"...I'm sorry!" The red glow in Lilith's eyes dimmed. Seeing Truman's dark expression, she finally reined herself in.

For a former Ancient God to admit fault was unprecedented.

Truman's expression softened a little.

He glanced at the genuine red in Lilith's eyes and hesitated before taking a goblet from the Historical Void. With a light tap of his finger, it filled with a blood-red liquid.

"Drink this." He handed the goblet to Lilith.

"What is it?" Lilith couldn't help asking as she looked at the liquid in the goblet.

"Blood, as I understand it," Truman explained.

Whether it tasted good or not, like the wine he'd given Sasrir, it had been manifested from Dream Phosphor and possessed unique properties.

"Gulp!" Lilith drained it in one go. The red in her eyes quietly faded, and they returned to normal.

"Another glass!"

"No." Truman refused, casually making up a reason. "Keep your desire. Your humanity will sprout from it..."

Truman brought Lilith to the Kingdom of the Sun God, the territory that belonged to him.

He hadn't forgotten the believers from the Golden Kingdom.

The Sun God's believers had taken in the tens of thousands of believers and arranged for them to become lambs under the Angel of Dreams.

The Kingdom of the Sun God had people specifically responsible for handling matters like this. Truman didn't even need to ask about it. Under the might of a god, the believers would quietly change their faith and become followers of Dream.

"My believers?" Truman's expression turned peculiar. This was the first time he'd had believers who clearly believed in him and looked to him as their highest source of faith. It was completely different from being the Pope or an Angel; there was no barrier between them.

Truman thought for a moment, then answered the Anchor of those believers who pointed toward him.

In that instant, a pure, brilliant rainbow suddenly burst across the sky, drawing the eyes of everyone in the territory.

In a daze, the faith in their hearts—which had been distorted from the image of the Giant King—took on a sense of reality.

They instinctively began to pray, reciting the Honorific Name engraved in their hearts.

"Spirit of Truth;

Pure One;

Traveler of Time and Space;

Angel of Dreams."

"I beseech you to look upon us. I beseech you to descend."

This was the Honorific Name Truman had composed for himself as an Angel. It was exceptionally precise, and as the believers recited it, countless voices echoed in his mind.

For a moment, the Book of Dreams rose into the air as well. Its false covering, which Truman had used to disguise it, fell away, revealing its dazzling, dreamlike cover.

Dream Phosphor rained down, drifting into the believers' bodies and invigorating them. Their Spirit Bodies, damaged in the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's plan, were completely restored.

"Thank you for your grace, Lord!" Tens of thousands of believers bowed down, surging like a tide.

"This... Having my own believers really is much better than freeloading." Even the Book of Dreams could sense them. That alone was remarkable.

Holding the Book of Dreams, Truman appeared amid the rainbow light filling the sky. He even conjured twelve pure white wings behind himself, making himself look as divine as possible.

For now, believers still mainly worshipped statues of gods. This would become the sole faith in his territory.

Truman pointed, and endless Dream Phosphor descended, forming a dreamlike statue dozens of meters tall. It was white as jade from head to toe and bore his current likeness.

"First Commandment: You shall not take my name in vain."

"Second Commandment: You shall have no other gods."

"Third Commandment: Love your family as you love me."

"Fourth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery or plunder."

"Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill the innocent."

"Sixth Commandment: Serve me with your heart, not with sacrifices."

"..."

"My believers shall receive the blessing of Dream."

Truman flipped through the Book of Dreams to the page titled "Illusionary Dream," and a mysterious power settled upon the statue.

"Should I weave their dreams for them? No, I'll let them choose for themselves." Truman had even created a Divine Amusement Park much like Heaven of Dreams, but in the end, he left the choice up to the believers.

Truly devout believers would be given a choice: freely weave a Beautiful Dream or enter Paradise of God.

And after their Beautiful Dream, they would find true peace, including—but not limited to—their minds and Beyonder Characteristics.

In theory, believers of Dream wouldn't lose control before becoming Demi-gods, and even after becoming Demi-gods, they could still find peace in a Beautiful Dream.

"Perhaps in a few hundred or thousand years, Dream will become a secret organization?" Truman looked forward to the future as well.

"I've made arrangements here. You can stay here without worrying about your information crossing over with the Spirit World's. And this place should be well suited to your Acting Method."

Lilith had regressed to the Vampire stage. Naturally, her most important task was to seek out her humanity. Besides that, she would probably need to work on her Acting Method.

"Good." Lilith nodded gently. She looked at the towering statue and the tens of thousands of believers bowing before it. "Do I need to believe in you?"

"Believe in me?" Truman was taken aback.

"Faith is also a part of humanity," Lilith said seriously. She wanted to understand humanity through similar actions.

"That'll be difficult," Truman said frankly. "If you can't adjust your mindset from that of an Ancient God to that of the Vampire you are now, you'll keep looking down on everyone. You won't be able to understand true humanity."

"I'm Sanguine!" Lilith corrected him, but Truman's words also made her furrow her brow in thought.

"Take it slowly. You still have plenty of time." The Goddess's and Truman's earlier arrangements wouldn't come into play until the Ancient Sun God made his move against the Giant King.

"Okay." Lilith fell silent and quietly watched the devout believers.