Maybe it was because he was shy, but the guy ran off right after speaking, leaving something in his hand.

Rode opened his hand to find a slip of paper, which read:

"Frost Moon, third day, by the Nasse River, at dusk."

What the heck.

Rode wasn't in the habit of meeting men, so he crumpled the note and tossed it aside.

He was deeply worried at the moment.

In theory, becoming a "special trainee" was a good thing, meaning he was one step closer to the value of the "Five Divisions."

Yet, there was a nagging sense of unease in his heart, as if he had overlooked something.

The case was still a mystery, and the investigation on Fire Hammer Street had been a disaster, his blunder worsening his situation.

The only comforting thought was that Overseer Lauren seemed to be on his side, though Rode wasn't sure if he could withstand the pressure.

Rode carefully recalled every word exchanged with Lauren, adding two more people to the mix.

Lauren's mentor, Black Bear, and the Young Lady in Blue and White, Green Feather.

These three were his current support.

However, these supports were not very stable, and the ties of interest between them were weak, liable to be severed at any moment.

He needed to find a way to strengthen these connections.

Rode thought.

Black Bear and Lauren were both men, and he didn't know the Banana Divine Skill, so the focus was on Green Feather.

If he could find a way to engage in deeper communication with her, he would have a basis of interest with his support, preventing easy detachment.

However, although Rode was confident in his unmatched skills, he was currently penniless, and the gap between him and the Young Lady in Blue and White was too vast, with little overlap. Achieving success wouldn't be easy.

The most reliable method was to enhance his own strength.

As long as his value was high enough, even if it was eventually discovered that he was the culprit, he might be let off.

But the current issue was that he needed more souls to become stronger.

In a country where "Soul Devouring" was taboo, seizing souls was like dancing on the edge of a knife.

What worried Rode the most was the countdown on the obelisk.

Those flashing blood-red letters seemed to foretell an ominous future.

What would happen when the two sunsets ended?

What did "invasion" mean?

What was the "Nightmare Lord"?

These questions lurked deep in his mind, stirring his soul with a shiver whenever his thoughts brushed past them.

Rode had heard that the oldest human emotion was fear, and the oldest fear was the fear of the unknown. He even regretted deciphering the text on the obelisk.

But burying his head in the sand wouldn't solve the problem.

When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

As Mr. Lu Xun once said, the best way to eliminate fear is to face it!

A sudden surge of courage rose in his heart, and Rode quickly ran to his dormitory, determined to make the most of the time before the last two sunsets to prepare as much as possible.

The people he encountered along the way were sparse, the lights in the common room dimmed, and the giant clock atop the dormitory building showed it was already a quarter past ten in the evening.

It was quite late.

Rode took the stairs two at a time, rushed to the third floor, pulled out his key, and opened his room door.

As he pushed the door open, he saw a blonde girl in a beige long dress and knee-high leather boots lying on his bed, sleeping soundly.

It was Kassan.

Rode poked her awake.

"You're finally back. I fell asleep waiting."

The girl, with a sleepy look on her face, sat up and stretched, showing off her modest chest.

"Here's the meeting notes from this afternoon. The content is important, so review it quickly."

She placed a notebook with a red cover on the table.

Judging by the neat handwriting, it was her notebook.

"This is the course selection sheet from this afternoon. You're the only one in the group who hasn't chosen yet."

"At least three courses, at most five. There will be exams at the end of the term, ten credits per course, and points will be deducted if you fail. Don't choose randomly. Courses like 'The Rise and Fall of Humanity' aren't necessary unless you plan to go into archaeology, while Mrs. Bince's 'Geography' is very important, as knights are highly mobile combat units..."

She pulled out a large chart and began explaining non-stop.

To return to the dreamscape as soon as possible, Rode mostly followed her recommendations, except for "Ancient Languages."

That was a compulsory course for him.

Kassan didn't object much: "Well... linguistics is quite important too. We can obtain a lot of useful information from the remnants of texts when exploring many ruins..."

Rode stared at her, hoping she would leave on her own.

Kassan glared back: "What? I told you, having kids is for later."

She pulled out a package and placed it on the table.

"This is the personal supplies issued for the week."

"This is Spirit Tree Dew, which can calm the mind and restore abnormal mental states. If you feel uncomfortable while practicing spiritual energy, use it immediately, orally, one drop at a time."

"This is Elf Grass Juice, which can greatly focus your mind, making your soul more sensitive and easier to awaken spiritual energy."

"This is Hemlock Juice, used for pain relief. I heard you guys have a 'change of eggs' period, which can be quite painful, so you might want to use it."

There were seven items on the table, all in small quantities.

After introducing them, Kassan added: "You're at a level nine salary, so this is all you get. But if you work hard, you'll rise quickly. This package is a loan from me; you'll have to pay me back double once your salary increases."

She stood up, flicking her golden hair.

"I'm leaving. Tomorrow's a rest day, so you can sleep in."

The girl walked out of the room with light steps.

"Goodnight, Special Trainee."

She smiled, closing the door behind her.

—

In the dim dormitory, Rode stood still.

His gaze fixed on a red paper package.

This was "Red Powder."

According to Kassan, it could temporarily increase the activity of the soul, enhancing the output and release of spiritual energy, but continuous use would have side effects.

For beginners, its role was to significantly accelerate the mastery of spiritual energy.

However, as someone with extraordinary insight, Rode keenly realized that this was essentially a stimulant.

If I use a stimulant in battle, wouldn't I easily break through my limits?

And with items like Elf Grass Juice, using them in a crisis would give me a better chance of survival.

Rode paced excitedly, as if he had discovered a new continent.

Suddenly, another idea popped into his mind.

"Can I bring things from the outside into the dreamscape?"

Rode's heart raced.

He immediately pulled out the "Raven" given to him by Lauren.

He had already witnessed the power of this "Raven-style spirit gun" on Fire Hammer Street, where it had wreaked havoc, taking out six enemies and a water tower.

Rode raised the gun, seeing the spiritual pressure gauge behind the barrel.

As the name suggests, the spiritual pressure gauge measured the pressure of spiritual energy, with a full scale of forty. When Rode's input reached forty, the "Raven" would fire.

In the recent test, his maximum spiritual energy intensity was 81, with a maximum output of 21.

In other words, it took him an average of two seconds to fire a shot, and four seconds to reach his maximum spiritual energy state.

What if he took "Red Powder"?

Could he achieve one shot per second?

Considering its immense power, Rode almost burst into laughter.

With such unprecedented firing speed, what creature could withstand it?

Invasion? Not scary at all!

But there was a prerequisite: how could he bring the gun into the dreamscape?

Thus.

Rode spent the entire night working on this.

He repeatedly traveled between the dreamscape and the material world, trying various methods.

This was Rode's first time studying the dreamscape in detail without interruption, yielding significant results and a wealth of useful information.

He finally understood the principles of entering and leaving the dreamscape—whenever his mind was in a state of high tranquility, he would enter the dreamscape.

The lightning symbol merely forced his mind into this state instantly, not the key to the dreamscape.

And when his physical body was disturbed, his mind would exit this state, forcibly pulling him out of the dreamscape.

A large cloud of confusion in his heart dissipated, and Rode finally understood the reasons for his inexplicable entries into the dreamscape, breathing easier and feeling much brighter.

But what truly thrilled him was finding a way to bring items into the dreamscape.

—As long as he completely covered an item with his hand before entering the dreamscape, he could bring it in.

Similarly, they could be brought out the same way.

Using this method, Rode successfully brought important supplies like "Red Powder" and "Elf Grass Juice" into the dreamscape.

But he faced a challenge with the "Raven."

The Raven-style spirit gun was at least half a meter long, with just the stock taking up most of his palm.

Unless he was a giant, it was impossible to grasp the entire gun with one hand.

Fortunately, Rode quickly discovered that the "Raven" could be disassembled.

Without hesitation, relying on his excellent engineering skills, Rode swiftly took it apart.

However, when he reassembled it, an unexpected problem arose.

Rode stared at the extra dozen parts on the table, lost in thought.

Good thing I tested it first, without rashly bringing them into the dreamscape... Rode exhaled, rubbing his forehead, feeling mentally exhausted to the extreme. Frequent trips between the dreamscape and the material world were also draining, and he had experienced too much in one day.

Better get some sleep; only with a rested mind could he better face the crisis.

With his thoughts settled, Rode lay down on his pillow, instantly falling into a sweet, dreamless sleep.