The two humanoid skeletons, one no more than 1.9 meters tall and the other no more than 1.8 meters tall, looked ordinary, yet they brought an unimaginable shock to Klein above the Gray Fog.
At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the time when he witnessed the Door of Light and the "cocoon." Although his emotions were different, the shock was almost the same.
"This, this isn't the remains of Giant... This definitely belongs to a human... The parents of the Giant King Ormir were human?" Klein's pupils dilated suddenly, as if trying to see more clearly.
No matter how closely he observed or examined them, he could not find any characteristics of Giant on the two gray-white skeletons:
Their limbs are in normal proportion, and their skulls have two eye sockets; they are definitely not juvenile Giant!
After a brief silence, Klein lowered the " Sea God Scepter " again, a series of thoughts flashing through his mind:
"Perhaps not by blood... Perhaps the Progenitor of Giant, the origin of Giant, is humanity itself... In the chaotic and mad First Age, some humans fused with Beyonder Characteristic, transforming into cruel, bloodthirsty, irrational yet possessing a reproductive instinct— Giant? Their descendants inherited their physical traits while gradually regaining their mental normalcy, thus stabilizing into a savage and bloodthirsty race. Among them, the Giant King Ormir was one of the first to mutate, but he retained a degree of rationality, thus becoming an Ancient God? Is the source of all this truly like the mythical legends, the Original Creator?"
After his thoughts settled into speculation, Klein's mind wandered, and more doubts arose:
Why did the Giant King designate the ' Forest of Decay ' as a forbidden place, forbidding any living being from entering?
"He doesn't want the fact that the Giant originated from humans to be known?"
"But if that's the case, we could just cremate my parents' remains; there's no need for all this trouble... And what's with that intense feeling of guilt?"
Who opened that tomb? The Ancient The Sun God who slew the Giant King? The surviving ' God of Dawn,' Badhair, or another Giant King's Court?
"Furthermore, if the Progenitor of Giant were humans, what about Elf, Sanguine, and other humanoid superhumans? And the Progenitor of Dragon were actually lizards?"
"During the early to mid-Second Era, were the conflicts between the humanoid and alien factions rooted in different underlying factors?"
Lacking sufficient clues and information, Klein found it difficult to make any judgments or think of any further possibilities. He had no choice but to forcibly suppress his thoughts and focus his attention back on the City of Silver exploration team.
At this moment, " Demon Hunter " Colin, along with Lovia, Derrick, and others, arrived in front of the stone tablet and saw the remains in the tomb.
They too fell into an indescribable silence, and for a long time no one spoke.
Finally, Joshua, wearing Red Gloves, hesitated before asking:
"These are the Giant King's parents?"
To this " Dawn Paladin " of City of Silver, the two corpses were not at all Giant in height, and were even shorter than himself when he had just come of age.
If he were a young Giant, his body proportions and facial features would not match.
Joshua's question echoed around them, and for a moment no one answered.
After several seconds, " Demon Hunter " Colin slowly spoke:
That's why it's a secret.
He did not mention his own thoughts or speculations.
"... Does this mean that Giant are actually a branch of humanity, a differentiation resulting from the mutation of Beyonder Characteristic?" Antillna, with her wine-red hair, said thoughtfully upon hearing this.
Was the Progenitor Giant human? Derrick was somewhat dizzy at this possibility, feeling that the two were indeed vastly different.
His thoughts shifted, and he thought of his out-of-control companions, especially those who had passed through the " Giant " pathway, and vaguely felt that such a possibility was not out of the question.
--Those who lose control often become abnormally large, their skin turns completely grayish-blue, a huge slit splits open between their eyebrows, drawing in their eyes.
"Perhaps," Colin the Demon Hunter replied briefly.
The members of the City of Silver exploration team fell silent once again.
In this atmosphere, Derrick glanced at Elder Lovia, the " Shepherd," and noticed that the member of the Council of Six " had a calm expression, neither serious nor absent-minded.
At this moment, " Demon Hunter " Colin looked around and said:
"Form groups of two or three and search the surrounding area to see if there are any other discoveries."
The exploration team members quickly came to their senses and, following their leader's instructions, cautiously began their exploration.
Unfortunately, this " Forest of Decay " contains nothing of value except trees, stone tablets, and tombs.
Without further delay, Derrick and Heim exchanged their Sealed Artifact to prevent their Beyonder Characteristic from being expelled by the " Unshadowed Crucifix ".
Then, they followed " Demon Hunter " Colin out of the " Forest of Decay," around a huge boulder protruding from the mountainside, and found the enormous cave that was thirty meters high.
Outside the cave, there used to be a stone tablet, but now it has been shattered and collapsed, and weeds have grown over it.
Bathed in the orange glow of Twilight, there was an indescribable sense of decay and desolation.
Upon entering the cave, the City of Silver exploration team cautiously explored along weathered stone slabs and peeling murals, amidst withered weeds and rough gravel.
With each step they took, they felt their life waning and their body depleting.
After an unknown amount of time, the City of Silver exploration team finally spotted an open, gray-blue gate.
On either side of the gate, there were scattered pieces of dark iron-black fragments, which seemed to belong to some kind of armor.
"There should have been guards here," Colin Demon Hunter said simply, taking out a bottle of potion and gulping it down.
His light blue eyes quickly turned a dark yellow, and two complex dark green symbols stood out in his pupils.
After carefully observing the gray-blue door for a while, he nodded and stepped into the dark hall.
After everyone passed through the main gate and entered, the hall seemed to be pulled upwards rapidly by Invisible Hand, accompanied by a clanging sound.
A dozen seconds later, the ascent in the hall stopped, and a magnificent palace supported by stone pillars appeared outside the door, seemingly the guards' residence.
Derrick instinctively looked around, his gaze sweeping over the various objects in the hall, and he noticed two murals with an ancient style.
One mural features Giant clad in full silver armor, radiating a bright light, with a glimmer of Dawn focused in his eyes. The other mural depicts a female Giant with long, dark brown hair, wearing leather armor and a long skirt, standing sideways in the center. She holds ears of wheat, fruits, and other items, surrounded by Harvest fields, clear lakes, fruit-bearing trees, and vibrant mushrooms.
" The God of Dawn " Badhair... " The Goddess of Harvest " Omebella... Derrick seemed to understand and nodded slightly.
He immediately looked away and saw the chief gazing at the mural representing the " Goddess of Harvest," his expression remaining as somber as before.
Was the chief hoping for a real " Harvest " in City of Silver as well? Derrick pondered this as he followed the instructions of Elder " Shepherd " Lovia, forming a small team with the others to scavenge valuable items and check for hidden passages.
About seven or eight minutes later, they gathered together and followed Chief Colin Iliad to the entrance of the hall.
Colin Iliad plunged his two straight swords into the cracks in the stone slab in front of him, stretched out his hands, pressed them on either side of the door, and with a single force, made it creak open.
The orange-red and brilliant light of Twilight shone in silently, and the palaces and towering towers that the City of Silver exploration team had seen from afar came into view with great impact.
The sheer size, the grandeur, the epic and mythical feel—all became even more vivid and awe-inspiring with the distance brought them so close that everyone instinctively held their breath, forgot everything else, and became completely immersed in the scenery.
The same was true for Klein above the Gray Fog.
This is the royal court belonging to the Giant race.
This is the true kingdom of God.
After about ten seconds, " Demon Hunter " Colin drew his twin swords, turned halfway around, and said to " Shepherd " Lovia:
"Let's test the road conditions on both sides; I can't see very clearly."
The two dark green symbols in his eyes were slowly fading away.
Lovia hummed in agreement, took two steps forward, and arrived at the door.
Outside was a platform with steps on both sides, with a railing made of gray and white stone pillars standing in front. Directly in front was the tallest building in the area, where there was a huge blue-gray gate, with countless mysterious symbols seemingly engraved on both sides, making it extremely solemn.
Corridors, staircases, and other elements connect the layers of palaces and towers, creating a grand and magnificent effect.
Lovia's silver-gray, slightly wavy hair Levitation up, and the stones on the ground, bathed in the Twilight light, rose up and coalesced into a gray-white Puppet.
The Puppet lacked any Spirituality; it was like a Manipulation puppet, and it stepped towards the left.
It descended the stairs, bathed in a rich Red Light, helping the exploration team confirm the situation.
Suddenly, its body stopped, and fine silver light burst forth from within, turning it into countless fragments.
" Shepherd " Lovia was not frightened. Following the same steps, she created another stone figure and made it move to the right.
This time, the stone figure walked all the way to the top of the steps and stopped at the entrance of the palace below, without any unexpected events along the way.
" The Demon Hunter " Colin had been observing intently the entire time, and only spoke up at this moment:
"We'll go to the right, but we need to be careful too."
Although he didn't detect any danger, the fact that he couldn't discern the true situation using his extraordinary abilities speaks volumes.
With this reminder, Derrick and his companions became even more tense, and the three of them, working together to help each other, began their slow descent.
As Joshua, wearing Red Gloves, walked up the high steps, he suddenly heard a series of tapping sounds behind him.
It's as if someone is slowly and quietly following them.
Meanwhile, the " Shepherd " elder, Lovia, was standing to the side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the footsteps were definitely not made by her.
Joshua felt a chill and quickly said in a deep voice:
I hear footsteps behind me.
Lovia turned her head to the side, revealing the five-meter-tall silver knight in front of her, and scrutinized Joshua's back with her crimson, flame-like eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, the " Shepherd " elder shook his head:
There's nothing there.
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!