Entering Dreams, Deep Drowning Church, a World Entwined by Black Snakes

A black dandelion seed drifted down gently.

Ronan woke up from his dream.

"Rustle—"

A sound similar to the rubbing of satin clothing woke Ronan from his sleep.

He struggled to open his eyes.

The room was not very bright; thick curtains blocked out most of the light, and tiny dust particles danced in front of my eyes. There seemed to be a lingering, decadent smell in the air.

Ronan slowly propped himself up halfway on the bed. The rustling sound of clothes he had heard earlier came from somewhere to his left front.

A woman was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him, bending over to put on a pair of black thigh-high stockings.

The room was unusually quiet. Ronan didn't speak; he stared at the woman's smooth, bare back, on which a purple snake was tattooed.

The woman stopped moving after putting on all her underwear.

She sat on the edge of the bed, seemingly knowing that Ronan had woken up, and murmured hoarsely.

"I saw it again. In my dream, it tightly bound the whole world."

Who is it?

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly, and he blurted out a question instinctively.

The woman did not answer; she simply stood up, picked up the clothes scattered on the ground, and put them on one by one.

The woman was tall and voluptuous, and after putting on those specially made purplish-black robes, she quickly exuded the dignified aura of someone who had long held a high position.

When she put on a dark gold crown and turned to face Ronan, Ronan naturally lowered his gaze, which fell on a necklace on her chest in which a Black Snake Devouring Inverted Cross.

"You must have worked hard last night, get some rest."

A rough, cold hand gently stroked Ronan's cheek. The hoarse voice sounded like it had suffered some kind of vocal cord injury, but a faint tenderness still shone through the coldness.

Ronan nodded "obediently," withdrew his hand, and then crisp footsteps echoed in the room.

Ronan looked up and watched the woman walk to the end of the room, where a large door opened automatically, and several people in long robes quickly came forward and escorted the woman away.

In the end, only Ronan remained.

"Call--"

Ronan exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling soreness all over his body.

He raised his hands and looked at the youthful, energetic body.

This time, the "dream experience" felt even more real than the last one.

Ronan casually grabbed a robe and draped it over himself, got out of bed, walked barefoot to the window, drew back the curtains, and let the golden sunlight stream in.

Before him lay a dense cluster of buildings, each bearing the style of some religion, with streets and crowds. He was currently in what seemed to be the very center and highest point of a city, from which he could effortlessly overlook the entire city.

"The Deep Drowning Church. Sekaterina Female Pope"

He murmured to himself, silently processing the existing memories in his mind.

In this new "life," he becomes the youngest male priest Deep Drowning Church. Because of his outstanding appearance, which is one in a million, he is chosen by the current Female Pope Sekaterina on his first day in the Papal Palace and becomes her "male concubine."

This start is indeed much better than the previous "life" start, which was like sleeping in a pigsty, but the improvement is still limited.

Female Pope Sekaterina was, of course, the woman with the hoarse voice who had just left.

Ronan recalled the other person's appearance in his mind and was surprised to find that, if he ignored the terrible scars on the other person's face left by the early internal cult struggles and the cold and dignified temperament, he actually looked remarkably similar to Princess Serena of the Life Royal Court.

The only difference between the two is probably their hair color; one is a dark, almost blackish gold, while the other is a brilliant gold.

Is it a coincidence?

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he walked to a mirror placed beside the bed, examining his reflection.

He is indeed very young and handsome, with a unique sense of purity and tranquility.

Ronan searched through his memories but still couldn't find any trace of the existence of wizards. However, Sekaterina, the Pope of the Church of the Deep Drowning Church, who was known for her iron-fisted and ruthless nature, seemed to possess some kind of extraordinary power that transcended the mortal realm.

It is said that it was the divine power bestowed by "Deep Drowning," who is the deity worshipped by the church.

The image was the same as what Ronan had seen before: a black snake devouring an inverted cross.

In church tradition, the Deep Drowning is the mother of evil, representing "chaos and the end".

In dreams, it tightly binds the entire world.

Ronan repeated the words the Female Pope, who looked just like Serena, had said to him before she left.

She said similar things more than once. As Sekaterina's closest person, he often heard her mutterings about "divine dreams".

Unlike his previous life, this dream world seemed to have many mysterious elements that intrigued Ronan.

According to Alazan, each life story contained in the "Spirit Heart Amber" legacy, although embellished and modified to some extent, is mostly true. It is unknown which period of history it was taken from or which world it came from.

Of course, now is not the time to explore these things; Ronan has not forgotten the true purpose of his "dream entry."

Alazan

He called out Alazan's name in his heart, and soon received a response.

Sunlight fell on Ronan's fair, almost translucent, slender palm, and some of the light gathered, gradually wriggling out a golden ladybug.

If this scene were witnessed by someone from the "Deep Drowning Church" in this world, it would probably be immediately regarded as a "miracle," or more likely, Ronan would be beaten to death as a "heretic."

Ronan's eyes flickered when he saw Alazan appear as Golden Ladybug.

During his first "Reincarnation into Dream," he did it alone, without Alazan's knowledge.

In fact, the normal procedure for wizards of the "Spiritual Mind" school is to set an "anchor point" connected to reality each time they enter a Reincarnation into Dream, or to do so under the supervision of others, so that they can wake themselves from the dream if necessary.

Does this also indicate that cultivating "Spirit Heart Amber" is not as simple as Ronan expected, and that entering dreams also carries risks? This world seems to be showing some clues, but Ronan didn't ask, and Alazan never mentioned it.

As the Golden Ladybug appeared, the outline of a gray book gradually emerged in Ronan's mind. He opened it with his consciousness, and a new Primordial Spirit Writing appeared on it.

"It is indeed feasible."

Ronan let out a long breath, a look of joy and satisfaction on his face.

This is the solution Ronan came up with.

The time flow in the dream practice of "Spirit Heart Amber" is very different from that in the real world. A year in the dream may be less than a day in reality. Ronan has Alazan act as his "eyes" in reality. As long as the Primordial Spirit Writing can be transmitted in the dream, he will have plenty of time to remember them.

"From now on, all research on runic writing can be conducted in dreams."

Ronan pondered.

"Magic Potion Studies, alchemy, blacksmithing, as well as meditation and spell practice, can theoretically be done in the same way."

But I need to choose a world where wizards exist, collect the necessary materials myself, and start cultivating my mental power from scratch. Entering dreams also becomes impossible indefinitely.

But in any case, they still have an advantage over other wizards.

"Now that the Primordial Spirit Writing has been transmitted, all that's left to do is find a quiet place where no one will disturb me and study and memorize it."

Actually, the center of the Deep Drowning Church, where Ronan is now, is a pretty good place. While he is practicing asceticism, he might also be able to explore the secrets of the Deep Drowning Church if he hadn't become the Female Pope's "private possession".

"Being favored every day will drain my energy and shorten my lifespan. Once that Female Pope who looks just like Serena steps down, I, as her 'bed partner,' will most likely be drawn into the struggle for papal power. There are just too many trivial matters and troubles."

Considering this, staying away from the center of power is the best choice.

Having made his decision, Ronan calmly dressed, made no tidying up, and left immediately.

Because of his relationship with Pope Sekaterina, Ronan held a superior position in the Church. From leaving the Papal Palace to leaving the Papal City, he traveled without hindrance, and no one dared to stop him.

It wasn't until three days later.

News shook the city: Ronan Damien, the most promising Black Robe Priest in the Deep Drowning Church, had suddenly disappeared. Pope Sekaterina was furious and ordered a nationwide search.

In a remote and desolate village, two church knights wearing armor marked with black snakes entered a dilapidated courtyard.

The owner of the courtyard was a farm girl with large hands and feet and an ordinary appearance. She had no parents and stood alone in front of two high-ranking church knights, looking scared, nervous, and full of fear.

Have you seen this person before?

A Black Snake Knight took out a parchment scroll with a human portrait and showed it to the girl.

The parchment scroll depicts a young and handsome boy with a quiet and devout gaze.

"I've never seen it before."

The girl answered haltingly in a heavily accented dialect, shaking her head repeatedly.

At this moment, an unusual noise came from behind the house. The two Black Snake Knights' expressions changed slightly, and they took a step to walk towards the back of the house.

"There's nothing much to see after that."

"That's... that's... a pigsty!"

The girl reached out to block the two knights, speaking loudly with a tense expression.

"Get out of my way!"

The two Black Snake Knight roughly pushed the girl to the ground and strode around to the back of the house.

As the girl said, it was a filthy pigsty, piled with weeds and manure, emitting a strong stench.

A Black Snake Knight, covering his nose, slowly pushed open the wooden gate of the pigpen. In the dim light, he could barely see a person sitting quietly inside.

He looked injured, his face and hands were covered with blood-soaked bandages.

"He was bitten by wolves and burned by fire."

The girl followed and carefully explained to the two knights.

"Untie the bandages."

The Black Snake Knight coldly stared at the figure in the pigsty and spoke.

Anxiety flashed across the girl's face. She was about to step forward to stop them, but the people in the pigsty had already taken the initiative to slowly unwrap the bandages from their heads one by one.

What a horrible sight that was behind the bandages—

It had no hair, was covered with swollen or ulcerated blisters, had obvious signs of being bitten and torn by wild animals on its neck and chin, was missing half an ear, and had eyes covered with dried, congealed pus and scabs so that it could not open them.

Upon seeing this, the two Black Snake Knight frowned and quickly retreated from the pigpen.

"It shouldn't be."

"Even if he is, there is no need to bring him back. In this state, he is of no value to the church. If he dies on the way, I don't want to bear the Pope's wrath."

The two left quickly, without looking back even once.

Once the two Black Snake Knights were far away, the girl outside the pigpen immediately ran into the pigpen and hugged the unrecognizable figure tightly in her arms as if it were a precious treasure.

She still remembers how dazzling he looked when he first appeared in front of her; he was as handsome as the legendary moon god.

She was a believer who was naturally captivated by the other party, completely disregarding the filth and stench on the ground, and devoutly kissing the mud at the man's feet.

Finally, the eyes behind the scabs slowly opened, revealing a pair of eyes purer than sapphires.

A hoarse, raspy voice, as if cut by a knife or scorched by fire, whispered in the girl's ear.

"Okay, now take me away. I'll tell you what to do next once we're in the forest."

The girl nodded emphatically, clumsily and carefully carried the injured person on her back, ran out of the courtyard, and plunged headlong into the vast wilderness.

As night fell, the moon shone coolly like water.

Inside the cave where a roaring campfire was burning, Ronan picked up the specially prepared herbs in front of him and applied them little by little to his wounds.

He spent three days completely disfiguring himself and making all the preparations for the rest of his life.

To completely escape Sekaterina's search, "destroying" oneself is undoubtedly the best and most direct way.

Despite the seemingly severe injuries, Ronan's knowledge of Magic Potion Studies made it relatively easy for him to concoct some healing potions using readily available materials.

For Ronan, there is nothing in this world that he cannot give up except his own life.

He felt the two Primordial Spirit Writing runes wriggling in his mind, and a thoughtful light flickered in his eyes.

The problem of mutual repulsion between the Primordial Spirit Writing was perfectly resolved in a very short time.

He only slightly solidified the memory of the first Primordial Spirit Writing, and the imprint will no longer fade.

"It's probably already been successfully recorded by the panel, so it won't be forgotten."

This is also one of his major advantages.

Just then, the sound of rustling footsteps came from outside the cave, and a figure appeared at the cave entrance.

The girl, carrying a large pile of freshly picked herbs and wild fruits, carefully placed the items on the ground, then stepped back, keeping a distance from the campfire and shrinking into a corner, as if afraid of disturbing Ronan.

A gentle light flashed in Ronan's eyes as he gently waved to the girl.

After hesitating, the latter walked over with trepidation and knelt down at Ronan's feet.

"Thanks.."

Ronan spoke softly to her.

The girl immediately lowered her head even further.

"May I have your name?"

"I... I..."

The girl raised her head, a look of confusion in her eyes, her mouth agape as if she didn't know how to answer.

"How about I call you Moriel from now on?"

Wouldn't a world with Serena be rather boring without Moriel?

Ronan gently placed his hand on the girl's head, then looked past the campfire and gazed at the vast and deep starry sky outside the cave. As if speaking to the girl, but also to himself, he whispered, "I will stay here from now on. Will you stay with me?"

Moriel.

That will be a long time, almost a lifetime.

The girl didn't answer; instead, like a devout believer, she obediently continued to kiss his feet.

In response.