"The church, they’ve actually been doing quite well outside..."

Facing the King of Giant Beasts, Ronald didn’t need to hide the existence of the church.

To make the information provided by the other party as genuine and reliable as possible and to show his own sincerity, he began to narrate the church’s development outside to Orel.

The facts were unsurprising.

After listening to Ronald’s explanation and understanding that the man in front of him had a good relationship with the church, Orel’s demeanor visibly improved.

He didn’t even need Ronald to probe further before he voluntarily revealed his true identity:

"Ronald, the church of old and the stories passed down differ somewhat. Although the mainstream figures within the church are devoted to the so-called witch hunts, there were indeed some individuals who held an open attitude towards outsiders."

"And it was precisely for this reason that I, by a stroke of chance, joined the church, ultimately taking on the role of a Saint with a non-human identity, charged with the duty of guarding the holy city."

"Outsider..." Hearing Orel initiate this topic, Ronald opened up as well and asked, "To be honest, I’ve encountered some massive beings in the outside world..." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Ronald hadn’t finished speaking when Orel waved his hand:

"They are the Dust Giants, my kin."

"Individually, we possess terrifying power beyond ordinary imagination, but as a species, we face significant challenges in continuation. Some of us once tried to change this state, but after repeated setbacks, the remaining kin chose to preserve their own lives and remain in the world."

At this point, Orel’s expression visibly started to drop.

Curious, Ronald asked, "You don’t seem to think that immortality is a good thing?"

"That’s something I learned among humans." Orel shook his head, speaking in a deep tone, "Without continuation, without change, there is no drive for transformation. This choice is merely a slow and steady march towards extinction."

"Even though my kin and I possess lifespans unimaginable to ordinary beings, along with formidable power, it’s precisely these tempting abilities that led us to choose a seemingly peaceful yet truly erroneous path back then."

"..."

Ronald fell into silence.

The truth sometimes arrives just so suddenly.

In the past, he had not failed to investigate the mysterious and powerful Dust Giants. But the painstaking information he obtained was only records of individuals who had witnessed these mighty beings once before.

Indeed, Ronald had subconsciously given up on pursuing the true origins of these giants, after all, encountering these entities could only be attributed to luck, and getting them to open up was an arduous task in itself.

But who could have expected.

In the current pursuit of the Nine Treatise Coven members, having entered the Singing Forest.

Merely a conversation to pass the time while on the road had unexpectedly revealed such a secret, unknown to any in the present time.

Just when Ronald’s heart was a cocktail of emotions, Orel spoke again in front of him:

"Ronald, as the king among the giant beasts, I can actually sense that you have probably killed some of my kin, right?"

Hearing this inquiry, Ronald immediately realized.

This was perhaps Orel’s ability as the King of Giant Beasts, able to perceive a certain trait in the enemy who killed his kin.

Ronald’s mind raced, finally choosing to respond truthfully:

"Your kin initiated extremely dangerous actions against humans. Regrettably, I had no choice but to act."

"Ah? Don’t misunderstand! I’m not here to accuse or seek revenge on you or anything." Hearing Ronald’s reply, it was Orel who got nervous, hurriedly waving his hand, "They, myself included, have simply lived too long, the end of life is merely inevitable."

"..."

Orel’s words, compared to his earlier stance of immediately surrendering to avoid life-threatening danger, were completely contradictory!

For a moment, Ronald found it difficult to discern what this guy was truly thinking.

Perhaps... this is the unique perspective possessed by those with longevity?

Orel’s words about having lived enough, yet his actions showing a significant regard for life, truly made it difficult to grasp the truth.

Fortunately, Ronald didn’t need to dwell on this any further.

As they continued the journey with the flight and conversation flowing, they had covered a considerable distance.

Just before noon approached.

The leading Orel slowed his flying speed, pointing to the ground directly ahead of them:

"Ah, do you see it? Right there, the person you are looking for is already within reach!"

Following Orel’s direction, Ronald glanced ahead.

It was in the direction of the mountainous region of the Singing Forest, where lush greenery covered the silhouettes of the mountains, offering its unique grace in the untouched woodland within the vast open world.

Gazing forward, Ronald wasn’t carried away by the joy of an impending goal but maintained a cautious stance as he asked:

"Orel, I recall you previously mentioned that it would take us a day to get there?"

"That was a miscalculation." The King of Giant Beasts gave a sheepish smile, "I initially thought you’d fly slower, so I said it was a day’s journey."

After explaining, Orel seemed to feel that his answer wasn’t convincing enough, so he added a line of complaint filled with shared resentment:

"Actually, it’s because of those Nine Treatise Coven fellows! I assumed you all came from the outside world, so I thought the travel speed would be similar."

"..."

With the King of Giant Beasts lowering himself this way, Ronald couldn’t say much more.

Thus aimed at their target’s location, the three accelerated their flight, completing the remaining journey in just over fifteen minutes.

However, as the three landed, Ronald immediately sensed something was amiss.

According to Orel, the remnants of the Nine Treatise Coven should be here. Yet, the reconnaissance magic he deployed failed to detect any signs of humans nearby.

—Had he been tricked?

Instantly, Ronald shifted his suspicious gaze to the King of Giant Beasts:

"What’s going on? I didn’t detect any presence of people nearby. This is the result of magic, almost impossible to be wrong."

Facing Ronald’s accusation, the King of Giant Beasts appeared equally bewildered, his voice stuttering:

"This...this shouldn’t be? They should be here..."

"Wait!" Suddenly, Orel’s face changed. He even forgot about being wary of Ronald, turned around, and swiftly flew toward a peak to the east at an incredible speed.

If one listened carefully.

You’d find this King of Giant Beasts, while flying, was muttering words of amazement like "Could it be they..." "This is impossible..."