Changing Ships

Flames jetted endlessly through boundless waves of cloud, the sparks at their tips turning into rainbow light that encircled all the space visible to the naked eye. Amid those vast, colorful waves, the Challenge swayed onward like a tiny skiff.

Inside the Challenge, the temperature reached three thousand degrees Celsius. Fortunately, Os had prepared in advance. Everyone wore a leaf against their chest, its cool aura shielding them like a protective barrier.

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

Hawkins stood on deck and looked ahead. It was as though a sun hung before them; all he could see was a blinding expanse of sunlight.

He felt as though they were sailing straight into the sun, moths flying into a flame, courting their own deaths.

Os remained utterly calm. After all, he had spent years roaming the Dream Realm. Wearing sunglasses, he stared ahead and said, "Absolutely. The space up ahead actually isn't all that hot. It's just that the space we're in is too cold, creating a siphon effect at the junction. The real test will come once we reach the other side."

"We have to go through there?" Hawkins could imagine how difficult the road ahead would be.

Os nodded. "Yes. This is the only relatively safe route. There are three others, but one leads to the King of Hands, and the other two are outright death traps. Enter either, and you're certain to die."

The Dream Realm consisted of fragments of countless worlds. The space they currently occupied was what Success City called a large fragment zone—a large fragment of a world. Since such world fragments contained no impurities, they were relatively safe.

Besides large fragment zones, there were also medium fragment zones and small fragment zones.

Medium fragment zones were moderately safe. The region of