Chapter 190: Watching from the Sidelines

Chapter 190: Watching from the Sidelines

Looking at the silent Cattleya, Klein suddenly felt a little awkward.

He did not speak again. Turning around, he jumped down from the boulder and entered the black monastery through the half-open gate.

Within the square enclosed by dim towers and connected buildings, a few remnants of the previous battle still burned. Enormous arrows remained embedded in the ground, their tails swaying gently in the wind.

Frank Lee was still digging a hole and planting something. Only, what lay beside his feet was no longer food, but a rotten-mud-like mass of flesh and blood.

“What kind of experiment are you planning to use those for?” Klein could not help asking as he passed by.

Frank smiled excitedly.

“Lots and lots!

“For example, a cow where one single animal can satisfy an entire ship’s meat requirements. Every time a portion is cut off, it can grow back!”

…Why is it cows again? For a moment, Klein could not find any words to respond with. He could only silently draw a crimson moon in his heart.

Passing Navigator Ottolov, who sat on the ground reading a book; Nina, who was dead drunk and seemed to be showing signs of wanting to undress; and Heath Doyle, who was quietly hidden in the shadows of a corner, Klein walked all the way into the hall whose surfaces were covered in murals.

At some unknown point, Anderson Hood had manifested an easy chair and was now lying leisurely in it, admiring the paintings on the vaulted ceiling, which were filled with religious sanctity.

“Ah, we’re finally about to leave this damned sea. Only two or three more alternations between noon and night!” Seeing Gehrman Sparrow enter, the Strongest Hunter sighed sincerely. “As long as I can leave this place smoothly, I won’t have to worry about any residual problems.”

Klein had originally wanted to tell him to shut up directly. But since Anderson seemed to be speaking only about himself and not involving anyone else, Klein was too lazy to bother. He asked casually, “Are you Intisian?”

“Barely. My father was Intisian, and my mother was Segarian.” Anderson clearly had a strong desire to chat.

Klein walked a few steps forward and asked, “Then do you believe in the Eternal Blazing Sun, the God of Steam and Machinery, or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?”

Anderson’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange.

“I originally believed in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, but their priests were simply too hateful. Just because my exam results were not good enough, they ignored my ordinary handsome face and looked at me like I was an idiot. Pah! I was only a little lopsided in my subjects, that’s all. My IQ isn’t low at all! I was always excellent in artistic knowledge, drawing fundamentals, and so on! Heh, before I became a Hunter, my dream was to become a painter.

“Of course, after coming to sea, I more or less believe a little in the Lord of Storms.”

Hearing Anderson’s description, Klein suddenly thought of a joke: a priest of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom might say, “Failed the exam? This child is beyond saving. Bury him.”

He was about to lead the topic toward Anderson’s career as a Hunter. After all, in the dream world, apart from the Queen of Mysteries, this was the only fellow who could communicate with him normally. But just then, the clang of an opening door suddenly sounded beside his ears.

From deep inside the mural hall came the clang of an opening door!

This fellow Anderson just said that as long as we can leave this place smoothly… Klein felt an inexplicable ache in his teeth. He focused and looked toward the source of the sound.

He then saw a man in a linen short robe rush out from the depths of the mural hall at great speed, heading straight toward this side.

The man’s hair was glossy black, but his face was wrinkled, as though he had endured considerable suffering.

The Black Saint Leomaster! The benevolent Leomaster! Klein recognized him at once. Then he discovered a tall figure emerging from the depths of the hall.

The figure wore heavy, dark black full-body armor. In its eye sockets were two clusters of deep crimson light.

Holding a gigantic straight sword, he madly pursued Leomaster ahead of him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

His metal-like boots struck the ground in quick succession, producing crisp and urgent sounds.

The real Leomaster! The main personality of the Black Saint! Watching the two figures draw closer and closer, Klein instinctively turned his body sideways and quickly retreated.

He pressed himself to the wall of the mural hall. Then he discovered that Anderson Hood had also leaped up from his easy chair at some unknown point and pressed himself against the mural on the other side.

Sensing Gehrman Sparrow’s gaze, Anderson grinned, giving a smile that seemed to say: so you’re just like me.

Who’s just like you? This isn’t cowardice. If you weren’t here, I would already have taken out the Sea God Scepter and fought the Black Saint for eight hundred rounds! I’ve been thinking all along about whether helping the benevolent Leomaster kill the main personality in the dream would produce corresponding changes in the real world…

Mm, outside is the Future and everyone aboard it. If Leomaster’s main personality truly goes mad, the Queen of Mysteries will definitely act…

It shouldn’t be coincidence that these two fellows left their own dream and came here. Are the two sides already very close in the real world? Or did someone guide the benevolent Leomaster over here—the Queen of Mysteries? Many thoughts flashed instantly through Klein’s mind.

Leomaster, dressed in the linen short robe, saw two people ahead and originally wanted to open his mouth to call for help. But in the blink of an eye, he discovered that both of them had already moved to opposite edges of the hall, each wearing an expression that said they had seen nothing and wanted to do nothing.

“…” He ran with all his strength, rushing out of the mural hall.

The deep crimson in the black-armored knight Leomaster’s eyes grew even more intense as he pursued him out, paying no attention whatsoever to Klein and Anderson, who were pressed against the murals on either side.

Once they left the hall, Klein, who had formed certain guesses, stepped forward without hesitation, moving as fast as a cheetah as he followed them from behind.

“…” Anderson lifted his right hand and clawed at the air twice, failing to stop Gehrman Sparrow in time.

“That guy was quite rational just now, so why did he suddenly go mad again? Did he notice something? How curious…” Anderson stuck his head out and glanced at the square outside. After hesitating for several seconds, he ultimately chose to follow.

All the way out of the black monastery and to the area where Admiral of Stars sat, Klein saw Leomaster in the linen short robe circling the boulder to avoid his main personality. Whenever he found the opportunity, he would look toward the projection of the Giant King’s Court on the opposite mountain and pray softly in ancient Hermes:

“O Lord who created all things;

“You are the omniscient and omnipotent one…”

After circling once more, the benevolent Leomaster continued chanting:

“You are the root of all greatness. You are the beginning, and You are also the end;

“You are the God of Gods. You are the ruler of the vast astral world!”

As the honorific name came to an end, the sea of clouds separating the two peaks suddenly trembled, slowly parting to the left and right, revealing a deep fissure whose bottom could not be seen.

The projection of the Giant King’s Court opposite abruptly drew the frozen dusk from the extreme distance toward itself!

But after that, nothing happened.

Klein more or less came to an understanding. Turning his head, he looked upward toward a building near the gate of the black monastery. Behind a clean, bright floor-to-ceiling window, the beautiful yet unapproachable Queen of Mysteries, Bernadette, was silently watching everything below.

So it was her who let the benevolent Leomaster escape his own dream and come here… Since the Listener of the Aurora Order could bring Little Jack into the Forsaken Land of the Gods, there’s no reason the Black Saint couldn’t. When there is no path ahead, and the projection of the Giant King’s Court is visible, the personality split off from Leomaster would inevitably think of escaping into it. Thus, he demonstrates for the hidden observer how to enter the Forsaken Land of the Gods… Klein withdrew his gaze with considerable certainty.

As for the reason the benevolent Leomaster had not succeeded, Klein’s judgment was:

Wrong location!

They would have to travel deeper into this sea, find a specific place surrounded by danger and strangeness, and then, within the dream brought by night, recite the honorific name of the Creator of the City of Silver to open the hidden passage inside the projection of the Giant King’s Court. Then, by entering through the dream, they might drive their bodies and ships through the mist where reality and illusion intertwined, ultimately arriving at the seaside of the Forsaken Land of the Gods? Klein speculated silently.

To him, how to enter the Forsaken Land of the Gods was not the most pressing concern. As long as he wished, once he advanced to Sequence 4 and truly possessed a certain degree of divinity, he could have Little Sun set up a descent or bestowal ritual and go there directly!

However, if this could be used to reverse-engineer how to leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods, that would certainly be a tremendous harvest. Its value to the City of Silver would be immeasurable!

From this, it does seem that the key to leaving the Forsaken Land of the Gods really lies inside the Giant King’s Court. But what exactly it is cannot be guessed… As Klein’s thoughts surged, pea vines rapidly grew out of the soil around him. In an instant, they transformed the area outside the black monastery into a green forest, forcibly separating the Black Saint’s main personality and his benevolent personality.

Then, through the gaps between the pea vines, Klein saw Admiral of Stars Cattleya stand up from the boulder, no longer sitting with her arms around her knees.

…

Sizzle!

Derrick first rolled, then sprang up, chopping the leg of the black-furred giant with his axe. The silver-white lightning that was triggered descended from nowhere, striking the one-eyed monster and making its entire body tremble as it stiffened in place.

Derrick did not let the chance slip by. He immediately stretched both arms outward.

Bright, pure holy light descended magnificently, enveloping the mutated giant.

Within that radiance, the monster screamed and collapsed, clouds of black mist rising from its body.

After the series of battles earlier, Derrick had already discovered that the monsters seeping out from that strange Afternoon Town, regardless of their individual traits, all feared strong light.

That experience allowed him to avoid injury and also helped preserve the lives of more members of the exploration teams.

After a while, once Demon Hunter Colin had dealt with the strongest monster, Afternoon Town returned to silence. All the lit candle flames had already gone out.

This Chief of the Council of Six looked around and sighed.

“We rest first, then establish the camp.”

At that moment, the gathered exploration team had lost nearly a third of its members—six people in total!

Colin Iliad’s true goal was actually the Giant King’s Court. But Afternoon Town’s experience had made him understand that exploration could not be rushed, because the Giant King’s Court very likely hid the deeper secrets of the great disaster, along with unimaginable dangers. Therefore, they would need half a year, one year, perhaps even two years of preparation, and repeated preliminary explorations, before they could attempt to open it.