When Ye Chui woke from his sleep, an enticing aroma of roasted meat filled his nose, making him involuntarily swallow a mouthful of saliva. However, when his eyes took in the scene before him, he could not help swallowing three more times in quick succession.
Resha’s small face was looking down at him from above. Upon realising he was awake, she said with delighted surprise, “Big brother, you’re awake.”
“Yes, I’m awake,” Ye Chui hurriedly replied. Only then did he notice that his sleeping position was rather improper. He was lying on Resha’s kneeling legs, and a certain ample part of her was almost pressed tightly against his forehead. The atmosphere carried an indescribable hint of intimacy. Ye Chui’s body shuddered violently, and he nearly hardened on instinct.
“What is going on here?”
“Big brother, while you were sleeping just now, you seemed to be having a nightmare for some reason. You looked in such pain. We were all very worried about you. Big sister summoned Aphna to heal you for a long time, but it had no effect. Later, though, you gradually calmed down,” Resha explained, her face showing some concern. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, much better.” In fact, better than ever, Ye Chui thought. He quickly sat up from the ground and looked around, discovering that he was inside a small tent.
They were still in the puppet graveyard. After defeating the land angel and the devil, Ye Chui’s magic power had been completely depleted. On top of that, he had not rested properly for over a day. Once he confirmed everyone was safe, he had passed out. It had been a long time since he experienced such deep sleep. Thinking how his companions must have been worried because of his collapse, Ye Chui hurriedly crawled out of the tent, eager to reassure his concerned friends.
But then…
“This is delicious. Green, give me some more!”
“Is there any more bread? The honey bread is the best.”
“There’s one piece left. Save it for the president. He fainted from exhaustion. When he wakes up, he might want something sweet. Oi, Gu Ni, don’t snatch it.”
“Mmm, mmm. You can bake more for Ye Chui later. I’ll eat this one. Mmm, mmm.”
Watching his companions happily enjoying food and wine, Ye Chui was momentarily speechless.
“Ye Chui, you’re awake?” Debbie finally spotted him and cried out in delight. She jumped up and rushed to his side. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” Ye Chui replied. The others also gathered around. Gu Ni was clutching a piece of bread and wolfing it down, half of it already in her mouth. Ye Chui felt a surge of annoyance and nearly snatched the remaining half away. He said, “I only fainted because my magic power was completely drained. Since entering the realm of advanced magus, this is the first time I’ve exhausted it so thoroughly. Add to that the accumulated fatigue from previous battles, but it’s nothing serious.”
As he spoke, Ye Chui suddenly frowned. “But while I was unconscious, I had a nightmare.”
“What nightmare?” Debbie asked.
“It was about Stan Town.”
Ye Chui tried to recall the scenes from the dream, but what should have been vague images felt inexplicably real as he remembered them.
He saw a woman in a white nun’s habit appear outside Stan Town. She was very beautiful and barefoot. Her arrival drew the attention of the town’s residents. A few drunken swordsmen happened to pass by and teasingly tried to chat her up, but the moment they spoke, their expressions turned to utter terror. Their bodies trembled as they attempted to flee from her side.
Yet their fleeing figures suddenly stiffened, as if stone statues weathered by countless years of wind and rain. Powder flaked off, and they gradually turned to ash.
The woman smiled and continued walking along the blue avenue of Stan Town.
By now, she had attracted widespread notice. Countless swordsmen and magi gathered around. Among them, Ye Chui recognised many familiar faces: the long-legged swordswoman Roth, the crossbowman Matt, the fire magus Harry, the shield bearer Gayton. They were companions from the mercenary team he and Debbie had first met while doing missions.
Someone loudly questioned the woman, but she did not respond and kept walking.
Sensing intense unease, the crowd attacked the strange white nun, but just like the initial drunken swordsmen, an invisible force surrounded her. Countless bodies were devoured by that power and turned to flying ash. Finally, a spatial wall appeared before her. The white-haired spatial magus Merlin emerged behind it.
He stared at the white nun in shock, as if recognising her identity. He shouted something loudly, and the others began fleeing in all directions.
Merlin’s powerful spatial magic blocked the white-clad nun. Four white walls appeared around her, forming a spatial cage, yet cracks gradually spread across it. Even someone as strong as Merlin could not halt her steps.
Then a burly, bearded man rushed over.
