Looking at the area before them.
Alka and Shadow Robe stood on the periphery.
It was clear that this area was a parcel of land separated from the real world and sunk into the dream world.
The irregular cracks along the edge of this parcel were clearly visible, as if they had been sharply cut with some irregular mold, not at all like they had fallen off naturally.
Facing this area, Alka looked on from the side.
"Was there an area here before?" Alka asked, turning around.
After all, a number of dream structures had already been constructed around this area, currently strengthening the kingdom's ability to repair reality. Clearly, this area should have been explored long ago and shouldn't have been discovered only now.
"Your Majesty, this area didn't exist before, or rather, it existed but was hidden," Shadow Robe replied from the side.
"Hidden?" Alka asked, frowning.
This made sense.
"Indeed, if it weren't for the buildings already built around it, this area wouldn't have been revealed at all."
After hearing this, Alka circled the area.
Observing carefully, he sensed the subtle clues emanating from the area.
As this area expanded into his kingdom, his control over it became far greater than before.
After carefully observing the area for a while, Alka said, "Very interesting. The one hiding this area must be a dream king..."
Hearing this, Shadow Robe whispered beside him, "A dream king?... Could it be the one who established the kingdom here?"
Alka nodded in affirmation of this possibility. "No need to overthink it. It's probably him who's hiding. Based on his duties at the time, he must have some connection to the Saralan royal family in reality."
However, this dream king didn't die. He was severely injured when the demons invaded and reopened the world's most fatal scar.
According to the Snake King, this dream king has sunk into the depths of the world.
It would take at least thousands of years for him to return.
So, Alka hadn't been able to meet him. His hope of communicating with him and understanding the situation here was a pipe dream.
Moreover, the most fatal problem was that the demons weren't the primary culprit responsible for his severe injuries; at most, they merely served as key accomplices.
Rather, the actions of the Saralan royal family at the time exploited the timelessness of dream creatures.
They slowly wove a deadly web.
The one protecting this area and building their kingdom there was a relatively young Dream King.
If Mirmi was the newest Dream King, then this Dream King wasn't much older than Mirmi.
So, based on the world's problems, he established his kingdom in this area.
According to statistics, only three new Dream Kings have emerged since the Golden Age.
The one we're discussing now, Mirmi, and Alka.
So, from this, we can see that demons are actually quite afraid of dream beings. Basically, before they start trouble, they first eliminate any dream beings that might affect them.
Upon closer inspection, the existence of dreams is a bit like the world's immune system.
It's a terrifying presence for invaders.
After a moment's reflection, Alka blinked and looked at the area before him.
This area was like a piece of land ripped from reality. There were virtually no buildings, just ordinary grass and a few trees and flowers, distorted even within the dream.
But as Alka peered deeper into the secret, he saw something buried deep within the earth.
He looked more closely.
Alka's strength, combined with his current dream realm, finally allowed him to clearly see what lay within.
An object gleamed red.
A metal key gleamed red.
A red, crown-level treasure was hidden within the dream.
So, all the effort went into hiding something like this.
But one must admit, a crown-level treasure deserves such treatment.
Looking at the red light, Alka paused, unable to help but ponder.
For a Dream King, treasures in reality are practically meaningless.
So, the request to hide this area must have come from someone in reality.
But the problem is, this is a crown-level treasure. In reality, no one would just leave it there.
Someone must have it.
Leaving a Holy Grail-level treasure unused is understandable for the sake of power development.
Leaving a Scepter-level treasure unused, even for various reasons, is a luxury for any power.
Leaving a crown-level treasure unused is a sign of mental illness, even for the Four Gods.
Even the Church of the Four Gods, even the Four Gods, wouldn't do such a thing.
Then this treasure becomes interesting.
Either it's useless, or it's extremely important.
So important that it's best left untouched.
"Can you find a way to get in?" Alka turned to Shadow Robe and asked.
Faced with this question, Shadow Robe simply stared at Alka with his dark, shadowy face, saying nothing.
Although he couldn't see his eyes, Alka could probably sense Shadow Robe's intention and silently turned his head.
After all, he was the King of Dreams, and this was still his kingdom. If he couldn't enter, how could Shadow Robe possibly enter?
Yes, the reason they were outside was because this area, submerged in dreams, wasn't actually submerged in dreams.
This was a strange state.
The general situation is that this spatial entity remains in reality, yet is reflected in the dream.
It exists in reality, but the area immersed in the dream can also affect reality. There's an interactive relationship between them.
It's like taking something that already affects reality and carving out a dream-like fragment and sinking it into the dream. The two must combine to produce the real thing.
This requires the mutual cooperation of reality and dream to achieve.
Alka understood this when he opened his eyes and saw through the secrets here.
That's why he felt the hidden crown-level treasure was so important.
To obtain this treasure, one needs both a real entity and a dream entity, and the two must work together.
To enter this aspect of the dream, one must be the king who previously established the capital here.
Comparing their actual strength, they should be at the ninth level.
"Let me see where the corresponding reality is."
Alka said, and began searching for the corresponding reality based on this area.
Soon he found it.
"It's actually in the demon's territory?"
That's a bit difficult.
Wait.
Alka suddenly thought of something.
Since he hadn't entered the dream in his true body, the object was still in his real body, but he could use his memory to create a copy of the dream object.
A map appeared in his hand.
It was a rough map of the demon's territory.
Alka pointed at a red dot without hesitation.
He hadn't looked at this map of the demon's territory in a long time, because even if he had obtained information about the treasure, it would be meaningless.
They couldn't possibly go to the demon's territory. Especially for Alka and his group, that would be tantamount to seeking death.
So, Alka had basically given up on any treasure search in this area.
But the red treasure just mentioned corresponds to a demonic area in reality. You have to know that Alka treasures all the red dots in demonic areas.
Alka knows every one of them, and he naturally knows what this place corresponds to.
Last time I looked at it, it was still completely blank.
[World Key]
[Difficulty: Chaos Excavation (Nine Stages)]
[Popularity: 12,000]
[Treasure Information: Reality is split in two, one remaining in reality, the other sunk into the dream.
To obtain the treasure, you must excavate the area sunk into the dream and move the real area to overlap.]
Sure enough.
The previously blank information was completely revealed.
And Alka directly obtained the most crucial part of the treasure information: how to obtain the treasure.
Alka looked at the popularity: it was a full 12,000.
This meant this treasure belonged to a very renowned category.
It was a shame, this item could only be viewed. Alka's strength wasn't at the ninth level. Although his dream-like strength was about to reach the eighth level, his reality had only just reached the sixth level a little over a year earlier.
Neither in dream nor in reality could he reach the ninth level.
After examining it for a moment, Alka dismissed the map and turned to ride on Phantom.
"Report anything you notice in this area."
After giving these instructions, he departed.
After a brief nap to recover, Alka awoke in reality.
He opened the entrance to the small world and walked in, emerging directly into the Great Library.
The Great Library was no longer as lifeless as before.
Numerous ghosts floated throughout the library.
These ghosts possessed intelligence and personality.
There were a large number of scholars inside.
They were currently absorbed in the vast library.
In addition, several puppet girls could be seen, as well as Lucelia, sitting at a desk in the distance.
Arka went directly to the large book above, searching for the book he was looking for.
He quickly found his target.
Opening the book, Arka began his search.
Soon, he saw the words he was looking for.
World Key.
Carrying the book, Arka stood across from Lucelia and carefully flipped through it.
This was a key born from the world. Legend has it that obtaining this key could unlock the world's treasure house.
This seemed to be a chance created by the world's good mood and overflowing childishness.
It contained everything.
The information written on it was like a fairy tale.
Alka looked at the information above. It basically told of someone in ancient times who obtained a key, opened a treasure trove, received some gift from the world, and instantly became a god.
Or perhaps they became a remarkable being, a hero.
It was all just such myths, and very typical myths.
"The World Key? Isn't that a myth?" Lucelia had said this while looking at the introductory article Alka had noticed.
"You know about it?" Alka asked, turning to look at her.
Lucelia nodded.
"Yes, the World Key is like a childhood story, circulated in many places."
No wonder it had a celebrity profile of 12,000.
Knowing Alka well, it was obvious that Alka had come to the Great Library specifically to search for such information.
"Did you find any information about the World Key?" Lucelia couldn't help but ask.
Alka nodded. "Yes, this should be a crown-level treasure."
"Hmm... can a mere key be a crown-level treasure?"
"According to the myths and the book in front of you, it simply has the power to open a treasure vault.
There's no further description of it, yet it's actually a crown-level treasure."
Lucelia was also somewhat surprised.
Alka flipped the map over again and clicked on the red dot again.
This time, he was sure to gain more information.
[World Key]
[Difficulty: Chaos Excavation (Nine Stages)]
[Popularity: 12,000]
[Treasure Information: Forged by the world, it can open the world's treasure vault. It's a gift from the world.
It contains treasures belonging to the world.
Legend has it that after opening it once, the key disappears, traveling to a new location, awaiting the next person who can unlock the treasure.
The world shattered, slumbering in agony. The treasure vault had long since been destroyed, and the key was useless. Everything seemed to remain the same.
Reality was split in two, one remaining in reality, the other sinking into dreams.
To obtain the treasure, one had to excavate the area sunk into dreams and move the area of reality to overlap.
The World's Treasure Vault, a small object once crafted near the World Core, might now be a lifeline. (Perfect)
The information about the treasure had reached perfection.
But Alka was the first to know the crucial information about how to obtain it, so perfection wasn't crucial.
It simply allowed Alka to understand the key to that event.
It could open the door to the World's Treasure Vault.
…The World's Treasure Vault.
The name alone suggested the sheer grandeur of what lay within, but the subsequent information poured cold water on Alka.
In other words, the current World Key and World Treasure no longer hold the mythical significance they held in the golden age.
Because of the world's shattering destruction, slumbering in pain, both have long since changed, almost losing their original purpose.
So could this be the reason the treasure remains hidden and untraceable?
Alka pondered, but he had no objection and no information to support it.
But what concerned him most was that last sentence.
The last straw?
After clearing his mind, Alka stopped dwelling on it. There was no point in dwelling on it.
Neither dream nor reality met the requirements. Overthinking it now would only add to his worries.
…
Time passed quickly. Alka received some information from Jason and the others, reviewed the treasure's location through it, and then fed back the expanded information to Jason and the others.
Just like before.
Alka and the others finally waited for the arrival of the gem they had been waiting for.
They were currently in the underground laboratory.
An intense experiment was underway.
A massive gem, the size of an adult's head, floated in the center.
Numerous mechanical structures surrounded it, securing it.
Alka, eyes open, held a stylus, carving something into the diamond.
The carving wasn't imprinted on the gem's surface, but rather within it.
Simon controlled the machinery, and numerous Vastva scholars monitored the process from various locations.
Alka's brow was dripping with sweat as he manipulated the machine with such precision, but he couldn't afford even the slightest mistake.
The new carving magic and some materials were then integrated into the gem's interior through the stylus.
Then, the gem began to bear the weight and operate.
It seemed almost complete.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound.
A crack appeared on the gem, fixed in the center, and spread across the surface.
Looking at the crack, Alka exhaled deeply and dropped the stylus heavily.
"Failure."
Simon, upon seeing this, also began to review the data: "Review the data and analyze the cause. Plan the energy data."
Following the order, the still-shocked scholars immediately began to act.
After carefully examining the data, Simon finally shook his head helplessly.
This was news even more devastating than failure.
"We still don't have enough materials. We simply can't support the complete magic-gathering structure. We can't even support the most basic structure right now, let alone the adjustments and additions that will be needed later.
The materials are far from meeting our desired standards."
As he spoke, Simon leaned heavily against the wall, lost in thought.
This was the hardest gem they could think of that met their requirements.
There were certainly harder materials, but they wouldn't be gems, and they wouldn't meet the standards for a magic-gathering stone.
The atmosphere in the entire laboratory grew unusually gloomy.
This wasn't just a setback in the experiment; it was the near-failure of this one that threatened to bring this project to a permanent halt.
Finding the right material wasn't easy.
Now they were desperately hoping the failure was due to their faulty techniques and structural design.
At least that gave them some motivation to keep working.
"Everyone, take a break and organize the materials you have," Alka said.
They walked out of the lab silently.
Simon also leaned against the wall, lost in thought.
Watching the two of them, the scholars could only silently organize their materials and take action.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this project might be stalled for a long time.
Both coming up with a solution and preparing the next batch of materials would take considerable time.
Alka left the lab, returned to his room, and tossed several treasures into his dream.
These were the forces that had provided the gem and other materials. As a reward, Alka will need to reorganize these treasures.
Looking at the sky outside, it was already pitch black.
Tonight, a bright, white full moon hung high in the sky.
Around it, twinkling stars.
No stars, a rare night with a moon.
Looking at the moon.
Alka left the City of Return.
He walked towards this desolate wilderness.
On a night like this, Sofia should be there.