The Dream of Freedom and the Golden Threads of Wishing Power

Meeting Room in the ship's cabin.

Kevin sat in his seat, legs crossed on the table, lying back, staring at the iron ceiling of the cabin.

He was thinking.

A wisp of Golden Thread floated on his face.

He had almost complete control over the Golden Thread given to him, and it floated around so casually without any effort on his part.

The Meeting Room in this cabin is quite large.

Besides Kevin, several others were also doing their own things in different places.

They exchange ideas from time to time.

Materials for making Nen tool.

But there was just no way to make Kevin feel that desire.

Kevin felt a strong urge to use most of the materials that could be used to make Nen tool, because they could be used in medicine.

Kevin actually had some guesses about these Golden Thread.

Because there is an example right in front of us.

That's Wearer Ghost.

The corpse of the creature that once Wearer Ghost's clothes, which could be used to wrap around the body and freeze it, was given to him by the Lord.

Kevin felt that his current Golden Thread should also be in a similar form.

In other words, it must be something Kevin wants.

What could it be?

Because Kevin wants too many things, there's no absolute priority.

Or perhaps he simply doesn't understand the priority of what he wants.

Because Kevin is essentially in a stable period at this stage.

Of course, it wouldn't be wrong to call it a period of confusion.

The confusion here stems from the long road ahead, not from the absence of a road ahead.

Because he was already Lord.

The scale of Lord is truly astounding.

Kevin's current Nen level has reached 1.6 million, and the growth rate has almost stagnated.

In the next stage, it will be almost impossible to find suitable and stable materials that can be used to increase Nen power.

Of course, physical fitness can continue to improve under Gravity Zone training.

But you should know that the Lord Level is equivalent to the five million Nen of the Resentful Eater Snake.

The Lord's Resentful Eater Snake is stronger than the Sand Worm, and the Sand Worm is stronger than the Resentful Eater Snake that has just come of age.

In other words, the Lord Resentful Eater Snake's strength is likely between six and seven million.

This is already an exaggerated level that is hard to match.

So what exactly is the limit for Lord? Tens of millions?

Have no idea.

There's simply no way to determine that.

Where the goal is, there the road will be.

It can simply grow and evolve.

But the time span has truly reached the level of more than ten years, several decades, or even hundreds of years.

There's no use in being anxious.

The time required now is already an extremely long time for humankind.

Kevin needs to start accepting and getting used to this inhuman concept of time.

The current strength of Lord Level, especially Lord with real power, is truly sufficient.

In the Dark Continent, Kevin no longer experienced significant anxiety.

Kevin's view on strength is simply that it's enough to deal with danger.

I'm not the kind of person who would panic by wildly imagining some exaggerated danger.

That's just you scaring yourself.

Then you can begin smoothly and gradually.

To be honest, even Kevin wasn't entirely sure what he wanted at this point.

I just stared at him like that, and before I knew it, Kevin had closed his eyes.

She fell asleep.

I woke up suddenly, the instant I opened my eyes.

"I'm back here again?"

Looking at the pure white space around him, Kevin knew he was back.

But he should have long since left the Overlord's territory; he shouldn't be able to enter the dream so easily now, right?

Feel it carefully.

Wrong.

This is his own dream.

He could feel that he could wake up at any time if he wanted to; he had absolute control over his dream.

With a wave of the hand, the scenery inside the ship's cabin appeared in the pure white space.

His surroundings changed according to his wishes.

Sure enough, this was his dream.

"If that's the case—if that's the case, then wouldn't that mean—"

Suddenly remembering something, Kevin abruptly waved his hand.

The scenery before me transformed into a pure white space once more.

The original big tree reappeared, followed by another Kevin.

That was a scene from a dream I had a few days ago.

That was what happened when the Overlord pulled him into a dream.

Kevin remembered that experience so vividly that it was etched into his mind, allowing him to relive it in his dreams.

"This is quite a novel experience."

Kevin watched from the side, muttering to himself.

This feeling of freely expressing one's will in one's own dreams.

But after all, it's just a dream.

And so, Kevin stood to the side, watching his own reflection, and began to experience everything that had happened before.

Observing carefully from an outsider's perspective.

Standing before the big tree, a bird carries out Golden Thread.

"Smack!"

He snapped his fingers.

It's paused.

Kevin carefully observed the Golden Thread, then went to the big tree to check on its condition.

How did you do that?

Kevin muttered to himself, patted the tree, and inexplicably some information about the tree appeared in his mind.

Then there was more information about birds.

Gradually, more information about those Golden Thread appeared.

No, where did it come from?

Kevin frowned, instinctively wanting to wake himself up, but he suppressed the urge.

No, don't be afraid.

Such vigilant self-preservation behavior is absolutely essential in the Dark Continent.

But Kevin held back at that moment.

Because he could feel that he was able to wake up; this was his Dreamscape, not being manipulated or invaded.

You must believe in yourself.

I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to wake up immediately.

Kevin began to try to understand this inexplicable surge of information.

"Wait a minute, is that how it is?"

Kevin, having figured this out, wanted to slap himself.

The Overlord provides after-sales service.

Ouch!

Kevin slapped his forehead, closed his eyes, and felt a sense of helplessness towards himself.

What exactly has been bothering me these past few days?

When the dream regained control, due to the unexpected nature of the situation, Kevin's instinctive vigilance caused Kevin to immediately withdraw after regaining control of his dream.

This is only natural.

Even if other people encountered this situation, their first instinct would be to exit the Dreamscape to ensure their own safety.

But here's the problem.

In fact, the information and explanations that the Overlord had already given to Kevin along with the transformation of the Dreamscape scene.

However, this information is left behind within the dream's context.

But Kevin left in such a hurry that he didn't bother to read the information.

Ironically, Kevin never imagined he possessed the ability to control his own dreams before the Overlord drew him into them.

This is a way of freely entering and controlling one's own mental Dreamscape.

In fact, it's an essential ability for Lord Level.

This is a fundamental ability that comes with biological evolution reaching a certain level, encompassing not only physical strength but also mental power.

This is a perfect example of how quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

After all, the human Mental Image is a manifestation of the fusion of spirit and energy.

It is an ability that comes from the strength of human will and spirit.

Kevin simply hadn't considered why he controlled his Dreamscape to do anything, so he was unaware that he possessed such an ability.

Just as everyone has their own unique talents that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

But if you never try, you'll never know you have a talent for it.

Dreamscape are like that.

Because of Melusina's reminder, and because Kevin kept thinking about it day and night.

This subconscious force led Kevin back into the Dreamscape he controlled.

By reviewing the past scenes, they were able to retrieve the information that the Overlord had already placed in their dream.

If Kevin hadn't been so eager to leave, but had waited there for a while, the thought of asking a question might have crossed his mind.

Then this information will naturally appear.

"Phew, whatever, at least you understand."

Kevin thought helplessly, "It's just a few days of wasted time. Now I have plenty of time to squander as I please."

It's best to change your mindset.

After all, he has now reached the Lord Level, which is a leap in the level of life.

Kevin didn't know how much his life had been extended, but he estimated that five hundred years should be no problem.

This is still the lowest estimate.

Moreover, these five hundred years represent its peak period; it has existed continuously, only aging rapidly after it is about to die.

This is an essential ability for life forms that reach the Lord level.

This is something you can sense yourself.

He's only around thirty years old.

There's absolutely no need to rush.

Let's think carefully about the information flooding my mind; there's quite a lot of it.

First, there's that big tree.

That is a great tree in the spiritual world.

However, this great tree was rooted in the Overlord's own spiritual world, so Kevin was actually in the Overlord's Dreamscape at that time.

The Overlord used his authority to pull Kevin's consciousness into his own Dreamscape in order to transmit information.

Kevin believes this is actually the main means by which Overlord gives orders and transmits information.

So this is how the Lord communicate?

The tree in question is actually a Wish-Fulfilling Tree.

That's right, the Wish-Fulfilling Tree.

Just like choosing a name, and this name was just picked out by Kevin.

It can grant wishes.

The birds with eye-shaped patterns on their bodies are one with the Wish-Fulfilling Tree.

Although one is a plant and the other is an animal, they are essentially interdependent.

The nature of the dependency relationship is unknown; there is no relevant information.

It is said that birds can extract wishes from trees and turn them into Golden Thread are the embodiment of wishes.

The "wish" here does not refer to a specific desire.

Rather, it is a material used to fulfill desires.

It can also be called "the power of will".

It is illusory; it has not been transformed into a physical entity.

The essential condition for possessing and controlling this ability is the pattern on the eye.

These eye patterns are actually something that only these birds possess.

In his Dreamscape, Kevin raised his right hand and looked at the pattern on his palm.

I see.

The permissions granted by this pattern essentially include Kevin within the scope of these birds' authority.

Shared permissions and capabilities with them.

Therefore, Golden Thread belongs to him; in fact, Golden Thread should be a common currency among Lord.

All Lord should be able to use it.

Once Kevin understood this, he immediately realized that the Wearer Ghost was also a swindler.

Kevin didn't think that the Wearer Ghost was lying to him; it was quite possible that he himself was only half-knowledgeable.

He's only been Lord for a few hundred years.

After all, he also said that hundreds of years ago he wasn't Lord yet and was just wandering around aimlessly.

Looking back now...

The Wearer Ghost didn't actually have a core territory; he simply drew a circle on the Spike Mountain.

Upon closer reflection, Kevin had no idea whose territory it was when he entered Spike Mountain.

It was only after the Wearer Ghost approached that he realized the other party was actually a Lord.

In other words, this guy hasn't really planned his territory yet, and he doesn't need to care about such things at all.

He simply considered Spike Mountain his territory, and that's why he stayed there.

Thinking about it this way, he actually didn't know how to use the Lord's authority, and probably knew less than he does now.

Maybe it never even appeared in my dreams.

According to the Wearer Ghost, he went directly to the Overlord, asked for what he wanted, and the Overlord got it for him.

It's equivalent to turning a wish into a tangible reality and obtaining it directly from the Overlord.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Overlord, the other party is receiving an advance on their salary.

Looking back now, this situation likely arose because the Wearer Ghost was an independent entity and did not have any group needs.

Therefore, the Lord's territory was just a random place to him, and it meant nothing to him.

Think of other living things.

The Resentful Eater Snake have their own clans to protect, and so does Lord Gelan.

They all have a need for territory, which is why they divide up territory and ensure security over a large area.

This was something they did spontaneously; they would have done it even without the demands of the Overlord.

On the contrary, those Wearer Ghost seem more like they were ordered by the Overlord to protect their territory, and the protection they provided was rather perfunctory.

Kevin now understood why the Overlord had given him a Lord Mark immediately upon seeing him.

Because Kevin has territorial needs; he belongs to a group.

Even without the Overlord's request, Kevin would actually start building his territory on his own using his Lord's authority.

And we will protect the surrounding environment.

Kevin believes the Overlord is aware of this.

Therefore, upon seeing that Kevin possessed the strength of Lord, even if he had only just reached Lord level, they granted him the necessary authority without hesitation.

The burrowing Beetle that defecated on the ground was clearly Lord, stronger than Kevin, but still only a Lord Level Beetle.

Not the Lord Beetle.

"It seems the environment of the Dark Continent is quite complex."

It is known that the expansion of a population carries deadly risks.

However, the targets chosen by the Overlord are all groups.

There must be some connection between these things.

Kevin was getting more and more lost in thought, shook his head and brought his attention back to the present.

The focus now is on the information we already know.

Having learned the purpose of the Golden Thread, and with the help of Melusina's hints, he now understood how to use Golden Thread.

Golden Thread represents willpower; it is the material for fulfilling wishes.

In other words, it possesses abilities that Kevin never even imagined, in order to achieve Kevin's desired goals.

What does Kevin want most right now?

Having learned these things, his mind was now clear.

Teleport.

That's right, it's teleportation.

The Dark Continent is vast; this is Kevin's biggest takeaway from this journey.

Even when he travels at full speed, it can easily take ten days to half a month.

How many people can go at full speed like him?

Once the teams are divided into different groups, without Lord leading them, the other groups will immediately slow down.

Because it's dangerous.

Various deadly dangers exist, and even Knight-level of strength cannot guarantee safety.

Stay vigilant and proceed with slow and deliberate exploration.

The efficiency was reduced by more than ten times.

What Kevin could cover in a month by running at full speed, others might take a year and would also face risks.

Becoming Lord is not an easy thing to achieve.

But humans are inherently greedy, and Kevin himself was extremely greedy because he needed materials.

The distribution of materials is scattered even in the Dark Continent, and given the exaggerated size of the Dark Continent, they are even more dispersed.

Think about it carefully, how far apart are the Unmanned Stone and the Pure White Milk?

Kevin would have to run around for a month.

Others explored slowly, and it took them months to finish.

Not to mention the known hopes, which are simply on the other side of the coast, where Kevin could run at full speed for who knows how long, and would also intrude into the territory of other Overlord.

Kevin simply didn't believe that every Overlord had the same requirements.

That's a different set of rules, a different kind of risk.

His initial plan was to simply go back and then transfer to another location through the Gatekeeper.

The trip itself will only take about a month.

We'll just reach other parts of the coast and continue exploring.

And because there is no exploration base, it is even more dangerous.

But this is already the easiest way.

For the past two to three years, the exploration of the Dark Continent has been largely spent on traveling.

That's such a waste of time.

If it's a road I've never traveled before, or an environment I've never been to before, then that's fine.

Unfortunately, most of them travel back and forth along known routes.

But things are different now.

These Golden Thread might allow Kevin to create a device that enables ultra-long-distance teleportation.