Human Nature

"I seem to have discovered something..."

Lilith turned around, and Truman felt a twitch between his brows; he had a very bad feeling about this.

"Every living being seems to contain a 'divinity' within their body. But they are so weak—why would they possess 'divinity'?"

In front of Lilith stood a humanoid creature woven entirely from flowers and grass.

The body, crafted completely from woven grass, was exceptionally agile. It hopped from Lilith's hand onto the ground, dancing about with a comical air that was, at first glance, quite amusing.

"When I was an ancient god, I never paid attention to creatures below the level of a demigod. Now, however, I have made some rather different discoveries."

Lilith's eyes lit up. For the first time, Truman saw a different kind of light within them.

Was this curiosity?

Truman wasn't entirely sure, but for Lilith, it probably wasn't a bad thing.

"This is certainly not a good thing for me." Truman stepped forward and kicked the humanoid creature away.

"Since divinity exists within every living body, what about humanity? I find that my understanding of humanity is a bit too simple."

"So, I feel I need some points of reference."

Lilith reached out and plucked a blade of grass from beside her. The wreath on her head shimmered with a faint light, and the grass suddenly began to writhe, becoming animated, even possessing a certain degree of a "soul."

"Are you planning to grant these things true souls and life so they can act out what humanity is for you?"

"What do you think?" Lilith looked at Truman.

"I think you should look at the essence of these things." Truman sighed softly and dispelled the dream phosphor within the castle.

This was a castle he had forged, suppressing a certain essence of madness. This was the reason why, although the mutations caused by Lilith had spread, they hadn't resulted in large-scale casualties within the territory.

And the moment he withdrew the dream phosphor, that madness lost its restraint and erupted violently.

The "objects" that Lilith had forcibly granted life to using her authority of life underwent terrifying mutations at that very instant.

The maid who had led Truman into the castle suddenly swelled, and various severed limbs and rotting corpses burst from every part of her body, tearing through her robes and exposing themselves to the air.

Her own state was in constant flux—she was a werewolf, a vengeful spirit, and a puppet all at once, possessing the characteristics of all these creatures simultaneously.

As for the "humanoid creature" Truman had kicked away, it completely collapsed, turning into a mass of grotesque flesh that writhed incessantly, carrying with it the fragrance of flowers, trees, and grass.

The blade of grass that had just been granted a soul transformed into a mass of writhing, fleshy tentacles.

Even more exaggerated were the countless blood-red eyes, accompanied by tentacles, that crawled out from the crevices, flailing in a disordered and frantic frenzy.

They danced wildly, radiating an aura of chaotic madness that made even Truman feel a desire for destruction.

Even Lilith felt a sense of revulsion after a single glance. This was the thing she had been suppressing ever since she met Truman; it was the essence of this world.

"In a broad sense, humanity perhaps doesn't need to be sought within humans, but this... thing, whose essence is madness, should be the last thing you'd want to see."

"You bestowed life and crude souls upon them, but you also know clearly that these things can never become true life." Truman tried his best to restrain himself, but he was still disgusted.

"Purify!" Truman channeled the sunlight from the outside world into the castle.

This was the kingdom of the sun god, after all. If not for the barrier of the dream phosphor, these filthy, evil things would have had no space to survive here at all.

"Ah!" Almost all the monsters wailed under the purification of the sunlight, unable to resist.

Only the stitched monster formed by the puppet characteristic had a chance of resistance.

However, Truman merely cast another glance at it. The puppet transformed into a marionette, stepping out from a pile of ash.

"You must ensure that your various actions do not bring trouble to others."

Truman walked over to Lilith and sat down.

"These things are insignificant to you and me, but for ordinary humans, they are already a catastrophe."

"Your exploration of humanity and divinity cannot be wrong." Truman commented, based on his own understanding of the essence of this world.

Lilith's eyes lit up, staring intently at Truman, waiting for his answer.

"All things possess divinity, originating from that original creator." Truman voiced some conclusions from later ages. "As for humanity, you must find it yourself."

"What I can tell you is that it is feasible."

In later ages, two little wolves had successfully achieved this.

"But at the very least, as a friend, I hope that in the process of maintaining your desire for exploration, you can exercise restraint and self-control." Truman suggested sincerely.

"Desire, restraint, and self-control..." Lilith looked thoughtful. "Is this your understanding of humanity?"

Truman was startled, only then remembering that he had once said desire was a part of humanity.

"Fine, I agree, for the sake of friendship." Lilith nodded gently.

"...Good." Truman nodded back. He let the dream phosphor fall once more, merging it into the castle and cutting off the sunlight.

It took him some time to restore the dreamland to normal and save those who had been corrupted by the puppets.

Truman departed amidst the prayers and praises of the believers, seeking out Sasrir.

"You have also seen the scroll of civilization, so what will you do next?" Truman asked straightforwardly.

Among the angels of the kingdom of the sun god, he was extremely unique; he possessed an autonomous territory, had his own exclusive believers, and could even speak to the right hand of god in such a manner.

"The correct future will arrive." Sasrir had no other emotions, and he was willing to reveal the arrangements for the future to Truman.

Truman was also one of the few people who didn't need to care about his identity.

Truman nodded gently. If the future existing on the scroll of civilization was to arrive, it might mean that there were still hundreds of years left until the divine war where the ancient sun god would truly reclaim his authority.

"Very well. If there is anything, you can come find me. I am preparing to enter the book of dreams."

"Enter?!" Sasrir's pupils constricted, his expression turning solemn.

"Yes, enter! I will return at an indefinite time." Truman chuckled. He had made great progress in his exploration of the book of dreams.

"Be careful." Sasrir had long since guessed that the book of dreams was something akin to a sefirah.

From his own perspective, was entering the chaos sea really that easy?

He was only able to use the power of the chaos sea by relying on the blasphemy slate.

Sasrir did not say much more, only offering a word of caution.

Truman smiled and nodded.

Afterward, he returned to the base of the statue of dreams, merging into it completely, and leapt into the book of dreams within a dark, secluded space.

Truman's goal was the depths of the sea of dreams, a place of indescribable magnificence, appearing as a gathering of all the beautiful dreams, desires, and visions of every living being throughout history.