Chapter 6

Lu Mi instinctively glanced around and saw the familiar desk, chairs, bookshelf, wardrobe, and bed.

This was his bedroom, but it was shrouded in a faint gray mist.

Lucid dream? Did I just have a lucid dream? Lu Mi’s pupils widened instantly.

A lucid dream means remaining aware and retaining full memory and thought while dreaming—a rare state that can be triggered more reliably through specialized training.

Previously, Aurora had tried multiple methods to eliminate the hidden danger of Lu Mi’s gray mist dreams, repeatedly attempting to induce lucid dreams—but none succeeded.

Now, Lu Mi had inexplicably regained awareness within the dream.

After a brief shock, Lu Mi regained his composure and considered one possibility:

“Could it be the Tarot card representing the Seven of Wands?”

“That woman said this card would help me uncover the secret of the dream…”

“So its purpose is to place me in a lucid dream state, allowing me to truly explore this gray-mist-covered area?”

“Hmm… compared to my earlier impressions, the gray mist now seems much thinner, much lighter…”

In a flash of thought, Lu Mi turned his body, stepped quickly to the slanted chair, gripped the table pressed against the wall, and leaned forward to peer out the window.

What met his eyes was not the scene he knew.

This dream had not replicated his hometown of Keldu Village.

Beneath the thin, pale gray-white mist, the most striking feature was a towering peak, composed entirely of reddish-brown stones and rust-colored earth, rising twenty to thirty meters into the sky.

Surrounding the peak were concentric rings of buildings, some collapsed to the ground, others charred black, their original forms unrecognizable.

From where Lu Mi stood, they resembled ruined tombs, arranged in an uneven circular pattern.

The entire area was pitted with craters, littered with rubble, and devoid of a single blade of grass.

Above, the mist thickened and turned whiter; Lu Mi could not confirm whether there was a sun, only that the place was unnaturally dim, as if lit only by starlight at night.

After careful observation, he murmured to himself:

“Is this the entirety of the dream?”

After all these years, this dream that haunted him was truly like this?

After a moment of daze, Lu Mi turned to a more practical question:

“Where is the secret of this dream hidden?”

“On that peak, or within one of the ruined buildings?”

Lu Mi did not rush to leave his bedroom and enter the area to explore the dream—he remained where he was, scanning every visible detail.

Suddenly, he sensed a shadow flicker past within the ruins surrounding the peak.

Limited by the height of his two-story house and the persistent, though thin, presence of the mist, Lu Mi could not be certain whether he had imagined it.

After a pause, he slowly exhaled and spoke to himself internally:

“Don’t rush. Be patient. Don’t rush. Be patient.”

“This dream clearly holds many secrets—it doesn’t seem entirely mine. Blind exploration could bring danger…”

“Hmm. I’ll go see that woman first thing tomorrow and ask for more details before deciding what to do…”

As thoughts swirled, Lu Mi lowered his gaze, preparing to exit the dream and sleep peacefully.

But being awake within the dream, he had no idea how to truly wake himself.

After repeated failed attempts at self-suggestion, he lay back on the bed and forced his mind into confusion, mimicking the state he used to enter when falling asleep.

Unaware of how much time had passed, Lu Mi suddenly sat upright and saw pale golden sunlight seeping through the curtains.

“Finally woke up…”

“So, falling asleep inside the dream restores that foggy state—and then I can escape…”

Lu Mi exhaled in relief, murmuring silently.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

“Aurora?” Lu Mi tensed, fearing something bad had happened.

“It’s me.” Aurora’s voice came through the door.

Lu Mi rolled off the bed, hurried to the door, gripped the handle, and pulled it open.

Outside stood Aurora, wearing a white silk nightgown, her golden hair softly draped over her shoulders.

“How was it?” She seemed certain Lu Mi had just woken.

Lu Mi did not hide anything—he told Aurora everything exactly as it had happened.

Aurora nodded as if deep in thought:

“So the card’s purpose is to induce a lucid dream…”

She immediately asked:

“What are you planning to do next?”

Lu Mi grunted:

“I’ll grab a quick bite, then go find that woman. See if I can get more information—figure out her real intentions.”

“Fine.” Aurora did not object.

She added:

“I’ll also write letters to inquire about the dream you described—see what those things might represent.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Mi’s suddenly tense expression and smiled:

“Don’t worry—I’ll edit the details, won’t reveal everything at once. After all, I taught you the value of gradual steps.”

“And when you speak with that lady, don’t push. Stay friendly. This isn’t fear—it’s just better to have one more friend than one more enemy.”

“Understood.” Lu Mi gave a solemn nod.

…………

Keldu Village, the Old Tavern.

As Lu Mi neared the bar, he called out to Maurice Béne, the tavern owner who also served as bartender:

“Which room upstairs does that outsider woman stay in?”

The tavern itself was the village’s only inn, with six rooms on the second floor.

Maurice Béne was neither fat nor muscular; like most villagers, he had black hair and blue eyes, with the distinguishing feature of a perpetually red nose—result of constant drinking.

He was a distant cousin of the parish priest, Guillaume Béne, but their relationship was distant.

“Why do you want to know?” Maurice Béne asked curiously. “Would a woman from the big city even look at a country bumpkin like you?”

His face bore clear curiosity, deeply intrigued by improper romantic entanglements.

“Aren’t you a country bumpkin and barefoot peasant too?” Lu Mi sneered, then made up a quick excuse: “She lost something last night. I found it this morning—I’m bringing it back.”

“Really?” Maurice Béne doubted Lu Mi’s word.

This fellow lied eight times out of ten.

“Otherwise? Do you think she’d even notice me?” Lu Mi replied with confidence.

“Fair point.” Maurice Béne was convinced. “She’s in the room near the square, opposite the washroom.”

As Lu Mi headed for the stairs, the tavern owner wiped a glass and muttered under his breath:

“Not impossible… sometimes people just want to try something new…”

His muttering reached Lu Mi’s ears perfectly.

…………

On the second floor of the tavern, Lu Mi found the only washroom in the dim corridor, then noticed a white paper sign hanging on the brass handle of the dark red wooden door opposite.

It was written in Intis script:

“Resting,

“Do Not Disturb.”

Lu Mi stared at it for several seconds, then did not rush to knock. Instead, he stepped back two paces and leaned against the wall.

He intended to wait here until the woman emerged.

His years as a vagrant had taught him: when opportunity arises, act swiftly and decisively—no hesitation, no overthinking, no concern for pride, no cowardice—or the chance vanishes, dragging you into a worse cycle. When opportunity does not appear, be patient, persistent, and endure all discomfort in waiting.

Time passed second by second; Lu Mi stood motionless, showing no sign of impatience.

If a bystander had been there, they might have mistaken him for a statue—had he not occasionally shifted his feet.

Finally, the door creaked open.

The woman wore a light green dress with white trim, her brown hair loosely tied at the back.

She glanced at Lu Mi for a second with pale blue eyes, then looked down at the paper sign on the door handle, and smiled:

“How long have you been waiting?”

She was not the least surprised to see him there.

Lu Mi took a step forward:

“It doesn’t matter.”

He forced his tone to remain calm, unpressured.

“What do you want to ask?” the woman said bluntly.

“Right here?” Lu Mi glanced around.

The woman smiled and replied:

“If you don’t mind, I don’t either.”

Lu Mi had already observed—Lyan, Lyra, and others who had stayed here were absent; the second floor held no one but himself and the woman before him.

He organized his words:

What secret does that dream conceal?

The lady burst out laughing:

“You should answer that, not ask me.”

She paused, then added:

“I can only tell you that you can obtain certain transcendent powers there.”

Transcendent powers… Lu Mi’s heart stirred, then he asked Yihuo ly:

“What use are transcendent powers gained in a dream?

“They can’t affect reality.”

The lady smiled:

“In the transcendent realm, anything is possible.

“Perhaps they truly can?”

Has the transcendent power I’ve sought so desperately appeared in my life this way? Lu Mi fell silent.

The lady’s expression turned serious as she added:

“I must warn you: that place is full of danger. If you die there, you will die utterly.”

Could an accident while exploring that dream lead to my real self dying? Lu Mi didn’t understand, but chose to believe.

First, the gray mist dream that had haunted him for years clearly was unusual; second, his sister Aurora had said it was better to be cautious than sorry—better to overestimate the difficulty and the consequences than to underestimate or be careless.

After a few seconds, he asked:

“What if I don’t explore? What are the consequences?”

“Theoretically, there would be none—no one forces you,” the lady said after thinking a moment. “But I can’t be sure whether it might change over time; and if it does, the likelihood of things worsening far exceeds the chance of improvement.”

“How much higher?” Lu Mi pressed. “Ninety percent versus ten percent?”

“No. Ninety-nine point nine nine percent versus zero point zero one percent,” the lady added precisely. “Of course, that’s merely my personal judgment—you needn’t believe it.”

Lu Mi was immediately torn, thoughts surging through his mind:

“Lately I’ve felt more and more that the dream is a hazard; ignoring it is the worst choice…”

“But if I do explore, with no knowledge at all, the chance of an accident is extremely high…”

“Should I wait until Aurora gathers some intelligence from her pen pals before trying?”

“If I do, Aurora will never agree to me using dream exploration to gain transcendent powers…”

“But isn’t my investigation into the truth of the legend itself a search for transcendent power…”

“That’s too dangerous—it could truly lead to death…”

“What if I first explore only the fringes of the dream ruins, without venturing deep? That would still count as gathering intelligence…”

“Yes, I can tell Aurora about our earlier conversation—but not mention the possibility of gaining transcendent powers…”

After these thoughts settled, Lu Mi looked at the woman across from him and asked in a low voice:

“Who are you really?

“Why did you give me that Tarot card? Why give me the chance to explore that dream?”

The lady smiled faintly:

“I’ll tell you when you’ve uncovered the dream’s secret.”

PS: Thank you to Zhuri Yiran for the Silver Alliance donation.

(End of Chapter)