Chapter 332: The Luck Protection Converging in Ninglan New City
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 332: The Luck Protection Converging in Ninglan New City
Fear and terror are instinctive emotions that arise when a person faces the unknown. At their core, they stem from two things: the fear of death, and the fear of a fate worse than death.
Toying with a Dream Demon inside a dream—it was perhaps the funniest joke imaginable. After her initial disorientation, the creature quickly realized that the predicament she faced was merely a dream, and no one was better at manipulating dreams than a Dream Demon herself.
Once she realized this, she began her counterattack.
"Impossible! You! How could you possibly master the power of dreams?! This is impossible! I must be dreaming... I can't lose to a Witch in this field!"
When two people possess the same ability, the competition shifts to a battle of techniques and tricks. Clearly, she was no match for me.
She resorted to barking like a defeated cur.
"Maybe you just haven't seen enough of the world," I remarked casually. A moment later, I turned serious. I didn't have all day to break a single Dream Demon. "My patience has reached its limit."
With a single heavy strike, I shattered the dreamscape imprisoning her. The Dream Demon collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, her energy utterly depleted by my constant harassment.
She couldn't beat me in the dream, and in reality, she was so drained that she couldn't even bypass the local security wards. I had already confirmed that frequent travel between reality and the dream world took a significant toll on a Dream Demon. That had been my goal all along.
"Now, are you interested in talking?" I asked, standing over her.
"What... what do you want to know..."
"Your purpose for coming here."
"To use this place as a springboard to invade your Main World, obviously... The Main World is such a prize; why shouldn't we have a piece of the pie? And then there's the matter of plundering your Luck. You natives probably don't even know what Luck is, do you? You're just a bunch of puppets toyed with by the Script. With strength like yours, you must be a Child of Luck. To tell you the truth, this entire encounter was predestined long ago, yet you fools think it was some kind of accident!"
"Oh."
"Oh? That's your only reaction?! Do you have any idea what this means?! it means you're nothing more than... nothing more than a plaything! Your fate is controlled; nothing you do is of your own will! You aren't living for yourself!"
"Of course I know what the Script is, and I know what a Child of Luck is. I also know that a thing like you is just bottom-tier trash among Abyssal demons. For a member of a Transcendent Race, is this really all the strength you have? How do you even sleep at night?"
The Dream Demon was left speechless by my barrage. This was completely different from the intelligence she had! Weren't the Main World natives supposed to be ignorant and stupid?
Where was the "ignorant stupidity" she was promised?
"Furthermore, you guessed wrong on one point. I'm no Child of Luck. I have no use for that kind of Luck; what you're talking about has nothing to do with me."
"And let me restate my question: your purpose for being here! Here, in the Underground District! What are you doing here? Are there any other Dream Demons down here besides you?"
"What?"
"Not talking? I guess we need a few more rounds, then." I made a show of preparing to activate my ability, which immediately terrified her.
"Wait! Wait! I'll talk!"
"Tsk... so Dream Demons fear death too?" I muttered dismissively. It reminded me of the Dream Demon I killed before; that one had been much more stubborn.
"Speak."
"One! Just me!"
"And? Your objective."
"To scout the situation in the Underground District. The City Lord keeps such a tight grip on this place that we couldn't find an opening to get down here."
"Oh? Don't you Dream Demons have plenty of tricks? Surely something like this wouldn't stop you?"
"We... we didn't notice the Underground District at first. By the time we realized its importance, the passages leading down had been sealed. That City Lord wouldn't let us interfere with the Underground District..."
"Oh? You're actually afraid of that City Lord?" I raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"Afraid? Impossible. We were just worried the fellow wouldn't be obedient..."
"Obedient... I see. Since you need the City Lord to be obedient, what is your plan?"
"You think I'll tell you?"
"Hmm~ suddenly acting tough? Did I hit a matter of principle?"
"Kill me! If you have the guts, just kill me! Do it! I won't tell you a thing! Kill—ugh!" The Dream Demon's eyes widened as I ran her dream-body through. Her expression was one of pure shock, as if she couldn't believe I had actually killed her again.
"That's the first time I've heard such a strange request. I'm happy to oblige." I watched her slowly collapse, that look of disbelief frozen on her face until the very end. A moment later, her body dissolved into bubbles.
But it didn't matter. I had the Resurrection Spell, didn't I?
As she revived once more, my lips curled into a smile that would make even a demon shudder. "Congratulations on achieving a lifelong milestone: dying twice."
"You!"
"Let's see how long you last. In here, you can't escape the laboratory, and you can't escape the cycle of life and death. Talk sooner, and you'll find peace sooner. Understand? Heh."
"I don't believe it! A Resurrection Spell... how could a native of the Main World use a spell like that so many times?! But don't think you'll get a single word out of me!"
"Let's find out."
My grim voice echoed in her ears as I killed her again. And again. And again... three times...
Whenever she tried to flee to reality, I dragged her consciousness back into the dream to torture her. I wasn't sure if I could keep "farming" resurrections if I killed her in the physical world, so I played it safe.
And so, the cycle continued: torture, kill, resurrect...
Once.
Ten times.
Thirty times...
"You monster! Stay away! You're more wicked than the demons in the Abyss!"
"Thank you for the compliment. But since you can still speak so clearly... keep dying!"
"Stop!"
Finally, that single word seemed to drain the last of her strength.
She slumped onto the ground, her mind too exhausted to even wonder how I could cast the Resurrection Spell so many times.
"Talk."
I uttered the single word with an air of absolute authority that made her delicate frame tremble.
"You... what do you want to know..."
"Oh?" I looked at the pathetic creature. Had she already forgotten the question I just asked?
"I'll be merciful and ask one more time. What is your plan for controlling the City Lord?"
"To complete the Destruction Ritual and seize the Luck protecting Ninglan New City..."
"Tell me more. What is this Destruction Ritual?" I asked calmly. I was surprised by her answer; were these Dream Demons no longer satisfied with the Luck from the Nightmares?
The Luck gathered from the Nightmares was equivalent to the majority of the Luck from the last Script node—it was no small amount.
It seemed their greed truly knew no bounds.
"The main goal... is the downfall of Ninglan New City... It requires a change in leadership... a shift in the flow of Luck. The new City Lord must ascend to the position under the gaze of the masses... and then be sacrificed in a ritual to seize the city's protective Luck..."
"Oho... so that's how it is. So, that young man Ninglan Qiuyu's rebellion and patricide were also orchestrated by you?"
"Yes... yes..."
"How fascinating. And how many Dream Demons came in total?"
"I don't know..."
"You don't know? Give me an estimate."
"I really don't know... We... we aren't clear on how many of us there are. We were just... forced here by the orders of higher-ranking demons..."
"Tsk... what else do you know? Spill it all." Since she had brought up the high-level demons, she likely really didn't know anything else. It was like me—I didn't know exactly how many people were affected by the Nightmare Incident because I simply didn't care.
"I... I really don't know anything else..."
"Stubbornness comes at a price."
However, even after more torture, she provided no further useful information. She had become numb; death and a fate worse than death had lost all meaning to her.
I had considered handing her over to the Beyonder Research Base for everyone to study, but containing a Dream Demon was far more difficult than containing a Nightmare. Without me, I wasn't sure if they could even hold her. To be safe, I finally killed her for good. I didn't use the Resurrection Spell; I even wiped her Information from the dreamscape.
A Dream Demon treated this way had zero chance of revival. After all, the Resurrection Spell required a target; reviving something from nothing wasn't resurrection—it was creation.
But... if that was the case, was there a connection between resurrection and the ultimate subject of "Creating Life" in the field of Alchemy?
There was likely a gap. Resurrection brought an existing life back to its original state, while creating life was an entirely higher level of existence.
Even though I had guided Fool's Dream to become a true lifeform, that process wasn't strictly "creating life" in its purest sense.
After using the Resurrection Spell so many times, I had gained some insights. Looking at the spot where the Dream Demon had vanished, I pulled out the Resurrection Spellbook.
Taking advantage of the moment, I proceeded to violently dismantle the spellbook.
I stripped away the redundant structures that were useless to me and the framework of the spellbook's Real Editing, leaving only the most essential ritual and runes of the Resurrection Spell.
In the end, I was shocked to find... that the runes involved in this Resurrection Spell were so simple that every single one of them was already recorded in my Memory Bookshelf Spellbook!
"This... how is this possible?"
The Resurrection Spell... it was Resurrection. Shouldn't such a technique be incredibly difficult, something that would take a person a lifetime to research?
Or was it a case of "the Great Dao is simple"? Had I been overthinking it?
Or... was this all part of the Dean's plan?
I quickly recorded the primitive runes and the ritual of the Resurrection Spell into my Memory Bookshelf Spellbook. Immediately after, the Resurrection Spellbook completely disintegrated within the dream.
This was the price—or rather, the consequence—of violently dismantling a spellbook. This was why I usually only attempted such things within a dream; I couldn't bear to do this in reality.
Now that I had the ritual for the Resurrection Spell, I could cross-reference it with the runes in my memory to piece together its secrets. At the very least, I should be able to understand the underlying principles.
But there was no rush for that. The intelligence I had gained from the Dream Demon was already a massive win.
Those Dream Demons were actually plotting to steal the Luck of Ninglan New City. On second thought, it made sense. Ninglan New City had been built upon these ruins—a feat the Dean herself called a miracle. Since this place was part of the Main World, it wasn't surprising that it possessed its own Luck.
Thinking about it, perhaps the first City Lord of Ninglan really was a Child of Luck. Born of fortune, rising in response to calamity. With no one interfering with the Luck or the Script here, the Luck remained in its purest form—a miracle born from the collective hope of these people to save themselves.
If those Dream Demons had succeeded, Ninglan New City would have been in for a rough time.
I wasn't entirely sure what would happen if the Luck was stolen, but constant misfortune would likely become the norm.
Sigh... I forgot to ask the Dream Demon about that before I killed her, if only to satisfy my curiosity.
Lately, Teacher Ji Niang and the Dean have spoiled me; whenever I encounter something I don't know, I instinctively want to understand it.
With this matter settled, I opened the laboratory door, only to find that the security level at the Beyonder Research Base had been significantly increased.
"Excuse me, what's going on? Why are there so many guards here?"
"Scholar Xiao Han!" The guard on duty snapped to attention upon seeing me. "Miss Ninglan Qiuyue warned us that Dream Demons might be invading the Underground District. We've been ordered to tighten security measures within the base."
"I see." I nodded. It seemed Ninglan Qiuyue was very cautious—cautious beyond my expectations. Even though I knew these guards wouldn't actually be able to protect anything against a Dream Demon, I didn't say it. Their presence served as psychological comfort, which was their real purpose for being here.
After giving them a few words of encouragement, I went to a secluded spot. My body became translucent and then vanished entirely.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the hotel room.
Lying on the bed, I snapped my eyes open. My dazed, vacant pupils gradually regained their focus.
"Xiao Han, you're back?"
"Eh? Sister Bai! You really are by my side at all times~" I sat up abruptly and looked at Sister Bai, moving to give her a hug.
I lunged forward but passed right through her, which drew a light chuckle from her.
"Don't forget, you're in reality right now."
"Then this will work~" A moment later, I re-entered the dream. My consciousness manifested a dream-body and tackled Sister Bai onto the bed.
"Mm? Xiao Han, stop messing around... wait?" Bai Yu laughed as she tried to push me away. She found she didn't mind Xiao Han's playful affection, but as she thought this, she realized that the physical Xiao Han in reality hadn't fallen back asleep.
"Xiao... Xiao Han, you succeeded?"
"Barely... but splitting my mind like this is really uncomfortable. And... it seems I can only do this under these special circumstances where the dream is invading reality. It feels like... I'm dreaming while being wide awake at the same time. It's quite exhausting to maintain."
Both the dream-me and the real-me spoke in perfect unison.