Chapter 107 - 98: Dream Cage and the Gate of Hell (Part 2)

Chapter 107: Chapter 98: Dream Cage and the Gate of Hell (Part 2)

’I wonder if the single-eye pattern on my index finger can absorb the Spirit of the Eye of Misfortune?’

’Hm, I shouldn’t think like that. It might notice me.’

Lian reined in his thoughts. No longer lingering on the beach scenery, he decisively entered Solaya’s next dream.

This time, Solaya wasn’t a school of fish in the water but a soaring eagle.

The moment Lian appeared in this dream, he almost went into a freefall from ten thousand meters in the air.

Fortunately, he managed to have the eagle Solaya grab him in time.

Embarrassingly, a Five-star Light and Shadow Knight couldn’t fly—not even in a dream.

In the third dream, Solaya was running across a boundless prairie. She had transformed into a free lion, with a pride of six or seven lionesses hunting for her. She only needed to sit back and reap the rewards. Her life was incredibly leisurely, her magnificent golden mane glossy and smooth. When she lifted her head, she radiated an unparalleled, confident glow.

As soon as Lian entered the dream, he was met with the magnificent sight of a prairie migration—a herd of frenzied yaks charging straight at him. Dust clouds billowed and vegetation was trampled in their wake, and the entire ground trembled.

’This shouldn’t be called Solaya’s Dream Cage,’ Lian thought. ’It should be called The Adventures of Lian.’

After that, Lian went through one of Solaya’s pleasant dreams after another, experiencing all sorts of perilous situations.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how much Solaya disliked being human. The vast majority of her dreams featured her as an animal, though sometimes she was an Elf or a Sea Siren.

It wasn’t until the final dream that Lian saw Solaya in human form.

However, she appeared as a little princess with green hair and blue eyes.

The buildings of this Kingdom were grand yet simple, vastly different from those of the Holy Empire. The houses were predominantly brown, gray, and white, and numerous High Towers stood tall over the city.

Flying creatures that resembled both dragons and lizards circled in the sky, leaving rainbow-colored clouds in their wake.

The city streets were filled with citizens in festive attire. Their clothes were of a peculiar cut, a style Lian had never seen before.

Their faces were painted with red and green greasepaint, as if they were celebrating some grand festival.

A float pulled by crawling Giants appeared, surrounded by Guards. Little Princess Solaya sat on it with her father, the King, and her mother, the Queen, as it slowly passed through the crowd.

The citizens cheered and thronged, trying to keep up with the float.

A band was playing cheerful, ancient music—a melody Lian had never heard before.

The family of three on the float wore blissful smiles.

"Solaya, my little Angel, remember today’s ceremony. For every birthday from now on, I will have everyone celebrate for you."

The handsome man in ornate robes and a Crown lifted Solaya into his arms.

Solaya gave an innocent smile, acting playfully in the King’s embrace.

The Queen watched her gently, her eyes filled with doting affection, as if all the treasures in the world could not compare to her.

Even Lian, who had just been through 359 adventures, found it hard to bring himself to disturb them.

But he was short on time. The longer he lingered here, the greater the risk of being discovered by Sophie.

So, he had no choice but to call out to Solaya directly.

"Solaya, come to me."

Still on the float, Solaya’s expression suddenly froze, like someone startled awake from a beautiful dream.

She turned her head slightly and saw Lian standing in the crowd.

She slowly looked back, seeing the young faces of the King and Queen.

Her beautiful blue eyes filled with mist, and tears began to fall before she knew it.

A familiar whisper reached Lian’s ears.

"Oh, my great master, please do not shatter my dream. I am willing to stay here forever. I am willing to give up everything in the real world, if only you would let me remain lost in this beautiful dream."

"No. I refuse."

Lian said in a tone that brooked no argument.

’How could he possibly let Solaya remain immersed in a pleasant dream?’

’What would that make his previous 359 adventures?’

"I’ll give you five minutes. You can say your final goodbyes to your family here."

Lian didn’t know if Solaya’s current family was her real one. After all, even a beggar might dream of being a prince, and a young girl dreaming of being a princess was the most ordinary dream imaginable. Still, out of humanitarian kindness, he let Solaya say her final farewells.

Solaya wiped the tears from her eyes and, in response to her parents’ concerned questions, said they were tears of joy.

Before the float had completed its route, Solaya transformed into a Spirit and drifted into the green leaf pattern on Lian’s left thumb.

With that, the Dream Cage, formed from 360 dream-curses, completely shattered.

Lian returned to reality, bringing all of Solaya’s Spirit with him.

The girl bound by the giant tree finally opened her eyes.

Their lips parted.

The girl’s pale blue eyes seemed to hold the sun, moon, and stars, all of nature’s flora, pure yet full of allure, like the most dazzling of gems. At this moment, those eyes reflected the young Lord’s face.

After her Spirit had fully returned, the sacred aura around the girl grew even stronger.

Lian, stunned for a second by her beautiful eyes up close, immediately shot a guilty look back at Sophie.

He breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that Sophie hadn’t turned to look at him and Solaya.

’Maybe I wasn’t in the Dream Cage for very long after all.’

The emissary from Aphel Palace—the same Spirit of the Bone Forest who had previously controlled the Bone Forest—was far too cunning. It had split Solaya’s Spirit into 360 pieces, imprisoning each in a perfect dream, invisibly adding a huge amount of work for him, the rescuer.

"Master, thank you for saving me."

Solaya said gently.

Then, with a RUMBLE, the great tree embedded in the dungeon began to retract, shrinking at a visible rate completely into Solaya’s back.

Sophie immediately spun around, moved to Lian’s side, and watched Solaya—the source of the dungeon’s disturbance—warily, ready to use Frost Magic at a moment’s notice.

"Sophie, she’s one of us."

Lian said quickly.

But Sophie’s gaze on Solaya remained hostile.

’Who told her to not wear any clothes?’

Solaya was adept at sensing others’ emotions, even those of a stoic-faced girl.

After retracting all the giant tree’s vines and branches into her body, a gorgeous long dress appeared on her. Flowers and green leaves adorned the hem, making her look just like the "Spring Maiden" from the elementary school textbooks of Lian’s previous life. Well, her appearance wasn’t as crude; it was just a billion times more refined.

Solaya performed a peculiar curtsy for Lian, just like the one he had seen in her final dream.

"My master, Solaya is willing to follow you forever. From this day forward, the Bone Forest is your territory, always open to you."

"You seem to be in good shape."

Probably because of the Master-Servant Contract, Lian could clearly perceive the state of Forest Spirit Solaya.

Solaya nodded slightly. "Escaping the Dream Cage has given me new insights. My Spirit has been elevated to a certain extent."

"Congratulations, Solaya."

Lian was genuinely happy, not just because Sophie hadn’t seen him kiss Solaya, but also because he had gained a capable servant.

He no longer needed to continue his conquest of the East District. As long as Solaya was with him, the Bone Forest would be the Green Shade Territory’s best Barrier.

He could finally enter the Blue Moon Territory without any worries.

Moreover, as a Spirit of the Forest, Solaya certainly knew more than others. If he encountered any unknown problems in the field of mysticism, he could consult her without worrying about her lying.

Her Loyalty was extremely high.

"Solaya, is the Aphel Palace you mentioned the Maze within the Skeleton Monster Realm?"

Lian asked.

"Yes, Master."

Solaya answered respectfully.

"Does it possess the legendary Gate of Hell?"

Lian pressed on.

"Yes, Master. Aphel Palace is itself a Gate of Hell. If you desire ownership of this Gate, I can help you clear out the Undead in the area."

"That won’t be necessary for now. Just keep an eye on the Gate’s activity."