Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

As a top sheriff in Cassandra, Ralph's mind was undoubtedly much more mature than that of the nobleman Kevin. This made him less easily deceived, let alone tricked into consuming dark matter.

Moreover, as Lyle's greatest fear in Cassandra's memory, the thought of facing Ralph's cold expression made even Lyle, as his nephew, feel uneasy.

If Ralph finds out that he intends to poison Lyle, he will definitely die a horrible death.

Lyle gritted his teeth. There was no risk, no reward.

This experiment is crucial to the future survival of the Andrei Lich. Having an appetite is just the beginning; he will use his talents and abilities to add more fun to this world.

Seemingly sensing Lyle's will, Nia's outstretched tentacles became steady and agile, like a seasoned hunter beginning a hunt, staring intently at the shadow of Ralph disappearing into the darkness.

Being a night watchman is obviously a tough job; as the only wanderers in the dead of night, they have to endure the cold and weariness of the night.

But Ralph is clearly an outlier.

He displayed tremendous energy late at night, with his bright eyes occasionally reflecting the light of streetlights in the darkness, the steady sound of his leather boots on the stone floor, and his eerie figure that vanished into the darkness in an instant.

Through Nia's perspective, Lyle gradually discovers Ralph's unusual behavior. He habitually hides in the shadows, as if he's stalking someone. He'll occasionally stop and peer into the secluded corners behind and around him. At these moments, Nia will tense up and freeze, minimizing the sound of her movements.

It's as if you're the one being monitored.

The nerve-wracking pursuit finally ended at sunrise. As the sunlight began to appear, Ralph adjusted his hat brim and headed back towards the house. The old hunter seemed to have come up empty-handed today.

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief. He realized that if he hadn't taken several energy boosters during that long period of focused concentration, he might not have been able to hold on. Thankfully, he made it through.

In a dream.

Ralph straightened his uniform, which was still his usual one, but this time he took two extra seconds to adjust his collar before finally closing the door.

Brighton Restaurant is one of Cassandra's most prestigious upscale restaurants, reportedly owned by a retired butler of a knight. It specializes in high-class aristocratic cuisine, though in Ralph's view, it's merely using the old knight's name to rip off self-proclaimed noble but ultimately not-so-noble fools. But people always need to fit in, and places supported by the masses naturally have their value.

Moreover, the person who invited them was not a fool, but a more shrewd and sophisticated individual.

Ralph bypassed the bowing valet and passed through the ornate gate, where Garrett's slightly plump figure and the oily wig that concealed his baldness were clearly visible in the quiet crowd.

Mr. Garrett gave a big smile and tapped the table with his finger.

Ralph sat across from him, watching his boss pretentiously order the waiter around like a true aristocrat.

Faced with Ralph's silent gaze, Mr. Garrett casually slumped into his chair.

“I know you hate this, but I have to do something, even if it’s just to show my gratitude. You’ve done a good job all these years, Ralph.”

Ralf clinked glasses lightly with Mr. Garrett, his face remaining calm; Garrett was long accustomed to his indifference. "I thought this was your promotion celebration, Mr. Garrett, who is about to become mayor."

“Ha, I wouldn’t invite someone as gloomy as you to my formal parties; that would ruin the atmosphere. Today is just a meal between friends.” Garrett downed a glass of wine and used his knife and fork to cut off a piece of steak and put it in his mouth.

“I know you’re definitely not going to move to the neighboring province with me. Ralph, this is your chance. Inspector Cassandale’s position is still vacant. I know you have the ability.”

"Yes, I certainly have the ability. If the Sheriff's Department only needs me, I'd be happy to accept the position." Having the social abyss Ralf as their superior would be a nightmare for all the sheriffs.

Garrett scratched his head, clearly also troubled by the matter.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to stop thinking about it.

"I was just saying, but I've made it clear to you that I've given you the recommendation letter. The final decision is up to you. After I move out, I probably won't see your sour face anymore, so consider this a farewell dinner. Let's eat, Mr. Buller."

Ralph had already guessed what he meant, and he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. Accompanied by the soothing music playing in the restaurant, he even felt a bit sad.

Well then, after this meal, this boss will be leaving.

Ralph picked up his knife and fork and began to cut the steak in front of him.

The sounds of knives and forks hitting plates, the quiet chatter, and the chewing all around disappeared; in the silence, only Ralph was making his movements.

Slowly, Ralf lifted a sizzling piece of meat and brought it to his mouth.

Garrett stared intently at his movements, subconsciously swallowing.

Damn it, it was only a few centimeters away!

This is a dream, a dream manipulated by Lyle. This is a deception set up by Lyle.

Garrett's promotion party, the invitation Ralph received, and their practiced conversation were all part of Lyle's carefully orchestrated deception.

The goal, of course, was to get Ralf to eat the steak in his hand, and then, through the dark matter disguised by Lyle, complete the experiment.

Lyle, disguised as Garrett, could clear himself of suspicion. Even if Ralf became enraged after eating the food, he wouldn't blame Lyle, instead attributing it to a strange nightmare. With the help of the Immersion Stone's manipulation of the hazy dream, he had finally reached this point perfectly. The casual conversation, including the old banter between Mr. Garrett and Uncle Ralf, his tone and demeanor—he had perfectly impersonated Garrett.

Lyle stared wide-eyed as the piece of meat slowly approached Ralph's lips.

As Lyle watched, time seemed to slow down, and the movement of the meat chunks gradually slowed as well.

In the end, it actually came to a standstill.

Lyle's heart sank to the bottom.

He forced himself to urge Ralph on.

"What's wrong? Don't you like the food? Should I ask the servant to get you a different dish?" Changing it is useless; it's just disguised dark matter anyway.

Ralph raised his head and looked directly at Lyle, his eyelids slightly narrowed, like a cunning old wolf.

"It's nothing, just a pity that I can't enjoy such delicious food with my family."

Lyle was stunned, completely baffled as to why Ralf would say such a thing.

"What do you mean?"

Ralph smiled.

"I mean……"

"Why aren't you eating, Lyle?"

Chapter 311 Terrifying Nightmare: Ralph

When Ralph called out his name, Lyle nearly jumped out of his skin. Fighting back his trembling body and controlling his cold sweat, Lyle made a final, desperate struggle.

“What are you talking about, Ralph? Is Mr. Bouler here too? Don’t play games with me.”

Ralph put down his knife and fork completely, placing the piece of meat back on his plate. His long, slender fingers intertwined on the table, and Ralph smiled as he looked into Garrett's eyes.

“You certainly know how to act, Lyle, but Garrett isn’t this pretentious when we’re alone. I used to be his deputy, and we handled a lot of dangerous cases. He would never treat me to a meal as a thank you, or I could bankrupt him.”

Lyle cursed himself inwardly. Damn it, he was too afraid of Ralph's revenge. Disguising himself as someone else was definitely a mistake.

However, there is still a chance to make amends. As long as the dark substance in Ralf's plate is replaced, all of this can be regarded as a harmless prank by his mischievous nephew.

Secretly channeling magic into the immersive stone in his hand, he began to interfere with Ralf's dream. He even directly churned the clear images into a muddy mess, turning everything into Ralf's illusion.

However, there was no response.

The device in his hand suddenly became as unreliable as its owner, Irason, in that instant.

Ralph continued to smile at him, and Lyle even found himself unable to move.

Holy crap, what's going on?! I can't interfere with dreams anymore!

Ralph's corrective actions are ongoing.

“Do you know where the biggest anomaly is, Lyle?”

Ralph displayed an unusual gentleness, a dreamlike gentleness.

“In my dreams, I’m usually patrolling the streets of Cassandale or working on cases at the sheriff’s office. So when I arrived at the restaurant in Brighton, I knew there was something strange about my dream.”

"As for whether it was caused by you? I'm guessing, after all, you're the only nephew around me who's involved with magic."

"As expected, you little rascal, I managed to trick you out of it."

A gentle force stripped away Lyle's disguise, revealing his own reflection in the mirror and the others around him who vanished like dust.

"You're working even in your dreams, Uncle? Are you a workaholic?" Recalling the series of abnormalities that had happened to him, as well as Ralf's previous description, a surprising yet reasonable thought appeared in Lyle's mind.

“Uncle Ralf…you mean, you ‘can’ work in dreams, not passively accepting, but actively intervening. You…you can control your own dreams…”

Ralph snatched a hat from the air and put it on his head.

"As you can see, I can indeed control my dreams, which is a small part of my abnormality. After all, I am a freak."

Do not invade the Dream Walker's dream, Lyle, or you will be in big trouble.

Dreamwalkers possess a special talent; they can interfere with dreams, exert mental influence on others, and leave a unique impression.

Lyle felt his teeth chattering.

"Uncle, you are... a Dream Walker."

Ralf looked at Lyle's surprised expression with a puzzled look.

"What is that? Explain it to me, my dear nephew."

Lyle watched as his body handed over the information about the Dreamwalker to Ralf, like an observer.

He was controlling his behavior in his dream.

Ralph pinched his chin as the surrounding scenery changed rapidly.

The two returned to Ralph's house.

“It seems I really am what you call a dream walker, Lyle.” Ralph looked up at the ceiling. “Then, I should be able to do even more in my dreams.”

Ralph raised his hand, and as he opened his fist, the ceiling shattered, revealing the night sky above, adorned with colorful aurora borealis.

"That's a really interesting ability."

"But let me guess, why did my dear nephew orchestrate a deception in my dream to fool me?"

It's over, it's all over, I'm doomed.

Perhaps hearing Lyle's inner lament, Nia peeked out from behind him, looking at the smiling Ralph with her adorable, childlike Ariana's big, bright eyes.

"Ralph".

Ralf saw Nia, and he was startled. His dream space clearly paused for a moment, and then the entire dream transformed into a sunny environment, like the flower-filled Narancia.

"You actually brought Nia into my dream! Honestly, can Nia even handle this spell? Don't you consider a child's feelings?"

Although he was complaining, Ralf had already put the baby on his lap with a big smile.

Well done, Nia!

As Ralph kneaded Nia's little face, he was talking to himself.