Divine Being Enters Dream

I Want to Become Immortal was listening to the story so intently that when Xiao Jie suddenly stopped speaking, he hurriedly pressed, "And then?"

"And then comes the plot where Hua Tuo is about to perform brain surgery on Cao Cao. It has nothing to do with the Pear Tree God; that was just a brief cameo."

I Want to Become Immortal felt instantly annoyed. Why did Luo Guanzhong have to leave such loose ends?

He looked thoughtful. "So, are you implying that this Ginkgo Tree is also related to a tree god?"

"That's hard to say. But when I saw the Ginkgo Tree bleeding earlier, that story was the first thing that came to mind. Besides, this village is called Ginkgo Village, and this valley is Ginkgo Valley—there's bound to be a connection. Nine times out of ten, it's linked to this tree. You're in luck, kid; this Serendipitous Encounter might just unearth a major secret."

"Then what do we do now?"

Xiao Jie smiled slightly. "It's simple. We follow the method from the book: go to sleep and see if a Divine Being Enters Dream. If one does, we play it by ear. If not, we just chop the tree down."

"Ah! Sleep?"

I Want to Become Immortal really couldn't keep up with Xiao Jie's lateral thinking; it was too wild. However, seeing Xiao Jie walking down the mountain as if he were serious, he had no choice but to follow.

"Wait, Brother Following Wind, what if the Divine Being Enters Dream draws a sword and kills us?"

"That shouldn't happen. We aren't cutting his tree on purpose. Besides, these kinds of Serendipitous Encounters in games usually offer players dialogue options; it's impossible to be forced into a dead end immediately. As long as you don't do anything suicidal during the conversation, you'll generally be fine."

"If a Divine Being Enters Dream really appears, they'll likely give us a quest or something. Just be respectful when you speak, and accept whatever task they give you. As long as you handle it well, there shouldn't be any danger."

Xiao Jie hadn't spent ten years as a professional gamer for nothing; he had played countless online and single-player games and knew the tropes of game plots by heart.

Although it was just a guess, he had a feeling that something would likely happen during this sleep.

As they talked, the two arrived in the village and headed straight for the inn.

It was a tiny inn with only two rooms: a front area for selling wine and two guest rooms with double doors in the back.

Xiao Jie spent 10 copper coins to rent a room. The two entered, finding only two simple wooden beds inside.

Beams of light shone through the wooden-latticed windows onto the dirt floor, giving the place a quaint, atmospheric feel.

I Want to Become Immortal asked nervously what to do next. Seeing him at a loss, Xiao Jie said, "How about this: I'll enter the dream first to see how the process works. You watch from the side so you're prepared if there's any danger."

"If there's no danger, I'll tell you the process once I wake up, and you can just follow along."

I Want to Become Immortal refused without hesitation. "No, how could I let Brother Following Wind take the risk alone? I was the one who found this tree. If we sleep, we sleep together—we share the blessings and the burdens!"

Xiao Jie thought to himself that the kid had some backbone. Since he didn't actually think there would be any risk, he said, "Fine, let's do it together. Remember, if a Divine Being Enters Dream really appears, you must be polite."

"Don't worry, Brother Following Wind."

The two found their respective beds, lay down, and used the "sleep" function from the character action menu.

Before long, a string of "ZZZZ" symbols appeared above their heads.

"Huh, no reaction," I Want to Become Immortal said.

Although their characters were asleep, the two could still talk, though it came out as dream-talk, sounding muffled as if through a layer of fabric.

"Wait a bit longer. Doesn't it take time to dream?"

After Xiao Jie finished speaking, I Want to Become Immortal said something else, but this time the voice was completely unintelligible. Just as Xiao Jie was about to ask again, he felt the light around his character dim.

Xiao Jie immediately realized the scene was about to change.

It grew darker and darker until the surroundings were pitch black. His character lay motionless in the void; soon, even the bed beneath him vanished, and he felt as if he were falling through the darkness.

Huh, so I really am dreaming?

Xiao Jie felt a slight tension. He couldn't help it; after all, this was a game where he was playing with his life.

By now, I Want to Become Immortal's voice had vanished completely, and there was nothing but silence in his headset.

Suddenly, a pleasant melody began to play, followed by a light appearing in the darkness. A Fairy with fluttering sleeves drifted down from the sky, her form gradually manifesting in the gloom. She wore golden robes that looked as if they were made of layered ginkgo leaves, appearing both natural and beautiful.

Her features were delicate, her face exquisite, and she was suffused with an ethereal aura.

Huh, so there really is a tree god? And it's a woman.

Xiao Jie was amazed. The woman was stunningly beautiful and elegantly dressed, yet her face bore a look of profound sorrow.

Xiao Jie pressed the movement key and found his character could move. He stood up and walked over to the Fairy.

The Fairy looked at Xiao Jie coldly and suddenly snapped, "You brute! I have no grudge against you, so why do you strike me with a blade?"

Xiao Jie hurriedly played dumb. "Ah, may I ask who you are? I don't know you."

"I am the very Ginkgo Tree you wounded today."

"Ah, my apologies, my apologies. I didn't know it was you; I thought it was just an ordinary tree. But I stopped as soon as it started bleeding, so I couldn't have hurt you too badly, right? By the way, are you a demon or a deity? Why have you come into my dream?"

He started with a triple-play of innocence, turning the passive into the active. After all, he was still a low-level player; he couldn't afford to sour relations with such a mysterious entity, but he couldn't be too submissive either, or he'd be easily manipulated.

The beauty was momentarily stunned by Xiao Jie's words, as if she weren't used to such direct conversation.

However, she quickly adjusted, her clear, beautiful face showing a look of grief. "Warrior, listen to my tale. To tell you the truth, I was once a Fairy in the heavens. Five hundred years ago, I lived in seclusion in this valley to cultivate, but an Evil Daoist used dark arts to seal me within this Ginkgo Tree, draining my Spiritual Energy and leaving me to suffer for five centuries."

"Now, I only hope for someone to help me escape this sea of misery. I see that you possess great courage and resolve. Would you be willing to help me break free? If you can help me regain my freedom, I shall reward you handsomely. Elixirs, secret talismans, and immortal artifacts are but trifles to me."

"Then, if I wish to become immortal, is that possible?"

The beauty did not hesitate. "Since you have the heart to seek the Dao, I shall naturally lend you a hand. If you help me escape, I will guide you into the Dao myself. Becoming an immortal will be no difficult task."

"I'm not sure what I should do. Should I just chop down that Ginkgo Tree from earlier today?"

"No, no. For five hundred years, I have exhausted all my efforts to extend the roots of my true form outside the village, growing a new tree—the very one you harmed during the day. This new tree was manifested through my immortal arts specifically to seek help from the outside world; you must not damage it."

"The Ginkgo Tree where I am truly trapped is right next to the Ancestral Hall in Ginkgo Village. My true form is imprisoned within that largest Ginkgo Tree."

"If you wish to help me break free, brave warrior, you need only wait until the dead of night when no one is around, and destroy all the Talismans surrounding that Ginkgo Tree. I will naturally be able to escape then. Would you be willing?"

System Prompt: You have triggered the Serendipitous Encounter [Ginkgo Fairy's Plea].

Quest Description: In your sleep, you encountered a strange woman claiming to be a Fairy. She asks you to help her escape the shackles of a Guardian Array to gain her freedom, promising you immense rewards upon success.

Quest Objective: Destroy the Ginkgo Tree Guardian Array.

Quest Reward: ????

Well, that's that, Xiao Jie thought. I've definitely run into a scammer.

The reason he had asked if he could achieve immortality was to test her. If this Fairy had said that becoming an immortal was too difficult and offered a different reward, the quest might have been genuine. But to so easily promise something as absurd as immortality? That was a scammer through and through.

After all, according to the game's opening CG, this was a world where "the gods have fallen and the immortals have gone into hiding."

Even if this game truly held the opportunity to achieve immortality, that would be end-game content; it would never be placed in a Newbie Village.

The real kicker was that the quest reward was a string of question marks. That was a dead giveaway that it was a con.

Still, he kept his composure. He was still in a dream, and it wouldn't be good if he angered this beauty and she really decided to slash him with a sword.

He didn't know if there was any real danger, so it was better to play along for now.

He immediately agreed, "Fine, leave it to me."

With that, Xiao Jie chose to accept the quest.

Seeing Xiao Jie answer so readily, the beauty was quite pleased and offered a graceful bow. "Then I entrust this matter to you, brave warrior. This young woman shall take her leave now. Please, I implore you to see this through. Once it is done, there will be a great reward."

As the Ginkgo Fairy vanished, the surrounding darkness gradually dissipated.

His character was still lying on the bed, looking as if he had just woken from a dream.

Looking at the scene in the guest room, Xiao Jie couldn't help but marvel. The game design was truly incredible! To think one could accept quests in a dream.

At this moment, I Want to Become Immortal woke up as well.

"My god, Brother Following Wind, you really called it! There really was a deity! She asked me to help her escape, and she promised to resurrect my big brother if I do."

"It's fake," Xiao Jie said flatly.

"Huh? Fake?"

"That's right. She told me she'd help me achieve immortality, but told you she'd resurrect your brother. She's clearly tailoring her lies to the listener. Besides, we're in a Newbie Village, man. What kind of game puts a reward like 'achieving immortality' in a starter zone?"

"Furthermore, a normal quest reward would definitely have a clear system prompt, explicitly telling you what the reward is."

"But this Ginkgo Fairy triggered a quest with '????' as the reward. She's just dangling a carrot in front of us with empty promises—it's obviously a scam."

"In my opinion, if we're lucky, she'll brush us off with some pocket change afterward. If we're unlucky, saving her might even bring disaster upon us."