Ray keeps having bad dreams, but little does he realize they’re more than just dreams. These dreams lead him to an epiphany that his life is about to take a huge twist into the unknown and his new found friends help guide him to something big.

What do you call tomorrow? The same day has been repeated for almost 2 weeks. Society kills our dreams everyday but it doesn't mean i enjoy shooting at their heads!

"This… isn't… supposed… to… happen… why????? Why????? Why did you kill me?"

A man with wounds from everywhere wrapped in flames reached out his hand to Andrei in a zombie-like manner.

"Don't come closer!" Andrei screamed, but the man wasn't listening and kept getting closer, it was the man he killed in the last battle.

The voices repeated in an infinite loop, again and again, it looked like the man could reach him, but he couldn't.

The loop repeated, the faces, voices, smell of oil and blood, everything felt so realistic.

Andrei was having a nightmare.

"Hahhh… hahhh… hahhh…"

Andrei finally woke up from the nightmare, it was the first time he took a life with his own hands. He put his hand on his head as the nightmare caused him an intense headache, he felt throwing up.

He immediately went to the bathroom and threw up, he washed his face and looked at the mirror.

"What a mess" he said to himself.

His face was pale, and his eyes had bags under it. Since the rescue mission he has been having dreams like this. Where the people he killed or instructed to be killed would haunt him. Some faces were familiar some were not but they all equally looked gory as if their faces started melting.

"And I thought I was fully prepared for this" he held himself and shivered.

He slapped his face and went outside the bathroom and went to the window, he could still see the moon, he wasn't sure of the time he could only assume based on the coldness of the air and how the skies looked like.

"It may be 1:00 AM in the morning huh?"

He decided that he couldn't sleep anymore, so he put on his newly washed camo jacket and went to the kitchen.

There was no one in the kitchen, although during the day to evening it was full of cooks and maids altogether preparing food for everyone in the castle.

The kitchen looked large for Andrei, he brought a lamp with him and put it on the kitchen table.

"Coffee… Coffee… Geh… I forgot, I couldn't read" he immediately had a sour expression on his face.

The wooden containers had writings on it, however Andrei who couldn't read can only look at it with a sour face, moreover that the containers weren't visible.

That would mean that if he had to find coffee he would have to smell everything in the kitchen, which has more than a hundred containers.

He sighed in resignation and decided to just have water. He drank the water and went outside the kitchen with the lamp.

He walked back to his room but stopped when he saw the dark blue firefly-like lights in a corner.

"Ahhh those lights again huh?"

As he walked towards it, he saw another lamp coming from the same direction. Holding it was Claire, who also had bags under her eyes.

Andrei walked towards Claire who only looked at him leniently.

"Claire, make me coffee or tea, hehe" he made a V-sign towards Claire.

"Want me to hit you with this lamp?" the other responded in her flat tone.

"No, sorry haha"

"I bet you went to the kitchen even if you couldn't read… just wait a bit here, I will call for a maid to get it for us" Claire changed direction but Andrei stopped him.

"I'd feel bad, they're sleeping right?"

"No, they are rotating in shifts, there are some maids who are awake right now, just waiting for orders. They make rounds on the castle every hour, see…" she pointed at three lamps going to their direction.

They were the maids Percy. Eve and Clarissa chatting with each other.

When Andrei looked at Clarissa was now happily chatting with her friends, he could feel a little comfort in his heart. That maybe the killing was worth it, but shook his head of this thought. "No, it's never okay to kill"

However the image from his nightmare showed up again which made have him a headache.
He held to his head due to the pain.

When she looked for Claire he couldn't see her anymore, only to find that she went to the three maids.

"This girl… teleported? can't you dial down the stealth mode?" he thought while still in pain.

Claire seems to be asking for coffee and tea.to the maids who's also seems to be surprised by her sudden appearance.

After a while Andrei's headache have lessened, and Claire had already returned in front of Andrei holding a lamp.

"I already ordered for tea and coffee"

"But I didn't ask for tea?"

"That was mine idiot"

"If you're gonna call me an idiot at least put some feelings to it!"

"Just a minute, I think I'm having a dejavu" Claire shakes her finger.

"You're having it because you don't always put feelings to your words, I bet you've heard many people complain about your tone, that's why it's not deja vu!"

"No, you're the only one who has the courage to do that seriously"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, if someone bullies me the way you do, Michaela would freeze their shoes together with their feet, or perhaps secretly burn their robe?" Claire put his index finger on her head.

Andrei immediately felt chills from his spine, thinking about what could happen if Michaela wasn't in love with him, he would have already suffered those magical torture.


The two were walked together towards the garden, as Claire instructed the maids to deliver the tea and coffee at the place.

"So… why are you also still awake during this time?" Andrei asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Andrei asked the girl with him who yawned cutely that her eyes became teary. Her hair wasn't tied and fell to her waist.

She's wearing the same outfit but with a different color, in the past it was black with white frills, and currently she's wearing pink with the same frills.

"Ahhh… my sister was sleep talking about you, and your name so much that it gave me a horrible nightmare"

"Ahhhh… ahahahaha" Andrei had a complicated expression on his face while pretending to laugh.

They arrived at the garden and sat on the bench where Andrei had slept when he tried to escape.

Claire had a delicate expression on her face, she gently touched the violet lights floating and seemed to have fun while doing it, making a smile on her face that Andrei rarely sees on her.

Andrei didn't say a word a just looked at the girl beside him happily touching the lights that came to her.

But he was startled when her eyes met his.

"So… it's my turn to ask right? So why are you still awake at this hour?"

Her presence was the complete opposite of how it usually was for Andrei, she had a gentle smile written on her face and she was looking at him in his eyes, as if she's looking at his very soul,  that made Andrei's heart feel comfortable, he wants to tell her everything about how he had those nightmares since the first time he took a life with his own hands.

But the look and smile that she showed, gave him more than enough comfort that made him not want to tell her anymore. He just wanted to enjoy the silence between them, as they looked each other in the eyes.

"No… I'm alright" he unconsciously said the words as he responded with a warm smile on his face.

"Then… okay, but…" Claire once again looked at the lights coming at her gently playing with it, even when she couldn't really touch it. It passed through her fingers, as she tried to caress it.

"But?"

"If you're having bad dreams because of the men you killed… then that's something I really can't help you about. You see, here… in this kingdom, where war and skirmishes occur two, three… or many times a month, between nobles, peasants, and the worst between kingdoms and empires, killing and strife has lived within the hearts of the people.

But you know Andrei…"

Her expression slightly changed with a hint of sadness.

"Even if we're used to the killings, we still have bad dreams you know… that's because we are humans after all.

But, we choose to live on for tomorrow, for the people we killed… and most of all, the people we saved"

She looked at Andrei once again with the same expression.

"Then… what do you do when you get those scary dreams?" Andrei asked while staring at her gray eyes that shone as the purple lights passed through it.

"Well… for me, I walk to this garden and play with these spirits, I can't hold them though" she giggled. "But for me, walking here when I have those dreams makes me feel relaxed, sometimes I fall asleep on this bench though" she caressed the vines that are growing through the bench they are sitting on.

"I can't hide anything from you can't I? Well… I was having those kinds of nightmares, how did you know?"

"Just a hunch I guess?" she gave a smile to Andrei who was flustered of her sudden transformation.

"This girl who always have threatened, blackmailed and dissed me, could be this cute?" he thought while still in awe with the the girl beside him, so much that he felt that his heartbeat went faster.

"This… is bad" he talked within his mind.

"Andrei?" Claire tilted her head in curiosity.

Andrei diverted his attention from Claire, and became beet red.

"Th-thank you Claire" he stuttered.

"Well, no matter how I hate your guts, I still think of you as a hero"

"I'm nothing that great really, nor do I plan to become one. But why?"

"Well, you did save those servants for my sister right? But you know Andrei, when my sister blames herself for the death of her subjects, she suffers so much that I can't bear to see it"

"Is that so" Andrei fell into silence and slightly smiled while covering his mouth to hide it.

"Therefore you also saved me, it all connects right?

So when you're having those nightmares, believe in yourself... that you had things precious to you and to other people that you protected and saved when you did it.

And that when you did it, you had an accomplice - you have me to carry the burden together with you, that's what I said right?"

Andrei could feel his heartstrings being tugged, while hearing the comforting words of Claire, he was sure that the load that he has been carrying has been lifted somehow, it wasn't that heavy anymore.

"You're… right" Andrei then made a sigh of relief.

While sitting together at the bench, with just a few centimeters apart, the lights danced around the two. They noticed it and smiled at each other.

"Then I'll have to go now" Claire stood up and walked immediately towards the hall.

"Good night Claire, you really helped me, thank you!" Andrei said the words on a hurriedly manner, hoping that Claire could still hear it, he felt happy when Claire stopped and looked back at him.

"I don't remember helping you with anything you know? Well… goodnight" she smiled and disappeared into the hall.

Andrei is an average guy who find peace in his daily boring life with his girlfriend but
when she died from an illness, his soul was shattered into pieces with feeling of powerlessness and guilt, but even still, Andrei keeps on living his daily life for her, putting a facade, that even he doesn't know who he was anymore.

He lost more than half of himself when he lost her.

Years after her death, while working on a project, he finds himself waking up in another world filled with fantasy and magic one can only find in manga or anime. Upon walking around, he stumbles into an incident where he tries to save a girl in peril. 

Exhausted after his heroic act, he loses consciousness and wakes up again in an unfamiliar place where he suddenly becomes the fiance of the Queen of the Kingdom of Ethareri, he tries to knock himself out of the dream, but he finally realizes that it wasn't, he then finds Claire, a docile-looking flat-toned girl having little to no presence at all inside his room without knowing that she was there already from the beginning.

Follow Andrei as he embarks in an adventure full of comedy and tragedy, as how the new world teaches him valuable lessons such as forgiveness, as he, an ordinary human with no power at all, uses only his wits, memories and determination to try and stand up against the invasion of the evil races, saving his newly found love, friends and the world he was thrown into.

In the end, will Andrei choose to stay in the world he have fought for or will he go back to the world for a second chance to relive his daily boring but peaceful life by reviving his ex-girlfriend.

Lucid dreaming sounded like a shady thing. No proper research organization had done any extensive research on it. The human brain was extremely complicated, and scientists hadn't even figured out how consciousness had come to be. Needless to say, subconscious consciousness was even less understood. 
Zhang Zian clarified with Famous, "Of course, I don't believe in this. That repeated practicing can make you forget the boundaries between dreams and reality… This is just like something out of a fantasy novel. Only Wang Qian and Li Kun would believe in something like that. But saying that repeated practice would be able to help you control the outcomes of your dreams… I wouldn't dare deny it completely."
"So you mean to say that there's such a possibility?" Famous asked.
Zhang Zian hesitated for a bit before nodding. "I don't think we can completely rule it out."
Famous sank into deep thought.
"Even though scientists haven't researched lucid dreaming much, there is something similar—the VR games that many fantasy books mention," Zhang Zian added. "Both of these allow the human body to experience things that they would never be able to in real life, or to experience something that has a high cost in real life easily in VR…"
"Isn't that great?" Famous asked. "Since a very small amount of people in the real world can take control of a huge amount of resources and wealth, isn't it a good thing to let normal people experience power and wealth through things like lucid dreaming and VR games?"
"If it's just once or twice, just occasionally, then it's fine. But, in most fantasy books, most VR gamers eventually end up too immersed in the virtual world, unwilling to surface," Zhang Zian warned. "Because of how amazing the virtual world is, the real world becomes boring to them, unappealing and unattractive. Some of them willingly let go of the real world… You can only experience VR games once or twice, but in order to be good at lucid dreaming, you have to continuously practice it, and it has a risk of addiction, causing a disappointment in reality." 
Even though some dreams helped people to calm down, dreams were just that—dreams. They were not reality, and it wouldn't be good to be too obsessed. 
Famous understood the message between the lines. "I got it. I will be careful."
In its dream, it knew that it was dreaming, but it had always been hesitant about changing the direction of the dream. For example, there was the dream that showed up according to Old Time Tea's memories. What was outside the scope of its memories? Was it white, unfinished pictures like an uncompleted video game, or was it a deep abyss of which you couldn't see the end? 
It didn't know, and it hadn't tried to find out.
But it didn't know what had happened to cause its hesitation to decrease and its confidence to inflate drastically, pushing him to venture into the unknown. For example…
In Old Time Tea's memories, there were definitely no traces of 20th century Europe. If Famous kept walking west while in the dream, what would happen? What would it see?
If Famous had really succesfully reached Europe, in the midst of the war, would it see its young self?
No! Not its young self—it was the young Rin Tin Tin!
Famous jolted, shaking its head to wake itself up. It was too deep into the character, and it had almost mixed itself up with Rin Tin Tin again.
It had played Rin Tin Tin for too long. The movie company staff had asked it to imitate Rin Tin Tin in every breath and every step. Deng Ken often carried it to repeat how it had carried the young Rin Tin Tin out of the fire years ago… After some time, it became almost like brainwashing. 
The other elfins started to come downstairs too. Zhang Zian opened the curtains and windows to air the room out before picking up his phone from beside his pillow to check his unread messages. 
He had been pulled into several groups and had a lot of unread messages. Nearly twenty to thirty people added him as friends every day. Some of them were customers, some of them fans of the films, some of them reporters, and some of them government officials. He had to filter through them before adding some of them as friends.
Peng Xuan had sent him several messages at around one in the morning. 
Zhang Zian thought he might have some important issues to discuss, so he opened those messages first.
Peng Xuan: "Hey Zhang, are you asleep?
Peng Xuan: I have good news. Our movie finally premiered after getting delayed twice. The preliminary numbers for our box office sales are out. Guess what the number is!
Peng Xuan: Alright, guess you're already asleep. There's not many youngsters that sleep so early like you. I wanted you to guess, but I suppose I should just tell you directly. I'll get insomnia if I keep it to myself. 
Peng Xuan: One billion!
Peng Xuan: Isn't it shocking? Everyone in the production crew was extremely shocked. Our budget for production and marketing wasn't even half a billion, and a part of it was additional marketing fees that we got after the award. This is like a dream!
Peng Xuan: Alright, I'm going to sleep. My wife nagged at me several times, but I think I'll still lose sleep tonight.
Peng Xuan: The crew's preparing for a celebration dinner. Are you able to come?
Peng Xuan: Hope to see your reply! Tell Famous hi for me! Good night!"
Zhang Zian finished reading the messages, surprise and excitement bubbling in his heart. Even though they had all thought that the box office results wouldn't be bad—they could see this from the number of fans coming into the shop to take photos with Famous every day, some of them even coming from miles away just to tell Famous how impactful the movie had been for them—no one had guessed that they would have one billion sales!
One billion—they could almost squeeze into the top ten movies in China for the year. For a movie with a dog as its main character, this was a never-before-seen accomplishment.
Besides, even though those results were nothing compared to extremely popular movies, the response from the overseas market was surprisingly good. Several countries had already brought the movie in. If everything went well, they could get another wave of profit from overseas.
The other messages were mostly congratulations from the production crew or other directors or producers that had wanted to work with them. Even the main producer Nie Yuan had sent him a few customary congratulations… It was fine just skimming through them, since he could just send all of them a general message back. Some of them were just fair-weather friends, after all.
After reading all of his messages, Zhang Zian had wanted to lock his phone, start washing up, and tell Famous the good news too.
Right then, another message popped up.
[Game notice]: Congratulations! Your reincarnated dog has collected enough belief points and can level up now!


1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

"Did something good happen?" Lisa jumped me as I was about to reach my office. Where she came from was a mystery. She just suddenly popped up out of nowhere.
"Not really" I said, thinking about the words Coffee had said earlier. Of course Lisa didn't take that for an answer, and stared me into the eyes with her usual 'you aren't getting away that easily' smile.
"I'm going to have you tell me what happened over lunch. See ya" She yelled, and then she was gone again. The day already felt like it should be over, as the lack of sleep started to catch up to me. Even though I had had a little bit of caffein, my mind seemed to blur a little, as I mindlessly did my work.
Around lunch time, Lisa came to get me as promised.
"Spill" She said, as she climbed on to my desk, having learned from falling down a rolling office chair a few days ago. She firmly planted herself on it, as she started to stare at me, as if it would help me hurry somehow.
"Get your ass off of my desk" I smiled, as I slapped her lightly on the back. This seemed to make her in an even better mood. She sprang down from the desk, looking at me.
"Maddie! Today! Food!" She declared, dragging me along with her to a little café with actual food before I understood what was going on.
"Now, spill!" She repeated herself, as she looked at me expectantly. Spill what exactly, though?
"Anything going on with your dream person?" She asked, sounding interested, but also… worried?
"Hmmm" I didn't really know what I should tell her. Everything had just accumulated withing a short amount of time, I hadn't slept, and I wasn't sure of anything. On top of that, Coffee's words about Lisa kept spinning around in my head.
"My dream person… Might not be a dream person after all" I found myself mumbling a bit, as I tried to occupy myself with the menu card. Why did I mostly feel like coffee, even though we finally were going to have real food?
"REALLY?!" Lisa shrieked in excitement. Why was she suddenly so happy?
"FINALLY!" She yelled, not caring a tiny bit about all of the heads that once again turned her way. Oh, Lisa… 
"Finally?" I ask, as I haven't understood her actions at all since just a second ago. To be fair, I usually don't understand her much, but it seemed to be an extreme case with what was going on right now.
"Oh… Hmmmm" Lisa started to… Think? Is Lisa actually thinking? Not just blurting things out? Lisa are you okay?
"Remember when you told me about these dreams?" She then asks, looking at me with weird but expecting eyes. What kind of answer is she expecting, though?
"Yea?" I say.
"No, I mean. Do you remember how you FELT when you told me about these dreams at first?" She asks, laying on extra pressure on the 'felt' part of the sentence, looking at me even more expectant now. This makes less and less sense. How I felt when I told her about the dreams at first? It feels like such a long time ago, that I'm not quite sure.
"Heartbroken?" I ask more than I answer, as that was how I always felt when thinking about it, while awake.
"You were happy, Maddie" Lisa says, shaking her head lightly, taking my hands.
"You were so happy, Maddie. You had always told me how you didn't know if you could ever FEEL love. How you didn't know if there was something wrong with you. And then, one day. You come to me, telling me how you are not only feeling so huge amounts of love that you could cry, but even enough for you to be heartbroken" Lisa speaks carefully and thoughtfully. Is this the Lisa I know? It seems like I want to answer no… But something in me wants to say yes as well.
"You were happy to be heartbroken, Maddie" Lisa once again repeated, summing it up. I was? I try to remember back, but I only remember the endless cycle of love and pain. However, I do recognize the past me from her story.
The me that tended to keep by herself, not wanting to be with others. The me that always got dragged around with Lisa. The me that wondered if I could ever love or be loved. The me that rejected the idea entirely out of fear of something being wrong with me.
"I thought it was good for you. Finally being able to feel like you were okay. That there wasn't anything wrong with you" Lisa continued. Looking at me, almost… crying? Seeing her like this made me want to cry too.
"But your dreams continued. And your heartbreaks too. It felt like you were living to dream" Lisa said. Her words were soft, but the meaning behind them hit me hard. Like I was living to dream, and not dreaming to live, I finished her sentence silently in my mind.
"But at that point, I had been so supporting that I couldn't make myself say anything. Not when you became more and more depressed. It was so clear you hated everything. Me included… But I didn't want you to be alone. I felt partly at fault for letting it get out of hand as well…" Lisa started crying. Feelings of responsibility for my dreams and my heartbreak? Oh, Lisa… For someone who doesn't think much, you really sound like you think a lot.
"At some point, I figured out, that forcing you to talk about it, might make you realize how much pain it brings you. That you might be able to see that it isn't good for you. That your dream person, or whatever it is, only makes you miserable" Lisa's words hurt me and made me feel relieved. No wonder she had kept bringing it up every day, every minute, to complete strangers as well.
"I feel like you at some point started to look down on me, though…" She complained a bit. I couldn't say anything against it. Looking back at how I have been for a long time, I was more and more of a bully than a friend to her. Because of my own terrible mood. But I just didn't notice. Or more like, I was so blinded by everything going on with me, that I COULDN'T notice.
"Thank you, Lisa. And I'm sorry" I said, feeling some lightness in my chest.
"We're friends, Maddie! You know that. No prob! But tell me, what brought on this sudden realization?" She asked. I could tell she wouldn't let it go no matter how I tried to sneak out of it. I also felt bad about the way I have treated her for a while now.
"Hmmmm… I wonder what I should do" I teased, smiling a bit through my tears in a mischievous way.
"I wonder if I should tell you or not… But most of the conversation might be a secret, so what to do what to do" Lisa looked utterly dissatisfied with my teasing, and I made up my mind to tell her about my night, and how I got to this point.

Maddie is with the love of her life in her dreams every night, and wakes up with heartbreak every morning.
However, she does not remember anything about this mysterious dream-person. Gender, age, name, hair-color, nothing.
But can Maddie keep living with this endless cycle of storming romance and heartbreak, or is it time to try to move on?
And who is the person she has a strange run-in with in the coffeeshop?

Readers, have you ever felt like you were being boiled like potatoes and you can feel fates laughing on your misery? If yes, then you can exactly feel what I felt then. 
Ah! Dear readers, I can't tell you how much I would like to live a normal life, but my bad luck was just that bad. 
Even in my dreams, I was seeing disastrous things. Things that were going to make my life a living hell!
My whole body hit the ground as the invisible force pushed me away from the girl. I raised my head to look for the attacker, but no-one was there. Yes, that made sense. Why would anyone want to come to this place willingly? This place was just that outstanding! Once you come here and you'd die than I be here again. 
I looked at the girl, who was still lying across me, unconscious. But then... a purple-bluish mist encircled her. The air around me tensed up and I could tell nothing good was going to happen.
Her body lifted up, eyes still closed. The mist swirled around her like flames and... she opened her eyes. 
They were glowing solid purple, just like the colour of the mist. The pupils seemed to have dissappeared. Her face showed no expression as if she was sleeping inside and someone else has taken over her body. The girl looked no less than a ghost. 
She opened her mouth to speak and till date, I regret hearing those words.

"Go to the land where the present is not      The blessing of Time in a vessel caught      The guardians who pose a challenge dire Their defeat holds the key to the Sword of Fire"

The girl said in a serpentine voice. It was as if three old women were talking at once. Her voice was intensely grave, definitely not of a teenage girl! 
Just after uttering those meaningless words, the mist dissolved and the girl fell on the ground. 
Without thinking anything, I ran to help her, but just then, the flames of the river encircled me and I woke up yelling "Noooo".
Will, who was sleeping soundly when I yelled like crazy, immediately stood up and ran to my side. 
"What happened, Adrian? What is it?" he panicked. 
I was breathing laboriously while touching my whole body. I was just making sure I was alive. 
When my mind stabled enough to think, I recalled my weird dream. I actually forgot most of the part, except for one thing : Those strange lines that the girl told me. 
Every word, every line was infused in my brain. I remembered that voice just as clearly as if, she was speaking in front of me right now.
"What happened?" Will asked again. His anxiousness was increasing.
I looked at him, speechless. I didn't know what to say. If I told him that I was worried because of a mere dream, he would think I am nuts. But I couldn't lie to the cute little brother beside me who was worried sick because of me.
"Will, if I will tell you, will you believe me?" I asked and he looked intently at me. 
"Of course I will. Tell me." he said patiently. For a second I felt as if I was the lost little kid and Will was my elder brother, calming me down. 
"I...had this strange dream." I hesitantly said. I didn't want to make a complete fool of myself. But I continued, "I was standing in the midst of a river of fire..." I told him my whole dream. And his expression darkened. When I was done. He repeated the lines. 
"Go to the land where the present is not
The blessing of Time in a vessel caught 
The guardians who pose a challenge dire
Their defeat holds the key to the Sword of Fire"
"What does it mean?" I had a faint idea about this but I still asked, hoping that Will would tell me otherwise.
But he was just staring at me, horror-struck. His eyes saddened and his expression worsened. 
"Why are you so much worried? It's just a dream, isn't it?" I said and he shook his head. 
"No, this not just a dream." 
"Why not?" I asked, growing impatient with every passing second. I knew what was coming but did my best to refuse it. 
Will sat beside me on the bed and looked gravely at the floor, as if it was his sworn enemy. 
"For regular mortals, dreams are just dreams, but it's not the case with us. We can actually communicate using dream waves. But..."
"But?"
"...it requires great practice and energy. Not everyone can do that. This dream... that you had is actually a message." He said without averting his gaze from the floor. 
"What message?"
"Adrian, you just received a prophesy."

Zeus, the King of the Gods, has perished. And now Olympus is in control of Ares, the God of War, who seeks to start a fully fledged war between Olympus and the Underworld.
Adrian Crimson, the Half-blood son of Zeus whose existence was kept a secret, is now all that stands between Ares and the end of the world. 
The only way to stop Ares is to find the Sword of Fire. Will Adrian be able to stop the Apocalypse or... is it going to be the end of everything?

"The pampered consort?" Fatty looked like he heard a funny word and said: "In your dreams! The secret nickname we gave you was..."
Fatty was overjoyed before he said anything. With a pause, he cried, "...The great demon!"
Ji Yi thought it would be something like "the desolating beauty" or "the extraordinary maiden," but when she heard what Fatty said, she was stunned for three seconds. She furrowed her brows and repeated those three words for confirmation: "The great demon?"
"That's right. Back then, you were a nightmare for our gang. When you went to the canteen, Chen Ge would get angry if the line was over five minutes long. When you went to pick up delivery from the school gates, Chen Ge would get angry if you were outside for more than five minutes. When you accidentally slipped on some water after the classroom floors were mopped, Chen Ge got angry. Even when you walked past the school garden and your skirt got a little wet from the automatic sprinklers, Chen Ge would randomly lecture us. It that wasn't enough, if you didn't get a good score on your test or when you were in a bad mood because you were on your period, Chen Ge would get angry at us over those unavoidable natural disasters..." Though it happened so many years ago, Fatty couldn't help but pick up his glass with a stifled heart at the thought of those arduous years. "...So you tell me - if you aren't the great demon, what are you?" he asked as he downed a few gulps.
Having heard all of Fatty's resentment, Ji Yi couldn't help but purse her lips for a moment.
But before she could form a complete smile, Fatty spoke again, "You were no normal great demon; you were the type people were afraid of when they saw you. The feared great demon!"
Was I that scary? People were afraid when they saw me?
Deep down, Ji Yi let out a "hmph!"
She thought Fatty was done, but then Fatty unexpectedly took a big, hard gulp and added, "What's more, the thought of you, the great demon, would make us break out in cold sweats in our dreams. You were basically the great dark demon!"
When they were young, they actually said that about her in private!
Not fair!
Ji Yi wasn't actually angry, but she felt a little girl's strong will climb into her heart. She furiously turned her head and happened to catch a glimpse of many street food stalls out the window. There were quite a few people lining up around them.
Back in the day, when she and He Jichen's relationship was at its best, they practically hung out with Fatty and the gang every day.
Besides He Jichen, no one else dared to mess with her, but every now and then, if someone annoyed her, she would think of a way to torment them back.
She was annoyed with how Fatty just described her - the great demon...
With that thought, Ji Yi turned to look at Fatty. "Didn't you say that people were afraid of me when they saw me; I was the great demon who made people break out in cold sweats in their dreams? Which means you don't dare mess with me. If that's true..."
Ji Yi raised her hand and pointed at the longest queue in the snack area. "...then go buy some snacks for me, the great demon!"
As Fatty's drink was about to touch his lips, his fingers shook violently when he heard what Ji Yi said, causing him to almost drop his glass. "No way... It's so hot out! You want me to line up in such a long queue to buy you something?"
Just as she did back when she was young, Ji Yi silently turned her head and looked over at He Jichen and left the rest to him.


Time stopped at eighteen for Ji Yi, and now all she wants to do is pick up from where she left off. Her career depends on it, and on top of that, she has to survive a fake marriage turned real! Some missed opportunities are irreplaceable, and some misunderstandings between them have proven near-fatal, but for He Jichen, he isn’t just a pretty face—he’s an opportunist. They may have lost their prime years together, but He Jichen is more than willing to spend his remaining years with her. If only she would just trust him… Will Ji Yi be able to find true love in this life? Can she outmaneuver all the snakes plotting her downfall? Only time will tell...

Two days had passed since Shin, and the Lantis Republic first landed in the Alliance's temporary base. These two days were crucial for the congregation, particularly the Azure Dragons that served as mounts, to recharge and rejuvenate their bodies. The other Spirit Venerates and Spirit Emperors that joined in the flight were also relaxing in their respective abodes, drinking tea amidst the calm before the storm. On the outside, the Alliance members, particularly those from the Kori Federation, were working overtime as per Shin's request. Just like the Prince of the Lantis Republic, they too realised the urgency of the situation. The sooner they dealt with the Black Masks, the better. 

And well… After the two days, the Alliance was finally ready to launch the first attack.

Flying high above the skies, over fifty figures levitated silently, observing the white terrain down below. At this altitude, everything was just a patch of white. Snow continued to fall down softly, while the winter winds turned the gentle snow into a blizzard tempest. Trees were swayed down as if doing the limbo and the routine avalanche would decimate the land beneath the cliffs.

"This is quite bad..." Shin muttered from the confides of Heigui Xuegang protective shell. By his side, Lady Seph, Bingbing and the Azure Dragon Lord Zishen, all wore tense faces. They weren't certain about Shin's prospects of completing the deed, mainly when the weather was this bad.

Lady Seph was the first to break the silence. "Shin, don't you think that you should wait for a few more days? It's far too dangerous to attempt to change the weather when it's this bad..."

"Master, this is still considered average for this region..." Shin repeated what he'd heard from Yeunghi, Macron and basically everyone familiar with the region. "Tomorrow might be worse than today, and the day after it might be a complete hailstorm. No one can really tell. So, it'll be better for me to just change the weather now..."

"If you say so..." Lady Seph folded her arms with an unsatisfied scoff. A radiant golden light broke out from her core as two angelic empyrean wings burst forth from her back. An equally beautiful halo graced the crown of her head as bits of golden aura fell down from her rejuvenated body. Once again, the Divine Healer had merged with the Iofiel Angel, boosting every single aspect of her healing and support skills. "Either way, I'll be here to prevent you from exhausting your mana. [Rise]."

A divine voice, wholly detached from an average human's, emerged out of Lady Seph's mouth. Golden spheres of hallowed light forced their way into the young man's body, giving him a seemingly endless source of pure mana. Just like Elrin's Sacramental Boost, Lady Seph's Divine Words was one of the world's top auxiliary skills. She could boost someone's physical state, heal someone back to perfect health and even paralyse those that were weaker than her, just by saying the words. In this case, all she needed to do was watch Shin as he prepared to attempt the impossible. 

Shin closed his eyes, peering deep into his Spectre Soul. The Celestial Dragon, who had been slumbering for the longest time, reappeared back into the world. It pivoted its head around, carefully observing the snow that fell from the heavens. Being Shin's Spirit, it was acutely aware of what its master was trying to accomplish. Scales emerged out from Shin's healthy white skin as the Celestial Aura flowed out from his pores. What Shin was about to attempt would unquestionably take a toll upon his mortal body. If he wanted to hold out even for just a millisecond longer, he'll need all the support that he could get. 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!

The familiar siren's wail pierced through the eardrums of those that stood beside the young man. The Azure Dragon's Shard, Shin's fourth spiritual ability that greatly enhanced his attacking powers and mana output, appeared behind the young Prince's back. Its appearance had made the atmosphere a hundred times tenser as the elements danced about with euphoria. However, Shin wasn't done...

"Senior Zishen! Now!" The Prince cried.

It was no coincidence that Zishen and Lady Seph were selected to travel with Shin. Both of their skills were needed for the Prince to guarantee his plan's success. The Azure Dragon Lord smiled and raised his opened palms towards the burning shard. Even though it had long assimilated with Shin and was part of the Celestial Dragon's spiritual abilities, the Azure Dragon Lord did once have a connection to his very own claw. It was simple for him to transfer a bit of his own mana into the Spirit Lord's own Spectre Soul. 

"ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!" Shin screamed out with an agonising cry. The shard on his back was getting heavier by the second, and the mana within his Spectre Soul was being overwhelmed by the spiritual energies sent by the Tier 9 Spirit Beast. Shin's blood started to boil and his face turned red-hot. The Prince felt like he'd been placed into a furnace, with nowhere to escape to. However, he had to hold on… 

Shin's pores all opened up, as the consistently repeated the Hymn of Origin. Zishen's mana was being rapidly converted into Shin's own and the Domain of Dreams filled with the Celestial Dragon's aura spread out far and wide. Unknown to the change, the grey clouds kept pumping down snow at a constant rate, while the winds continued to churn out new blizzards. 

The world was still in the midst of its endless snow, powered by the Winter of the West. In essence, as long as the weather was cold, the snow would continue to fall. If winter never left, the whole region surrounding the Illusory Canyon would continue to be covered with the white, cold slush. However… That was about to change…

Snap!

Shin's fingers crossed each other. The energy that was stored within his Spectre Soul was released out in droves, and the Domain of Dreams stretched to over five kilometres wide. Mana was drained out of Shin's body at an astonishing rate. His four limbs turned extremely heavy, and his face was contorted into a weird shape. If not for Lady Seph's blessing and the Celestial Dragon's spiritual body enhancement, Shin was certain that his body wouldn't last a minute with the pressure. Though, all his suffering was worth it…

Pom…

A ripple spread out from the top of Shin's cranium, spreading out throughout the firmament. The white pieces of heaven that fell from the skies all turned into pure water droplets. The winds that tormented the poor lands were all morphed into gentle breezes that wouldn't harm a single fly. The Domain of Dreams broke down the weather changing it to suit Shin's liking, and well… There was nothing that anyone could do about it. 

"One second… Two seconds… Three..." Shin mentally counted the amount of time he needed to sustain this state. His eyes were gleaming with divine azure light, and his fingers were already shaking. It was hard to control the immense mana outflow and prevent his soul from getting too drained, but he had to do so…

At the same time, the ground was bustling with activity. Numerous figures leapt out from their hidden positions with their weapons in hand. With the blizzards gone, the scouts were able to move around in the rain with impunity. Their movements were sharp and quick, taking what little time they had to sweep through the entire region. They had prepared for this mission for quite some time now. The scouts knew all of the hot areas that had to be scoured. 

Uniformly, the Alliance members broke through regions that were deemed unbreachable by the weather, desperately looking for any clue of the Black Masks' base. They even brought highly trained Gryphons, which had been reared for the sole purpose of pursuit. Not even the Spirit Emperors were spared for the menial task. Yeunghi, Jimga… They were all flying about the skies with their weapons pointed at the ground. 

"Damn… Changing the weather… is… hard..." Shin bit down on his lip, sending a line of crimson life down onto the floor. Lady Seph's Iofiel Angel immediately noticed Shin's injury and sent a radiant golden wave to mend the broken lip. 

"Shin, concentrate! Don't harm yourself!" Lady Seph swam within the dense domain and placed her handkerchief in Shin's mouth. Alas, the Prince could hardly hear her. His mind was completely fuzzy just by the outpour of mana, and his soul was wailing in agony. 

No matter how much of a wonder kid Shin was, he was still a Rank 50 Spirit Lord. Changing the weather was something that only Spirit Saints could do with ease. Not only was his forty ranks short, but Shin was also using the infant power of the recently promoted Celestial Dragon that hadn't fully grown yet. Though he could change the weather, it was only for a meagre fifteen minutes. Any more and his Spectre Soul would face irreversible damage. 

Sweat trickled down Shin's entire being. In no time at all, the man looked like he'd just ran a marathon even though he'd been standing still for less than thirty seconds. The spiritual energies that surrounded him became denser by the second and the brightness of the shard was ever bright. Zishen was careful not to send too much mana into Shin's body, but the young man was like a thirsty hippo, greedily sucking as many spiritual energies as he could. 

"Mmmm, my Prince… You have to endure..."

The first few seconds were always the hardest. The wailing pain and agonising screams that Shin's joints echoed didn't wane at all, but at least he could get used to it. Bit by bit, the searing pain in his body got a little more bearable, and the mana outpour that shouldn't usually occur was being standardised. 

"I… I'm… fine..." Shin muttered out, while Bingbing held onto his hand. 

"Yip, Shin! You're doing great!" The young girl spurred him on like a cheerleader. 

"Yeah… Please, Master… Zishen… Keep an eye out for the signal..." Those were the last words that Shin said before finally closing his eyes, and entering into a state of absolute concentration. 

On the surface, the search continued to intensify. The Spirit Emperors cleared ploughed through the snow at drastic rates. One Spirit Emperor destroyed half a mountain, just to check for any clues of the Black Masks. The other scouts did simple movements, like diving in and out of caves. However, no matter how menial the task, the search progressed at an exceedingly fast pace. They were all connected via a communication network, developed through the use of Aether Crystals. Once a region was deemed to be clear, the scouts would instantly move to the next one and repeat the process all over again.

It was all going exceedingly well… until…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Jimga, the Tyrant Sword, swung his colossal blade down upon the gigantic mountain that stood just a hundred kilometres north of the Illusory Canyon. Normally, once a hill took a cleave by the dominant Sword Emperor, it would crumble down into nothingness. Yet, instead of falling down, it was Jimga's sword that dissipated. 

"This..." Aghast, the Spirit Emperor leapt back. What he'd hit, wasn't a mountain that was made of earth and strengthened by mud. Instead, it was an entire force field that shielded a complete mansion within!

"Bingo..." A wry smile crept up Jimga's lips as his eyes flashed with joy. Using the flare that was handed down to all scouts, the Spirit Emperor launched the beacon into the sky, alerting everyone of his new discovery.

"Shin! That's the signal! You can stop now!!!" Bingbing grabbed onto Shin's wrist and hollered right into his ear. 

As if waiting for this moment, Zishen and Lady Seph moved. Zishen halted his mana influx into the shard and instantly focused on rejuvenating Shin's Spectre Soul. Lady Seph did the same, but her focus was more on the physical side. The Domain of Dreams laced with the Celestial Dragon's aura was instantly recalled, and the weather reverted back to its original state. The winds of winter returned, and the light drizzle became a massive snowstorm. Many of the scouts weren't ready for the drastic weather change, but Shin didn't really care. What mattered was...

"So… We've finally found it..."

✵✵✵

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Over a million years ago, the first human contracted with the first Spirit. Ever since then, Spirit use has become commonplace. Humans used Spirits to carry items and start fires. Eventually, even start wars. Thousands upon thousands of years past and one day, one human did the impossible. He transcended his mortality and ascended to the realm above.  

In the present day, the Frie Clan was once a great clan of the Himmel empire. However, a devastating battle ten years ago crippled the clan and their numbers dwindled. To make up for their loss, the upper echelons decided to adopt young orphans and nurture them to become a future pillar of the weakened clan. Shin was one of those orphans. 

Although picked up by the Frie Clan, not all is smooth sailing for Shin and the other orphans...
------------------------------------------------
Tags: Action, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Male Lead, Tragedy.

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"Existing loophole?" Hao Ren and Nangong Wuyue repeated in unison.
"That's right. An existing loophole," the MDT confirmed. "The Plane of Dreams and Surface World have their fair share of traffic. Unusual creatures have come from The Plane the Dreams to Earth, and vice versa. Various information indicated that the Wall of Reality has had bigger loopholes, and if my guess is right, some of them still exist today. According to information obtained from the Local Universe Database, brief scans conducted on The Plane of Dreams for the past several hundred years showed traces of evidence that materials from the Surface World have been brought into The Plane of Dreams. Although no one knows where the exact path is, a two-way hole certainly exists."
Sending Becky home by digging a fresh hole was clearly too risky. But if the Wall of Reality already had a loophole and the Surface World did not collapse because of it, that loophole was safe—at least, it was not an immediate danger. The only problem was, where to find it.
The universe was a big place. If the connection of Peatopia a.k.a Aerym to The Plane of Dreams in the past was anything to go by, it was almost certain that The Plane of Dreams enveloped the entire universe. Loopholes on the Wall of Reality could be anywhere in the universe. Perhaps, there was hint to follow: the loopholes would only occur more in high mass and high density regions of the universe, meaning various celestial bodies where information was abundant. Planets with intelligent beings would be hotspots. Maybe Earth had such an opening; even the door through which the unusual creatures migrated en masse to Earth could still be usable.
Hao Ren's mind was running at a high speed; it was probably the result of six months of practice. He could now put two and two together pretty quick. He could foresee some key problems as he frowned. "Wait... that means the most feasible option could very well be the opening used by the unusual creatures in the past?"
"Yeah... that opening may still exist. But to be honest, finding one would be next to impossible." The MDT pondered. "With such a large door, its existence may be non-physical, or it could've been transformed and blended in with the space of the Surface World. If the unusual creatures haven't been able to find it after so long, we won't either."
Hao Ren raised his eyebrow and said, "Could the Day of Return be a lead?"
"The Day of Return could mean finding the door, but it may just be speculation." The MDT shook its body. "But, don't forget, the sirens came to the surface more than a hundred years ago. And after a hundred years, these unusal creatures have not been able to find it and figure out what form the door exists in. So, don't give it too much hope. Meanwhile, how long do you think you can keep patronising Becky? Days or months? She'll definitely ask again."
Hao Ren had been in a stew thinking about the matter. He waved his hands wearily as he said, "Let's take a multi-pronged approach; you can keep your eyes on anything about the Day of Return and look for information on The Plane of Dreams in the local database; as for me, I'll read through the myths about Earth and talk to inspectors of other planets to see if I can find something about the hole in the Wall of Reality."
Despite that, Hao Ren knew that there was a possibility it would not work. He might not be able to find something out before Becky could be patronised no more. He looked at Nangong Wuyue. "Wuyue, you've got an important mission..."
The siren's mind went blank. "What?"
"Keep Becky busy," said Hao Ren, looking serious. "Drown her in the depravity and ectasy of all the fun things on Earth, to the point that she forgets her own name. Perhaps, she'll even forget about going home..."
There was a reluctant look on Nangong Wuyue's face. "Really? Is it okay for people to do drugs?"
Hao Ren jumped to his feet. "You people must have too much imagination! Can't you bring her to some other TV programmes? If she gets bored with the talent show, let her go to Walk of Fame; if she can't make it to Walk of Fame, then challenge Guiness; if she fails to get nominated, let her challenge the Taekwondo school, as long as her attention is diverted. But bear in mind, don't ever let talent scouts ping her. Judging from her temperament, she may just end up slaughtering the entire filming crew due to the excessive hidden rules in the entertainment industry..."
Nangong Wuyue nodded as she came round. "No problem. Recently, she's been obsessed with TV. I can do that, I'll play along."
Hao Ren nodded back. Suddenly the door was yanked open and Vivian poked her head inside. "Are you two done yet? Come and eat. I'm not going to reheat the food!"
Hao Ren quickly nodded and moved himself out of the kitchen into the living room. Everyone was already at the dining table as Hao Ren and Nangong Wuyue walked in. Lil Pea was wielding a half-eaten chopstick, waving at him. He walked over and dragged the little mermaid into the pot. He let her soak in it before he gazed at the food on the table, lamenting. "It's been a long while. I miss home-cooked meals like this... Has Lil Pea been gnawing at the table again?"
He saw a series of bite marks at the edge of the table. He gave the little mermaid a stare but she had no guilt whatsoever. She popped out of the pot and proudly showed off her grating, sharp teeth.
The little one was probably entering an explosive growth stage, judging from her big appetite; she had just finished a few paper cards earlier and now, she was chewing on a piece of chopstick again.
"My cooking may not be as good as Vivian's but it's still better than street food." Nangong Wuyue filled everyone's bowl with rice before pointing to a rustic-looking barbecue dish. "Becky cooked it to welcome you guys home. She was very secretive with the process, probably it's her secret recipe."
"There's nothing special about it. They're just ordinary smoked barbecue slices, which mercenaries used to eat. It's made using ingredients from Earth." Becky scratched her head, feeling embarrassed. "I'd feel bad if I didn't reciprocate your hospitality. Let's take a bite and see how it tastes."
Hao Ren picked up a slice of the barbecue meat with his chopsticks and tasted it. "It's lamb, with a bit of fish taste to it. Did you simmer it with fish broth?"
"It's supposed to be cooked with fish broth but if I had done that, your daughter would have been terrified," said Becky as she pointed to Lil Pea. "She was scared out of her wits when she saw the Cornish dish, 'Stargazy Pie' on TV. So, I did not use fish broth."
"Then, this is..." Hao Ren curiously took a gander at the meat slices on the plate as Becky revealed her secret recipe. "Before grilling, the lamb was simmered together with shallots and ginger for five minutes. Then Lil Pea was placed into the pot. As she swam and stirred the broth, it prevented the bottom from burning. Lastly, as the lamb was taken out and drained, Lil Pea was fished out then showered..."
Hao Ren was speechless.
Sensing the fishy atmosphere, Becky quickly explained, "I didn't abuse your daughter. The goddess confirmed it: because Lil Pea is afraid of the cold, taking a quick swim in hot water helps boost her immune system. After that, I was thinking that the soup shouldn't go to waste, so I added some seasoning, and it turned out the soup tasted almost like fish broth—but, overly watered-down like it hadn't been cooked thoroughly."
"You have got to be kidding. How could you have Lil Pea cooked? She's not cookable!" As the first person on Earth who cooked and licked Lil Pea, Lily's words carried weight. "This feels weird... For the first time in my life, I don't feel like eating meat."
Lily was not alone. Everyone at the scene now looked at the "fish-flavoured barbecue", feeling weird. The little mermaid was still waving her fists like she was saying hello to Hao Ren. He could not help but hold her up in his hand, carefully examining her—his understanding of the world had been continuously shattered ever since he signed that godd*mn employment agreement. 
Anyway, it was just a little episode. Aside from Becky's gross recipe, other dishes were pretty good. In fact, the barbecue was not bad, just that its making was a bit raw. Hence, it was not the most popular dish on the table. All that aside, Hao Ren finally had his long-missed, home-cooked meal.
The days went by pretty calmly without a single incident.
But their peace ended on the third day as Vivian suddenly remembered something—her bats, which she had sent out before her last trip.


As a person who is down-to-earth as well as a good Samaritan, Hao Ren desires to live the rest of his life as a benevolent landlord. Stumbling into a curious yet mysterious lady, he began his journey of “collecting” abnormal and supernatural tenants. 
His life only became more chaotic when he receives a labor contract from “God”. Discover the many races, myths and worlds that lie beyond what humans define as normal! This bizzare fantasy full of fun is sure to bring you on a crazy rollercoaster of emotions!

Angor frowned at the man's strange character. For a second, he almost believed that this one was just another untalkative lone wolf like him. 
It seemed that he was very wrong.
Even if they knew their items might not attract any buyers, most of the apprentices here would act as politely as possible because this private trading was the only place they could find things that were nonexistent in the other parts of the city.
Yet this man in black just broke that rule by treating the meeting as some kind of underground fair where thugs and alcoholics gathered.
As if to further prove his attitude, the man repeated his catchphrase, "I represent the biggest employment market in Cork Street. Any helpers, slaves, or other talents you seek, I have them all! Here's my transmitter code…"
Employment market?
Angor wondered if this was similar to the human resource companies he saw from certain movies.
Lantis, who had been sitting at the main seat, stood up and stomped over to the man in black before he ripped his hood off furiously.
Without his hood, the slim-bodied man suddenly grew into an extremely fat guy who was five or six times his original size.
"Pierre!" Lantis bellowed. "How did you get past the guards? Out! Now!"
While Lantis pushed the fat man hysterically, the others watched the incident with smiles as if this were something that happened a lot.
"Ohh, Pierre is pretty good. He fooled the Rune Monitors!"
"I didn't know he was here. Man, he's getting better."
From the whispers, Angor learned that Pierre was a strange businessman from Cork Street who claimed that he owned an "employment market". Despite his claim, everyone knew that it was actually a slave market sugarcoated with pretty words.
For some reason, this man insisted on coming to every guild meeting to advertise his shop.
The strange thing was, every time, Astute Alchemy Guild would only chase Pierre away but without making further moves. People assumed that Pierre either had some connections with certain guild members or that Pierre belonged to another powerful group. Either way, Astute Alchemy Guild couldn't do anything too harsh. In fact, someone already started quarreling over this matter right at this moment.
Pierre was a level-2 apprentice while Lantis was a level-3 at his limit. The fat man was easily dragged away by Lantis without fighting back, or rather, Pierre didn't intend to resist at all.
While on his way out, Pierre was still yelling to the other people, "Trust me, guys, good stuff! If you don't need helpers, I have maids! Absolutely divine maids smuggled from Manda Plane! Cat ears, kuudere sisters, sweet and soft girls, any type you ever need! Don't miss out! My transmitter code—"
Pierre disappeared behind the door curtain while the other participants shook their heads.
Some of the newcomers seemed interested in the maids, which caused the more experienced people to laugh at them. 
"Give up. If you want a maid on your bed, try the slave auction at Moshi Street. Pierre's shop has too many weird rules, such as 'performing high-five with the merchandise is prohibited'. Go study more, young ones."
Someone voiced a different opinion. "But I must say, Pierre's slaves are of the best quality. I think they're all nobles or at least educated mortals. Too bad we can't teach them wizardry."
"Pierre got many constant customers who love art. You know, doing art might give mortals a chance to shine in this world."
Angor quietly listened to their discussion while his eyes twinkled under his hood.
A while later, Lantis flipped the curtain aside and returned to the meeting.
"Heh heh… apologies. Just a small annoyance. But it won't affect our trading!"
Several people laughed. When Lantis failed to notice what he had done wrong, John Junior reminded him, "Hey boss, this is supposed to be an exchange of knowledge, not actual trading."
"Oh! My bad! Let's trade knowledge, yes! So, any of you want to step up?"
A muscular man with brown skin and a tight-fit vest stood up from his seat. "So I'm selling something…"
Lantis looked a little pissed off when someone mocked his tongue-slip so soon. Even so, he didn't say anything. Everyone knew what this meeting was about, they just didn't want to point it out openly.
Astute Guild was established by a group of alchemists, so most people would talk about knowledge or items related to alchemy. Angor noticed that he had no problem providing answers to some of the questions, but he never offered to do so because none of the offers seemed valuable enough.
The next speaker was an alchemy apprentice who was blushing badly. She wanted to learn about a critical step regarding the production of an energy stabilizer.
Back at Brute Cavern, energy stabilizers were mostly nonexistent or got sold at the market at an insane price. One could find many of them in Floating Mech City. Despite that, none of the crafters would share their knowledge as it might potentially ruin their future income.
Almost every wizard and apprentice would need an energy stabilizer in their career, thus it guaranteed a stable market price for energy stabilizers. Alchemists who knew how to make one could always earn a profit out of this. Every alchemy apprentices would like to know how to craft this item, and since no one was willing to teach them, they had to purchase energy stabilizers and see if they could recreate one on their own.
This shy apprentice had bought more than one stabilizer to achieve this, but when she reached the core functions, she was quickly discouraged by the extremely complex mechanisms. She knew that an energy stabilizer did not need to be so complicated, which meant whoever designed these devices intentionally screwed up something in order to prevent people from copying it.
This was why she had no choice but to look for an answer here.
It was almost impossible to find someone who would tell her such trade secret, but she still came just to bet on her luck.
When she was feeling disappointed about receiving no attention at all, the transmitter in front of her suddenly flashed.
[I can join you and discuss something regarding an Energy Stabilizer. Meet me at Fingernail Alchemy Shop after the meeting]
She looked up happily and wished to find out who was the offeror, but instead of getting an answer, her careless move told the others that someone accepted the offer.
Which idiot agreed to something like this? They wondered.
Despite the fact that he was regarded as a fool by everyone else, Angor was thinking about the item offered by the female apprentice—a certain monster ant called the Dream Weaver that was believed to be extinct. 
Angor never heard about such an insect until today. According to the witch, the ant could weave dreams for people, either good dreams or nightmares.
The ant wasn't intelligent enough to understand human speech, but one could use a small trick to generally tell the ant what kind of dream they wanted by using the small pair of "antennas" on the ant's head. Touching the white antenna would cause the ant to create a sweet dream while touching the black one would do the opposite.
To wizards, this sounded pretty useless since the dreams were just dreams. They couldn't benefit or harm people.
People would consider the insect an exotic plaything, and that was about it.
In fact, many people were interested in the woman's item when they heard about it. Despite that, they all gave up when they heard what she wanted in return.
However, Angor wished to take a better look at the Dream Weaver because it reminded him of a story Jon told him before:
A drunken man fell asleep at the roadside and enjoyed a heavenly dream. Later, people found out that the man slept on a stone that had an ant nest hidden under it, so someone made up a story that the magical ants helped the man weave his dream.
Angor didn't consider the story to be anything special, but now that he did see an ant that could create dreams, he decided to check it out.
To him, the secret of an energy stabilizer wasn't anything too precious. He wanted to present the Dream Weaver as a gift to Jon when he traveled back to Old Earth.


A young traveler who receives enlightenment from another civilization is on a mission to save his beloved mentor. In his journey to seek the ultimate truth, he travels extensively and along the way, he experiences some unpredictable encounters. Will he be able to save his mentor or will his path be derailed?

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