(Happy New Year's Day, everyone! And here I am begging for monthly tickets again—it's still the double monthly ticket period, so hurry up and vote if you've got any! These double monthly tickets expire, after all! As for double updates... those who know me know that's impossible, right? But there is some good news: there should be a Physical Book by spring next year.)
Big Dumb slowly sat up from the ground. His movements were somewhat sluggish, accompanied by the creaking of his joints. It seemed that even an exceptionally strong Mountain Barbarian would grow weak after sleeping for several years. He vigorously shook his head, apparently still trying to find a balance between that years-long dream and reality. Throughout the process, his gaze never left our group.
"I think I had a dream," Big Dumb muttered in his rough voice. His appearance, voice, and mannerisms were all so familiar, yet he was also very different from the foolish giant we knew. The one before us was the Dark Moon Overlord. Compared to the simple-minded Big Dumb, he possessed more than two thousand years of weathered experience, giving him an indescribable air. "I dreamed that I lived in a small village for several years. Lily, in cat form, was always with me... There was a pine forest behind that village, just like the one near Antir's hometown. One day, while hunting in the woods, I met a group of strange people... I think it was you."
"That's right, it was us. We came from the Surface World to find you," Lin Xue said with a smile as she looked at Big Dumb. "You're awake now, and everything that happened in your dream was real. You can ask the cat beside you about the specifics."
Big Dumb scratched his messy hair.