Chapter 891 Idyllic Diorama of Possibilities <TOC> Chapter 893 The Effect of Authority
Translator: SumTLMan
When Angel regained consciousness, he found himself still reclining within the Wilderness of Dreams.
In the instant he opened his eyes, his mental faculties had a momentary lapse. But swiftly, a series of images began to materialize in his mind.
“A microcosmic landscape,” Angel muttered softly.
Initially, the Wilderness of Dreams was merely a diorama, a small scale depiction. Presently, it seemed that the colossal entity had absented itself, but who was to say it would not return? Or perhaps, the “god” outside this miniature world might be replaced by another entity?
Angel raised his gaze, beholding the somewhat hazy skies above.
Perchance, beyond those celestial bounds, someone was meeting his gaze. A gaze filled with scorn and an arrogant condescension from an elevated perspective.
If he wished to avoid being a spectacle within this tiny model of reality, the only way was to emulate the golden haired figure from his dreams, breaking free of all constraints. The precondition to all of this, however, was the amplification of his own strength.
Angel gave a wry smile and shook his head. It was still premature for him to ponder on these matters. His journey toward self-realization had not even commenced, yet he was entertaining thoughts of transcending selfhood.
He compartmentalized his previous dreams, sealing them deep within his psyche, and started contemplating his current predicament.
After enduring immense hardship to integrate a certain ability, he needed to research what benefits this new ability could bring him.
Closely sensing the flow of information regarding this new ability in his mind, the first power Angel had managed to integrate was known as: The Gate of Dreams.
The so-called “Gate of Dreams” was a sub-ability under the classification of “pseudo spatial laws”.
Spatial laws were, of course, very clear terms, implying manipulation of space. But when the word “pseudo” was prefixed, it suggested that the spatial laws of the Wilderness of Dreams were deceptive. Because the Wilderness of Dreams was contingent on the Dream Realm, which was an illusory domain. Ordinary people, upon having lucid dreams, could become creators in the Dream Realm. Consequently, the laws and abilities manifested in the Wilderness of Dreams, like the Dream Realm itself, were all hollow pretenses.
Hence, the prefix “pseudo” was appended.
Although this kind of pseudo spatial law was incapable of manipulating the real-world space, it could be utilized within the Wilderness of Dreams.
Having carefully reviewed the ability of the “Gate of Dreams,” Angel discerned its general purport to be: the wielder of this ability can preside over the positioning of foreign entities entering the Wilderness of Dreams.
To illustrate, suppose Angel grants Freud the entry to the Wilderness of Dreams. In the absence of a precise location, he would be randomly cast into some area within the expanse of the dream wilderness.
Now that Angel possesses the “Gate of Dreams”, he can place Freud at a specific location within the wilderness. For instance, Angel had previously brought a small building from Tyson Lane into the dream world. If he so desires, he could place Freud specifically in that building.
“This power, although it doesn’t touch the core abilities of the Nightmare Domain’s main body, is nevertheless an important one,” Angel pondered, uncertain if this “Gate of Dreams” power could control the positioning of objects entering the Wilderness of Dreams. Could it guide non-living entities that are forcibly pulled into the dream wilderness by the Dream Conch?
If that’s the case, the significance of this power would be immediately elevated to an incredibly high degree, and “Infinite Alchemy” could become a promising future possibility.
With that in mind, Angel decided to leave the Wilderness of Dreams to test this hypothesis. But before departing, there was another task he had to complete.
A light sphere, bound by green lines, appeared leisurely in the palm of his hand. This sphere is the body of the Nightmare Domain. It has now lost two powers: one was stripped away and returned to the Wilderness of Dreams, while the other has been absorbed by Angel.
Yet despite this, the size of the sphere has hardly diminished, attesting to the sphere’s comprehensive and abundant abilities.
After integrating the first power, Angel understood the sphere much more deeply. He realized that at this point, the sphere could not leave the Wilderness of Dreams.
The reason being, it was this sphere that maintained the balance of the Wilderness of Dreams. If the sphere were to be removed, the dream wilderness would instantly become unstable, quickly tilting towards the Dream Realm.
Therefore, Angel planned to find a place to properly secure the sphere.
He pondered and concluded that currently, as the sphere was bound by green lines, it was to a certain extent under his control. Anchoring it in the sky seemed safer than on the ground since he planned to let many creatures enter the Wilderness of Dreams, and on the ground, it was more likely to be discovered.
Angel flew straight up to a misty area in the sky and set the sphere there.
Of course, this was only a temporary solution. When he found the time in the future, he would craft a more secretive item, bring it into the Wilderness of Dreams, and use it to house the sphere.
Having made certain of no oversights, Angel made his return to the realm of reality.
……
Upon Angel’s return to reality, he had planned to immediately conduct his experiment, but he had clearly underestimated his own condition.
When he integrated the first power, his brain was subjected to an onslaught of information, which automatically depleted his body’s energy to compensate. This substantial expenditure, combined with the lack of immediate replenishment, plunged him into a state of weakness.
However, such a condition could be remedied with nourishment and rest.
Yet, besides the state of debility, he had overlooked another matter – a part of him had once again merged with the golden haired figure: his right hand.
No sooner had Angel returned to reality and planned his next step when a boundless pain, originating from his right hand, spread throughout his entire body.
Were there a wizard present, they could clearly observe through the Eye of True Sight a monumental transformation taking place within Angel’s right hand. Bones were growing, nerves and tendons breaking and restructuring.
Before long, his right arm was forcibly elongated, contrasting sharply with his left. More than this, a novel vein, like the one formed when his right hand was fused the last time, permeated his entire body from his right hand.
As per Sanders’ explanation, this was the Projection Bloodline.
The collapse and restructuring of his right hand, the pain of the bloodline fusion, coupled with his existing bodily weakness, these triple afflictions plunged Angel into an abyss of suffering.
He lacked even the strength to scream out in pain, his pores excreting an abundance of tainted blood in response to this ordeal.
This terrifying spectacle left Toby utterly flabbergasted. Though Angel had been bleeding earlier, the blood flow had ceased after a short while, and his breathing had returned to normal. As a result, Toby was worried but did not make any moves.
Now, however, Angel was in a horrific state despite having his eyes open.
Looking at the incessant flow of tainted blood, at Angel’s forehead pulsating with bulging veins, and his bloodshot eyes… Toby was truly terrified this time.
It longed to seek help with Angel in tow but had no clue whom to turn to. Moreover, it dared not move Angel’s body for fear of triggering some unexpected event.
In this predicament, Toby pondered and retrieved some potions from the Snowy Feather.
Some of these were prepared by Angel while others were given by Gloria. Unsure of which potion to use, Toby eventually chose a mild one that didn’t require ingestion but could restore vitality.
By a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Angel found himself at the precipice of severe exhaustion, having expelled a copious amount of blood and lost a significant amount of energy.
Toby’s chosen potion, in this critical juncture, turned out to be an unexpected panacea, filling the emptiness consuming him from within.
Most importantly, the potion Toby selected was gentle. This, for Angel who was teetering on the edge of a breakdown, was an absolute godsend. A more potent concoction could have upset the delicate balance of his energy flow and blood.
Even after partaking in this elixir, Angel found his body wracked with lingering pain, but there was a semblance of strength returning to him.
Fighting back discomfort, his trembling fingers pointed to a selection of potions Toby had placed nearby – all gentle remedies designed to restore vitality and replenish energy.
Grasping Angel’s intent, Toby promptly fetched the potions one by one, pouring their contents into Angel’s waiting mouth.
In due course, Angel felt a slight resurgence of energy.
Lying on the ground, gasping for breath, with Toby nestled beside his damp hair, they shared a moment of exhausted relief.
The pain was gradually ebbing away, yet the repercussion of forcefully replenishing the massive energy and blood loss was now making its presence known. His head spun slightly, but he managed to utter a few words to Toby: “I need to rest, don’t worry.”
Then, he descended into the comforting embrace of unconsciousness.
When Angel awoke, a week had already passed.
On awakening, he felt somewhat feeble but his spirits remained relatively high. His limbs felt limp and when he attempted to sit up, he found himself devoid of strength.
Worse still, a revolting stench lingered in the air.
A nauseating blend of the smell of blood and the fetor of decaying waste. Turning his head, he was met with the sight of his surroundings smeared in a grim tableau of his own blood and filth.
Given the sweltering summer heat, the bloodied mess had fermented in the sultry air, producing an extremely offensive odor, while also attracting a throng of writhing worms.
At this moment, Toby was perched on Angel’s chest, flicking away the worms with a grayish mist, reducing them to mere dust.
The accumulation of the worms’ carcasses only served to intensify the stench.
With a sigh, Angel extended a feeble hand, pulling a jet-black top hat from the spacial bracelet.
This hat was part of the quirky ‘Count’ costume set that Daedweia had once given him, upon which he had imprinted a third-level spell: Purification Field.
Upon activating the Purification Field, the impurities surrounding him instantly vanished, returning the air’s scent to normality.
This act brought a thrill of joy to Toby, who hopped up to Angel’s cheek in a few swift jumps, rubbing his little head against Angel in an undeniable display of affection.
A faint smile touched Angel’s pale face. “Don’t worry, I’m okay now. Thanks to your potion, or I might have actually fallen here.”
He had a clear understanding of the situation now and looking back, it was incredibly frightening.
If Toby hadn’t been there, he might have genuinely broken down on the spot. He couldn’t help blaming himself for being too engrossed in the main body of the Nightmare Domain while in the Wilderness of Dreams, completely forgetting his right hand had just undergone a new integration. It was this incomplete consideration that had caused the problem in the end.
From now on, he couldn’t only look at the current situation when faced with any problems. He also had to consider if it might bring about unexpected complications in the future.
Chapter 891 Idyllic Diorama of Possibilities <TOC> Chapter 893 The Effect of Authority