Chapter 203: Exploring the Dream

On Friday night, Leike Dun and the three little animals at home finished dinner together.

Casting a lingering glance, still unwilling to give up, wanting to crash into the mud‑dwelling thunder in the safe, Leike Dun calmly picked up the after‑dinner fruit and watched the stubborn mud‑dwelling thunder's performance.

That mud‑dwelling thunder, for reasons unknown, after repeatedly being discovered during its infiltrations and then thrown back to the spirit realm, somehow produced a green gem it had found somewhere and tried to bribe Anu, who handled security in the house.

Then Anu tied it before Leike Dun; seeing that it had paid, Leike Dun didn't toss it back to the spirit realm, and, because it had handed over money, treated it as a tenant here.

Boom! Boom!

The knocking began, and the mud‑dwelling thunder still trying to crash the safe leapt into the water and slipped into the spirit realm.

Creak! The main door opened automatically.

Ke Lai En entered holding a black staff and a universal key, wearing a half‑high top hat.

"I'm planning to find Dr. Ai Lun, enter his dream, and figure out how the nightmare linked to Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting originated. Are you interested?"

Ke Lai En straightforwardly stated his plan for the night.

"Um, I'm definitely interested, but Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting might not want to see me, even in a dream."

Leike Dun murmured, then pulled a folded paper person from his pocket and handed it to Ke Lai En.

"Carry this with you; after you enter the dream, if nothing goes wrong, I can follow the link and let my consciousness wander into the dream you're in."

"Alright." Ke Lai En took the paper person, glanced at it, and slipped it into his coat pocket.

Hillston District Boringhan Road.

Ke Lai En used the universal key to open a "door" in the wall, then silently entered Dr. Ai Lun's and his wife's bedroom.

"Sleep!" Ke Lai En quickly produced a Sleep seal, whispered the incantation, and caused Dr. Ai Lun's wife to fall into a true slumber.

He then sat on the chair before the dressing table, took out another prepared Dream seal, and softly uttered a word in ancient Hermes:

"Crimson!"

The Dream seal in Ke Lai En's hand began to blaze a deep, tranquil black; driven by his will, the darkness spread, enveloping Dr. Ai Lun and Ke Lai En himself.

At the same time, Leike Dun, already lying in bed, sensed a faint connection forming.

Realizing the paper person Ke Lai En carried was sending feedback, Leike Dun immediately adjusted his state and, through meditation, swiftly entered sleep.

Using a pre‑set mental cue, Leike Dun's consciousness quickly clarified, and following the link between him and the paper person, he roamed the dream‑spirit world toward Dr. Ai Lun Ke Rui Si's dream.

Following the signal, Leike Dun arrived at an endless abyss of deep black, where only a solitary oval light sphere floated.

Leike Dun immediately extended his spirit, touching the faintly ethereal light sphere.

The next moment, the surrounding world inverted and twisted, and Leike Dun's consciousness descended onto a pale‑yellow paper person.

Having adapted to the paper body, Leike Dun directly steered it out of Ke Lai En's pocket, landing on his shoulder.

Ke Lai En glanced at the paper person drifting from his pocket and instantly understood it was Leike Dun's consciousness manifesting in this dream.

Though he didn't know why it took the form of a paper person, Ke Lai En still gave a gentle nod toward it, allowing it to settle on his shoulder.

Leike Dun curiously surveyed the surroundings:

A pitch‑black barren plain stretched out, ahead a towering black spire, around which coiled a massive silver‑white giant serpent.

Leike Dun's gaze curiously turned to the serpent above, trying to discern whether it was a manifestation of Wei Er himself or Urolius.

The silver‑white giant serpent lowered its body, its scarlet eyes coldly staring at everything.

Before it, everything seemed tiny and equal.

The dream's owner, Dr. Ai Lun, paid no mind to the silver serpent; he simply followed the dream's flow forward.

Ke Lai En, with the little paper person, trailed behind Dr. Ai Lun, passed through an ancient wooden door, and entered the tower's interior.

Inside the tower, the layout was chaotic: some stairs led up, others down; the hall, library, bedroom—each room was either normal or inverted.

"Endless chaos, embodiment of destiny."

Two lines describing the Key of Light suddenly sprang to Leike Dun's mind.

Dr. Ai Lun's steps did not halt; after passing through door after door and walls, a curled human silhouette appeared in a corner ahead.

Sensing Dr. Ai Lun's arrival, the figure quickly braced itself, hopping on one leg toward him.

As it approached, its full form finally came into Leike Dun's view.

A boy just over ten, with a somewhat fierce look,

his face showing obvious fear, clutching a set of tarot cards; his ink‑black eyes stared intently at Dr. Ai Lun, a mix of shock, delight, dread and panic as he said:

"Dr. Ai Lun, a snake wants to eat me!"

But his voice, as heard by Leike Dun, turned into:

"What are you doing here?"

"Do you know me?" Leike Dun, startled, wanted to ask.

But the next moment, the boy let out a wail, and the image of a Mercury Snake reflected in his eyes.

Splash!

The dream shattered instantly, and Leike Dun's consciousness fell back into the dream‑spirit world.

With a helpless sigh, Leike Dun returned to his own body.

His consciousness rejoined his body; Leike Dun woke, but had no intention of getting up, instead remaining in his current posture and sinking back into deep sleep.

The next morning, Leike Dun received a letter from Frank, summarizing his research progress and complaining that book couriers can only write letters, not ship items.

Leike Dun felt a bit helpless; after all, he couldn't expect a book to deliver goods!

He casually picked up the fountain pen on the desk and wrote a reply to Frank:

"Frank, could you ask the captain if he can transfer a batch of valuables for me? I have no channels for that, and it's hard to move them in Bei Ke Lan De either."

Also keep an eye out for the crystalline feather of the blue‑shadow falcon and the eye of the dragon‑eye sea eagle; just noting their clues is enough, no need to actively search.

Additionally, I've recently developed several ritual magics for maintaining a stable environment; you'll likely need them when cultivating crops at sea, and I've written them on the paper at the back.

Your friend in Bei Ke Lan De, Al.

He finished writing the reply to Frank, raised his hand, and sent the letter into the Spirit Realm.

Lei Kedun began to ponder whether he should look for another messenger; although this book messenger is very convenient to use, its inability to deliver items can indeed be troublesome at times.

While contemplating, Lei Kedun saw Ni Fu Lei just poking its head out of the Spirit Realm.

Ni Fu Lei blinked its tiny black eyes twice, and before Lei Kedun could speak, it swiftly withdrew its head and left without looking back.

Lei Kedun watched the spot where Ni Fu Lei vanished, sighed helplessly, and realized he had developed a trust crisis with the little creature.

It seems he can't hire it as a part‑time messenger. Moreover, this money‑loving fellow is still unreliable.

Zhou Yi, 3 p. m., today's Tarot meeting will start on time.

Above the boundless gray mist, deep red lights rose, and vague figures appeared around the bronze long table.

Above the mist, the first sound was still Miss Justice's familiar, cheerful greeting:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

"Good afternoon"

After everyone exchanged greetings, Xiao Taiyang Dai Li Ke did not hide his slight anxiety, yet he did not state his problem outright.

He knew clearly that the opening segment belonged to Mr. Fool reading the Russell diary.

The gathering had already begun; there was no need to rush. If Mr. Fool was in a good mood, he might answer some questions.

Xiao Taiyang Dai Li Ke comforted himself inwardly.

The Hanged Man A'erjie turned his head toward the highest seat and, in a humble tone, began:

"Honored Mr. Fool, I have collected three new pages of the Russell diary."

Diary? Russell diary? Magician Fo Er Si immediately focused, suspecting that this so‑called Russell diary might be something she was very familiar with.

Under the mist, Ke Lai En smiled and replied:

"What do you want to exchange them for?"

The Hanged Man A'erjie glanced at the card covering Mr. Fool's right hand, suppressed his inner eagerness, and kept his tone normal as he said:

"I want to know what the card beside you is."

Ke Lai En did not expect the Hanged Man's request to be the easiest for him, and let out a low laugh, saying:

"Sure."

"Do you want everyone to hear, or only yourself to know?"

The Hanged Man A'erjie answered without hesitation:

"Only myself."

How lacking in selfless dedication.

Lei Kedun leaned back in the high‑back chair and muttered a silent complaint.

At that moment, Magician Fo Er Si almost understood something:

Using the so‑called Russell diary, one could exchange it with Mr. Fool for answers to certain questions, perhaps even for items!

Russell diary? Is it the thing Emperor Russell wrote with his unique symbols? So it is indeed a diary. At least the Hanged Man's tone was confident, and Mr. Fool did not refute.

"I've encountered many, but never bought any because I wasn't interested."

"Miss Ao Dai Li does have quite a few, but I recall it was last week—no, maybe the week before—that her dog recently chewed up many books and notes, including those of Emperor Russell's diary!"

Fo Er Si's mood at this moment was like riding a roller coaster, from great joy to great sorrow.

"I hate dogs!"

Magician Fo Er Si's mind was left with only this thought.

(End of chapter)