There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

Taking off her coat, Lu Qing changed into a loose set of pajamas, then looked at Eileen and said, "Eileen, aren't you going to change your clothes? Are you going to rest in your maid outfit?"

"I... I can sleep on the floor, I don't need to change my clothes," Eileen said, her two fingers intertwined.

“My bed is quite big, it’s fine for three people to sleep in it,” Fang Qingrou said at this moment.

Um.........

Lu Qing glanced at the wooden bed in the bedroom. It was obviously not spacious enough to fit three people, but it wouldn't be a big problem if people squeezed in.

Before Eileen could say anything more, Fang Qingrou had already reached behind her and gently pulled to untie the ribbons binding her.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

As Eileen's somewhat panicked voice rang out, the entire room was instantly filled with a spring-like atmosphere...

the next day.

Lu Qing slowly opened her eyes, and was slightly stunned after feeling the soft and warm bodies on both sides.

However, she quickly recalled what had happened the night before and gradually calmed down.

It's quite rare, though; she actually got up earlier than Fang Qingrou and Eileen, which is almost impossible under normal circumstances.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that the three of them stayed up too late last night, and she had the most energy?

Slowly withdrawing her arm from Fang Qingrou's magnificent spectacle, Lu Qing reluctantly got out of bed.

Ah, don't misunderstand, I'm reluctant to leave because it's so warm in bed, definitely not for any other reason.

It's really not!

"Open Sesame".

Reciting the incantation for the storage cabinet, Lu Qing took out the items stored inside one by one and then put them on her body.

Actually, there was a second reason why she got up so early today: it was for training in the skill of "psychic communication," which was to begin today. The Pope wanted her to get up early to go see him.

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Chapter 479: Why does the righteous Pope summon a group of evil spirits?!

"Hmm, this outfit is still the most comfortable." Lu Qing looked at herself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.

Since formal training is about to begin, I definitely can't wear that princess outfit anymore. After all, while princess outfits are pretty, they're not very practical.

As for how to explain the clothes she was wearing....

This world has magical items, and she's a princess, so it's reasonable for her to have a spatial storage item.

Yes, that makes sense, and even if the Pope has any doubts, he won't voice them.

"It feels like something's missing..."

Looking around, Lu Qing saw the crown on the table, and a look of understanding appeared on her face.

"From today onwards, this crown belongs to you. You must take good care of it and never discard it under any circumstances, because it is a symbol of your status, understand?"

The Queen's instructions echoed in my mind. Although I couldn't figure out what the crown's purpose was, but...

Her identity in this dream world is that of a princess, and it's even written in the title of the dream world.

The Shaman Princess and the Ash Forest

This identity should be more than just a random backstory.

Thinking of this, Lu Qing picked up the crown and put it on her head.

Looking in the mirror now, even though she had changed her clothes, the crown on her head didn't look out of place at all.

"Hmm, that feels better now." Lu Qing put her hands on her hips and smiled slightly.

Leaving the room and walking down the stairs, I found Charles already awake, sitting inside boiling water.

Somewhat surprised by Lu Qing's attire, Charles said, "Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning, Uncle Charles," Lu Qing greeted politely.

“Yes.” Charles nodded, then said, “The Pope and Knight Myron are already waiting for you outside the door.”

"Okay, I know."

After Lu Qing finished speaking, she walked towards the door. Just as she was about to open it, Charles remembered something and said:

"Oh, by the way, please tell the two people outside that breakfast will be ready in about an hour, and they shouldn't forget to come back for dinner."

"Ah."

Nodding, Lu Qing indicated that she had remembered, then opened the door and went out.

As soon as she stepped out of the house, the icy wind and snow howled and lashed her face. Lu Qing looked into the distance and saw the Pope and Knight Myron sitting around a campfire chatting.

Good morning, Your Highness.

Seeing Lu Qing arrive at the campfire, the Pope stood up and greeted her.

"Good morning," Lu Qing nodded.

"Your Highness is in good physical condition," thought Knight Myron, watching Lu Qing remain unmoved in the cold wind.

It was very cold in Fremures, and Her Highness wasn't wearing very thick clothes.

But when the cold wind blew by, there wasn't a single red spot on her body from the cold.

Besides her physical prowess, Her Highness's swordsmanship is also exceptional, as evidenced by her sword sparring with Knight Salo a few days ago.

"Such talent is wasted if he doesn't become a knight," Knight Myron thought with some regret.

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into his head.

Is it possible for Her Highness to learn the skills of using [spirit communication] while exercising and learning swordsmanship?

Knight Myron thought the plan was more and more feasible, and planned to go and discuss it with the Pope tonight, otherwise it would be a great pity to waste such a good talent.

The Pope had no idea that Myron was secretly plotting to have the princess cultivate both physical and magical powers.

He was currently organizing his thoughts, wondering where he would be best to begin.

"Your Highness, do you believe in the power of the heart?" the Pope asked.

"The power of the heart?"

When Lu Qing saw that the Pope had spent so much time preparing before finally coming up with this sentence, she almost thought she had misheard.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Are you referring to mental power?"

"Hehe, just take it that way." The Pope smiled gently, without any intention of explaining, and began to explain the usage of [Spirit Communication] to her.

"To perform [Spirit Communication], one must first possess a certain level of mental strength, and the main way to improve mental strength is through meditation."

"As for how to meditate, I will teach you that tonight, there's no rush now."

As the Pope spoke, he took out a smooth-polished wooden board from his pocket.

"You need to practice carving now."

"engraving?"

Lu Qing looked at the wooden board in the Pope's hand with a puzzled expression, wondering what the connection was between [spiritual communication] and carving.

"This is similar to the wooden masks carved when people die, but our wooden masks are not carved for the dead, but for the soul," the Pope explained.

Lu Qing knew that he carved wooden masks for people; she had specifically sought out many books to learn about the common knowledge of this world.

According to the customs of this world, people are buried after they die, and before burial, they usually find some skilled carving masters to carve a wooden mask to depict the face of the deceased.

The reason for doing this is to prevent a creature called a face-changing spirit.

Legend has it that this creature replaces the face of the dead, causing others in the world to forget them.

In order not to be forgotten, people carved wooden masks that were exactly the same as the faces of the deceased, so that the face-changing spirits would replace the wooden masks.

Of course, this is just a legend. No one knows whether face-changing spirits really exist. However, carving wooden masks for the dead has become a custom.

"A mask sculpted for the soul?" Lu Qing asked, somewhat puzzled, as she recalled the books she had been reading these past few days.

"Yes."

The Pope nodded and then said, "Those who possess the [Spirit Communication] skill are not particularly strong in combat. Our fighting style mainly relies on the souls we have subdued."

“These souls usually need a vessel, and this vessel must be related to the soul that has been captured.”

"Actually, the tradition of carving wooden masks for the dead did not exist a long time ago. It was only because people with psychic abilities did it that the idea gradually spread."

"As for the story of the face-changing spirit, it is completely fictional."

After the Pope finished speaking, he took off the coat he was wearing, revealing a series of dozens of lifelike wooden masks hanging from his waist.

Before Lu Qing could examine the appearance of the masks closely, a peculiar spiritual fluctuation surged from the Pope.

In an instant, countless fierce and brutal evil spirits floated behind the Pope, a dark mass that almost blotted out the sky.

In that instant, the wind seemed to subside considerably, and even the ice and snow from outside dared not touch this place.

Lu Qing felt an immense pressure pressing down on her. With just a thought from the Pope, these demons that filled the entire sky would swarm up and tear her to pieces.

------------

Chapter 480: Go, Poké Ball!

"call........"

The cold snow wind blew through Lu Qing's hair, and the wooden mask hanging at the Pope's waist kept swaying and touching each other.

If Lu Qing hadn't just witnessed the demons floating behind the Pope, she would never have imagined that such terrifying creatures lived inside these seemingly ordinary masks.

Are ghosts considered living beings?

"Haha, don't be afraid. Although they look scary, they are actually all kind people," the Pope said, seeing that Lu Qing looked a little frightened.

"Are these all transformed from humans?" Lu Qing asked curiously.

Logically speaking, ghosts should all be transformed from humans, but sometimes she would come up with some strange ideas, such as why only humans can become ghosts when both animals and humans are living beings.

Is it because humans are intelligent and have stronger mental strength than animals? Are there any other creatures whose mental strength far surpasses that of humans, and who can become ghosts after death?