Chapter 353

Chapter 303 – Slumber

After finishing all the newspapers in his compartment, Gregor looked out the window and saw that it was already late. He then went to the first-class dining car for dinner, where he ate half a roasted chicken, three sausages, and a piece of bread. Afterward, he had a cup of beer. Feeling full, he returned to his compartment and took out his book to read.

The book Gregor was reading was a manual on etiquette, which he had prepared for his work in Tivyán. Coming from a poor rural background, although he could read a bit, his education level was limited, only reaching the equivalent of completing primary school. If Dorothy were to describe him, she would say he barely finished primary school.

Although this level of education was considered average for his time, it was insufficient for a civil servant position in the capital. Therefore, under James’s advice, Gregor began to improve his education during his free time.

When working in Tivyán, he might encounter important officials and influential people. To avoid being called a country bumpkin, he was seriously studying and improving his knowledge and cultural level. Gregor believed that proper etiquette was essential when dealing with the nobility in the capital, so he prioritized learning etiquette.

In the carriage, Gregor diligently studied the etiquette book, even taking notes with a pen, showing great seriousness. As he studied, he felt a growing drowsiness and yawned repeatedly.

Feeling more tired, Gregor decided to sleep for a while. Before closing his eyes, he habitually did his nightly ritual of self-suggestion to enter the dream state.

As Gregor fell into a deep sleep in his carriage, his consciousness gradually coalesced in his dream. When he regained his senses, he found himself no longer in the train but in his room at the apartment building in Igewent.

Facing the scene before him, Gregor remained calm. He knew he was dreaming since he had been entering the dream realm daily. He was now in his own dream, inside his dream cocoon.

“Ah, I must have fallen asleep. It’s already this late? Unconsciously, I’ve been studying for quite some time,” Gregor mused as he looked around.

“Since I’m here, I should head to the forest quickly. If that little lady has to wait for me again, she’ll start scratching me,” Gregor continued, referring to his recent routine. Despite having accumulated enough spirituality, he still visited the forest daily because he promised his partner, the little fox, to help her explore the forest long-term. With the little fox’s assistance, Gregor had accumulated enough spirituality. In return, Gregor, true to his word, continued to enter the forest daily to help others.

Without further ado, Gregor recited the morphing incantation in his dream. A beam of light transformed his form into a robust black hunting dog.

After transforming into his dream realm form, the black dog Gregor let out a roar, creating a glowing passage in front of him. Then, he confidently entered the passage and arrived in the forest.

Standing above his dream cocoon, the black dog Gregor scanned the vast forest of giant trees and endless canopies. He looked around, searching for the familiar small figure, but couldn’t find it, causing him to feel puzzled.

‘Odd… Where is that little lady? Isn’t she supposed to be waiting for me every day?’

Gregor thought to himself, wondering why he couldn’t find her. Since he didn’t have enough dream anchor sigils to travel to the dragon territory, the little fox used her dream anchors to open portals and bring Gregor over each time. The little fox seemed to have an abundance of dream anchor sigils, using them freely.

Usually, because Gregor slept a bit late, the little fox would open the portal to his dream cocoon and wait for him. So, whenever Gregor emerged from his cocoon, he would see the little fox and listen to her complaints. However, today was unusual; the little fox was nowhere to be found, leaving Gregor feeling bewildered.

‘Maybe she couldn’t come today? That’s good, I can get a good night’s sleep…’

Gregor thought to himself, though he didn’t immediately leave the dream realm. Instead, he jumped from the branches of his cocoon onto the grass below and waited quietly. Soon, a familiar dream anchor portal opened in front of him, and a small white figure emerged.

“Hey, you’re early today. You know to sleep earlier to wait for me, so you don’t keep me waiting.”

The little white fox stepped out of the portal, surprised to see Gregor lying on the ground. Gregor’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Hmm… Did you come late today? My biological clock is set to go to sleep very late lately. Sleeping early doesn’t help,” Gregor said, puzzled. Due to his regular activities in the dream realm, his sleep schedule had become fixed over the past month. When he felt sleepy, he knew it was time to sleep. But tonight, something felt different.

“I’m not late. I always check the time before going to sleep. The timing is always the same. You must have come too early today, not me. Your sense of time is terrible,” the little fox declared confidently, puffing out her chest.

Hearing this, Gregor paused, a serious look crossing his dog-like face.

“Hmm… Does that mean I suddenly fell asleep earlier today? Is it because studying makes me sleepy?”

Gregor muttered to himself. While falling asleep a bit earlier wasn’t strange, it felt unusual to him. Normally, such anomalies might be overlooked, but Gregor, being a hunter for the An Yin Bureau and having handled many cases, felt a slight alertness.

“Miss Fox, please wait here for a moment. I need to wake up and confirm something.”

Gregor told the little fox, then his black dog form stayed in place and recited the return incantation. As the incantation continued, Gregor’s black dog form rose and swiftly floated back into his dream cocoon.

“Is there something wrong with sleeping early? Do I really need to wake up and confirm?” the little fox wondered aloud, wagging her tail as she watched Gregor’s cocoon.

Soon, Gregor’s black dog form emerged again, standing on his cocoon with a grim expression.

“Something’s wrong, I can’t seem to wake up!”