Chapter 578

Chapter 421: Influence

At noon when the sun was shining brightly, in a very clean kitchen, a teenage girl with curly hair tied up in a large bow atop her head stood here, humming a tune as she prepared lunch, her mood bright and cheerful.

Amidst her busy work, the girl standing on a small stool skillfully used the kitchen utensils to prepare two dishes. One plate contained roasted chicken legs and vegetable salad, while the other held several fried fish. After finishing preparing the dishes, she poured some milk, drinking one from a cup and another from a plate.

After everything was prepared, the girl gathered all the food onto a single plate and carried it to the dining room in the house. At this moment, a black cat sat at the dining table, its eyes fixed on a hand mirror placed on the table, looking extremely serious, as if it could see something from the mirror.

“Grandpa~ It’s time for lunch~”

The girl named Shalia placed the plate on the table, serving the dishes. She served the fried fish and a dish of milk to the black cat, while keeping a plate of roasted chicken legs and a cup of milk for herself. The Black Dream moved the hand mirror away after hearing Shalia’s voice.

“Hmm… I understand.”

As the black cat spoke, it began lapping at the milk in the dish in front of it. Meanwhile, Shalia, after sitting down, curiously looked at the ancient hand mirror beside the black cat, which had crescent moon patterns. She then asked curiously:

“Grandpa, you’ve been staring at the mirror since just now… and your expression seems a bit strange. Did something happen?”

“More or less… Just now, I received a message from the Shadow Mirror, and the Black Dream traitors showed significant movements this morning. All the confirmed Pseudo Moths started migrating simultaneously, changing their Dream Realm coordinates. Now they’re completely in a state that’s hard to track…”

After licking a few sips of milk, the black cat said to Shalia. Upon hearing this, Shalia was taken aback and said in surprise:

“All the Pseudo Moths in the Black Dream Hunter Group have started moving? How did this happen? This has never happened before…”

“It hasn’t happened since you’ve been around, but there were times in the past when they would do similar things when the Society underwent major changes. They aim to enhance their concealment… So, the Black Dream Hunter Group must have encountered something recently, and it’s probably not good.”

The black cat continued speaking as it used both paws to eat the roasted fish in the plate. After listening to the black cat’s words, Shalia frowned slightly, then seemed to recall something and continued to mutter:

“What bad thing might they have encountered recently? Hmm… Come to think of it, last night when I went to the Dream Realm to hunt with that Black Dog from the An Yin Bureau, he asked me about the Black Dream Hunter Group. He said a detective from the Rosy Cross had commissioned him to ask.”

“The Rosy Cross?” Hearing Shalia’s words, the black cat, who was gnawing on the fried fish, became serious. Then he raised his head and looked at Shalia with a very serious expression and continued:

“You mean… Last night, the Rosy Cross sent someone specifically to ask you about the Black Dream Hunter Group? Could it be that they have some connection with the Black Dream Hunter Group?”

“Mm… I think so. According to what that detective said, he traveled to a small town in southern Castia and discovered that a disease called Hypersomnia was spreading in that town. He mentioned that those affected by the disease worshiped a moth deity that brings beautiful dreams. When I heard this, I knew that place was where the Black Dream breeds Pseudo Moths. So, I asked the Black Dog to pass on some basic information about the Black Dream and Pseudo Moths to the detective, asking him to be careful… After all, in the Dream Realm, I often receive care from Lord Patunax, so telling them things that don’t concern us shouldn’t be a problem.”

Shalia told the black cat like this, then thought for a moment and continued speaking:

“Hey… Grandpa, could it be that after I gave them that information, the Rosy Cross immediately attacked the Black Dream Hunter Group? They fought with the Black Dream, which is why the Black Dream is showing such unusual behavior today.”

While biting into a piece of bread, Shalia narrated her conjecture to the Black Dream. Listening to her speculation, the black cat shook his head.

“No way. The information you gave them last night and the unusual behavior of the Black Dream Hunter Group this morning—if they really did attack the Black Dream Hunter Group—it would be equivalent to acting immediately after receiving the information. That’s too rash; they should at least analyze it first.

“Also, based on the previous performance of the Rosy Cross, even if they don’t hate the Black Dream, they don’t seem to know much about them either, lacking a reason to act.”

The black cat analyzed seriously, saying these words with a very serious tone. Hearing his words, Shalia said somewhat disappointedly:

“Hmm… Is that so? If they fight, it would be great. Perhaps Lord Patunax could resist the Pseudo Moths in the Dream Realm…”

“Don’t think too much, Shalia… When dealing with those traitors, we shouldn’t place our hopes on external forces we can’t control ourselves.” The black cat said like this, then continued speaking after gnawing on more of the fried fish:

“But this time, the unusual behavior of the Black Dream still catches my attention. I will try to find out what exactly happened to them… Mm, if there’s an opportunity, you can also casually ask that Black Dog or the Giant Dragon about the situation of the detective who encountered the Black Dream stronghold. Ask which city the stronghold is located in and if there have been any unusual phenomena recently. You don’t need to ask directly; just mention it when the opportunity arises.”

The Black Dream instructed Shalia like this, and after finishing a glass of milk, Shalia nodded.

“Mm, I understand, Grandpa.”

…

North coast of Conquer Sea, Navaha.

In the afternoon in Navaha, in the southern port area, the fleet of the Church was still docked here. Like many citizens of Navaha, many sailors and passengers on the ship were discussing the chaos that occurred early in the morning.

Due to the nature of the Church, most people on the ship sensed that something unusual happened last night, possibly a large-scale Extraordinary Event. However, they couldn’t determine the severity of the event, and only a few people who truly experienced it were severely affected.

In the captain’s cabin of the flagship, Bueno, Commander Jorde, who was escorting the fleet, was sitting on his bed, looking exhausted, his face very pale. Before him were several men wearing peculiar clerical robes.

They were heretical inquisitors from Trua, specially dispatched to take over the case of the Abyss Cult in Navaha. But they hadn’t expected that once they arrived in Navaha, the situation would become even more complicated than anticipated.

“Sir Jorde… According to your account, last night, a giant extraordinary creature in the form of a bizarre moth appeared here, not only hypnotizing the entire city but also planning to devour the spirits of the hypnotized.”

Sitting in the captain’s chair, the lead inquisitor said with astonishment to the exhausted Jorde. Jorde nodded and slowly responded:

“Yes… That should be a Dream Realm Being capable of influencing reality. I suspect there’s a ‘Shadow’ heresy cult practicing dream-related abilities in this city, and this creature might have been summoned by them…”

Jorde said seriously to the inquisitor. After hearing Jorde’s words, the inquisitor’s expression turned serious, and he continued:

“We originally thought that coming here was just to handle the matters of the Abyss Cult. We didn’t expect the situation to become more complex… A heretical cult practicing Dream Realm abilities. I’ve heard of one called the Black Dream Hunter Group before, but I’m not sure if it’s this one…”

“I’m not quite sure either… Heresies related to ‘Shadow’ are usually more secretive. We, who often drift at sea, interact more with groups like the Abyss Cult. At most, we also deal with the Dark Gold Society. Encountering an opponent primarily focused on dream abilities is indeed very tricky. We almost met our end…”