Alka floated in a reversed dream of a small world.
Looking at the treasury before him.
The treasury seemed to have no protective gates or obstructing walls, yet it seemed to contain everything.
It shimmered with golden light.
There was no supposedly vast wealth piled within, but rather, seemingly ordinary objects floating one after another.
To Alka's penetrating eyes, each object shimmered with golden light.
Even beyond the objects, there were luminous orbs of light that were their essence.
Yes, these were the Holy Grail-level treasures Alka and his companions had collected throughout the World Scar over the past two years.
You have to know that the World Scar, the ruins of this once vast empire, holds over a hundred Holy Grail-level treasures.
Stripping away those whose whereabouts were unknown, whose locations were extremely vague, and whose information was incomplete. The ruins were located in the demonic territory.
Alka and his companions, choosing only those easily accessible, had already acquired over ten.
Thirteen points of light floated before him.
That meant a total of thirteen Holy Grail-level artifacts were stored there.
Gradually, they began to reduce their search for Holy Grail-level artifacts.
Mainly, they felt it was a waste of energy, as they no longer needed Holy Grail-level artifacts.
They focused almost entirely on the orange points of light. Even though they might not reveal any information at all, it didn't stop them from expending even more effort searching for it.
It's fair to say that these orange artifacts were indeed more difficult to obtain than the Holy Grail.
They were rarely left behind by their former owners after their death. Even if the owner died unexpectedly, these artifacts would have been hidden by some means.
After all, those who wielded these scepter-level artifacts were no weaklings in their lifetime.
The thirteen Holy Grail-level treasures before them were practically the limit of what they could obtain.
More golden light would only be available later, depending on whether it could be expanded with more information as guidance.
However, with the dozen or so items before them, no good solution had been found for the time being, so they were left here for now.
After examining them, Alka ripped through space and left his own little world.
After emerging, he gazed at the night sky.
"It's time," Alka said, returning to his room.
...
The next morning.
Everyone woke up.
Jason and the others had just returned, so they had nothing to do and were leisurely wandering around the hall.
Alka ate a bite of breakfast and then looked over at Urulius, who was playing with Jason, hitting each other with pillows.
"Urulius."
Urulius paused at Alka's call.
Then he was hit on the head with a pillow, collapsing on the sofa.
"You launched a surprise attack?"
"Don't let your guard down. This is a battle!"
Seeing the two about to start again, Alka helplessly held his forehead and said bluntly, "Don't you want to incorporate Radiant City into the small world?"
At this, Jason and Urulius both stopped what they were doing. They weren't the only ones staring at him.
The people working in the hall couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him.
"I'm already at the sixth stage. I experimented last night, and I think I'm capable enough to incorporate the entire Radiant City into the small world.
This way, whether it's city restoration or the most valuable library, we'll be able to use them at any time."
In fact, I already had the ability before.
It's just that it might be safer now.
"Of course I'd thought about it, but..." Urulius began to hesitate.
"It's too far. Even if we travel quickly, it'll take over two years to go back and forth. That's too long."
This was the main problem.
The Radiant City floats in the air; it doesn't move with the sea, nor does it drift freely like those drifting islands.
And the World Scar is firmly anchored there, making it even less likely to drift around the sea.
The distance between the two is incredibly long.
Two years for a round trip is an understatement.
The basic estimate is three years.
Spending three years just to take the Radiant City is a bit too much, isn't it?
And with Alka's current threat, if he dares to leave the World Scar...
It won't just be the Devouring Mouth that's after him.
Everything will come after him. Before the enormous threat of the Devouring Mouth is eliminated, the offense is even more severe.
‐‐The other demons won't give up, either. Leaving will only increase the danger.
‐‐Simply put, the benefits are disproportionate to the threat, and it won't be that serious. The Radiant City won't escape.
‐‐Hearing this,
‐‐Arka couldn't help but smile, but before he could say anything, Sofia stopped his paintbrush and rolled his eyes at Arka.
He reminded everyone, "He's bringing this up now, so there must be a way. Don't be fooled."
Hearing this, Alka glanced at Sofia: "What a bummer."
"Okay, tell me now, don't keep us in suspense."
Alka shrugged helplessly: "Of course I have a way to get there quickly. Do you want to join us?"
"Rather than working together, I'm more curious about what method you'll use," said Lucilia, who was sitting on the coffee table, reading a huge book.
"Dreams."
"Dreams?" everyone asked.
"Don't worry, this journey won't disappoint you. Are you going?" Alka asked bluntly.
"Yes, why not?"
"Then get ready. We'll leave tonight... No, there's no need to prepare. Just wait until night."
Alka waved his hand and left the hall.
Soon, the curtain of night covered the sky.
After dinner, Alka smiled under everyone's gaze.
"First, sink into the dream, using your real body."
"We can't do that. Only you can easily accomplish such a thing," Jason reminded from the side.
The solid barrier between reality and dream was self-evident.
"Don't worry, this dreamland is my kingdom, and I am the king of dreams."
Alka said, causing the dream crystal ball to float out.
The pink mist instantly transformed into a rope, circling the crowd.
Then the mist exploded, enveloping them all.
However, this was possible primarily because he had reached the sixth stage.
The mist receded, and everyone disappeared into the hall.
When everyone saw their surroundings again, they were floating within the realm of dreams.
They appeared beside Alka's crystal metal throne. Jason looked at his hands, experiencing the difference between his physical body and the dream.
Then he said, "It doesn't seem to have changed much. Is it really my real body that has fallen into the dream?"
Beside him, Urulius nodded directly. "I can feel it's my real body, not my spirit or soul."
"How are you going to get there now? I remember the journey in the dream was only much longer," Lucelia asked, looking at Alka.
Surrounding them were silvery metal buildings floating high and low.
These silvery metal buildings stretched to the ends of the horizon.
Everywhere was filled with white mist.
Clusters of bubbles filled the surroundings. After all, Alka's kingdom bordered this place.
The scar of the world, everyone's dreams would appear in his kingdom.
Looking at the crowd, Alka smiled. "Yes, the dream world is so vast, there's always a way for us to act quickly."
Once back in the dream world, Alka's strength would be transformed to that of the dream world. In the dream world, his strength had already reached the mid-seventh stage.
With a gentle wave of his hand, a huge round mirror appeared before him.
The other side of the mirror led to another dream world, just a different area.
"Follow me."
With that, Alka walked toward the mirror. The crowd looked behind him, following Alka.
Invisible pink mist transformed into a path.
Allowing them to travel through the void of the dream world,
As they passed through the mirror, they felt the surroundings accelerating backwards. Then, a dazzling array of colors flashed past them at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.
In contrast, their speed seemed to have increased in an instant.
But reality didn't match their perception; they were clearly just walking normally. Observing this situation, everyone followed Alka, questioning their doubts.
Alka patiently explained.
"This is a small privilege granted to the Dream King, coupled with the mirror.
When I left the Radiant City, I anticipated our return. To prevent any accidents, I placed a marker in the dream world there.
Now, through a special technique, I can make that marker overlap with my own, like two sides of a piece of paper folded together and then punched a hole.
This way, the two points are tightly connected, allowing us to reach distant places in a very short distance—not teleportation."
Having finished speaking, they had only traveled a kilometer or two when a new exit appeared before them.
Everyone exited.
Here was a desolate dream world, with only a few faint, transparent bubbles floating around. It was the dream of marine life.
"So this is the dreamland corresponding to the Radiant City?" Ululius asked.
Arka nodded, and pink smoke burst forth again, enveloping the group and pulling them out of the dreamland.
They emerged outside.
They appeared above a vast ocean.
It was still dark outside, and they hadn't wasted much time.
I chose darkness because it was the perfect time to drift off into sleep. The barrier between reality and dreamland weakens slightly during this time, though this weakening is indistinguishable from maintaining it for most creatures.
But for Arka, it at least made it easier for him to pull everyone into the dreamland.
As soon as he emerged, Ululius sensed the presence of the Radiant City and instantly transformed into a giant crystal dragon.
"We've actually arrived, so quickly?" Ululius was surprised.
"If that's the case, then wouldn't you be able to quickly travel to any place you want through dreams?"
Hearing Sofia's words, Alka nodded. "That's true, but the problem is that I need to have experienced the dream corresponding to that place and intentionally left my mark there.
But the problem is that I haven't left many marks yet. This rapid travel process is something I only thought of a while ago."
But Alka would naturally intentionally mark dreams of places he might revisit in the future.
Soon, like ripples on the water, they entered the hidden place.
A huge shadow still floated in the sky.
A large cloud appeared, carrying everyone upward. This was the Cloud Staff wielded by Urulius.
Soon, everyone once again stepped onto the square of the Radiant City.
"It's been many years, but not much has changed," Juanlu said, glancing around.
Exactly the same as when they left.
"What are you going to do now?" Urulius asked, transforming into a human form.
"It's simple."
With that, a small world appeared in Alka's hand, and a blue light spread outward.
The sky above them cracked.
A narrow crack opened, then grew larger and larger, until it could envelop the city and the surrounding boulders.
"Phew, without the restrictions of the World Scar, opening such a large entrance in a place like this is a breeze."
Alka couldn't help but say with ease, feeling a sense of relief.
After all, it had been a long time since he had used such an ability outside.
He effortlessly opened such a large entrance, showing no sign of discomfort at all.
It was clear how severe the World Scar's spatial restrictions were, not to mention that this small world was Alka's treasure.
Then, the crack swallowed the entire Radiant City.
The city floated directly into the sky of the small world, carrying the surrounding boulders with it.
"Wait... wait!" Ululius suddenly screamed.
The entire city began to shake.
The floating boulders fell first, crashing onto the grasslands below, sending up a shower of dust.
Watching this, everyone knew what was wrong.
The floating city was about to fall.
"It floats because the space outside contains a corresponding spell array, supporting it.
But there's nothing like that here. Without some of the power, it's going to fall!"
Ululius hurriedly explained, having momentarily forgotten the question, never even considered it.
It only remembered it when the city began to shake.
"Hurry, there's still time to get the city out."
Seeing Urulius's panic, everyone else grew slightly nervous and prepared to move.
A large amount of mist gathered, supporting the city below.
Arka looked at them.
"What's your rush? Are you looking down on me?" Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces as they turned, Arka smiled.
"Speak, Eggplant."
A mirror surface floated out from beside him, capturing everyone's expressions.
Then, the violently shaking floating radiant city stabilized in an instant, carrying the boulders that had fallen from below with it, one by one, flying up.
"Look, this is my world," Arka said, smiling and winking at the crowd.
Looking at Arka, Sofia gently clenched his fist and walked over.
"Hey! Hey! It was just a joke, don't be angry!"
Seeing Sofia approaching, Alka quickly hugged her and comforted her.
He held her clenched fist and gently opened it.
She couldn't withstand such a blow.
Then Alka looked at everyone and changed the subject, saying, "Don't you miss that library? You've been thinking about it for so long. Now you can go and have a look without worrying about it. There's no time limit."
With that, he followed the others towards the library.
This time, they took the regular route and saw that besides the library, there was
Outside the library, the entire radiant city lay in ruins.
It was a rugged, massive structure, vibrant and majestic, imbued with a strange beauty, a rare and remarkable architectural wonder.
Everything was enormous, like a land of giants.
Perhaps to these colossal creatures, this place couldn't even be called a city.
At best, it could only be considered a massive structure, like a castle.
However, it had fallen into disrepair and neglect. Even the best buildings eventually became dilapidated and crumbling.
Though the building still looked pristine and intact, its beauty was still apparent. Many ruins were inevitable.
After all, even the library's roof had a massive gap, their only entrance.
The proper entrance had long been blocked by functional loss and collapse.
"Since we've brought the city here, shouldn't we repair and maintain it?" Jason couldn't help but wonder, observing the surrounding scene.
He had seen the city's former glory during the trials, in Ululius's inherited memories.
Because they had only arrived temporarily, they hadn't considered renovating the place. But now that the city had become a frequent destination, they naturally had to give it a good revamp.
Restore a once-beautiful city to its former glory, and they would feel a sense of accomplishment.
"Agreed!" Lucillia raised her hand.
The others also raised their hands, indicating their agreement.
"It's a good opportunity for those ghosts to find work here.
Perhaps they can find some practical solutions in the library, and help maintain the place at the same time."
Alka suddenly said.
The more he thought about it, the better it seemed.
"Ghosts and a deserted city seem to go together quite well."
As they wandered through the city, they chatted. Everywhere were collapsed ruins and blocked entrances.
It was exactly as they had imagined.
Aside from the glittering hall and library, everything else was little more than a ruin.
We still needed to consider restoring the city's power supply.
Looks like there would be more work to do later.
While everyone was engrossed in the library, Arka left.
He needed to discuss this matter with the Stonehoof clan and the remaining intelligent spirits.