"True Creator"? The whispers filling this sea area come from the "True Creator"? Hearing the answer given by the "Mystical Queen", Klein was taken aback, yet also felt quite fortunate.
What he was fortunate about was exactly what the "Mystical Queen" had said. If she hadn't boarded the ship, even with a Sealed Artifact that reduced hearing in every sense, it would have been difficult for Heath Doyle to avoid an anomaly.
For low-to-mid-sequence Beyonders of other pathways, not directly hearing the "True Creator"'s whispers might at most result in a suppressed or manic mood, and occasional nightmares, without suffering obvious harm. However, for a "Rose Bishop", the Sequence 0 of his pathway was the "True Creator". Being constantly immersed in the whispers of this evil god, even if the person was completely deaf, problems would arise sooner or later.
Once Heath Doyle went mad or lost control, given the peculiarities of this sea area, it would indeed be difficult for the others on the ship to survive. However, Klein believed that as long as he could weather the attack long enough to allow himself the chance to pray to "The Fool" and go above the Gray Fog to respond using the Sea God Scepter, he could still resolve the problem.
What surprised him was that the source of the whispers completely contradicted his own guess. He had originally thought that this sea area was a battlefield of the ancient gods of the Second Epoch and the Creator worshipped by the City of Silver, suspecting that the subsidiary gods, that is, the corresponding Angels, also participated. Who would have thought that this seemed to be a mistake from the very starting point, because the "True Creator" first appeared around the time of the Cataclysm of the Third Epoch!
It couldn't be ruled out that the whispers were left behind later... Klein didn't make a blind judgment. He watched the "Mystical Queen" pass him by, stroking the sculptures on the handrail, and slowly walking downward.
This lady had a tall figure, just the right amount of plumpness and thinness, excellent body proportions, and her simple chestnut hair hung loosely down her back.
This made Klein feel a strange sense of familiarity. After recalling the events involving the "Mystical Queen", he finally remembered the source of this familiarity:
When he visited the Roselle Commemorative Exhibition to look for the "Blasphemy Cards", he had seen a similar back view. At that time, the back view's outfit was quite strange. She was clearly wearing a girlish yellow cake skirt, yet she wore a very old-fashioned black soft hat.
"It must be the 'Mystical Queen'. She also visited the Roselle Commemorative Exhibition in advance... At the time, she was looking at the basic education textbooks the Great Emperor had improved for his children, the chess and building blocks he invented... She is certain that the card I took was the 'Black Emperor' card...
"The Great Emperor's eldest daughter, Bernadette, founded the 'Element Dawn' to fight against the 'Moses Ascetic Order'. Judging by the diary, this lady greatly admires the motto 'Do whatever you want, but do no harm.' Therefore, from these two points, it can be inferred that she is highly likely a Demigod of the 'Mystery Pryer' pathway...
"The Sequence 4 of the 'Mystery Pryer' pathway is the 'Mysticologist'... 'Mystical Queen'... Of course, the fame of the 'Mystical Queen' has spread across the sea for decades or centuries. She must be more than Sequence 4 by now. Hmm, Cattleya joined the 'Moses Ascetic Order' after leaving the 'Mystical Queen'... This Queen cares a great deal about whether she can decipher Roselle's diary..."
These scattered pieces of information intertwined, and Klein suddenly had a guess: Perhaps, the "Mystical Queen" was the eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle, Bernadette Gustav!
This might explain why the Queen's clothing had an Earthly style yet was quite strange. She was deeply influenced by the Great Emperor's preferences in this regard, but couldn't completely break away from the current era's fashion trends, thus she combined them into a unique, peculiar, personal style... As for whether it looked good, that was a different matter. A pretty person looks good even in a sack, and that's a fashion statement too... Klein inwardly complained, but on the surface he remained silent and reserved, unhurriedly following the "Mystical Queen" down the ornate staircase.
The "Mystical Queen" did not turn her head. As she walked, she said: "This dream world is not vast. It only has two parts. One is the projection of the Giant King's Court on the mountain peak opposite, and the other is the Black Monastery here."
"Giant King's Court?" The magnificent architectural complex standing in the solidified dusk immediately emerged in Klein's mind. This was actually a projection of the "Giant King's Court"! And Little "Sun" and the others were at the entrance of the real "Giant King's Court", Afternoon Town!
The "Mystical Queen" spoke in a soft but emotionless tone: "This is my guess, because it is very similar to the Twilight Giant Palace of Feynapotter. And during the Fourth Epoch, there were always rumors that the God of War was an ancient giant who survived the Cataclysm."
The "God of War" pathway is the "Giant" pathway... Klein silently agreed with the "Mystical Queen"'s guess in his heart.
At this moment, he remembered that in the mythological information provided by Little "Sun", the description of the "Giant King's Court" included the phrase "eternally in twilight", which matched the characteristics of that spectacle on the opposite mountain peak.
From the "True Creator" just now to the "Giant King's Court" now, the Queen has revealed two extremely valuable pieces of information... She is showing goodwill towards me, no, towards the one behind me. Heh, there is only myself behind me... Klein calmly responded: "The real 'Giant King's Court' is in the 'Forsaken Land of the Gods'."
He said this in an unconcerned tone in order to demonstrate his own value and the status of the one behind him.
The "Mystical Queen" stopped in her tracks. With her right hand pressed on the handrail covered in ornate sculptures, she half-turned her body, looked at Gehrman Sparrow, and said neither quickly nor slowly: "Rumor has it that the path to the 'Forsaken Land of the Gods' is hidden in the mountain peak opposite, hidden in the projection of the 'Giant King's Court'."
So Little "Sun" and the others have started exploring Afternoon Town? But didn't that Little Jack say they appeared by the seaside? Are there switches in the "Giant King's Court" and the projection of the "Giant King's Court" that must be turned on in advance to connect the two sea areas?
This place is filled with the whispers of the "True Creator", and also hides the secrets of the "Forsaken Land of the Gods". It retains the powers of the Evernight, Sun, Storm, Earth, and Audience pathways. This seems to correspond to the Cataclysm! After the Cataclysm, the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" was isolated from the outside world. The Goddess, the Eternal Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the Mother Earth God saved the world, and the "True Creator" appeared... Only the "Reality Manifestation" of the "Audience" pathway doesn't match up... Klein began to speculate based on the information he had at hand.
The "Mystical Queen" continued descending, then changed the subject and said: "The Black Monastery over here doesn't look big, but every building and every floor represents a different place in this sea area. Behind every door might be hidden the dream of a living being."
"I see..." Klein glanced at the staircase handrail and found that the sculptures on it were mainly human heads. Roughly looking, they were magnificent; carefully examining them, they were creepy. So he casually asked, "Whose dream does this staircase belong to?"