Chapter 6: Ruins

Lu Mian looked around subconsciously and saw the familiar table and chairs, bookshelf, wardrobe, and bed.

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

Lucid dream? Did I have a lucid dream? Lu Mian's pupils instantly dilated.

A lucid dream refers to a state where, although dreaming, the person maintains the ability to think and remember as if awake. This is a relatively rare state, and people who have undergone special training can trigger it with a higher probability.

Previously, in order to unlock the secret of Lu Mian's gray fog dream and help him completely eliminate this hidden danger, Aurora had used different methods to create lucid dreams, but none of them succeeded.

And now, Lu Mian had inexplicably regained clarity in the dream.

After a brief shock and bewilderment, Lu Mian regained his thoughts and thought of a possibility:

"Was it caused by that tarot card representing the 'Seven of Wands'?

"That woman said that this card would help me unlock the secret of the dream...

"So, its function is to let me enter a lucid dream state, allowing me to truly explore the area shrouded in gray fog?

"Hmm... compared to my previous impression, the gray fog now seems much thinner, much..."

As thoughts flashed, Lu Mian turned his body, walked quickly to the chair placed at an angle, supported himself with both hands on the table against the wall, and poked his head out to look out the window.

What entered his eyes was not the scene he was familiar with.

This dream didn't replicate the Cordu village where he lived.

Under the faint and thin gray-white fog, the most eye-catching thing was a towering mountain peak, purely composed of brownish-red stones and reddish-brown mud, extending twenty or thirty meters toward the sky.

Surrounding this mountain peak were circles of buildings, either collapsed on the ground or burned black, making it impossible to tell what they looked like when intact.

From where Lu Mian was, they looked like destroyed tombs, arranged in a circular form that wasn't very neat.

And the entire area, the ground was pitted and bumpy, with many broken stones, and not a single weed.

In addition, the fog in the high sky turned thick and white, and Lu Mian had no way to confirm if there was a sun; he only knew that it was abnormally dim here, like a night illuminated only by starlight.

After observing for a while, he muttered to himself:

"Is this the entire scene of the dream?"

The dream that had plagued him for many years was actually in this state?

After a brief loss of focus, he thought about more realistic problems:

"Where is the secret of the dream hidden?

"On that mountain peak, or inside one of the destroyed buildings?"

Lu Mian didn't rush to leave the bedroom to enter that area and explore the dream. He remained in place, sizing up every place he could see.

Suddenly, he felt a figure flash past in the ruins of the buildings surrounding the mountain peak.

Limited by the fact that the house he was in was only two stories high and not tall enough, and although the gray fog was thin, its presence couldn't be ignored, Lu Mian couldn't even confirm if he was hallucinating.

After a while, he exhaled slowly and said to himself in his heart:

"Don't be anxious, have patience. Don't be anxious, have patience.

"It seems that this dream really hides quite a few secrets. It doesn't seem to belong entirely to me. Blind exploration is very likely to encounter danger...

"Hmm, I'll find that woman first thing tomorrow morning to see if I can get detailed information, and then decide what to do..."

As thoughts surged, Lu Mian withdrew his gaze, preparing to detach from this dream and sleep peacefully.

But in his clear state, he didn't know what to do to truly wake up.

After failing one suggestion after another, he lay on the bed, trying hard to make his thinking become chaotic, simulating the state he was in when he fell asleep before.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Mian sat up abruptly and saw the pale golden sunlight penetrating into the room through the curtains.

"Finally woke up...

"Sure enough, falling asleep in the dream will restore that muddled state, and then I can detach..."

Lu Mian breathed a sigh of relief and muttered silently.

Just then, a thumping sound came from the door.

"Aurora?" Lu Mian's heart tightened, worried about any bad developments.

"It's me." Aurora's voice entered the room.

Lu Mian turned over and got out of bed, walked quickly to the door, gripped the handle, and pulled it back.

It was indeed Aurora outside the door, wearing a white silk nightgown, her golden hair draped softly behind her.

"How was it?" She seemed very certain that Lu Mian had just woken up.

Lu Mian didn't hide anything and told Aurora exactly what he had encountered.

Aurora nodded as if thinking:

"So that card's function is to let you have a lucid dream..."

She then asked:

"What do you plan to do next?"

Lu Mian said "Hmm":

"After eating something casual, I'll go find that woman to see if I can get more intelligence and figure out her true intentions."

"Okay." Aurora didn't object.

She then added:

"I will also write letters to ask people about the dream you described to see what those things represent."

Having said this, she looked at Lu Mian's suddenly nervous expression and smiled:

"Don't worry, I will make certain modifications, and I won't throw everything out at once. The principle of gradual progress is something I taught you.

"Hmm, when communicating with that lady, don't force it. Try to be friendly. This doesn't mean we're afraid of her; it's just that having one more friend is better than having one more enemy."

"No problem." Lu Mian promised seriously.

Cordu village, Old Tavern.

Lu Mian just approached the bar and said to the tavern owner Maurice Bénet, who was working part-time as a bartender:

"Which room is that outsider woman staying in upstairs?"

The Old Tavern itself is also the only hotel in the village, with six rooms on the second floor available for accommodation.

Maurice Bénet is neither fat nor burly, and like most villagers, he has black hair and blue eyes. His biggest feature is that the tip of his nose is always red, which is brought about by frequent drinking.

He is a clansman of the priest Guillaume Bénet, but the relationship is not close; he is a distant cousin.

"Why are you asking this?" Maurice Bénet asked back curiously, "Would a woman from a big city like a country bumpkin like you?"

His face carried an obvious look of inquiry, having a strong interest in abnormal relationships between men and women.

"Aren't you also a country bumpkin, a barefoot man?" Lu Mian sneered, then made up a reason, "That woman lost something last night. I found it this morning and am sending it to her."

"Is that so?" Maurice Bénet expressed skepticism about Lu Mian's credibility.

Eight out of ten things this guy says are made up.

"Otherwise? Do you think she could like me?" Lu Mian said righteously.

"That's true." Maurice Bénet was convinced, "She's in the room near the square, opposite the washroom."

After watching Lu Mian walk toward the stairs, the tavern owner muttered in a low voice while wiping the wine glass:

"It's not impossible. Sometimes, people want to try new flavors..."

The sound of his muttering happened to be heard by Lu Mian.

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

On it was written in Intis:

"Resting,

"Do not disturb."

Lu Mian looked down for a few seconds, didn't rush to knock on the door, but instead took two steps back and leaned against the wall.

He planned to wait here for the lady to go out.

His past stray life taught him that when an opportunity appears, one must make an attempt as decisively as possible, try one's best to grasp it, without hesitation, without overthinking, without caring about face, without cowardice. Otherwise, the opportunity will inevitably be lost, and one will fall into a more miserable vicious cycle. And when no opportunity appears, one must be patient, persistent, and wait while restraining all discomfort.

Time passed second by second. Lu Mian stood there without any irritability.

If there were a bystander here, and if he didn't occasionally move his hands and feet, he would probably be treated as a statue.

Finally, the door creaked open.

The lady had changed into a light green dress with white edges, and her brown hair was tied up loosely behind her head.

She scanned Lu Mian for a second with her light blue eyes, then looked down at the paper sign on the door handle, and asked with a smile:

"How long have you been waiting?"

She wasn't surprised at all that Lu Mian appeared here.

Lu Mian took a step forward and said:

"That's not important."

He tried hard to keep his tone calm, not appearing so eager.

"What do you want to ask?" The lady said quite directly.

"Right here?" Lu Mian looked left and right.

The lady replied with a smile:

"If you don't mind, I don't mind either."

Lu Mian had actually observed it. Ryan, Lyra, and the others who were supposed to be staying here didn't seem to be around at this time, and there was no one else on the second floor of the tavern besides himself and the lady in front of him.

He organized his language and said:

"What secret is hidden in that dream?"

The lady laughed out loud:

"You should answer this, not ask me."

She paused and added:

"I can only tell you that you can obtain some extraordinary power there."

Extraordinary power... Lu Mian's heart stirred first, then he asked doubtfully:

"What's the point of extraordinary power obtained in a dream?

"It won't affect reality."

The lady smiled:

"In the extraordinary field, everything is possible.

"Perhaps, it really can affect it?"

The extraordinary power I've been searching for so hard appeared in my life in this way? Lu Mian was silent.

The lady restrained her expression and added seriously:

"I want to remind you that it's full of danger there. If you die there, you will be completely dead."

Exploring that dream and having an accident would lead to the real me dying? Lu Mian couldn't understand, but chose to believe it.

This was because, first, the gray fog dream that had plagued him for many years did indeed seem relatively special, and second, his sister Aurora had said that caution is never a bad thing. It's better to view problems as difficult and consequences as serious than to be dismissive or careless.

After a few seconds, he asked:

"If I don't explore, what will be the consequence?"

"Theoretically speaking, there won't be any consequences. No one is forcing you." The lady thought for a while and said, "But I'm not sure if it will change as time goes by. And as long as changes appear, the possibility of the situation getting worse is far higher than getting better."

"How much higher?" Lu Mian asked, "90% compared to 10%?"

"No, 99.99% compared to 0.01%." The lady added rigorously, "Of course, this is just my personal judgment. You can choose not to believe it."

Lu Mian was suddenly struggling, thoughts surging in his mind:

"I've been feeling more and more lately that the dream is a hidden danger. Leaving it alone is the worst choice...

"But if I really explore, without knowing anything, the possibility of an accident is very high...

"Wait until Aurora gets some intelligence from her pen pals before trying?

"That way, Aurora definitely won't agree to me using the opportunity of exploring the dream to obtain extraordinary power...

"Isn't my investigation of the truth of the legend seeking extraordinary power...

"That's too dangerous, it really will lead to death...

"How about exploring the edge of the dream ruins first without taking risks to go deep? This is also equivalent to collecting intelligence...

"Hmm, I can tell Aurora about those conversations just now, but I can't mention the possibility of obtaining extraordinary power...

After thoughts settled, Lu Mian looked at the lady opposite and asked in a low voice:

"Who exactly are you?

"Why give me that tarot card, why give me the opportunity to explore that dream?"

The lady smiled slightly:

"Wait until you unlock the secret of the dream, and then I'll tell you."

PS: Thank you to "Zhu Ri Yi Ran" for the Silver Alliance donation.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 7 =====