Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 284 The Dog of Daydreams
A day passed, and nothing happened.

Bai Yincheng noticed the text on the computer but didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just a prank by some unknown software. The Chief didn't care much either, since it wasn't the first time.

Audrey and the Trash Can Squad ultimately failed to catch the Mind Dragon because it had entered someone's dream. The Trash Can Squad simply couldn't catch it.

Salty Fish Fowles is doing just fine, at least he doesn't have that angry, embarrassed Gehrman suddenly crawling out from under the bed to kill this author who writes such terrible novels.

Klein remained on the Golden Dream, waiting for Edwina to take him back to Bayam. Danitz had originally planned to buy passenger ship tickets, but Edwina stopped him. After all, she was a demigod; it was only right that she run an errand.

"The yogurt here is quite unique. You can add strawberry jam or honey, or just the yogurt," Edwina said, pointing to the food in the restaurant during breakfast. "There are also some kinds of dried fish that are quite good. They come from the deep sea and are an unnamed species."

Since he wouldn't be back in Bayam until around noon, Klein decided to have breakfast on the Golden Dream.

It's not breakfast to be precise, because it's already around 10 a.m.

"Okay." Klein nodded.

Edwina gestured for Klein to take it himself, brought it back to his room, and set an example by getting up herself.

Klein took a bowl of yogurt that no one knew who made, added a few spoonfuls of honey, and then picked up pork sausages, cream bagels, and other foods from the plate.

He didn't get food for Padma; she could manage on her own.

During this time, he saw Yodson, dressed in a white shirt, black vest, and floral bow tie, approach Paddo Meow and fawn over her, asking for her thieving skills. Paddo Meow, on the other hand, proudly held her head high. Aside from luck, thieving was the only skill she could boast about.

Klein smiled, sensing that they got along well.

Is this the mutual respect between heroes?
Then he heard the sound of prayer.

The female voice sounded like Miss Justice.

He took the food back to his room, placed it on the table, and walked four steps backwards to the top of the gray fog. There he saw the crimson star representing Miss Justice twinkling.

He extended his spirituality, reaching out to the star, and saw Miss Justice sitting by the bedside, praying.

…………

At an estate in East Chestershire.

Around seven o'clock this morning, the Hall family got up early and left their first estate in East Chestershire for their second.

Noble etiquette is always like this: even though they could sleep until noon, they insist on making themselves uncomfortable by setting all sorts of miscellaneous restrictions to make themselves stand out from the crowd.

Around 10 o'clock, Audrey arrived at another estate in her family's estate.

She went to her own room and sat on the bed that the servants had already made.

Although the family only stays at this manor for a few days each year, it is cleaned daily. This is a basic courtesy for nobles; after all, even if they don't stay, they should be able to move in immediately when needed.

Audrey sat down on the edge of the bed and casually touched the blanket.

Suddenly, she sensed something was wrong and made a quick judgment.

This velvet isn't even top-grade! Our family would never buy such ordinary goods priced below 100 gold pounds! We wouldn't even do it to make do.

For some reason, Audrey suddenly had a thought: this... is not the real world.

There was no reason why she thought this way, and she didn't see anything wrong with it.

Recalling her entry into the ocean of the collective unconscious yesterday, Audrey immediately confirmed her thoughts and began to examine herself.

But she couldn't see anything.

Finally, she came to a conclusion:
This is a dream, a rather strange dream.

A dream that actively kept her awake.

Is it that dragon of the soul?
Audrey did not panic.

I searched all night yesterday but couldn't find it, even though she had already given up.

As a result, instead of seeking out danger, danger came to her.

She made a quick decision, closed her eyes, and began to pray. She transformed from blonde, blue-eyed Audrey into blonde, closed-eyed Audrey.

After reciting the name of the honored one three times, I finally felt a little more at ease.

She wasn't hiding from anyone, knowing that she couldn't hide it from the dream's owner.

Praying to three people at once can also reveal a lot.

In the words of Emperor Roselle, this is called "nuclear deterrence."

But this time, no trash can squad descended from the sky; perhaps the Empress didn't have time to listen to prayers all the time.

She stood up and transformed into a magical girl using her ever-present magic wand. The mind dragon didn't impose any restrictions on her in the dream.

The stars snapped into place, and several half-human-high light screens suddenly appeared and floated around her, spinning around her.

The light curtain was painted with patterns of a staff, a spear, a heavy sword, a heavy shield, a battle axe, a chainsword, and a grenade launcher.

Audrey stretched out her left hand and swiped it to the left in front of her. The light curtain swirling around her suddenly accelerated.

After thinking for a moment, Audrey reached out and grabbed the "chainsaw sword".

Amidst the hum of the chainsaw sword, Audrey softly uttered, "Transform."

The other light screens immediately moved closer to Audrey, conforming to her body and transforming into her intricately patterned white hooded long dress.

Upon reaching the door, Audrey reached out and grasped the handle.

Twist it gently and pull it back.

The slightly dimly lit corridor then came into her view.

It was daytime, but the corridor felt very dark.

Audrey looked out the window but saw neither the sun nor the red moon.

The sky was somewhat gray, but the main color was white.

It appears gloomy because it is blocked from sunlight and moonlight.

Audrey looked ahead again.

The main building of this manor is over a hundred years old, and many parts still retain their original features, especially the corridors.

For this reason, there are no gas wall lamps. The walls are inlaid with candlesticks, some made of silver and some of bronze, each holding a different number of candles, emitting a dim, yellowish light that casts shadows throughout the corridor, giving it a feeling that it might be haunted at any moment.

It really is haunted.

At this very moment, a strange creature turned its gaze toward this place, toward Audrey.

The dream even replicated this... so why leave such an obvious flaw as the blanket? Audrey glanced around and stepped into the corridor.

As the thought flashed through her mind, a carpet formed of holy light and dotted with starlight appeared beneath her feet, illuminating the entire surrounding corridor.

Stepping on the carpet, Audrey followed her spiritual intuition and walked to the right.

The chainsaw sword was raised slightly, emitting a humming sound.

After taking two or three steps, she suddenly stopped, feeling as if something was hidden behind the tightly closed doors on both sides, something that aroused her strong desire to explore.

This is Dad and Mom's bedroom, this is Hilbert's bedroom, and this is Alfred's room.

Only Alfred's room door was lit, for some reason.

Audrey made a brief attempt to explain, then frowned slightly.

The antique doors with their bas-relief carvings, illuminated by the dim candlelight, appeared exceptionally mysterious, beckoning one to explore and discover what lay hidden behind them.

In a flash, Audrey suddenly understood what they represented in the vast ocean of the collective unconscious.

These are the doors to the soul; behind each door lies the inner world of its owner.

But only Alfred's room is lit up. Why? Why aren't the other rooms lit up?
After thinking for a while, Audrey figured out the key point.

It must have been Alfred who secretly took a nap after arriving at the manor, which is why the dream stood out so much in the vast ocean of the collective unconscious.

Her second brother, Alfred, was always a very "innovative" nobleman who never really liked those complicated aristocratic etiquettes. It was understandable that he would secretly sleep while others were taking a walk.

In other words, if Audrey were to open Alfred's door now, she would see all sorts of secrets hidden deep within his heart.

It's not good to casually explore other people's dreams, because if you happen to see the memories of some cult, you might see images of evil gods or items related to evil gods, which could easily lead to corruption.

What? I'm that cult member?

That's fine.

Audrey tiptoed open the door and peered inside curiously.

He saw Alfred with a girl whose face he couldn't quite make out, and he was wildly licking her lips.

Audrey left expressionlessly and closed the door behind her.

To be honest, she really didn't know how to evaluate the dream.

Is this considered a erotic dream?

Audrey didn't know, but she felt it shouldn't count.

She felt it was more like ghouls fighting each other.

So my second brother has this kind of hobby?

Audrey had already grasped one of the rules of the Dream Walker role: Don't casually look at other people's dreams.

As I walked down the corridor and passed the maids' lounge, I heard people talking inside.

"Tell me, what is the purpose of mosquitoes' existence?"

"Yeah, maybe it's the embodiment of a yandere. You know, sucking your blood and being very possessive, you know?"

This appears to be a conversation between two maids, the content of which left a deep impression on one of them, and thus carried into her dream.

Soon, Audrey arrived at the end of the corridor.

It was a semi-open sunroom.

She sensed something waiting for her inside, guessing it was the Mind Dragon. She pursed her lips, and Audrey, her breathing steady, reached out and grasped the doorknob.

She wasn't afraid. Even if the Empress wasn't watching her now, Mr. Fool and Mr. Devil certainly were.

Audrey had the illusion that two toads were standing on either side of her shoulders.

One wore a red mask, and the other's face was shrouded in gray mist.

Audrey (Fairy Mode).

As the wooden door opened, the scene inside was gradually revealed.

This was no longer a room; the floor was covered with smooth, round stones and clumps of dark green weeds. The depths were shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see clearly.

Audrey walked slowly inside, and the door creaked shut behind her.

In that dim light, the outlines of some things quickly came into view:
A huge stone pillar, tens of meters high, stands tall, with a long, lizard-like monster perched on top of it.

The monster crouched atop the stone pillar, resembling a small mountain, its body covered in large, grayish-white stone-like scales, and its eyes were pale gold and vertical.

It was indeed Him, that giant dragon of the soul that seemed to come from mythology.

With a whoosh, the two wings of this mental dragon spread out, almost covering the sky.

Their skeletons are metallic, resembling leaf veins, and covered with a gray membrane with mysterious patterns.

But the next second, something unexpected happened.

The room became resplendent with gold, and sculptures appeared on the pillars.

They were golden dragons, some with outstretched wings, some coiled up, some with their heads raised, and some with their eyes closed.

In the very center of the venue, the sculpture on the tallest pillar looked quite familiar to Audrey.

"Susie?" Audrey couldn't help but exclaim.

Susie, the dream dog.

P.S.: I need to take a day off (actually, it's not really a day off, I'll just be missing a thousand words) because I really can't keep up with the writing.

There are just too many classes lately.

(End of this chapter)