Chapter 345: The True Identity of the Dreamweaver

Chapter 345: The True Identity of the Dreamweaver

Li Wei was led into the castle by paper-figure guards, somewhat bewildered.

He claimed Princess Alice had been snatched by a vicious dragon, requiring a valiant hero to slay the beast and rescue her.

Whoever could bring back the princess would be granted the king's most lavish reward.

At that moment, the guard was leading Li Wei to meet the king.

Seeing the king's appearance, Li Wei revealed a trace of surprise, yet it felt within expectation.

The King and Queen were both fashioned like playing cards.

The Big King, the Small King.

Things within dreams were indeed strange and peculiar.

Li Wei now feared that the Princess Alice he sought might also be a paper cutout.

The king said: "Brave outsider, can you help me recover my beloved princess?"

"As recompense, I will grant you the kingdom's most precious reward!"

Li Wei answered readily, "Where is the dragon's lair?"

The king sent Old Q to lead Li Wei.

Old Q was the guard who had escorted Li Wei to the king and queen.

"Leaving the guiding to me, Valiant One, please follow me," Old Q said.

Under Old Q's guidance, Li Wei left the castle, traversing mountains and ridges to the dragon's lair.

"Here we are; ahead lies the dragon's lair."

Old Q pointed to the cavern on the distant high mountain.

"I can only take you this far; going closer holds danger."

"Leave the rest to you, brave warrior. I hope you can bring the princess back."

"Mm, leave it to me."

Li Wei walked towards the dragon's lair upon the high mountain.

Arriving at the entrance of the dragon's lair.

He peered inside, shouting loudly, "Is anyone within?"

In a moment, a deafening roar came forth.

A dragon spewing flame from its mouth emerged from the cavern.

The dragon looked down upon Li Wei, eyes regarding him like an ant.

"From where comes this human, daring to trespass upon my domain?"

The dragon spoke human words.

Li Wei was not surprised.

Anything could happen within a dream.

Looking at the dragon, he said, "I come to find Princess Alice."

The dragon lowered its head, approaching Li Wei.

"That is my treasure; none may seize it away."

Saying so, the dragon opened its great mouth, dragon fire surging forth, engulfing Li Wei's figure.

Blazing dragon fire destroyed all.

Li Wei transformed into the Flame Lord.

Within the dream, he became a Flame Lord tens of meters tall, majestic and imposing.

Before him, the dragon resembled a small lizard.

Li Wei grasped the dragon; it struggled in his palm before ultimately being burned to ash by the fire.

Returning to his normal form, Li Wei entered the dragon's lair.

Seeking Alice's whereabouts.

"Princess Alice, where are you?"

Li Wei walked into the dragon's lair, calling out loudly.

No one responded.

He reached the deepest part of the cave, yet saw no human shadow.

There was absolutely no princess within this dragon's lair.

Li Wei left the dragon's lair and returned to the castle.

"Warrior, why have you returned? Where is the princess?" asked the king.

Li Wei shook his head, saying, "There is no princess within the dragon's lair."

The king looked puzzled, "Then where is my daughter?"

Li Wei looked at the queen, saying, "Stop acting now, Alice."

The queen displayed a look of surprise, "What are you saying? I do not understand."

"What are you hiding?" asked Li Wei.

The queen fell silent for a moment.

The paper-card king shattered, vanishing from his seat.

The queen split open, like a sheet of paper pierced by a hand.

Alice stepped out from the queen's body, sitting upon the king's place.

"When did you discover this?"

Alice asked.

Li Wei said, "I knew it the moment I entered this dream."

He did not expose Alice's identity, merely wishing to see what she was hiding?

Or perhaps, her enemy within the dream.

Thus, Li Wei played the role of the warrior to slay the dragon.

He had thought the dragon was Alice's enemy.

Unexpectedly, the dragon was merely a creation of the dream.

Since dream creations were born of Alice, naturally they could not become her enemies.

Enemies within the dream must surely be foreign entities.

Sleepwalkers invading the dream, Nightmares, and similar existences.

Pure dream creations could never pose any threat to the master of the dream.

Li Wei gazed at Alice and asked, "What is it you fear?"

"Since you can clearly perceive this is a dream, you should be able to depart from here."

By the looks of things, Alice was likely a Dreamwalker as well.

Otherwise, she could not have remained conscious within the dream nor created dream constructs.

Alice spoke, "I cannot leave this place."

"The curse of nightmares ensures that once I step beyond this land, I shall be assailed by countless terrors."

Alice lifted her hand, parting the ceiling and clouds above to reveal the vista beyond the dream bubble.

Beyond the dream bubble, countless gray-black specks clustered together.

Alice's dream bubble resembled dough rotted with mold and fuzz.

Those patches of mildew were all nightmares.

The nightmares peered into this dream bubble.

Normally, nightmares dare not venture too close to a Dreamwalker's dream bubble.

Alice bore the nightmare curse of the Black Cultists.

She could not wield the power of the dream against the nightmares invading her realm.

Stripped of the home-field advantage.

Under the endless assault of nightmares, even Alice would be worn down to death regardless of her strength.

Her only recourse was to utterly seal her own dream bubble.

Thus, the nightmares could not penetrate the dream bubble.

Nor could she escape the confines of the dream bubble.

With another wave of her hand, the terrifying spectacle beyond the sky vanished.

The earth split open, exposing the curse buried deep beneath.

The black curse had already corroded the core of the dream, with black water flowing through the depths of the earth.

Li Wei cast his gaze downward, sensing a deep, piercing stare from below.

Alice said, "I have concentrated all the curses down here, yet I can only suppress them temporarily. They cannot be purged."

Li Wei nodded, "I will go down and investigate."

"Wait," Alice cried out.

Her gaze fell upon the Ring of Truth on Li Wei's right hand.

Alice inquired, "What is your relation to him? Why do you hold his ring?"

Li Wei looked at Alice and asked, "Whom are you referring to?"

Alice replied, "You do not know him? Then why seek me out?"

Li Wei stated, "I came to find you at Evelyn's behest."

"Besides, did you not send me the letter and the crystal flower? To ask me why afterward, is this not what you desired?" Li Wei retorted.

Alice regarded him with some surprise, "So you were dispatched by Evelyn."

"You have yet to tell me how you came by that ring," Alice pressed further.

Li Wei said, "My teacher gave it to me."

New thoughts stirred within his heart.

Torresta giving him the Ring of Truth did not necessarily mean he thought Li Wei could make use of it.

It was more likely meant for Alice to see.

From Alice's attitude, Li Wei was now nine-tenths certain of who the Dreamweaver of Maple City was.

(End of Chapter)