Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 703 - 647 Sleep Spell

The Druid’s cave was even more suitable for living than the Manu Clan’s sanctuary. The environment was cool but not damp, with fragments of plants protruding from the soil that refreshed the air of the enclosed area. Some night-blooming flowers with a luminescent glow served as illumination, making Susanna’s silhouette visible three meters away.

The sound of their footsteps was the only noise, the silence of their leader influencing both Lyle and Irason.

The journey forward was not very long, but the monotonous scenery gave the illusion of a never-ending path. It wasn’t until an unusual emerald light came into view that their rigid thoughts began to stir. The Emerald Dragon in its dragon form lay there, coiled into a ball in the midst of a curtain of hanging roots, with the tips of the roots touching the dragon scales and glowing green at the point of contact.

Susanna gestured with her arm, and the roots in front parted to either side, clearing a path for them.

"There’s no need to be so tense, Iragen is just a marker guiding the dream, it won’t do anything to you. On the contrary, it’s quite fragile," Susanna retracted her gaze and placed her palm on the head of the green dragon, ensuring everything was alright before turning to face Lyle.

By this time, Lyle had already reached the center of the roots, the assurance making him curious about these magical plants. Being part of Andrey’s group, he instinctively kept his distance from objects that seemed interesting, especially since these roots were originally stuck to the dragon’s scales, looking like the tentacles of a jellyfish in the midst of catching prey.

"They look so beautiful that I mistook them for having even more magical effects..."

"Effects? Like instantly seizing the consciousness of those who touch them, causing them to fall into a deep sleep?" Susanna caressed the root’s brush-like fronds, now dim after breaking the connection, "Iragen is very fragile, lacking a hard keratin layer it can’t even dig through soil. This weakness has become its strength, with tops softer than any material, bringing pleasure to the touch, only the softest can contact the delicate dreams."

A tingling sensation exploded from the back of Lyle’s neck, a mysterious pleasure as if his soul was being sucked away. Lyle clutched his neck and turned around. Irason was covering her mouth with her left hand, snickering while holding the tip of an Iragen with her right hand, like a finely fringed brush, obviously the culprit of the earlier prank.

"Hoo hoo hoo, that gave you a fright, didn’t it, Lyle."

"Green Dragon Priest..." This old woman never acted properly. Lyle gritted his teeth and was about to retort when a chilling gaze settled on him; Governor Susanna was staring intently at him being teased by Irason.

"You are the leader of the Dream Elves, Elan. Mind your manners."

"Just a little fun, hehe. I promise it won’t happen again, Susanna."

"Well, but Mr. Lyle, please you also be a little careful..."

"...I understand."

The minor disruption caused by Irason’s mischief effectively broke the formulaic pleasantries among them, and without lingering, Susanna got straight to the point.

"Claudia is undergoing the daily training I have assigned. Most of the training of a Dream Druid is conducted within dreams. To better understand her problems, Mr. Lyle, I suggest you enter the dream yourself to experience it firsthand."

"No problem. How do I enter the dream, like last time?" Lyle had previously received an item from Irason that allowed him to invade someone else’s dreams, the Immersive Stone.

Susanna shook her head.

"I have heard about what Elan did before. But this time it’s different, the dream we are to delve into is not that of a single person, but the Emerald Dream, a collective of the dreams of all beings, another plane. It is deeper than anyone’s dream, harder to enter and harder to awaken from. You can think of it as our minds and bodies temporarily separating, entering an imagined world. The Emerald Dream is easy to get lost in for most people, so you’ll need an expert dream guide, a Dream Guide."

"Me me me! Lyle! I’ll be your Dream Guide, I’m the best at lulling people to sleep!" Irason volunteered energetically, earning a distrustful glance from Lyle.

"I have serious doubts about your intentions, Your Eminence Irason."

"How could you, I’m the gentle Green Dragon Priest, the most outstanding Dreamwalker, leading someone into dreams is a piece of cake. Besides, Lyle, you don’t have many choices," Irason hummed with smug confidence, hands on her hips, "If not me, would you choose Susanna as your Dream Guide..."

"I choose Ms. Susanna," Lyle declared, needing no time to think, as he stood beside the ever-silent Governor who had been quiet since the beginning.

"Eh?" Irason’s eyes began to show concern, and with a trembling hand reaching out, she looked at Susanna, hesitant to speak, "That... that, Lyle, I must have heard wrong, you’ve only just met Susanna, relationship-wise, we’re closer, aren’t you really choosing me?"

"We are indeed closer, Irason," Lyle nodded, "but it’s precisely because I’m familiar with you that I know you always fail at critical moments. It’s because I understand you that I choose Susanna."

"How can you do this! Clearly... Lyle, don’t be naughty, hurry over here! Susanna... she has some rather unsavory traits."

Lyle paused for a moment, then turned to glance at the tall Elf Executive, and beneath the wooden mask, Susanna revealed a smile.

What’s going on? Is there also a problem here? It seems I’ve found myself between a rock and a hard place. On one side, there’s the obviously unreliable Irason, and on the other, Susanna, the lily Governor who evidently harbors hostility toward me.

Grinding his teeth, Lyle swallowed his pride.

"Ms. Susanna, you are a very capable and charming lady, please forgive my somewhat impudent question, but are you fit to be my Dream Guide?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Through the seams of her wooden armor, Lyle saw Susanna’s smile grow even brighter, that confident and firm voice in his ear.

"Of course, I am one of the most powerful Dream Druids in the Dream Ridge, and also a master of Sleep Spell, I am the most efficient one."

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then I’m counting on you."

Lyle thought to himself that although Susanna held some animosity toward him because of the issues with Irason, it was not difficult to see from their short interaction that this Governor had a high professional ethic, prioritizing the greater good, and Susanna would probably not be too hard on him.

Susanna slowly raised her hand, the radiant life-giving green bloomed within her grasp and then gently touched Lyle’s forehead. The moment they made contact, an intoxicatingly warm sensation filled Lyle’s mind.

This delightful warmth was the healing power of the Force of Nature.

Indeed, Susanna was a thoughtful person but, why cast a Healing Spell? I’m not injured.

"To negate the tiny ’Instant Death’ chance brought on by my ’Sleep Spell’," Susanna’s voice sounded next to Lyle’s ear, and in that moment, Lyle felt as if he had plunged into an ice pit.

That hand covered his head, the clear sensation of touch, the inertia of muscle tension pulling his body, and the weightlessness told Lyle everything he needed to know.

Susanna, damn it, this woman majored in physical combat. This dame, she’s a war deity.

Within less than a second, Nia’s tentacles and the ominously dark shadows were suppressed, and the terrifying might flung Lyle backwards.

Boom! An earthquake erupted in the Dream Forest, startling the birds into flight.

Lyle was embedded in the crumbling earth, his body out of sight amongst the fractured soil layers, his fate unknown.

Sleep Spell (Physical) [Instant Death Negated], Forbidden-level spellcasting complete.