Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 796 - 737 The Beginning of the Nightmare

The Spirit of Nature had already plunged into celebration, commemorating the Moon Crown Festival. Although Dream Elves could not dance with them, they also had their own way of celebrating.

Entering into dreams from the Druid Cave, their spiritual bodies sank into the glowing lands of dreams below their feet while they fantasized whether the administrators might secretly update and add new content for the festival. Transforming into a player, the Dream Elf looked around and let out a sigh of both disappointment and relief; there were no changes.

"Lazy planning! Comrades, let’s venture forth boldly during the Moon Crown Festival!" Players, in high spirits amidst slaying monsters, couldn’t help but jest about those administrators who wouldn’t adapt to local customs. Amidst such an atmosphere, a special player stepped onto the land of the Dreamland.

Tiffany tossed her long hair, the moment her hand grasped the hunting bow she entered disguise. Her reclass was a Hunter, specialized in the path of the Specter Hunter. As the core of the Queen Faction, Tiffany’s choice of profession leaned toward representing the Elf Clans as an archer; her agility was good, and she enjoyed playing solo quite a bit. Because of governance issues and the loose discipline of the Queen Faction, she had little time for gaming, and her gear level was slightly behind the front-line teams, but Tiffany could accept that, until she got backstabbed by an assassin squad a few times.

Tiffany didn’t show it, but those restrictive clauses decreed by Her Majesty were completely selfish, for even she couldn’t tolerate the players’ misbehavior. Previously, without a real-name system, Tiffany frustratingly had her own Guard Corps slaughtered several times; her equipment level was far too low, there was no winning, and she was even camped at her corpse. Indeed, she could reveal her identity and punish those Regicides, but exploding in defeat was too embarrassing. Now with the real-name system, even though Tiffany indeed stressed that real world hierarchy should not carry into the game, at least those assassins from the Guard Corps should weigh their actions after seeing her face.

Tiffany suddenly felt a little uneasy recalling her most loyal retainer, Kylo Servblade, who had elegantly slipped into the shadows.

"No matter, the game is what matters, finally no need to sneak around to play." Tiffany walked into the jungle, beginning her own adventure.

...

Tonight, the Dreamland was decidedly more lively, the players’ clamor almost penetrating the barrier of the Emerald Dream, reaching the towering ramparts that segregated the subconscious sea. The light of Holy Light illuminated the dreamscape like a beautiful lighthouse, while in the tumultuous tides below, obscure whispers were brewing.

[The slumberer... shall soon awaken...]

[We... are the vanguard...]

The writhing sea of subconsciousness began to churn, the roaring soul waves fiercely slamming against the ramparts, the Power of Dreams keeping the chaos at bay. As the waves subsided, twisted limbs clung to the bottom of the ramparts.

The pustule-covered limbs squirmed like worms, lifting the contorted body of the nightmare entity beneath the sea, a nightmare creature the size of a hillock, its body pulsing. This mutated heart of a monster had matured, its evolutionary stage closing in on the nightmare behemoth that Susanna manifested. After Lyle had taken all the Invisible Children away, the Evil God’s immune system responded anew.

[Erosion... Incubation...] The tips of the tentacles tapped the ramparts, the pus-covered lumps began to glow, quietly penetrating the barrier formed by the Power of Dreams and Holy Light, unbeknownst to anyone. The squirming nightmare did not climb over the ramparts; its body shrank with soft explosions, like a bursting bubble. The towering ramparts regained calm as if nothing had happened.

...

Susanna was restless tonight. She wasn’t sure why, but the Dreamland had an excessive number of players entering into dreams tonight. The Blue Dragon server was already operating at a hyper-speed. Irason was skiving off somewhere, while Lyle would whimsically add whatever he pleased into the depths of the dreamscape, the spell code errors frequent, courtesy of this young Evil God and his Invisible Children group.

"Thank you for declining Lyle’s last-minute suggestion tonight, Governor," said the Blue Dragon, who was busy inspecting spell models near Susanna, taking a moment to express gratitude to the aloof Governor.

Susanna ceased her probing into Dreamland, her voice softened considerably against Kristo as she recalled Lyle’s recent eagerness to prepare a grand gift for the Dream Elf.

"Rejecting him was due to my self-interest, it just so happens that our goals aligned."

The image of Kristo paused in a human-like manner, perhaps trying to break the silence.

"Governor, you are still worried about those Children of the Void."

Susanna did not hide it and nodded in agreement, "Taming them was Lyle’s most absurd decision. I have a connection with those young ones, and I truly understand the difference between them and me. Lyle is playing with fire..." The towering Governor appeared somewhat vulnerable, a display of inner turmoil that she should never have shown to the Blue Dragon at any time, and Kristo was certain that Susanna was indeed exhausted. "He is indirectly blurring my concepts, there’s always a voice inside my head, telling me not to view those of my kind as enemies. But I cannot do so, if I accept them, I will also accept that assimilating love... I need to rest for a bit."

Kristo conveyed agreement and bid farewell to the ascending Susanna. The Blue Dragon was now located in the deeper layers beneath the Emerald Dream, regions where one would surely get lost without the guidance of a Druid. The adept arcane Blue Dragon had already set up magical conduits along the way, and, without the Power of Dreams, he could transform into mana and follow the conduits back to the Emerald Dream.

Susanna returned to the realm of Dreamland, back to the City of Origin where players gathered. Taking several deep breaths, the Governor felt significantly relieved. The depth of Dreamland now teemed with glowing mana runes, but the feeling of dark confinement still lingered. Reminding herself mockingly within that she was born from chaos, akin to suffering from thalassophobia, Susanna had indeed changed quite a lot after being acquainted with Irason for such a long time, developing a fondness for sunlight and greenery. Preferring these lower-level energies, like the simple Power of Dreams, the somewhat stinging Holy Light, and the sweet Power of the Evil God, Lyle had actually managed to erode so much with his mere presence...

!!!

Susanna felt a chill, this flavor was all too familiar—it was the power that delighted every part of her being, a force originating from chaos. The potent power oozed from the environment of Dreamland, intensifying and dragging down the Governor’s spirit. Lyle was certainly not capable of this extent.

Black and purple thorns burst into growth in the pure white City of Origin, twisting Dreamland, assimilating souls. She felt like she was burning, each thread of power growing restless. Leveraging her administrator privileges, Susanna immediately triggered the emergency alert of Dreamland.

[Everyone! Immediately approach strong NPCs and return to the City of Origin with them! This is an order! Execute immediately!]

Strong tremors ensued, dragged forth by Susanna’s power; the entirety of Dreamland was shaking. It was not Susanna in control, but the response of another entity that had detected the Power of the Evil God.

The reaction came from the earth itself.

The Dreamland, had turned into a land of nightmares.