Chapter 686 - 686 Illusion and Reality
686 Illusion and Reality
“What kind of person?” Lumian perked up.
He hadn’t expected Amandina’s hallucination to yield unexpected insights.
“I can’t see clearly, I can’t. It’s not that he isn’t clear… It’s just that I can’t make out the details.” Amandina straightened up again, as if she had recovered slightly.
She pondered for a moment and said, “So I didn’t fall asleep immediately after touching the black boulder—no, the black ancient tomb. When I woke up, I realized that I had gained superpowers. There were still some events that transpired in between, but I don’t remember them at all. It felt like I had fallen asleep.
“The hallucinations I’m experiencing might have originated from the depths of my subconscious, from forgotten memories. No, not forgotten. They’re just in a deep slumber. They’re starting to become active and awakening bit by bit…”
Amandina carefully assessed her condition, searching for the source of the abnormality.
Pretty smart with a good attitude. She managed to maintain basic composure… Lumian evaluated inwardly.
Amandina’s behavior was unfamiliar to Camus.
In his impression, Amandina was not only beautiful but also cheerful, optimistic, and lively. She was the kind of girl who could infect those around her with joy. However, due to her young age, she still appeared naive, childish, and inexperienced.
Unexpectedly, after their encounter in the Dream Festival, she gradually displayed an openness, maturity, and calmness he hadn’t anticipated.
Amandina was puzzled.
“Why didn’t Robert mention any dormant memories or the fact that I didn’t fall asleep immediately after touching the ancient tomb? Padre Cali also talked about fainting and awakening with superpowers.
“The number of times they have participated in the Dream Festival in their lucid state and visited the black ancient tomb must have been more than mine…”
Lumian understood what Amandina was trying to convey.
Firstly, why did Padre Cali and Robert, who had been to the black ancient tomb many times, still believe that they had fainted on the spot and regained superpowers upon waking up? Why didn’t they experience hallucinations similar to Amandina’s?
Secondly, Robert had seen Amandina touch the black ancient tomb. Didn’t he know if she had fallen to the ground or not?
Lumian pondered for a few seconds and said, “Perhaps the person you see standing in front of you has caused the relevant memories to fall into a deep slumber. And you’re from the Evernight pathway, a Nightmare. Therefore, there’s something special about dreams and slumber. The closer you get to the black ancient tomb, the more likely it is to awaken the slumbering memories, causing the hallucination.”
Amandina tersely acknowledged his hypothesis of her being special and proceeded with confidence.
After two minutes, Lumian suddenly raised his right hand and pressed it down. He lowered his voice and said, “Hide nearby.”
He had heard soft footsteps.
Camus immediately rolled to the side and hid behind a palm tree. Rhea crawled to another tree and concealed herself among the leaves.
Lugano glanced at the forest, where countless poisonous insects and snakes lurked. He kept telling himself, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I can heal myself if I’m bitten.”
He quickly shrank behind a pile of huge, brightly colored mushrooms.
Amandina had experience hiding in such places. Back then, she had witnessed Twanaku heading to the black ancient tomb.
Using the cover of the night and relying on her spiritual perception, she nimbly weaved through the low green plants and hid behind a huge tree in the distance.
Suddenly, a thick vine hanging from the tree came to life and swung towards Amandina, opening its blood-stained mouth.
It was a dark-green python!
Amandina’s eyes snapped shut, and she clenched her fists.
The python fell into a deep slumber, reverberating weakly. It swayed a few times before finally landing on the ground.
Seeing that his teammates had hidden themselves, Lumian’s body suddenly vanished, blending into the shadows brought about by the night.
After ten to twenty seconds, a figure traversed the path ahead.
High above, through the gaps in the leaves, Rhea spotted the figure clad in an intricate black robe with obvious layers. A fluffy black hat rested on his hair, and a gently swaying white feather protruded from the edge.
Lumian, in his shadow creature form, also saw the rough appearance of the figure.
His mind suddenly tensed as confusion welled up within him.
Isn’t that Iveljsta Eggers?
Why would this temperance faction member of the Church of The Fool appear in a dream and become a participant in the Dream Festival?
Over the past few days, Lumian had explored the interior of Tizamo, the surrounding plantations, and the military camps outside of town. He clearly knew which outsiders had recently arrived, and Iveljsta was not among them!
Did he arrive here after the Dream Festival began?
Yes, he once mentioned that his original mission was to investigate something in the primitive forest around Port Pylos. Then, he received a last-minute order to deal with Hisoka’s contact… Could the matter he’s investigating be related to the black ancient tomb? The temperance faction belongs to the Prisoner pathway, and the Eggers family is descended from Death. It’s normal for the black ancient tomb and the cold corpse inside to attract the temperance faction’s Eggers…
Did Iveljsta Eggers encounter the Dream Festival while searching for the primitive tribe in the forest?
As Lumian analyzed Iveljsta’s appearance, he scrutinized his expression through the shadows.
He saw an indescribable ferocity on the temperance faction member’s pale white face. His dark brown eyes emitted a ferocity reminiscent of a wild beast, tinged with blood under the dim crimson moon’s glow.
Although he’s not affected by the dream projection formed by extreme emotions and desires, it’s still difficult to control oneself and be restrained during the Dream Festival… Lumian wasn’t surprised.
Ludwig and Kolobo were examples.
Considering Iveljsta’s current state, Lumian didn’t emerge from the shadows. He patiently waited for him to leave the area as the footsteps gradually receded.
From the looks of it, he’s also headed for the black ancient tomb… Lumian transformed back into a human and stood on a path overgrown with weeds, gazing at the spot where Iveljsta’s back had disappeared.
He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
“You can come out now.”
Camus, Rhea, and Lugano left their hiding spots one after another. Camus even went to wake Amandina.
Amandina looked at Lumian and asked, “Do we continue?”
Lumian replied without hesitation, “Yes.”
This time, they proceeded cautiously, paying close attention to their surroundings.
After another three to four minutes, Lumian, having prepared to deal with Iveljsta and Reaza, followed Amandina’s guidance and slipped through a gap between a few giant trees.
A black, colossal, and familiar boulder came into view.
At a glance, it looked like a house-sized boulder, but upon closer inspection, one could see patterns on it. There were abnormal protrusions and depressions, and thread-like cracks that ordinary eyes couldn’t detect.
It was indeed not just a stone.
Around the black boulder, tree roots emerged from the ground, covering an area the size of a square, resembling the protruding blood vessels of every human. However, they had been dead for a long time and were withered.
At that moment, the place was empty, devoid of anyone.
Iveljsta didn’t come here? Isn’t Reaza’s destination here? Did they get lost midway? Or could it be that only those who have received the boon of an ancient tomb or a corpse can truly reach this area? Lumian surveyed his surroundings in confusion.
Amandina’s brows furrowed once more, and she couldn’t help but press her hands against the sides of her head.
She said with a hint of pain, “Th-the hallucinations have become clearer. I-I see more.
“The figure approached me, extended his hand, and pressed it against the top of my head!
“He… He’s wearing a strange hat…”
Camus, Rhea, and the others didn’t interrupt Amandina to see if she could recall more or awaken more dormant memories.
Amandina muttered to herself, “Was this how I was given superpowers?”
As Lumian listened to Amandina’s words, he fixed his gaze on the black boulder that was said to be an ancient tomb.
He felt a sense of familiarity.
As a Conspirer, Lumian quickly jogged his memories for the source of the familiarity.
Soon, he had an answer.
The black ancient tomb reminded him of the Samaritan Women’s Spring when it wasn’t pale white!
It’s indeed closely related to the Death domain… Lumian examined the Blood Emperor’s remnant aura in his right hand and confirmed that it wasn’t affected or showing signs of activation.
At that moment, the surroundings fell into an abnormal silence.
The rustling in the forest, the cries of wild beasts, and the gunshots and screams from Tizamo seemed to have vanished. The deep night fell into complete silence.
Amandina looked up and shouted in horror, “I remember now. I remember now. When I obtained superpowers, this place was also this quiet. It didn’t seem like the Dream Festival at all!”
In the next moment, Amandina’s pupils dilated.
“He… He… That figure… That figure has appeared!”
Huh? Rhea, Camus, and Lugano looked at the black ancient tomb solemnly and blankly. They didn’t see anyone or anything unusual.
Amandina’s voice turned shrill.
“Can’t you see? He… He’s walking towards me… He’s walking towards me!”
For a moment, Lumian and company couldn’t determine if Amandina’s illusion was so vivid that it was almost real, or if something had indeed happened.
“No! Don’t come any closer!” Amandina shouted, her expression breaking down as she gazed at the empty area ahead.
With this shout, Lumian felt the entire area tremble slightly, and his surroundings blurred.
In the blurriness, scenes appeared, like different fragments of a dream.
These scenes centered on the black ancient tomb, but different people stood beside it.
In some scenes, Reaza stood in a thin black suit. In others, Iveljsta stood in a feathered hat. A man and a woman approached side by side, while others surrounded black-
robed humans.
One of the black-robed humans turned to Lumian with a smile.
His skin was light brown, and his flaxen eyes were tinged with dark green. He was none other than “Hisoka” Twanaku.