Chapter 58 - 55: Strategy for the New Era

Chapter 58: Chapter 55: Strategy for the New Era

In the shop’s business area, a modest-sized shelf had been erected to the left of the counter. Although the items on display weren’t numerous, each one was of premium quality.

Take the Flaming Torch and the "I’m Fired Up" special drink, for instance. Most of the Dream Descenders present had purchased them to keep on hand. Even though the Dream Descenders came from two different Nightmares—one team of three and another team of three—and a single Flaming Torch was usually enough for one squad, the rest still bought their own. There was no other reason than the fact that they were practical and inexpensive.

Besides, being in the same Nightmare World right now didn’t guarantee they would meet and team up during their next Fallen Dream. Naturally, they had to prepare their own supplies.

Aside from those two items, Dream Curse Objects were also for sale on the shelf. One was called Sharp Claws and Fangs, and the other was an Energizing Thermal Cup. Both were Incomplete Curse Objects, but due to their high practicality, Shi An hadn’t used them as Materials for forging; instead, he kept them to sell for money.

After all, he was genuinely broke right now. The Alchemy Workshop had completely drained the tens of thousands of grams of Dream Dust he had on hand. As a result, Shi An placed several valuable items he had acquired from other Dream Descenders on the shelf.

Among them was a team-up item. This sort of thing could work wonders in certain situations, but it wasn’t cheap and was strictly single-use, making it something many Dream Descenders couldn’t afford or were too reluctant to use.

He thought, "If the Alchemy Workshop can also produce these types of items, that would be fantastic. Once the quantity goes up and the price comes down, the true value of team-up items can be fully realized."

However, for the Dream Descenders present, the thing they anticipated the most was the Witchcraft Flying Eye. Some had seen it in action with their own eyes.

"This is an exploration Divine Artifact!"

"The rental price for a single Nightmare is 300 grams of Dream Dust. It looks expensive at first glance, but as long as we find one or two Materials, we can easily make our money back."

If used to conquer a Nightmare, it was also a Support Divine Artifact. It could help them avoid danger in time and locate key items within the current Nightmare, drastically reducing the risks of their mission! The only downside was its scarcity.

"Our team must snag a Witchcraft Flying Eye this time! With it, we might even be able to conquer the Nightmare!"

Several people gathered around a table. At the corner of the table sat a square-shaped monitor, which Shi An had modified at the cost of Belief Value. It displayed the goods currently for sale in the Safe Zone. Dream Descenders could place their orders here.

The group was focused on the final product—the Witchcraft Flying Eye. The screen indicated it was in the process of being listed, accompanied by a slowly advancing progress bar. Finally, at a certain moment, a Dream Descender with quick reflexes slapped their hand on the screen.

"Got it!"

"This Nightmare World run is secured!"

The Dream Descenders at the two round tables cheered in unison.

Soon, Hair Ghost brought over two Witchcraft Flying Eyes. There was no need for any flashy contract signings; the very existence of the Safe Zone was a guarantee. The two groups of Dream Descenders straightforwardly paid their rent and deposits, even though many of them had never actually seen the item before.

Shortly after, the two teams departed one after another.

Inside an old apartment building, a Dream Descender took a deep breath. Holding the Controller, he gently pushed the joystick, and the Witchcraft Flying Eye zipped out with a WHOOSH.

Its flight speed was quite fast, and it made very little noise. After familiarizing themselves with it, the three Dream Descenders quickly formulated a plan. They didn’t split up. One person took charge of operating the Witchcraft Flying Eye while the other two guarded him from the left and right, remaining vigilant of their surroundings. The trio maintained an extremely slow movement speed—this was to prevent staying in one spot for too long and drawing the Nightmare’s attention.

Before long, the Witchcraft Flying Eye flew through windows and ventilation shafts, entering one dilapidated apartment after another.

"Room 302 searched. Safe."

"Room 303 searched. Safe."

"Room 304, there’s a dart on the table that looks completely out of place. It’s highly likely to be an Incomplete Curse Object!"

"Room 307... Damn it! There’s a headless corpse inside! I suggest we bypass this room!"

Relying on the Witchcraft Flying Eye to explore unknown areas one by one was just like having an active Celestial Eye. It was fast, efficient, and safe! After the Flying Eye mapped out the layout, they meticulously combed through the secure zones while completely avoiding the hazardous ones. Their efficiency was ridiculously high.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Who knew conquering a Nightmare could be this easy?"

"Be cautious, we still can’t afford to be careless. The Witchcraft Flying Eye might not be able to detect every single danger."

"I know, I know. I just have to sing its praises a bit. The rental fee of 300 grams of Dream Dust is an absolute steal! Split among the three of us, it’s only 100 grams each. I wonder if the Manager would be willing to sell this Witchcraft Flying Eye."

"I doubt it. The Manager specifically brought out such a precious item to rent to us just to give us a boost in conquering the Nightmare. Word has it that clearing more Nightmares can prevent them from invading reality, but clearing them doesn’t directly benefit the Manager himself. I can only say the Manager is truly righteous!"

"Indeed, the Manager is truly righteous!"

"We have to be careful when using the Witchcraft Flying Eye. We absolutely cannot break it! This thing is obviously irreplaceable. Paying compensation for damaging it is a small matter, but ruining our reputation with the Manager would be a massive disaster!"

The group couldn’t stop marveling. Among them, some had long heard of the Safe Zone’s reputation. There was a saying: as long as you could reach the Safe Zone, you not only had nothing more to worry about in your current Nightmare, but even conquering it would become much easier.

However, no one had mentioned it would be this easy!

(Older customers: We didn’t have this thing back in our day either!)

Meanwhile, in reality, at the Countermeasures Bureau Headquarter.

Many elite Dream Descenders had been drafted from various Dream-Extinguishing Squads to form multiple Nightmare conquest teams. Among them were either experts in the Control Stage or individuals in the Fusion Stage who possessed extremely high utility and Support capabilities.

This time, the Headquarter had equipped them with a plethora of items and gear. Contract Certificates that could accommodate groups of three, four, or five were merely one of the more inconspicuous categories.

"I’ve never fought such a well-funded battle before!" a core Dream Descender of the Countermeasures Bureau sighed emotionally.

At this moment, it was still far from the time for the general offensive. They were simply acclimating in advance and familiarizing themselves with the use of some of the new items. One such item, for instance, was an entirely silver-white robotic spider that was roughly the size of a millstone when unfolded.

The Spider Robot!

It was an item created by the research department after fusing a Curse Object with various Dream Materials—a tool that could actually be brought into the Nightmare World!

"With this exploration robot, we’re basically half a Yugui Stream Dream Descender! We can let the robot take the vanguard and scout out the situation in hazardous areas for us."

"Don’t underestimate it. Not only does this Spider Robot run faster than us, but it’s also capable of Wall-Climbing and Roof-Soaring, allowing it to directly access many areas humans can’t reach. With this sharp weapon, why worry about not being able to conquer the Nightmare?"

"Exactly!"

"The Bureau also hooked us up with Ghost Candles, Strong Horse Potions, Ghost Interference Grenades, and more."

If it weren’t for the Broken Dream strategy, they truly wouldn’t have been able to fight such a well-funded battle!

"This is the advantage of being backed by a major organization. Conquering a Nightmare using such a Krypton Gold item strategy is probably beyond the imagination of those freelance Dream Descenders."