Eren knew Alephee was explaining the limitations of using the demons' method of exploring worlds for his well-being. But he had a different thought running through his mind.
'Most of the problems these so-called demons have are because they choose a beast vessel for their soul fragments. What if they choose a human or human-like being for their soul fragments?'
Alephee shook her head before replying.
'Things are not as easy as you are making them out to be. Demons' soul fragments can occupy beast vessels since they lack awareness and their souls are easy to suppress.
However, the slumbering human child's soul develops consciousness as soon as it is born. Or maybe even before that. What a mortal human infant lacks in physical capacity, nature makes up for it by giving them a strong soul that cannot be easily controlled. Especially when an otherworldly existence is trying to take over them.
Demon possession gets complicated even for mortal humans. Plus, the grand-scale isolation array makes things even harder for demons and denizens of other worlds. So you can forget about demons possessing humans and other humanoid races.
Of course, this is the general scenario. Although rare, demon possessions had taken place in other worlds.'
Eren nodded at Alephee and let her return to the main point she was trying to make.
'Of course, the demons have underestimated the strict control the establishments of Anfang have on their populace. I reckon almost all of their soul fragments end up in servitude. All they do is give the rankers a strong beast they could rely on and have a close connection with.
The establishments of Anfang treat demon possession with an even more heavy-handed approach than the monsters in the Badlands. That's because if a demon manages to get stronger in their occupied vessels, it would be much more difficult to deal with them.'
Eren had most of his questions answered about the demon beasts at this point. He knew that he wouldn't be able to experiment with demon possession anytime soon. However, he has decided to dabble in the subject when he is capable of doing so.
'Monsters and demons. These are the two types of intruders that I know of at this point. I wonder if there are others. Possibly the race of the giants? Those trophies of giants' skeletons the old hag has in her palace must belong to another world that is not the demon continent or Echidna.
Why are all the otherworldly creatures trying to enter the continent of Anfang though? They call it the land of the faithless, don't they?
A world that doesn't communicate with any other. Why are they trying to enter this world that is supposedly backward in terms of resources for them?'
***
Eren started thinking about various things at once. The talk about the otherworldly intruders brought him back to Eliza's palace where he had seen the giant skeletons. The ghost-from-the-past Sage had claimed that she had slaughtered the giants herself in Anfang's long past. And later on, got betrayed.
Eren was no history scholar. But through his experiences spanning over two timelines, he had become well-versed at planning deep-seated schemes. He could put himself in others' shoes and see where the evidence gathered so far points.
Eren started compiling the data he had obtained from JJ Edgar's journals, Eliza's talk, Altashia's explanation, and Alephee's information. They swirled around in Eren's brain and helped him make sense of the blurred picture.
Eren also had a brief talk over the spectral screen with Fiona's senior Sirius Fenris. Fiona had reached the Last Blood Bastion successfully and immediately contacted her senior and clan head Sirius about Eren's proposed deal.
Eren and Sirius had a serious conversation before the former started his marketing campaigns. The talk was regarding arms manufacturing and distribution. When the deal's base was set and Sirius agreed to meet him personally, Eren decided to ask him something about the topic.
He asked Sirius Fenris about Eliza. Being part of the half-blood clan and serving as one of the clan elders, Eren guessed that the guy was aware of a lot of things.
Sirius didn't say much regarding the history of Anfang. But the more he talked, the more Eren started connecting the dots.
The butcher came up with another hypothesis when he did this.
According to Eren's hypothesis based on Sirius' initial talks, Eliza was too powerful for the forces of Anfang to handle on their own in the past. But she still had some use when the intruders were trying to invade Anfang openly.
Then something happened and the threat of intruders was no more. Or to be precise, it was not as severe as it was before.
'Anfang's alliance that Marla talked about. All the top establishments in the world, the Amazons, and even some cultist organizations are involved in the dark. The alliance predates the kingdom's inception.
As per Edgar's journal and talks with Sirius, even the half-blood clans of the past would have been part of this alliance. During the wars against the intruders, their presence was overwhelming.
But for some reason, that was not enough. Despite their contributions to the alliance, half-blood clans were treated as outsiders.
The major players in the Anfang alliance must have neutralized the threat of intruders in some way. They must have done something drastic. The continental-encompassing giant array would be a part of that arrangement.
Once they confirmed that the threat of the intruders was no more, they got rid of the majority of the half-blood clans to suppress them. Eliza was supposed to be part of that culling too. But she managed to escape.
The half-blood clans now live in the shadows of Anfang. The establishments do everything in their power to remove the vestiges of the half-bloods. And Eliza is trying to get back at the Alliance for the betrayal she had to face in the past.
Hehe. Everything will eventually boil to a tipping point when that old hag manages to get her ranking status back along with a new vessel.'
AN: The term Anfang Alliance was first vaguely mentioned by Eliza in chapter 341. It was later officially mentioned by Marla in chapter 374.
