Chapter 76: Master of Dreams and the Mermaid in the Lake
Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Su Mo still had fifteen minutes of blindness remaining. He couldn’t see the situation around him but could hear the sounds.
“Can we get out from outside?” Su Mo asked.
The withered trees in the courtyard were blocking the door like they had gone mad, while the rustling sounds all around were from spiders crawling down from various places, densely packed. Just looking at them was enough to make several people in the team feel physically nauseous. ClearWindIsHere decisively opened up with his great sword, pushing the spiders back. “These spiders are disgusting.”
Bitter Melon replied, “There’s not much chance of breaking through head-on. I was surprised when we just came in. The walls of this mansion are very high, and without light-footed skills, it’s difficult for us to climb over.”
Moreover, they were slowed down, greatly reducing their escape speed.
“In that case, let’s not take the main route.” Su Mo released several summoned creatures with AoE attacks, positioning Veil Wraith above his head. “Yellow Peach, stay close to me. ClearWind and Watermelon, clear out the small monsters first. Bitter Melon, break down the wall.”
Smash the wall?! Bitter Melon immediately changed direction and looked at the back wall of the kitchen, which was already crawling with spiders. “I’ve never smashed someone’s wall in my life.”
ClearWind said, “It’s okay, there’s a first time for everything. Self-preservation is the priority.”
Under the protection skill from Yellow Peach, Bitter Melon charged straight ahead. But the moment the skill hit the spiders on the wall, he was bounced back. The wall couldn’t be smashed open!! Watermelon and the others were dumbfounded. What’s going on?!
Su Mo frowned, carefully listening to the sounds. “What’s happening?”
He immediately summoned a bear and directed it towards the direction Bitter Melon had just attempted.
However, the large bear was enveloped by spider webs and crushed down, directly knocking them over.
“Cancel it quickly, bro!!” Su Mo hurriedly canceled the summoning.
Bitter Melon immediately said, “It’s spider webs, the entire kitchen is covered in spider webs, we can’t break through.”
Spider Web: Protected by spider webs, these areas are indestructible and cannot be dismantled by external force.
This was a trap set in stone from the moment they entered. The only exit was the door directly ahead, blocked by the dead tree. Slowed down by their debuff, they couldn’t escape at all. Surrounded by spiders, they were bound to be overwhelmed and killed sooner or later, whether from exhaustion of mana or physical strength.
The breakthrough point shouldn’t be on their side but with their teammates on the other side. But they weren’t in the same temporal space. How could they assist each other? Would actions there affect them here?
Su Mo suddenly recalled that when he noticed the candlesticks, there were teacups arranged on the table in the main hall.
Apple asked, “Are you guys holding up over there?”
ZenSlasher continued to report, “The old man has started walking around. I can’t be sure where he wants to go, so I can only follow him.”
Su Mo said, “Did he serve you tea in the afternoon?”
“Yeah, he invited us for tea right after we entered the courtyard,” Yu Zhen replied.
“I saw the teacups. Maybe these two scenes weren’t originally connected, but there’s a link since we entered. Objects touched by your hands might trigger reactions over here,” Su Mo urgently exclaimed. “We’re running out of time. Come to the kitchen and break down the walls.”
The members of the daytime group immediately found something to do. While ZenSlasher continued to follow the old man, ScarletFruit and FireworksAndLanterns were the most active and rushed to the kitchen.
On the way, FireworksAndLanterns suddenly thought, “Momo, are you saying that the old man’s position here is related to what’s happening on your side?”
“It seems so,” Su Mo replied, “but we need to get to the old man first to know how to kill him.”
FireworksAndLanterns rolled up his sleeves. “Simple enough, I’ll go over and drag him to the kitchen. If soft tactics won’t work, we’ll use force.”
The others were speechless. “Oh!!! This seems like a good idea,” Su Mo said. “…Are you going to try it?”
The daytime group immediately split into three teams. Apple and ScarletFruit went to break down the walls to rescue the people, while FireworksAndLanterns and ZenSlasher were responsible for kidnapping the old man and bringing him to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Yu Zhen stayed in the study, frowning slightly at its somewhat eerie atmosphere.
On the walls of the study hung at least three paintings, each depicting fish. The variety of fish and the unusually large lake within the courtyard made one curious. Yu Zhen carefully examined the books on the shelves and cabinets in the vicinity and discovered that they were all written in ancient Huaxia script.
On the Celestial Horizon continent, universal interstellar script was typically used for ease of understanding by players. Ancient Huaxia script was only used in quest storylines, including during the afternoon conversation with the old man, where discerning listeners could detect traces of ancient Huaxia grammar in his speech.
《Celestial Horizon》game background draws from ancient Huaxia, and whenever ancient Huaxia script appears, it invariably reveals certain clues. Perhaps it’s the passageway in Autumn Realm, or it could be a crucial clue for the level 80 quest “Sealing the Sky.”
Yu Zhen looked up suddenly and noticed a fish eye. It was depicted on a painting, precisely on the spine of a book on one of the shelves. He decisively took it down and upon opening it, discovered it was a diary—a diary belonging to the master of the mansion, the old man.
***
Apple and ScarletFruit quickly arrived at the kitchen. Upon entering, everything appeared as it was before. There were no spider webs; the kitchen was exceptionally clean except for an abundance of prepared food.
“Which wall are we smashing?” asked Apple.
ClearWind replied, “The wall directly opposite the door.”
ScarletFruit went to the nearby woodshed to fetch a large cleaver and other tools. Upon returning, he saw Apple wielding his prized magical swordsman weapon, one of the top-ranking quest weapons, and delivering a powerful swing directly at the wall, causing dust and debris to fall. The refined and gold-refined weapon, combined with the skillful strike, created several cracks in the wall. ScarletFruit also didn’t stand idle, wielding a large iron hammer from the woodshed. Together, they managed to open a hole in the wall.
On the other side in the deep night, Su Mo’s vision gradually restored, and the scene before him suddenly came into view. Countless small monsters surrounded them, leaving their only safe space underfoot, with no way out anywhere else.
Just then, a wall on their side suddenly broke open, revealing a hole about half a person tall. Moonlight streamed in from outside, but there were still some spider webs clinging to the opening. ScarletFruit’s voice came through, “We’ve opened ours here, how about your side?”
“We have,” Su Mo regained his sight and immediately summoned creatures to attack the area. However, the spider webs were incredibly resilient. Even with their full force attacking, they couldn’t break through. “Apple, you’re in the kitchen, right?”
“I am,” replied Apple upon hearing Su Mo’s inquiry.
Su Mo thought of the method of burning. Since conventional weapons couldn’t penetrate, it didn’t mean they couldn’t use fire. “The woodshed is next door. Go get some firewood and burn it at the entrance of the hole.”
As soon as these words were spoken, both the daytime and nighttime groups were shocked. They hadn’t expected this approach.
ScarletFruit immediately acted upon hearing this, heading to the nearby woodshed to gather a pile of firewood. He also retrieved some charred white wood charcoal from under the stove and brought in plenty of dry hay from outside.
Apple had never seen this procedure before and asked the cleric next to him, who skillfully arranged everything, “What are you doing?”
ScarletFruit replied while stacking the items, “Starting a fire. Can you cast a Flame Sword spell here? Be careful not to mess it up; we might end up burning down the woodshed.”
ClearWind added, “Honestly, I think burning down the woodshed wouldn’t be a problem.”
Yellow Peach wondered aloud, “If it really burns down… Will the mainframe deduct money from us for damaging the scene?”
Watermelon exclaimed, “We’ve made a hole in the kitchen, do we really need to set it on fire?”
Bitter melon cautioned, “Let’s not play with fire.”
Upon hearing about potential fines, ScarletFruit immediately marked a spot on the ground, saying, “Put it here, don’t mess it up.”
Apple, with a complicated expression, cast the spell. Flames descended onto the pile of firewood, sparking and catching slowly after a few attempts.
In the deep of night, the hole they had opened was increasingly blocked by dense spiderwebs, and the light from outside gradually faded.
Just then, the spiderwebs near the bottom of the hole really caught fire. Though it burned slowly, a large group of spiders around it scattered in fear, creating a path for them.
Watermelon couldn’t help but blurt out a swear word, “Damn, this actually worked.”
“The game isn’t reality; all of the Main Brain’s settings are based on Alliance game rules, so there’s no absolute adversity. There will always be a way to break the deadlock.” Su Mo recalled the route in his mind. Passing through the kitchen would lead directly to the West Courtyard Guest House. However, the guest house was likely another trap, and entering rashly would definitely be unsafe. “ZenSlasher, where is the old man now?”
[(Autumn Realm – Daytime) player FireworksAndLanterns, ZenSlasher violated the rules by attacking the mansion owner, triggering temporary punishment, and has been expelled from the mansion. Daytime scene player (3/5)]
In the voice channel, FireworksAndLanterns and ZenSlasher’s positions were also muted. They were not only expelled but also stripped of their participation in the game, even losing access to voice chat.
“Looks like those two went to kidnap the old man…” Apple said.
“Too reckless!!” ScarletFruit exclaimed.
Now the problem arose: ZenSlasher, the only one tracking the old man invisibly, had lost her game participation rights. The daytime group had also lost a summoner. With no one tracking the old man now, what should the five members of the nighttime group do next in this vast mansion?
***
At that moment, a voice came through the voice channel.
“You should go to the lakeside,” Yu Zhen’s voice was calm and reassuring. “I found a book in the study, probably the old man’s diary. He had a large number of fish there.”
The mansion had a specially designed large lake where he kept a vast number of fish.
“These fish are unusually fierce; some eat raw meat, others eat cooked meat. Many of the kitchen’s supplies are prepared for these fish.”
“Is this old man also a fishpond owner?”
“Are we going to face a bunch of fish he raised next?”
“These fish actually eat meat, not fish food.”
“This is outrageous; are they keeping sharks?”
“Is it a freshwater lake?”
“Nonsense, Fantasy Global has it all.”
Su Mo asked, “Why go to the lakeside?”
“The diary mentions a crucial point: he feeds the fish at the lake at night,” Yu Zhen emerged from the study, urgently heading towards the lake, explaining as he walked, “The fish he keeps must be extraordinary; that’s why he warns guests not to go out at night. I’m afraid the creatures in that lake aren’t ordinary fish but monsters resembling the tree spirits outside.”
The spider webs burned larger and larger, completely opening up the exit for the five individuals.
Su Mo quickly recalled the mansion’s layout in his mind. From this position, they needed to turn left immediately, bypassing the corridor around the guest residence to reach the lakeside again. “Apple and ScarletFruit, clear the obstacles on the way from the entrance of the hole. We’ll head to the lakeside right away.”
With everyone prepared, ClearWind positioned his great sword formation directly at the entrance of the hole. “Let’s go!”
“Watermelon and ClearWind lead the way, with Yellow Peach in the middle, and Bitter Melon bringing up the rear.” Su Mo stayed behind to guard the rear. As everyone exited through the hole, the great sword formation disappeared. The spiders didn’t stop; some persistently crawled out of the hole but were invisibly burned by fire.
The journey out was not simple either, various strange debuffs hindered everyone’s progress. Ultimately, it was Apple and ScarletFruit on the other side who cleared the obstacles and dispelled the debuffs. After more than ten minutes, the five members of the nighttime group arrived at the lakeside without anyone left behind.
The lake was calm, with the full moon reflecting on its surface.
Su Mo paused as soon as he saw this scene. “I’ve seen this place before.”
During the Summer Realm, he had been trapped underwater, surrounded by small buildings and a corridor. Although he only had a brief memory of seven or eight seconds, he distinctly remembered that scene, which bore a striking resemblance to what he was seeing now.
“This is the underwater structure from the Summer Realm.”
Just then, scales suddenly shimmered on the lake’s surface, and a fierce school of fish with sharp teeth emerged from the depths. They leaped towards them one by one, landing on the ground and transforming into strange fish-like creatures that immediately attacked.
“Dodge!” Su Mo ordered, and everyone stepped back.
“What’s happening on your end!?” Apple shouted.
Watermelon managed to shout amidst the chaos, “Lots of fish!!”
Meanwhile, a special song began to play. Su Mo followed the sound and saw a little girl sitting on the railing of the corridor.
Her fishtail dangled into the water on the other side, and she sang with an ethereal voice. When she noticed Su Mo’s gaze, she slightly turned her head, revealing a deep blue eye. Scales covered half of her body, but Su Mo recognized her familiar eyes and fish tail.
She was the boss of the Summer Realm, in her juvenile form as a mermaid.
On the other end of the corridor, an elderly man with a cane slowly approached. He carried a basket on his back, moving very slowly. Finally, he stopped next to the mermaid. He seemed like a gentle old man, taking out a special candied hawthorn from his basket and handing it to the mermaid. Then, he gently patted her head and spoke kindly.
The old man mentioned that winter was approaching, and food would become scarce. He wondered if they could survive the coming cold winter.
The mermaid girl ate the candied hawthorn like a well-behaved granddaughter, chatting with her grandfather.
These words went unheard by Su Mo and the others. The mermaids’ attacks became fiercer and fiercer.
Watermelon watched as more and more fish gathered around. “How are we going to break through this siege to kill the boss?”
Without their agility skills, they were having a hard time making any progress.
Unable to enter the water and blocked from advancing through the corridor, these mermaids had thick blood and fierce attacks. If they continued to struggle like this, they would inevitably perish here.
Suddenly, all the merfolk paused for a moment, their fish eyes looking towards the lake surface, then one by one, they leaped back into the water.
Su Mo hesitated for a moment, not quite understanding what was happening, when he heard Yu Zhen’s voice saying, “We’re feeding the fish here, hurry up and kill them!”
In the kitchen, there were plenty of things prepared by the old man for feeding the fish at night, and now they were all taken out and thrown into the water.
During the day, fish emerged from the water one by one to eat, while at night, the merfolk in the corridor one by one leaped back, as if chasing after unseen food.
Eventually, the corridor became very quiet, with only the mermaid’s singing in the background, and the old man’s voice, which was already indistinct, could no longer be heard.
Su Mo decisively released Solitary Wolf to attack. The moment Solitary Wolf touched the old man, his health bar appeared in front of everyone.
The old man had only one hundred health points. With a light touch from Solitary Wolf, his health was immediately reduced to zero.
The candied hawthorn in the hands of the mermaid sitting on the edge of the corridor disappeared, and that ethereal voice appeared once again before everyone.
[Congratulations to the player for killing the master of the Autumn Realm dream]
The scene before them underwent a new change. The solitary dream of the old man’s daytime was shattered, and the two scenes merged. Everyone arrived in the night. This was not daytime and nighttime, but two Globals created by the master of dreams: one was a beautiful autumn day in the mansion, and the other was a dilapidated old mansion deep in the mountains.
The scene before their eyes changed day by day. The solitary old man raised a great many fish, and these fish were not ordinary—they were a group of demon mermaids. As they were raised, some fish grew intelligent and left this small mansion, while others remained here… The mermaid group was unruly yet emitted a charming fragrance, attracting other natural enemies and surrounding the mansion.
In that winter year, the seals left by the old man outside finally dissipated, and the tree spirits rushed in. Many of the fish people died, and the old man also perished in the harsh winter. A strand of lingering sentiment became the master of dreams.
One was a beautiful autumn day filled with joy, the other a dilapidated reality of the old mansion, with ownerless fish people, a small mermaid girl, and the master of dreams.
The scene changed day by day, covered in glaciers. The mermaid girl did not die; gradually, she grew into adulthood.
The mansion became history after being hit by a flood. The mermaid girl erected a pavilion on the lake, forever guarding this place.
“So, the boss we encountered in the Summer Realm was actually the fish raised by this old man?” ScarletFruit realized, “Can we really force our way through the plot like this?”
Watermelon, still shaken, said, “I suddenly feel like this little mermaid is much cuter than the Summer boss. Just listen to how nice her singing is.”
ClearWind disagreed, “But those blue eyes are pretty scary, aren’t they?”
“The timeline here is earlier than in the Summer Realm. We’ll probably have to fully complete the quest to understand what kind of storyline this Realm of Departed Soul is,” Su Mo said, just as the old man reappeared before them. However, he was no longer referred to as the old man but as the ‘Master of Dreams’.
The old man, without his basket, stroked his beard and smiled, “Young monks, thank you for awakening me. This realm is about to collapse. You should go elsewhere.”
[Congratulations to the team led by Momo for successfully clearing the Autumn Realm amidst all challenges. All participating members receive: [Level 80 Equipment Chest] x1, [Level 80 Equipment Refinement Material – Red Autumn Leaf] x1, [Permanent Attribute Points +50].] [New Special Notice: The team is currently ranked first in progress. Prioritized teams in clearing will receive abundant first-clear rewards. Keep up the good work.] [You have entered the Departed Soul Realm Fourth Layer (Winter Realm).]
The scene abruptly changed. When Su Mo opened his eyes again, a white light shone above him, and a bone-chilling cold struck him. He felt his limbs extremely heavy, and all sounds seemed to come from a distant place. As he opened his mouth, icy water rushed into his nose and mouth. He instantly reacted. [Rescue Teammate (Countdown 00:29:12)]
