'Meow~'
'Meow meow meow~'
In his dream, Dan Heng swung his spear, and each time the spear struck an enemy, a cat's meow echoed in the air.
In the past, whenever Dan Heng dreamed of that man, he felt dread and unease. But now, every time he dreamed of him, there was only one emotion—joy.
These days, every time Dan Heng slept, he would dream of that man. In the past, he would have been sickened by this "clingy pest."
But this time...
In his dream, Dan Heng was wielding a pink bunny doll, relentlessly poking at the unconscious man lying on the ground. Each poke from Dan Heng made the figure in his dream—Blade—emit different variations of cat sounds.
"The price is that I'll spread this image across the whole universe!"
Dream-Dan Heng had completely let loose. What past life? He had no memories of that right now, so why bother? Right now, all he wanted to do was torment this troublemaker in his dream.
Waking up with a smile after hearing meows all night, Dan Heng opened his eyes.
"You're awake."
The nearby Herta puppet No. 4 spoke up "You've been asleep for nine hours, thirteen minutes, and fifty-two seconds."
Dan Heng asked, "Did I talk in my sleep?"
The puppet replied, "Yes, you said 'Meow for me! Come on, meow!' thirteen times. 'This glorious scene must be shared with the world ', six times. You also issued six different threats..."
Dan Heng quickly interrupted, "That's enough. No need to go on."
The puppet obliged, "Very well. But I would recommend that you exert more control over your dream-self. You're starting to act more like the Trailblazer Pei Guang."
She wasn't exaggerating. Over the past few days, Dan Heng had doubled his use of teleportation and expanded his inventory from one to ten storage spaces.
Dan Heng, with his vast knowledge, understood what this meant—he was slowly treading the same path as Pei Guang.
But no matter, it was just a dream. Compared to nightmares that left him waking up in fear, Dan Heng much preferred these dreams where he had full control.
As Dan Heng pondered, the Herta puppet handed him a glass of water. "Pei Guang asked me to inform you that if you wake up again, don't go back to sleep. He needs you for some game testing."
Over the past few days, Pei Guang, March 7th, Stelle, and Old Yang had explored the ruins of Belobog, digging up relics and playing games.
They had found almost all the relics worth digging up, with Pei Guang assembling twelve Engine of Creations. Welt took three as collectibles, while March 7th, Stelle, Seele, Dan Heng, and Pei Guang each kept one. The remaining four were gifted to Bronya to boost her affection.
After all, as the village chief of the starter zone, Pei Guang believed that Bronya would provide significant help when they faced the final boss.
As for Seele and Bronya? They had been busy planning Bronya's succession ceremony. After much deliberation, she had decided to hold the ceremony on the day before the Astral Express team's departure. With her sky-high popularity and the people's newfound hope, the city was rallying behind her.
Though there were still remnants of the Stellaron's corruption, progress was undeniable. The Fragmentum was receding—an event unheard of in seven hundred years. The sky was blue again, and the Fragmentum creatures had lessened.
Bronya had even gained the recognition of the Path of Preservation, though she had yet to receive a direct glance from Qlipoth. But being on this Path was enough to prove her resolve. With that, she no longer needed drastic measures to maintain the people's trust.
The succession ceremony itself also had a broader purpose. It would serve to show the citizens what the Trailblazers had done for them and garner further support for Bronya's leadership.
As for Dan Heng, his routine was simple. Upon waking, he would practice with his puppet, honing their synergy. Once he felt he had trained enough, he would eat, bathe, and put in earplugs, returning to the blissful world of dreams.
But today, it seemed that he wouldn't be continuing his dream adventures. He had to help Pei Guang test a game.
It didn't matter, really. Whether Pei Guang helped him or not, Dan Heng was happy to assist with the game test.
Dan Heng nodded. "Alright, where is he?"
The puppet replied, "The Trailblazer is in the next room. The game test doesn't require any complex equipment, just one of his special devices."
Dan Heng responded, "Understood."
In the next room, Pei Guang was deep in thought, staring at the game he had created.
He never expected his Star Destroyer to be so effective. The game he had crafted was a fully immersive experience, allowing players to feel as though they were living within the game world.
The breathing, the sensations—it all felt incredibly real. However, for safety reasons, there was no actual pain involved, and ,unlike his previous experience, no one would get trapped in the game.
Pei Guang could confidently guarantee that his game wouldn't have any issues with being unable to exit, dying within, or getting stuck in another world. It was purely a safe and enjoyable experience for players!
The only slight hassle was that the game required a virtual reality setup and the game had to be uploaded to the system.
Still, Pei Guang was thoroughly satisfied with how reliable his Star Destroyer was. As the system boasted, it truly was the most advanced AI in the galaxy, and using it felt amazing.
The better it worked, however, the more certain Pei Guang became that this tool would be disabled in the next storyline. After all, that's how games worked—powerful tools often became unusable in later levels.
But that was fine. Pei Guang wasn't the type to dwell on such things. If it didn't work in the next area, he would just enjoy using it now. Savor the fun while it lasted—whether it was for a minute, an hour, or a day, it was always worth it.
As he was lost in thought, a knock came at the door.
"It's me, Dan Heng."
Pei Guang called out, "The door's open. Come on in."