Dream Travel

Chapter 410 Impossible, Don't even think about it.

“If you’re going to leave this time, it would be best to take her body with you,” Atris suggested to White Curtain as she emerged from the alchemy workshop. “Or wait a few days for me.”

"What are you going to do?"

"Of course, it's about modifying that body. We have pure demon blood, our physiques are very compatible, and we already have mutations, so I can make her even stronger!"

Beatrice wondered to herself if, had she had such a body and the right conditions, she could have turned the tables on White Curtain.

"Ask the person involved..."

"Isn't she your spoils of war?" Beatrice interrupted Bai Mu, feeling that Bai Mu was sometimes too easy to talk to.

Especially when there's no issue with trust, but when there's no trust, this guy won't hesitate to kill her.

"The greatsword itself has been modified, so there are no problems with enhancing and modifying it based on the existing one."

"You should discuss it with her." Bai Mu thought for a moment and then summoned Lafayette and Lucyella.

The two men were quite surprised when they saw their surroundings: "When did you get back?"

"yesterday."

"Then why won't you let me out?" Luciela asked the white curtain with dissatisfaction.

"Uh, maybe it's because of food possessiveness?"

"..." Lucy Ella's dissatisfaction vanished instantly.

She had experienced hunger before. Although the White Curtain might not necessarily make her hungry, she could understand the possessiveness of food after traveling from the Hellish Dream to the desert and back here.

"Never mind, I'll go shopping with Lafayette. Is everything alright now?"

"That's all. But Atrist has designs on your sister's body. She plans to use demon blood to modify it. What do you think...?"

“I have no objection,” Lucy Ella said first.

If the modification could make her sister's body very strong, then she really wouldn't have any objections.

After all, White Curtain had already tested it before; when she was summoned, she could control the puppets and phantoms through the weapon box.

She can use her sister's body normally, so if this body can continue to get stronger, why not improve it?

Lahua Na opened her mouth slightly: "I have no objection either."

"Don't worry about your sister, just think about it yourself."

After Bai Mu finished speaking, he also summoned Esdeath.

In Hell, she provided significant assistance to Bai Mu; without her help, they truly wouldn't have been able to defeat the Demon Lord.

When dealing with those demons later, White Curtain did not summon Esdeath. There were too many demons, and it was best to keep Esdeath's abilities hidden for a while longer.

It's worthwhile to kill a few more troublesome demons before we're exposed.

"Are you back?"

"I have something to do. You guys can start on your own now. You have a lot of room to move around."

Bai Mu took money from the bedroom cabinet, put some on the bed, and stuffed the rest into the weapons box.

He then left his residence with the weapons case.

Beatrice immediately found Lafayette and told her about the various benefits of body modification.

"You've noticed what's happened this time, haven't you? Those demons are getting stronger and stronger, and your strength can't keep up. But my modification can give your body demonic power!"

Lahuana glanced at her own body lying there. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she could accept it.

After all, greatswords have all been modified.

"How powerful can it be?"

"In terms of strength, they should be no weaker than the mid-level demons we've encountered."

After thinking for a moment, Beatrice replied, "I can complete the initial modifications here, but it would be best to carry out the subsequent modifications elsewhere."

Greatswords are quite powerful; a normal, excellent greatsword can handle the low-ranking demons that are everywhere in Hellish Dreams.

While you might be at a disadvantage or even killed in a group fight, the greatsword has a much higher chance of winning in a one-on-one situation.

Lafayette was already a powerful figure in the Claymore world. After being modified with demon blood and given demonic power, she will only become stronger.

"Can't we just do it directly?" Lucy asked, sounding a bit impatient.

Atrist shook her head: "It can be done directly, but Rota City has a city defense agreement. If your sister's body is given demonic power, it is very likely to trigger the defense agreement."

The phantoms summoned by the White Curtain are quite powerful, but the main reason they don't trigger the city's defense protocol is that these beings don't possess any special powers and rely entirely on physical strength to get things done.

Including the White Curtain itself.

As for her, she possesses some magic power due to her mastery of alchemy, but her magic power is not strong enough to trigger the defense protocol.

However, Raphael's physical attributes are too good. After being modified with demon blood and given demonic power, this power may rapidly increase due to her constitution.

This would greatly increase the probability of triggering a defense agreement.

Luciela couldn't help but complain, "What a nuisance, can't he just rule this city?"

“Well…maybe he can go to remote areas and take control of some small countries, but it’s absolutely impossible here,” Beatrice said with a hint of helplessness.

The Maple Crown Republic is one of the major nations existing on this planet.

The best way for the White Curtain to 'rule' the city is to run for mayor.

However, Beatrice also agreed with Lucyella's words; some things were indeed troublesome here.

With the White Curtain's ability to break through the demon's blockade, he could now really try to find a remote small country and establish his rule.

Once she completes her rule, the resources of a small country can be concentrated... Beatrice was thrilled just thinking about it.

At that time, she could also build a luxurious alchemy workshop and research whatever she wanted, right?

As for the ethical standards of the White Screen?
That's not a question. Research materials can be obtained through many legal means.

"How about we try letting him take control and see if it has any effect?"

"Hmm? You have a suitable target?" Esdeath, who hadn't left, suddenly asked.

Beatrice saw a strong drive in the woman's eyes; she was passionate about anything involving war.

"……without."

"Hmph." Esdeath left immediately. She was interested in Beatrice's suggestion, but Beatrice only had ideas, which disappointed her.

"My sister's body is in your hands. If you don't do a good enough job, I'll let you experience what it feels like to have your body slowly ground up."

Lucyella glanced at Beatrice's motionless body, where several mouths with sharp teeth had appeared on her arms.

The threat was strong, but Beatrice didn't care about it at all. She wouldn't die, and Luciela was an Awakened One herself, so she treated the threat as just the boring howl of a beast.

"I'm about to begin. You should leave my workshop."

Beatrice gave them the boot.

"Let's go." Lucia pulled her sister away.

Now that Bai Mu is safe, she's going to enjoy herself. The 'modern' social conditions are nothing compared to that wretched island.

Bai Mu first arrived at No. 214 in the Lower City. Instead of immediately knocking on the craftsman's door, he went to the sewers and summoned the phantoms.

When they joined the war, White Curtain had promised them a break afterwards.

"Where is this?"

Livru frowned as she looked around at the surroundings. It was dark and damp, and there was a stench of animal carcasses. It was clearly not a good place.

"Rota City's sewers, are you choosing to take a vacation or go back to the boxes?"

“Take a vacation!” Livlu said without hesitation.

The Awakened Ones present all breathed a sigh of relief that Bai Mu was able to return to a safe place.

As long as Bai Mu is alive and well, they can continue to 'live' in the future.

If Bai Mu dies, they will probably really have to stay in this dark, timeless box until they perish.

It's also possible that they'll get a new, even less reliable owner.

"Alright, those who want a vacation can find their own way out. Here's the money." Bai Mu took out the cash and placed it on the weapons box.

Then, I explained some basic information to the awakened individuals who wanted to take a vacation, teaching them how to spend their money.

And there's a strong requirement: act like a human being here, and don't try to do things with the mindset of an awakened being.

He won't show any mercy to anyone who starts trouble.

"Your current combat strength is not as helpful to me, so if anyone causes trouble, I will eliminate you directly."

Bai Mu stared at the Awakened Ones present, his tone calm.

As his strength increased, the role of these awakened ones indeed became less significant.

However, the Awakened Ones are still useful, since their physiques can withstand the demonic energy of the White Curtain.

As his strength increases, the quality of his demonic energy also increases. Awakened individuals who receive support from his demonic energy will experience a significant increase in strength.

The strength of an awakened being is related to the strength of their demonic energy.

Even so, the White Curtain will not leave behind those disobedient troublemakers.

"Understood." Livlu took the money given to her by Bai Mu and was the first to leave.

She can't wait for her upcoming vacation.

Getting to know the city might take a while, but the information White Curtain provides at the beginning is very useful.

The basic information she had was enough for her to quickly understand the information.

The only requirement from the White Curtain was that they not actively cause trouble; they were not strictly required to resolve any issues that arose when they were passively encountered.

"Then I'll go check other places too. Are my clothes okay?" Octavia asked White Curtain after taking the money.

"No, you can go to a clothing store and buy new clothes. It's fine if you don't haggle. I've given you enough money."

“You’re a really nice person.” Octavia smiled and left.

The other awakened individuals didn't say much; they each took their money and left, ready to enjoy this rare moment of freedom.

As for causing trouble...

After witnessing the city's prosperity, some of the awakened individuals suppressed their thoughts.

They were all country bumpkins, but the unique features of the big city attracted them.

Let's forget about causing trouble. If they're completely wiped out by the White Curtain, we won't see them again, right?
Most of the awakened individuals are women. Even after awakening, only their values ​​as human beings change, while other preferences remain unchanged.

For example, clothes, jewelry, and other such items.

"What are you doing at my doorstep?" The craftsman's voice suddenly came from behind the sewer as Bai Mu emerged from the drain. He crossed his arms and looked at Bai Mu with obvious displeasure.

Bai Mu suddenly created a bunch of monsters in the sewer in front of his house. If he didn't know Bai Mu, he would have thrown some disinfectant into the sewer.

“They went to a dangerous place and did a lot of work, so I’m giving them a break.”

"A holiday?" The craftsman frowned even more deeply. "You killed them all, didn't you? Just use them as tools!"

"This won't work."

Bai Mu shook his head; his normal mindset as a 21st-century youth made it impossible for him to do such a thing.

He simply traveled through time; he wasn't possessed.

It's true that those awakened ones deserved to die, so he killed them all, but after they died, he used them normally.

When needed, it can be used as a tool, as the craftsman said, but now it is peacetime.

The White Curtain didn't treat all the awakened ones as human beings, but it did treat them as living beings to some extent.

"Then go and release them into the wild, and don't come here to cause me trouble."

"Hey, it's on the way." Bai Mu pulled the Demon Greatsword out of the sewer and then opened a crack in the weapon case.

"Hmm? Let's go inside." The craftsman's furrowed brows immediately relaxed, as if he had smelled something delicious.

"Oh, man..."

"Aren't you?" The craftsman glanced casually at the white curtain. The demon greatsword was very thick, but the craftsman's house was not small either, so it would be fine to put it in the living room.

The craftsman tore off the cloth, tapped the demonic greatsword, and then his lips curled into a slight smirk.

"It's a bit of a waste of the material, but because the process isn't good enough, the material recycling rate won't be too low."

"Huh? I think this weapon is pretty good, it's just a bit too big." Bai Mu said, looking at the demon greatsword.

The weapon used by the demon lord is not suitable for human body size, but it has indeed done a great job.

"What do you know? Weapons aren't necessarily better the bigger they are."

The craftsman examined the demon greatsword, and through the weapon's specifications, he could analyze the original owner's physique.

But in his eyes, the weapon was still crude.

Even if the weapon were made according to the original owner's body size, the materials used in this weapon are far too bulky.

It's okay to pile up materials; the key is to ensure that all materials play their proper role during the piling process.

It's either about upgrading equipment performance in a way that's not worthwhile, or about making the equipment more versatile.

But the materials used to build this weapon... probably just add a little extra durability? That's about it.

Looking at this weapon, the craftsman had a bunch of design plans to ensure that the materials used could be reduced by 40% while making the weapon stronger.

Bigger and heavier? That's not impossible, but according to his design concept, the remaining materials are enough to fully utilize the material's performance.

The slight improvement achieved by simply adding more materials is not worth the effort and will only increase the burden on users.

“Given your size, you’ll only need a third of the materials at most,” the craftsman said after examining the white curtain.

Even the materials he mentioned were considered excessive, taking into account the fact that Bai Mu was using super-heavy cold weapons.

Otherwise, less than one-fifth of the materials would be more than enough.

"I have enough weapons."

The craftsman looked at the weapon case in the white curtain and suggested, "I can make you a set of combination knives that can be used in many environments."

Combination knives are a combination of multiple weapons, and they are also quite portable.

However, if such a combination of knives is not made well, it can easily make the whole weapon set flashy but impractical.

"Why are you being so kind?"

"Hmph, hurry up and take out what you've hidden!" The craftsman sneered, staring at the weapon box in the white curtain.

He's kind-hearted? Of course he's kind-hearted, considering what's hidden in the White Curtain weapon case!

"Lily said I have to charge you for this when you use it."

White Curtain took out Hellmetal from the weapon case.

The craftsman's gaze was firmly drawn to this object: "That woman is so annoying... a perfect crystallization!"

The craftsman touched the piece of hellish metal with obvious affection, and the gentle touch made Bai Mu choose to keep his opinion to himself.

He didn't understand but respected his friend's preferences.

The white curtain reminded the craftsman: "This is dream-eroded material."

“I know.” The craftsman reached out and stroked the material, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Lily is right, if I use this, I do have to pay you…”

"You actually believed it?"

The craftsman nodded seriously: "After this encounter, without you, I might not have been able to come into contact with similar materials for twenty years."

Dream-corroded materials are scarce, and even if someone is lucky enough to bring out materials contaminated with dream-corrosion from another dream, they might not have the same quality as this piece of hellish metal.

So he wasn't joking about the twenty years he mentioned.

If you're unlucky, you really won't encounter something like that.

Of course, considering the special nature of the white curtain, he excluded it when he said that.

This guy always manages to pull out good stuff from dreams. The craftsman isn't interested in how he does it; as long as Bai Mu continues to bring surprises, that's enough.

This time we brought hell metal; next time it might be an even more special material.

Compared to this hellish metal, the material of the Demon Greatsword is garbage... well, you can't say that.

If we try to refine that demonic greatsword to the level of this metal, we estimate that less than the size of a palm will be left of it.

"How do you want to use this?"

"Could you upgrade my existing weapons and equipment? For example..."

The craftsman interrupted the white curtain without hesitation: "Impossible! Don't even think about it! Don't make things difficult for me!"

Even if Bai Mu wasn't wearing a full set of Dream Erosion gear, his demands were still a bit excessive.

If the materials are specifically for enhancing equipment, then following the instructions from the White Curtain is fine.

But this piece of hell metal is raw material, not some kind of reinforcement material.

Therefore, upon realizing Bai Mu's idea of ​​enhancing the weapon box and upgrading the Spirit Pivot or Dream Erosion Greatsword, the craftsman immediately interrupted his nonsense.

"Hey, I already have enough weapons. How about you make me some kind of enhancement component?"

"What kind of reinforcement components?" Upon hearing Bai Mu's plausible request, the craftsman immediately inquired.

"It's about upgrading the enhancement components of the Spirit Pivot. The demons we've encountered recently are quite powerful, and this weapon is having a hard time fighting them."

It's not that the Spirit Pivot can't pose a threat to demons, but rather that the shield of the demons' existence makes the spear's attack less likely to be effective immediately; it's better for him to just go and chop directly.

"Just how powerful a demon were you dealing with?" The craftsman's brow furrowed again.

If the Ling Shu spear is used against a roughly equal enemy, the situation described by Bai Mu will definitely not occur!
The dream-erosion attribute of that gun endowed the weapon with greater power. The stronger Bai Mu's mental strength and will, the greater the weapon's power.

Such weapons have been refined, and their basic power is already quite good. However, with the user's enhanced spirit and will, the problem of insufficient power may arise.
Unless the enemy that White Curtain is dealing with is too strong.

"Is it one of those demon lords? I even charged my weapon case, but I still couldn't kill a single demon lord with a single shot."

"..." The craftsman remained silent for a moment before asking, "How badly was it damaged?"

"He looks badly injured; he was almost killed by me."

"That works too, hmm...we could consider the reinforcement components," the craftsman pondered.

The Spiritual Pivot does indeed have the potential to challenge opponents of higher levels. If the user's mental will is unleashed, it can threaten even stronger enemies.

But those conditions were too demanding. After all, it was a gun with a ballistic trajectory. It was one thing for the user to have a burst of mental willpower, but whether they could hit the target was another matter entirely.

According to Bai Mu's account, the gun had already demonstrated considerable power in his hands.

"Give me the gun." The craftsman took the spirit core from Bai Mu directly.

With different components added, this weapon doesn't have much room for expansion.

Fortunately, this gun doesn't need live ammunition, so the enhancement components that White Curtain wants can still be made; we can start directly from the barrel.

"While enhancement components can improve weapon performance, they are not amplifiers; rather, they enhance the weapon by adjusting its output."

The craftsman reminded Bai Mu that, based on the situation Bai Mu was facing, the craftsman already had a plan.

Enhancement components should primarily focus on improving attack quality. While this improvement can increase resource consumption, one should not solely focus on increasing resource consumption in exchange for higher output.

Another way to improve attack quality is to directly increase the attack's 'density'.

When Bai Mu deals with demons, Ling Shu's attacks are less effective, simply because demons, in addition to their powerful bodies, also possess energy defenses.

If the defense is breached, Ling Shu's attack is similar to a dumdum bullet, which can cause huge damage upon hitting the target.

However, if the defense cannot be broken, the effect of this attack will only become weaker.

The approach to enhancing components can revolve around the energy density of the attack.

The 'dum-dum bullets' were transformed into 'armor-piercing bullets' specifically designed to counter those with superior defenses.

"In addition, you can use some engraving techniques to try to enhance your equipment."

However, this doesn't require many materials, and the improvement can only focus on hellish powers.

The craftsman glanced at Bai Mu's weapon case as he spoke. The items Bai Mu provided were very attractive, so he didn't mind putting more effort into improving the equipment's performance.

It was impossible to directly upgrade the box, but Bai Mu's idea reminded him.

Direct upgrades won't work, but external enhancements can be used.

Engraving characters with special powers on the box is also a way to enhance it.

However, such enhancements do not come without a cost.

It's like a gun with various components installed; as the components are installed, the gun's functionality increases.

However, this also increases the requirements for using the gun, the most obvious change being that the gun becomes heavier.

Bai Mu wants to enhance his equipment, but without changing the equipment itself, any enhancements would increase the requirements for using the equipment.

But Bai Mu is clearly someone who doesn't care about such issues.

If Bai Mu has this idea, the craftsmen will also do their jobs well. As for the person who is eyeing Bai Mu's weapon box...

The craftsman was ready to sit back and watch the show, waiting for the other party to make a fool of themselves.

"You can do something else, but my condition is that the remaining materials are all mine, and I guarantee there won't be any skimping when the order is completed!"

(End of this chapter)