Chapter 491: They Exploded
Amelia removed the IV drip from my arm, and I stood up, feeling a bit weak from blood loss. I had to lean on Jayad as we went to the great hall to find the Queen of the Insects.
Upon arriving at the great hall, I saw that it was largely the same as when I had left. It had been tidied up a bit, with the overturned braziers and discarded materials from the magic circles removed. However, the altar was still covered in a thick layer of green blood plasma and shattered insectoid remains.
I recalled that when my blood vessels burst through my skin, I had dismembered several Shaggai. But now, there were far more corpse fragments on the stone altar than before, and the hall was filled with a foul stench.
One Shaggai was sleeping on the stone bed. Despite their half-human, half-insect bodies making for a strange sleeping posture, I assumed it was asleep because a Dream Card was affixed to its head.
The Dream Card was blood red, almost black, as if fresh blood were about to drip from it. It felt completely different from the Dream Cards of good dreams. All I could feel from this Dream Card was disaster and ill omen. I instinctively didn’t want to look at it.
Beneath the stone altar, the Queen of the Insects and all the Shaien were eagerly watching the half-insectoid lying on the altar, as if anticipating something. Around them, more Shaggai showed expressions of fear.
“That is the prophecy card you created. They are now attempting to view your prophetic dream, but it doesn’t seem to be that easy,” Amelia said.
Soon, the Shaggai on the altar began to twitch violently, its eight insect legs flailing as if it were a cockroach sprayed with insecticide. It looked incredibly painful.
However, as it struggled, it continued to hum a jumbled melody. Although indistinct, the discordant tune instinctively reminded me of the maddening music I had heard in my sleep.
Many Shaggai immediately grabbed paper and pens, apparently trying to record the melody.
I thought it was entirely impossible. While the melody was undeniably chaotic, I also instinctively felt that such music could not be played by humans.
Those who had not heard the original version firsthand would find it difficult to imagine the rhythm and melody. It defied all human aesthetics. The melody could not be reproduced by human voices, and the instruments used were unlike any known to humans.
It could not be recorded, nor could it be played. I truly felt that if this melody were ever to be played, something terrible would happen.
However, the Shaien clearly did not think so. They listened to the insect’s humming, entranced, as if hearing heavenly music. Some of them furiously scribbled down the musical score, while others hummed along, their faces filled with rapture.
At that moment, the Shaggai’s convulsions on the altar suddenly intensified, and it cried out, “The moon! The red moon! Monsters! Ah!!!”
With a shrill scream, the dreaming Shaggai exploded, its body blown into pieces. Green blood splattered more than five meters. Only the blood-red card remained on the stone altar, still glowing.
“No! Just a little more, I haven’t finished recording!” “Damn it! We’ve tried several people already, why hasn’t anyone been able to see it all?” “I told you, those mixed-breed bastards are useless,” the Shaien shouted.
Only the Queen of the Insects remained calm and composed. Her voice was utterly devoid of emotion as she said coldly, “Next.”
A Shaggai Wormgirl trembled as she stepped forward, clearly her turn. I finally understood why the platform was covered in green blood and insect fragments.
They were all from the previous Shaggai who had exploded while viewing my nightmare, leaving their corpses and blood on the ritual altar.
I hadn’t expected my dreams to have such destructive power, causing people to explode just by looking at a Dream Card. This was merely a copied image, and I had seen the true form of a god without dying.
Of course, even so, witnessing a Shaggai being blown to smithereens was a terrifying and disgusting sight, undoubtedly leaving a deep psychological scar on the onlookers.
The Shaggai were said to be inherently cruel, but cruelty did not mean they were unafraid of death, especially such complete and utter annihilation. Therefore, those who were called out trembled, and those waiting in line felt as if they were waiting for their own deaths.
The Shaien, on the other hand, cared nothing for the lives of these half-human, half-insect offspring. In their eyes, they were expendable tools. To comprehend that prophecy card, sacrificing a few Shaggai for trial and error was seemingly negligible.
The Shaggai, terrifying and ferocious in the eyes of normal people, seemed like trembling lambs waiting to be slaughtered here. The Shaien, who looked exactly like humans, displayed expressions of eagerness and fanaticism.
Who were the real monsters? I found myself unsure. I felt that the humanoid Shaien were more terrifying and dreadful than the ferocious insectoids.
“Wait a moment! Queen of the Insects, please show mercy. Don’t let them die in vain. It’s meaningless. In my dream, I saw a true god. If their willpower isn’t strong enough, their minds will be overloaded by the sheer amount of information,” I shouted.
“Hm? Are you awake?” The Queen of the Insects turned to look at me. Her tone took on a hint of friendliness. Only then did she realize that the reason for her subordinates’ explosions was actually staring at a god. Although it was just an image in a Dream Card and not the true being, the amount of information carried by a god was terrifying.
If my guess was correct, then Parul was even more remarkable. She had managed to avoid going mad while directly facing a god, only experiencing mutations in her blood vessels, and waking up so quickly.
Throughout the Dream World, among various otherworldly beings, a saying had always circulated about the ritual of summoning gods: “Success is defined by not going mad.”
“I’m so glad you’re alright! Tell us quickly, what did you see in your dream?” the Queen of the Insects asked eagerly.
There was nothing I could do but describe in detail what I had seen in my dream. Actually, there wasn’t much useful information because the scenes in this dream had changed too quickly and lacked any pattern. I couldn’t discern what would happen.
However, the Shaien were extremely interested. They interrupted me several times, asking for more detailed descriptions. Although I had no idea what these things represented, I could only make things up.
Yet, when the Shaien heard my account, they became incredibly excited, reminding me of the infamous “Four Foreigners” from my previous life.
Did they really know what my prophetic dream was about?
