Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"But didn't you just start crying? Irason's tears are worthless."

Claudia realized Lyle wasn't joking, and she panicked instead.

"Um... Lyle! Actually, I don't really hate the job of guarding dreams, after all, I'm quite good at it. It's just... sometimes I get bored..."

Lyle's eyes lit up.

"I see, you should have said so earlier! I'm best at making things interesting! But let me experience your dullness first, so I can find the right solution."

"Uh-huh……"

Chapter 658 Dream Kingdom

The shouts of battle made the rising dust seem even drier. This was the Emerald Dreamland, but this area was anything but dreamlike. The once lush and vibrant vegetation had been blasted into a white wasteland by lethal magic. As pale magic and verdant life clashed at their boundaries, roaring giant bears and withered wooden golems clashed. Their pointed ears clenched their teeth, and spell bullets and arrows rained down in the air, impossible to dodge.

"Traitorous scum, you have defiled our homeland!"

"Foolish fools, your decadent lives will perish!"

In the druid camp, a colossal bear charging into battle had its arm pierced by Hines's Wither Spear. A pack of Nightsabers and jackals fiercely attacked the Willow Golem, rescuing their wounded leader.

Under the healing power of nature, Archdruid Chalis Nightingale's wounds healed, though it took longer to neutralize the corrosive effects of the Wither magic.

"General! That brat from the Withered Ones has come up with a new trick!"

"Let the Druids of the Claw charge into the enemy lines, with the Woodland Guardians providing support! Also, don't call me General, this is an exercise, I am Charles Vanguard."

"Yes, General!" The messenger transformed into a falcon and flew away, and soon his screams could be heard.

"General!!! Our scouts were killed by the Queen's rangers, and the Queen's Eye is unleashing a full-range barrage of arrows upon both sides!!!"

"Kylo Siren!! You damned queen's lapdog!!!" The enraged druid transformed again, his charging bear sending the tent flying and crashing back into the center of the battlefield.

The giant bear and Hines, who was standing on the golem, exchanged a glance and simultaneously changed their attack, targeting the group of rangers on the hillside not far away.

Standing at the highest point, Kylo Siren kicked down a small pebble at his feet, looking at the two approaching forces with disdain. Unhurriedly, under the captain's command, the Queen's Eye Ranger drew his bow and nocked an arrow, calming his breathing amidst the tremors of the earth.

"We are the oldest and most powerful warriors of the Dream Elves, and we will let those arrogant fools witness the Queen's authority! Even if the enemy is one of our own."

"Release the arrows!" Arrows as thick as fingers swelled in the air, growing into life-giving branches nurtured by the druids. By the time the arrows landed in the assault formation, they had grown into giant trees as thick as water vats. Elves who couldn't dodge in time were entangled by the roots and shoved into the ground along with the giant trees.

Spells, martial arts, flashing blades, and sharp claws roared through the battle, their explosions audible from a great distance.

Lyle leaned back in his recliner, watching the three-way battle in the distance, now reduced to rubble, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"That was ruthless." Lyle had only ever seen such a scene in the Black Abyss Arena, where people unleashed their full power after their lives were secured.

Claudia sat on another carved pine chaise lounge, pointing to the chaotic battlefield, and said, “This is one of the abilities of the Dream Druids—weaving dreams to provide a venue for these elves to conduct military exercises. It’s usually a battle, but acquaintances who are on good terms with the Archdruids also hold tea parties here, and it’s also the location for some festivals and celebrations. The power of dreams, very convenient.”

"Isn't this interesting? Claudia, haven't you thought about participating in these war games, I mean exercises?"

“No.” The green dragon rested his chin on his hand, stretched out his right hand, and made a grasping motion in the air, as if he wanted to hold the battlefield in his hand. “I am a dream druid, and this is a dream. If I wanted to, I could slap them all to death. Any dream druid would not care about these petty squabbles. Besides, we have more important work to do.”

Claudia waved her hand in the air, and the earth and rocks beneath Lyle's feet crumbled, revealing a deep, dark fissure. The familiar darkness made Lyle understand the green dragon's actions. She had created a tiny gap in the Emerald Dream; on the other side lay a dream rift, a place where nightmares bred.

A crack was made in the delicious egg, and swarms of pesky flies, drawn by the flavor, rushed in, deepening their malevolent touch into the dream. Before Lyle, the power of nightmares burst forth from the crack, growing larger in the air like bubbles rising from the water. A hideous monster, resembling black sludge, opened its gaping maw, faced Lyle, paused for a moment, then turned its head toward Claudia.

Before the nightmare could even utter its first roar, the green dragon clapped its hands, and the hideous monster was torn to dust within the dream. It existed for about a second; only the black fragments that vanished in the air proved its existence. The black powder formed a thick fog, which quickly disappeared, leaving Lyle with a chilling sensation. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, a coldness shooting from his feet to the top of his head—a rather unpleasant experience.

"The main job of the Dream Druid is to eliminate nightmares and alleviate the pressure on the Emerald Dream from corruption."

Lyle frowned, and Claudia's expression was equally unpleasant. "Even if you kill the Nightmare, you'll still be affected by these negative emotions?"

The green dragon nodded. "We can eliminate most of the harm caused by nightmares, but this negative energy radiation is like a stubborn disease that cannot be cured. In dreams, our emotions are open and diffused, making us more likely to influence and be influenced by those around us. Every dream druid has to face these things. We don't release too much nightmare power each time, so the emotional impact we receive is within an acceptable range."

Lyle stroked his chin. "Is this why you're so fed up with the druid path of dreams?"

“Susanna and Irason always comfort and encourage me; their presence is very important to me. All the dream druids also uphold their responsibilities because of their mission or other beliefs.” Claudia’s eyebrows drooped, and her lips unconsciously pouted. “What’s truly terrifying is that you’ve also seen the darkness beyond the dream world. The power of nightmares is limitless. We persist in our diligent work, but to the subconscious sea of ​​evil gods, it’s not even a ripple.”

"The work of a dream druid is endless and cannot be put down. No, this is not work, this is torture, eternal torture."

"Eternity, isn't that wonderful?"

"Ok?"

Lyle took Claudia's hand and pulled the dejected green dragon girl into laps on the spot. "Eternity, infinity, isn't this amazing?"

In dreams, emotions are highly contagious. Lyle's genuine joy dispelled the gloom on Claudia's face, and she took the initiative, spinning Lyle into a top. "I don't understand what you mean!"

"Stop, stop, stop!!!" Lyle knelt on the ground, gagging and retching, before finally coming to his senses.

"Brother Lyle, have you thought of any ideas?" Claudia squatted down in front of Lyle, staring at her with her bright eyes. This look truly showed that she had inherited the true teachings of the Fish Dragon Priest.

Claudia, do you know about virtual reality?

Let's play MMORPG games in our dreams.

Chapter 659 The Program Dragon

"Ladies, I want to share with you a bold and highly promising idea. It's a grand plan that could not only change the predicament facing our dear Claudia, but also act as a catalyst for the Dream Elf race..."

Susanna snorted, still resentful of Lyle's earlier interruption, "Rottenness is also a catalytic effect."

Irason tried to smooth things over, examining Lyle's plans carved on the stone slab with curiosity and excitement in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, Lyle, why don't you go over this Emerald Dream Transformation Project again, the Dream Kingdom Ondream. Programming in dreams... environment creation, character design, mission flow..." She started seeing stars halfway through her reading and became incoherent. Susanna held the Green Dragon Priest's dizzy head and stared at Lyle as if she were looking at an evil god spreading corrupt ideas.

Lyle shrugged, indicating that it was her own cooking.

"This is a huge project. If you don't see the whole picture, then you might as well follow my instructions step by step. To complete this, I need your help. As the Dragon King's priest, I guarantee that I will not do anything to harm the Dragon Clan."

“Lyle…” Claudia covered her forehead, “Your unsubstantiated guarantee won’t convince Lady Susanna…” As the elven governor, the overseer of the kingdom, and the most dutiful leader of power, she had her own personal standards of judgment, and the green dragon wanted to convey this meaning.

“I agree.” To Claudia’s astonishment, Susanna released Irason, walked to Claudia’s side, and patted her head. “I’ll keep an eye on the kid, just in case.”

A small group was officially formed, with two Dream Elf leaders and Dream Masters serving as technicians, Lyle Bühler as the general manager, and the green dragon Claudia as the tester. Lyle first gained some basic knowledge about dream construction through exchanges with the two Dream Druids.

"Alright. Let's put the scene setting aside for now. First, we need to design our enemies, that is, the monsters. According to Irason's explanation, Dream Druids can give the nightmares they spawn a physical form, so as a game, let's design a user-friendly monster model first."

Irason raised his hand. "But that consumes dream power, Lyle. Eliminating nightmares is precisely for refining dream power. Is physical appearance really necessary?"

“It’s necessary! That’s the key to differentiating our game from other nightmares. We need to create a sense of unreality for everyone, like being in a game. The distorted form of the original nightmares is easily associated with a terrible reality. Now, let’s try to model a little wild boar using the power of dreams. I will also use the permissions given by Ms. Susanna to construct one. Then, we’ll choose the most suitable monster model from among us as the initial version.”

"Understood." "Okay." "Mm."

After each being constructed for a period of time, four dream-like creations resembling wild boars were placed before Lyle.

Irason's creation was smooth and round, gleaming with an oily sheen. It had no fur, and its pinkish, oily texture was enough to incite hunger in anyone. The scent of burning applewood permeated the monster's body, making it appear utterly harmless. Because it was a four-legged roast suckling pig, its belly fat spilled onto the ground as it moved.

"How is it, Lyle?"

"The sense of unreality is too strong; I really shouldn't have relied on you."

Next up is Claudia.

Her boar creation was a simple line drawing. A round body made up of several circles, plus a tail and tusks. To be honest, it was even more jarring than Irason's roast suckling pig; the difference between a two-dimensional creature and a three-dimensional one was enough to wake Lyle from a dream.

"I haven't had much contact with wild boars, and I'm not very familiar with their anatomy, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you're still a child."

When Lyle's gaze shifted, Susanna appeared quite confident, while her creation was... indescribable. The boar's deformed tusks stretched horizontally, tearing through its mouth like giant scythes; its bristles were replaced by purplish-blue tentacles, and fine eyeballs covered its body. Despite all the boar's signature features being clearly present, Lyle simply couldn't accept that this monster was a boar.

"Nightmare Pig, doesn't that fit the theme perfectly?"

Lyle swallowed hard. "Why don't you give it a few abs to make it even more evil?"

Susanna's face turned cold. "I know my problem, but you and I both know that this kind of embellishment is unavoidable..." Susanna leaned down and whispered in Lyle's ear, "Unless it is something with special feelings, the dream products I construct will all be a little corrupted. This is a common problem for us, and you are probably the same."

Lyle waved his hand in denial, saying, "I have dissected wild boars and have a thorough understanding of their anatomy."

As if to prove Lyle's point, what lay at Lyle's feet was a perfectly normal gray-skinned wild boar, its two tusks held high just right, its muscle texture hidden beneath its oily fur, possessing both the ferocity of a wild beast and the beauty of nature.

Irason and Claudia gasped in amazement, circling Lyle's boar and looking at him with admiration.

Susanna pinched her chin, looking at the wild boar and then at Lyle.

"Lyle, make your boar walk a few steps."

"……All right."

Lyle's little boar raised its left foreleg and took a small step. The moment its hoof touched the ground, flesh and blood exploded from its bones, transforming into sharp, metallic saw blades that coiled around its body. Flesh peeled away, and bone spurs grew. The little boar was merely a disguise; emerging from the explosion of flesh was a high-level skeletal monster, a lich creation devoid of life.

The green dragon and its priestess took a step back, their eyes filled with wariness as they looked at Lyle. They had been quite frightened just now. Lyle's boar-like structure was just as bad as Susanna's; both were creatures from the underworld.

Lyle helplessly shrugged, accepting Susanna's smug mockery.

"Occupational habits are hard to break. I have a good understanding of the physical structure of living organisms, but I learned about bodily functions and behavioral patterns entirely from books on spiritism. It seems that there is indeed no suitable modeling profession among us."

Model construction wasn't a big problem. Susanna hugged Irason, who was seeking comfort, and said with a smile, "Give me some time, and I'll study the boar's structure to weaken its corrupted appearance."

Lyle shook his head. "No need. Just find an existing modeler. There will be more monsters to create than just wild boars in the future."

Where are you going to find professionals?

“The spell model of an arcane mage is much more complicated than the body structure of a wild boar. The scholar teacher has a large number of free laborers. I’ll go and grab a few of them.”

……

In the dream, he was like a perfectly sculpted jade disc, his divine light restrained. His every move carried a touch of nonchalance and the ethereal grace of a mage, but Lyle felt that the way he portrayed the little wild boar was exceptionally handsome.

The handsome man frowned and gritted his teeth.

"Lai~er~"

"I'm here." Lyle was squatting among the herd of wild boars created by the man, smiling as he greeted the archmage.

The mage raised his hand, rubbing his forehead as if in pain. "I knew you were a troublemaker. I buried myself in my work, refusing to participate in any cases involving you, and even cut off magical communication, but you, this persistent ghost, still found me."

Lyle expressed his innocence, "Christopher, I really just wanted to borrow a few laborers from the scholar teacher, who knew he would recommend his best apprentice to me."

Crystal Dragon Kristo took a deep breath, and Lyle panicked, fearing that the dragon's breath would hit him at any moment.

“There’s been a big move by Alcalon, so my training has been doubled.”

Lyle suppressed a laugh and gently patted the blue dragon Christopher on the shoulder. "The capable should do more. You are the best, but I didn't expect you to have such a thorough understanding of wild boars. What have you been through all this time?"

A melancholy aura, bluer than the sky, descended upon Christo, who sighed, "Professor Morokui has given me another new assignment."

"In 'On How a Magical Dragon Can Create a Nation After the Apocalypse,' he asked me to use magic to construct a nation from scratch, and to maintain its long-term stability. Wild boars are considered part of animal husbandry. Once I have stabilized the spell model for replicating wild boars, I will go back to continue debugging that virtual nation... You understand how busy I am now."