The giant brought Chu Lian straight to the gates of the imperial city. Along the way, they encountered no obstacles. It seemed the Dark Giants stationed here had already received orders, so their pace was swift. Before Chu Lian even felt much time had passed, he had already carried her here.
"Thank you very much. May I know your name?" Chu Lian asked the giant, who bore the appearance of a middle-aged man. She found herself a little curious about what he was called.
"I am a member of the Royal Guard. You may call me Komir." After gently setting Chu Lian down, he dropped to one knee in salute and spoke respectfully.
"Komir, thank you for your kindness." Indeed, if not for Komir's attitude, the moment Chu Lian sensed any threat she would have activated the Seraph without hesitation and fled. None of what was happening now would have come to pass.
"I merely carried out the Prophet's instructions. It is nothing worth mentioning." After saying this, Komir slowly rose and departed.
Though he was part of the Royal Guard, it seemed he was not stationed here permanently. Being sent out to find Chu Lian was likely just one of his recent assignments.
"Whew... So I've finally arrived?" Turning around, Chu Lian gazed at the massive black gates towering at least a hundred meters high and stood quietly before them.
Clang...
A faint metallic reverberation echoed through the air as the enormous doors slowly opened before her. A resplendent golden interior gradually unfolded in her view.
The round pillars—each ten meters thick—were engraved with what appeared to be the legendary history of the Dark Giant tribe. The relief carvings were so vivid they seemed almost alive, as though scenes from ancient legends were being reenacted before her eyes.
The figures opposing them were another group of giants. Something about them felt strange, yet Chu Lian could not quite discern what was off.
The hall was as spacious as a public square. Standing within it, Chu Lian seemed like nothing more than a tiny speck. She tilted her head back to take in the surroundings, feeling as though she had stepped into a fairy tale brought to life.
"Come in, my friend."
A gentle voice rang out. Chu Lian's body suddenly lifted into the air and drifted forward, carried toward a colossal metal table so large it could have accommodated an entire racetrack without seeming cramped. Before her stood a woman clad in white gauze, a pair of white wing-shaped ornaments adorning her ears. Her features were exquisitely refined. Chu Lian froze slightly at the sight.
"Are you surprised that I am different from the other giants?" the woman asked, her sapphire-blue eyes resting on Chu Lian. They were as deep as the ocean, as if capable of seeing through all things in the world.
"Hello..." Chu Lian hesitated, unsure how to respond, and could only offer a simple greeting.
"Heh, there's no need to be nervous. Treat this as a casual chat between friends." Her words made Chu Lian instinctively take a few steps back. She glanced around but saw no other giants present.
"They have all gone to the Sacred Mountain. At present, I alone remain here guarding the kingdom. Otherwise, the moment you arrived, I would have personally brought you here. You wouldn't have had to endure these past days of sleeping in the open." As she spoke, the Prophet smiled softly. It was clear she had been observing Chu Lian all along—she even knew exactly what she had been doing.
"Ahem... I just didn't know what was going on. I was worried you might make things difficult for me," Chu Lian admitted honestly, voicing her concerns without concealment.
"That was our oversight. We failed to consider your feelings," the Prophet replied, shaking her head. She seemed fully aware of her miscalculation.
"May I ask why you were looking for me?" Seeing her attitude, Chu Lian sensed that she was someone easy to speak with. Without hesitation, she voiced her question.
"You are a Plane Merchant, are you not?" The Prophet lifted a wine flask, poured herself a cup, and after taking a delicate sip, asked the question calmly.
"Yes, though I am only a Beginner Plane Merchant." It was not surprising that she could identify her as a Spacetime Traveling Merchant. In truth, once one's strength reached a certain threshold and they possessed the appropriate abilities, meeting the required conditions made it possible—though not easy—to discern such identities.
Of course, compared to other professions, being a Spacetime Traveling Merchant was still exceptionally secure. Those capable of detecting one had to, first and foremost, harbor no ill intent toward the merchant, possess the ability to refrain from exposing their identity, and have prophetic-type powers. Only then was there a chance they could know.
Since this female giant had become the Prophet of the Dark Giant tribe, she clearly possessed unique abilities of her own. She had likely encountered Spacetime Traveling Merchants before. It was therefore not strange that she recognized Chu Lian.
Chu Lian had considered this possibility. That was precisely why she chose to speak with the other party under the identity of a Spacetime Traveling Merchant and had donned the ceremonial robe.
"A Plane Merchant... what a fascinating profession," the Prophet murmured softly after another sip of wine, her gaze resting on Chu Lian.
"The last time I encountered one of your kind was seven hundred years ago. It was that chance meeting and the trade we concluded that allowed us to survive our crisis and endure until today." Her phrasing was peculiar. It sounded as though she carried deep concern for the kingdom of the Dark Giants.
"I only became a Plane Merchant recently. Whatever that predecessor of mine did has nothing to do with me. There is no need for you to extend your gratitude toward him onto me," Chu Lian replied. She now understood part of why the Prophet was treating her this way. But that person was not her, and she had no intention of claiming credit.
"Haha, of course I know he was not you. I can distinguish that much." The Prophet smiled lightly, unbothered by Chu Lian's attitude. "By the way, little one, what is your name?"
"Deloris. You may call me Deloris." Chu Lian felt grateful that she had a usable false name to conceal her true one. Aside from the main world or certain special realms, it was practically universal.
"Deloris... what a lovely name. You may call me Norlanna. I am the Prophet of the Giant tribe." The Prophet repeated Chu Lian's name softly before introducing herself.
"Norlanna... I see. May I ask again—why were you looking for me?" This was already the second time Chu Lian had asked. She truly wanted an answer.
"Deloris, there is no need to rush. Although this matter does indeed require your assistance, it is not so urgent that we cannot spare a little time." Yet Norlanna still did not answer directly. Instead, she spoke evasively, as if waiting for someone.
"Very well. Then could you tell me about the history of your tribe?" From the way Norlanna referred to herself as part of the Giant tribe rather than the Dark Giants, Chu Lian understood that she did not acknowledge that designation. Thus, she refrained from mentioning it.
"The history of the Giant tribe? We are nothing more than a group of failures—people who were driven from our homeland. What is there worth telling? No matter how glorious our past may have been, we are now merely prisoners confined within this world, unable to leave. Whether it is spoken of or not makes little difference." As Norlanna spoke of this, her gaze finally shifted. Like ripples spreading across a tranquil lake, her eyes grew faintly unfocused.
"Of course, outsiders now call us the Dark Giants, believing we abandoned the light and cast ourselves into darkness." She seemed fully aware of everything, yet powerless to change it.
"In my view, the title 'Dark Giants' should belong to the branch of giants who exiled us. They are the traitors—the ones who betrayed the light, accepted the baptism of darkness, and became the hounds of Judgement..." Norlanna's tone grew agitated for a moment, but she quickly composed herself, her voice returning to calm.
"Judgement?" Chu Lian rolled the unfamiliar word across her mind, sensing that yet another hidden truth was about to unfold before her.
"Judgement is the aberration—the source that plunges a world into chaos," Norlanna began to explain slowly.
"What is called Judgement is the act of declaring a world guilty and then carrying out its execution. 'Judgement' is a specific designation referring to the race born from the aberration itself."
"Are they spherical creatures covered in tentacles, virus-like beings that hide within the Shadow Plane?" Chu Lian asked. She recalled the monster she and Yukari Yakumo had captured in the graveyard days earlier. Its characteristics had been strikingly similar.
"No. That is not Judgement." Norlanna shook her head. "Judgement has no physical form. It is merely a consciousness—an awareness that drives all creatures it can control to carry out its will. Any life that becomes a servant of Judgement will bear a black mark upon its body."
At her explanation, Chu Lian immediately understood. So Judgement was the voice that echoed within the minds of those branded with the mark.
"At first, they are weak. But the more lives they infect during an aberration, the more death they reap, the stronger they become. In the end, they can even devour the World Consciousness itself, turning the entire world into a barren land of death."
"However, it is not impossible to free a life controlled by Judgement. It is simply extremely difficult. To my knowledge, only a handful of individuals in ancient times ever succeeded."
"As for the creature you mentioned—it is a virus that parasitizes the aberration. We call it 'Kalier.' It is an exceedingly repulsive form of life. In terms of the damage it inflicts upon living beings, it is even more vicious than Judgement. But without Judgement, such creatures cannot survive."
"They also possess a fatal weakness. They are extremely fearful of moonlight—or any radiance similar to it. If exposed to such light, they will perish. Though we do not know why, it is precisely because of this weakness that their proliferation can be restrained."
Originally, it should have been Chu Lian asking about the outside world or pressing Norlanna about why she had sought her out. Instead, it was the female Prophet who continued explaining the dangers of these entities.
"I see..." Combining Norlanna's words with what Yukari Yakumo had previously told her, the connections between Judgement, aberration, the virus, and Kalier suddenly became clear.
"Do you very much wish to know these things?" Just as Chu Lian was quietly digesting the information, Norlanna's previously solemn expression vanished. She looked at her gently and smiled.
"All right, I do want to know. And since you've told me so much, I assume this is your first bargaining chip?" Chu Lian understood that Norlanna must have her reasons. Otherwise, she would not have revealed so much.
"In any case, be cautious. They are not entities to be taken lightly—whether Judgement or Kalier. Both have existed since ages long past. It is only recently that they have begun to stir once more." Norlanna added this final warning before continuing, "Now then, Deloris, there is something I need to ask of you."
Hearing this, Chu Lian's heart tightened. At last, the real matter had arrived. After circling around with so many explanations, what exactly did she want her to do?
"What is it?"