Chapter 318: The Difficulty of Ninglan New City in Facing Nightmares
At this moment, there was a rare wave of heated discussions in the Underground City. For so many days, the disaster of the Nightmare had been troubling them, and this was the first time they had seen such a quick resolution to a Nightmare attack.
The Ground Patrol Team’s efficiency undoubtedly gave the residents here great confidence. Of course, this was also due to the Ground Patrol Team’s own promotion; they had gained significant credit for resolving the Nightmare incident and needed to advertise it well to elevate their prestige.
Naturally, they did not forget to mention the scholars from the Extraordinary Research Base who were responsible for addressing the root of the problem, boosting the reputation of the base’s scholars and spreading the word that the scholars would find a way to completely resolve the issue to dispel any lingering concerns.
These announcements included warnings against individuals who had clashed with the base’s scholars or hindered the team’s efforts to address the Nightmare attacks, further solidifying the base’s unshakeable image in the minds of ordinary people.
Finally, they also debunked the rumors about the connections between Fool Dreams and Nightmares, noting that some Fool Dreams had also been recognized by the scholars and taken into the base as apprentices.
This was not only about raising the status of these Fool Dreams, but mainly about hinting to those foolish individuals that they should not mess with them, as behind those Fool Dreams, there might be a scholar. They wouldn’t know how they got into trouble and could end up complicating matters for themselves.
Outside the Underground City, the response to the quick resolution of the Nightmare incident was one of celebration, and the Extraordinary Research Base felt the same way.
After all, I had arrived at the base with a pitch-black Nightmare and walked in boldly, nearly startling the guards, who immediately triggered an emergency alert.
In the end, the base urgently prepared an isolated containment chamber to help me contain this Nightmare.
That night, nearly everyone in the base was mobilized; after all, they knew the dangers of Nightmares. If a Nightmare escaped containment and erupted, it could impact all the talents there! Not a single person could afford to make a mistake.
Although I ultimately received a serious warning from the higher-ups of the base, due to various objective reasons and a series of unforeseen circumstances, the final punishment turned into a reflection paper. Incidentally, this reflection was written by the Fool Dream, filled with childish apologies on several pages. However, the base still accepted it with a pinch of discomfort and posted it as a notice.
But I didn’t mind that.
On the contrary, there were already too many people in the base seeking me to start a research project on the Nightmare, as the existence form of Nightmares was too intriguing for those who had researched in the extraordinary field for so long.
This was similarly a brand new unknown field akin to the runic ceremony I proposed!
In fact, it seemed to be even more popular than the runes I taught. After all, most people here still recognized inscriptions, and those who had delved deeper were able to see that runes merely integrated the inscriptions into a more systematic existence; in essence, they were the same.
However, their notion was not entirely wrong. After all, I had only skimmed through the runes, and this was not all the runes; I did not have the time to research each one in depth.
As for the cage for containing the Nightmare, I had also figured that out.
To trap a Nightmare, what needed to be solved was how to construct a permanent container on top of the dream world that could hold the Nightmare, preferably a confinement device that would be convenient for future research.
The answer was simple: create a similar container in reality based on the dream world’s container. I used the Dream Rewriting Spell to communicate with the information channel to replicate this container, which made it quite convenient.
Even if the effects of my rewriting spell faded, there would still be a stable information reception channel in the dream world, so this cage would not disappear.
A few days later, applications for the research project on Nightmares came through, with me as the applicant. After all, the base needed to assess the risks of researching such a monster, but for me, it was merely a formality; on the other hand, I also used these days to handle some trivial matters.
“Sister Xiao Han, someone is looking for you.”
“Hmm? Who is it?” I instinctively asked as I looked at the adorable Fool Dream entering through the door.
“It’s Sister Ninglan Qiuyue.”
“Hello, Teacher Xiao Han.” Together with the Fool Dream came that familiar voice of Ninglan Qiuyue.
“Hmm? What brings you here?” After all, Ninglan Qiuyue had not been in the Underground City these days; being the daughter of the City Lord of Ninglan New City, she must have been quite busy.
“Of course, I heard about your glorious deeds, Teacher Xiao Han, venturing alone into the Nightmare disaster area and containing a complete Nightmare. Moreover… I heard you are starting research on Nightmare-related topics.”
“Oh? You seem well-informed. What? Do you want to join this research team?”
“I am well aware of my own limitations; I don’t have the qualifications to participate in such advanced topic research.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked curiously, as if she had no business here if there was nothing important.
“Do you remember when you took those Fool Dreams to register with the Ground Patrol Team?”
“Oh, that was several days ago, right? Was the matter resolved? Why are you the one notifying me?” I pondered for a moment and looked up to ask her.
“Because the interests involved seem to have reached the surface powers, so I took over the matter. Of course, I also brought those Fool Dreams back to you safely.”
“Really? Sister Ninglan Qiuyue?”
“Thank you, Sister Ninglan Qiuyue!” Hearing this response, the Fool Dreams around me immediately expressed their gratitude towards Ninglan Qiuyue.
“Thank you, I didn’t expect this would trouble you.” I also spoke up.
“It’s nothing; consider it a… convenience. I also took the opportunity to deal with some… you know.”
“Oh, well, it seems your life on the surface is quite colorful.”
“You’re not bad either, right? I heard you have quite the reputation here, and many people respect you.” Ninglan Qiuyue flattered me.
“They’re just geniuses who enjoy competing in academic matters. I find I can relate well with them.” I nodded in agreement.
My passive talent as a conversation ender seemed to render others speechless when it came to academic discussions. After all, academic exchanges didn’t concern emotional issues too much; the lines between right and wrong were quite clear. Even when opinions diverged, if your eloquence fell short against mine, it would still shake their perceptions.
“By the way, I’ve met quite a few outsiders in Ninglan New City these days, or rather, the influx of outsiders has been increasing recently, and so I’ve had more contact with them.”
“How so? Have you witnessed biodiversity?”
“Biodiversity… Hahaha, I didn’t expect you, Teacher Xiao Han, to crack such a joke. Indeed, those outsiders have brought quite a bit of trouble to us in Ninglan New City. We can’t intervene with those reckless folks, and we even had to hire other outsiders to restrict those unreasonable outsiders.” Ninglan Qiuyue first paused, then chuckled lightly before starting to express her grievances.
“Hire? Are you not afraid that this creates an industry chain among outsiders? One group responsible for causing mayhem, and another for you to exploit?”
“Well, I’ve certainly considered that, so the outsiders I hired are those I trust. But I have also heard your name from them; it seems you are quite well-known among this group of outsiders!”
“Well-known? How can that be? I’m just an ordinary student, but… since you’ve chosen to team up with those outsiders, I guess dealing with the Nightmares should be easy for you, right?”
“Easy? No way.” Ninglan Qiuyue shook her head with a bitter smile upon hearing my words.
I wondered what problems had arisen. The form of Nightmares should’ve been easy for outsiders to handle, right?
Or was it perhaps just my misunderstanding that it was easy for outsiders to deal with Nightmares?
After all, I was using spells, while a considerable portion of the affected academies wasn’t made up of spellcasters.
But… both we outsiders and Nightmares were “creations” within the dream world; wouldn’t they physically dispel it?
Of course, they might have summoned a fake outsider.
I remember that the headmaster initially selected the unfortunate souls entangled by Nightmares, like those among the Witch Academy, many of whom were poor students with not much ability. Aside from a Magic Source, they might not even possess a Spellbook.
“And… not only outsiders but also that Dream Demon you mentioned. Although they also seem to feed on Nightmares, they can bring disasters on the scale of Nightmare invasions.”
“Dream Demon… Oh, that’s not surprising.” I nodded.
“Those Dream Demons are extremely aggressive and have great malice towards you outsiders, running rampant…”
“Have there been any casualties among us outsiders?” I quickly asked, as outsiders being killed by Nightmares, or having their soul materials drained, meant true d*ath for us!
“Not dead so far, but there are many severely injured. After their injuries, they become very listless, and even… their bodies become transparent…”
“Transparent?”
“Yes, it gives the illusion that they could vanish at any moment.” Ninglan Qiuyue said solemnly.
“Is that so…”
I nodded again without any further change in expression; this time, the Struggle of Fortune seemed to have grown more brutal. Never before had I felt so intuitively that life was gradually moving towards d*ath. Principally, I didn’t want to engage with heavy topics like d*ath, but then again, what did it have to do with me?
Perhaps in this Nightmare incident, no one had the choice to opt-out, but since we were forced to participate, if there wasn’t a clear understanding of oneself, then it was no different from self-sabotage. If I were in their position without the necessary abilities, I would simply play it safe.
“Is this really your only reaction? They should be friends you know, right?” Ninglan Qiuyue said in confusion.
“I only have a nodding acquaintance with them, and I may not have even met most of them. What do you expect to see from me? Sadness? Or applause?”
“This…” A hint of helplessness flashed in Ninglan Qiuyue’s eyes before she quickly concealed it. “I’m sorry; I thought they were important to you, so I shared this with you.”
“Thank you. I indeed needed some updates about Ninglan New City to satisfy my curiosity, but I won’t waste extra sympathy on unfamiliar people. Since you have interacted with many outsiders, you should understand that even among outsiders, not everyone gets along harmoniously.”
I fixed my gaze on Ninglan Qiuyue. Her statement emphasized the difficulties of battling Nightmares and Dream Demons, highlighting a challenge, suggesting she might have ulterior motives.
“I’m sorry; I’m overthinking.”
“It’s nothing; you must have other matters to discuss with me, right? Just say it.” After all, Ninglan Qiuyue had been here for a while; she couldn’t have come all this way just to drop off those Fool Dreams and chat with me. She couldn’t be that idle.
“Alright… Actually, I heard you have the ability to k*ll Nightmares, and you even managed to capture one to bring back to the base for research. I hope to understand how you achieved that. This could serve as a valuable reference for those outsiders.”
Seeing her thoughts exposed so directly, Ninglan Qiuyue sighed and lowered her posture, asking earnestly.
“Spells; it’s purely a personal ability issue. Spellcasters have a strong suppressive capacity against Nightmares. The rest isn’t of much reference value. You can think of it as strength overpowering; I recommend finding a stronger outsider to help you.”
“Well, that…” Ninglan Qiuyue had a headache upon hearing my words. Although she heard reports from the Ground Patrol Team that were mild, she didn’t expect my description to be more straightforward. “Could you help deal with those…”
“No, you can see I don’t have the time for that.” I firmly rejected.
“However, I can recommend you someone I trust, a young girl named Tan Han. Her strength is unquestionable and quite powerful.”
“Tan Han? We have met.”
“Good that you’ve met her.” I nodded, as I had indeed let Tan Han approach the City Lord. With Tan Han’s scripted existence, I could rest easy about it. “I am quite confident in her abilities.”
“Is that so? However, that girl named Tan Han is already one we hired to deal with those Nightmares; or to say, their purpose is very clear: to eliminate those Nightmares. Rather than hiring, it’s more of a collaboration.”
“Then things should be simple, right? This sort of situation can’t be rushed. It won’t be long before we analyze and study this Nightmare; perhaps we will find a one-time solution to these Nightmares.”
“Really?” Upon hearing that there might be a permanent solution to the Nightmares, Ninglan Qiuyue’s eyes lit up.
“Let’s hope for luck! If there’s nothing else, I need to get back to my own matters.”
“Alright, I won’t disturb you; I’ll take my leave now.”
“It’s fine; I quite enjoy hearing about the interesting happenings on the surface from you all.”
After seeing Ninglan Qiuyue off, I began my own tasks.
At this moment, as Ninglan Qiuyue left the base, her phone vibrated suddenly. She instinctively checked to see if anyone was around, then began to read the message.
The sender was listed as “Brother,” and the content was quite brief.
“Signs of a Dream Demon have appeared in Father’s room at Ninglan Township Fort.”
“Strange… why would he kindly tell me this…” Ninglan Qiuyue murmured, deleting the message as if she had never seen it.
