Chapter 285

Chapter 266 – Newspaper

Tivyán Suburbs, Green Shade Town.

As the sun rose slowly from the eastern sky at dawn, the morning light spread across the land, gradually dispelling the early morning chill. Dewdrops on the grass blades reflected the morning sunlight.

Inside house number 17 in Green Shade Town, Dorothy, who had just woken up, stretched out on her large bed. After rubbing her sleepy eyes, she got up from bed, put on slippers, and staggered towards the bathroom. After washing up in front of the mirror, she returned to her bedroom, changed out of her nightwear into a light yellow dress, and put on white socks before descending to the ground floor and arriving at the foyer.

Here, Dorothy put on her small leather shoes, took a yellow soft hat from a rack, yawned, opened the door, and stepped out onto the quiet street.

As usual, Dorothy went straight to a restaurant in town after waking up. She ordered breakfast and sat down at a window booth, watching students heading to their morning classes while contemplating the events of her dream from the previous night.

‘Who would have thought that this time I would encounter Gregor in my dream? How coincidental. From what he said, the An Yin Bureau has tasks in the Dream Realm… It seems to be some kind of hunting mission? Hunting those so-called Dream Realm Beings? Or hunting other Society’s extraordinary beings in their Dream Realm forms?’

Dorothy pondered. She was still unclear about what Dream Realm Beings looked like because the dragon aura created by her dragon form seemed to have driven all the Dream Realm Beings away from the area she frequented, making it a forbidden zone. To Gregor and the little fox, it appeared as if it had become her territory.

‘It’s no wonder I couldn’t find anything in the Dream Realm; it must be because they were all scared away… Although the dragon form is powerful, its unrestrained aura is a drawback… I can’t even find any creatures to fight.

‘And using the dragon form seems to consume a lot of energy. If I use the dragon form, I can only stay in the Dream Realm for less than half an hour each day… It’s too short. Last night, the little fox and Gregor didn’t seem nervous when talking with me, which means they had ample time in the Dream Realm. And Gregor mentioned that he was still executing the An Yin Bureau’s task in the Dream Realm, indicating that he had been in the forest for quite some time.

‘This means… maybe Gregor and the little fox, who use more normal Dream Realm forms, expend much less energy, allowing them to maintain their presence for longer periods. They can explore the forest for extended times and encounter more things…

Dorothy thought. If this was the case, then if she wanted to explore the forest in the future, she couldn’t rely solely on the dragon form. Not only would it scare away other Dream Realm Beings, but her exploration time would also be too short.

Each person’s Dream Cocoon has a fixed coordinate in the Dream Realm. Dorothy emerged from her Dream Cocoon every night, spending only half an hour exploring, which wasn’t long enough. Her exploration range was limited to a huge circle centered around her Dream Cocoon, which is probably why it became known as the ‘dragon territory’ and ‘forbidden zone.’

It wasn’t that Dorothy liked staying in one area after transforming into a dragon; rather, her limited exploration time prevented her from going further, forcing her to stay close to the starting point in the Dream Realm.

“Phew… Looks like I need to get some other transformation spells if I have the time.”

Sighing deeply, Dorothy whispered to herself. At that moment, the breakfast she had ordered earlier was finally brought to her by the waiter.

A fried egg, sausages, three pieces of bread, and a glass of milk—a simple breakfast combination that Dorothy enjoyed. She added a few cubes of sugar to her milk, grabbed today’s Tivyán Morning News from the waiter, and began reading the paper while eating.

‘Without a phone, newspapers are the only way to pass the time…’

Taking a sip of sweet milk, Dorothy ate the sausage while reading the newspaper. In this era where she couldn’t scroll through her phone, the only thing that could distract her besides her battles with other Extraordinary Beings and secret societies was reading books and newspapers. During this time, she had to control her abilities to avoid finishing everything at once.

Enjoying her breakfast, Dorothy read today’s newspaper, which mainly covered local news in Tivyán, as well as some domestic and international news.

…

“Night Demon strikes! Another m*rder case! Senator Thonks found dead in Platinum! This is the fourth m*rder case in Platinum or nearby areas. Platinum may no longer be safe. Police Director Jackson held a press conference, guaranteeing to catch the culprit within two months.”

Flipping open the newspaper, the headline news that first caught Dorothy’s eye was prominently displayed. Reading this news, Dorothy furrowed her brow slightly and thought to herself.

‘Platinum m*rder case? I think I saw something similar in the newspaper before; it was the third case back then, and now there’s another one?’

Dorothy thought to herself, then carefully read the content of the report, gaining a general understanding of the situation.

This series of m*rder cases seems to have started three months ago. So far, four people have been killed in Platinum, including nobles, officials, and politicians. Due to the high social status of the victims, this series of murders garnered widespread attention. Therefore, when the new case occurred, it became a top headline for reporters.

So far, it appears that the series of murders might be committed by a single individual. To attract readers, some newspapers gave the killer a nickname, “Night Demon.” The police have faced considerable pressure due to not catching the killer yet.

‘Night Demon, huh? Hmph… I committed four or five cases in Igewent, killing dozens of people, causing quite a stir, but nobody gave me a nickname… Indeed, the capital’s journalists are different. Look at how they write… It’s on a whole different level compared to the small town of Igewent.

Looking at the news, Dorothy thought to herself. She didn’t pay much attention to this case, which had nothing to do with her, and continued to read the next article.

“Princess Isabel held a public speech at the Obelisk Square, officially calling on the public to pay attention to the pollution of the Moonflow River and hoping for the early passage of relevant governance bills. The audience was packed, and the police force was once lacking… This is her second statement since she published an article on worker issues two months ago. Although Princess Isabel still has many supporters, her recent social activities have decreased. Some commentators suggest that this might be due to internal pressure from the royal family…”

‘Princess Isabel? Hmm… I’ve seen reports about her in the past newspapers… The young princess of the royal family, dedicated to environmental improvement and improving workers’ conditions.

‘According to the newspaper, her activities used to be frequent, but over the past few months, she has been quieter. It seems there are voices of disapproval within the royal family regarding her actions… That makes sense. As a member of the royal family, it’s best not to express political views easily.’