Chapter 782: Dream Lantern (Part One)

"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 dominant 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 few of those dreams involved the capital. Most dreams didn't occur in the capital at all, so the 【Dream Lantern】 merely fused 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 chuckle, 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 little change.

The tree-lined belt surrounding the wealthy district remained lush and green; the sewage river cutting through the old quarter still stank and festered; and the industrial parks scattered along the riverbanks emitted endless Gungun white smoke thick with acid, 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 capital's center, constantly twisting and shifting yet never fully taking shape, 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's ever-distorting appearance—now ancient, rotting, and on the verge of collapse as if a breath could topple it, then suddenly radiant and magnificent, exuding supreme nobility—the female reporter carefully examined her glass lantern, then frowned and shook her head:

"The 【Dream Lantern】 is functioning normally; no interference or intrusion has occurred. It's simply that some among these three hundred thousand dreamers hold a markedly different impression of the Wang Gong, and their mental image is especially strong, preventing the structure from stabilizing."

"Clean it up quickly!"

Upon hearing her explanation, the veteran investigator didn't hesitate—he stood, 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 others 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 differ too much, 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 inside the glass shade, then swiftly vanished.

As countless specks were purged, the distant, writhing Wang Gong finally stabilized slightly, assuming a somewhat fixed shape.

Unfortunately, before the veteran investigator could nod in approval, the Wang Gong began twisting again. This time, besides alternating between ruin and splendor, a third form emerged: much of the structure 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 female reporter immediately checked the 【Dream Lantern】 and explained:

"The two individuals whose impressions of the Wang Gong differ most from the others 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 dream of? Take me to their dreams."

"Alright."

After glancing at the veteran investigator's back, the female reporter nodded, 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 shattered walls; buildings had collapsed into heaps of decayed debris; skyscrapers had crumbled into worthless piles of brick and stone.

Dust and the smell of charred earth permeated the air of the entire capital; surviving walls bore the scars of artillery bombardment—nearly everything had been utterly destroyed 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 studying the Wang Gong, not entirely destroyed but ravaged beyond recognition 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 shade, the veteran investigator sighed:

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

"The Nightmare King, as the true master of the Fallen Soul Abyss, imposed his curse on the royal family with extremely high priority. It's natural that it affects your 【Dream Lantern】."

"We can't resolve his issue now, but it's not critical. When 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 female reporter nodded, located the faintly glowing red dot in the lantern, moved it to the center of the shade, 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, becoming vividly bright.

(End of Chapter)