Reverse Fraud

Deep in the twisted, grotesque alley, the darkness was as thick as fog, roiling and steaming as though it were brewing a soul-chilling evil spirit.

Suddenly, the darkness shifted, and an exceedingly bizarre mask emerged from it.

Above the mouth that looked like a pig's snout were two black lenses no smaller than the snout itself, reflecting a cold, foolish light.

Ning Xiuyuan glanced around the empty street, then stepped out of the darkness and into the black market.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the black market seemed to have a third more people, making it livelier than ever.

People in all sorts of strange clothing walked among them.

Some looked timid and fearful, clearly newcomers who had entered this place for the first time.

In reality, aside from Dreamwalkers and those who knew rituals, ordinary people also had a very small chance of entering this place through their dreams.

However, those who wandered in by mistake usually did not meet a good end.

The best outcome was never dreaming again.

Ning Xiuyuan walked at an unhurried pace until he reached the end of the stalls, then stopped before a long table.

Four people in gray robes were sprawled across the table, pretending to sleep.

"Knock, knock!"

Ning Xiuyuan extended his right hand, clad in a rubber glove, and tapped the tabletop with a crooked finger.

The person pretending to sleep drowsily raised his face.

Ning Xiuyuan arched an eyebrow.

The four people lying on the table looked exactly alike. All of them had ordinary features, with practically nothing distinguishing them. Only the large beards on their chins were rather eye-catching.

"Do you have Dreamland Lake water?"

The hoarse, awkward pronunciation came from behind the pig-nosed mask.

"Dreamland Lake water? Ha, buddy, are you kidding?"

The big-bearded man sitting before Ning Xiuyuan wore a mocking expression. The other three "quadruplets" also looked amused.

Ning Xiuyuan said nothing, merely staring at the big-bearded man.

Perhaps the two lenses were too intimidating;

or perhaps performing a one-man show had become boring, because the big-bearded man restrained his smile.

"All right. If you want information about it, we can look into it for you. Eight thousand Asi, results in three days. No refunds, regardless of the outcome."

The big-bearded man lazily spoke after getting no reaction.

"Information? Hmph. I want the lake water." The voice coming from the pig-nosed mask remained cold and hoarse.

"Lake water? Buddy, are you messing with me? Do you know what this is?" An absurd look appeared on the big-bearded man's face. His brothers wore the same expression.

"Though Water Lizard Bokeru'ge is powerful, He has dependents," Ning Xiuyuan deliberately said.

"Dependents? Those cowards are only flattering Bokeru'ge because they're afraid He'll destroy their homes. What kind of dependents are they?"

"Buddy, listen. Dreamland Lake water is the only supernatural material capable of summoning the mind-body of someone who died in the Dreamlands. I don't need to tell you how valuable it is. Grand Duke Gode offered a five-thousand-ounce reward to save his poor grandson. If I had Dreamland Lake water, I would have gone to claim the reward long ago. Why would I still be sitting here?"

The big-bearded man looked impatient.

As he spoke, he looked Ning Xiuyuan up and down, then sneered. "Speaking of which, is everything you're wearing worth even a drop of Dreamland Lake water?"

"Pfft!"

A quiet laugh came from nearby. It was the sneer of the stall owner on the left.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, his entire body shrouded in a black robe. Dozens of various supernatural materials lay scattered before him, making him look quite wealthy.

"Oh, sorry. Everything I'm wearing really is worth a drop of Dreamland Lake water."

Ning Xiuyuan reached into his robes and pulled out a matchbox. He pried it open with his thumb, revealing a single emerald-blue droplet inside.

Clang!

The four identical big-bearded men abruptly stood up and cried out in shock!

"Dreamland Lake water!"

The moment the words left their mouths, they all reacted in unison, their faces filled with regret.

But it was too late.

Countless people on the street instinctively looked over.

The stall owners nearby also widened their eyes and stood up in horror, strange fluctuations radiating from their bodies.

"Damn it!"

The big-bearded man's expression changed dramatically.

"Sir, please forgive my arrogance. Could you move—"

Before he could finish, Ning Xiuyuan interrupted him.

"I'll give you thirty seconds to gather something worth as much as this. Anything is fine, as long as it's valuable. Otherwise, I'll go try my luck in the next city."

"Oh, right. You were the one who stated its value. I hope you won't selectively forget that."

The hoarse voice, tinged with mockery, came from behind the pig's snout.

The big-bearded man was dumbfounded.

"This is fraud!!!"

The big-bearded man cursed furiously, but the four brothers simultaneously began pulling things from their robes.

"Sir, you can have everything at my stall. Give me the lake water, all right?" the stall owner beside them urged anxiously.

"Get lost, you old bastard! If you dare ruin this for me, I'll skin you and tear you into seven pieces!" the big-bearded man roared in fury.

"Old thing, the owner hasn't even spoken yet. What are you barking for? Good stuff should naturally be shared by everyone who sees it!" The stall owner sneered.

"Twenty-five seconds left!"

The indifferent voice came from behind the pig-nosed mask.

"Sir—no, madam. Ah, whatever. This is Enochian Magic Vol. 2: Divine Scripture. It's incomplete, but it's definitely the original first rubbing. Look at this Seven Seals Holy Book—the power hasn't dissipated yet. It's absolutely genuine."

The big-bearded man pulled out a book and slapped it onto the table, introducing it at top speed.

Before he had finished, he pulled out various other items in rapid succession.

The stall owner beside him also took out a sealed bottle from his robes like he was presenting a treasure and quickly said:

"Brother, I have demigod blood. That's right, this is definitely demigod blood. I can't say His name, but this is absolutely the real thing. Feel the aura!"

"And all the things at my stall—they're all yours. Look, this is a passage from Angel's Elegy, a Flying Sky Leaf from the Dreamlands, Ghoul Essential Oil..."

"I also have a complete explanation of the twenty-five runes of Rune Magic. I guarantee you can gain tremendous power without taking any supernatural characteristics..."

The two men introduced their treasures like madmen.

They were terrified that Ning Xiuyuan would not take a liking to them.

"Time's up!"

Ning Xiuyuan spoke coldly.

The big-bearded man and the stall owner stopped abruptly at the same time, staring stiffly at Ning Xiuyuan as though awaiting judgment.

"Unfortunately, it seems you still underestimated the value of Dreamland Lake water."

Ning Xiuyuan shook his head and tucked the matchbox back into his robes.

"Wait!"

The big-bearded man shouted.

Ning Xiuyuan remained unmoved. Without turning his head, he turned and walked away.

Unexpectedly, the instant he turned around, the ground beneath his feet suddenly became transparent, transforming into a deep, blue well.

The well had no visible bottom, its waters emerald-blue like a lake.

Caught off guard, Ning Xiuyuan fell straight down.

He looked around.

He found himself in a sapphire-blue sky, surrounded by clouds, with fierce winds howling beside his ears!

He had fallen into the sky of the Dreamlands!

—Someone was ambushing him!

Looking upward, he saw that the sapphire-blue sky was like a frozen lake, with a huge hole broken through it.

At the edge of the hole, he could vaguely make out the terrified expressions of the black-market spectators.

"Shriek—"

A cry like metal scraping against stone came from the distance. Ning Xiuyuan followed the sound, but a fierce wind brushed against his back.

A massive Dream Echo Griffin had spread its enormous talons and was climbing upward from below, using a feint to attack from behind and reaching for his back.

Excitement flashed in its brutal eyes. Those were the eyes of its master, who was controlling it from behind the scenes.

—The Dreamland Lake water would soon be his!

"Whoosh—"

The talons sliced through the sky, unleashing a series of piercing sounds as they pierced the armored figure's body.

It had missed!

The griffin passed through the armored figure's silhouette and halted abruptly in midair. Flapping its wings, it looked back, only to find no trace of the armored figure in the sapphire-blue sky.

How could this be? It had clearly felt itself drag the target into the Dreamlands!

Deep confusion flashed through the griffin's humanlike eyes.

Before it could search through the clouds, its eyes suddenly widened. Reflected in them—or rather, in his eyes—were countless horrified faces.

—His true body had been attacked.

"I hope someone will be willing to use Dreamland Lake water to summon your mind-body!"

A gloomy voice sounded beside his ear.

"No—"

The griffin's master screamed.

"Crack!"

The sound of a neck snapping rang out crisply through the black market.

Only then did some slow-witted people notice that outside the crowd, the armored figure who had clearly fallen into the Dreamlands had appeared behind a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

By the time everyone looked over, the bespectacled man's neck had been twisted into a braid. He slowly collapsed to the ground like a corpse.

No, he was a corpse.

"A Dreamwalker? Heh, looks like you don't need Dreamland Lake water anymore."

The armored figure sighed.

The ground before him split open again. This time, however, what emerged was a pitch-black deep well, resembling the gaping maw of a gluttonous beast. It swallowed the bespectacled man's corpse in one gulp.

After finishing everything, the armored figure swept his gaze over the crowd. Countless uncertain eyes were reflected in his black lenses.

He sneered and turned to leave.

"Wait! What if I add this? Will you trade?" the big-bearded man shouted anxiously.