Chapter 696

"The 'Dream Festival' has ended early?" Lu Mian suddenly flipped over and stood up, discovering that he was holding the strange golden mask obtained from "Ciso" in his hand.

For a moment, he actually did not know if he was still in a dream, or if the mask had come from the dream into reality.

Lu Mian turned his body and cast his gaze toward what had originally been behind him.

Reyasa and Maslow, who had already died in the "Dream Festival," were lying in the middle of the street, having just woken up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity while they recalled their experiences and slowly stood up, Lu Mian focused his mind and stared at their fortunes.

He saw that both men had obvious signs of death; their fates would change drastically within the very short time to come, irreversibly stained deep black.

By comparison, the change in Reyasa's fortune was more abrupt and violent, just like a river encountering a cliff, suddenly pouring down to form a waterfall.

At this moment, Reyasa recalled his experiences during the "Dream Festival," and an uncontrollable fear surfaced on his bloodless, cold face.

Pop, pop, pop—one after another, massive, disgusting, mucus-covered tumors burst out on his body, beginning to overlap with the appearance Lu Mian had seen in his dream.

Seeing Reyasa's eyes rapidly stain with madness, and although his body was disintegrating, it was still spreading dangerous intent to the surroundings, Lu Mian raised his empty right hand, formed it into a gun shape, and pointed it through the air at Reyasa's mouth.

A bullet of searing white flame, layered and extremely compressed, flew from Lu Mian's fingertip, shattered Reyasa's teeth, and slammed into his oral cavity.

Boom—!

Reyasa's head split open inch by inch, emitting plumes of burning flame.

This deputy captain of the Pylos Harbor Patrol collapsed with a crash, covered by a black thin formal suit in the state of numerous wet tumors, with parts exposed outside.

Lu Mian turned to look at Maslow, who was both astonished at Reyasa's mutation and terrified by his own death in the dream, and asked calmly:

"Who exactly is he working for?"

While speaking, Lu Mian stuffed the golden mask into the "Traveler's Bag" and took the opportunity to check if items like the "Hate Movement" were still there.

They were all there, including the food for Ludwig.

Maslow hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"We are all people of the 'Spirit Sect'."

People of the "Spirit Sect," huh... Lu Mian laughed:

"You still believe in the 'Death God'?"

Didn't the "Death God" die?

Maslow thought for a moment and said:

"Reyasa told me that the 'Death God' is about to return, and recently there have been signs of prayers being answered."

Hearing Maslow's choice of words, Lu Mian nodded thoughtfully:

"Which faction of the 'Spirit Sect' are you from?"

As far as he knew, the "Spirit Sect" had many factions: the Royalist faction, which had the descendants of the Aigris family as its core and attempted to restore the Balam Empire's rule; the Artificial Death God faction, which sought to recreate a "Death God"; and the weaker Sleep faction and Netherworld faction.

"We are of the Royalist faction," Maslow did not hide it.

"You deliberately infiltrated the Patrol?" Lu Mian asked casually.

Maslow shook his head:

"No, General Queralir has been secretly cooperating with us all along."

General Queralir, the actual ruler of Matani, also has close ties with the "Spirit Sect's" Royalist faction... coupled with the "Mother Goddess of Earth" Church and the remnants of Intis forces, isn't this what Franca called dancing on three eggs? Looking at it this way, Reyasa isn't considered a traitor... No wonder General Queralir didn't send other support; for problems that neither the "Spirit Sect" nor the "Fool" Church can solve, it's useless no matter how many people he sends... Lu Mian asked with a sudden realization:

"Was participating in this 'Dream Festival' a mission directly assigned to you by the upper echelons of the Royalist faction?"

"Yes," Maslow looked at Reyasa, who could no longer be recognized as human, and said, "It is said that it was an order issued by the Empress herself."

The Empress... That "Pale Empress" of the "Spirit Sect's" Royalist faction? Lu Mian instinctively looked around.

His heart suddenly stirred; he drew the straight sword he had bought in Santa Harbor, lifted Reyasa's clothing, and quickly checked what items the other party had left behind.

There was no golden mask eroded by death, nor was there a crystal-like skull.

Although the latter had turned into a goat in the dream, and the golden mask had sunk into the River of Eternal Darkness along with it, Lu Mian felt that it was a dream after all; no matter how special, it was still a dream. If a person died, reality would die, but items might not—just like the food eaten by Ludwig; hadn't it returned to the "Traveler's Bag" now?

Even if they were to disappear, they would have to do so in sequence later; they would definitely return to the real world for now!

But Reyasa didn't have them on him.

A chill suddenly rose in Lu Mian's heart, and he asked in a low voice:

"Termiboros, did you sense anything?"

Termiboros's grand, layered voice echoed in Lu Mian's ears:

"Do you only know how to be afraid now?"

"Tsk." Lu Mian was a bit scared, but he didn't reveal a shred of it, "Was that 'Pale Empress' watching just now?"

Termiboros replied in a deep voice:

"Not just Her."

Her? Is the "Pale Empress" an angel? Lu Mian calmed down and cast his gaze back toward Maslow.

Maslow was wondering why Louis Berry was muttering to himself when he suddenly heard the other party ask him:

"Why did Reyasa want to kill you?"

Maslow remained silent and did not answer.

Lu Mian laughed and said:

"Did you betray him?"

Maslow's lips twitched a few times, but he still didn't open them.

Lu Mian laughed indifferently:

"It doesn't matter; if you don't want to answer, you don't have to. Anyway, you won't live much longer either."

Maslow's expression turned pale instantly, thinking about what kind of ending he would have in reality after dying in the "Dream Festival."

Lu Mian nodded lightly and said:

"Hurry up and do what you want to do. Hmm, don't do bad things; that will make you die sooner."

After speaking, Lu Mian looked at Reyasa's corpse, which was beginning to precipitate Beyonder characteristics. Greed surged up, only to be suppressed by the "Ascetic's" patience.

He felt that regardless of whether Reyasa was a traitor, his Beyonder characteristics should be left for Camus and the Matani Patrol.

In order not to let himself be controlled by greed, and remembering a very serious matter, Lu Mian's expression changed slightly, and he directly activated the black mark on his right shoulder, "teleporting" away from here.

Maslow looked at the empty street and the lights awakened by the explosion just now. As if he had lost his soul, he turned and walked toward the jungle outside Tizamo Town with a confused and dejected expression.

…………

Buriu Hotel, in the second-floor suite.

As soon as Lugano woke up, he felt his right forearm lose sensation and refuse to obey him.

"It's fine, it's fine. Just one or two psychological therapy sessions will be enough. People in Tizamo Town can solve it with masses that have no supernatural effects..." Lugano endured the waves of pain coming from his right forearm and comforted himself.

Just then, he heard the sound of rapid running in the living room outside the door.

Crack!

The door to Lugano's bedroom was opened. He immediately used the crimson moonlight shining in through the window to see Ludwig, wearing yellow-star blue pajamas and a matching nightcap, appearing there, holding a half-withered, blood-stained dark red heart in his hand.

Thump! Thump!

Lugano heard his own heartbeat, feeling as if his soul was about to leave his body due to fear.

Did Ludwig come over for a midnight snack because he woke up early and didn't get enough to eat in the dream?

The next second, Lugano saw a figure float in through the doorway.

The figure was in a semi-transparent state, wearing a complex, gorgeous, and gloomy black dress. There was no head on her neck, only a neat cut. She was holding four fair-skinned, red-eyed, bright-looking heads in her hands; they were identical.

"Give"... "it"... "back"... "to"... "me"...

The four heads spat out different Ancient Futhark words in sequence, forming a sentence.

Their eight scarlet eyes simultaneously reflected Ludwig's figure.

"Mine!" Ludwig ran to Lugano's bedside, turned his body, and struck a pose as if he were about to bring the heart to his mouth, but he seemed to have some reservations.

The four heads held by the semi-transparent figure said in sequence:

"Idiot"... "who"... "eats"... "his"... "own"... "brain"...

"That"... "is"... "my"... "heart"...

"If"... "you"... "don't"... "give"... "it"... "back"...

"I"... "will"... "turn"... "you"... "into"... "a"... "pig"...

Almost simultaneously, Lu Mian's figure was quickly outlined beside Ludwig, seeing this scene and hearing the corresponding words.

Lu Mian looked at the strangely styled lady, then looked at Ludwig, who had a determined face as if he were defending his food to the death, and said after deliberation:

"Lady, you can try to trade for it from his hands using other materials rich in spirituality."

Lu Mian didn't even dare to snatch things from Ludwig's hands in his current state.

The lady wearing a complex black dress, holding four fair-skinned, red-eyed heads, fell silent.

After a moment, one of her heads spat out a shiny gold coin and held it between its teeth.

A gold coin? Want to buy it with a gold coin? Ludwig doesn't like money... Lu Mian was just about to remind the lady opposite when he suddenly felt that the gold coin looked familiar.

It was a Loen gold coin, with a denomination of 1 pound.

Uh... Lu Mian cast his gaze toward Ludwig.

Ludwig's face showed obvious hesitation.

A few seconds later, he finally stretched out his hands and handed the half-withered dark red heart to the front of the lady's corresponding head.

The fair-skinned, red-eyed, bright-looking head opened its mouth, letting the gold coin fall into Ludwig's hand, and immediately bit down on the half-withered dark red heart.

The semi-transparent lady then stepped back and disappeared from the doorway of Lugano's bedroom.

Ludwig quickly stuffed the Loen gold coin into his mouth, as if he wanted to hide it in his stomach, but then felt that this wasn't quite right, quickly dug it out, wiped it on his pajamas, and carefully put it into his pocket.

Sure enough, it's the same as the lucky gold coin of Jenna... Are they all Loen gold coins closely related to Mr. "Fool"? Lu Mian nodded with a sudden realization.

He suddenly felt a bit dejected:

Two people around me have received lucky gold coins; why haven't I?

(End of chapter)