"…Take yourself as an example: Sequence 4 is already considered a demigod…" Truman explained sequence knowledge to Hermes, using nearby battling extraordinary creatures as examples.
"So that's how it works!" Hermes's face lit up with awe, as if glimpsing a new world.
"I became a demigod by unknowingly fulfilling a ritual's needs, with enough luck and a pathway suited to handling madness…"
Hermes was incredibly fortunate, but his innate spiritual talent was exceptional. After becoming a Manipulator, he often visited battlegrounds of extraordinary creatures, observing and even manipulating their fights to uncover hidden patterns.
This unknowingly aligned with the acting method, stabilizing his mental state.
Truman's arrival was like a guide, helping Hermes unify his occult knowledge into the sequence system, forming a cohesive whole.
"Thanks to the angel for granting me knowledge," Hermes said, bowing deeply, addressing Truman as an angel.
"Call me sir," Truman said, helping him up.
"Yes!" Hermes replied with deep respect.
To him, Truman was a human prophet, perhaps sent by the Creator to share this blasphemous knowledge.
"Let's head to the largest human city-state you know," Truman said, keeping his plan in focus.
"Then we'll go to the Silver Kingdom!" Hermes thought for a moment, naming a place that stirred Truman's memory. "It's the best place I know for human life."
Hermes continued, "They worship the Harvest Goddess, whose power greatly boosts food production. It's one of the few places I've seen where people don't worry about food."
"Silver City?" Truman's expression turned odd. The sense of stepping into history was strangely thrilling.
"Silver City is the largest city-state in the Silver Kingdom…" Hermes held a teleportation artifact, and he now "traveled" with Truman to Silver City.
Their figures faded, then vanished completely. When they reappeared, they stood within a massive city.
Built by giants and human slaves, it was ancient yet grand. Stone pillars lined the streets, engraved with wheat, springs, and flowers—symbols of harvest.
All the pillars pointed toward a massive harvest altar.
Many humans kissed the ground, praying devoutly toward the altar.
Beyond that, mud-brick and stone houses dotted the city, reminding Truman of Athens from his memories.
This was the true face of human society in this era. The Deep Dark City, after all, was the Goddess's stronghold, shaped by her hand.
"Sir Angel, are you here to meet the Giant King?" Hermes asked cautiously.
"No, I'm here for heretics," Truman said, surveying the ancient Silver City. "You've traveled here before. Have you heard of people who worship the Sun?"
"The Sun?!" Hermes's pupils shrank briefly before returning to normal.
The Sun referred to the one who awoke from the Chaos Sea. In later myths, by the late Second Epoch, that being emerged as a true god, beginning to reclaim the Creator's authority.
Leaping to true god status? Even a dual-pathway true god?
That maddening essence could shatter anyone's will. Even the Marauder pathway's uniqueness couldn't stop "God" from awakening.
Even if that being truly became a god upon emerging, they'd need many believers to anchor their humanity.
This was one of the largest human city-states—a likely place for their followers.
And where followers existed, there would be traces.
According to later Elven Chronicles, this was the era of the First Flame, not far from the late Second Epoch's Twin Era.
What truly convinced Truman, though, was the Goddess's reaction.
When he proposed alliances and proactive schemes, she showed no surprise. Perhaps… she'd already had plans and knew of that being's existence.
"As expected, you know something," Truman said, catching Hermes's reaction.
Hermes had been holding back, revealing little. As a Spectator, that was understandable—likely hiding virtual personas in his mind.
"Dreams come true, fantasies take form…" Truman didn't press, instead glancing at the Book of Dreams.
"Hermes, how did you end up outside the Annihilation Demon Wolf's kingdom?" Truman asked.
"I've been wandering the edges of ancient gods' domains, observing beyonder creatures…" Hermes replied instinctively.
"I was heading to the City of Miracles to study dragons…" His eyes widened, his breathing quickened. He looked at Truman again, not just with respect but with awe.
To make him change his mind without noticing—this power was beyond imagination.
Truman, hearing this, fell into thought.
"The Book of Dreams can bend reality and fate like this?" It was almost too much to believe!
He pressed a hand to the Book of Dreams, focusing, and wrote his next plan into its pages.
"Like carrying a Sequence 0-08?" Truman blinked.
"How did you know about the Sun?" Truman and Hermes walked through Silver City's streets, ignored by passersby under psychological invisibility.
"…I once walked in dreams," Hermes said, seeing Truman's calm demeanor. His Spectator ability to read minds was useless here. "I glimpsed the Sun."
"Heretics?" Truman asked softly, eyeing the Harvest Goddess's sacrificial rites.
"Yes, they're so devout, even fanatical, praising the Sun in their dreams," Hermes said. Without that, he wouldn't have noticed.
Truman paused. Well, that fit the stereotype perfectly!
"Then I'll meet them today," he said. They'd reached the Harvest Goddess's altar, and Truman felt a faint stirring.
The altar was tall, its edges carved with miracles of the Harvest Goddess.
This was the foundation of Silver City's existence. They faced attacks from crazed monsters, but if losses grew too great, the giant clan would protect them.
Most importantly, food was never a concern—a vast improvement over other human city-states.
Hermes followed Truman, wary of the giant clan. This was the land of the Giant King's Queen, near the Giant King's Court, where their patrollers might appear.
"Huh? That quick?" Truman's surprised voice broke Hermes's thoughts.
Following his gaze, Hermes saw a tall, thin man with long silver hair. His features were soft, almost delicate, and he held a stone tablet, copying the murals of the Harvest Goddess.
(End of Chapter)