Chapter 906 Beginnings <TOC> Chapter 908 Jon's First Encounter
Translator: SumTLMan
At dawn, when Ollie maneuvered the serving trolley into Angel’s room, she found him deeply engrossed in his writing. Piles of thick papers surrounded him, with a few drafts carelessly scattered on the floor.
Seeing that Angel hadn’t noticed her, Ollie knelt down, intending to tidy up the stray sheets first.
In the process, she couldn’t help but cast a curious glance at the content on the draft paper.
Complex three-dimensional geometric patterns, a myriad of peculiar symbols, and rows of formulas filled with cryptic characters. Although Ollie couldn’t decipher these formulas, for some inexplicable reason, these numerical figures seemed to possess a certain allure, riveting her gaze, compelling her to keep looking at them.
In Ollie’s eyes, these numbers and formulas seemed to animate, slowly revolving, eventually forming a gloomy gateway. The door was saturated with temptation, with a voice seemingly coaxing her at her ear, luring her to cross the threshold…
Rip—
With a sudden tremble, Ollie snapped back from her peculiar state.
When she lifted her head, she found Angel, clad in a thin white shirt, standing before her, seemingly out of nowhere. The early morning breeze fluttered the curtains, and the warm sunlight delicately traced Angel’s handsome profile.
“Ollie, are you okay?”
Angel’s voice pulled Ollie back from her reverie to reality. Only then did she notice that the draft paper she had been holding was now in Angel’s possession, torn in half.
A faint blush crept onto Ollie’s cheeks as she lowered her head and mumbled, “I was just trying to tidy up, but suddenly…”
“These magical formulas inherently contain profound truths. If your mental strength isn’t up to par, looking at these can be perilous—you could potentially lose yourself.”
A sense of retrospective trepidation hung about Ollie as she nodded, rising from the ground.
With a graceful wave of his hand, Angel commanded a tidying spell to sweep across the room. The scattered drafts fluttered in the air like paper birds, rustling softly before they neatly returned to their rightful place on the desk.
Ollie watched this spectacle, her eyes wide with wonder, before she remembered her purpose for coming: to deliver breakfast.
“Master, your breakfast includes sap from the Milk Fruit Tree paired with cocoa flowers, breakfast sausage smoked personally by Head Maid Mana, a bowl of chicken and colorful mushroom soup, fruits for dessert, and… fried rice made by me,” Ollie explained, laying the breakfast spread on the dining table.
Although Angel was not particularly hungry, he graciously accepted Ollie’s gesture of goodwill.
As they ate, Angel asked, “How is my brother doing now? Has he awakened?”
“The viscount awoke for a bit earlier, had some soup, and fell back asleep. The doctor says the viscount’s recovery is going well and he should be back to normal soon,” Ollie respectfully reported from the side.
“That’s good to hear,” Angel replied. He had originally planned to visit Leon, but given his brother had gone back to sleep, he decided to wait until later.
After finishing breakfast, Angel turned to Ollie and said, “You nearly fell into a state of delusion earlier. You should take the day off from work and rest.”
Ollie paused, then gave a slight nod. “Understood. Thank you for your concern, Master.”
With Ollie’s departure, Angel returned to his desk, methodically destroying the sorted drafts, save for the final blueprint: a complex geometric formation that held an aura of the mysterious.
This was the “lock” Angel had spent the entire night crafting. Its primary function was to house the core of the Nightmare Domain. The core was currently exposed and vulnerable. Although there were no immediate threats, the uncertainty of the future necessitated precautions.
Of course, while the ultimate goal of the “lock” was to house the Nightmare Domain core, it would be activated by simply bringing it into the Wilderness of Dreams using the Dream Conch.
In reality, the “lock” Angel was working on wouldn’t disappear. He didn’t want to squander resources; this “lock” needed to be of some use to him in the real world as well.
The biggest trouble Angel faced currently in reality was being constantly watched by the two wizards, Eureka and Suis. No matter what he did, they were always attentive. Using the Nightmare Domain as a veil was far too extravagant.
Thus, he wished for this “lock” to shield him from prying eyes.
Moreover, every time Angel used the Dream Conch, it would emit a mysterious aura. Wizards were exceptionally sensitive to such mysterious fluctuations. If they sensed it, it would lead to unnecessary complications.
Hence, if this “lock” could mask the mysterious aura, it would be ideal.
However, Angel spent the entire night designing it and found that the spells capable of shielding this mysterious aura started from a base of twenty runes. In other words, they were at least of a high-rank level, which was beyond his current abilities.
Eventually, he settled for a second-best solution and chose a magic formation composed of five runes: Silent Closure.
This was a magic formation combining defense, concealment, and hiding aura. It suited the concept of a “lock”. While Silent Closure couldn’t completely block the mysterious aura, with a few tricks up his sleeve, Angel could limit its spread within a hundred meters radius.
Angel didn’t immediately start crafting it because he hadn’t crafted Silent Closure before. He needed time to familiarize himself with the process. Also, there were pressing matters in reality that needed his attention first.
After storing the design blueprint in his bracelet, Angel planned to check on Jon first.
However, before he could move, he heard a rustling of wings outside the window. Turning back, he saw Blaire perched on the balcony railing, staring at Angel with round eyes.
Angel raised an eyebrow, “It’s daytime. If I recall correctly, owls should be sleeping now, right?”
“I’ve said it before, I’m not like other owls! I can stay awake all the time!” Blaire retorted indignantly. After her outburst, she seemed to recall something, her attitude shifted abruptly and she addressed Angel with a flattering tone, “I just heard recently, turns out you’re such a great alchemist.”
“Then what?” Angel engaged in conversation with Blaire while stepping up to his wardrobe. He picked out a black vest adorned with silver hidden patterns, which he wore over his white shirt.
“I’ve heard from the master before that you seemed to have promised to craft me a monocle,” Blaire tentatively broached the topic.
“Sure, just give me a model of the kind of monocle you want later.” Angel would not shirk from promises he’d made, especially when crafting a monocle was far from a challenging task.
Seeing Angel’s agreeableness, Blaire’s smile crinkled her eyes into slits.
She didn’t have a model on her own and could only scuttle back to ask Eureka.
…
On the other hand, Angel went to the Ice Chamber, stepping into Jon’s dream.
As soon as he entered the dream, Jon, who was in a lucid dreaming state, immediately sensed Angel’s presence. With a feigned nonchalance, he commented, “You’ve arrived?”
Angel obligingly replied, “I have.”
“I’ve allowed spring and summer to alternate countless times here, and I wonder how much time has passed in the real world?” Jon asked.
“Three and a half months.”
“Just three and a half months…” Jon sighed. “I thought it had been three years. My perception of time here is growing weaker and weaker.”
The reason Jon found it difficult to perceive time was that he was in his own lucid dream, where he had full control over the passage of time. The constant interweaving of moments blurred his concept of time.
Through Jon, Angel surveyed the surroundings. He found Jon in a banquet hall, a location he recognized as the living room of their main castle.
Various delicacies were spread before Jon, who was languidly dining with a fork and knife.
“When I realized that this was a dream, I noticed that eating these foods is like chewing wax,” Jon mused. “I can conjure up all kinds of delicacies, but they are tasteless when I eat them. It’s quite tormenting.”
“Still harboring the illusion of eating, are you?”
Jon pointed across the table, “It’s not just about imagining, I’ve prepared this especially for your arrival.”
For me? Angel looked puzzled, following the direction of Jon’s finger. Across the table sat two individuals, a strapping young man and a beautiful woman with a gentle smile playing on her lips.
“Is that… Old Pat?” Angel blinked in surprise as he recognized the young man.
“That’s correct. Despite Old Pat’s later hefty appearance, he was quite gallant and handsome in his youth,” Jon paused for a moment, “Leon inherited your father’s looks, but you seem to have taken after your mother.”
As he spoke these words, Jon turned his gaze towards the beautiful woman.
With a smile, the woman gave a slight wave, “Angel, it’s unfortunate that I couldn’t accompany you as you grew up, but never forget, your mother loves you very much.”
Angel was taken aback. By the time he began to remember things, his mother had already passed. He had seen her portrait, always elegant and distant… but he had never seen her like this, so vividly, hearing her voice and seeing her smile.
Even though he knew it was an illusion created by Jon, and the words were consciously spoken by Jon, Angel could not contain the wave of emotion that surged within him.
After a long while, Angel spoke softly, “Thank you.”
“My memory is also blurring, and the vivid recollections of your mother are diminishing day by day. Even though she wasn’t there as you grew up, her love for you never waned. And what your mother just said, those were her words for you, entrusted to me before her departure.”
As Jon was speaking, the dream scenario began to blur. Jon paused, and the scene gradually returned to normal.
“What… happened?” Angel asked, somewhat perplexed. He knew that Jon’s brain injury had led to an incomplete representation of the dream realm, but such blurring usually only affected the less significant background. The blurring of the main scene, however, was extremely rare.
Jon exhaled deeply, his head swaying slightly. “It’s been this way recently, so I dare not orchestrate too many illusory scenes.”
A sense of remembrance flickered in Angel’s mind. When he had previously ventured into Jon’s dreamscape, he would always see the apparitions of Jon’s wife and daughter. However, this time, their spectres were notably absent.
Could it be because of Jon’s current state?
“Recently, my memories have been fading, so many things have slipped away. I truly fear that one day, even you will vanish from my recollection,” Jon admitted, shaking his head, “But I suppose I should count myself lucky. I thought I was done for, but it seems I’ve managed to keep myself going in this dream world for a bit longer.”
Angel fell into silence for a moment, contemplating. Although Jon was currently dreaming, his consciousness, along with all his memories, remained tethered to his brain. Thus, as his physical condition deteriorated, the effects manifested within his dreams.
If Jon were brought to the Wilderness of Dreams now, his conscious essence would be temporarily detached from the influence of his body, and it should cease his Blurring Memories.
Angel had been considering whether or not to acclimatize Jon to life in the Wilderness of Dreams ahead of time.
Yet, Jon’s current state solidified his decision.
With this thought, Angel slowly elucidated the specifics of the “Wilderness of Dreams”.
Chapter 906 Beginnings <TOC> Chapter 908 Jon's First Encounter