Chapter 413

After hearing the reason for the kingdom having no name from the Red-haired Bureau Director, Leon instinctively furrowed his eyebrows.

It sounded like these True Gods functioned a bit like “stakes” stabilizing the world. If you recklessly replaced or completely removed them, it would cause the originally stable world to become misaligned.

So even if the Clearing Bureau was powerful, they could only temporarily eliminate the troublesome True Gods, making them quiet for a while before they resurrected—no one could directly go and uproot them…

“Don’t think about it.”

After glancing at Leon’s deeply furrowed brows, the Red-haired Bureau Director advised: “This time, we not only directly eliminated the Nightmare King but also let the bugs eat away all of its Nightmare River. We’ve also wiped out more than half of the nightmares under its command. It won’t recover in less than ten to twenty years.”

The usually slippery Nightmare King almost never suffered major losses; the last time it was this pathetic probably traced back to an ancestor of the royal family. “You’ve done well already.”

“…”

Won’t recover in ten to twenty years… Does that mean it will be back in twenty to thirty years?

After detecting another meaning in the Red-haired Bureau Director’s comfort, Leon couldn’t help but recall the self he saw through the Mirror Diadem when the Nightmare King showcased it—a self numbly touching photo albums. His heart painfully tightened.

Not enough! Twenty years isn’t enough! Leon, who had been severely hit by the Nightmare King, clenched his teeth unconsciously. Although he didn’t say anything further, he silently made a vow to remember this grudge.

When the Nightmare King revives in the future, if I’m still alive, I’ll likely have reached the level of a Yellow Path Director. Then I must visit the Dream Realm again… No! Every ten to twenty years, I’ll pay the Dream Realm a visit to send it right back to death! And when I gain the ability to enter the Dream Realm alone, every day I live, it must die honestly!

After marking the Nightmare King heavily on his mental ledger, Leon, with a dissatisfied expression, found the unconscious Snow Maiden and pinched her philtrum hard.

“Ahhh!!!”

Awakened by the pinch, the Snow Maiden shouted and then asked bewilderedly:

“You… What happened to me?”

“You’re still alive. The Nightmare King has been eliminated.”

“Huh?”

When the Snow Maiden passed out, it was during the Nightmare King’s most arrogant moment. She woke up to find the Nightmare King suddenly gone, shocking her greatly. “What? Wasn’t it…”

“It’s dead. Considering the temporary imbalance in the Dream Realm after the Nightmare King’s death, we’ll send you back.”

Leon, dissatisfied with the incomplete revenge, didn’t answer the Snow Maiden’s question but instead announced her fate sternly: “Additionally, within the next week, the Dream Realm will lose half due to the [Dream-Eating Anomalous Armor]. Be careful when you return.”

“Huh???”

Completely confused by three pieces of news—first shocked, then delighted, and finally dazed—the Snow Maiden let out an “Ah” and remained speechless for a long time. Her ice-blue eyes appeared somewhat vacant.

Isn’t it… Weren’t we just being chased by the Nightmare King earlier? How did everything turn around so quickly? What’s happening with the Dream Realm? How long have I been unconscious? A week?

“You… Me…”

“I see your expression, so you don’t seem to have any questions… If there are none, please leave soon!”

Looking up at the sky faintly turning white, Leon, who hadn’t slept for over thirty hours, couldn’t help but yawn. He urged her with a tired face:

“The sun will rise in at most an hour. After that, you won’t be able to leave.”

“Oh! Right!”

Hearing Leon’s words, the Snow Maiden shivered slightly and, just like she previously carried Leon through dreams, hurriedly puffed her cheeks and blew out… air.

“Huh???”

Refusing to believe, the Snow Maiden puffed her clean cheeks again and tried several times, but despite her red face, she failed to exhale the wind that could traverse dreams.

“What are you doing?”

“I… I don’t know!”

“I think I know what’s going on.”

Looking at the Snow Maiden panicking, the Red-haired Bureau Director said thoughtfully: “Wasn’t your nightmare core destroyed by someone?”

Fearfully glancing at the Red-haired Bureau Director whose hair seemed dark red like blood, and who seemed to emit countless screams of nightmares when close, the Snow Maiden instinctively hid behind Leon and nodded cautiously.

“Yes… My nightmare core was crushed by the Nightmare King…”

“That explains it.”

The Red-haired Bureau Director explained clearly: “The Soulfall Black Abyss hasn’t fully left yet, reality and the dream realm are still overlapping. Since your nightmare core is gone, according to the rules of the present world, you’re now similar to a pure human. Humans generally can’t easily enter the dream realm while awake.”

The Snow Maiden hesitated upon hearing this: “But… But earlier, I could still take him through nightmares?”

“One wrong move first, one thing after another, inside content, at 69 book bar look!”

“But the Nightmare King wasn’t dead earlier.”

The Red-haired Bureau Director shrugged:

“Previously, you could take Leon through nightmares mainly because of your identity as a nightmare messenger. The Nightmare King took your nightmare core but gave you partial access to nightmare powers.

But now, with the Nightmare King representing nightmares eliminated by us, the nightmare power itself has weakened to its limit. The remaining part has mostly returned to the depths of the Nightmare River, busy trying to revive the Nightmare King. They have no time to heed your summons.”

“…”

Understanding her current situation, the Snow Maiden pleaded: “Then… Can you send me…”

“No.”

The Red-haired Bureau Director smiled and said:

“Don’t push it. You invaded my jurisdiction following the Nightmare King. Not killing you already was generous. What makes you think you can make demands of me?”

“But… But it’s almost dawn…”

“Yeah, it’s almost dawn, but how does that concern us?”

“I… I…”

…

What’s the director planning now? Watching the Red-haired Bureau Director neither kill the Snow Maiden nor agree to send her back to the Dream Realm, Leon knew without thinking that she definitely had some scheme in mind.

Sure enough, as the sky grew brighter, the Snow Maiden became completely panicked.

With her already limited intelligence, she was tricked into signing something by the Red-haired Bureau Director, followed by a worn-out necklace being placed around her white neck.

Leon immediately recognized both items as anomalous objects used for control. Poor Snow Maiden probably sold herself entirely, possibly down to her underwear.

However, after deceiving the Snow Maiden thoroughly, the Red-haired Bureau Director still didn’t send her back immediately. Instead, she pointed at the Desire Dream Infiltrator hanging around Leon’s neck and smiled, asking:

“Leon, can I borrow your pendant for a while?”

(End of Chapter)