127 COI
Seeing the collapse gradually spreading towards their area and hearing Luo Shan's question filled with obvious terror, Franca and Jenna exchanged a glance before decisively telling Luo Shan, "Quick, draw a door that can lead to the outside world!"
Clearly, they could no longer continue forward to find the elevator lobby and emergency exits.
"Okay!" Luo Shan nodded vigorously.
She turned around, holding a pen in one hand and a pencil in the other, and began sketching on the wall.
At this moment, Franca and Jenna noticed that the monster children born from the foreign pregnant woman and various objects were all surging towards them.
They seemed to fear falling into the bottomless abyss and were desperately trying to avoid it, to the point of forgetting their goal of attacking enemies.
Being close to Jenna and the others, the monster children quickly reduced the distance between them to two meters. Some of their eyes once again reflected the figures of Franca, Jenna, and Luo Shan, with their desire to attack growing fierce and violent.
Just then, a thick "ice wall" appeared before them.
A translucent layer of ice in the shape of a hemisphere enveloped Franca and the others inside.
This was created by Demoness of Affliction Jenna.
Seeing the densely packed monsters, some square-shaped, some like small beds, some with light bulb-shaped heads, crawling on the surface of the hemispherical ice wall, trying various ways to break through this barrier, Franca felt her fear of clustered objects and humanoid creatures about to explode simultaneously.
She condensed quiet and sinister Demoness black flames around her, waiting for the moment the first layer of ice wall would shatter.
In just seven or eight seconds, the beautiful crystalline ice wall made a crisp shattering sound under the attack of numerous monster children.
Black flames quickly flew out from around Franca and Jenna, passing through the rapidly expanding cracks, igniting nearly twenty monster children.
They burst into flames all over, wailing and rolling on the spot, obstructing many of their siblings' advance and igniting those around them.
Seizing this opportunity, before the hemispherical ice wall completely collapsed, Franca and Jenna joined forces to create a second layer of ice wall, only ten centimeters apart from the previous one.
"It's done!" Luo Shan's voice rang out.
While continuing to delay the approach of the monster children, Franca and Jenna expectantly glanced at the pattern on the wall with their peripheral vision.
It was a vivid door outlined by pencil marks and blue ink, with a doorplate at the top bearing the numbers "1502".
This was the door to Luo Shan's home, almost identical to what Franca and Jenna remembered, except for the color difference.
The current one was closer to a sketch!
Luo Shan pressed her thumb to the position corresponding to the door lock, making the fake door on the wall emit an unlocking sound.
Then, she turned the handle and pushed open the door she had drawn to her own home.
The light behind the door was dim, outlining all the items in room 1502, but they appeared unusually illusory.
As the illusion gradually solidified into reality, Luo Shan's joyful gaze suddenly froze.
She saw her windows collapsing, her balcony collapsing, all of them falling towards an abyss filled with dense darkness!
The door Luo Shan had drawn and the passage she had established also collapsed inch by inch, just like the surrounding environment.
"It doesn't work…" Luo Shan uttered, almost in a delirium.
She turned her gaze, filled with undisguised despair yet brimming with hope, towards Franca and Jenna, hoping they could come up with a new solution.
At this moment, the nearest collapse had already swallowed the original corridor, causing the double doors separating the two sides to sway and fall.
This was already inches from Franca and company.
Through the gaps between the monster children, Franca could see more clearly the bottomless dense darkness, and something seemingly hidden in its depths.
That figure, apparently wrapped in a robe, or perhaps the robe itself blown up by the wind.
Even just vaguely glimpsing the outline from a distance, the fear in Franca's heart exploded without warning.
The skin on her face became semi-transparent, and the flesh beneath began to writhe, as if it had gained a certain life of its own.
Instinctively, reflexively, Franca averted her gaze, withdrawing her line of sight.
She suddenly had a realization.
What she had just seen was the thing Mr. Fool's subconscious or the Celestial Worthy's subconscious feared most, their strongest psychological trauma!
It was clearly not subject to the dream's suppression of power levels. If they couldn't escape and fell into the abyss along with the collapsing corridor, falling towards that place, death might be the gentlest and most beautiful outcome.
Franca shook her head violently, shaking off the small amount of "glue" that was clouding part of her thoughts.
As Jenna used a third layer of ice wall to block those monster children, she took out the Ice Amulet and a mirror.
She said to Jenna and Luo Shan, "We'll go through the mirror world. No matter how terrifying the hidden dangers in the mirror world are, they can't be more horrifying than the psychological trauma at the bottom of this abyss!"
Of two evils, choose the lesser!
"Okay." Jenna didn't object, and Luo Shan, lacking experience, chose to trust her two companions.
The Ice Amulet in Franca's hand rapidly lit up with a crystalline glow.
The next second, Franca found that the glass surface of the mirror had somehow already turned pitch black, as solid as rock, impenetrable.
"We can't get in… it's different from before the collapse…" Franca felt a surge of uncontrollable despair.
Were they really going to fall into that bottomless abyss and face the strongest part of a great existence's psychological trauma?
"Can't get in?" Jenna's action of shooting Demoness black flames to ignite the monster children noticeably slowed for a second.
Luo Shan was suddenly dumbfounded, her mouth half-open as she said, "Is there really no way at all?"
Hearing these words, Jenna gritted her teeth and created another hemispherical ice wall.
The surface of the ice wall was quickly covered with various monster children, densely packed, now less than a meter away from Franca and the others.
The collapse of the corridor had also reached this area.
Franca's thoughts raced, her eyes flickering twice as she said, "I still have a way!"
As she spoke, she took out the black eyeball left behind by the reanimated corpse Panatiya and other supplementary ingredients from her Traveler's Bag:
"I'll advance to Demoness of Despair now!
"It's perfect timing, I've been using Disease to secretly influence the monsters in this corridor, which can save a lot of time."
The monster children crawling all over Jenna's ice wall and their companions behind were all within three meters of Franca, numbering close to a thousand.
"It's useless, even a Demoness of Despair is now suppressed to Sequence 7 level, at most Sequence 6, it can't forcibly open a path to the mirror world!" Jenna instinctively refuted Franca.
She wanted to stay calm, but was overwhelmed by the monster children breaking through the ice wall, barely managing to establish a new hemispherical ice wall sixty centimeters away from them.
Franca, while using the black eyeball condensed from the reanimated corpse's Beyonder characteristics to create more virulent viruses, drank a bottle of healing agent and reminded Jenna, "Quickly drink a bottle too, Luo Shan already had one earlier."
Then, Franca explained rapidly, "The important thing is not me advancing to Demoness of Despair, but that every Demoness advancement draws the attention of the Primordial Demoness. I need Her attention!"
Seeing Jenna drink the healing agent, Franca helped maintain the defense line and asked in return, "Does Mr. Fool know about the Primordial Demoness?"
"Definitely." Jenna answered without hesitation.
Mr. Fool's avatar had dealings with the Demoness Sect many times, he must be aware of the existence of the Primordial Demoness.
Franca glanced at the corridor that had already collapsed to the transfer bed and said to Jenna and Luo Shan, "Let's move towards the center; buy more time."
The collapse progress on both sides of the corridor was about the same, but Franca and the others were clearly closer to one side.
Without waiting for Jenna and Luo Shan to respond, Franca suddenly withdrew the force maintaining the ice wall and ran at her fastest speed towards the middle section of the corridor about ten to twenty meters away.
Luo Shan ran even faster.
After the three had determined their positions, Jenna once again condensed an ice wall to block the pursuing monster children, while Franca continued to spread mystical pathogens around.
She explained quickly, "Since Mr. Fool knows about the Primordial Demoness, there must be a manifestation corresponding to the Primordial Demoness in this dream—we just haven't discovered it yet, and true gods can directly enter the dream city.
"When I advance here, my real self will also advance. Based on our experience, no matter what state the Primordial Demoness is in, whether the situation is good or bad, She will turn Her gaze towards this.
"As a true god, She won't have difficulty discovering that my consciousness is in a real dream, and will likely project Herself in, using Her inherent dream manifestation to truly observe me advancing in the underground area of Mushu Hospital.
"She certainly won't risk descending here, nor does She have the feelings or motivation to save me, but as the ruler of the mirror world, Her mere gaze will likely open a channel between the mirror world and this area, and possibly cause the hidden dangers in the mirror world to temporarily disperse!"
"This can't be guaranteed." Jenna blurted out, her tone anxious and confused.
This place was a product of the fusion of a great existence's psychological trauma and the Mother Tree of Desire's abyssal symbol, and more great existences had projected some power into it. Even if they were all suppressed to mid-low Sequences, could the Primordial Demoness in a poor state break the blockade on the mirror world with just Her gaze?
"There's no such thing as a 100% successful plan, but not trying guarantees failure." Franca quickly responded.
Jenna fell silent, biting her lip before saying with a trembling voice, "This will prevent you from leaving the dream, and if the dream ends soon, you will die because of it…"
Franca, waiting for the mystical pathogens to take effect, was silent for a moment before saying through gritted teeth, "We'll deal with future problems in the future!
"If we don't survive now, there won't be a future!"
"But…" Jenna's voice suddenly choked.
Her mind tried to grasp something, but couldn't hold onto anything.
Franca interrupted her, her expression complex as she mocked her own past naivety and love for fantasy, "After killing the reanimated corpse, obtaining the Beyonder characteristics and supplementary ingredients, knowing that all ritual requirements in the dream city would be lowered to Sequence 7 level, I was thinking, is this, is this giving me an opportunity? When everyone is in a desperate situation, with no other options, to stand up like a hero, consume the potion, break through in the face of danger, forcibly advance, reverse the outcome, save everyone, save the world…"
At this point, Franca's expression suddenly settled.
She calmly looked at Jenna, revealing a bright smile.
"Now, the opportunity has presented itself."
-x-X-x-
Jenna looked at the smile on Franca's face and listened to her calm words tinged with self-mockery. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Her gaze swept over the monster children about to break through the newest ice wall, over the collapse that had already swallowed the transfer bed and the orderly. She bit her lip hard and said, "Okay…"
The rest of her words got stuck in her throat, as if ice had melted into hot water.
She could only tell herself that future problems would be solved in the future, and that they would surely find a solution!
Franca estimated the time and began preparing the Despair potion using the black eyeball from the reanimated corpse and the corresponding supplementary materials. Jenna allowed the wet feeling to spread from the corner of her eye to the edge of her face while focusing on blocking the approach of the monster children.
She no longer created her own Disease, leaving these oddly-shaped targets all to Franca.
After the monster children were born, she had also been quietly spreading mystical pathogens.
Luo Shan, who was bewildered and inexplicably terrified by the conversation between the two, also reined in her thoughts and began adding various patterns to Jenna's ice wall to enhance its defense.
In the burst of light, the monster children were unable to break through the ice wall in the shortest time and advance further.
Behind them, the floor tiles of the corridor, the walls on both sides, and the ceiling above kept collapsing. The bottomless dark abyss was getting closer and closer to them.
After a while, some of the monster children began to cough violently, coughing so hard that they slid down from the surface of the ice wall. Others became rigid and could no longer move smoothly.
Those crowded outside the ice wall, separated from Jenna and the others by several meters, were finally caught up by the collapse.
They surged forward like a tide but couldn't get past the bodies of their siblings.
They began to fall towards the dense darkness hiding unknown terrors.
Strong feelings of despair emanated from them, rapidly spreading to their companions clinging to the ice wall surface as their conditions worsened.
Now! Franca raised the bottle, bringing the deep purple potion bubbling with rosy bubbles to her lips.
She drank it without hesitation.
The potion had no taste, or perhaps Franca could no longer distinguish its taste.
She only felt her spirit and thoughts rapidly falling into a lightless, enclosed darkness, plummeting towards an unknown depth.
Something seemed to be calling her there.
Trier, inside a luxurious villa.
Franca, sleeping on the bed, still had her eyes tightly shut, but her hair eerily began to float, gradually growing longer, darker, and thicker.
Madam Judgment, standing guard in the villa's living room, instantly sensed something and Blinked into Franca's room.
Looking at the transformed Franca, Madam Judgment didn't rush to act. Instead, she took out a charm made of gray-white dragon scales, activated it, and made it ethereal.
"There's been a change in the dream. Two of Cups was forced to advance to Demoness of Despair within the dream," Madam Judgment's words combined with the ethereal charm, quickly becoming transparent and merging into the night sky.
At this moment, Madam Judgment felt a certain gaze, a gaze from the Traveler's Bag, from an unknown place, a gaze upon Franca.
Dream city, Mushu Hospital, B2.
Franca's consciousness and spirit floated and fell within the enclosed darkness. She felt countless invisible threads of intense despair extending from the outside world, following their mystical connections to grasp her body.
At the same time, she saw two brilliant starry lights.
Those were the people she cared about, and who cared about her, the anchors that let her know who she was!
The groggy Franca gradually regained clarity, vaguely sensing a gaze full of resentment, hatred, and expectation watching her from somewhere in the deep darkness.
Suddenly, her Traveler's Bag outside the spiritual world began to vibrate, a vibration she could clearly perceive.
It was the Primordial Demoness figurine carved from white bone that was noticeably trembling.
At the same time, Franca discovered an indescribable gaze from above directed at her, penetrating through layers of mirror worlds!
Her hair instantly turned completely black, floating in the air like tentacles, with their tips swelling into spheres, as if about to open into numerous eyes.
Franca's face became even more beautiful, emanating a charm that even made Luo Shan, a girl who preferred the opposite sex, unable to look away, her heart pounding, like a moth throwing itself into the fire.
Franca struggled to open her eyes and spoke in a voice that seemed to pluck at the strings of the soul, "It's done…"
Jenna stopped maintaining the ice wall and activated the Ice Mirror Charm she had been holding.
In the crystalline light, she felt the surface of the mirror in her other hand ripple with a faint glow, losing its rock-solid texture.
They really could pass through and leave via the mirror world!
The barrier had been broken!
Moreover, Jenna discovered that the dangers previously hidden in the mirror world had also disappeared.
This was beyond her expectations. She had originally thought that the Primordial Demoness's gaze could break through the obstacles and connect to the mirror world, which would have been impressive enough. She never imagined it could actually dispel the hidden dangers.
This was also Franca's confusion.
She struggled to tell Jenna and Luo Shan, "Both of you… go first…"
She was still fighting against the potion's impact, transforming her body, and temporarily unable to move.
If the mirror world hadn't suppressed this advancement to Sequence 7 level, she wouldn't even have been able to speak at this stage!
Jenna didn't hesitate. She gave Franca a deep look, grabbed Luo Shan's arm, and plunged into the compact mirror in her hand.
The compact mirror then fell to the ground as the surrounding ice wall completely collapsed.
However, the monster children closest to Franca had all been infected with severe illness and were no longer able to approach or attack.
In the mirror world, Jenna led Luo Shan through a surreal tunnel, heading towards a corresponding mirror guided by their spirituality.
In the blink of an eye, they reached a new area behind the mirror, able to leave the current world.
Jenna suddenly sensed something and turned her head to look into the depths of the mirror world.
It seemed that some dangerous entity had awakened slightly there, instantly filling the entire mirror world with a sense of terror.
Silently, the mirror world completely collapsed.
"Franca…" Jenna's pupils dilated as she softly called out her companion's name.
The scene before her eyes meant that Franca would temporarily be unable to escape via the mirror world, and by the time the mirror world recovered, the Primordial Demoness's gaze would likely have ended, and the force isolating the inside from the outside would reappear!
Blood trickled from Jenna's lips as she endured the pain invading her mind. Before the terrifying collapse of the mirror world could rapidly spread to them, she pulled Luo Shan and emerged from the mirror surface.
She knew that blindly returning would only lead to them getting lost in the spatiotemporal turbulence deep in the mirror world, which would be of no help in rescuing Franca.
She planned to go to the first floor of Mushu Hospital and take the elevator back to the underground area!
At this moment, Franca, still in the process of advancing, also discovered the collapse of the mirror world.
She then felt violent tremors like an earthquake at the bottom of the dark abyss.
It was as if certain entities hidden in the dark abyss had been stimulated by the collapsing force of the mirror world and were reacting.
With these tremors, the corridor beneath Franca's feet that had not yet been affected by the collapse suddenly gave way, carrying her and hundreds of monster children into the bottomless dark abyss.
Dammit! Franca hadn't expected this development.
The despair of those monster children became even more intense, solidifying into substance. Franca was also uncontrollably enveloped by the emotions of despair.
This helped her through the final stage of her advancement, causing her floating thick black hair to fall back around her, no longer abnormal, and restoring some of its flaxen color.
Gritting her teeth, Franca used the Demoness's feather-fall technique to slow her descent, allowing her some degree of control.
She chose to move away from the intense psychological shadow she had sensed earlier, that thing resembling a giant shroud, which would surely make her wish for death.
She drifted towards other areas, taking a gamble.
What if the psychological traumas in other parts of the abyss, though intense, aren't fatally dangerous?
As a human, one must hold onto some hope, not give up entirely and fall into complete despair!
…
Jenna emerged from the metal mirror surface of the elevator lobby doors with Luo Shan, immediately seeing the female version of Lumian who had just lifted her gaze from the shaking ground.
She wasn't surprised to see Lumian here and blurted out, "Franca is below, not at B1!
"The mirror world has collapsed!"
Lumian's eyes instantly narrowed.
He didn't ask for details but said directly, "Go to the emergency center and find Zhou Mingrui. See if you can get him to help and go to the underground area.
"As for the rest, leave it to me. I'll handle it."
Zhou Mingrui is at Mushu Hospital now? Both Jenna and Luo Shan were shocked.
Before Jenna could speak, Lumian added in a deep voice, "I had anticipated scenarios where we might have to enter the bottom of Mushu Hospital to attempt sabotage and made some preparations.
"Everyone has their own task. Finding Zhou Mingrui is equally important!"
As he spoke, Lumian had already reached the elevator and pressed the down arrow.
Jenna's vision suddenly blurred.
She didn't stubbornly insist, but gave a terse response and pulled Luo Shan towards the emergency center.
She knew they couldn't put all their eggs in one basket. She knew she couldn't be selfish now. She knew that without godhood, even if she went to the bottom of Mushu Hospital, she probably couldn't be of much help and might even burden Lumian and Franca.
She wished she didn't know these things.
At this moment, she felt her own weakness due to the intense pain, and because of her weakness, she felt even more pain, giving rise to an extreme desire and motivation to change this situation.
Her Affliction potion was fully digested.
Lumian entered the elevator and pressed the "B2" button.
As the elevator began to descend, Lumian looked at his stunningly beautiful reflection in the metal mirror surface with a grim expression.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he quickly stepped out and looked towards the area outside the elevator.
What met his eyes was a darkness as black as an abyss with no visible bottom.
Lumian's gaze instantly froze.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from a dark corner of the elevator lobby. "Child of God."
Lumian abruptly turned his head to see a person standing in the shadows by the emergency exit.
It was Lu Yong'an, the dean of obstetrics at Mushu Hospital and a bestowed of the Great Mother.
Lu Yong'an's face was shrouded in darkness. She looked at Lumian and said in a low voice, "To save someone from there, one can only beseech the Mother's help."
-x-X-x-
Mushu Hospital, in the corridor leading from the first floor lobby to the emergency center.
Luo Shan slowed down to allow Jenna to lead her.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Jenna ran quickly, finally seeing Zhou Mingrui wearing a loose sky blue T-shirt.
At the same time, her gaze swept outside the emergency center, taking in the deep night.
Jenna's footsteps suddenly stopped, and she turned sideways, moving closer to the wall area.
This way, she could no longer see Zhou Mingrui, and he could not see her either.
"What's wrong?" Luo Shan, who had also stopped, asked in confusion.
"It's night now," Jenna replied in a low voice.
"Is that a problem?" Luo Shan was even more bewildered.
Wasn't it established from the beginning that it was night? Otherwise, why would I be dreaming?
Jenna didn't have time to explain to Luo Shan that Zhou Mingrui might have something special hidden at night, and that they hadn't yet had a chance to experiment whether just normal contact with Zhou Mingrui at night would kick them out of the dream.
She said directly to Luo Shan, "It's not convenient for me to talk to Zhou Mingrui at night. You go alone to ask for his help for Luo Fu. Don't worry, I'll observe the situation from the shadows. If anything goes wrong, I'll come out immediately to save you."
Luo Shan knew this wasn't a good time to ask questions. She nodded firmly and said, "Alright!"
After Jenna's figure disappeared into the shadows by the wall, Luo Shan quickly ran into the emergency center.
She immediately saw Zhou Mingrui approaching the exit, seemingly about to leave.
Luo Shan felt a sudden urgency and blurted out, "Zhou Mingrui!"
Zhou Mingrui turned around in surprise, seeing Luo Shan in her short-sleeved pajamas and thin pajama pants.
Why is she here too? Zhou Mingrui's first reaction was that Luo Shan had also come for emergency care—pajamas weren't out of place in the emergency center, but rather fit the situation.
Then, Zhou Mingrui thought that Luo Shan should also be a Beyonder, associated with words like Reporter and Painter, and normally wouldn't have a sudden acute illness.
Not a coincidence? Puzzled, Zhou Mingrui cautiously took a few steps towards Luo Shan.
After approaching Zhou Mingrui, Luo Shan didn't give him a chance to ask questions. She took a breath and said in a low voice, "Save Luo Fu, she's trapped at the bottom of the hospital."
As she spoke, Luo Shan looked around to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Luo Fu? Bottom of the hospital? Zhou Mingrui caught the two most crucial pieces of information.
He still remembered the intense fear he felt when observing the downward elevator earlier, suspecting it led to hell or doomsday.
Before gathering enough intelligence, he didn't dare take the elevator down!
Now, Luo Fu had gone in there and was trapped? Zhou Mingrui instinctively asked Luo Shan,
"Me? Me saving Luo Fu?"
Is this a mistake? I'm just an Assassin with a small amount of supernatural abilities. Both Luo Fu and Luo Shan should be stronger than me, yet they want me to go to the bottom of Mushu Hospital to save Luo Fu?
After hearing the conversation between Franca and Jenna before Franca consumed the Despair potion, Luo Shan had basically confirmed that the current world was indeed a dream. So, she believed that Zhou Mingrui, as the master of the dream, could do anything as long as he "wanted" to!
Luo Shan couldn't start by explaining that this was a dream. She feared it might bring unknown, drastic changes and waste precious time.
She could only ponder for two seconds before saying, "You don't need to go and save her directly. You just need to enter B2 and stand there. That should be enough."
"That works?" Zhou Mingrui was stunned.
Isn't this way of saving someone too frivolous?
I just stand in the corridor of Mushu Hospital's B2, and it will allow Luo Fu to no longer be trapped, able to escape from that area that gives me a sense of hell?
What's the principle behind this?
Finding a male Assassin to serve as a formation node?
Or…
Thinking of this, Zhou Mingrui suddenly had a flash of insight.
Could it be that there's something special about me?
…
In the B2 elevator lobby.
"To save someone from there, one can only beseech the Mother's help?"
Lumian mulled over the words he had just heard, his gaze falling on Lu Yong'an's face.
That face, like a full moon, was covered in shifting light and shadow, unclear and indistinct.
Lumian looked deeply at Lu Yong'an for a few seconds, then said calmly, "I have other methods. For now, I don't need to seek the Mother's help.
"You should return to the obstetrics department. If I really need to beseech the Mother's help, I know what to do."
Lu Yong'an didn't try to persuade him, but slightly bowed her head and said, "Yes, Child of God."
The next second, she turned into the emergency stairwell, heading up the stairs.
Lumian didn't wait for Lu Yong'an to finish climbing the stairs. He quickly turned around, took a few steps to the edge of the elevator lobby, and gazed into the dark abyss that was now within reach.
He then reached into the Traveler's Bag and took out an item.
The item was a pale yellow with red, semi-solidified candle in a glass bottle.
Corpse wax candle!
Lumian hadn't lied to Jenna and Lu Yong'an earlier. He had truly envisioned what to do if he had to raid the bottom of Mushu Hospital and attempt sabotage, and had come up with an initial plan, though without much confidence.
The core of this plan was the corpse wax candle obtained from the Tudor treasury on the Blue Avenger.
Lumian had used a corpse wax candle once before, completing the corresponding secret contract, "seeing" a strange city and sensing an indescribable horror.
He believed that the city and the horror should be some kind of object, will, or existence that could potentially drag all the true gods down with Alista Tudor, occupying the top positions of both the Hunter and Demoness pathways.
In other words, it should be roughly on the same level as Mr. Fool, the Great Mother, the Mother Tree of Desire, and The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
Lumian's plan was to light the corpse wax candle here, in B2 of Mushu Hospital, next to the bottomless darkness formed by the combination of the dream subconscious psychological traumas and the abyss symbol of the Mother Tree of Desire, to complete a secret contract and establish a certain connection with that strange city or that horrifying will.
At that time, that will should also be interested in the bottom of Mushu Hospital and the dream city, and this place itself was a key node where great existences had infiltrated some of their power.
Lumian smiled.
He was looking forward to the chaotic situation that would follow.
He wasn't so concerned about what might happen to himself.
Lumian rubbed his fingers together, producing a black flame that suppressed madness and violence.
Unlike last time when he chose to use the Hunter's flame to light the corpse wax candle, or relying on the ritual fire produced by the friction between the Demoness's black flame and spirituality, this time he used the Flame of Destruction, a flame formed by the amalgamation of the Hunter and Demoness pathways!
This was almost identical to the essence of the corpse wax candle.
The corpse wax candle was made from the corpse oil of the Iron-blooded Knight, a demigod of the Hunter pathway, and the Demoness of Despair, a demigod of the Demoness pathway, blended with other substances.
Using the burning Flame of Destruction, Lumian lit the black wick of the corpse wax candle.
After glancing at the jumping, slightly black candlelight, he turned his gaze towards the dense, dark, heart-chillingly terrifying illusory abyss. With a stunningly beautiful smile on his face, he said calmly, "I'm not here to join you, I'm here to destroy this place."
…
Franca fell deeper and deeper into the dense darkness of the boundless void, unable to find any footing.
Her emotions and spirit seemed to be falling into another abyss, becoming increasingly depressed, despondent, and desperate, gradually giving rise to a touch of malice.
Suddenly, a spreading mass of grayish-white fog appeared below her.
This fog was in a semi-merged state with the dense darkness, indicating that it might also be a psychological trauma rather than a real object.
Franca looked left and right, feeling she couldn't continue falling any further, as she sensed she was about to be bound, becoming a slave of the abyss, just like those orderlies.
She no longer avoided it, falling towards that half-dark, half-light grayish-white fog, constantly muttering,
If it's fortune, it's not misfortune; if it's misfortune, it can't be avoided… If it's fortune, it's not misfortune; if it's misfortune, it can't be avoided… If it's fortune, it's not misfortune; if it's misfortune, it can't be avoided…
As she muttered, Franca made contact with the grayish-white fog, penetrating into it.
Soon, her feet touched soft, fluffy clouds, and she was suddenly filled with shock, sadness, despair, and pain.
She knew this wasn't actually her inner feelings, but rather the intense emotions permeating this area that had enveloped her, eroding into her mind, making her feel as if she had been corrupted.
Next, Franca saw a blurry, brilliant door of light tinged with a bit of blue-black. The door of light seemed to be composed of countless layers of light orbs, and each orb seemed alive, slowly writhing, some transparent, some semi-transparent.
Franca also saw that black thin lines hung down from above the door of light, suspending one after another nearly transparent and invisible "cocoon".
Those "cocoons" were gently swayed by wind from an unknown source, lightly swinging, sometimes turning.
Franca carefully discerned for a while and found that different "cocoons" contained different people. There were black people, Asians, white people, some wearing jeans, some in bright and gorgeous clothes, some in anime-style outfits, some holding phones. They all had their eyes tightly closed, as if not completely dead yet.
This is very similar to the first psychological trauma we encountered in the corridor, except there was no door of light or "cocoons" before… Franca, still being eroded by the surrounding emotions, suddenly associated it with the hall where Huang Jiajia, Ai Nana, and others were suspended, gaining some understanding but also feeling confused.
She looked carefully again and noticed that three of the "cocoons" were empty. They had split open, and the people inside were nowhere to be found.
Were they sent out?
Where were they sent?
Franca vigilantly guarded against possible details, instinctively moving a few steps to the side.
Another invisible wind blew past, and those "cocoons" swayed again, some turning towards Franca.
Franca's gaze swept over them, her pupils suddenly dilating.
She saw a familiar figure.
It was a man standing upright inside a transparent "cocoon", his head slightly bowed, wearing clothes belonging to the protagonist of Assassin's Creed II.
It was herself!
It was him before the transmigration!
-x-X-x-
Looking at her past self suspended in the transparent "cocoon", Franca's mind buzzed with many thoughts, like boiling oatmeal.
What exactly is this place?
Is this Mr. Fool's or the Celestial Worthy's psychological trauma?
Was I like this, enclosed in a 'cocoon' hanging above the door of light, from losing my memory until completing the transmigration?"
Are the other 'cocoons' containing other members of the research society?
What do those three empty 'cocoons' represent?
Who hung us up?
This is very similar to a manifestation of the High-Sequence Seer pathway…
Did the Celestial Worthy do this?
So, is this Mr. Fool's psychological trauma?
He…
Just as these thoughts flashed through Franca's mind, behind the brilliant light gate, some of the gray fog dispersed, revealing a sphere.
It was a view of the planet from the moon, from space.
Franca then saw the northern and southern continents, the western continent covered in a layer of grayish-white mist, and the eastern continent sunk in darkness.
At the same time, a voice with a hint of solemnity echoed in her ears:
"This place has an ancient name, called…
"Chernobyl!"
"This place has an ancient name, called…
"Chernobyl!"
"…"
As the voice echoed, Franca stared blankly at the familiar yet strange planet in the depths of the gray fog, at the four continents—east, south, west, and north—which had changed somewhat but were still recognizable. She was as if struck by lightning.
Suddenly, she understood many questions, ones she couldn't find answers to before or had avoided certain answers while seeking other explanations.
Why does this world also have 365 days in a year, with an extra day every four years…
Why does this world also have 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute…
Why the human body structure in this world was identical to Earth's, and corresponding relationships can be found in most elements…
Why was Mr. Fool's dream a modern city…
Why was Mr. Fool's marionette town called Utopia…
Why were Mr. Fool's avatars called Gehrman Sparrow and Merlin Hermes…
…
Franca stared blankly at the strange yet familiar planet, at the four continents and dreamlike blue oceans in her memory. Salty, wet tears had unknowingly fallen down her face.
Her mind was telling her the answer, but her heart was refusing to accept it.
This world might just be Earth…
Franca's vision was already blurred, but she dared not close her eyes, afraid to see those images that always appeared before her in midnight dreams.
Her heart burst with intense shock, sadness, and immense despair and pain, almost identical to the intense emotions pervading the current area, indistinguishable and seemingly merging:
Perhaps we never left, but we can never go back.
…
Trier, inside a luxurious villa.
In Franca's room, Madam Judgment, Madam Magician, and Madam Justice had gathered by the bedside.
"She's crying…" Madam Judgment, who had been observing Franca's condition, suddenly said.
The corners of Franca's eyes in her sleep had mysteriously become wet, with traces of tears extending to both sides, disappearing into her flaxen hair that had darkened considerably.
She seemed to be having an extremely sad dream.
At this moment, Madam Judgment and Madam Magician couldn't quite understand why Two of Cups would silently cry while dreaming.
They had anticipated what changes might occur in Franca's expression in reality, whether it be twisting in pain, exaggerated in madness, or falling into extreme pleasure, all of which were predictable possibilities.
But why would she cry?
And the tears shed were dominated by sadness and despair.
Could one of her companions have met with misfortune?
Madam Magician cast her gaze towards the other rooms, finding that Lumian, Jenna, Anthony, and Ludwig were all still alive, though the first two—one with an icy expression, the other unable to hide pain and urgency even in dreams.
"Aren't you going to Placate her?" Madam Judgment asked Madam Justice, who was conducting a mental and psychological analysis.
Since the mental corruption and emotional impact experienced in the dream would reflect in reality, treating the corresponding psychological issues and mental illnesses in reality would also truly affect the person in the dream.
In a dream constructed with spirit and psychology at its core, the inside and outside were indistinguishable in this aspect, blending truth and falsehood.
Madam Justice's emerald eyes showed a thoughtful expression. "Two of Cups's current emotions harbor immense despair, which is also a manifestation of her true state.
"And what she needs right now is precisely despair, extreme despair."
Hearing these words, Madam Magician couldn't help but turn her head to look at the night sky to the east.
She said in a low voice, "Yes, Two of Cups has already forcibly advanced by leveraging the uniqueness of the dream. What she needs most now is despair, intense and immense despair.
"This can help her quickly digest the potion.
"I'm not sure exactly what she's seeing or experiencing now, but from the current situation, the 'making oneself despair' part should be enough. Later, we need to find an opportunity to 'make others despair'."
Madam Justice nodded slightly and said, "Once Two of Cups's current despair subsides somewhat, I'll provide psychological treatment.
"Now, she might need other help."
As this Major Arcana card holder wearing a green dress with white patterns spoke, Madam Magician half-opened her arms.
In front of her, points of starlight gathered, condensing into an illusory but brilliant double door.
This door slowly opened, revealing a thin layer of grayish-white fog inside.
That represented the dream city.
As an Angel of the Door pathway, Madam Magician had no problem opening a door and forcibly entering Mr. Fool's dream if she really wanted to.
Of course, whether such a forceful entry would result in her being instantly observed, losing control, or unknowingly becoming a marionette of the Celestial Worthy remained unknown.
In this matter, the unknown referred to which of the two outcomes would occur, not whether these two outcomes would appear.
According to Madam Magician's astromancy results, there was only a very small chance that she would encounter nothing, and this was based on Mr. Fool having a certain advantage or the two great existences happening to be in a phase of intense mutual combat.
What she was about to do was certainly not to barge in and rescue Franca, but to open such a door, establish the corresponding channel, and assist Madam Justice, who was a Dreamweaver.
Originally, Madam Justice could only monitor changes in part of the dream situation, and that was in a vague perceptual way. With such a door, she could directly exert some influence on certain areas of the dream or corresponding characters.
In this situation, she, who had been kicked out of the dream three times, couldn't do much, but what they wanted to convey to Franca was just a brief sentence.
As the door to the dream city opened, Madam Justice closed her emerald eyes that seemed able to reflect the human soul, raised her right hand, and began to sketch dreamlike, unreal symbols in the air.
…
Mushu Hospital, B2, edge of the elevator lobby.
Lumian, gazing at the illusory dark abyss, inhaling the faintly sweet and warm dark fragrance, enduring the agitation in his bone marrow and desires, feeling as if his entire being was about to ignite, entered a state of ethereal quietude.
His mind and thoughts gradually dispersed, becoming increasingly numb to the passage of time.
Finally, he "saw" a fog tinged with a dark hue, feeling as if he was walking through such a fog.
Just like before, he saw the outlines of various buildings, saw things similar to trains running on blurry streets, saw ladies with round fans covering their faces riding in human-pulled canopied two-wheeled carts approaching him.
He flew up, flew towards the depths of the dense fog, flew towards somewhere in this strange city.
There remained a peculiar high tower that was only a shadow, with indescribable gloom and terror emanating from the bottom of the tower.
Lumian, suppressing the fear in his heart and the trembling of his body, descended, entered the tower, and headed straight for the bottom.
He then saw an ancient well melding into the darkness, saw that the four walls of the ancient well were built with moss-covered stone blocks, saw iron-black chains locked onto the stone blocks, hanging down into the depths of the ancient well.
These chains had numerous reliefs on their surface, but they were blurry, making it difficult for Lumian to discern.
Unable to control himself, Lumian stuck out his head, trying to look towards the bottom of the ancient well.
What met his eyes was a dense, eerie blood-red color.
It seemed to be formed by an unknown amount of blood.
Next, Lumian smelled a fishy odor mixed with a sense of rust.
He bewilderedly turned his gaze to his nose, finding that blood had somehow already flowed from his nostrils, like real blood.
Suddenly, Lumian's peripheral vision caught his own head and face reflected clearly in the blood-colored well water.
The palm of his right hand instantly became scorching hot, with a manic and violent aura surging out like a flood.
This was blocked by a cold and deathly stillness.
Outside the spiritual secret deed process, Lumian on B2 of Mushu Hospital, his body visibly trembled.
His hair floated up, his face sometimes the stunning Lumina, sometimes the more handsome security guard Li Ming, his chest sometimes swelling, sometimes flattening, his aura sometimes feminine and seductive, sometimes masculine and violent…
He kept switching between these two states, and if he lacked either one, his body might not be able to withstand it, quickly collapsing and becoming an out-of-control monster.
Lumian at the edge of the ancient well sensed a terrifying will that could destroy everything, feeling It casting Its gaze from the depths of the ancient well, observing him.
Even with the ability of an Ascetic, even while forcibly controlling himself, Lumian couldn't help but break away from the secret deed ritual and open his eyes.
His right palm was still stinging, more intensely than ever before, his eyes a deep black, a black so deep that not even death existed within it, devoid of any life.
Before him, in that void of dark abyss, a vortex suddenly appeared, spiraling towards the bottom.
-x-X-x-
The bottomless darkness seemed to be pulled by some force from deep within, or forcefully pressed down by an invisible giant hand, causing it to suddenly collapse and form a frantic vortex several meters wide.
This vortex kept spinning towards the end of the darkness, getting deeper and deeper, like an ancient well.
At the same time, all the mirrors on Lumian's body shattered with a series of cracking sounds, and the metal elevator doors were suddenly covered with a grayish-white layer, as if they had been abraded by sand.
Immediately after, Lumian took a step forward and jumped into the vortex.
With the appearance of the vortex, he vaguely sensed his Mirror Substitution left with Franca.
At the same time, he knew that the vortex was created by the gaze and power he had drawn through the secret deed ritual, and that it would lead to his intended destination. He knew that if he kept falling in the vortex, he would likely reach where Franca was trapped.
He didn't let his body float down slowly like a feather, but maintained a free-fall posture, gaining speed. Wind howled in his ears, and his eyes saw only the deep darkness that had become steep cliffs.
…
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The glass windows on every floor of Mushu Hospital shattered explosively, and all mirror-like objects were either covered in scratches or turned to stone-like substances.
In the emergency center, all the glass that had shown mirror-like reflections due to the night broke with a crack, including several pairs of dark-colored glasses.
Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan were startled too, feeling as if a huge explosion had occurred nearby.
However, they didn't hear any corresponding sound, nor did their ears ring continuously.
In the environment where patients, nurses, and doctors had all suddenly become panicked, Zhou Mingrui had a sudden flash of insight and said to Luo Shan in a low voice, "The anomaly from underground?"
"Possibly, I'm not sure either…" Luo Shan didn't know much more than Zhou Mingrui, she could only guess that Luo Fu might have done something underground, or encountered something.
Zhou Mingrui spoke faster, continuing to ask, "Why can I rescue Luo Fu just by standing in B2?"
Luo Shan stammered in response, "I-It was a guess…
"Be-because there's something special about you!"
As expected… Zhou Mingrui quickly pressed, "What's special?"
"You… I'm actually not that clear on the specific details." Luo Shan suddenly realized that if she explained clearly, there might be unexpected changes, so she forced the topic back on track, "I'm not sure if you going to stand in B2 will really be effective. If nothing changes, th-then that's all we can do. If there are changes, but not enough for Luo Fu to escape, then maybe you'll need to do something more. What exactly to do depends on the actual situation. At that time, you can choose not to do it, but if you're willing, I-I will walk in front of you!"
Zhou Mingrui looked at Luo Shan deeply, and after a few seconds of silence, said, "Okay."
Eh… Luo Shan, who had planned to continue pleading, was stunned.
"Let's go now," Zhou Mingrui ran towards the corridor leading to the nearest elevator, "Nothing is more important than saving a life!"
Luo Shan hurriedly followed, easily taking the lead in front of Zhou Mingrui.
Their actions were not at all conspicuous in the emergency center where the chaotic state had not yet completely subsided.
Seeing this, Jenna, hiding in the shadows, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
After Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan had run a distance, she walked out of the shadows, preparing to conceal herself and follow behind, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.
At this moment, she felt a suffocating pain, as if the blood in her body wanted to burst through her skin and splash out.
It was like a deep-sea fish being directly "teleported" into mid-air.
Moreover, Jenna also felt her thoughts stalling and her joints stiffening.
About to be kicked out… of the dream?
Even if it's… through Luo Shan… at night… indirectly… informing Zhou Mingrui… of Beyonder matters… it will… lead to… oneself… being kicked?
Jenna wanted to hold on a bit longer, to see if Zhou Mingrui going to the underground area would bring about good changes, but she was powerless to resist. She had no choice but to leave this world, following the force that was kicking her out of the dream.
…
Trier, inside a luxurious villa.
Standing by Franca's bed, facing the door of starlight and the grayish-white fog, Madam Justice frowned.
"I can't sense Two of Cups, I can't establish contact with her.
"I was clearly using her body as a medium…"
Madam Magician thought for two seconds and said, "In the dream city, apart from what we haven't explored and don't know about yet, there are only three places where such a situation would occur, where the connection between soul, consciousness, and body would be severed.
"One is inside the police station, two is Yangdu Prison, and three is the underground area of Mushu Hospital."
"If she were arrested or imprisoned, Two of Cups wouldn't be this desperate," Madam Judgment made a judgment, "She must have entered the underground area of Mushu Hospital, for unknown reasons."
While Madam Magician and Madam Judgment were thinking and talking, Madam Justice continued to try.
Suddenly, they all turned their heads towards the room where Lumian was sleeping.
At this moment, they felt the ground trembling inexplicably, as if a volcano was erupting deep underground.
This caused all the mirrors and glass windows in the entire villa to make trembling sounds, almost shattering.
After just a few seconds, Madam Justice's emerald-like eyes suddenly lit up.
"I've sensed Two of Cups!" She said while once again sketching transparent symbols in the air that were like dreams and illusions.
As soon as the symbol was completed, it passed through the brilliant starlight door like a butterfly from a dream, diving into the grayish-white fog.
After doing this, Madam Justice said to Madam Judgment and Madam Magician, "Seven of Cups has been kicked out of the dream, we can have her come over to tell us the specific situation."
…
In the grayish-white fog where a brilliant door of light and an illusory planet stood tall, echoing with words like "Chernobyl".
Franca gazed at everything before her, her whole being seemingly numb, only her vision becoming increasingly blurred, unable to clear up no matter what.
At this moment, she heard a voice so distant it seemed to come from the edge of the sky, belonging to Madam Justice. "Shout 'Leodero' in ancient Hermes."
Franca suddenly awoke, as if she had just had a long nightmare that she dared not and was unwilling to recall.
Her mouth trembled, not making a sound, as if she wanted to sleep here forever.
After several seconds, Franca finally called out in a low voice, "Leodero!"
…
Above that grayish-white fog, Lumian's feet stepped on the surface of the thin gas like clouds, but he couldn't penetrate through to enter inside.
He felt that this fog was highly similar to the fog that sealed off the Samaritan Women's Spring, and believed that if he still had Mr. Fool's seal on him, he would definitely be able to fall directly inside, rather than being blocked outside.
After trying two methods and failing, Lumian turned his gaze to his right palm.
The Blood Emperor brand on his palm had undergone some changes when the secret deed ritual was forcibly completed. Its color had become deeper and blacker, no longer like dripping fresh blood, but closer to the dark red of oxidized blood.
And this dark red seemed to have subtly merged with the paleness covering this patch of skin.
Lumian wasn't yet clear on what such changes would bring, he just wanted to use this brand and the corpse wax candle to quickly perform another secret deed ritual.
Suddenly, in the night sky of the dream city, clouds piled up in layers.
Countless small electric snakes jumped and gathered between these clouds, quickly forming a huge, tree-like lightning bolt.
As soon as this lightning appeared, it crossed the distance between heaven and earth, illuminating the entire city.
It passed over numerous lightning rods, struck into Mushu Hospital, and drilled underground.
The hair on Lumian's body stood up uncontrollably, and he instinctively took two steps back.
Almost simultaneously, a bright light flashed before his eyes, making him unable to see the deep darkness and grayish-white mist anymore.
The afterimage of a silver-white tree-like lightning remained in his pupils.
When his vision recovered, Lumian found a slowly healing hole had appeared in the grayish-white fog.
He didn't hesitate, took a step forward, and jumped in.
He passed through the outer fog and landed in front of the brilliant light door, seeing Franca staring blankly at him, with the hair on her skin and some of her head standing up.
Franca's eyes reflected Lumian, whose gender was constantly switching, but the speed was slowing down, gradually fixing towards the female form.
"Let's go!" Lumian didn't say much, grabbed Franca's arm, and directly activated the black mark on his right shoulder.
Spirit World Traversal!
With the vortex still existing, Lumian could sense some areas of the outside world!
The figures of the two immediately disappeared from in front of the brilliant door of light, with the hole above getting smaller and closer to disappearing.
Lumian, carrying Franca, traveled through the spirit world layered with various color blocks, heading towards the predetermined safe location.
Normally, he would reach the destination in just one second, but for some unknown reason, he now felt as if he was bound by layers of viscous liquid and invisible shackles, moving very slowly, with a trend of getting even slower.
Next, Lumian saw deep, dense darkness sweeping in from "behind", rushing towards the two of them.
The vortex had disappeared.
In that darkness, there was a blurry, huge figure standing on a lightless water surface, and an ancient mirror slowly outlining.
Lumian gritted his teeth, traveling forward with all his might.
Just as he was about to touch the "exit", and the dark abyss was about to engulf him and Franca, everything suddenly became calm.
Lumian suddenly felt at ease, like a criminal who had escaped from prison, instantly passing out of the spirit world and arriving in a shadowy corner of the emergency center at Mushu Hospital.
His spiritual intuition told him that Jenna was here.
…
Mushu Hospital, B2.
Zhou Mingrui and Luo Shan, having overcome their intense fear, walked out of the elevator together.
Almost simultaneously, Zhou Mingrui inexplicably felt relaxed, his feelings of fear and dread dissipating completely.
He frowned in confusion and said to Luo Shan, "Where is Luo Fu trapped?"
Luo Shan looked at the dim but normal white corridor outside the elevator lobby, falling into bewilderment and deep thought.
"Shouldn't it have already completely collapsed…" she muttered to herself.
-x-X-x-
Seeing Zhou Mingrui looking at her, waiting for an answer, Luo Shan said uncertainly, "It seems like things are back to normal…"
She had thought Zhou Mingrui wouldn't believe her judgment. After all, they hadn't encountered anything or seen any signs of danger, and they still didn't know if Luo Fu had been rescued. How could she say everything was "back to normal"?
To her surprise, Zhou Mingrui nodded thoughtfully. "I think so too."
After a couple of seconds, Zhou Mingrui asked, "Do we still need to look for Luo Fu?"
"I-I'll take another look…" Luo Shan cautiously walked to the edge of the elevator lobby and peeked out.
She looked around and felt that aside from being too quiet with no one passing through, there wasn't much difference between this underground area and any other hospital basement.
…
Emergency Center, in a shadowy corner.
Lumian and Franca simultaneously saw Jenna, dressed in a nightgown, her eyes dazed and unsure of what to do.
She's been kicked out of the dream… Both Lumian and Franca quickly came to the same conclusion.
At that moment, Jenna also spotted Franca and Lumian. The tension and worry in her heart suddenly eased.
Without saying much, Lumian grabbed Jenna's arm with his other hand and disappeared with her into the edge of the shadows.
The three of them soon returned to Room 2303 in Dechuang Garden.
After checking the room's condition, Lumian said to Jenna, "Everything's fine now. Get some rest."
He wasn't sure how the dream Jenna would "rationalize" what had just happened, so he kept his explanation vague to avoid any cognitive conflict.
As for the teleportation, it was impossible to hide it any longer. After all, Zhou Mingrui had already become deeply aware of the supernatural powers at play, and there were indeed quite a few Beyonders active in the dream city.
Jenna, surprised, glanced around the familiar environment and obediently replied, "Okay."
After she entered the room and lay down on the bed, Lumian closed the bedroom door for her, then turned to Franca and said,
"Let's go back to Mushu Hospital now. We'll talk about what happened once we're there."
Franca didn't ask why and slowly nodded.
Using teleportation, Lumian took Franca to the greenery outside Mushu Hospital and turned his gaze towards the emergency center and the hospital building.
Seeing the shattered glass and the scorched parts of the walls, Lumian finally said to Franca, "I think what happened today was too much of a coincidence. Zhou Mingrui came to investigate the situation at Mushu Hospital, and at the same time, you ended up in the underground area."
"What exactly happened?"
Hearing the word "coincidence," Franca's emotions wavered slightly.
She pulled herself together and recounted how she and Jenna had found themselves in the underground of Mushu Hospital after falling asleep, how they encountered Luo Shan, her suspicions, and the psychological traumas they later encountered.
"At the time, the corridor started collapsing." Franca stopped speaking and fell silent again.
Lumian glanced at her but didn't press for details. Instead, he mused aloud, "It really was a coincidence. If you look at the events separately, it's logical that Zhou Mingrui, prompted by my warning during the day and his own initiative, chose tonight to investigate Mushu Hospital. Similarly, it's plausible that the force lurking in Luo Shan's room or nearby, taking advantage of her psychological traumas and the dream's nature, 'brought' you into the hospital's underground. Both seem reasonable and could have happened naturally."
"But the fact that these two things happened at the same time and influenced each other makes it obvious that something was off."
"And at the same time, I received a tipoff from Lu Yong'an and followed Zhou Mingrui to sneak into Mushu Hospital."
Franca instinctively said, "But who could set up an arrangement for Zhou Mingrui?"
"They didn't need to arrange him. Arranging us was enough." Lumian, still in his Demoness of Despair state, let out a cold laugh. "When Zhou Mingrui would investigate Mushu Hospital was uncertain, but once he was spotted, they could trigger the other side."
"The force lurking in or near Luo Shan's room must have been there for a while. Why didn't it act sooner or later? Why tonight?"
Franca fell silent for a moment, as if she had finally regained her ability to think, and said, "Was Lu Yong'an arranged as well?"
"Not necessarily. It's possible they discovered my problem as a Child of God and knew something would happen tonight, so they lured me in, using your predicament to force me to become the true Child of God." After thinking for a few seconds, Lumian added, "It's also likely that Lu Yong'an isn't like Grimm, a dream persona influenced by the Great Mother. She has an external consciousness."
At this point, Lumian paused, his gaze cold as he muttered to himself, "A guardian for women and children…"
…
Inside Mushu Hospital, the power system of the building hadn't been affected by the lightning strike. Only the ground separating the upper and lower floors showed a very obvious charred area, and one of the elevators had stopped functioning.
Lu Yong'an walked down the dimly lit corridor and reached a certain room.
A wooden sign hung outside the door, with Chinese characters written on it: "Dean's Office."
She knocked and entered, speaking to the person beside the shattered glass window.
"She still didn't choose the Mother's help."
"I see," a voice responded.
…
Trier, inside a luxurious villa.
Jenna observed Franca's "sleeping state" while recounting their ordeal and Franca's decisions to Madam Judgment, Madam Magician, and Madam Justice.
After she finished, Madam Magician nodded thoughtfully and said, "It's still unclear what exactly we were supposed to gain from tonight's events, or what the true purpose was…"
Before she could finish her sentence, Madam Justice, looking at the sleeping Franca, said,
"Two of Cups has left the underground area of Mushu Hospital. I can now sense her and her surroundings."
Upon hearing this, Jenna's body swayed slightly, as if she had lost the strength to even keep herself upright due to a sudden sense of relief.
Her breathing became heavy, and after a few seconds, she asked, "It's over?"
"Not entirely," Madam Magician said, taking her gaze off the sleeping Franca.
Jenna seemed to realize something and asked, with deep concern, "Right, she held the ritual in the dream, cleverly advancing to Sequence 4 and becoming a Demoness of Despair. It's unknown how long it will take her to fully digest the Despair potion, and…"
Jenna suddenly stopped, unable to finish her sentence.
What she had been about to say was, "And our goal is to awaken Mr. Fool as soon as possible, to end this dream, but that would conflict with the conditions for Franca's survival."
In front of the Tarot Club's Major Arcana card holders, she dared not utter those words, fearing the brutal answer she might receive.
"I understand your concern, but that's not really an issue. Or, to put it another way, it's not as serious as you think."
"Huh?" Jenna was surprised, both delighted and bewildered.
Madam Justice maintained her soft smile and explained, "First, Two of Cups has already made considerable progress in digesting the Despair potion. She's completed the part about 'making herself despair.' The next step is to find opportunities to make others despair. If she can refine her acting principles further during this process, the digestion will go even faster."
Jenna blinked, confused.
"She's already digested nearly half of the Despair potion, right after advancing?"
"Yes," Madam Magician agreed, her tone carrying an understanding note. "It's quite similar to Lumian's situation at the time. Except Lumian quickly made two boon demigods despair…"
"Exactly," Madam Magician continued, nodding knowingly. "Given the nature of your circumstances and how things unfolded, it was almost inevitable that people would fall into a state of despair. Mr. Fool's psychological traumas may also contain elements that push Franca into complete despair—things that sever her hopes and desires entirely."
Jenna's eyes moved slightly, and she muttered, "Quite the coincidence…"
Madam Justice sighed with a smile. "Yes, that's one reason. But the other reason why I said that Two of Cups' dream advancement isn't too serious is because, given a little time—just a few minutes—she could return to reality without dying, though there would be other costs."
"Really?" Jenna was both surprised and confused.
Madam Justice chuckled lightly and explained, "While we're limited in what we can do, there are still many things we're capable of.
"For example, a Sun pathway Unshadowed can extract Beyonder characteristics, even from a Beyonder, layer by layer, from high to low. Though Two of Cups advanced in the dream, her reality also advanced, which is why she can't leave the dream before fully digesting her potion."
"In other words, we could have Mr. Sun extract the Demoness of Despair's Beyonder characteristic from Two of Cups in reality, and I would stabilize her mental state during the process. Once her body in reality regresses to the level of a Demoness of Affliction, there would be no more concern about her losing control upon leaving the dream."
"Of course, this solution would leave some problems behind, some quite serious ones, which is why we didn't mention it as a solution before. But compared to losing her life in the dream, these issues are manageable."
Jenna stood there, dazed.
The dream advancement affected reality, and regressing in reality would cause a similar effect in the dream?
If you can't influence the dream, then change the state of reality?
…
Outside Mushu Hospital, in the greenery.
Hidden in the shadows, Lumian observed the hospital building, the patients coming and going, and the emergency response personnel who had just arrived, but he didn't spot any targets of note.
After a long silence, Franca finally spoke. "They might have already left. Maybe they never showed up in the first place."
"Yeah, you could check some short videos. With the glass shattered and the building struck by lightning, I'm sure a lot of people recorded it. Maybe we'll find something."
"Right." Lumian took out his phone and began scrolling through local news, not missing a single video.
When he reached a video titled "Oh my god, all the glass shattered," he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the corner of the frame, near the edge of the emergency center.
That figure had messy blonde hair, blue eyes, short eyebrows, and a clear stubble on his face. He was wearing a black shirt.
Lumian's gaze instantly froze.
It was Grisha.
Grisha, Peng Deng's co-renter!
-x-X-x-
Based on the nature of tonight's events, Lumian had made some guesses and was prepared to see certain dream manifestations, but the person who appeared at the emergency center was completely unexpected: it was Peng Deng's co-renter, Grisha!
The fact that he and Peng Deng are sharing a place did hint at something unusual about him. We'd even observed him before but never managed to figure out who he corresponded to in the real world… Could he be the mastermind behind tonight's events? What is his real objective? Lumian's mind raced, his confusion deepening.
He had initially locked in on the individual that the Aurora Order put their faith into as the one orchestrating everything tonight, hoping to confirm a few things. But Grisha didn't fit the "I'm watching, listening, and aware" profile—he was eccentric, paranoid, and rude.
"Him?" Franca, slower to react than usual, leaned over to take a look at the screen frozen on Lumian's phone.
Her sudden shock made her more animated.
"Unexpected discoveries are still valuable," Lumian said, already calm.
"Yeah," Franca replied, not saying much more.
Lumian wasn't in a rush to leave. He pulled out a cracked makeup mirror and began focusing intently.
His actions caught Franca's attention. She tilted her head to look at him, slightly puzzled. "What are you doing?"
"I'm checking if the mirror world has recovered and whether the broken fragments have formed a new area behind the mirror," Lumian explained briefly. "Luo Shan didn't bring her phone, and I don't have any other abilities to contact her. I need to use the mirror world to send her a message that you're safe and that she can leave the underground area with Zhou Mingrui.
"There's no urgent matter now, but what if Zhou Mingrui does discover something?"
Franca was stunned for a moment. "Zhou Mingrui went underground? Won't that be a problem?"
The basement of Mushu Hospital was a mixture of subconscious psychological traumas and a symbolic abyss tied to the Mother Tree of Desire. Even if it couldn't physically endanger Zhou Mingrui, it might force him to confront past traumas, awakening strong stimuli that could bring significant changes. Those changes could be either extremely good or extremely bad, which was why Lumian's team hadn't wanted Zhou Mingrui to enter Mushu Hospital's basement at this stage.
Lumian glanced at Franca and chuckled. "Plans never keep up with changes. The most important thing just now was rescuing you. Everything else can be dealt with later or patched up. If worst comes to worst, this mission fails completely, and they send in another team. At worst, we all face the apocalypse. But I couldn't let you die here tonight."
Franca stared at Lumian for a few seconds, unable to find words.
After a moment, she looked away and sighed. "There are some things that can never be made up for…"
Hearing that sigh and those words, Lumian finally felt like Franca had come back to life from the deadened state she'd been in earlier.
He didn't ask what she meant, waiting for her to sort out her own thoughts. He gazed at the cracked mirror in his hands.
"The mirror world has recovered, and the larger mirror fragments have regained their mystical properties."
With that, Lumian whispered a few words, imbuing them with a flickering, dark shimmer before sending them into the largest piece of the cracked mirror.
…
Mushu Hospital, B2.
Luo Shan led Zhou Mingrui, creeping cautiously along the corridor, glancing around as she searched for the missing Luo Fu.
Just as she looked toward one of the rooms and Zhou Mingrui gazed in the opposite direction, she spotted a piece of shattered glass on the ground. Words flickered across it: "Luo Fu is already home."
Phew… Luo Shan quickly turned to Zhou Mingrui and said, "I got a message. Luo Fu escaped."
Zhou Mingrui studied Luo Shan for a moment but didn't ask how she received the message.
He'd noticed earlier that she seemed to have rushed out of the house, forgetting to bring her phone.
After they left Mushu Hospital's basement and Zhou Mingrui sent Luo Shan back to Dechuang Garden, she saw Lumina and Luo Fu in the entryway.
"You two just got back as well?" Luo Shan blurted out.
Holding two mirror fragments, Lumian glanced around and replied, "We had to deal with the hospital's surveillance."
Even though tonight's events weren't tied to any criminal case and were considered a "natural disaster," meaning no police investigation, Lumian thought it was better to play it safe.
Luo Shan was stunned for a couple of seconds.
Quite the seasoned criminal, aren't you…
Lumian then addressed Luo Shan, "Thanks for your help. Without you bringing Zhou Mingrui to the basement in time, both Luo Fu and I would've been swallowed by that illusory abyss."
A smile appeared on Luo Shan's face, though she tried to be modest.
"It was Zhou Mingrui who was willing to risk his life to save someone. He's always been a good person."
"It's impressive that you convinced him so quickly," Lumian said, not sparing any praise.
"Not really," Luo Shan said, feeling a little uncomfortable as she looked away.
She walked briskly into the elevator that had just arrived on the first floor.
After stepping in, Lumian turned to Luo Shan and said, "We'd like to inspect your apartment, to identify any hidden threats."
"Sure, okay!" Luo Shan remembered how she had inexplicably ended up in the hospital's basement.
Without uncovering the lurking threat in her room or nearby, she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.
When they arrived at Room 1502, Lumian naturally began inspecting every corner, while Franca, finally recovering her energy, silently touched various objects.
After a few seconds, Lumian stood in front of the living room's glass window and spoke to Luo Shan, who was standing near the coffee table.
"I'll perform a Magic Mirror Divination and see if I can get any answers or hints."
Luo Shan nodded repeatedly.
Lumian reached out toward the transparent glass, which had turned into a mirror under the night sky, and began chanting the appropriate incantation.
He was only able to perform Magic Mirror Divination that relied on his own spirituality.
After posing his question, the surface of the glass rippled with a dark shimmer.
The shimmer settled, revealing a scene of a parrot with colorful feathers in a painting.
"That?" Luo Shan quickly turned her head to look at the wall behind her.
Did my own drawing betray me?
Almost simultaneously, the colorful parrot flew out of the painting, attempting to escape from Room 1502.
But the doors and windows were locked, and it repeatedly hit the walls.
"Why?" Luo Shan shouted.
The parrot responded in a crisp, human voice. "I'm not your puppet. I serve…"
Before it could finish speaking, its body suddenly disintegrated. Feathers fell one by one, followed by flesh that dripped like melting paint.
In just two or three seconds, the colorful parrot had turned into countless droplets of paint, splattering onto the cream-colored tiles.
"It was controlled by someone else," Lumian concluded.
"How is that possible?" Luo Shan was shocked and confused.
This was something I painted stroke by stroke. How could it be controlled by someone else?
If it was the other version of me reviving within me and secretly influencing my creation, I could accept that. But an outsider? How?
Lumian glanced at Luo Shan.
"Never trust anything completely. That applies to others, things you've created, and even yourself."
"I understand…" Luo Shan recalled her previous experiences, thinking of that other version of herself.
Lumian thought for a moment and suggested, "You should stay at our place tonight, just in case there's another incident."
He planned to take pictures of every item and corner of Luo Shan's apartment tonight, then send them to Anderson to check for any remaining issues.
"Okay," Luo Shan quickly agreed.
Regardless of the parrot's situation, she had already planned to pack her things and find a decent, reasonably priced hotel to stay in for a few nights.
After settling Luo Shan in Room 2303 with Jenna, Lumian took Franca with him to Room 1502 to photograph every part of the apartment, making sure to leave nothing out.
Once he finished, he immediately sent the photos to "A name that leaves a deep impression on you," ending with the question: "Can you spot any potential problems in these photos?"
After a few minutes, Anderson Hood replied: "Are you inviting me to play 'Spot the Difference'?"
"Something like that," Lumian responded casually.
He waited patiently until four or five minutes later, receiving another message from Anderson.
"If it were me, I'd show someone photos with absolutely no problems and ask them to find something wrong."
Does that mean… there's nothing wrong? Lumian thought to himself.
Anderson Hood sent another message. "That blank spot on the painting is an eyesore. Add some paint to it."
Lumian nodded thoughtfully before asking: "Can you control things painted by others?"
"There are many ways to control painted objects. One is to become a symbol within the painting's world. Another is to give them a more complete life. A third is to imbue them with humanity. A fourth is to reconfigure the information they're composed of, given their essence as information. And lastly, there's the fact that they possess spirituality—you could turn them into your marionette…" Anderson uncharacteristically provided a lengthy explanation, finishing with: "After hearing all that, don't you feel like every possibility you imagined can't be ruled out?"
"You're giving me so much detail just so I'll say 'yes,' aren't you?" Lumian replied without emotion.
In his opinion, identifying the hidden danger in the room wasn't the most important thing. They had already confirmed that Luo Shan was being watched by some force or enemy. If they didn't root out the other side and eliminate them, today's hidden danger would be dealt with, but tomorrow a new one would appear.
Too bad that parrot wasn't put under control and couldn't finish what it was saying.
Seeing that Anderson Hood hadn't responded again, Lumian stood up and looked at Franca.
Franca was standing by the window in Luo Shan's apartment, silently gazing out.
Lumian walked over and stood beside her, looking out in the same direction.
He saw the food stalls on the street far below, people eating and drinking late into the night, and the high-rise apartments in the neighborhood, with lights still on in many rooms, dotting the night sky.
Lumian gazed quietly for a while before turning to look at Franca.
Franca was focused, her gaze seemingly reluctant to shift for even a second.
After a while, she sighed softly. "The night is truly beautiful…"
-x-X-x-
Lumian looked at Franca, her eyes once again a lake-blue hue after her advancement, reflecting the bright or slightly yellow dots of light.
"Yes," he echoed with a sigh.
Franca fell silent again.
After a long while, she murmured as if in a dream, "Did you know? I can never go back…"
"What happened?" Lumian asked gently, following her lead.
Franca began recounting how she and Jenna had woken up in the basement of Mushu Hospital. It was as if she needed to build up the courage to tell the rest by retelling earlier events, prolonging the time to mentally prepare herself.
Lumian didn't rush her. He listened quietly, occasionally asking for details.
When Franca reached the part where she chose to force her advancement using the peculiarities of the dreamscape, to draw the Primordial Demoness's attention and open an escape route, Lumian raised an eyebrow.
Though he had already deduced Franca's advancement to Demoness of Despair through the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence and his spiritual intuition as a Demoness, and had suspected from her earlier narrative that it was the best possible option under those circumstances, he still couldn't help but feel there was some design to it all: the conditions for her advancement to Demoness of Despair had come together perfectly at that moment!
Of course, if he had been present, he would've simply burned a corpse-oil candle and connected with the terrifying will in that peculiar city, forcibly destroying all obstacles.
After describing how she fell into the illusory abyss with the collapse of the mirror world and the final part of the corridor, Franca paused for a few seconds before continuing in a calm, straightforward tone about how she slowed her descent, how she felt her mind and spirit being pulled toward the abyss, and how she chose the gray-white fog, sinking into it.
Her body began to tremble, but she pushed through, recounting the blurred door of light, the transparent "cocoons," the rapidly spinning illusory planet, the slightly solemn voice, and the version of herself within the "cocoon," along with the reasonable speculations that followed.
Lumian had long suspected that "transmigration" wasn't as simple as Franca and the others from the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society believed. He suspected there was a terrifying truth they couldn't accept. That was why, during their time in the dream city, he and Jenna had tacitly been kinder to Franca, expressing their care for her more clearly and directly. But he hadn't expected the truth to be this.
So it wasn't spatial transmigration—it was temporal transmigration… Traveling back and forth through space is possible, but can the flow of time be reversed? No, if that were possible, reviving Aurore wouldn't be so difficult… Lumian's emotions suddenly turned somber.
He felt as if he had lost several incredibly important people and objects he deeply missed forever. The sorrow, melancholy, regret, and pain were like sharp chisels engraving an epitaph on his soul.
At that moment, he understood that these were Aurore's feelings. Her soul fragment had resonated with Franca's story and intense emotions.
Home—forever out of reach.
"That's basically it. I suspect the Western Continent is where the Underworld Daoist and the Celestial Master reside. It's the world thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of years in the future from my homeland…" Franca's body was still trembling slightly.
Lumian closed his eyes for a moment, then deliberately chuckled and said, "I guess I'm pretty lucky. At least I still have hope of reviving Aurore, but you all don't even have that anymore."
Franca's mouth opened slightly, and she was momentarily stunned.
Infuriated, she burst into laughter. "Dammit! Do you Hunters ever say anything nice? How can a human mouth spew something so venomous!"
"I thought you'd send me flying with a kick," Lumian said, showing a deliberately punchable expression.
Franca suddenly understood his true intention and snorted. "I had the impulse. You'd make a great punching bag right now."
She paused, her gaze returning to the window. Looking out at the warm, tranquil night, she said,
"When you said earlier that, in the worst-case scenario, the mission would fail, they'd send in another team, or we'd all face the apocalypse together, but you couldn't let me die in Mushu Hospital's basement… I didn't completely agree with your thinking, but… I did feel like maybe my life had some meaning after all…"
"I said that on purpose, to make you feel needed and valued, to help pull you out of that dead, hopeless state." Lumian chuckled. "I didn't know exactly what you'd gone through, but I could tell how you were feeling."
Franca snapped her head toward Lumian and scoffed, "When dealing with a Hunter, you judge by his actions, not words. I know you really did send Luo Shan and Jenna to get Zhou Mingrui down to the basement."
Before Lumian could respond, Franca, now more curious than before, asked, "How did you get into that psychological trauma?"
That was near the bottom of the illusory abyss!
Smiling, Lumian replied, "When I reached B2, I ran into Lu Yong'an. She must be an external consciousness brought in by some method, unlike Grimm, who had been corrupted and influenced into becoming a dream manifestation."
"So when she saw me in Crimson Moon Hospital, she most likely realized I was a fake Child of God but still went along with my actions. Heh, maybe to the Great Mother, whether I'm the real Child of God or a fake, as long as I bear that title, I'll eventually become real, and this time was her chance."
"Lu Yong'an told me at the time that to save someone from the illusory abyss, I could only rely on the Mother's help."
"You didn't actually pray, did you?" Franca was suddenly filled with concern and worry, forgetting her earlier despair and emotional numbness.
Her gaze instinctively drifted to Lumian's abdomen.
"Of course not." Lumian had deliberately started with Lumian's story to stir Franca's emotions, preventing her from fully sinking into sadness.
As someone who had learned from long bouts of depression, he knew exactly what to say and do in such moments.
More importantly, he was also a Demoness of Despair, having gone through the experience of perfectly matching the acting method right after his advancement, digesting the part of the potion that made him "feel despair." He had also learned from the world's greatest Psychiatrist's report on how to stabilize his mental state and avoid losing control.
That was why he was comfortable telling Franca his true thoughts and feelings before he saved her. He intended to be her most solid anchor. After all, how many Hunters would openly reveal their innermost thoughts?
Franca let out an uncontrollable breath of relief. "Then how did you destroy the illusory abyss and open the path?"
Lumian chuckled. "Corpse wax candle."
As he spoke, he took out the bottle of semi-solid yellow-red wax and sighed.
"The Flame of Destruction burns too fiercely. This candle can only be used once more."
Franca, who had heard Lumian's story of the previous ritual with the corpse wax candle and knew that the target of the ritual was likely the terrifying will at the top of the Hunter and Witch pathways, widened her eyes in shock.
"You're a bit extreme…"
She didn't finish her thought, reminded that such extremity was for her sake.
Lumian recounted the sensations during the secret deed ritual, the terrifying will's partial descent, and the mutation of the Blood Emperor's remnant aura. He ended by saying,
"I couldn't enter the gray fog initially, but an exaggerated bolt of lightning just happened to strike it."
"That was…" Franca thought for a moment and said, "Madam Justice's incantation, delivered through some method. It sounded like a name, to be spoken in ancient Hermes."
She didn't dare speak the incantation, afraid that even without using Beyonder language, it might still call down lightning in the dream, though less terrifyingly.
"A name that could summon such lightning in Mr. Fool's dream?" Lumian pondered. "It must involve a true god or some great existence… Or it could be related to Mr. Fool's perception."
"Yes." Franca was more concerned with something else. "How do you feel now?"
Lumian raised his right hand, palm up, revealing a patch of pale skin and the dark, old red marks beneath it.
"The mutated Blood Emperor's aura and the Underworld Daoist's seal have fused slightly… I can't believe they can fuse…
"So far, there's been no external manifestation, no other changes…"
After examining his own state, Lumian added, "Also, I feel like there's something more in me, but I can't detect it. It hasn't affected me… It's more like a side effect of the secret deed ritual, a lingering hallucination…"
"In the next couple of days, find a chance to leave the dream and have Madam Magician check it out," Franca reminded Lumian not to overlook this issue and to confirm it as soon as possible.
Lumian nodded and said, "In the meantime, go to the company and quit your job. You kept the position before to bait Zaratulstra out with the option to avoid danger by leaving the dream at critical moments. But now, you can't leave for the time being."
Only then did Franca remember her current state—before she fully digested the Despair potion, if she left the dream and returned to reality, she would lose control on the spot and turn into a monster.
"Right." She didn't argue, realizing she was still in deep trouble.
Then, she turned to leave the window.
"Not going to enjoy the night view anymore?" Lumian asked casually.
Franca pursed her lips and responded, "The more I look, the more I miss it, the harder it is to let go…"
She paused, then half-turned her body, casting her gaze out at the night once again.
After staring for a few seconds, she spoke, her voice soft and distant. "If I were Mr. Fool, I might wish to sleep forever, dreaming of this beautiful night, never waking…"