This thing could be considered the divine essence of the Flower of Heaven.
Alka thought, looking at the energy sphere before him.
Alka already had some experience with divine essence, including how to best preserve it.
He wouldn't be as flustered as he had been that first time with Juanlu.
A faint magical energy emanated from his hands, enveloping the surface of the divine essence.
It was as if a film had coated the divine essence, enveloping the energy. Then, Alka gently reached out and took the round energy sphere.
Just like a treasure, this kind of thing couldn't be placed in a pocket ring.
It might even turn your pocket ring into a treasure.
That was definitely not possible.
A metal box appeared in his hand. This kind of box had once been used by Alka and his companions to store treasures back in their home sea.
He placed the sphere inside and sealed the box. Alka carried it on his back.
He glanced at his surroundings and slowly exited the dream.
Everyone on the boat saw only a slight ripple in the portal as Alka walked back through the membrane.
After exiting, Alka stretched out his hand and waved it.
The portal to the dream dissipated, and a trace of gold and silver energy returned to Alka's body, representing the remaining energy that had not yet been consumed.
"Did you get it?"
Alka patted the box behind him and nodded.
"Let's return."
Jason nodded, turned the boat around, and began to head back in the direction they had come.
"Such a simple commission is a bit unreal, like a trip," Jason said, leaning against the boat.
They were basically just playing along, relying mainly on Alka's ability to enter the dream.
Carrying the items was almost effortless, at least for them.
"Alright, let's go back."
Alka said with a smile.
Although the journey wasn't entirely smooth, it was largely trouble-free, aside from the initial encounter back at the village.
But that only dampened their spirits.
On the return voyage, Simon cranked up the power to the rear.
The Flying Swallow seemed to be plunging across the sea.
The bow of the ship sliced through the surface of the sea, sending water splattering in both directions.
Simon even had to reinforce the Flying Swallow's bow to prevent any vines or bones from blocking its path and damaging it.
...
On the return voyage, they sped along.
It took them less than three days.
They passed through the pirate village they had previously burned.
By now, the area had been reduced to ash, with only some collapsed wooden piles and partially burned bamboo still floating above.
Many skeletons had sunk completely to the bottom of the water.
The fish, once confined to this area to feed on the corpses of these pirates' bloody massacres, were incredibly dedicated.
They devoured their former keepers completely.
The environment remained untouched, returning to nature.
This was likely the only use these scum could offer after their death.
They stopped by the emerald green belt.
Simon could only dismantle the thrusters.
The Flying Swallow resumed its normal speed and slowly circled out of the area.
Before dark, they finally reached the Gray Vine Fortress.
Before they reached the fortress, they saw several small figures waving at them from the vine walls.
As the boat reached the fortress, the figures eagerly jumped off and huddled with their sisters.
These were the two teams of puppet girls that Alka had tasked with escorting the women and children.
Waiting for them on the shore was the same captain who had greeted them.
After seeing Lord Alka pull the boat to a stop and approach, the captain approached and bowed solemnly before Alka and the others.
"Thank you, everyone! Thank you for all you have done for the people of the Flower Kingdom. May the Flower Fairies bless you."
The captain's expression was one of unusually serious admiration.
Alka simply nodded and smiled, saying, "It's a piece of cake."
The captain nodded, looked at the slightly tired faces of Alka and the others, and said quickly, "You all must be tired. I'll take you to a rest area."
He quickly led Alka and the others to the rooms where they had rested.
The interior was remarkably clean and tidy. Soon, they were served steaming hot meals.
Although they had been traveling at a high speed these past few days, they hadn't gotten much rest at night. Despite their strong constitutions, they were still somewhat exhausted after the long, rapid return voyage.
After dinner, after a round of thanksgiving, everyone fell into a deep sleep.
After about four hours, Alka slowly opened his eyes.
He had also fallen asleep in his own dream, now fully refreshed and refreshed.
Then he closed his eyes once more.
But this time, he didn't sink into his own dream bubble. Instead, he used his dream clone to sink into the dream of the place he was in at the moment.
For safety's sake, Alka didn't enter the dream in the area surrounding the giant tree's habitat. He feared the less intelligent dream god might be lurking there.
After all, he was only mentally unstable, a bit crazy, not stupid. As he sank into the dream, he was surrounded by densely packed dream bubbles, representing the soldiers within the fortress. Through these bubbles, Arka peered forward.
The distant dream region was shrouded in black mist, infested with numerous shadowy creatures.
There were few mist-like creatures in the surrounding area, not even many light-like creatures.
As Arka arrived, the shadowy creatures attempting to destroy the dream bubbles quickly fled upon seeing him. He moved swiftly through the dream, soon reaching the edge of the fog-filled area.
Aka gazed at the thick wall of black mist, which was nearly identical to the one he had seen previously, wielded by the self-proclaimed Nightmare of Terror.
It was certain that this god, who had not yet completely fallen, was in the dream world of the Giant Tree's habitat.
As Alka approached the area, numerous shadowy creatures, though afraid to approach, remained within his sight.
Although these shadowy creatures lacked eyes, Alka could sense their gaze.
He turned his head slightly, scanning the shadowy creatures surrounding him in the distance.
Everywhere Alka's gaze reached, the shadowy creatures involuntarily shrank back.
Looking at these creatures, Alka frowned.
Most of these shadowy creatures were at or above the third stage, with several at the fourth stage.
They were extremely powerful dream creatures.
The black mist gathering around them was connected to the nightmare dream deity.
It was almost certain that, in addition to the so-called fear, the prototype of that deity was also closely related to these shadowy creatures.
Perhaps a god similar to the shadowy creatures?
Alka couldn't help but think this.
After all, although Alka didn't gain much information from the fragment of the god's divine nature, he did have a rough idea that gods were not rare in the dream world.
As the Flower Fairy and the two gods, who were in equally poor condition, had said, the former owner of the fragment of divine nature Alka had consumed was a god who guarded the gate between dreams and reality.
And the shadow creatures possessed the strongest desire for destruction among the three types of dream creatures.
According to Alka's current understanding of the dream world, whenever there was a weak point between reality and dreams, the shadow creatures would be the fastest to rush forward.
These shadow creatures also harbored the greatest hatred for life.
That was why the Nightmare was trying to enter reality.
According to him, the former owner of the divine nature fragment had tried to stop him many times.
It seemed that his imagination was not what he had imagined.
The owner of this fragment of his godhood shouldn't be too weak.
At least stronger than the god of this shadow creature.
"Roar!"
A furious roar suddenly emanated from the black fog.
Hearing the roar, Alka quickly retreated.
A figure rushed out of the dark room, staring at Alka but refraining from attacking. Instead, it remained in place, a look of alert.
It was a monster that looked somewhat like a self-sustaining crocodile, its black shadows flaring and fluttering like flames.
A fifth-stage shadow creature.
Alka could sense that the shadow creature was wary of him and a little afraid of him, even though they were both at the same stage.
But fortunately, it wasn't the god from the dream.
Thinking for a moment, Alka condensed a pink spear in his hand and hurled it forcefully.
The moment it caught sight of the pink spear, the shadowy creature turned and fled without a word.
The pale pink spear proved even more lethal to dream creatures than Alka had imagined.
Under Alka's control, the shadowy spear pierced the creature's leg.
A large amount of pink mist erupted and began to envelop it.
The shadowy creature was also remarkably decisive, shedding its envelope immediately as it plunged directly into the mist.
The shadowy creatures watching from a distance simultaneously retreated, and no monster in the mist dared to peer out at Alka.
The pink mist enveloped the detached portion of the mist and returned it to Alka's hand.
Alka looked at the pink mist ball in his hand, then at the now-empty film of mist.
"It seems my identity as a hunter is quite intimidating to dream creatures."
Arka couldn't believe that even though he was standing outside the film of black mist, the self-proclaimed Nightmare God hadn't sensed him.
Either his condition was truly deplorable, or he was afraid to confront himself in the dream.
Even though his strength in the dream might only be at the fifth stage.
But Arka didn't have the courage to delve into the black mist to investigate.
That would be like entering someone else's territory.
Guess I'll have to ask Shadow Robe about it later.
This sixth-stage light and shadow creature knew much more than I did.
Thinking this way, Arka returned to reality.
As for the pink sphere that partially enveloped the black shadow, it had already been shattered, but there was nothing inside.
Awakening, Arka stood up and left the room.
The curtain outside had been drawn back.
It was time for them to embark on the final journey home.
After bidding farewell to the soldiers at the fortress, Alka and the others continued their journey as quickly as possible.
"By the way, how are the women and children we rescued?" Alka suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Sofia said, "They have been escorted back to their former homeland by the soldiers at the fortress."
Hearing this, Alka nodded.
"After returning, will we continue searching for that cult member of the Nafas family, or do we have other goals?"
Hearing this, Alka pondered.
"After handing the item over to the Flower Fairy, we will continue searching for the cult member while improving our strength.
Let's reach the fourth stage first; our strength is still a little too weak."
Hearing Alka's words, everyone nodded.
This was the truth.
In this boundless sea, Stage 3 strength only means a certain level of self-preservation.
Stages 4 and 5 are considered established within the boundless sea, no longer a small shrimp that can be easily crushed.
Stage 6 is considered the entry into the ranks of the powerful, possessing the strength to dominate a particular faction.
They continued their return journey at full speed.
And because the environment in the Land of All Spirits was relatively favorable, they encountered few obstacles.
It only took a few days. They could already see the tall flower forests of the Fragrant Land from afar.
Sofia, who was steering the boat, rubbed his shoulders.
"We're finally here. This time I can rest up."
The rapid return, coupled with the fact that the Flying Swallow had to be manually operated, was truly cumbersome.
As soon as they arrived, the entire area became much busier.
After parking the boat directly in a warehouse on the shore, the group headed out onto the street.
They had been away for about a month.
In that time, the Fragrant Land had lost all trace of its previous chaos.
Though the rooms and locations of some of the flower forests had slightly changed, it seemed no different from before.
It was still as lively as before.
They arrived at the inn.
As they entered, a somewhat chubby middle-aged man trotted over.
A signature smile graced his friendly face.
"Are you guys looking for a place to stay?"
Alka looked at the chubby middle-aged man. He seemed unfamiliar with him. Could he be a relative of the landlady? Or someone else?
He couldn't help but ask, "Where's the landlady from before?"
"Ah, you mean Miss Meral?"
Alka nodded.
That seems to be the name of Lasemi's sister.
The owner's expression was somewhat melancholic.
"Miss Meral has transferred this place to me. I heard her brother died in the chaos a month ago.
She seems to be training, preparing to join the Flower Knights."
Hearing this, Alka nodded.
No more words.
He simply said, "The innermost flower forest is the connected room. Is anyone living there? If not, we'll take it."
Hearing this, the owner didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Alka and the others curiously, then spotted the puppet girls playing and frolicking outside.
He slapped his head in sudden realization.
"It's you, it's you."
He walked over with a look of gratitude, took Alka's arm in his hands, and shook it frantically.
"Thank you, thank you. You're my benefactors. Come, come, I'll take you there."
With a look of excitement, he led Aka and the others toward the innermost flower forest.
"Thanks to you, thanks to these little girls. They saved my daughter. If it weren't for you, oh my god, I can't imagine what would have happened."
A look of fear crossed the boss's face.
He then thanked Aka and the others along the way, explaining his situation.
It seems he was out doing business during the chaos.
He wouldn't be back until the next day.
His daughter and wife lived in the Land of Fragrance. His daughter had been rescued by the puppet girls during the previous chaos.
It was because of this recent chaos that he had settled down in the Land of Fragrance.
"You can use this place as a temporary home for as long as you like. It's free. It's my honor to have you all stay here," the boss said, his expression still a little excited.
The gratitude in his eyes was genuine.
Before Alka and the others could respond, he waved his hand, and an employee ran over.
"Kichi, your job now is to wait around here for orders. If these adults need anything, you'll be there.
If there's anything they don't need, come see me."
The employee glanced at Alka and the others and nodded.
Finally, the owner smiled at Alka and the others and waved.
"I'll take my leave now. The entrance isn't being watched yet. I hope you enjoy your stay."
Looking at the owner's back, Alka opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but then closed it again.
Sofia, standing nearby, chuckled, "This owner is truly welcoming."