Chapter 304 – Conversation with the City Lord of Ninglan New City
When we set foot in Ninglan Township Fort, the first thing that caught our eye was the gigantic wooden door made of unknown timber, intricately carved with fine patterns and decorations. These patterns seemed to represent some special heritage, perhaps the emblem of the Ninglan family?
I noticed the simplest of runes etched into it, as well as the most primitive composite runes. They applied these designs almost as decorative elements, which might impress the uninitiated, but to me, it was clear that these rune combinations held no meaning.
As the door swung open, it revealed a vast space inside, but it did not possess the splendor I had imagined a castle would have. Instead, it was filled with ancient portraits and rugs that were already beginning to fade and shed.
Above hung a rather ornate chandelier, operated by extraordinary energy. After a quick glance, I recognized that it seemed to mirror the structure of a minor spell tree’s illumination spell.
The light brightened the dimly lit interior, and the entire Ninglan Township Fort seemed divided into many areas. However, what I thought would be the most prominent living room turned out to be the largest office space, dominated by a massive desk that took up most of the visible area, surrounded by countless stacks of documents.
Several assistants were bustling nearby, and the figure seated at the desk was presumably the City Lord of Ninglan New City.
With a rugged and muscular build, he seemed more suited to being a gym instructor than sitting here processing public affairs with a pen in hand.
As we approached, the assistants or whatever their duties were cast just a hurried glance at me before resuming their tasks. Even the City Lord raised his head, displaying a surprised expression as if he had only just noticed our arrival.
“Ah? Welcome, the two of you. Mo Le, are these young ladies the guests who have come to our Ninglan New City?”
“Yes, City Lord,” Mo Le responded with a bow.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ninglan Qiuyun, the City Lord of Ninglan New City. I apologize for intruding by asking you here; I merely wish to learn more about each of you. Of course, if you have anything you’d like to inquire about, I will gladly answer.”
“Hello, I am Yang Yuelan, and this is Bai Yu beside me. My arrival at Ninglan New City was somewhat of an accident; I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”
“No, not at all. I was just wrapping up some tasks. How about we move to the reception room for further discussion?” Ninglan Qiuyun stood up and suggested.
His politeness was indeed a stark contrast to his physique.
The reception room, though simply decorated, still maintained a sense of elegance, as it was meant to accommodate guests.
After tea and refreshments were served, Ninglan Qiuyun took a seat and began the conversation.
“I wonder where you ladies are from?” Ninglan Qiuyun asked me directly.
“I’m not quite sure myself. I heard that your city has received other outsiders; you must have gathered some information from them?”
“Surprisingly, you do know. However, it’s not particularly useful information. Since you mention it, does that imply you and those others are from the same place?”
“Theoretically, yes, but we’re not necessarily acquainted. I’m not sure how you manage those individuals; I hope they haven’t caused you any trouble. I wouldn’t want that to disrupt our normal communication.”
“For those who choose to stay, I have generally arranged accommodations for them at the hotel. But regarding trouble, there are indeed some reckless individuals making quite the mess.”
“I’m truly sorry. There are always insurmountable discrepancies between people, but… City Lord, I believe your Ninglan New City must be facing some troubles lately, right?” I continued to inquire.
At this moment, I didn’t want to take the blame for someone else’s misdeeds anymore; it was better to clear our relationship sooner to avoid any misunderstandings with this City Lord.
“Oh?” Upon hearing me shift the topic, Ninglan Qiuyun’s expression grew serious, indicating there was indeed significant trouble.
After all, we had been pulled into this through nightmares; Ninglan New City could not possibly face only us. Naturally, there would be nightmares, and even… dream demons!
Unlike us, who had nothing to do with them, those kinds of entities traveling between reality and dreams were far too troublesome.
So if Ninglan Qiuyun wished to understand intelligence through us, he would surely have to address the matter of nightmares.
“It seems you know something, don’t you?”
“We do know a little, though not much. However… before we discuss that, may I ask how much you currently know about us?”
At this moment, I approached the conversation dismissively. My speech lacked any formalities; high-level intelligence gathering is all about direct questions.
Upon hearing my question, Ninglan Qiuyun couldn’t help but chuckle, but this also indicated he was ready to be straightforward. By sharing such information, he would expect to gain something in return if they weren’t adhering to a typical protocol.
“As far as I know, you should also be victims of an incident, right? I believe we have a certain foundation for cooperation. You are somewhat different from those other outsiders I previously encountered. May I boldly speculate that you… are the type to handle and resolve problems in this event, correct?”
“Your speculation is quite bold, but how should I put it? I’m not exactly one to resolve trouble; rather, I’m one to actively participate. As for cooperation… that will depend on how well I understand the situation and what needs to be done, but resolving troubles isn’t something I need to worry about.”
“Alright then, that was presumptuous of me. However, would you be willing to share what you know in return for our assistance?” Ninglan Qiuyun shook his head, realizing some of his initial plans had fallen through, and began normal inquiries instead.
“I could, but… you understand our unique situation; what assistance can you provide us?” I inquired with a smile.
“While we indeed do not exist in the same world and cannot forge any relationship, if you provide us with valuable intel, we will naturally cooperate with your various actions. After all, this is within our Ninglan New City—a collaboration would surely facilitate your plans, wouldn’t it?”
“That does seem to be the case.” I nodded, marveling at the audacity of their tactics; they wanted information in exchange for our freedom to act and the ‘legitimacy’ of our outrageous behavior.
Logically, I wouldn’t need to comply since they couldn’t stop us from doing what we wanted. Yet, if I did so, it could lead to animosity, eliminating any potential cooperation in the future.
As the locals here, they knew too much about things we didn’t, and given that we were newcomers, we were in desperate need of such knowledge. I also had a growing interest in Ninglan New City.
I wanted to learn about Ninglan New City’s origins, that patch of ruins—did the past civilization have any relation to my world? Why did the Academy Head arrange matters here? Was there a purpose or was it an overly ambitious initiative on the Academy Head’s part?
“So, what is your decision?”
“Naturally, cooperation sounds delightful,” I smiled, after all, between goodwill and enmity, I would naturally choose the former. I had no substantial ties to this world, and hoarding information held little meaning. Currently, the goodwill exhibited by Ninglan New City was beyond my expectations; they hadn’t immediately regarded us outsiders as enemies, revealing their measure of tolerance.
“Pleasant cooperation, well said.” Hearing my response, Ninglan Qiuyun did not hide his delight.
After all, the troubles he had encountered of late could be likened to the reports from previous energy tide phases filled with mutated beast hordes, leaving him overwhelmed. He hadn’t even grasped the nature of the current situation; ordering contact with those who were more mild and approachable was a risky move, initially intended to gather intelligence on the troubles but yielding dissatisfactory results.
With progress now made, he was understandably thrilled. However, intelligence was one thing; how to deal with issues was equally important. He didn’t want to stir unnecessary complications; he simply wished to carry out his mission of safeguarding Ninglan New City, allowing this city to endure. If the enemy was merely an intangible being akin to a ghost, he wouldn’t be so pressed.
But the clearly harmful entities causing residents to suffer from night terrors were genuinely troublesome, posing a significant threat to the stability of Ninglan New City.
Then there was the unknown monster that could inflict harm upon them, yet they could pass right through the creature when attacking. That was a serious problem, representing how easily that stunningly beautiful monster could k*ll them!
Over these last few days, Ninglan Qiuyun hadn’t slept well. The thousand-year-old Ninglan New City, standing amid ruins, its fortifications utterly ineffective against such an enemy—how could he find rest?
“Can we now discuss matters related to the exchange of information?”
“Of course, but you can’t just expect me to speak freely, right? We’re strangers and know nothing of each other. Instead of me offering up valuable intel, it would be better if you asked questions, so that I won’t overlook pieces of information that you urgently need.”
“Alright, how straightforward. I won’t hold back then. I want to know if this incident was caused by you in your world?”
“Asking that shows little sincerity. We’re merely ordinary people caught in the aftermath. Perhaps it was caused, but all affected people lack the ability to do so.”
“I apologize for my rudeness. What I want to ask is, what do you call this incident in your place? I previously posed this question, but many outsiders claimed not to know. I believe you should have the answer.”
“I see… I do know, seeing as we are not the first batch of victims affected. This event is called the Sleeping Curse, and those affected fall into a slumber that can’t be awakened. It appears those who are asleep have their consciousness here now.”
“The Sleeping Curse…” Upon receiving this answer, Ninglan Qiuyun pondered for a moment, “So have you found a way to break this curse?”
“Not yet.” I shook my head.
“Then do you know the cause or source of this so-called Sleeping Curse?”
“The source is the nightmare, a thing shrouded in black mist without a fixed form.”
“Nightmare? Is that thing called a nightmare? The one that invades people’s dreams and creates demons while they sleep?”
“Yes, it seems you’ve had encounters with them.” I smiled at Ninglan Qiuyun.
“Indeed, recently I’ve found this thing somewhat nerve-wracking. Do you have any means to deal with it?” Ninglan Qiuyun sighed and shook his head, looking at me with anticipation.
“There should be… Before we arrived at Ninglan New City, we encountered this so-called nightmare, and our attacks had the potential to k*ll them.”
“Only potential?”
“Yes, I haven’t truly killed one; it managed to escape.”
“That’s really a pity.” Ninglan Qiuyun sighed in disappointment.
“So since you can k*ll the so-called nightmare, may I ask if I can entrust you with eliminating them when the so-called nightmare reappears in our Ninglan New City? After all, they are also your enemies; helping us is also helping yourselves, isn’t it?”
“Actually, you don’t need to entrust us; other outsiders could likely do the same. We have a temporary, unavoidable reason to engage with the nightmares.”
“Oh really? That’s quite unfortunate, but I appreciate you sharing this information. However… you mention having such a reason; would you mind elaborating?”
“It’s probably akin to how handling garbage gets your hands dirty; would that make sense?” I explained, since dealing with nightmares would taint our fortune, but that luck meant nothing to others—the ignorant are fearless.
“Ah, I see. By the way, we have recently encountered similar entities to yours. They can also k*ll us even though we cannot reach them. Such entities are extremely dangerous; are they also from your world?”
“They are neither human nor from our world; they can be considered our enemies as well. That entity is called a dream demon. How should I describe it to you…”
“No rush, take your time.” Ninglan Qiuyun said, as this was crucial intelligence, and he was willing to invest effort to obtain it.
“You understand our existence is a result of the Sleeping Curse, meaning we currently manifest as consciousness in the dream world. Now here comes my guess—I speculate that the dream we are in overlaps with your reality, which explains why we cannot reach each other at present. The key evidence is our understanding of the existence of dream demons, which can traverse between dreams and reality. Thus, as long as they react quickly, neither the reality of you nor the dream of us can k*ll them.”
“So… according to you, if we strike both in reality and dreams together, we can prevent that monster from hiding?”
“Theoretically, yes, City Lord; you truly have a clear mind, quickly devising a countermeasure. In fact, as long as she hasn’t reacted, even a sneak attack could succeed.”
“Flattery… but it’s simply common sense. However, since you mentioned the existence of dream demons, there must be many other enemies like that, right? I have seen quite a few outsiders whose forms aren’t just pure humans.”
“Yes, theoretically, our enemies are only nightmares and dream demons. Those other entities you’ve seen are our people, just individuals who have paid a price for mastering some extraordinary powers. Of course, there may also be minor conflicts among them, existing hierarchies of disdain or animosity. I hope you’re not misled by my earlier words.”
“Really? That makes things even more complicated… let’s discuss something else for now.”
“Sure.”
