I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Inside the shop, Shi An sat in a chair, pondering a problem while also putting a small, thin slice of the blood-ganoderma into his mouth.

He chewed it and swallowed it.

It has a slightly fishy smell.

The taste of the blood spirit mushroom was indeed not very good, so Shi An immediately picked up the purified spring water placed to the side and gulped down a mouthful.

With a mouthful of blood-red Ganoderma lucidum and a sip of spiritual spring water, he sat leisurely in the small shop.

With the purified spring water present, Shi An theoretically could eat the entire Blood Ganoderma without any side effects.

But the old saying is true.

"A weak body cannot tolerate nourishment."

"Eating too much at once is more harmful than beneficial."

"Moreover, even if it is harmless, it will still waste the medicinal efficacy of the precious medicine."

Shi An chose to eat slowly, one bite at a time.

He's just an ordinary office worker; he can't suddenly become like a top athlete. If he could, he'd have to consider the cost.

Shi An pondered as he felt the heat flowing through his body.

He did indeed benefit a lot from the previous Nightmare World walkthrough.

but,

"The distribution and selection of spoils are all very tedious."

"Considering the watchful eyes of nightmares and the shadow of malice, I will not let Xiao Xue step out of the safe zone again until I have a clear understanding of the specific circumstances."

"The most important thing is..."

As more and more people fall into nightmares in the safe zone, there will be teams exploring different nightmare worlds at the same time, and he can't possibly pay attention to them all.

It's too much trouble, and unnecessary.

"I don't need to go out and team up with the 'Dream Fallers'. Although I would prefer the Dream Fallers to conquer the nightmare worlds, which would benefit me and the entire Baijiang, as long as I build the platform and set the rules, the mature Dream Fallers will naturally go and conquer the nightmare worlds."

"As for the profits..."

After careful consideration, Shi An decided to directly charge a "basic shelter fee".

He didn't accept them at first because he needed to obtain belief points from those who had fallen into nightmares, and at that time, he had no understanding of the nightmare world or the circle of those who had fallen into nightmares, so he couldn't set a standard.

And now...

"Many people who have fallen into nightmares have long expressed that they feel uneasy about being protected for nothing, which is why they always think of making offerings whenever they gain something in the nightmare world."

"A small number of those who have fallen into the dream are content to enjoy the protection of the safe zone."

Since both enjoy the same protection, it seems unfair to the former.

Instead of a "loot distribution" segment, why not charge a basic entrance fee? Otherwise, sometimes after clearing a Nightmare difficulty level, the loot you collect isn't very high quality; should you take it or not?

"As for the materials I need when constructing safe zone buildings or crafting other objects..."

Shi An stroked his chin. "When the time comes, we can just issue tasks to the Dream Fallers who come to the store, using the Dream Dust collected earlier as payment. As the number of people increases, the safe zone can also accept tasks issued by other Dream Fallers, turning this place into a platform that integrates task issuance, acceptance, communication, trading, and rest."

Given the location of the safe zone, this is entirely possible.

Members are the backbone of the safe zone, a group of dreamers who closely align themselves around them.

"but……"

"What should the price be?"

After thinking for a while, Shi An gave a number.

"100g Dream Dust".

"Typically speaking, a dream faller survives in the nightmare world by playing hide-and-seek. After one nightmare experience, they can obtain more than 100 grams of dream dust. This is roughly the minimum income."

By charging a fee lower than the guaranteed income, those suffering from nightmares can avoid the demise of their nightmares.

On the other hand, the limited income of those who only receive a guaranteed minimum income can motivate them to actively explore the world of nightmares.

If a Dreamer makes even a small profit, finding some materials to sell, their income from a single trip can far exceed 100g of Dream Dust.

Shi An had another purpose.

"Even those Dreamers who have arrived in the safe zone, even those in the Fusion stage, have the potential to conquer nightmares if they work together in groups. Such power cannot be wasted; after all, according to Xuanjian and Lao Cai, the number of nightmare worlds is constantly expanding, and nightmares are continuously invading reality..."

Once the nightmare sweeps into reality and disasters keep erupting, should he keep hiding in the safe zone forever?

But if the entire city of Baijiang falls, what is the point of him living on alone?

"Perhaps, this is the meaning of the existence of safe zones."

100g of Dream Dust is not much.

This applies to him, as well as to other capable dreamers.

However, Shi An does not intend to rely on basic ticket sales for its main revenue.

The main source of revenue comes from paid services such as purifying spring water and providing rest areas.

Perhaps he could also work part-time selling cursed items?

Of course, if in the future the safe zone has a variety of special facilities and the platform is well-developed, then the entrance fee can be waived.

Thinking about it, Shi An opened the panel.

"Safe Zone"

Rank: LV2

"Contract Employee: Bloody Handprint, (Pending Contract)"

Additional Area: Purification Spring (Under Construction)

"Architectural Blueprints: The Wizard's Alchemy Workshop"

"Cursed Dream Item Template: Shadow Giant Scissors"

"Supplies: 320 units of Faith Points, 3.866 Dream Crystals, Cursed Items..."

"Already included in the cursed artifact: Invisible Corridor (to be contained)"

"Currently connected to Nightmare World: None, searching..."

「升级条件：单位信念值320/1000、梦境结晶3/20、坠梦者来客23/100。」

Shi An glanced at it and nodded slightly.

"The upgrade requirements for the safe zone aren't too difficult yet, but are other requirements starting to appear?"

Twenty Dream Crystals—that's a considerable number.

But for him, who is dedicated to building a platform, it's not difficult to gather the funds.

However, there is another condition...

"This number should refer to the number of visitors who have visited the safe zone so far."

"Yes, we also need to deduct those who have already died."

While thinking about it, Shi An first put the architectural drawings he had obtained to use.

"Notice: Supplies deducted."

"Note: The additional area 'The Wizard's Alchemy Workshop' is under construction. There are 8 hours remaining."

From Shi An's perspective, one side of the safe zone was shrouded in white mist, from which one could hear what sounded like tinkling and clanging.

Then,

He used a power that the safe zone has had since ancient times—"Consuming faith points, one can modify the interior of the safe zone" (Chapter 2).

With this modification, he can create ordinary tables and chairs out of thin air, add a screen to the area, or add or modify some details on the existing safe zone rules.

However, you cannot add your own rules or change the underlying logic of the safe zone.

He couldn't conjure up a special device like a "value assessment machine" out of thin air, but he could modify how to use it.

From being free to now, users are paying for their own use after investing in Dream Dust.

"Hint: Belief value -36.5."

After making some modifications, Shi An clapped his hands and called it a day.

"So now..."

The safe zone is now open for business.