Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1232: Chapter 1230: Strange City

Indeed, life is finite, while knowledge is infinite.

Although the confrontation with the Sun, coupled with the recent hunger warp, had drastically reduced the Blood Bar, Fu Qian was very certain that his mental state was in excellent condition and would not lose control in such a situation.

However, the Clear Dream Ring from a moment ago had shattered without a trace, more so than even soap bubbles.

It was as if there was a Rule here, dictating that dreams could last at most one minute.

Accurate and strict, yet natural to the extent that even a Second Phase would find it hard to notice.

Upon careful appreciation, choosing not to forcibly manipulate was the right decision; this place is indeed far from simple.

“So, do you have more detailed information about me?”

As numerous thoughts flashed by, Fu Qian’s hand shimmered with the Clear Dream Ring once again.

It seemed there was no limit to the number of uses; the seemingly stable dream once again unfolded.

“More detailed…”

Officer Raphaide, lucky to have escaped the grasp of the Evil God, had only been free for a second before falling into the magic clutches again.

This time, his struggle was even shorter; within seconds, he revealed more information including age and address.

Judging from his effortful expression, he seemed to be unfamiliar with the disappearance case, having to squeeze his brain cells to get to this point.

“Thank you very much.”

Fu Qian didn’t ask further, quietly waiting after expressing his gratitude.

…59, 60.

Silently, the Clear Dream Ring dissolved on time once more, confusion washing over Raphaide.

There was indeed some kind of limitation, and it seemed to be related only to duration.

After repeated verification, Fu Qian silently came to a conclusion.

Just now, he had even deliberately deepened Raphaide’s immersion into the dream and reduced the intensity of the questions, but it seemed to have no effect on the dream’s end time.

And despite being fully on guard, he still could not exert any effort to delay the dream’s fragmentation at that moment.

Of course, this didn’t mean there were no gains.

The more exaggerated the effect of the strange restriction, the more likely it was related to the loss of Magic Power in the painting before him.

He did not repeat for a third time and ask for more information, as footsteps were sounding on the staircase that Raphaide had come up earlier.

“That’s right, I remember now, my name is indeed An Ke.”

With everything packed up, Fu Qian pointed to the item in Raphaide’s hand, speaking as if awakening from a dream.

“An Ke…”

Officer Raphaide was clearly a bit bewildered, his gaze shifting several times between the photo and Fu Qian, rapidly conjuring up his imagination with the two identical faces.

The extra photo was naturally one that Fu Qian had selected and placed in Raphaide’s hand.

Not wanting to waste the identity that a professional had helped conceive, Fu Qian needed Raphaide to vouch for him.

“What’s going on?”

Before Officer Raphaide could respond, three figures had already ascended the stairs.

Two men and one woman, all dressed alike, one of whom was noticeably much older with a lazy look in his eyes. The only woman among them spoke up.

“…I think I found a missing person.”

To one’s relief, Raphaide’s thought processes seemed to have rebooted and connected; after a brief hesitation, he handed over the photo.

“An Ke?”

The older officer didn’t even look at the photo, immediately focusing on Fu Qian’s bare feet.

“Yes, that should be my name.”

Fu Qian nodded slightly.

“Should be?”

A group of people frowned in unison.

“I don’t know, my mind is a mess… It seems that in another world, I do not go by this name.”

Fu Qian perfectly replicated the confusion and pain that Raphaide had just shown.

This claim isn’t some sort of morbid curiosity. While thorough investigation is one thing, it doesn’t mean that time and energy should be wasted in immersing oneself in a role.

To come up with a character and then sulkily play the part is what Edlar would do.

You should know, the main reason for not waiting to recover before setting off is the belief that the Pontiff may not have much time to wait.

“It’s not strange, sometimes I also want to change my name, escape to another world. Of course, we need to go downstairs first, Mr. An Ke.”

In response to Fu Qian’s remarks, the veteran police officer under the watchful eyes of colleagues finally spoke, filled with reflections on life.

He didn’t even wait for Fu Qian to say anything; he had already turned and descended the staircase.

“Let’s go.”

Although he had the least fitting temperament, a group of people clearly looked to the old police officer for direction.

Immediately, someone gestured for Fu Qian to follow, watching him from front and back.

“Alright.”

Of course, Fu Qian had no reason to refuse; he descended the stairs surrounded by a throng of people.

Even in the last moment, he specifically took one more glance at the distant painting, emphasizing the bonds between him and it.

…

Including the basement, this building had four floors, and everyone was just on the very top one.

On their way down now, the personnel were clearly and efficiently evacuated, leaving the place empty and deserted.

However, this did not imply that the visitors had all gone home.

When passing through the tall archway to the outside, they could see the crowd gathered on a platform.

Men, women, the elderly, and children were all present, each dressed meticulously, their styles consistent with what he remembered.

The only problem, Fu Qian thought as he looked around, was deep in his heart a sigh.

The current location was unmistakably a square.

Not very large, but quite stylish, the overall design was in harmony with the building they just came from.

He was certain that the small town he had stayed in before had no such place.

Including within the clear view where the sky was bright and airy, there was no building resembling the Church of the Dark Moon anywhere to be seen, nor any of those beams of light in the sky.

Compared to the World Within the Painting he knew, this place was strange and evidently much larger in size, already resembling a metropolitan area.

It’s one thing not being the World Within the Painting, but more than one person has mentioned that outside the World Within the Painting, everything has long been in ruins, so how could this place exist?

…

“Good news, although you’re a staff member, you don’t need to help out.”

Organizing people to cooperate with the security guards and quickly verifying information, the veteran officer spoke to Fu Qian with a tone of envy, his voice carrying a sense of genuine emotion.

“Of course, the bad news is, you might need to wait until we finish checking everyone, and follow us back.”

“Understood.”

Fu Qian naturally wouldn’t refuse this.

He had already examined the painting in detail, confirming that there was no more information to be gleaned from it.

Now, its greatest value was linked with his own anomaly, to stimulate the related associations of those who might have knowledge.

…

As it turned out, stimulating those associations seemed quite effective.

In less than five minutes, Fu Qian became the first person allowed to leave.

Dressed somewhat like the officers, but with a distinctly different demeanor, another person came quickly to provide support.

After a brief exchange with the veteran officer, this young woman walked straight over.

“An Ke?”

The woman carefully examined Fu Qian.

“Yes.”

As he answered, Fu Qian still wore the melancholic expression of contemplating whether he dreamed of the butterfly or the butterfly dreamed of him.

“Don’t be nervous, I heard you might have suffered some psychological trauma, I’ve come specifically to take you for an assessment.”