Chapter 20: then translation of chapter title

Unconscious

"Speak up, what did you discover?" Fu Guang narrowed her eyes, gold streaming in her blue pupils, she broke free of the non‑compulsory restraint and took the fox from around her neck.

"There's still one D‑rank spiritual entity guidance at the White Tower rate, fifty thousand star coins." She opened that window again; outside, dark clouds spread, blocking the sun, faintly revealing the sun's silhouette.

"As for human guidance, I don't intend to take on that part of the work." The white fox obediently lay in Fu Guang's arms.

The pink, moist nose pressed against Fu Guang's stroking hand, long lashes fluttering, it let out a soft "yē yē yē".

Shang Ze gave a bitter laugh, "Do we really have to split it so clearly?"

After observing the outside, Fu Guang held the fox, turned, and said, "Since you're a merchant, naturally we'll follow merchant rules."

"Besides, we hardly have any affection for each other, right? Team member Shang Ze."

Shang Ze helplessly tapped his wrist light‑brain, entered a string of numbers, and the moment he pressed confirm, a dialog box popped up.

This transaction was not completed; the other party had already set a maximum income limit.

Shang Ze hesitated, deleted the numbers, and had to transfer five hundred thousand at the maximum limit—ten guidance fees.

The door was knocked again, and standing at the threshold was Sheng Lai Ke Si; his green eyes scanned the modest room before settling on Fu Guang.

It seemed somewhat surprising that both of them had already awakened.

He stood motionless in the doorway; a palm‑sized elf, his spiritual entity, flew toward Fu Guang, leaving a trail of lustrous light behind.

The delicate little elf flapped its gold‑near‑transparent wings, cheerfully circling Fu Guang twice; immediately a green halo appeared on her, the elf's blessing.

After the nightmare, Fu Guang's tense body relaxed, feeling light as if she might float away.

Sheng Lai Ke Si turned out to be a rare Sentinel with healing abilities.

Shang Ze's pupils also contracted; it was the first time he learned that the Sentinel beside him actually possessed a rare healing ability.

It appears this is a Sentinel with a protective will, the ideal guard Sentinel that a Guide most hopes for.

He examined Fu Guang's expression; seeing she remained calm, he gradually withdrew his gaze.

"When I arrived, I checked everyone's rooms—Bai Gao and Yin Zhu were unconscious."

Fu Guang signaled Sheng Lai Ke Si to lead the way ahead, while she took the middle, the safest position.

This place clearly showed its fangs; it was a kind of spiritual pollution, and the Guide's safety was paramount.

"What kind of dream did you have?"

Fu Guang saw that she wouldn't ask, and her two teammates had no intention of sharing information.

The suspension bridge swayed gently; snow lotuses bloomed beneath it, their color deepening from pristine white without concealment.

Shang Ze said, "An extremely boring dream, nothing worth mentioning."

Sheng Lai Ke Si: "At a glance, it's a fake dream."

The two said nothing of substance.

Fu Guang pinched the fox's soft ears; Shang Ze suddenly coughed, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Fu Guang lifted the little fox, fluffy as a steamed bun; the fox gazed at her blankly and let out a tender "yē".

Fu Guang, harboring ill thoughts, fell silent for a moment; the small creature was far cuter than a Sentinel, so she shifted her gaze from the spiritual entity to the Sentinel.

Forget it; the spiritual entity isn't to blame—if there's an issue, go straight to the Sentinel.

"Do you have a way to resolve the polluted zone?"

Shang Ze's gold‑rimmed glasses flashed with a cold light as he said, "Wait until everyone wakes, then just destroy it."

"What if they can't wake up?" Not far away, the two lying on the ground were oblivious; the purple‑haired youth's brows furrowed, as if enduring great pain.

"If they can't wake, then let them die." Shang Ze said flatly, "With such immature minds, better to die early than waste others' living space."

The two in front of Shang Ze turned to look at him simultaneously; Fu Guang whispered to Sheng Lai Ke Si, "Is this person always this harsh?"

Sheng Lai Ke Si shook his head, reached through his sleeve to grab Fu Guang's wrist, and pulled her away from the suspicious Shang Ze.

Still the familiar faint scent of grass.

Shang Ze moved his long legs, and before he could say anything, he fainted.

……

"Well, now it's just you and me." Fu Guang looked at Sheng Lai Ke Si with suspicion, carefully flicking his spiritual barrier.

"Won't you faint too?"

Sheng Lai Ke Si's pupils tinged, the little elf landing in her golden hair, "No."

Fu Guang pinched the cheeks of the fox that had fallen asleep; the fox snored deeply, utterly still.

"What dream did you have?" Sheng Lai Ke Si dragged the unconscious Shang Ze to the side of the sleeping team; on the small platform, three people lay neatly, their expressions varied.

There was joy, indignation, fear, and killing intent.

The three showed no obvious wounds on their bodies, nor any weakness, but their spiritual power fluctuated greatly, with evident massive consumption.

Perhaps the longer they lingered in the dream, the more they would exhaust their spiritual power and sink into slumber here.

Fu Guang decided to speak openly; the team had lost half its members in just a day, practically a "brilliant record" for an S‑rank Sentinel.

"The dream isn't really a dream; it's my past experience."

"It's merely a past I've long abandoned, nothing to say." Sheng Lai Ke Si smiled faintly, "Perhaps because there are no regrets, no extra emotions, one can exit the dream quickly."

"They can only rely on themselves to get out."

"The sky is growing dark."

Sheng Lai Ke Si's voice lacked much fluctuation; his spoken past was already past, here it couldn't stir even a ripple.

Black clouds piled down, seeming to level with the ground; the wind howled, shaking the leaves into a loud rustle, and as the tree shadows swayed, an unknown terror seemed to lurk.

The surrounding light was dim; only the blood‑red hibiscus flowers swayed in the wind, growing more gorgeous, like a series of beautiful faces.

Fu Guang touched the small bumps raised on her arm, then leaned toward Sheng Lai Ke Si.

You should know that their lodgings were specially chosen—the very place on the planet where hibiscus blooms most brilliantly and abundantly.

Fu Guang said, "You think the receptionist did it on purpose, wanting everyone to become flower fertilizer."

She rose to her feet, the fierce wind blew her off balance, stirring her long coat, as if she wanted to drift away.

"I'll check on these three; the rest is up to you."

Fu Guang extended her mental threads into the three people's dreams; a blue matchstick figure appeared in an empty space, with three sides like light screens, enacting different scenes.

In the dim, chaotic setting, a purple-haired youth clutched his bruised black-and-purple arms around his legs, head bowed as he crouched in the corner.

In the spacious, bright hall, the white-haired youth bore red whip marks on his back; he straightened his frail spine and knelt at the exact center.

In the depths of darkness, bright lights from weapons flashed past, lunging at the frail girl; a fleeting golden beast's eye, full of wildness and refusal to yield, flashed by.

"Hey, wake up!"