[Dream Awakening] Emergence

Hogg paused at these words, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded and said, "Lei Lin, you are right. I cannot remain in Wushan Town any longer."

Just as Lei Lin had pointed out earlier, actions always leave traces, and those with intent will eventually find the clues.

It was not just the death of a duke; the more troublesome matter was Gilmore, the Cardinal.

With a Cardinal dead, the Radiant Church would undoubtedly launch a thorough investigation!

If he continued to stay in Wushan Town, once the Radiant Church traced the suspicion back to him, they had plenty of methods to extract the truth of today's events from him.

Lei Lin continued, "Yes, Uncle Hogg, not only can you not stay in Wushan Town, but it would be best if you also..."

"Die once!"

Hogg asked in confusion, "Die once?"

He knew Lei Lin did not truly want him to die, otherwise, he wouldn't have been counseling him just moments ago!

Lei Lin nodded and said, "Yes, die once. Although I have cleaned up the aftermath for you, Uncle Hogg, a Cardinal has died after all."

"As long as you are alive, and as long as there is suspicion, the Radiant Church may eventually find you."

"But the status of a [dead man] can cut off their means of investigation to the greatest extent."

"Therefore, die first, then travel far away from the Fenlai Kingdom and the Holy Alliance, and cultivate in silence to grow stronger."

"That is the best way to handle this for now!"

"Even if the people from the Radiant Church eventually find a way to trace it back to you, the time gained will surely be enough for you to grow stronger!"

Lei Lin's tone was encouraging: "Grow strong enough that the Radiant Church would rather overlook the death of a Cardinal than provoke you!"

The death of a Cardinal was truly troublesome.

After all, a Cardinal represented the face of the Radiant Church, and the Church would certainly investigate until the end.

Lei Lin's suggestion was meant to buy time, though not for the reason he stated—that Hogg would grow strong enough to challenge the Church.

After all, Hogg was not the protagonist; it was impossible for him to cultivate to a level that would make the Radiant Church wary in just a few years, even if the protagonist Lin Lei were in his place, it wouldn't be possible!

The main purpose of Lei Lin's suggestion was to give Hogg a reason to keep living, so that his rescue wouldn't have been in vain.

As for the investigation by the Radiant Church?

Heh, if it really came down to it, he could just take Lin Lei to the Magic Beast Mountain Range early and release Dylin.

By then, if the Radiant Church still had the heart to investigate the death of a bishop, he, Lei Lin, would stand on his head to wash his hair and eat noodles with his nose!

At the same time, he secretly thought to himself: "I have tried my best to restore the original plot. I hope that after Hogg [dies], there won't be any more [Heavenly Will] insisting on sacrificing him!"

Once the decision was made, Hogg acted with swift resolution. Without another word, he took the corpses of Gilmore and Duke Paterson and left.

At this moment, because the Duke Paterson mansion had been attacked, the kingdom was already under martial law, but fortunately, no one had discovered Gilmore's death yet.

With the strength of the Zi'ao Family, arranging for Hogg's departure was nothing; Lei Lin had even planned out the subsequent escape route for him!

As for Hogg's [funeral arrangements], Lei Lin indicated that he would handle everything, ensuring it was done with great splendor.

After personally seeing Hogg off from the capital, Lei Lin, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, received news from Yale and the others—Lin Lei was heartbroken!

Upon receiving this news, Lei Lin sighed inwardly: "The timing of your heartbreak is truly coincidental!"

According to the news sent by Yale, after they found Lin Lei acting "stupid" today, they felt something was wrong and realized it might be because of Alice.

Upon investigation, they discovered that Lin Lei had walked in on Alice and Kalan together yesterday, and he had gone straight into an emotional slump!

They had originally thought this was nothing; after all, a breakup was just a breakup, and if a woman was gone, one could just find another.

But when they realized Lin Lei had been dazed for an entire day and still hadn't reacted to anything in the outside world, they felt helpless.

That was why they sent word to Lei Lin, as Lei Lin's relationship with Lin Lei was equally solid!

Moreover, Lei Lin was relatively pure-hearted, with only two women by his side at the moment.

In the eyes of Yale and Reynolds, those two "playboys," Lei Lin should be more understanding and better at handling Lin Lei's current situation.

"Sigh, things have changed, they have really changed!"

"I remember in the original work, it was clearly on November 29th that Lin Lei walked in on Alice and Kalan. Now it's only early October, and Lin Lei, you've only just broken through to a level six mage~"

"With both physical and magical strength at level six, your growth is already ahead of the original plot, and now your heartbreak is ahead of schedule too!"

"And it happened just last night!"

Lei Lin frowned: "Is this stacking buffs on yourself to make it easier to break through to level seven?"

Feeling a bit sentimental, Lei Lin tidied up his laboratory and headed straight to Ernst Magic Academy without another word.

However, he had no good solution for Lin Lei's situation. After all, matters of the heart could only be overcome by oneself.

With his good friend heartbroken, the only thing he could do was accompany him!

Reynolds looked at Lei Lin and said, "Big Brother Lei Lin, Third Brother being like this isn't right. Is there really no way..."

Before Reynolds could finish, Lin Lei, who had been motionless, moved. He picked up his Flat Chisel and stared quietly at the giant boulder before him.

Seeing this, Lei Lin signaled for Reynolds to be quiet, because he knew the carving of the world-renowned masterpiece [Dream Awakening] had begun.

As for stone carving, Lei Lin actually hadn't had much interest in it at the beginning.

However, stone carving is incredibly durable, especially in the Coiling Dragon World where one can extend their lifespan through cultivation, and reaching the Saint Realm grants true immortality.

This form of art is extremely popular among the top-tier powerhouses.

When those above have a preference, those below will surely follow suit.

Slowly, stone carving became the pinnacle of the artistic halls, and more and more people began to study it.

With so many people studying it, even if the probability of producing a masterpiece is low, it cannot withstand the power of probability.

When Lei Lin looked at those top-tier stone carvings, he would feel from the bottom of his heart that they were beautiful!

That kind of beauty is a spiritual charm, as if the soul of the subject had been captured and fixed in place, captivating all who see it.

It is a perfect fusion of the two concepts of realism and freehand brushwork—perfection!

It is a kind of harmony!

When viewers see a top-tier stone carving for the first time, their reaction is never to treat it as a dead object, but rather as a natural part of the surrounding environment.

Even if the expression of the work is completely out of place with its surroundings, it never feels jarring!

He gradually gained some insights into the appreciation of stone carving!

He watched as Lin Lei began his work, starting with large cuts to the stone to adjust the outline.

Then came the treatment of points and lines to determine the form of every part.

Finally, the meticulous polishing to complete the entire work!

From the clothing to the hair, hands, and feet, from the posture to the expressions, five lifelike figures of Alice gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.

For ten whole days, Lei Lin watched the entire process with his own eyes. He watched as Lin Lei used his blade, stroke by stroke, to dig these five people out of the stone!

Yes, dig them out of the stone!

Even though he had witnessed the entire process, it still gave one the feeling that this work had existed in its complete form all along.

The creator, Lin Lei, had merely used his Flat Chisel as a cloth, wiping away the stains from the work bit by bit!