Reverse Deception

Deep within the twisted, bizarre alley, the darkness was thick as fog, churning and steaming as if brewing soul-piercing, resentful spirits.

Suddenly, the darkness shifted, and a grotesque mask emerged from it.

Above the pig-like snout of a mouth were two black lenses, no larger 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.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the black market seemed to have more people than usual, appearing more bustling.

People in various strange outfits walked among them.

Among them were many who looked timid and fearful, appearing to be newcomers to this place for the first time.

In reality, besides Dreamwalkers and those who mastered rituals, ordinary people had a very low probability of entering this place through dreams.

However, the fate of these accidental visitors was usually not good.

The best outcome was to never dream again.

Ning Xiuyuan walked at an unhurried pace, reaching the end of the stalls and stopping at a long table.

On the long table, four people in gray robes were pretending to nap.

"Tap, tap!"

Ning Xiuyuan tapped the table with his right hand, which was covered in a rubber glove.

The napping figures groggily lifted their faces.

Ning Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow.

The four people slumped over the table had identical faces. They were all ordinary-looking, with almost no distinguishing features, except for the prominent beards on their chins.

"Do you have any Dreamland Lake water?"

A hoarse, awkward voice emerged from the pig-nose mask.

"Dreamland Lake water? Ha, are you kidding me, man?"

The bearded man sitting in front of Ning Xiuyuan looked mocking, and the other three "quadruplets" also showed amusement.

Ning Xiuyuan remained silent, calmly watching the bearded man.

Perhaps it was the intimidating nature of the two lenses, or perhaps it was boring to be the only one talking; the bearded man's smile faded.

"Alright, if you want to inquire about information like that, we can help. Eight thousand As, results in three days. No refunds, regardless of the outcome," the bearded man said lazily, having been met with no response.

"Information? Hmph, I want the lake water," the voice from the pig-nose mask remained cold and hoarse.

"Lake water? Are you messing with me? Do you even know what this stuff is?" The bearded man's face showed absurdity, and his fellow brothers shared the same expression.

"Although the Water Lizard Bokeru'ge is powerful, it has kin," Ning Xiuyuan said deliberately.

"Kin? Those cowards are just afraid Bokeru'ge will destroy their homes. They're just trying to get close to power, they're no kin at all!"

"Listen, man, Dreamland Lake water is the only supernatural material needed to summon the mental bodies that died in the Dreamland. I don't need to tell you its value. Grand Duke Gode is offering a five-thousand-ounce bounty to save his pathetic grandson. If I had Dreamland Lake water, I would have already gone to claim the reward, not be stuck here!" the bearded man said impatiently.

He then looked Ning Xiuyuan up and down and sneered, "By the way, is everything you're wearing worth a drop of Dreamland Lake water?"

"Pfft!"

A low chuckle came from the side, from the stall owner to the left.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, shrouded in a black robe, with dozens of scattered supernatural materials laid out before him, appearing quite wealthy.

"Oh, my apologies, but everything I'm wearing is indeed worth a drop of Dreamland Lake water."

Ning Xiuyuan reached into his pocket, pulled out a matchbox, and opened it with his thumb, revealing a drop of azure water bead inside.

Clang!

The four identical bearded men suddenly stood up, exclaiming in shock!

"Dreamland Lake water!"

As soon as they spoke, they reacted in unison, their faces filled with regret.

But it was too late.

Countless people on the street instinctively looked over.

The stall owner beside them also widened his eyes, standing up with a look of horror, emitting strange fluctuations.

"Damn it!"

The bearded man's face changed drastically.

"Sir, please forgive my arrogance, but could you perhaps move..."

Before he could finish, Ning Xiuyuan interrupted him.

"I'll give you thirty seconds to gather its equivalent value, anything that's worth something. Otherwise, I'll try my luck in the next city."

"Oh, right, you yourself said its value. I hope you don't have selective amnesia."

A hoarse voice, laced with a hint of mockery, emerged from the pig mask.

The bearded man was stunned.

"This is fraud!!!"

The bearded man cursed loudly, but the quadruplets simultaneously pulled things out from their chests.

"Mister, I'll give you everything on this stall. This lake water belongs to me, how about it?" a nearby stall owner pleaded urgently.

"Get lost! You old geezer, daring to ruin my business, I'll skin you alive and tear you into seven pieces!" the bearded man roared in fury.

"Old man, the main party hasn't even spoken yet, why are you barking? Good things, of course, are for whoever sees them!" the stall owner sneered.

"Twenty-five seconds left!"

A indifferent voice was uttered from the pig mask.

"Mister, no, Madam, ah, whatever. This is the second volume of Enochian Magic, the Divine Scripture. Although it's a fragment, this is definitely a first edition. Look at this Seven Seals Holy Book, its power hasn't dissipated yet, it's definitely genuine."

The bearded man took out a book and slammed it onto the table, introducing it with extremely rapid speech.

Before he could finish, he continuously pulled out various items.

The stall owner next to him also took out a sealed bottle from his chest as if presenting a treasure, quickly introducing it:

"Brother, I have Demigod blood. That's right, this is definitely Demigod blood. I can't say Its name, but this is absolutely genuine. Feel the aura!"

"And all these things on the stall, I'll give them all to you. Look, this is a passage of Angel's Elegy, the Flying Sky Leaf from the Dreamland, Ghoul Essential Oil..."

"I also have the complete explanation of 25 Rune Magic runes, guaranteeing that you can possess great power without needing to consume extraordinary characteristics..."

The two of them introduced their treasures like madmen.

They were afraid Ning Xiuyuan wouldn't be interested.

"Time's up!"

Ning Xiuyuan said coldly.

The bearded man and the stall owner stopped abruptly, their expressions stiff as they looked at Ning Xiuyuan, as if awaiting judgment.

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

Ning Xiuyuan shook his head and tucked the matchbox into his chest.

"Wait!"

The bearded man shouted.

Ning Xiuyuan remained unmoved, turned, and left without looking back.

However, the moment he turned, the ground beneath his feet suddenly became transparent, transforming into a deep, azure well.

The well was bottomless, as blue as a lake.

Caught off guard, Ning Xiuyuan fell straight down.

Looking around, he found himself in a clear blue sky, surrounded by white clouds, with the wind howling past his ears!

He had fallen into the sky of the Dreamland!

—Someone had ambushed him!

Looking up, the clear blue sky resembled a frozen lake surface, broken open with a large hole.

At the edge of the hole, the terrified expressions of the black market onlookers could still be vaguely seen.

"Caw—"

A shriek like the grinding of metal and stone came from a distance. Ning Xiuyuan followed the sound, but felt a strong gust of wind on his back.

A massive Dream Echo Griffin, feigning an attack from afar, ascended from below with its giant claws, reaching for his back.

Its brutal eyes flickered with excitement, reflecting the gaze of the Master controlling it from behind.

—The Dreamland Lake water would be his!

"Whoosh—"

The claws sliced through the air, creating a series of piercing sonic booms that penetrated the person wearing the monstrous armor.

It missed!

The Griffin passed through the figure of the person wearing the monstrous armor and abruptly stopped in mid-air. It flapped its wings and looked back, only to see that the person wearing the monstrous armor was nowhere to be seen in the clear blue sky.

How could this be? He clearly felt that he had dragged the target into the Dreamland?

The Griffin's human-like eyes showed deep confusion.

Before it could search the clouds, its eyes suddenly widened, reflecting not in its eyes, but in his eyes, the horrified expressions of countless people.

—His main body had been attacked.

"I hope someone is willing to use the Dreamland Lake water to summon your mental body!"

A faint voice sounded in his ears.

"No—"

The Griffin Master screamed.

"Crack!"

The sound of a breaking neck rang out clearly in the black market.

Only then did some of the slower-witted people realize that the person in the strange armor, who had clearly fallen into the Dreamland, had reappeared outside the crowd, right behind a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

As everyone looked, the glasses-wearing man's neck had been twisted like a pretzel, and he slowly slumped to the ground, like a corpse.

No, he was a corpse.

"A Dreamwalker? Heh, it seems you don't need the Dreamland Lake water anymore."

The person in the strange armor remarked.

Before him, the ground split open again. This time, however, what was revealed was a deep, black well, like the gaping maw of a Taotie, swallowing the glasses-wearing man's body in one gulp.

Having done this, the person in the strange armor glanced at the crowd. His dark lenses reflected countless pairs of startled, uncertain eyes.

He let out a sneer, turned, and left.

"Wait, how about adding this to it? Interested in a trade?" the bearded man called out urgently.