Klein withdrew his gaze and looked at the dense forest behind him, so dense that almost no light could penetrate it, and roughly understood where they were.
This is the " Forest of Decay " that Groselle guarded when he was at the " Giant King's Court ".
The trees in the forest are tens of meters tall and so thick that it would take several Giant to encircle them, but their bark is mottled and rotten in many places, and their branches and leaves are all dry, hanging down and intertwined with each other, like dark clouds floating in mid-air.
Groselle and several other Giant similar to him stood guard at the edge of the forest, some with axes, others with greatswords, intently defending against attacks from different directions.
"According to Groselle, the father and mother of the Giant King Ormir are buried in this ' Forest of Decay,' and no one but this ancient god can enter, including these guards... Hmm, the parents of the Giant King Ormir should be the so-called first generation of Giant, the most insane, fierce, and cruel kind, probably... Wait, why would Groselle have such a dream?" Klein, suddenly realizing something was amiss.
According to what he had learned while chatting around City of Pesot, the current Groselle is Giant born and raised locally, and has no connection with the " Giant King's Court ".
Therefore, this dream seems quite abnormal!
"Judging from the Psychology Alchemists theory mentioned by Ms. Daly and Miss ' Justice,' perhaps when creating characters in the book's world, the subconscious and collective unconscious of the original characters were used or copied, and then slightly modified to make the conscious mind meet the needs of the current setting. Therefore, Groselle is now affected by his own subconscious in his dreams, reliving his life in the ' Giant King's Court '... If that's the case, then this book can only be described as a cruel Author..." Klein thought to himself, and suddenly a thought struck him, feeling that this was an opportunity to obtain information related to the " Giant King's Court ".
He had originally planned to ask Groselle directly about this matter, but the Giant Guardian died in battle with " King of the North " Yurizan in order to keep his promise, and his spirit dissipated quickly after leaving the world of the book, without giving him any chance to communicate. Now he finally had another way, which was to explore Groselle's dream.
Some of this content will certainly be absurd and exaggerated, but the rest is inevitably a reflection of reality. With careful study, it's not impossible to discern the truth.
" Groselle has never entered the ' Forest of Decay.' Even if there are scenes inside, they are all from his imagination, and there is no need to explore them..." Klein slowly turned his gaze to the mountain where the royal court was located.
It is not high, which suggests that the " Forest of Decay " is located on a mountain quite close to the royal court, and there should be a road leading directly from here to the dwelling place of the ancient god.
Klein wasted no time searching, heading straight for Groselle, adopting a familiar demeanor, and calmly asked:
How should I return to the royal court?
He knew Groselle was an honest Giant, and certainly even more honest in his dreams.
Groselle raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, looked down and chuckled, somewhat puzzled:
"Aren't we going back through the ' Desolate Tunnel '?"
He pointed to the side and added:
"You'll see it once you go around that huge rock."
"Thank you," Klein said gratefully, bowing slightly.
Watching his retreating figure disappear into the distance, Groselle scratched the back of his head again, muttering to himself in confusion:
"Who is he? Why does he seem so familiar...?"
After rounding a huge boulder protruding from the mountainside, Klein was suddenly greeted by a vast cavern at least thirty meters high.
Outside the cave stood a stone tablet, carved with a vertical One-Eyed, a high nose, and thick lips, as if the head of a Giant had been forcibly pressed in, with only the front part showing.
As soon as Klein approached, the mouth on the stone tablet opened:
Why return to the royal court ahead of schedule?
"Summoned by the King," Klein lied without batting an eye, since the intelligence of all the creatures in this dream was basically equal to that of the dream's master, Groselle.
The lips on the stone tablet opened and closed erratically, emitting a buzzing sound:
Please answer one question for me, otherwise you will not be able to pass.
... At times like this, if I brought " Magic Mirror " Arrodes, something really fun would happen... Klein thought to himself, then calmly nodded and said:
"Good."
The lips on the stone tablet closed for three seconds before opening:
If you were asked to judge who was the most beautiful among your wife, your daughter, and the woman you covet, who would you choose?
This is completely different from the " Magic Mirror's" questioning style... Klein's mouth moved, his thoughts racing, and it took him nearly ten seconds to answer:
"My Wisdom is insufficient to determine this matter; I will appoint someone more Wisdom to provide the answer."
How could he possibly answer such a deadly question by himself? He added through gritted teeth.
"... Who is the Wisdom one?" The Giant face on the stone tablet stared blankly for a few seconds before asking.
Klein answered solemnly and seriously:
"Of course, it's our king."
The stone tablet fell silent for a moment before finally speaking:
"Okay, even if you answered, you can go now."
Klein immediately stepped over the strange stone tablet and entered the cave ahead.
The cave floor is paved with large, weathered stone slabs, and murals are painted on the sides and above, depicting stories of battles between Giant and Dragon, Demonic Wolf, Mutant, Devil, and Phoenix. The style is rough and the colors are somber, yet they are extremely lifelike.
As Klein examined the murals, he walked forward, discovering clumps of withered weeds and coarse gravel in the gaps between the stone slabs and beneath the murals.
The deeper you delve, the more tangible the feeling of water loss and life fading becomes.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Klein saw an open, gray-blue door, with a Giant standing four or five meters tall on each side of the door.
The Giant guarding this place were different from Grosser and his Groselle; they wore hard, ornate, iron-black armor and uniquely designed, sturdy helmets, resembling two enormous statues.
They did not stop Klein, allowing him to pass through the door and enter the inner hall.
The hall was not very large; its edges were clearly visible, and it could probably accommodate fifty or sixty Giant.
Klein was observing his surroundings when suddenly his feet gave way, and then the entire hall seemed to be pulled upwards by Invisible Hand.
He swayed slightly but regained his balance. He saw the gray-black stone wall flash past the gate and continue to descend.
In just over ten seconds, a loud crash was heard, and the ascent in the hall came to a halt.
At this moment, what lies outside the door is no longer a cave or tunnel, but a magnificent hall supported by stone pillars.
Klein quickly left the original hall and looked around with great interest.
"Is this the Giant King's Court version of the 'elevator'? This seems to be where the guards live. Outside there are long tables taller than humans and huge chairs. On both sides are rooms with rows of large beds neatly arranged inside..." Klein's gaze swept over the various things in the hall, finally stopping on a mural.
The main figure in the mural is a Giant wearing full silver armor, and because there is no comparison, Klein has no way of knowing how tall he is.
The Giant stood on the edge of the cliff, his long sword pointing diagonally upwards, his body radiating a bright light, like the rising the Sun illuminating the surroundings.
Many Giant knelt on one knee around the area, seemingly in prayer or worship, or waiting for a gift.
Badhair Klein, the eldest son of the Giant King and the " God of Dawn," gazed thoughtfully at the face of the mural's subject, which was hidden by a mask, except for the eyes, which shone with a light like the Dawn.
Like the " God of Combat " statue in the underground ruins of Backlund, its face was completely hidden behind a mask... Ah, the " Mystery Queen " said that the current " God of Combat " is a Giant who lived from ancient times, which is why their church's headquarters, the " Giant King's Court," is so similar to the " Giant King's Court "... Could it be that this Giant King's eldest son, the " God of Dawn," escaped the destruction of the royal court and at some point reclaimed the authority that belonged to his father? Klein boldly speculated, but he had no evidence or clues.
Based on the correspondence, he looked at the other wall, where there was also a mural, but the protagonist was no longer " the God of Dawn " Badhair, but a female Giant wearing leather armor on the upper body and a long skirt on the lower body.
The female Giant stood sideways, with soft facial features, a single vertical One-Eyed gazing downwards, and long, dark brown hair that reached down to her vest.
She held out her right hand, supporting ears of wheat, fruits, and other items. All around her were golden fields, clear lake water, trees laden with fruit, and vibrant mushrooms.
" Giant Queen, ' Goddess of Harvest ' Omebella?" Klein looked around but couldn't find the mural representing the Giant King Ormir.
This is a remote guardhouse, so there's no image of an ancient god? Then, going out from here should lead to the interior of the " Giant King's Court "... Klein cautiously walked towards the door, using the method he had previously used in the dream world of the Ruins of the Gods' Battle, falsely activating " Creeping Hunger," and relying on the power of the " Living Corpse," he opened the door.
However, instead of the palace frozen in Twilight that he had imagined, there was only a gray, misty world outside, and ahead seemed to be a precipice with no bottom in sight.
"Based on Miss ' Justice's' previous experiences, this should be the boundary of the dream. From here on, we can only go down, into Groselle's subconscious, and finally arrive at the Sea of Collective Subconscious... Miss ' Justice ' discovered a Mind Dragon in the ocean of human unconsciousness in her area. So, what exists in the ocean of unconsciousness in this world created by the ' Dragon of Imagination '?" With a thought, Klein conjured a staircase leading downwards in the gray mist ahead.
The stairs are not vertical; they twist and turn, penetrating deep into a gray, secluded Mind World, where the bottom is unseen and the details are indistinct.
P. S.: There's an extra chapter today, same time as usual.