Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Dreaming. Lyle used his knowledge to understand it as a vague, not necessarily accurate, empathetic memory that arises during a period of spiritual stability. In other words, if you want a lich to experience dreams, just stuff a fabricated, absurd memory into their soul while they are asleep.

All souls possess a strong sense of self, and fabricated memories will cause confusion, panic, and other rejection reactions in a healthy soul. Eliminating this difference was once very difficult.

After Lyle ascended to the fourth level of the Locksmith and received assistance from the Phantoms, he created the Dream Weavers, who possessed the ability to break down barriers. The Phantoms' mental analysis played a crucial role in this process. When the experimental subjects' bodies were preyed upon by the Dream Weavers, their tentacles would paralyze their bodies, putting them into a state of suspended animation, similar to sleep. Their souls would be analyzed, and their mental information would be transferred via conduits to a unified mental space set up by Lyle—the Dream Weavers' neural network. This mental information was like a set of character descriptions, used by the actors to perform a show on stage, orchestrated by the director. The Phantoms were the best actors, the script was written by Lyle, and the absurdity of the dreams determined the script's scope. Ultimately, these performances would become memories of the past, reinserted into the souls of the experimental subjects.

When I close my eyes and open them again, it feels like I've experienced something during that time.

This is what it means to dream, and sometimes the dream can be quite vivid and interesting.

Lyle was excited about the future prospects of the plan, but unfortunately it was still in the experimental stage, and there were some hidden dangers and minor details. Lyle's vision was to eventually make Dream Weavers available to all races, not to help those suffering from insomnia. Dream Weavers also had the additional ability to collect intricate and complex information about people, enriching the career templates in the Dream Kingdom.

Lyle shook his head, looked at the skeletal arm drooping from the bud belonging to Mr. Shining, smiled slightly, and wrote down the improvements on the parchment.

[12. Change the dormant flower buds to a horizontal position, as it is known that a vertical position can lead to spinal fracture.]

[Thirteen, the dream weaver's carnivorous nature needs to be eliminated; it is known to devour flesh and blood as a disguise.]

Lyle put down his pen and paper, bent down, and reached out to touch the base of the Dream Weaver. Under psychoanalysis, his consciousness was descending, falling into the mental space he had created.

A sun shaped like a fried egg hangs in the sky, with graffiti-covered mountains in the background. In this childlike setting, three liches are racing over hurdles. Their shiny, manipulative, and adaptable skull faces transform into silly grins as they hop and skip, laughing, over the chocolate-colored hurdles, innocently chasing each other.

Lyle felt a chill run down his spine; he had actually been mentally attacked by the script he had designed. The little phantom transformed into the three members of the Necromancer Figure Club and frolicked in the environment Lyle had casually created, completing this absurd performance.

"Let's end this, I can't stand it anymore."

The phantom obediently nodded, and its tentacles, transformed into Nia, crawled back into Lyle's body. The actor left, the scene dissipated, and the specially recorded information was transported through conduits and injected into the souls of the three.

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief and rested his head on the drooping flower bud, listening intently.

"Hmm, there was no explosion or cracking sound, so the memory transfer should have been successful."

The petals reopened, and three skeletons covered in red slime were spat onto the ground. The flames of their souls were still burning in their eye sockets, so they should be fine.

Under Lyle's gaze, Shining stood up. He rubbed his head, surveyed his surroundings, glanced at Lyle, and then fixed his gaze on his two companions. Lyle sensed Shining's renewed aura; something new had appeared within his soul flame.

To be on the safe side, let's do a psychoanalysis on him first.

Lyle controlled the glitter.

"You are shining."

"I am Shining."

"You are a member of the Andre Necromancer Figurine Company."

"I am Cameron, a hurdles marathon runner."

"..."

Lyle finished the psychoanalysis. It was hopeless. The first lich experiment had gone too far; the memory shifts were too drastic, and Shining had gone mad. Shining bent over, hands on the ground, assuming a starting stance, muttering something under his breath.

"Three, two, one... Run!"

He tripped over his own foot and fell to the ground, his jaw agape, gripped by a panic of self-doubt.

"Why can't I run anymore?! Are my legs broken?! No! Heaven is jealous of talent! Heaven is jealous of talent!!!"

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems that even Shining's memories of how to act like a normal person have been erased. Thank goodness."

"This is hopeless, it can't get any worse... Let's recreate his dream and bring him back to normal."

Ultimately, the three members of the Necromancer Figure Club regained their memories after twenty minutes. Their temporary loss of self was merely a side effect of the dream; the absurd dream inputted by Lyle hadn't penetrated deeply enough to overwrite their personal memories. Compared to the profound memories of the three Shining characters, Lyle accepted the mild side effects.

Lyle adjusted the Dream Weaver's internal space, copied a message, and injected it into the Soul Stone, deleting the hastily designed script and other mental information. He smiled as he weighed the Soul Stone, a symbol of his dark past, in his hand. The gang members, caught red-handed, trembled in Lyle's shadow.

"Thank you for your cooperation, my teammates."

"Hmm, it's time to go to the Dean and apply for the Lich's Crown."

Chapter 683 Nine Locks, Concept

The Dean rested his left hand on the desk draped in dark blue velvet, while his other hand held Lyle's project proposal. This position had been maintained for an hour, and Lyle was certain his writing wasn't that obscure. His mood had shifted during that hour: initial confidence, then boredom turning to astonishment, and now, trepidation. Even the effects of the phantom were temporarily suppressed; his gaze swept across the desk, focusing on the aged face topped with a wide-brimmed wizard's hat. The Dean wore a thick, reddish-brown beard today, but he didn't touch it once.

"Mr. Plague Doctor~" The dean's sigh, drawn out at the end, made Lyle shudder for the first time in a long time.

“Dean!” Lyle instinctively straightened his back, leaning back in his chair, his expression awkward as if he were waiting for his first application to fail, but still somewhat unwilling to give up. “Is there a problem with my proposal?”

The dean's tone became a bit cheerful, "No, I fully appreciate the meticulous guidance that Professor Dragon and Professor Scholar have given you in writing. This proposal is above average in my memory, but..." Lyle was worried about this, so he used a technique of praising before criticizing.

"But why is Mr. Raymond the main subject of your dream-making experiment?" He raised the brim of his hat, observing the young man with a sharp and alert gaze. His bright eyes held complex thoughts, and Lyle could at least see worry and resentment.

Why choose Mr. Raymond? Because he's powerful, of course! If the Dream Weaver can work on Mr. Raymond, it will surely be useful to Andrei in most cases. Besides, he and Raymond have a close relationship; Mr. Raymond is a tolerant, even doting, senior to Lyle. Lyle is certain that if he explains things properly, Mr. Raymond will be happy to assist him. Lyle created the Dream Weaver for other purposes as well. The Dream Weaver can not only help liches dream, but it can also collect information templates from those users. This information will be used by Lyle to fill the gaps in the Dream Kingdom, becoming NPC templates, skill templates, class templates, and even bosses for the virtual game. Indeed, Mr. Lyle Buller desperately wants to replicate Mr. Raymond as a boss in the Dream Kingdom, letting those sleepy elves receive the beating of holy light; just imagining it brings him joy.

Of course, he couldn't tell the dean this directly; he didn't want the dean to confuse him with that group of Andrei hooligans.

“Mr. Raymond is the most cooperative and valuable subject I can think of, and I am confident that I can persuade him.”

The dean seemed to believe Lyle's words. He paused for a moment, looked at Lyle, covered his forehead, looked at Lyle again, and hesitated. "Do we really have to find Raymond?"

The dean's tone softened slightly, and Lyle secretly activated his mental analysis to ascertain the old man's mindset. Now was the time to press on. Lyle placed his hands on the desk, leaned forward, the pointed tip of his plague doctor mask almost reaching the center of the table, and spoke with a firm tone, exuding an unquestionable scholarly air.

“Dean, I apologize, but I am determined to pursue the ultimate in my research plan. I am submitting this application to you in the hope of obtaining the Lich King's Crown. I need the best conditions to achieve the best results. You have already read my proposal and can understand the value of this project. If you still have any doubts, please explain your reasons. I am not an unreasonable person.”

The dean's eyebrows twitched slightly. He was somewhat surprised, and his gaze toward Lyle changed slightly. Although it was very subtle, Lyle heard the old body seem to hum a pleasant hum.

“You’ve grown a bit, Plague Doctor.” The Dean stroked his beard. “Although it’s still early, giving you this shouldn’t be a problem.” He reached into the air and pulled out a glittering, block-like object. The light was dazzling, and Lyle squinted. “What’s that? A gold brick?”

"That's right, this is your reward, the Andrei Advanced Model Award."

"Really? Andrei has this award?"

“It’s fake.” The dean would occasionally show a sense of humor.

"..." Although Lyle was not pleased that his respected elder's image had suddenly plummeted.

Lyle took the long, golden object with its rough cover; it was a book.

"Excerpt from the Salvation Society Member Files"

"Why is it gold?"

The dean's face darkened, his gloom becoming quite evident, and it wasn't directed at Lyle.

"Because this is Raymond's file, Raymond's alone."

Lyle was somewhat surprised. He remembered what the previous Salvation Society file looked like; the two were about the same size, and Lyle roughly estimated that Mr. Raymond's excerpt was about one-fifth the thickness of the full book. It was easy to imagine how extraordinary and solemnly treated Raymond Merlock was within the Salvation Society.

The Dean wanted to use Raymond's file to make Lyle realize how dangerous he was.

"Turn directly to page sixteen, Mr. Plague Doctor. Raymond Merlock is the only Ten-Chain Mystic of this era. He stands at a height that we spellcasters cannot reach. The power he possesses is the unknown that we crave. The Calamity of the Light is a precious treasure for Andre, but let's focus on the important things, newcomer."

Lyle followed the instructions and turned to the corresponding page. Dense text filled his vision, but he couldn't understand it. It wasn't Emorian, but rather cursed runes written according to mummy magic. Lyle placed his palm on the page. A stinging pain shot through his brain; the new information felt like it was being etched directly into his cerebral cortex. Lyle continued reading the information related to Mr. Raymond, while the Dean interpreted it beside him.

Page sixteen is about...

"Magic Lock Level, Ninth Lock, Concept."

"Known beings who have reached this level include: [Punishment Angel], [Dragon Father] (additional)."

"The concept level is a higher level than the eight-chain leader level, which the Salvation Society learned about through the [Punishment Angel]. Mystics who enter this level have an unimaginably firm will. This firm will is extremely powerful and terrifying, and has become a law, or truth, that interferes with reality to a certain extent. The nine-chain concept level of the Path of Ascension can corroborate the existence of the laws of the Path of the Agent."

"Indeed, our world contains many powerful spiritual concepts, which together constitute the rules of this world."

"The concepts of the promoted and the laws of the agent are difficult to compare in terms of intensity due to many external conditions."

"But one thing has been confirmed by the Salvation Church."

"The fundamental difference lies in the fact that those who are promoted determine the concepts, while the laws determine the agents."

“Take the difference between the [Angel of Punishment] and the [Annihilator] as an example. The [Annihilator] is powerful because he acts on behalf of the law of annihilation. The [Angel of Punishment] is powerful because... he is himself.”

"Reasonable speculation: Once a concept is formed, if its creator is unable to implement it for any reason, the concept will transform into a law and seek an agent to carry it out."

"After multiple contacts and intelligence exchanges with the [Avenging Angels], the concept of the Nine Chains practiced by the [Punishment Angels] has been confirmed."

Its concept is "justice".

Chapter 684 Andrei's Ceiling

The concept of justice.

Lyle wasn't surprised, after all, Raymond hadn't intended to hide his beliefs.

"Human justice?"

The dean cleverly used a different rhetoric.

"Limited justice, and in order to practice this limited justice, Raymond forged himself into an incredibly powerful individual, at least incredibly powerful to us. Raymond is justice; he and this concept are inseparable."

"No one can stop Raymond from upholding justice, not before..." The dean paused, as if skipping over something and changing the subject.

"As I just said, justice is a powerful concept. It is like the air that permeates our world, silent yet playing an indispensable role."

"Raymond's 'justice' has two main forms of expression."

"[Sublime justice], [Inevitable justice]."

"In this age of holy light, these two manifestations seem to have been amplified. Sublime justice, meaning that all those who uphold the concept of justice will appear noble, upright, and righteous in the eyes of others—the so-called 'good people are liked,' and righteous people will be loved. The inevitable triumph of justice is easier to understand; evil cannot prevail over good, and the concept of justice will drive those who uphold it to ultimate victory. Both of these are perfectly embodied in Raymond. Raymond is strong, and he shines brightly."

Lyle gave a perfunctory smile, his palm still pressed against the paper as he read Raymond's file. The next thing that appeared made Lyle both laugh and cry.

"【The Fallen Angel Project】?! Are you serious? Isn't this just a joke the Literature Club came up with to belittle Mr. Raymond? It's actually recorded in the Salvation Society members' information..." Lyle's smile gradually disappeared, because the detailed plan and implementation records that followed made Lyle realize that this was indeed a serious and meticulous plan.

The Dean's expression was solemn. "Led by the dark side of the Literary Society's president, and under my supervision, with technical support from Andre Academy, we have carried out a plan to distort and subvert the ninth concept, 'Justice.' This is the 'Fallen Angel Project.'"

He glared at Lyle with annoyance.

"Our probing of the Nine Locks concept turned into a ridiculous joke, which is precisely the counterattack of [Justice] against us. This is Raymond's power."

"Justice will carry out its concept in any written, artistic medium, in the collective memory of any spiritual and ideological group, and in any form of expression that can represent the metaphorical existence of Raymond."

"We maliciously spread rumors in the City of Wandering that denigrated Raymond's personal qualities and deliberately controlled public opinion. After widespread dissemination and misinformation, the City of Wandering's impression of Raymond was that of the Holy Light who punished alien races, the supreme punisher, and the King of the Abyss, the embodiment of destruction."

"The literary society began compiling a written biography, and for this purpose, it specially drew on the Crusader epic created by the darkness during the human era, 'The Angel of Light.' The literary society reversed the angel of holy light, shaping Raymond into a wicked demon born from hell. As a result, the authors seemed to have some kind of brain problem during the writing stage, and the final published work was 'The King of Fallen Angels, the Pure and Virtuous Raymondos.'"

"The more vivid and figurative the expressions we use, the more clearly 'justice' is portrayed in Raymond."

“Artists will subconsciously leave shadows of angel wings in the rendering layer, and bards will choose light and upbeat melodies when they sing.”