"You entered my dream last night," Fatima stated calmly, sipping her tea.
"That was an accident," Henry coughed again.
"You know, I just got Maldream's heart and wanted to test its abilities. It was an accident that I entered your dream. It definitely wasn't intentional."
After all, there's no way for her to verify it. Maldream, as my servant, won't betray me, so Fatima can't really know whether I entered her dream intentionally or not.
Fatima didn't linger on the topic for long, instead asking, "What did you see in my dream?"
Henry responded frankly,
"It seemed like a memory from your and Emily's childhood. You two were playing with building blocks together, and I saw you sneakily hide one of her triangular roof pieces."
Fatima spat out her tea in surprise, coughing several times before recovering, "I hope you can keep that a secret for me, don't tell Emily."
"No problem. We've collaborated many times, and you've helped me a lot," Henry readily agreed, his comment about the stolen block piece a playful fabrication just to see Fatima's flustered reaction.
As they continued discussing the previous night, a vibrating sound of a phone suddenly interrupted them.
Fatima frowned slightly, picking up the phone, "Hello, what's up?"
Henry assumed it was some military work of Fatima's and didn't eavesdrop.
However, Fatima's expression gradually turned grave, and after hanging up, Henry, driven by curiosity, asked, "What happened? Is there some trouble?"
Fatima looked at Henry intently, speaking slowly,
"Last night, in the northern forests of Lawlandia, a powerful dungeon suddenly opened. Based on the analysis of the available information by the investigators, it appears to be the Realm of Death."
The Realm of Death?
Henry's expression grew serious.
Algado had stolen the authority from this deity, creating his divine position.
"The experts also discovered that this dungeon seems to be temporary, accessible to both low-level awakeners and general-tier awakeners."
"Could this be another of Algado's schemes?" Henry furrowed his brows.
"Is this task another lure by Algado for me?"
Fatima shook her head and explained, "Perhaps you haven't been involved with awakeners for long and have a vague concept of their levels."
"For awakeners, those below Level 30 are considered low-level. From Level 30 to 70, they are high-level awakeners. Level 70 to 90 are known as general-tier, which is the category I belong to."
"Those above Level 90 but below 100, possessing abilities closest to deities, are called Ascendant Gods. Currently, there are no such individuals on our planet. And above Level 100, they are referred to as deities."
"As for the tiers of deities, they are classified further. The Algado we've encountered is a lower 1-tier deity, whereas Death is a 2-tier deity. The gap between them is immense; a 2-tier deity can easily crush a 1-tier deity."
"Even though Algado has stolen some of Death's authority and refined part of the Death Realm, the Realm of Death is still under Death's control.
Algado has no power to arrange such a dungeon."
Henry scoffed with a laugh, "If Death is stronger than Algado, as you say, then why was part of its authority stolen?"
"I'm not sure," Fatima replied with a shake of her head. "Perhaps these secrets can be found in the Realm of Death."
"The authorities have already sealed off this dungeon, making it inaccessible to anyone. The military high command called me to ask if I would be willing to go on a preliminary exploration, and I've agreed."
"We still need a low-level awakener team to explore as well. I wonder if your team would be interested in joining?"
Upon hearing Fatima's invitation, Henry fell silent for a moment before responding,
"I'll need to discuss this with the other members of the villa."
Fatima nodded in understanding.
A dungeon involving deities would undoubtedly pose great challenges, and there could even be the risk of life and death within.
"I'll follow your lead. If you're going in, then I'm coming with you," Anna stated firmly.
Henry felt heartened that every member of his team was willing to accompany him to the Realm of Death, with none staying behind out of fear of death.
After gathering and discussing, they decided to pack up and head into the dungeon.
"Alright, you'll enter the Realm of Death as the officially appointed low-level awakener team. I will lead a team of general-tier awakeners," Fatima said as she stood up to return to her villa to contact other general-tier awakeners.
"Hold on a moment," Henry stood up and coughed twice before speaking,
"Since we're representing the military, there should be some benefits, right? We can't be expected to work for nothing."
Henry felt it was important to negotiate the benefits first.
Fatima paused for a moment before finally responding:
"After coming out of the dungeon, you will be granted the rank of Major by the military, with a monthly salary and medical benefits fitting that rank."
"The other members of your team will be granted the rank of Lieutenant, with corresponding benefits."
The prospect of a Major's rank delighted Henry.
According to the current salary standards in Lawlandia, a Major not only receives a monthly subsidy of 25 gold coins but also enjoys an annual reimbursement limit of 500 gold coins.
Henry was very satisfied with these benefits.
...
Once Fatima had gathered the other general-tier awakeners, they arrived at the dungeon's location.
At the entrance of the dungeon, a pervasive aura of death spread out, markedly different from any dungeon Henry had encountered before.
Taking a deep breath, Henry grasped Anna and Emily's hands, and seeing this, Carly quickly jumped onto Henry's neck, clinging tightly.
"Let's go, to the Realm of Death!" Henry declared loudly.
The scenery before them shifted dramatically, like a wrinkled piece of plastic being repeatedly kneaded and then smoothed out.
What lay before them was a desolate land, the soil a stark red, with bones scattered everywhere — both human and animal.
In the distance, near the horizon, they could see faint wisps of smoke rising.
Henry, blessed with sharp vision, noticed it was a large tribe.
Numerous tents were erected there, and a flag with a pink skull fluttered in the breeze.
At that moment, the team of general-tier awakeners that had been beside Henry had vanished.
"They must have been transported to different locations. That tribe ahead should be our destination for this mission," Henry surmised, sharing his understanding with his team.
"Let's go check it out."
The group headed towards the tribe, and after half an hour, they neared it.
They saw two guards stationed outside the tribe, with long teeth and pale faces, deliberately standing where the sunlight couldn't reach them.
Vampires!
Henry hadn't expected to encounter such creatures from ancient myths.
But in the Realm of Death, their presence seemed understandable.
"Excuse me, is this the Vampire Tribe? We are outsiders looking for tasks we could undertake," Henry initiated a conversation.
However, the two vampire guards, as if facing a great enemy, raised their spears and fixed their eyes on Emily.
"A magus? You are from the evil Algado's clan, daring to appear here? Prepare to die!"
The two vampires charged towards the team, their spears glowing, aimed directly at Emily's throat.
"Having a Death Wish?!" Henry fumed, initially hoping for a peaceful dialogue, but now angered by their attack on his woman.
He pulled out the Death Scepter he had received as a reward from his last mission, ready to cast Desolation on the vampires.
Suddenly, they stopped and knelt on the ground in a panic.
"The power of Desolation, are you an emissary of Death?"