Unlike his last visit to Kabas Town, when he had relied on the goddess to take over before he could enter the deepest layer of the dream, Abner's return went remarkably smoothly. Before long, he stood before the Gothic church with its soaring spires.
But Abner did not go inside. He circled the grand building, came to the artificial lake beside it, and stepped into the Trial Temple that shimmered in and out of sight within the water.
The temple had once been the God of Luck's palace, hidden in the Sunia Sea. It was not until Yaluolan found it last year and used the spell "Mystical Reenactment—Disappearing Nation of Evernight" that she dragged it into the depths of this dream.
Abner had entered a projection of the temple on the fifth floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, so he found the entrance passage with ease.
And just as he had expected, the silver-haired, red-eyed Yaluolan was waiting for him there.
A faint smile played on Yaluolan's lips as she spoke first. "You finally came back."
Abner looked her over. He had already learned from her avatar that the Hidden Sage's earlier seizure of the Knowledge Emperor had not harmed her, but after a brief greeting, he still asked with concern:
"Losing the Knowledge Emperor didn't cause you any problems, did it?"
At that, Yaluolan openly let him examine her with Insight before answering, "Things are actually better now. Without the Knowledge Emperor, the Hidden Sage no longer keeps such a close watch on me... Once the matter with Hosenam is resolved and my mind is fully stable, my true body won't have to remain here all the time."
"That's good." Abner nodded. He had already guessed what she wanted to do here, so he invited her himself. "Let's go