Chapter 26: The Dark Night — I Need You to Aid My Cultivation

Amanises concealed her identity and abilities, settling among the human tribes as an Extraordinary who possessed the power of “Soothing.”

The gathering of humans in one place inevitably attracted evil spirits and monsters from the wilderness. During that time, Amanises intervened several times, dispatching each incident swiftly and cleanly.

She also deliberately revealed her unusual ability to remain awake through the night, taking on the tribe’s night watch duties herself.

As a result, the image of Amanises as powerful and reliable quickly spread throughout the tribe, earning her titles such as “the Sleepless One” and “Lady of Serenity.”

“Has your mental state changed?”

Under Hermaeus’s expectant gaze, Amanises sensed the changes within her spirit and said, “I can feel a slight strengthening of my mental stability, but the effect isn’t very pronounced.”

As she spoke, Amanises smiled faintly. “There are children in the tribe who truly pray to me as though I were a deity. They call me the ‘Lady of the Night’ and say that I am the guardian god of darkness.”

“I experienced something similar when I served as a subordinate deity among the Werewolf clan, but the prayers of humans are much clearer. Just as you said, their recognition, designation, and descriptions are all more distinct.”

Hearing this, Hermaeus sighed with relief. “It seems to be going smoothly.”

Seeing this, Amanises fell silent. She studied Hermaeus for a moment before suddenly saying, “Hermaeus, I feel that you’re scheming something.”

“Your instincts are correct.” Hermaeus remained perfectly composed. She continued, “Developing faith, stabilizing your spirit, and gradually achieving the digestion of that characteristic, thereby possibly freeing yourself from the influence of the source quality… This path does indeed appear feasible.”

“Thank you.” Amanises met Hermaeus’s gaze directly. “You brought this up so suddenly. Are you… hoping to gain something?”

Hermaeus smiled lightly. “Amanises, I want you to help me become a god.”

Amanises almost failed to maintain her expression.

After a brief pause, she rolled her eyes at Hermaeus with uncharacteristic humanity. “You want to advance to demigod? To what you call Sequence Four?”

Hermaeus put away her playful expression and answered solemnly, “Yes. Humanity has been trapped at the threshold of demigodhood for far too long. The tribe needs a demigod to raise its spirits. Besides…”

Hermaeus looked at Amanises.

“There is, after all, a giant clan above the tribe. If you truly wish to build a divine statue and use faith as an anchor, you will inevitably be proclaimed humanity’s first ‘demigod.’”

“However arrogant the giants may be, they will surely send someone to investigate.”

“You’re worried that I might expose a flaw?” Amanises suddenly understood. She frowned in thought. “Indeed. If the giant clan sends a subordinate deity whose strength surpasses mine, they may be able to see through my concealed abilities.”

Amanises pondered for a moment before revealing her plan. “I have actually considered this problem as well.”

“My idea is to gather faith slowly through reputation while secretly constructing a divine statue. When the time is right, I will directly announce my ascension to demigodhood and truly gather the faith of the humans in the tribe.”

“When that happens, I will rapidly digest the ‘Calamity’ characteristic within a short period and create a time gap between myself and the giants. As long as I advance one step further, no one will be able to see through my hidden authorities unless all eight deities come in person.”

It was a feasible method…

However, Hermaeus sighed and said, “You want to create a time gap with the giants… But if you digest the characteristic so quickly, the probability of losing control will be extremely high. That characteristic is far too heterogeneous, and your condition is already being influenced by the source quality. It is feasible, but the odds of success are not great.”

“So help me become a demigod, Amanises. Let me become the ‘first’ demigod. Let me open up a new height for humanity. Let me draw the attention of the supernatural races.”

Hermaeus fixed her gaze on Amanises.

To Amanises’s surprise, she felt a heavy pressure in that gaze. According to humanity’s existing records, it was not that no humans had ever attempted to advance to demigodhood. Rather, every human who had tried had failed…

After failing to become a demigod, death was the best possible outcome.

Falling into depravity and mutating into a monster was far more common.

This was clearly a plan that benefited her more. Under different circumstances, she would have agreed without hesitation, perhaps even actively guiding matters in this direction…

But now…

I’m hesitating…

No. This isn’t hesitation.

I’m afraid…

What am I afraid of?

Sensing this state of mind with startling clarity, Amanises let out a faint sigh. She realized that, without noticing, she had already changed greatly—and the source of that change was the person standing before her…

Amanises’s throat felt dry. When she finally spoke, her voice was slightly cold.

“So many human sages have fallen before the threshold of demigodhood. What makes you think you can succeed?”

Hermaeus was astonished by Amanises’s strange attitude. In her surprise, she reached out and placed a hand against Amanises’s fair forehead.

Amanises did not dodge?

The thought flashed through Hermaeus’s mind, leaving her momentarily dazed. Then, as though her mouth had no restraint, she voiced the complaint that had risen within her heart.

“Did you burn your brain out?”

The remark made Amanises’s eyes widen.

Coming back to herself, Hermaeus realized that she had misspoken. Amazed at her own growing boldness, she hurriedly added, “What I mean is, I was the one who suggested the path by which you, a subordinate deity, could advance. Why don’t you believe that I can successfully become a demigod?”

Hermaeus spoke in a low voice. “I’m not bragging… I’m simply certain that, among all humans alive today, I have by far the greatest chance of succeeding.”

She knew the method of acting. She knew the potion formula and the advancement ritual for the Sequence Four Manipulator. In other words, she could completely eliminate the element of luck that others had been forced to rely upon.

Those predecessors who had failed had not only lacked an advancement ritual to stabilize their spirits; the materials they consumed had not even belonged to the same pathway or an adjacent one…

And yet, not one of them had retreated.

They were the ones who had truly faced the danger of death and losing control, making choices filled with courage!

Hermaeus turned her gaze toward Amanises.

Meeting her eyes, Amanises slightly turned her face away and sighed. “You want me to hunt down an advancement characteristic for you… Based on the materials and characteristic sources you mentioned earlier for the ‘Dreamwalker,’ what you need to hunt is a dragon?”

“A demigod dragon?”

“Yes.” Hermaeus smiled brilliantly. “A Mind Dragon.”

Yet hidden within that radiant smile was immeasurable sorrow.

Amanises frowned. “I have the ability to hunt dragons, but I have no way of finding one for you near the tribe—and it has to be a Mind Dragon at that. Unless you want me to travel to the dragons’ kingdom.”

Sending a Sequence Two Amanises into the dragons’ kingdom to hunt a Mind Dragon would be nothing short of suicide.

Hermaeus waved her hand. “There’s no need to go to such trouble, and I’m not that bloodthirsty either… I know where there is a Mind Dragon.”

Hermaeus revealed a complicated expression tinged with loneliness.

“But that place is an untouchable perilous land for me. So, I need you to accompany me there.”