Chapter 2002 Illusionary Cottage <TOC> Chapter 2004 The Strange City
Translator: SumTLMan
Babaya once read in a travelogue about an author’s personal account, a mortal who had never encountered transcendent powers rashly entered the world of wizards, and the shock that overturned one’s worldview was a kind of spiritual baptism leading to growth. When you realize that beneath the superficial world lies a bloody and dirty struggle, then you are a qualified transcendent.
Babaya herself had experienced the shock of her first encounter with the transcendent world, a shock that could shake one’s core beliefs, and she still remembers how she felt at that time.
Now, in this region known as the Wilderness of Dreams, Babaya once again experienced a similar shock.
Both the external environment and the world of thought gave Babaya a sense of impact on her spirit.
The body is her own, yet it doesn’t feel like it; the magic power is controllable, yet it seems slightly different from before.
Even the elements in the air had a strange feeling: her senses told her that this is real; yet, her subconscious mind was denying their existence.
This was an experience Babaya had never encountered before.
Even though she had been in this world for half an hour, her thoughts were still in a state of confusion.
“Babaya, it’s your turn.” Kudou nudged her from behind, bringing her back from her daze.
Babaya looked up and saw the curly-haired man sitting across the desk smiling at her slightly: “Don’t worry, this is just an Identity Registration. Actually, as transcendent beings, you don’t need to register, but since the new city hasn’t started construction yet, and you have to stay in Initial Heart City for now, it’s better to register to avoid any trouble.”
Babaya nodded. Although identity registration wasn’t something Lord Pat had asked for, Lord Pat had entrusted them to this man, so he likely wouldn’t harm them. Moreover, everyone else had already registered, and Babaya wouldn’t want to be the odd one out.
“Babaya, a member of the Kulakuka tribe, sixteen years old…”
After registering her identity, the curly-haired man at the desk quickly organized the information and handed it over to his assistant. He then told them, “You now have a legal identity in Initial Heart City and enjoy the benefits of its citizens. You can inquire about the specific terms at the service desk on the first floor of Azure Tower later.”
“A legal resident of Initial Heart City?” Kudou scratched his head, feeling confused about the day’s events. He had thought he was here to participate in research, but suddenly it had turned into joining the citizenship of a city.
“Do you have any objections to that?” the curly-haired man asked with a smile.
Despite the smile, Kudou felt a chill down his spine. He quickly shook his head: “No objections, I’m just a bit surprised. Why haven’t I heard about this place before?”
“How long have you been a transcendent? It’s normal that you haven’t heard about it.”
“But, Lord Pat…” Kudou tried to argue, but the man across from him interrupted.
“If Lord Pat didn’t tell you about this place, do you think I, as a loyal subordinate of Lord Pat, would overstep my bounds?” the curly-haired man said with a light laugh. “Besides, you’re here for research, not to dig into the bottom of things. Or is it that, compared to the task Lord Pat has entrusted to you, you’re more concerned about the truth here?”
Hearing this, Kudou immediately backed down. Lord Pat had asked them to join the research, which was obviously to help them. It wouldn’t be good to upset him because of this. Just as the curly-haired man said, they were here to do a task, and there was no need to overthink it.
“Now that we’ve registered, what’s our next task?” Babaya asked at this point.
“Someone will take you to meet Mr. Jon shortly. He’s the initiator of this research. Remember, Mr. Jon will determine your final task evaluation, so you’d better make a good impression in front of him.” The curly-haired man paused for a moment: “Oh, and a friendly tip, be respectful to Mr. Jon. His status is countless times more important than yours.”
After speaking, the curly-haired man waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
“What about me?” At this moment, Baruba, who had been silently standing at the back, suddenly spoke up, asking, “The lord assigned me to a construction task, should I also follow them?”
“One of the persons in charge of the construction task is Mr. Jon. So, you need to report to him first.”
Baruba nodded, “I understand… May I ask you one last question?”
“Please do.”
“Do you, do you know a wizard apprentice nicknamed ‘Dream Reader’?” Baruba earnestly looked at the man behind the desk, attempting to discern some clues from his expression.
The curly-haired man did not hesitate and smiled slightly, “I thought my reputation had completely vanished along with the closure of the Purification Garden, but it seems someone still remembers me. You ask if I know Dream Reader, of course, I do, because that used to be my nickname.”
…
After leaving the office, Baruba’s brows were furrowed, lost in thought.
Kudou: “Big guy, the Dream Reader you asked about, is that the person who registered our identities?”
Babaya also looked over, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Baruba usually didn’t like interacting with people, but considering these two would be staying with Lord Pat to undertake tasks, he thought for a moment and replied, “When I was working at the alchemy shop, I had seen nearly a hundred issues of —City Firefly’s Night Whisper—. One issue mentioned a potential seed at Hurricane Tower called ‘Dream Reader’ Freud. I remember the photo in the magazine, it looked almost identical to the person we just saw.”
“So he’s called Freud, from Hurricane Tower? How did our lord get involved with him?” Kudou began to imagine the intricate conflicts between wizard organizations, spies and counter-spies, with a narrative as thrilling as in a political intrigue novel.
But just as Kudou was getting carried away with his speculations, Baruba suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“According to the records, ‘Dream Reader’ Freud has been confirmed… dead.”
This statement struck like a bolt from the blue, stunning both Kudou and Babaya.
“The person who just registered us, was someone who’s dead? How is that possible?”
“Are you serious? He’s really dead?” Babaya couldn’t help but ask.
Baruba nodded: “It’s true.”
“If he’s dead, then the person who was talking to us, could it be a soul? Is this place, perhaps, a realm of spirits?” Kudou’s imagination swiftly shifted from political intrigue to ghostly tales.
“I don’t know, but Freud wasn’t wrong; we don’t need to speculate too much. We’re just here to complete a task, and it doesn’t matter even if it’s a world of spirits; at least the lord won’t harm us,” Baruba paused, “Don’t think too much. The world of formal wizards is beyond our apprentice’s conjecture. Focus on the task at hand.”
Chapter 2002 Illusionary Cottage <TOC> Chapter 2004 The Strange City