'Being targeted by the Witch of Envy would be incredibly dangerous,' Regulus thought, analyzing Satella's warning.
However, the history of this world hadn't changed significantly. The Witch of Envy was still securely sealed at the Evil Sealing Stone Shrine near the Pleiades Watchtower.
'It seems the idea of going to the Pleiades Watchtower will have to be put on hold for a while.'
Better safe than sorry. If he was really targeted by her darker half, marching straight to the Pleiades Watchtower might attract her direct, devastating attention. Regulus was very afraid of death. No, it should be said that no one in this world was truly unafraid; even those who actively seek death feel a primal desire to survive when genuinely facing it.
But then again... Beatrice had mentioned before that there were many girls—his future wives—currently residing in the Pleiades Watchtower under Shaula's watch.
Since the girls were all placed there, it meant there would definitely be a safe solution in the future.
'I should stop thinking about this problem,' Regulus decided. 'Overthinking it now won't help.'
"Don't worry, I know what to do next," Regulus reassured her smoothly.
"Mm..." Satella's conflicted expression softened slightly beneath her veil.
Regulus then turned his gaze to Echidna, who was still sound asleep on the sofa.
'How long has she been sleeping now? Since yesterday's events in the tomb, almost an entire night has passed in the real world. She should be waking up by now.'
"Let's drop this heavy topic here," Regulus announced to the room. "Sekhmet, you can put Daphne down now."
"I understand," Sekhmet sighed lazily, lowering her *Unseen Hand*.
"Oh, right," Regulus suddenly asked with genuine curiosity, looking at Daphne as her restraints were removed. "What was that tea Daphne just mentioned?"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the Castle of Dreams froze entirely.
Among the Witches present, except for the innocent Typhon and Beatrice, their expressions instantly changed, becoming somewhat stiff and deeply embarrassed. A faint, tell-tale blush appeared on their pale cheeks.
"Regarding this..." Minerva coughed, crossing her arms and directly pushing the responsibility away. "You should let Sekhmet explain, because she was the one who first proposed this 'tea'."
However, facing this sudden responsibility, just as Sekhmet was put on the spot and reluctantly opened her mouth to explain—
"Wait," Regulus frowned, feeling a distinct tug on his physical body. "Someone outside is calling me. I'll go out for a moment."
After saying that, Regulus's figure instantly disappeared from the Castle of Dreams.
"Ahhh! He ran away!" Daphne, now completely free, whined in disappointment, clutching her stomach.
Conversely, Sekhmet let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
When she was verbally sparring with Echidna earlier, she truly wasn't intimidated at all. But having to explicitly explain the mechanics of "Rus Tea" directly to Regulus's face? A massive sense of shame would have uncontrollably surged forth.
Inside Roswaal's Mansion.
Regulus, having withdrawn his consciousness from the Castle of Dreams, opened his eyes to see Carol leaning over him, her face full of intense worry and unease.
"Phew~ You're finally awake," Carol let out a heavy sigh of relief, stepping back from the bed.
"Did something happen?" Regulus asked, sitting up.
"Nothing happened, but what was wrong with you just now?!"
"What do you mean, 'what was wrong'?"
"I called out to you two for a full minute just now, but neither of you reacted at all!" Carol scolded, her Knightly composure slipping. "If I hadn't checked and found that you still had breath and a normal body temperature, I would have thought you two were dead!"
"A minute!!?"
Regulus was stunned.
'This isn't right.'
He had just felt the external call, and he had only spoken a single sentence to the Witches before immediately leaving the Castle of Dreams. It took him at most about five seconds. How could it be a full minute?
He immediately turned to look at the mechanical clock in the guest room.
"..."
An hour!
It had been almost a full hour in the real world since he first entered the Castle of Dreams!
But the problem was, he felt he had only been in the Castle of Dreams for a few minutes at most.
He suddenly remembered something Echidna had once told him during her illusion. *'The flow of time here is different from the outside world, so there's no need to rush.'* This was probably what she meant.
There was a difference in the flow of time. But was this difference fixed in reverse? Or... could this time difference be freely adjusted by the dimension's master?
"Carol, wait for me for just a second," Regulus said, closing his eyes and focusing his absolute attention on his newly plundered Authority over the Castle of Dreams.
He actively tried to assert control over the dimension's temporal flow.
The result surprised Regulus, but it was also completely within his expectations as the new owner. The flow of time within the Castle of Dreams could indeed be manually adjusted!
The default time flow Echidna had left it on was roughly a ratio of one to ten: one minute in the Castle of Dreams equaled ten minutes outside. This was why, when Carol called for a full minute outside, he only felt about six seconds had passed inside.
Testing his mental boundaries, Regulus quickly grasped the maximum temporal ratio between the Castle of Dreams and the outside world.
One to one hundred was the absolute limit.
However, this one to one hundred ratio worked both ways. It didn't just mean one second in the Castle of Dreams equaled one hundred seconds outside; it could also be reversed, so one second outside equaled one hundred seconds in the Castle of Dreams!
'Its functionality couldn't be better,' Regulus grinned internally.
But it was also slightly regrettable. If this Castle of Dreams could not only house people's souls but directly, physically pull people into it, how wonderful would that be? That way, with the time ratio slowed down, he wouldn't have to worry about his wives aging and leaving him due to their mortal lifespans.
'It seems for now, I still need to find a concrete way to solve the lifespan problem of my wives. I can't let them turn into dust in just a few decades.'
At this moment, Carol noticed Regulus coming back to his senses.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"It's nothing. I just figured out a minor issue."
"What was wrong with you just now? And Betty, she..." Carol looked with genuine worry at the Great Spirit Maiden in Regulus's arms, who was still slumped over and completely unresponsive.
After all, they all belonged to Regulus, and in Carol's eyes, Beatrice was also one of their future family members.
Although the number of family members was indeed quite staggeringly large, after experiencing the past few days together, what surprised Carol the most was the harmonious atmosphere of this massive family of over a hundred people centered around Regulus.
The atmosphere was almost too good. There was no vicious targeting, no open or secret struggles for power. It was so cohesive that after officially joining, she actually felt embarrassed to openly compete for his favor like a stereotypical noblewoman.
"Betty is fine. I'll bring her soul back to her body soon," Regulus reassured her.
"That's good," Carol nodded. "Oh, right. The Young Misses are almost done with their ablutions. Let's get ready and hit the road quickly."
"Indeed, it's almost time to set off."
Dragging it out again and again... he could already clearly feel the anxiousness burning in Carol's heart. She was a Knight, and her military deployment orders weighed heavily on her.
Regulus picked up the unconscious Beatrice and stood up.
"How about I wait in the dragon carriage first?" Regulus suggested. "Once Theresia and the others finish washing up, we'll depart directly."
"This..."
Carol also wanted to do exactly that.
However, it seemed a bit too hasty and rude. Especially since Julia, immediately after returning from the Sanctuary, had already instructed the mansion's servants and even personally rushed to the kitchens to prepare a grand breakfast for everyone.
Leaving directly without eating would surely waste Julia's good intentions and hurt her pride.
"Let's eat breakfast first," Regulus decided, reading the room. "Miss Julia seems to be almost ready."
"Then let's go to the main hall, eat quickly, and then depart as soon as possible," Carol agreed gratefully.
"Mm."
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