Chapter 36: Human Ability Really Does Have Its Limits

Two prayers. Two wooden carvings.

Though she had made them offhandedly, Hermione had not lost her memory. She simply hadn't realized that both carvings were clearly exposed to Amanises’s "field of vision."

So much for destroying the evidence...

Hermione sighed inwardly, intending to offer a brief explanation. An appreciation for beauty was nothing to be ashamed of, and at the time, her mental state had not yet truly stabilized following her advancement; those gloomy, dark aspects hidden deep within her heart had manifested involuntarily. The only thing she might be criticized for was her sexual orientation. Hermione was thick-skinned enough, and considered herself well-acquainted enough with her "roommate" Amanises, not to think the other would dwell on such a trivial matter.

However, before she could offer an explanation, Amanises did not pursue this "sacrilege," instead proactively bringing up the gods of the Giant race:

"In my current mental state, with my concealment abilities functioning at their best, they can no longer see through my identity. But given their temperaments, the tribe must be careful."

"Is there a problem with these two gods?"

Hermione only knew their tragic future fates, not their specific temperaments. The tribe had never come into contact with such high-level existences; at most, some had seen these gods from afar during festivals, after they had retracted their mythical creature forms.

"Compared to other giants, compared to other subordinate gods, they are considered to be in relatively good condition. But..." Amanises said with a strange expression, "the higher the status of a giant, the more they possess the habit of cannibalism."

Hermione frowned slightly. It was not just the topic of cannibalism that made her uncomfortable. It was the feeling that it shouldn't be this way; the source of the pan-human faction was humanity itself, and furthermore, the Giant King’s parents were human.

"In good condition, yet they still eat humans? What kind of logic is that?" She did not believe Amanises would lie to her, but the logic behind such a statement was difficult to reconcile at once.

Amanises shook her head. "I do not know the underlying reason. I only know of this phenomenon."

Hermione pondered. She did have a way to verify this: using her Beyonder powers to dive into the sea of collective subconsciousness precipitated and blended from the Giant Kingdom, and within the mental world belonging to the giants, to explore and search for whether the mental imprint of "giant cannibalism" truly existed in the Giant race's collective subconscious sea.

Not all emotions and consciousness can ultimately settle into the collective subconscious. The vast majority of thoughts, behaviors, and consciousness of every individual that fall into the collective subconscious ocean are washed away by the "seawater"; only those that are extremely intense or repeated many times can remain as mental imprints. If she could truly find such a precipitated mental imprint in that mental world, then the phenomenon of "giant cannibalism" must necessarily exist.

However, this method was somewhat dangerous. Even in the collective subconscious sea of humanity, there existed evil thoughts, desires, and terrifying memory scenes accumulated by the masses—imprints that could pollute the mind. Not to mention the Giant race, a tyrannical and powerful extraordinary species. A moment of carelessness could lead to mental trauma, or even the inability to ever wake up from the real world.

Moreover, the Ilusa tribe was under the protection of the giants and sat on the periphery of the Giant Kingdom. Starting from their current location, even if Hermione exhausted her efforts to barely touch the consciousness ocean precipitated and blended by the giants, the risks would grow exponentially.

*I'll wait until I come into contact with a low-sequence giant, or when I truly step onto the giants' territory, before making a small attempt...* Hermione sighed inwardly. Furthermore, she realized quite realistically that even if she verified that "cannibalistic behavior" existed among the giants—even if it was more covert than in other races—her human tribe would be unable to interfere or resist.

There is no such luxury as human rights in this world... All power comes from bloody struggle.

However, if it were truly confirmed that the giants practiced cannibalism, it would also explain where those humans who were punished or went missing during the giant festivals actually ended up...

Hermione laughed out of extreme anger. "This world really knows how to give one 'surprises'..."

The sense of fullness from the power gained upon advancing to Sequence 4 faded in Hermione's heart, and the sense of leisure that had been apparent in her demeanor over the past few days vanished completely.

Amanises, who was playing with the molds of the carvings on the side, saw this and said, "However... even if we face the worst-case scenario, I have the ability to take you and run."

Having survived alongside an indescribable high-level existence like the "King of Demon Wolves," Amanises was accustomed to forbearance, avoidance, and hiding in dark corners. She never did anything without certainty. She possessed the goodwill to shelter the human tribe, but equally, when a crisis exceeded her expectations or her range of control, she could abandon that goodwill. Amanises did not hide anything from Hermione; her attitude was very clear.

Hermione was not sure what choice she would make if she had to choose between the survival of the tribe and her own personal safety.

This hesitation was not only because of the not-so-strong "saint complex" in her heart, but more because of her unwillingness to accept her own weakness and her anger toward oppression.

*If such a moment truly comes... I fear I might proactively attempt to link to the 'Chaos Sea' of unknown danger...*

Hermione did not use "psychological suggestion" to alleviate these extreme thoughts born in her mind, but instead used her "observation" ability to analyze the mental foundation of her own personality at a deeper level. She now even possessed the ability to alter her own personality and self-perception. But just as using Beyonder powers to peer deep into the hearts of others accumulates madness, such methods would also accelerate the loss of her humanity. Worse still, she might unconsciously tend toward becoming the consciousness and cognition of the dragon or "tutor" left behind by the "Manipulator" Beyonder characteristic.

Hermione knew that "maintaining self" was something that Beyonders in the world of Lord of the Mysteries, from low sequences to beyond the gods, struggled for and rarely attained; naturally, she would not use herself for reckless research.

What needed to be considered now was how to "entertain" the gods from the Giant race—while praying that they maintained that "goodwill," one must also think about how to deal with the malice these powerful beings might leak.

"Where are you going?" Seeing Hermione pick up her coat, Amanises asked.

Before disappearing, as she intended to use nearby dreams for short-range flickering, Hermione left behind a faint voice: "Going to sit with Severus for a while."

After Hermione disappeared, Amanises picked up the mold for the statue that carved Hermione in a holy image. Her jade-like, smooth fingertips lightly caressed the wooden carving, stroking Hermione’s cheeks on the statue, then moving down to the body.

The beautifully carved holy robes crumbled inch by inch under her fingers... The appearance beneath the clothing was re-carved by her: "In this world where every step is difficult, how far can you actually go?"

In Severus’s home, which was furnished in a monotonous and cold manner, a polite, gentle knock sounded.

Osechus, who had not yet left, lifted the heavy curtain and pushed open the creaking wooden door. He froze for a moment upon seeing Hermione outside, then broke into a sunny, bright smile: "Praise my Lord."

Smiling thus, he immediately stepped aside to clear the way inside.