Chapter 1699 First Attempt <TOC> Chapter 1701 Perfect Suppression
Translator: SumTLMan
Toby flapped his wings and found himself in the middle of the corridor.
On either side of him stood two doors.
To his left, there was a plain wooden door. Had Angel seen it, he would recognize it as the entrance to the villa he once stayed in when he was a junior apprentice in the Mirror World’s Apprentice Town Number 8.
As for the door on the right, it wasn’t guarded by a tangible door panel. Instead, a gray mist stood as his substitute. The fog hovered at the entrance, constantly shifting in his density. Even without stepping through, it emitted a foreboding aura.
Toby longingly stared at the door on the left. He knew well that behind that wooden door awaited a bounty of dried fish, beautiful clothing, and pleasant music — a veritable paradise. However, even though his eyes were fixated on this “paradise,” his rationality and actions propelled him towards the door on the right.
As Toby stood before the misty doorway, he whispered to himself, “Once I conquer this challenge, I can then celebrate behind the other door. My little master would surely grant me this small wish, right?”
With that hope in mind, Toby mustered his courage, flapped his wings vigorously, and dove into the gray mist.
As Toby entered the mist, outside in the real world, atop Azure Tower, Angel’s gaze shifted from the House of Hearts, and he looked out the window.
What was once a clear blue sky was abruptly overshadowed by a roar, as thick clouds covered the bright sun, darkening the day. Within those dense clouds, lightning danced like serpents.
Drip, drip——
“It’s raining,” Freud remarked as he glanced out the window. Turning back to Angel, whose brows were furrowed with concern, he inquired, “My lord, has something happened?”
Angel paused for a moment, nodding, “It’s here.”
“It’s here? What’s here?” At first, Freud didn’t understand what Angel meant. But when Angel turned his gaze to Toby, who was lying on the table, Freud immediately realized, “Lord, are you referring to the Tribulation of Resentment?”
Angel nodded. Since he single-handedly created the Wilderness of Dreams, he could initially sense things beyond this miniature world. Now, with the Power Tree, the Wilderness of Dreams is completely under his control, making him even more sensitive to external information interacting with the diorama.
Just now, Angel sensed an emotional accumulation, which, relative to the size of the Wilderness of Dreams, wasn’t vast. Using Toby as a medium, it seemed to want to penetrate into this miniature world.
Without a doubt, this was the genuine Tribulation of Resentment.
Angel had felt it before and was very clear that when the Tribulation of Resentment wants to enter the Wilderness of Dreams through Toby, it signifies…
“Toby has started confronting the Serpent-Bird of Resentment? Or perhaps, the projection of the Tribulation of Resentment?” Freud inquired.
“Yes.” Angel gazed at Toby, who seemed to be asleep, with a hint of hope in his eyes. According to Frost, outsiders could hardly assist Toby during this ordeal. Everything depended on Toby’s condition. Even now, even if Angel utilized the House of Hearts to let Toby confront the Tribulation of Resentment ahead of time, he was merely offering a relatively superior environment. In the end, whether Toby could overcome the Tribulation of Resentment depended on Toby himself.
“Now that he has begun confronting the Tribulation of Resentment, it implies that there must be an emotional surge in reality. I’ll return to the real world to check the situation. Please look after Toby in the meantime,” Angel said to Freud. After giving Toby another glance, he slowly exited the Wilderness of Dreams.
Simultaneously, the real-world Angel opened his eyes.
Upon standing up, he immediately looked ahead. At this moment, Shirley was standing in the center of the “Passionate Song of Fate.”
Due to the influence of the magic formation, the area around Shirley was enveloped in complete darkness, with only the glowing runes of the magic formation visible.
In time, Shirley seemed to sense something. Her gaze shifted to Toby, who lay in slumber. She quickly brought her hands together in a gesture of prayer, closed her eyes, and whispered softly.
At this moment, Shirley’s expression was calm and serene, contrasting greatly with her usually mischievous witch-like demeanor. Toby, who was deep in his dreams, showed no signs of distress, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
Angel was fully aware that Toby was currently confronting the Tribulation of Resentment. However, judging by the situation in reality, there was no dark mist on Toby representing this tribulation, and this was undoubtedly due to Shirley’s intervention.
Angel let out a slight sigh of relief. Given the present situation, it was evident that Shirley’s innate abilities were beneficial for Toby. Moreover, she hadn’t even activated the “Passionate Song of Fate” yet and was already able to suppress the tribulation. If Toby were to face a dire situation, and Shirley genuinely invoked the “Passionate Song of Fate,” it might allow Toby to confront the Resentment from the House of Hearts fully, unlike the previous time when Angel had to intervene midway.
As Angel observed, a gentle magical energy suddenly connected with him.
Turning his head, he saw Gloria approaching him. In the mental space, a soft pink thread connected the two.
This was a third level spell, the “Mental Link.”
Angel did not resist, allowing his mental energy to flow into the thread constructed by Gloria.
“You’re awake?” The fluctuations in Gloria’s spiritual energy conveyed a message: “Now that you’ve awakened from the dream, does it mean that Toby has begun to confront what you call… the Resentment from the lucid dream?”
The Mental Link establishes a direct connection between spirits, making it possible to clearly sense the emotions of those involved. While Gloria’s message seemed serious and sincere, Angel subtly perceived a hint of teasing in her words.
Gloria clearly doubted the “Dream Initiation” concept that Angel had spoken about.
Angel, feigning ignorance of Gloria’s teasing, replied as usual, “Yes, just as before, because Toby has started confronting the Tribulation of Resentment, there must have been a backlash in reality, which is why I came out to see. But now, observing Toby’s mood, it seems quite stable. Shirley’s power indeed can suppress Toby’s surging negative emotions.”
Raising an eyebrow, Gloria noticed that the information Angel conveyed was sincere, and she couldn’t detect any lies. Meaning, Angel might not be lying at all; was Toby really confronting the Tribulation of Resentment?
Gloria couldn’t fathom how Toby could circumvent confronting the Tribulation of Resentment directly and still manage to tackle it in an indirect manner. Could it truly be the Dream Initiation?
Gloria had experienced Dream Initiation before, but the rules of such dreams were chaotic. Could such a dream truly reflect this kind of reaction in reality?
Shaking her head, Gloria momentarily set aside the information that Angel seemed to intentionally obscure, choosing instead to prioritize Toby’s condition: “Do you think Shirley can truly fulfill your plan?”
Angel responded, “It’s hard to say. When Toby’s emotions reach their peak in the dream, it’ll undoubtedly manifest in reality. By then, it will be a matter of whether Shirley can control it. If she can, then the plan would be Half Successful.”
Gloria inquired, “Only half successful?”
Angel nodded, “The other half depends on whether Toby can withstand over a hundred confrontations with the Tribulation of Resentment and, within those confrontations, find a way to deal with the tribulation.”
In other words, if Shirley can consistently control Toby’s emotional surges, Angel’s experiment would essentially be a success.
Human efforts have been fully exerted. Whether it’ll be a success now depends on Toby himself, and perhaps a bit of luck.
Chapter 1699 First Attempt <TOC> Chapter 1701 Perfect Suppression