Dreamscape, within the Forbidden Zone of the Forest.
Standing on the grass in her Black Dragon form, Dorothy stares at the black hound before her. The massive, menacing appearance of the dragon exudes authority and pressure, but Dorothy’s mind is a whirlwind of thoughts.
“Damn, how did I run into my brother during my usual pre-sleep stroll? Do you also come to the Dreamscape for a walk before bed?”
Dorothy thinks to herself. She had come to the Dreamscape, as usual, to stretch her wings and see if she could encounter anything interesting. This time, she finally heard some noises and even sensed the presence of the little fox she had met before.
But when she rushed over excitedly, she saw two black hounds, and one of them had a voice that was... eerily familiar! It was Gregor!
“A black hound form... Is this the standard mimicry spell used by the Serenity Bureau? No wonder you guys are always called black dogs."
“But seriously, bro, you’re way too careless in the Dreamscape. You didn’t even bother to disguise your voice. Are you trying to make it easy for people to recognize you?”
Dorothy looks at Gregor, whom she’s meeting for the first time in the Dreamscape, and thinks to herself. She recognized Gregor solely because he was using his real voice, without any modulation. In fact, any Dreamscape mimicry can alter one’s voice to some extent, but Gregor didn’t bother.
Of course, this wasn’t due to Gregor’s carelessness. He simply didn’t know. He had only been a Beyonder for a year and rarely ventured into the Dreamscape. Even when he did, it was usually with his colleagues from the Bureau, so there was no need to disguise his voice, and no one had taught him how. As for why Dorothy knew how to modulate her voice, it was because The Dream Seeker’s Chronicle she had read contained detailed annotations.
Dorothy continues to stare at Gregor, her gaze making him increasingly uneasy.Gregor, in his black hound form, stands frozen in place, staring in shock as Jed, who had been chasing and framing him, disintegrates into specks of spiritual light in an instant. He doesn’t know what to do now.
“What did Jed say or do wrong? Why did he suddenly anger this dragon?”
In his shock, Gregor ponders this, his heart racing. He senses that the dragon before him is not only incredibly powerful but also unpredictable. He’s worried that the dragon might swipe its tail and obliterate him in the next second.
"Lord Dragon, you... you killed him..."
Facing the dragon, Gregor speaks cautiously, his voice filled with concern. The massive black dragon silently turns its gaze toward the cluster of spiritual light left behind by Jed.
"Do not attempt to deceive me."
The dragon’s deep voice reverberates, causing Gregor to startle. He realizes that the dragon had seen through Jed’s deception from the very beginning, which is why it obliterated him without hesitation.
Deception is tantamount to insult, and deceiving a dragon carries severe consequences.
“Can this dragon see through lies? Does it possess foresight? Or did it sense our situation from afar? Could it even read our thoughts?”
Thinking this, Gregor grows even more wary of the dragon before him. What he doesn’t know is that the dragon didn’t kill Jed because it could detect lies...
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Dragon..."
Gregor bows respectfully. Regardless of his fear, the dragon saw through Jed’s deception and eliminated his enemy. No matter how intimidating the dragon is, he must remain humble.
"Hmph... You should indeed be grateful, but not to me first. Thank the one who led you here, little dog of the Serenity Bureau."
Hearing the dragon’s words, Gregor pauses, realizing he had forgotten something. He looks around and notices the little fox he had been carrying is missing.
“Wait... where did the fox go?”
Just as Gregor starts searching, a complaining voice comes from the nearby bushes.
"Ouch... You really should thank me. If it weren’t for me, this half-baked black dog would’ve been done in by his own colleague."
Hearing this, Gregor turns toward the bushes and sees a small white fox limping out, looking at him with a smug expression.
When the dragon first descended, the fox, being lighter, was blown away by the wind pressure. With her injured leg, it took her a while to make her way back.
"Good evening, Lord Dragon. It’s nice to see you again."
After returning, the fox first bows respectfully to the dragon. Seeing the dragon nod slightly in acknowledgment, she stands up and looks at the stunned Gregor, then shouts.
"Hey! Lord Dragon told you to thank me! Did you hear that?"
Hearing the fox’s words, Gregor quickly reacts. Realizing he should indeed express his gratitude, he says to the fox.
"Thank you, Miss Fox. If it weren’t for your advice and guidance, my mimicry would have been destroyed. But..."
Glancing at the dragon beside him, Gregor continues.
"But Miss Fox, do you know this Lord Dragon?"
"Of course I do! I was there when the Lord Dragon first descended upon this forest. Since then, I’ve been under its protection~"
The fox puffs out her chest, speaking with pride. Hearing this, Dorothy, in her dragon form, is puzzled.
“My protection? When did I protect you?”
Dorothy is confused, but the truth is, ever since she started occasionally logging into the Dreamscape and scaring away the Dreamscape creatures in this area, the Forbidden Zone has become a sanctuary for the little fox.
Although, due to her grandfather’s warnings, the fox hasn’t dared to approach Dorothy’s dragon mimic directly in the Dreamscape, she has become quite adept at leveraging Dorothy’s influence.
For example, the fox now often lingers at the edge of the Forbidden Zone, provoking the Black Dream Hunters or other Dreamscape creatures she can’t handle, then darting into the Forbidden Zone where no one dares to follow.
Over the past few months, the fox has turned the Forbidden Zone into her safe haven, gleefully teasing the Black Dream Hunters and other Dreamscape creatures. So, when she claims to be under the dragon’s protection, she’s not entirely wrong. Of course, Dorothy knows nothing about this.
“Protection? I didn’t expect this little fox to be so impressive, actually knowing this dragon. Good thing I saved her earlier. Thanks to her, I’m saved too…”
After hearing the fox’s words, Gregor thinks to himself. He now believes he was saved because of the fox’s connection to the dragon, and he feels a sense of relief.
Dorothy, in her dragon mimic, has no idea what the fox and Gregor are thinking. Her attention is focused on the cluster of black spiritual light left behind by Jed. According to the fox, Gregor was attacked by his own colleague, which worries Dorothy.
"Infighting among black hounds... Has your official Beyonder organization in Pritt Kingdom become so dysfunctional?"
Dorothy speaks in a slow, deliberate tone, adopting the demeanor of a dragon. She wants to understand what happened to Gregor. Hearing the dragon’s words, Gregor quickly responds.
"Lord Dragon, you may not be aware, but in recent years, the activity of various secret societies in the real world has increased. Many of our branch offices have been infiltrated. I believe the attacker I encountered this time might be the result of such infiltration. He may not actually be from the Serenity Bureau, but rather someone from an external society who obtained our mimicry spell and passphrases, then disguised himself as a black hound to infiltrate our mission…”
"Therefore, please do not judge the Serenity Bureau based solely on this incident."
Gregor hurriedly explains, not wanting the mysterious Dream Dragon to form a negative impression of the Bureau due to this incident. Dorothy, however, shifts the topic.
"Do you have a mission here?"
"Ah, yes, but please rest assured, Lord Dragon. Our mission is only to hunt the Dreamscape creatures driven out by your presence at the edge of your territory. Normally, no one dares to enter your domain. My situation was just an exception."
Gregor quickly explains, but his words also answer a question that has long puzzled Dorothy.
“Damn, no wonder I never see anything in the Dreamscape. Everything’s been scared off.”
“This dragon form... actually has an aura of intimidation? No wonder no Dreamscape creatures dare to approach. But it seems that Beyonder mimicry are less sensitive to this aura than Dreamscape creatures, so they don’t notice me as much.”
Dorothy thinks to herself. If this is the case, she’ll need to prepare more mimicry if she wants to explore the forest. The dragon form scares everything away, making it impossible to find any creatures to interact with.
Just as Dorothy is about to say more, she suddenly feels that her mimicry’s time limit is almost up. She must leave now, so she says instead.
"Hunting, is it? In that case, continue your hunt in peace. Be more vigilant next time. You won’t always be so lucky, little dog of the Serenity Bureau."
With that, Dorothy flaps her massive wings and takes to the sky, the resulting gust of wind forcing Gregor and the fox to shield their eyes. The fox clings to a tree root to avoid being blown away.
"Until next time."
Murmuring this, Dorothy’s dragon form soars into the heights of the Dreamscape. As the wind subsides, Gregor and the fox only see the massive figure disappearing into the distance.
"He... just left like that. The Dream Dragon... What kind of being is it?"
Gregor murmurs, staring at the distant figure. He is now immensely curious about the dragon’s origins. Meanwhile, the little fox, busy smoothing her ruffled fur, speaks up proudly.
"Hehe... You don’t know this, do you? The Lord Dragon isn’t a Dreamscape creature. It’s the Dreamscape mimicry of an ancient, powerful being."
"What? That form is a mimicry? A dragon mimicry... Really?"
Hearing the fox’s words, Gregor is stunned. If the dragon form is just a mimicry in the Dreamscape, how powerful must this being be in reality? It must be at least at the level of a leader of a major society...
"Of course it’s true. Lord Dragon told me this personally. Don’t you believe me?"
The fox puffs out her chest, wagging her tail proudly in front of Gregor. After what he’s just experienced, Gregor naturally believes her and thinks to himself.
“This little fox is no ordinary being either. She witnessed the dragon’s arrival, and the dragon even shared such information with her. That means she has a close relationship with the dragon. I can’t afford to offend her…”
"I believe you, Miss Fox. If you say so, then it must be true."
Gregor says, and the fox nods in satisfaction.
"Good, that’s more like it. You seem like a decent dog, responsible and all, but a bit clueless. You’re like a complete novice when it comes to the Dreamscape. I don’t know what your Bureau’s leaders were thinking, sending someone like you here without even the basics."
The fox speaks with a hint of disdain. Gregor feels a surge of anger but suppresses it, remembering the fox’s close relationship with the dragon. Seeing that Gregor doesn’t respond, the fox becomes even more emboldened.
"You may be a bit clueless and inexperienced in the Dreamscape, but at least you’re lucky. You met Lord Dragon and me. I’ll reluctantly take you under my wing. From now on, we’ll work together. I’ll teach you about the Dreamscape, and you’ll run errands for me. We’ll operate around Lord Dragon’s territory. If you listen to me, I guarantee you’ll get plenty of spirituality and other rewards~ No need to scheme and fight with your colleagues for scraps."
The fox continues, and Gregor is taken aback by her proposal.
"Listen to you? Work together in this area? And get spirituality and other things?"
"Of course! Although my current form is a bit weak, I know the Dreamscape dozens of times better than you! I’m definitely more skilled than any so-called Dreamscape expert in your Bureau. Think about it—if I hadn’t guided you to Lord Dragon, you’d have been done in by your colleague.”
"When you hunt with your colleagues, a dozen people split a tiny amount of spirituality. If you work with me, we’ll split the spoils between the two of us, with just a small offering to Lord Dragon as a gesture. Think about it—which is more profitable? Plus, your Bureau’s hunts have quotas. Each person can only hunt for a few days. Don’t think I don’t know that."
The fox speaks with conviction, and Gregor finds her words quite persuasive. Based on her earlier performance, the fox does seem very familiar with the Dreamscape. More importantly, she knows the Dream Dragon, so her abilities are trustworthy. Working with her wouldn’t violate any Bureau regulations.
"Hmm... Miss Fox, what you say makes sense. But if we operate freely in Lord Dragon’s territory, wouldn’t it..."
"Ah, don’t worry about that. Think about it—what did Lord Dragon say before leaving? ‘Until next time’! That means it doesn’t mind seeing us again, right? This is Lord Dragon’s acknowledgment. With this acknowledgment, we can operate freely in its territory."
The fox interprets the dragon’s words confidently, leaving Gregor dumbfounded.
"Is... is that how it’s interpreted? I thought it was just a casual farewell."
"Of course that’s how it’s interpreted. If Lord Dragon didn’t acknowledge us, why would it bother saying goodbye?"
"But I think..."
"Ah, stop overthinking it. Who’s closer to Lord Dragon—you or me? Who understands Lord Dragon better—you or me?”
The fox cuts him off, leaving Gregor speechless. It does seem like the fox has a closer relationship with the Dream Dragon.
"Well... if you say so, Miss Fox, then alright."
After a moment of hesitation, Gregor agrees. Hearing this, the fox jumps for joy.
“Yes! Successfully recruited a lackey! Now I finally have a strong arm in the forest~”
The fox thinks gleefully. She’s essentially leveraging the dragon’s reputation to manipulate Gregor. In the past, she used the dragon’s deterrence to evade the Black Dream Hunters and other Dreamscape creatures. Now, she’s applying the same tactic to Gregor. In reality, she’s only met Dorothy’s dragon form once.”
"Alright, let’s quickly split the spirituality left behind by your treacherous colleague. It looks like there’s quite a bit."
The fox points to the floating spiritual light, but Gregor hesitates.
"This is Lord Dragon’s spoils. Isn’t it inappropriate for us to take it?"
"Ah, Lord Dragon is on a completely different level. It wouldn’t care about such a small amount of spirituality. Since it didn’t absorb it on the spot, it must’ve left it for us. Come on, let’s split it!"
"Alright..."
Thinking the fox’s logic makes sense, Gregor approaches and starts absorbing the spirituality left behind by Jed, along with Thomas’s share. The more he absorbs, the more he feels the fox is right. This amount of spirituality is probably insignificant to the Dream Dragon.
With this thought, Gregor absorbs the spirituality with a clear conscience. What he doesn’t know is that Dorothy left the spiritual light untouched simply because she doesn’t know how to use the Dream Hunt Method and has no idea what it’s for.