Chapter 379

"Good."

After looking up at the sun in the sky, the veteran investigator nodded in satisfaction, then turned back with a smile and said:

"Although the main enhancement still comes from the Fallen Soul Abyss, achieving this much is acceptable… How many people are in this dream?"

"About… three hundred thousand?"

After checking the black luminescence inside the glass lantern, the female reporter wearing a wide-brimmed soft hat replied:

"Many people dreamed tonight, but not many of the dreams involved the capital. Most dreams didn't occur in the capital, so the 【Dream Lantern】 only merged these three hundred thousand dreams together… Should we try again?"

"No need. This is sufficient."

After hearing the reporter's words, the veteran investigator gave a confident little laugh, then withdrew his gaze from the sun and looked down upon the dream capital before him.

In this false city forged from three hundred thousand dreams, most streets and alleys retained their original appearance, with no major changes.

The tree-lined belt surrounding the wealthy district remained lush and green; the sewage river cutting through the old quarter still stank and was filthy; and the industrial parks along the riverbanks emitted thick, acrid white smoke, just as they did in the waking world.

Though the dream world need not conform to reality, the three hundred thousand dreamers all came from the waking world—this capital, nearly identical to reality, was their collective perception of it…

Except for one place.

…

"What's going on over there?"

Gazing at the strange structure at the center of the capital, constantly twisting and shifting yet never fully solidifying, the veteran investigator frowned in displeasure and asked:

"Why hasn't the Wang Gong stabilized yet? Haven't these three hundred thousand people reached a consensus on what the Wang Gong looks like?"

"Let me check…"

After observing the Wang Gong, whose exterior twisted and changed—now ancient, decaying, and on the verge of collapse, as if a breath could topple it; now gilded and radiant, exuding nobility and supreme grandeur—the female reporter carefully examined her glass lantern, then frowned and shook her head:

"The 【Dream Lantern】 is functioning normally; no interference or intrusion. It's simply that among those who dreamed of the capital, some hold an impression of the Wang Gong vastly different from others—and their mental images are especially strong, preventing the Wang Gong from settling into a fixed form."

"Clean them out quickly!"

Upon hearing the reporter's explanation, the veteran investigator didn't hesitate—he stood up, walked to the edge of the clock tower, and pointed at the Wang Gong:

"Check the dreams related to the Wang Gong. Find those whose impressions differ too drastically from the rest, and expel them from this dream. Don't let them disrupt the Wang Gong's form in the dream."

"When the Fallen Soul Abyss fully descends, I intend to swap the dream capital with the real one. If they're too different, the exchange will be messy—this part cannot fail!"

"Understood."

The female reporter silently acknowledged, and her lantern flickered twice—numerous dark luminescent dots lit up within the glass globe, then swiftly vanished.

As the countless specks were purged, the Wang Gong far away finally stabilized slightly, taking on a somewhat fixed shape.

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Unfortunately, before the veteran investigator could nod in satisfaction, the Wang Gong began twisting again.

This time, besides alternating between ruin and splendor, a third form emerged: much of the architecture had been deliberately flattened into a lush, verdant garden.

"Some more people have just dreamed of the capital and been added to this dream."

Before the veteran investigator could ask, the reporter immediately checked the 【Dream Lantern】 and explained:

"The two individuals whose impressions of the Wang Gong differ from the rest are now primarily two people. Their dreams of the capital are radically unlike everyone else's—and their cases are unusual. I can't expel them."

Two people I can't expel?

The veteran investigator frowned:

"What did they each dream? Take me to their dreams."

"Alright."

After glancing at the veteran investigator's back, the female reporter nodded slightly, then gripped the handle of the 【Dream Lantern】 tightly and shook the lantern again.

Immediately, the capital before them trembled slightly, then instantly transformed—from a once-vibrant, bustling city into a desolate ruin scarred by war.

The once-bustling commercial streets were now buried under rubble and collapsed walls; buildings along the roads had crumbled into heaps of debris; skyscrapers had turned into piles of worthless bricks and stones.

Dust and the smell of charred earth permeated the air of the entire capital; the remaining walls bore traces of bombardment, nearly obliterated by war.

Even the clock tower beneath their feet had been half-collapsed; and on the massive clock face behind the reporter—taller than two men—still lodged an unexploded artillery shell…

"This must be Prince Joshua's dream."

After observing the Wang Gong, though not entirely destroyed, ravaged by war and seemingly ready to collapse at any moment, the veteran investigator paused, then declared with certainty:

"This is the curse of the Nightmare King. Members of this nation's royal family endlessly relive their greatest regrets in dreams—and Nathan… yes… he is the future Joshua, so his nightmare has been synced."

"Also, I understand why you can't drive him out."

Turning to look at the reporter's lantern, at the dense cluster of black dots within the glass globe, the veteran investigator sighed:

"The 【Dream Lantern】's power has been amplified by the Fallen Soul Abyss—it's essentially stealing the Abyss's strength."

"As the true master of the Fallen Soul Abyss, the Nightmare King's curse on the royal family holds extremely high priority—it naturally influences your 【Dream Lantern】."

"We can't handle his issue now, but it's not too troublesome. On the day the Fallen Soul Abyss fully descends, I'll find a way to ensure he can't sleep…"

"Come on. Take me to the dream of the other person you can't expel. Let me see what his dream is like."

The reporter nodded, located the faintly red-glowing dot in the lantern, moved it to the center of the glass globe, then shook the lantern hard.

The world spun.

As if an ancient mural had been painted over, the dark, ruined capital before them instantly shed its war-torn yellows and blacks, suddenly brightening.