Mystery: Starting with the Night Pope.

Chapter 1 The Pure Ones

Truman seems to be having a long dream.

The dreamlike scene, as beautiful as a fairy tale, captivated him, making him unwilling to wake up.

But at a certain moment, a sense of tranquility and peace came over me, like the glittering stars in the velvety night sky, eternal and serene.

Truman awoke, his gaze focused on the source of the tranquil power: a small mountain a hundred meters high, with a temple complex atop it. The entire mountain was known to the people of this city-state as the Dark City.

The dark citadel was surrounded by countless night-blooming jasmine and deep-sleeping flowers, which clustered around the tall statue at the highest point.

Truman set off with the believers. It was late at night, the time when the believers were praying in the deep darkness.

"Hoo!" Truman took a deep breath amidst the night-blooming jasmine and deep-sleeping flowers; the fresh and delicate fragrance invigorated him. "The power of sleeplessness!"

This is why he came here to pray to the goddess!

"Misfortune be upon you!" Many believers prayed to the being who protected this city-state in this peaceful atmosphere, and Truman was no exception.

He found an inconspicuous corner, away from everyone else, and took out a book of dreams.

This is a mysterious book containing all beautiful dreams and visions, colorful and indescribably magnificent.

The Book of Dreams symbolizes dreams coming true.

This is the name Truman gave to this dream book, and it's very fitting.

Its existence enabled Truman to achieve psychological and even fateful invisibility.

This was something that came with Truman, possessing a dreamlike ability, just as Truman was praying in the language of giants at this moment.

More sublime than the starry sky

The goddess of night, older than eternity,

The Secret Mother

The Queen of Calamity and Fear

Lord of slumber and silence.

In this era, these three-part titles are more likely to refer to the Destruction Wolf who actually wields the power of the night.

However, under the phosphorescent light of the Book of Dreams, everything was distorted and drawn into the statue before them.

Truman stopped praying, and after a short while, an endless darkness descended upon him. He closed his eyes, following the force of this darkness.

In the eyes of the believers in the Dark, the statue of the goddess seemed to have changed, becoming softer and more real.

Truman disappeared, like a faded sketch, gently erased by an eraser. When he reappeared, he was standing before a magnificent and rugged temple.

A figure descended from the depths of darkness, like a star or a crimson moon from the night sky.

He wore a smooth, dark robe adorned with countless glittering lights, as if a section of the starry sky had been cut and tailored.

His face was hazy yet exceptionally beautiful, and his eyes shone like stars in the night sky.

"You've finally arrived, Pure One," the goddess's voice tinged with amusement.

Truman sighed softly, "My condition is getting worse and worse."

He had been traveling through the era of ancient gods' conquest and mythical creatures for over a month, and he descended upon this dark city carrying the Book of Dreams.

This whole thing was so terrible that I stood out so badly in this ancient city-state that the Dark Believers almost burned me at the stake.

In this city-state controlled by the goddess of misfortune, his journey was immediately locked.

"If it weren't for that Book of Dreams, I think you would have taken advantage of me!" Truman thought to himself.

He didn't know how long the goddess had been there, and as a fallen angel, even one of the highest order, with the entire city of Darkness's followers, she would be quite insane, and it was questionable how much humanity she had left.

For some purpose, the goddess even revealed that she had "time-traveled" and interacted with Truman as a fellow countrywoman. Now she is about to get what she wants from Truman.

"And this title of 'Pure One' is really..." Truman shook his head. The goddess smiled without saying a word, waiting quietly, just like the darkness and tranquility itself.

Perhaps because of the Book of Dreams, or perhaps because he truly came from beyond the universe, his body and soul were unimaginably clean and pure.

Even the potions he concocted based on the recipe in his memory could not leave any trace on him; they would spontaneously condense after he drank them!

This is outrageous!

The only consolation is that while his body and mind rejected the potion, they also kept away all the filth of the world's madness and indifference.

This is what the goddess needs.

"Have you found the reason why I'm so sleepy?" Truman asked, getting down to business.

He spent two-thirds of the month he spent in this dark city in his sleep!

Moreover, this state of excessive sleepiness became increasingly terrifying, even to the point of never waking up, which could be described as eternal sleep!

"The only thing we can confirm is that it's related to the Book of Dreams," the goddess said softly and calmly.

"The Book of Dreams!" Truman nodded slightly. He hadn't even figured it out yet, and the Book of Dreams was deeply bound to him. No one else, including the goddess, could even get close enough to pick it up, let alone read or study it.

"I've agreed to your request. I'll sign a contract with you so that you can use the Book of Dreams to stabilize your mental state," Truman said after a moment of silence, looking at the goddess.

"Thank you!" the goddess said solemnly, speaking in Chinese. As Truman had expected, the goddess's mental state was also not good. The fallen angel had not made her lose herself directly, but that madness and indifference had already penetrated to the bone.

"You're welcome. I also need your power as an insomniac." Truman came here to complete this deal: he would help the goddess stabilize her mental state, and in return, the goddess would alleviate his drowsiness and prevent him from falling into an eternal sleep.

The sleepless, a power that is not particularly remarkable in the hands of the goddess, has become Truman's lifeline.

Truman took out the Book of Dreams and gently turned a page.

"Could this be related to dragons?" the goddess suddenly said.

He is not yet the dark night that has been plotting for a thousand years, and his mastery of certain mysterious knowledge may not be as thorough as Truman's.

"The Imaginary Dragon?" With the double protection of the Book of Secrets and the Book of Dreams, they naturally dared to mention this one.

"No." Truman slowly shook his head. The Book of Dreams' Dream Come True and the Power of Imagination are similar, but also different.

Truman lightly touched the page, and in an instant, endless, bizarre light appeared, as if there were one after another shimmering, dreamlike bubbles.

The goddess's spirit transformed into specks of light and fell upon the Book of Dreams.

In that instant, Truman seemed to pierce through the fog and see something. The goddess's extremely cold face flashed through his mind, unlike a human, only possessing extreme indifference and madness, as if she would tear Truman's body to pieces in the next instant.

One can imagine that no matter how calm and gentle his previous words were, they were spoken in this frenzied state.

This was also Truman's first time facing the madness of this world. Suddenly, a surge of madness rushed in as if to overwhelm him. Blood and black filled his vision, pulsating as if chunks of flesh were writhing, with twisted tentacles whipping the air.

But the dreamlike phosphorescence shimmered, as if all the strange, bizarre, and even absurd beauty was spreading.

The two forces were intertwined, but eventually settled into calm.

The madness remained unchanged, but it calmed down in the dream and ceased its restlessness.

As manifested in the goddess, her own madness and indifference were receding and shifting, and she finally revealed a slight smile.

He manifested a form where starlight seemed to fall from his dark robe, and two thick, long, black-haired wolf legs extended from his ribs and waist, perfectly blending the sacred and the eerie, the tranquil and the rugged.

This is truly the goddess of misfortune!

"I'm not crazy." The goddess smiled, and the air seemed to lighten up, with twinkling starlight, like the tranquil night sky.

This time, Truman was also able to sense the existence of humanity.

"Your power is truly remarkable," the goddess said cautiously, and if possible, she would even keep Truman under her wing, allowing this power to become her own.

Unfortunately, the Book of Dreams was too bizarre; even the strongest being below the Ancient Gods couldn't get close to it!

Furthermore, Truman's possession of the Book of Dreams was enough to make the goddess cautious.

A badge appeared in the goddess's hand. The badge was deep black with dazzling embellishments, and it was only different from the one Truman was familiar with, except for half a crimson moon.

"This is the Divine Essence of Sleep. Connect with me, and you can also borrow my power." The goddess handed it to Truman.

Truman's eyes lit up. He picked up the badge, and as soon as he touched it, he felt a surge of cool spiritual energy flow into his body, like a cold drink on a sweltering summer day. Truman shuddered and felt refreshed.

"It works very well." Truman was very satisfied; at least he wouldn't fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again.

"Transaction complete." The goddess nodded gently, in a good mood.

Truman was also in a great mood. His fear of dreams was hard to describe to others, as he was afraid that once he fell asleep, he would be completely immersed in the beauty of those dreams. Now, this problem was solved.

"...Your previous name?" the goddess suddenly asked.

If we take into account the title of Queen Goddess, then this name refers to Him!

Truman closed the Book of Dreams, thought for a moment, and finally bowed slightly, saying, "This is the honorable name I have written for you."

More sublime than the starry sky

The goddess of night, older than eternity,

The Secret Mother

The Queen of Calamity and Fear

Lord of slumber and silence.

"I am your Pope, Saint Truman."

Ha! Persecuting a goddess? That's a path I never imagined!

When the goddess looked at the "fellow countryman" who claimed to be the Pope and even uttered the name that gave her a slight sense of connection, she could hardly contain herself.

The two had met many times, and this transaction had established a certain level of trust and friendship. Now, being teased like this by someone who could be called a friend was really...strange.

The goddess of the night is now at the time when human nature is most stable and richest.

But a goddess is a goddess after all; her expression remained unchanged, and she simply nodded slightly, giving Truman a rebuff.

Truman raised an eyebrow slightly. Now that his eternal slumber shackles were gone, he naturally wanted to do something fun.

He lightly tapped the dream book in his hand, and it eventually transformed into a nighttime apocalypse book with a black background adorned with stars.

"...God said, 'Let there be light...' and God walked on the waters..."

(End of this chapter)