“Most of your bodies were trembling slightly, which is strange, and your attitudes were off. I even brought back medicine, yet you didn't seem to care much.”
Lin Ye spotted the problem immediately. The five survivors he had killed were arranged oddly, and their bodies were not trembling at all.
“After you left, those... pseudo-humans took control of us. They must have slipped in through the mist.”
Jeffrey said, still a bit shaken.
“Really? I didn't notice them at all.”
Lin Ye felt it wasn't that pseudo-humans had replaced the original survivors. Something had turned the survivors into pseudo-humans, otherwise he would have detected the anomaly.
The real survivors began dealing with the corpses. The injured survivors came to Lin Ye and asked him to treat their wounds. Jeffrey and some prison guards clustered around the injured guard, checking his condition.
That was how normal people reacted.
Lin Ye picked a few survivors whose wounds were seriously infected. While treating them, he taught the others how to handle wounds.
After instructing the survivors, Lin Ye found Jeffrey and said,
“I need to rest for a bit. Arrange the night watch and wake me immediately if anything goes wrong.”
As an ordinary man, the previous surgery and fighting had drained Lin Ye of a lot of energy. He was exhausted.
“No problem. Get some rest. Want me to bring you something to eat?”
Jeffrey did not want Lin Ye to collapse. Without Lin Ye, they would have been done for.
“No, I can manage myself.”
Lin Ye ate a little, then found a safe corner, closed his eyes, and began to rest.
But soon his consciousness became completely alert, because he had left the Dream World and entered another area.
“Where is this?”
Lin Ye glanced at Little Guardian standing beside him and asked.
“This is the interior of a Dreamrealm structure. You just fell asleep, but only for five minutes.”
Little Guardian answered calmly.
“A dream within a dream? If I fall asleep here, will I wake up over there?”
Lin Ye worried about the situation on the other side. They might not be sharing one body, and if he died over there, it could affect his consciousness.
“I don't know, but you should handle things here first.”
Little Guardian had been protecting Lin Ye's consciousness here. This area was not safe.
“Are those... Dreamstones?”
Lin Ye showed a puzzled expression. He stood inside a chamber piled with Dreamstones. They looked like part of a ritual, supplying power for its operation.
Everywhere here were Dreamstones that were extremely valuable outside. If he could get them all out, he'd be set.
“That’s right, but these Dreamstones are very dangerous. Contact with them could drag you into the depths of the Dreamrealm.”
Little Guardian had been helping Lin Ye control the Dinosaur Body to avoid approaching Dreamstones.
These Dreamstones could move.
“Isn't this the depths of the Dreamrealm?”
Lin Ye didn't understand Little Guardian's meaning.
“This only penetrates deeply into the Dreamrealm plane, not the true depths. The true depths are far scarier... something like that.”
Little Guardian had obtained some information from those Dreamstones.
“That is terrifying.”
Lin Ye watched the Dreamstones' movement patterns and tried to understand the ritual's purpose, but this seemed to be only a corner of the ceremony, providing no useful information.
“Can we go somewhere else?”
Lin Ye wanted to explore other places for information.
“You can, but if we leave here, I might not be able to guarantee your safety after you fall asleep.”
Little Guardian pointed to a nearby passage; they could go to other areas through it.
“There's no point staying here either. I'll try to stay awake.”
Lin Ye headed toward the passage as some Dreamstones drifted past him without touching his body.
The passage was also lined with many Dreamstones, but these ones did not move. They seemed fixed to the sides.
Lin Ye did not touch those Dreamstones, even though Little Guardian did not sense danger from them.
These Dreamstones linked two regions. If they interfered with them, it might destabilize the ritual.
Lin Ye quickly reached another area, also piled with Dreamstones. Unlike the previous area, these Dreamstones were not dangerous.
“Should we take the Dreamstones from here? We could stay longer and wait for you to complete that dream, or wait until you get pulled back.”
Little Guardian was unsure of the distinction between these regions and could only judge the danger level to Lin Ye's consciousness.
“That depends on there being no changes here.”
The safer places often posed greater risk. Lin Ye felt this area was even more dangerous than the earlier one.
“Then head to the next area?”
Little Guardian pointed to a nearby passage and asked.
“No, let's go back.”
As a Trap Master, Lin Ye felt like they were venturing deeper into danger.
They returned along the passage to the first area. Except for some Dreamstones shifting positions, nothing else seemed different.
“Huh? There seems to be some change here...”
Little Guardian scanned the surroundings. Her perspective differed from Lin Ye’s, so she noticed different details.
“The whole ritual shifted. Entering the passage altered the ritual... something's wrong over there. I need to sleep a bit. Watch my body here and don't go elsewhere.”
Lin Ye found a relatively safe spot, entrusted his body to Little Guardian, and closed his eyes.
When Lin Ye opened his eyes, he was back in the Back Kitchen. Jeffrey was gently shaking him.
Lin Ye didn't make a sound, just glanced around, then looked at Jeffrey.
Jeffrey did not speak either; he pointed at the Back Kitchen's only window.
Lin Ye looked toward the window. At first he didn't notice anything, but soon realized the window type had changed.
Originally the kitchen window slid left and right, but now it was like a door that opened inward into the room.
“I posted a prison guard near the window for the night watch, but that guard disappeared.”
Jeffrey whispered into Lin Ye's ear.
As he spoke, the window suddenly opened halfway, leaving the other half still closed.
Jeffrey hurriedly fell silent, fearing his voice had triggered it.
Lin Ye looked outside but saw nothing. The only change seemed to be the window itself.
Outside, the fog was thick. Something might be hiding in that mist.
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