Chapter 7 Ruins Lumian looked around subconsciously and saw the familiar tables and chairs, bookshelves, wardrobes and beds. This is his bedroom, but it is shrouded in a light grey mist. Lucid dream? I had a lucid dream? Lumian's pupils dilated instantly. Lucid dreaming means that although one is dreaming, one still retains the ability to think and remember as if one were awake. This is a very rare state that can be triggered with a higher probability by people who have undergone special training. Previously, in order to unlock the secret of Lumian's gray fog dream and help him completely eliminate this hidden danger, Aurore had used different methods to create lucid dreams many times, but all failed. And now, Lumian inexplicably regained consciousness in his dream. After a brief moment of shock and bewilderment, Lumian regained his senses and thought of a possibility: "Is it the Seven of Wands tarot card that caused this? "The woman said this card would help me unlock the secrets of my dreams... “So, what it does is it puts me into a lucid dream state where I can actually explore this foggy area? "Hmm... Compared to my previous impression, the gray fog now seems to be much lighter..." With a flash of thought, Lumian turned sideways and walked quickly to the tilted chair. He supported his hands on the table against the wall and looked out the window.
What he saw was not a scene he was familiar with. This dream did not replicate the village of Koldu where he lived. Under the light and thin gray-white mist, the most eye-catching thing is a towering mountain. It is composed purely of reddish-brown stones and reddish-brown soil, extending twenty to thirty meters towards the sky. Surrounding the mountain are circles of buildings, some of which have collapsed to the ground or have been burned black, making it impossible to tell what they looked like when they were intact. From where Lumian was, they looked like ruined mausoleums, arranged in a not-so-tidy circle. The entire area was covered with potholes and gravel, without a single weed. In addition, the fog in the sky turned thicker and whiter, and Lumian had no way of confirming whether there was the sun. He only knew that it was unusually dark here, like a night lit only by starlight. After observing carefully for a while, he whispered to himself: “Is this the entire scene of the dream?” This dream that has troubled him for many years, what is the real situation like? After a brief moment of distraction, Lumian began to think about more realistic issues: “Where is the so-called secret of dreams hidden? "On that mountain, or in a destroyed building?" Lumian did not rush to leave the bedroom and enter that area to explore the dream. He remained where he was, looking at every place he could see. Suddenly, he felt a figure flash by in the ruins of buildings surrounding the mountain. Because the house he was in had only two floors and was not tall enough, and although the gray fog was thin, its presence could not be ignored, Lumian was not sure whether he was hallucinating. After a while, he exhaled slowly and said to himself: "Don't rush, be patient, don't rush, be patient. "It seems that this dreamland really has many secrets. It doesn't seem to belong entirely to me. Blindly exploring it may lead to danger... "Well, let's go find that woman tomorrow morning and see if we can get the details. Then we can decide what to do..." As his thoughts raced, Lumian withdrew his gaze, ready to escape from this dream and sleep peacefully. But he was in a conscious state and didn't know what to do to wake himself up.
After repeated suggestions failed, he lay down on the bed, trying to make his mind chaotic and simulate the state of being asleep before. Unconsciously, a certain amount of time had passed before Lumian suddenly sat up and saw the pale golden sunlight seeping into the room through the curtains. "Finally woke up... "Sure enough, if I fall asleep in a dream, I will return to that confused state, and then I will be able to get out of it..." Lumian breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself silently. Just then, there were knocks on the door. “Aurore?” Lumian’s heart tightened, worried that something bad might happen. "It's me." Aurora's voice came into the house. Lumian got out of bed, walked quickly to the door, grabbed the handle and pulled it back. It was indeed Aurore outside the door. She was wearing a white silk nightgown, with her long golden hair draped softly behind her. "How is it?" She seemed certain that Lumian had just woken up. Lumian did not hide anything and told Aurore exactly what had happened to him. Aurore nodded as if she was thinking: "The function of that card is to make you have a lucid dream..." She then asked: "What are you going to do next?" Lumian said, “Hmm.” "Eat something quick later, and then I'll go find that woman and see if I can get more information and find out her true intentions." "Okay." Aurore didn't object. She continued: "I will also write to someone to ask about the dream you described, to see what those things represent." At this point, she glanced at Lumian's suddenly nervous expression and smiled. "Don't worry, I will make some modifications and won't throw everything out at once. I taught you the principle of gradual progress. "Well, when communicating with that lady, don't force it and try to be friendly. This doesn't mean we are afraid of her, but it's better to have one more friend than one more enemy." "No problem." Lumian agreed solemnly. ………… Cordu village, old tavern. As soon as Lumian approached the bar, he said to Morris Bennet, the tavern owner who was also a part-time bartender: "Which room upstairs does the foreign woman live in?" The old tavern itself is also the only inn in the village, with six rooms available for accommodation on the second floor. Maurice Bene is neither fat nor strong. Like most villagers, he has black hair and blue eyes. His most distinctive feature is that his nose is always red, which is caused by frequent drinking. He is a relative of the parish priest Guillaume Bennet, but they are not close relatives and are distant cousins.
"Why are you asking this?" Morris Bene asked curiously, "Would a woman from a big city like a country bumpkin like you?" He had an obvious inquiring expression on his face and had a strong interest in the abnormal relationships between men and women. “Aren’t you a country bumpkin and a barefoot guy yourself?” Lumian sneered, and then made up an excuse, “That woman lost something last night, and I found it this morning and brought it to her.” "Really?" Maurice Bene doubted Lumian's credibility. Eight out of ten sentences this guy says are made up. "What else? Do you think she would like me?" Lumian asked confidently. "That's right." Maurice Bennet was convinced. "She's in the room near the square, opposite the bathroom." After watching Lumian walk towards the stairs, the tavern owner wiped his wine glass and muttered quietly: "It's not impossible. Sometimes, people want to try new flavors..." He muttered just loud enough for Lumian to hear. ………… On the second floor of the tavern, Lumian found the only bathroom in the dim corridor, and then saw a white paper sign hanging on the brass handle of the dark red wooden door opposite. It was written in Intis: "resting, "do not disturb." Lumian looked down for a few seconds, and instead of rushing forward to knock on the door, he took two steps back and stood against the wall. He planned to wait here for the lady to leave. His previous wandering life taught him that when opportunities arise, he must be extremely decisive in trying and try his best to grasp them. He cannot have any hesitation, cannot think over and over again, cannot care about his face, and cannot be cowardly. Otherwise, the opportunity will inevitably be lost, and he will fall into an even more tragic vicious circle. When opportunities do not appear, he must be patient, persist, and restrain all discomfort and wait. Time passed by minute by minute, and Lumian stood there without any irritation. If there were any bystanders here, they would probably mistake him for a statue if he didn't make some movements occasionally. Finally, the door creaked open. The lady changed into a light green long dress with white edges, and her brown hair was tied up in a fluffy bun at the back of her head. She glanced at Lumian with her light blue eyes for a second, then looked down at the paper sign on the door handle and asked with a smile: "How long did you wait?" She wasn't surprised at all that Lumian was here. Lumian took a step forward and said: "It does not matter." He tried to keep his tone calm and not seem too anxious. "What do you want to ask?" the lady asked quite directly. “Right here?” Lumian looked around. The lady smiled and replied: "If you don't mind, then I don't mind either."
Lumian had actually observed that Ryan, Leah and others who originally lived in this place seemed to be away at the moment, and there was no one else on the second floor of the tavern except himself and the lady in front of him. He organized his words: "What secret does that dream hold?" The lady burst out laughing and said: "That's something you should answer, not ask me." She paused and continued: "I can only tell you that you can obtain some extraordinary powers there." Extraordinary power... Lumian was moved at first, then asked doubtfully: “What is the meaning of the extraordinary power obtained in dreams? “It doesn’t affect reality.” The lady smiled: “In the realm of the extraordinary, everything is possible. “Maybe, it can really have an impact?” The extraordinary power I have been pursuing has appeared in my life in this way? Lumian was silent. The lady restrained her expression and added seriously: "I have to warn you, it's full of dangers. If you die there, you will die completely." If something unexpected happened while exploring that dream, it would lead to my death in reality? Lumian couldn't understand, but he chose to believe it. Firstly, the gray fog dream that had troubled him for many years did seem rather special. Secondly, his sister Aurora had said that it is better to be cautious. It is better to view the problem as more difficult and the consequences as more serious than to underestimate or be careless. After a few seconds, he asked: "What will happen if I don't explore?" "In theory, there won't be any consequences. No one's forcing you." The lady thought for a moment and said, "But I'm not sure if it will change over time, and if it does, the chances of it getting worse are far greater than getting better." “How much higher?” Lumian pressed. “90% versus 10%?” "No, versus ." The lady added rigorously, "Of course, this is just my personal judgment, you don't have to believe it." Lumian immediately fell into a struggle, with a lot of thoughts in his mind: "I've been increasingly feeling that the dream is a hidden danger. Leaving it alone is the worst option... "But if we really want to explore, when we don't know anything, the possibility of accidents is very high... "Wait until Aurore gets some information from her pen pals before trying again? "In that case, Aurore will definitely not agree to my taking the opportunity of exploring dreams to gain extraordinary powers... "Isn't it that I am seeking extraordinary power when I investigate the truth of the legend... “That’s too dangerous and could really lead to death… "How about doing some preliminary exploration on the edge of the Dream Ruins instead of taking the risk of going deeper? This is also equivalent to gathering intelligence... "Well, you can tell Aurore about the conversation just now, but don't mention the possibility of obtaining extraordinary powers..." After his thoughts settled, Lumian looked at the lady opposite him and asked in a deep voice: “Who are you? "Why did you give me that tarot card? Why did you give me the opportunity to explore that dream?"
The lady smiled: "I'll tell you when you've solved the secret of the dream." PS: Thank you for your daily reward to the Silver Alliance (End of this chapter)