The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Wang Ya had his own theories about the Illusory Dream Garden, but upon actually entering, he discovered they were all completely wrong.

The sky was blue, but when he stared intently, he saw its color shifting between white, red, and crimson. It even gave Wang Ya the feeling that it was alive, as if a giant, distorted eye of color had emerged from the depths of the sky, meeting his Eye of Dreams in a stare and constantly drawing closer.

Wang Ya quickly lowered his head and closed his eyes. Only then did the heart-pounding terror inside him finally fade.

The Illusory Dream Garden was also in the Dream World, but it was a territory belonging to the Illusory Dream Wizard himself.

It was relatively safe, but not absolutely safe.

At least some of the natural phenomena in the sky were unique to the Dream World and not under the Illusory Dream Wizard’s control.

Wang Ya knew what he wanted: to comprehend his own Wizard Path within the Illusory Dream Garden.

His foundation was already solid. The subsequent Advanced Extraordinary Knowledge was derived from the Illusory Dream Wizard’s personal epiphanies and was no longer suitable for Wang Ya to assimilate.

Similarly, Wang Ya also hoped to acquire some Dream Creatures. The chocolate-colored liquid from before had left an unforgettable impression, and its benefits had been immense.

He was intensely curious about the Dream World and the mysteries surrounding its Dream Creatures, wondering how they differed from the Extraordinary Creatures of reality.

The Wizard’s instinct to explore the unknown made him subconsciously lick his lips.

The Illusory Dream Wizard had said the Dream World was filled with infinite possibilities, where anything and everything could appear and exist... It was grotesque, absurd, and fantastical, yet it all conformed to the logic and rules of the Dream World.

The surroundings were filled with all kinds of vegetation. Tall trees grew in groves, their appearances completely different from reality and utterly bizarre in shape.

For example, one Maple Tree was covered with gleaming red apples that looked incredibly tempting.

Wang Ya had no intention of getting closer. His Dream Sense, as well as his own intuition, told him there was something wrong with those apples.

He was treading on a strange lawn, and could feel a slimy sensation even through his boots.

No, these seemingly green, grass-like things were not actually grass.

Wang Ya held his breath. He hadn’t even noticed that this ”grass” was alive. The blades were covered with mouthparts and had concentric, ring-like eyes, looking just like little snakes.

They seemed to be in a deep sleep, however, showing no reaction even when Wang Ya stepped on them.

The sight sent a shiver down his spine, making his scalp tingle.

The clouds weren’t floating in the sky. Instead, they had surreally sprouted limbs and revealed vicious claws. They perched on the surrounding tall trees, extending their talons to snatch away the gleaming red apples.

’There’s no Particle Energy!’

Wang Ya frowned. This was not good news for him.

It meant that his abilities as an Elemental Wizard would be difficult to use in the Dream World.

But he soon came to terms with it. This was a special world, independent of the Wizard World; it wasn’t some biological or energy plane dependent on it. It was perfectly normal for Particle Energy to be absent.

When powerful Wizards explored the Inner World or discovered new planes and Little Worlds in the starry sky to invade, they often encountered places whose fundamental rules also lacked Particle Energy.

But Wizards always used their own methods to compensate for and solve this problem. At worst, it simply meant they couldn’t replenish their consumed Particle Energy.

’The Dream World is connected to the Conscious Dream Realm. The only things that are truly effective here are Spiritual Power and the strength and stability of my own consciousness.’

’If my Spiritual Power were strong enough, I could be like the Illusory Dream Wizard, carving out my own territory in the Dream World and developing it without end.’

Wang Ya’s gaze fell on a cobblestone path not far away. That must be the safe route.

After all, this was a type of Wizard Secret Realm. It couldn’t be dangerous everywhere, or it would be nearly impossible for even a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice to explore and survive here.

His pupils shimmered with a faint blue light... The analytical ability of the Eye of Truth was usable.

This was because he had already filled in the gaps in his Extraordinary Knowledge regarding the Dream Mage System.

Wang Ya put on protective gloves, took out some extraction test tubes from his Wizard’s Ring, and collected samples of various substances native to the Dream World.

He then used tweezers to pluck one of the grass-like snakes, which remained asleep.

He placed it in a special cultivation container filled with a shimmering nutrient solution.

Having done all this, Wang Ya proceeded cautiously, heading deeper into the Illusory Dream Garden.

Five minutes later, the landscape had changed. The lawn and groves of trees were gone, replaced by a small river spanned by a Single-Log Bridge. On the other side were vast rice paddies, and in the far distance, he could faintly make out some buildings.

This piqued Wang Ya’s interest. He glanced at the Single-Log Bridge, then at the river. The water was a murky, viscous jade-green, and it gave him an uneasy feeling.

A thought surfaced from the depths of his mind: he couldn’t touch it, and he absolutely could not fall in.

[Hint: The Single-Log Bridge is a Dream Creature.]

Even without using the Eye of Truth, he could use the senses of his Heart of Dreams to distinguish between a Dream Creature and the inherent strangeness of the Dream Realm’s environment.

A slight smile touched Wang Ya’s lips. He approached the bridge but didn’t immediately step onto it to cross. Instead, he simply stood there for a long time.

Finally, the Single-Log Bridge couldn’t take it anymore. A pair of big, shiny black eyes opened on its surface. ”Why haven’t you crossed yet?” it said to Wang Ya. ”You obviously want to get to the other side.”

Wang Ya said nothing, just stood there watching it.

The Single-Log Bridge was clearly short-tempered. After waiting a moment and getting no reaction, its shiny black eyes turned fierce. ”Hurry up and get on the bridge! Are you crossing or not? You’re crossing today whether you like it or not. Move it!”

Sharp teeth materialized on the log, and the walkway itself revealed itself to be a massive maw. To step on it would be to walk directly into the bridge’s mouth.

[Target: Special Single-Log Bridge]

[Analysis Successful: A Dream Creature named ’Bridge Wood Evil,’ recorded in the Dream Realm Creatures Atlas. It bears a personal annotation from the Illusory Dream Wizard: Vicious and short-tempered, but has an excellent effect. Can be burned as firewood; the resulting black smoke attracts certain Dream Creatures.]

Wang Ya’s eyes lit up. ’What a treasure.’

”Hey, hey, hey! Are you crossing or not? And don’t even think about swimming. There are monsters in this water, too. They’ll devour you, leaving nothing behind!”

The Single-Log Bridge continued to shout, ”I’m feeling generous today and letting you walk all over me for free. You should be counting your lucky stars, kid.”

A genuine smile appeared on Wang Ya’s face, the corners of his mouth curving higher as he approached the Single-Log Bridge.

”That’s more like it! I’m a merciful bridge, you know. If I weren’t, a little thing like you would’ve been eaten by other monsters long ago. Let me tell you, those little green things back where you came from? They’re even more terrifying. They swarm in packs. Almost nothing around here can stand against them.”

”You got lucky. All the really tough guys are sleeping today. I reckon only the monsters in the rice paddies and the manor can take on those green things.”

Wang Ya’s interest was piqued. For something so vicious, this Single-Log Bridge was quite the chatterbox; it just couldn’t stop talking.

Still, he learned a valuable piece of information: the most powerful Dream Creatures in the Illusory Dream Garden all seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Thinking it over, he suddenly understood and subconsciously glanced behind him.

”You’ve told me so much. As thanks, I’ll just...” Wang Ya said with a smile, walking forward. A Silver-White Sword suddenly materialized in the air, its size flickering erratically before it slashed down.

”AHH!” With a piercing scream, the Single-Log Bridge was sliced into several pieces. Wang Ya’s Spiritual Power immediately enveloped the chunks, keeping them from falling into the green river.

With a beckoning gesture, the pieces of the Single-Log Bridge, now just special lumber, flew toward Wang Ya and into his red metal ring, joining his collection.

A Dream Creature... a rare species he had never studied before. Its value was nearly on par with that of a Gundas’ Dog.

”I helped you escape the life of a bridge. No need to thank me,” Wang Ya said with a smile. ”After all, what’s the fun in such a monotonous existence? You’re better off coming with me to link the fire.”

As for how to cross the river, Wang Ya had his own way.

The powerful Spiritual Power belonging to a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice gathered before him. The very material structure of the dirt at his feet suddenly changed, as if drawn lines were being re-sketched, forming a flat path that connected to the opposite bank.

The path wasn’t very wide, only about a meter across.

After accomplishing this, Wang Ya’s expression flickered. The drain on his Spiritual Power was even greater than he had anticipated.

The Dream World could be altered by one’s consciousness. The Illusory Dream Garden he was in was an environment the Illusory Dream Wizard had created by using his Spiritual Power to alter the landscape; it was his Dream Territory.

This alone made it painfully obvious just how vast the gap was between Wang Ya and an Official Wizard.

After Wang Ya crossed the river, numerous heads began to emerge from the murky, viscous, jade-green water, their huge eyeballs staring in the direction he had gone.

High above the Illusory Dream Garden, the Illusory Dream Wizard, existing in an ethereal state, nodded as he watched Wang Ya’s performance.

His expectations for Wang Ya grew even greater.

He looked forward to seeing what harvests Wang Ya would reap in the Illusory Dream Garden, and what kind of Wizard Path he would research and create.

He had, of course, considered the situation the Gloom Wizard spoke of. In fact, the Illusory Dream Wizard had been watching closely ever since Wang Ya entered the Illusory Dream Garden, taking precautions against certain dangers that shouldn’t appear.

He had even sealed away some of the dangers within the Illusory Dream Garden that were beyond the expected level.

Watching Wang Ya walk into the rice paddies and head toward the manor, a smile formed beneath the Illusory Dream Wizard’s mask. Inside that manor were some things he himself had used in his youth.

To reach his current level, he had spent most of his time inside that very manor.

This, he supposed, was a way of passing the torch.