Ding Ling and Ding Dong were still clutching onto Tang Ling’s shirt. They did not want to listen to Boss Huang’s final message or whatsoever.
However, Boss Huang did not reply and a heavy thud came from the door.
The two little balls turned around and saw Han Xing fall down at the entrance, snoring away.
“Han Xing is eavesdropping on us!” Ding Ling jumped away from Tang Ling and put her hands on her round waist, glaring at Han Xing with puffy cheeks.
It was then that Ding Dong realized Tang Ling was not responding and his breath had started to slow down. She touched Tang Ling’s face and quickly looked miserable. “Ding Ling, it seems like they are already asleep. They are all in the dream.”
“Are they?” Ding Ling gulped nervously as she reacted sourly.
The two little balls snuggled together and sat down, looking at each other with a slightly worried expression.
“What if the boss doesn’t wake up?”
“We still have Little Tang Tang. He can smith, so he can still feed us, can’t he?”
“But, but, but what if Little Tang Tang doesn’t wake up?”
“T-then, we shall follow Han Xing, but whenever I get close to that pervert, it makes me worried.”
“It’s fine. Isn’t the boss a pervert too?”
“But what if Han Xing doesn’t wake up too?”
The two little balls looked at each other before they hugged each other and cried a river together.
Everyone else in the house, including Monty, were asleep or hibernating. No one was there to hug the little balls and console them. On top of that, they had to protect Dvesha Moha for an hour, or more precisely, protect the three of them. Otherwise, the consequences would be severe.
The biggest downside of all the geniuses gathering in a single city was that the identities of Dream Seeds were exposed on a larger scale.
Before this, the identity of a Dream Seed was everyone’s secret.
…
Tang Ling did not know that Ding Ling and Ding Dong shouldered such a heavy responsibility.
The moment the door appeared, everything started to become unfamiliar and odd.
A dim yellow light from an unknown source shone and shed its dim brightness on the room.
Whilst Ding Ling and Ding Dong had disappeared, the moonlight from the Purple Moon was extra bright as it streamed in from the window. It added a layer of purple highlight to the dim yellow room.
Indeed, it was very strange.
Tang Ling had been through it once, so he was calm. He stood up and shouldered his backpack, carrying all his weapons. He performed one last check on all the details and stepped into the strange door without a second thought.
As the door opened, Tang Ling felt like he was walking through a vortex.
A short dizzy spell later, the ever-expanding Dream Domain appeared in his sight.
It was still misty with many shadows of towering skyscrapers. Only the inverted mountain peak was clear.
Tang Ling saw the Dream Domain from afar, but suddenly, his sight zoomed in uncontrollably. The entire Dream Domain was forcefully magnified to the point that he thought he was going to crash into the walls.
His sight instantly turned dark when the magnification happened and when the light blessed his sight again, he found himself standing inside the Dream Domain.
Behind him was the alleyway of Hui-styled architecture from ancient Huaxia, which was his previous choice.
Unlike the previous dream, in which he had been standing at the entrance of the alleyway, this time around, he was standing at the exit. The alleyway did not seem long, but he was no longer able to measure its distance.
Why not?
It was just an average length alleyway, but Tang Ling took an unintentional glance at the gate of the Dream Domain and realized that he was some distance away.
The distance between him and the gate and the length of the alleyway that he saw did not match!
What was the meaning of such an illusion? How should it be explained by the laws of nature? Maybe it was understandable with the theory of optical illusion, but could everything else in the Dream Domain be explained in the same way?
Tang Ling had an outrageous feeling about it, but at the same time, a risky idea uncontrollably rose in his head. He wondered if he walked through the alleyway and stepped inside, would he be able to return to the previous world?
Tang Ling did not forget that he was the young master of some wealthy family in that world. He ate well and drank well. Furthermore, the taste of the food…
“Are you that unambitious? Going back just to eat?”
Before Tang Ling could adapt to his dream entry, a voice suddenly entered his ears, interrupting his messy thoughts.
When he heard the voice, Tang Ling’s eyes gleamed. He was looking forward to meeting the owner of the voice again.
Who else could it be? Was it not the guide of the Dream Domain, Liu He?
Tang Ling did not remember how Liu He looked like. In his mind, the man’s image was getting blurrier. It should not be because Tang Ling’s memories were great, but he did not have the mood to care about how Liu He looked!
There were tons of strange things going on in the Dream Domain. Must he get to the bottom of everything?
All Tang Ling remembered was that when Liu He had appeared for the first time, the man had shown up with a reward, so Tang Ling’s image of him was actually in the shape of the shiny Dream coin.
Hence, he was excited by Liu He’s appearance.
Who else could it be if not Liu He? Who would appear and greet Tang Ling if it was not the guide himself?
Liu He was still as kind-looking as he was when Tang Ling had last seen him. His face was as perfect as ever and his eyes were constantly smiling as they curved slightly like a crescent moon. Even his lips were slightly curled, making him appear like he was in a celebratory mood.
His hands were still hidden under his big sleeves, but his gray robes were swapped for a shallow green one. His long hair, which he simply tied behind his back the last time, was combed into a loose bun above his head. Several locks of hair hung over the edges of his hairline, making him look slightly disheveled.
When Liu He saw Tang Ling, he took his hand out from his sleeve and covered his mouth, laughing at him for his gluttony.
Tang Ling was a fearless fellow, so he was not scared by Liu He’s sudden appearance. Instead, he said to the guide, “Pay up.”
“Huh?” This time around, it was Liu He who was shocked. What kind of Dream Seed did he just meet? Was he the ferocious and villainous kind?
Thankfully, Liu He was still a guide of the Dream Domain, so he calmed down and said to Tang Ling with a smile, “I don’t have any reason to pay you yet. You aren’t that worthy.”
“Then for what reason would you need to pay me Dream Coins?” Tang Ling would never give up on any exploitable opportunities. Even with the smallest clue, he could seize it and trace it to its origins. For instance, when Liu He revealed the information in between the lines, Tang Ling seized it, so he ought to get to the bottom of this.
“Successfully complete your main street mission and sub-mission and secure a rating of at least A or above. Then, I may or may not appear to deliver some Dream coins.” Liu He covered his mouth and giggled.
His words revealed more information, but on second thought, it seemed unexploitable too. After all, he did specifically mention that he may or may not appear.
Tang Ling did not show any reaction, but his heart was starting to plan ahead.
Was the main street mission referring to the main prosperous street? In the previous world, all he had chosen was an alleyway and the difficulty had already been off the charts.
Others might not have gotten any clues from Liu He’s words but what about Tang Ling? He was a person who could theorize without any solid clues. He got something out of Liu He’s words—the reward for the main street mission would be scrumptious.
At least, acquiring Dream Coins would already be above the minimum threshold, and other than the final calculation, it was possible to get other extra rewards.
On top of that, if Liu He came delivering the Dream Coins himself, Tang Ling could get even more benefits from the man such as fishing for more clues or even getting some help.
Tang Ling started to look sleazy, highly resembling Boss Huang.
A profound gaze flashed over Liu He’s eyes but was then quickly concealed. He maintained his ever-smiling face and waved his left hand.
As his left hand waved, the mist dispersed.
Tang Ling saw seven to eight alleyways and two main streets appear before his eyes.
“Are there that many choices this round?” Tang Ling was slightly surprised.
“What choices are you talking about? If I don’t show up, wouldn’t you just end up wherever you go and encounter whatever that comes your way?” Liu He’s smile was meaningful.
“But aren’t you supposed to appear every time? I thought your purpose is to disperse the mist.” Tang ling scratched his head because he really thought Liu He was there to clear the mist.
“Hohoho…” As a guide of the Dream Domain, was his sole purpose really to clear the mist? Liu He seemed to have an endless amount of patience and kindness. He was not upset by Tang Ling’s ignorance as he covered his mouth again and giggled, but he did not answer anything which frustrated Tang Ling.
“So, if you stop appearing the next time, how should I choose then?” Tang Ling did not want to give up just yet.
“The next time? If you understand the Dream Domain enough, you’ll know how to choose.” Liu He stopped giggling, appearing to be in deep thought.
A few seconds later, he continued, “Fine, I’m in a good mood today, so here’s a tip or two.
“The main street mission usually spans several dreams. It’s not something you usually complete in a single run, and before you completely clear it, the rewards will always be less than completing it in a single run.
“Nevertheless, you can compensate yourself by clearing sub-missions. Of course, if you can get excellent ratings, the rewards will be great. The biggest gain is that when you finally complete the main street mission, the reward will be a huge harvest.”
Then, Liu He looked slightly mysterious as he scooted to Tang Ling’s side and whispered into his ears, “The point is, the main street is the bigger path and the bigger path always leads you closer to the goal, doesn’t it?”
Tang Ling furrowed his brows. He already had the semblance of an answer in his heart, but he still asked, “What’s the goal then?”
“The goal? There’s only one goal in the Dream Domain. That is the goal and it will forever be the goal. It’s just right there.” Liu He raised his hand and pointed at something, he then covered his mouth and giggled again.
What’s so funny?! Tang Ling had goosebumps just hearing Liu He giggle.
He turned around to where Liu He was pointing and saw the inverted peak.
I knew it! That’s what I thought!
“The Dream Peak is the true goal of the Dream Domain. Get there and everything will be easier,” Liu He whispered into Tang Ling’s ears again.
Liu He’s breath tickled his ears and made him shudder. When he came back to his senses, Liu He had already disappeared from sight.
