Chapter 76: Simultaneously

Chapter 76: Simultaneously

At that moment, Audrey even suspected that the “arrangement of fate” had not been meant to make her go to Hedrak Village and investigate its dragon-worship customs. Rather, it was meant to make her notice something wrong, develop resistance, use her virtual persona ability around Hedrak Village to quietly guide her two elder brothers into unconsciously changing their minds, allow that mind dragon to discover the special consciousness related to the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, and draw it over.

Even as the one being arranged, Audrey could not help feeling reverence toward it. It had to be said that to achieve such an effect, one’s insight into the human mind and grasp of different people’s different reactions had to be at an extremely high level—a level that made one feel fear from the bottom of one’s heart merely by thinking of it.

One had to know that even Audrey, a Sequence 4 Manipulator, had felt at the time that the matter had developed according to her expectations and perfectly satisfied her hopes, without rousing even the slightest vigilance.

The mind dragon retracted its spread membrane wings and lowered its head, looking at Audrey in her blue cloak.

“This is a dream labyrinth pieced together from many minds. Even if the one who set the trap personally descended, finding this room would take time, and I will not stay long.”

Clearly, it was not completely unguarded against a trap. It simply believed certain matters were worth taking such a risk.

Dream labyrinth… Is this a Beyonder ability of a Dreamweaver, or rather, an ability after its qualitative change? Audrey restrained her thoughts and asked calmly,

“What do you wish to know?”

The grayish-white dragon with huge scales buzzed,

“My name is Ariehogg. I am one of the only three ancient dragons who still survive.”

It means it is one of the three dragons who have survived from the Second Epoch, while the various dragons that are rare now are merely descendants of those dragons from the era of the ancient gods? Audrey gently nodded and did not interrupt.

Behind her, amid the wilderness where dark-green weeds grew, a wooden door stood there without any support, appearing extremely bizarre.

Ariehogg likewise wasted no time. After introducing itself, it immediately asked,

“Where did you discover Liveseyd?”

Audrey had long been prepared and answered frankly,

“In a book called Groselle’s Travels. It is rumored to have been personally created by Dragon King Ankewelt.”

“Groselle…” Ariehogg had clearly never heard the name. After repeating it once, it asked, “What kind of book is that?”

Audrey, her blond hair softly falling loose, described it simply.

“That book contains a nearly real world. At the same time, it can draw into the book those who meet certain conditions, or those who offer their own blood, allowing them to live within that world.”

Ariehogg fell silent for two seconds.

“Does the world within that book have a sea of collective subconsciousness?”

“Yes.” Audrey gave the answer with absolute certainty. “The City of Miracles, Liveseyd, that I saw existed deep within the sea of collective subconsciousness of the book’s world.”

Ariehogg’s breathing suddenly grew slightly heavier.

“What did you see in that Liveseyd?”

Audrey recalled briefly.

“A city filled with massive pillars, and one grand palace after another.

“In addition, I entered the Dragon King’s residence. There, the voice of every living being’s heart could directly echo into the surroundings. I called it the Hall of Honesty.

“At the end of the Hall of Honesty, behind the Dragon King’s divine throne, there was an ancient and mysterious bronze door. I do not know what it sealed. In any case, it was extremely dangerous, and I did not dare approach at all.”

Audrey spoke the complete truth. She merely did not mention the conjectures of Mr. World, Mr. Star, and herself.

Ariehogg, the ancient dragon, fell completely silent. It was unclear whether it was recalling something, or analyzing Liveseyd’s current state.

During that process, its head drooped little by little, as though it were about to carry its body and topple from the top of the hundred-meter stone pillar toward the ground.

Just as Audrey’s mind grew even more tense from that slightly eerie scene, and she was about to ask a question, Ariehogg suddenly raised its head.

Its pale-golden vertical eyes became increasingly cold and indifferent, and its voice once again echoed across the wilderness:

“Liveseyd…”

Amid the rumbling sound like thunder, the things hidden in the deep darkness behind Ariehogg rapidly became clear, revealing their outlines in the gradually brightening scene:

They were enormous stone pillars dozens or hundreds of meters high. Some stood alone, while others together supported magnificent yet ancient palaces.

Those stone pillars and palaces were mainly grayish-white, resting on island-like foundations. They were exactly the same as the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, that Audrey had just described.

No—this seemed to be the City of Miracles, Liveseyd itself.

Only at that moment did Audrey discover that the ancient mind dragon Ariehogg was crouched atop the tallest and thickest stone pillar in Liveseyd.

At that instant, she vaguely sensed that Ariehogg had undergone some subtle change.

As her emerald eyes shifted slightly, the sound of a metal handle being turned suddenly came from behind her.

This… Audrey resisted the impulse to abruptly turn her head. Guardedly, she turned her body sideways and cast her gaze diagonally over.

That lonely wooden door, which had no external support at all, slowly swung open, revealing the appearance of the visitor:

A huge, white, fluffy rabbit whose ears twitched lightly and who walked upright like a human.

Above the gray fog, inside the ancient palace, a figure shrouded in grayish-white fog sat in the seat of The Fool at the head of the mottled long table, quietly watching the deep crimson star representing Justice.

…

Backlund, West Borough, 9 Bellotto Street.

As the two-week deadline drew closer and closer, Wendel gradually began suffering insomnia. He had to rely on medicine to help him fall asleep.

And after waking, he was similarly restless and anxious, having completely lost interest in food. He only forced himself to eat the three meals his colleagues brought him to maintain his physical strength.

He did not know what would happen when the final day to appear in court arrived, nor could he predict whether some irreversible mutation would occur to him.

This fear of the unknown often left him feeling unable to breathe, making the torment especially unbearable.

Sometimes, Wendel even thought that perhaps resisting a return to Utopia was not a wise choice.

Judging from his limited experiences there, if he obediently returned to Utopia and appeared in court to testify for Tracy, there was a considerable chance he could leave safely afterward.

—At least up to the present, Wendel had not heard of anyone dying or going mad because of Utopia. Aside from being rather strange, the people there were quite friendly.

I am only going to help. They should be grateful to me, not deal with me… The more Wendel thought, the more he felt that compared to enduring torment here, facing danger directly might actually make him feel more at ease.

Of course, he had not the slightest doubt about MI9 headquarters’ ability to protect him. If even this place did not work, he felt he could only consider going to meet the Lord of Storms early.

Phew… Wendel exhaled and sat in a chair. He casually picked up a novel, hoping to pass the time.

But his restless mood made it impossible for him to enter the story. He flipped the pages more and more frequently, and in the end, he snapped the book shut.

He then closed his eyes, preparing to doze briefly.

In a hazy state, Wendel seemed to return to Utopia and arrive in court. Yet the role he played was not that of a witness, but a member of the audience.

He saw Tracy, due to a lack of sufficient evidence, have the claim of excessive self-defense rejected by the judge and be transferred to criminal court. He saw that young lady stare blankly as tears fell, her smile heartbreakingly beautiful.

Wendel woke at once and silently looked at the gas wall lamp before him. For a long time, he did not move.

If the problem lies with Utopia, not with the residents of Utopia, then my avoidance may harm a pitiful lady… Wendel withdrew his gaze. He felt somewhat shaken, but he still could not overcome the fear in his heart.

He supported himself on the table with one hand, stood up, and walked toward the door, intending to wander around MI9 headquarters to soothe his mood.

After leaving the room and walking several steps along the corridor, Wendel suddenly heard colleagues in a nearby office discussing the Utopia-related case.

“Have you heard? The most recent person to enter Utopia was a carriage driver. When he was taking a merchant from Utopia to the Docklands, he had only turned down two streets before he discovered that the surroundings had become unfamiliar.”

“We need to remind all the carriage drivers in Backlund. Mm, it would be best to equate Utopia with spies so that they can understand.”

“The way one enters and leaves Utopia is truly frightening.”

“Yes. Sometimes, I even suspect that the entrance to Utopia can appear anywhere.”

“There must be some restriction. It cannot be as omnipotent as we imagine… Otherwise, I might simply go to the washroom and discover I have arrived in Utopia.”

“From the patterns summarized so far, that is theoretically possible.”

“…”

As Wendel listened, the veins in his forehead throbbed faintly. He suddenly felt that even being inside MI9 headquarters was not so safe.

Unless a demigod is constantly watching me, it may be difficult for me to avoid the fate of returning to Utopia. Perhaps after washing my hands and opening the washroom door, I will discover that outside is Utopia’s Iris Inn… No, ordinary demigods may not be able to stop this either. This simply does not seem like something a human can accomplish. It is already incomparably close to a deity… In an instant, Wendel panicked and could no longer suppress the fear inside him.

Following the sudden sense of luck that occupied his mind, he returned to his room and took from the drawer the document from Utopia’s court.

Immediately afterward, Wendel entered the washroom. While gripping the document, he whispered in fear,

“I am willing to appear in court and testify.”

“I am willing to appear in court and testify.”

“…”

After repeating this several times, he reached out and grasped the washroom door’s handle.

At that moment, a pitch-black crow, like the shadow of a ghost, flew in through the transom and landed in an unnoticed corner of the washroom.

The next second, Wendel turned the handle, pulled backward, and opened the washroom door.

What appeared before him was no longer the familiar bedroom, but an unfamiliar hall.