Sudden Incident

Tog's voice drifted through the sewer. With the layers of thick fog concealing everything, no one knew where he was.

Bals said nothing more, and the metal torrent was completely drawn back, condensing once more into his red-hot metal prosthetic limb.

Every so often, a few drops of molten iron fell from the prosthetic limb, making the stone bricks sizzle.

Because of the intense heat, sweat had long since streamed down Bals's face like rivulets, but with his complexion so terrible, he had no mind to wipe it away.

The large stretch of stone bricks before him had almost been burned into a crystalline state by the flow of molten metal. The air warped in the heat, making the crystal-like ground appear somewhat distorted.

The intense heat, enough to melt most metals, had passed through this place, leaving behind a small pile of ashes still carrying sparks at its center.

They scattered on the breeze brought by the rising heat and vanished in the blink of an eye, becoming part of the sewer.

Bals had great confidence in his ability.

In fact, with the frail body of a Silver Tier Gold Coin Path Fallen, there was no way he could withstand the heat of the searing molten iron.

That pile of ashes was the best proof.

However, what if that person had not been Tog from the beginning?

Splash.

Accompanied by the sound of water, the remaining stagnant water, mixed with mud, condensed into a palm as large as a carriage. With a wailing gale around it, it shot straight toward Bals!

Bals had been prepared long ago. Another torrent of scorching steel surged out, directly bracing against the enormous palm.

The pitch-black palm and the scorching, bright stream of iron formed a stark contrast. For a moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the clash between them.

Which side had always won when two attacks clashed head-on?

Aaron muttered to himself, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

Why was the ground so sticky?

Before he could react, the ground suddenly vanished beneath his feet. He fell involuntarily and instinctively cried out.

Sart, who was nearest to him, reached out to grab him, but caught only the air above Aaron's fingertips.

In the blink of an eye, the opening began to writhe and shrink, yet Sart made an unexpected decision.

Without even having time to call out to Siosand, he leaped straight into the opening leading to the unknown.

"You!" When Siosand came to his senses and rushed to the opening, all he saw was a hole only large enough for a human head.

Where the other end of the opening led was unknown. All that met the eye was absolute darkness.

"You're courting death!" His usually calm tone was now icy. His pale green eyes were filled with fury. "Dream Princess, come to me."

A long sigh drifted over. A slender, illusory female arm reached out from Siosand's body, followed by an irresistibly seductive female voice: "Your sweet dreams belong to me, Master."

After entering the Silver Tier, seers could often use rituals to explore the Dream Realm within certain limits and form contracts with some Dream Realm creatures, paying a certain price to have them provide assistance.

And Dream Princess was the advancement gift his mentor Julian had prepared for him.

Dream Princess herself was skilled in many spells and could be understood as a Silver Tier Scepter Affinity Transcendent, but she also possessed many abilities unique to the Dream Realm.

Of course, all of this came at a price.

Over the next few days, every time Siosand fell asleep, he would descend into a nightmare. He had to find the path to reality within an endless dreamscape, or his soul would become Dream Princess's food.

Alternatively, one could understand it as Dream Princess obtaining all her abilities from her food.

Siosand shot a glance at the battlefield in the distance. The mud monster's hand had rarely managed to suppress Bals so completely, while numerous illusory figures surrounded Bals and screamed.

He knew they were the resentful spirits of those who had died gruesomely in the sewer. Tog had awakened them, incidentally activating their vicious nature as well.

Their lingering resentment made them hate the living, while the malice buried deep within them also sought to drag Bals into eternal slumber.

"Enough nonsense." Siosand's face was so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water. "Find him!"

No matter what, Siosand had never expected the usually gentle Sart to possess such resolve—to jump down after Aaron without a second thought!

In his fury, Siosand shouted what was on his mind: "Sart, is this Aaron, whom you've never even met before, really worth such a sacrifice to you?!"

"There is a hollow underground, with traces of 'Fossilize to Mud' remaining, but it lies beyond my range of movement. What a pity..."

A woman's head emerged from Siosand's shoulder. After looking around, it spoke in a clear, pleasant voice.

However, that female head left Alice, who had arrived late, staring in a daze. She even stopped in her tracks instinctively.

The head was illusory and constantly shifting. Its facial features were outlined entirely by solidified lines, yet those lines slowly changed, causing the face to change its appearance as well.

At first glance, it might look like a human face, but at second glance, it was nothing but writhing lines. It was impossible to make out what was actually on the face.

"I paid a price, not to listen to you spout nonsense."

"I can imitate the remaining spell structure and recast the spell, but it may be very slow..."

"Two sweet dreams."

"I'm not sure whether it can take you to the correct location."

"Three. Greed must be kept in check," Siosand said coldly.

"Deal." Dream Princess smiled seductively. The arm extending from him lightly tapped the solid stone bricks, then she recited an incantation in Dream Realm Language: "Spell Reproduction."

An almost imperceptible fluctuation spread out. The solid stone bricks softened once more, writhing unwillingly as they gradually split open. Faintly, the sound of earth and stones shifting within could also be heard.

Although the "Fossilize to Mud" temporarily formed by "Spell Reproduction" was less efficient than the original, it was already sufficient for Siosand.

As long as I can catch up...

He took a deep breath and walked down into the opening. He could no longer wait for "Fossilize to Mud" to finish completely.

He had to hurry!

Alice glanced at Bals, hesitated, then rushed in, following closely behind Siosand.

"Oh, someone else is coming?" Dream Princess turned her head, directing that face full of lines toward Alice, and let out a coquettish laugh completely at odds with her features.

Alice forced herself not to look at Dream Princess's face and said calmly, "I'm going too."

"Suit yourself." Siosand responded coldly. His mood was exceptionally foul at that moment.

Dream Princess emitted a faint glow that barely illuminated the surrounding space. As the spell was released, the earth before Siosand automatically opened a path for him.

"Siosand... sir, why did you only act now?" Alice carefully chose her words and asked in a low voice.

"Miss Alice, the reason is simple. My teacher instructed me to protect Sart, and now that fool actually dared to jump down for... for his prophecy!"

"Isn't he from the Star Tower? What's wrong with his prophecy...?"

Siosand let out a cold laugh, his tone strange. "Yes. Who could have expected that the direct disciple watched over by Tower Master Julian would be unable to obtain a correct prophecy?"

"What do you mean?"

"What else could I mean? Miss Alice, every prophecy Sart has made up until now has been wrong!" Siosand paused, deliberately emphasizing his next words. "Every single prophecy. Whether through rituals or other means, the results have all contained errors."

"But didn't he successfully predict that Tog was hiding in the sewer this time?"

"Do you think that can be called a prophecy?" Siosand burst out laughing, but Alice could hear the sorrowful emotion hidden within it no matter how she listened.

"Back then, he was a Black Iron Tier and the first person to follow my teacher. And what happened? My teacher has already reached Above Platinum, but what about him? He's still searching for a chance to advance to the Silver Tier... Yet my teacher still pays attention to him and still believes in him! Why does he get to enter the tower's summit every day to experience Fate Aura, while I, the strongest Silver Tier seer in the Star Tower, still have to wait in line?!"

"With such a great opportunity, if it were me, I would've already been able to attempt advancing to Gold! And him? He's still Bronze! Bronze!"

"Even before we set out this time, my teacher instructed me to ensure that he returned safely. Miss Alice, do you know what that means?" Siosand took a deep breath and regained some composure. "It's favoritism. My teacher's favoritism, Miss Alice."

Siosand let out a long sigh, a rare trace of loneliness in his voice. "A prophet who can't even make prophecies..."

Thanks to Classmate Zhang for the three rewards~

And thanks to Classmate Medicine Pill for the reward~