Preparing to Enter

Abner took the contract and read further, finding nothing more than supplementary clauses such as not disclosing information related to the Dream Labyrinth Tower to others, and each person keeping their own exploration gains.

Then, he covertly activated the Pure White Eye. After analyzing it and confirming that there was nothing wrong with the Notarized Document itself, he turned to ask Xio, "What do you think?"

Xio had finished reading the terms as well. She saw no issues either, so she nodded. "I have no objections!"

Once the two had reached an agreement, they signed their names on the contract in Hermes Script. After inspecting it for a moment, Mr. Gaston signed it as well.

The moment he finished, the symbolic patterns and magical markings around the Notarized Document lit up one after another, all radiating bright, warm light. They quickly connected into seal-like images that imprinted themselves in midair onto the backs of Abner and the other two's hands.

The warm current vanished in an instant, and Abner immediately felt a subtle yet invisible connection form between himself and that Notarized Document.

Seeing that the notarization was complete, Mr. Gaston finally said, "The Dream Labyrinth Tower is a wondrous object that exists deep within dreams. It is suspected to have been jointly created by high-sequence Beyonders of the Savant and Mystery Pryer Pathways. I don't know how many entrances it has, but there is one beneath this school. I decrypted it from a manuscript over a hundred years old. Heh, I spent nearly twenty years searching for this entrance."

"What exactly is this tower? And what is inside it?" Abner asked curiously.

"It is an inverted tower, and within it are many Dream Secret Realms that lie between reality and dreams. After entering the tower, because it is inverted, we first enter the ninth floor. There, we will randomly encounter a Dream Labyrinth. As long as we solve it, we can reach the Reward Room and randomly obtain a piece of knowledge or intelligence. Once we take the reward, the passage to the next floor will appear. Mm, the eighth and seventh floors are much the same, except the knowledge gained is more valuable, and the secret realms are harder to solve." Mr. Gaston gave them a general introduction to the Dream Labyrinth Tower.

"What is the furthest floor you have passed?" Abner asked.

Mr. Gaston sighed. "I can reliably clear the ninth floor. The eighth depends on luck; I have only passed it once or twice. The seventh floor is extremely difficult. I have no clue how to solve it and have never cleared it even once."

"This labyrinth can be farmed repeatedly?" Abner was somewhat surprised. This thing was practically an instance dungeon.

"Farmed repeatedly?" Mr. Gaston was briefly taken aback by the phrase before understanding its meaning. He shook his head. "Each person can only enter once a month, and if you enter consecutively, the knowledge granted as rewards gets worse and worse. The second time, it will almost all be knowledge you already possess. After the third time, it will give you intelligence with no value whatsoever. At that point, you can only wait half a year before entering again for it to reset. I have entered relatively often only because I discovered it three years ago."

This sounded more and more like an instance dungeon... Abner mocked inwardly, but outwardly, he said thoughtfully, "So entering once every six months is the best choice?"

"Correct!" Mr. Gaston nodded, then added, "On the ninth, eighth, and seventh floors, because your body is between reality and illusion and leans more toward illusion, you will not suffer much harm. Even if you commit suicide, you will only wake up and return to reality, then remain mentally listless for a while. According to the manuscript I obtained, the true danger begins after the sixth floor, but I do not know what it is exactly."

"I see. Then there really is no danger... because you only want to clear the seventh floor." Abner came to a realization. After pondering briefly, he asked again, "Instance dungeon... no, what kinds of puzzles will we encounter in those Dream Labyrinths?"

"There are scenarios where you search for key items before escaping a building, scenarios where you locate explosives based on clues, and even more crime-solving scenarios... There is no need to discuss the details, because the scenario encountered is different every time you enter. Previous experience is completely useless." Mr. Gaston sounded somewhat helpless at this point. He truly was not good at this.

"No wonder you were willing to spend so much to hire a Detective..." Abner immediately understood Mr. Gaston's thoughts. If he paid too little—only a few hundred pounds—the teacher might not even bother with him. After all, the other party would not mention the Dream Labyrinth Tower in the telegram at all... Even 1,000 pounds had not actually moved the teacher, or he would not have sent Xio and me... And if Mr. Gaston hired some nearby Detective, he probably would not feel at ease, since that person could easily kill him and monopolize the entrance.

"If the three of us enter together, will we be separated into different Dream Secret Realms?" Xio interjected at that moment.

Mr. Gaston shook his head. "No. Before entering the tower, you can choose to form a team. The difficulty will increase somewhat, but you can face the puzzles together. And on the first three floors, the increase in difficulty is not all that significant. In my view, it is better to have good luck..."

There was even team formation... A thought suddenly occurred to Abner. Could this Dream Labyrinth Tower have been created by that fellow Roselle? He was both an Angel of the Paragon Pathway and the Knowledge Emperor of the Hermit Pathway, perfectly matching Mr. Gaston's deduction that it had been created by high-sequence Beyonders of the Savant and Mystery Pryer Pathways.

But that was only his speculation. Abner did not voice it and instead changed the subject. "Mr. Gaston, may I ask what Sequence you are?" He needed to assess the other party's capabilities. Bringing along dead weight to farm an instance dungeon would only make things harder.

"I am a Sequence 7 Appraiser." Mr. Gaston had no intention of concealing it and answered directly.

So he was from that rich man's Pathway. No wonder he had so much money. After all, below Sequence 5, the Paragon Pathway had little combat ability and relied entirely on smashing people with Beyonder items. After sulking inwardly for a moment, Abner nodded. "We have no further questions for now. Is there anything else you need to remind us of?"

After thinking for a while, Mr. Gaston asked, "Can you make Dream Talismans?"

"I can. Is there a problem?" Other deities could only provide their believers with abilities within their own Authority in the form of talismans, but the God of Knowledge and Wisdom was different. He could respond to requests for the creation of nearly every kind of talisman, though their effects were somewhat weaker.

"The 'door' leading underground requires dream-related abilities as a Key, so Dream Talismans are indispensable. Of course, it would be different if you were a Nightmare or a Dreamwalker. Originally, if you did not have any, I would have needed to buy two at a Beyonder gathering. But since you can make them, there is no problem." After explaining, Mr. Gaston continued, "Your journey today has been tiring, so rest first and make your preparations while you are at it. We will gather here tomorrow night at nine and set off."

Neither Abner nor Xio had any objections to the arrangement. After asking Mr. Gaston for some ritual materials, they returned to the dormitory he had arranged for them.

There was no need to elaborate on the ritual. With Abner's current expert-level proficiency in ritual magic, making two low-level talismans was simple.

After sealing the two Dream Talismans with Spirituality, he did not think about the Dream Labyrinth. Since he did not know what scenario they would encounter, there was no use in thinking too much. What he was considering now was how to establish contact with Klein, Mr. Fool.

Although he had previously obtained a method for creating an item connected to Sefirah Castle by analyzing the Gray Fog, that method was essentially ritual magic and required praying for help from a deity or unknown existence! Abner did not want another deity to use him as a medium to threaten Klein, no matter how friendly the God of Knowledge and Wisdom currently seemed. That was the main reason he had delayed making the item.

Forget it. There is no use overthinking it, and there is still time. Klein's Spirituality currently cannot bear having more people join the Tarot Club. Once I advance to Keeper of Knowledge and develop more functions of the Pure White Eye, perhaps I will be able to solve this problem... If all else fails, after Klein comes up with Mr. Fool's Honorific Name, I can recite it in Ancient Hermes to establish contact... That option will bring too much trouble afterward, and it will be difficult to earn Klein's trust. I should not use it unless absolutely necessary.

At the same time, in an old apartment in Tingen City.

A young man with black hair, brown eyes, and an obvious scholarly air pointed a gun at the uninvited guest rolling out of his room, as well as the slowly closing door. He smiled faintly and muttered to himself:

"You might not believe it, but this bullet is actually a blank."

The young man was Klein Moretti. After waiting in the room for a little longer, he suddenly saw Dunn Smith standing opposite him, wearing a black trench coat that reached his knees, a half-top hat, and an expression of calm, his gray eyes deep and profound.

After learning from Dunn that the person preparing to attack him was a member of the Secret Order, and that this achievement had given him an opportunity to become a Beyonder, Klein did not immediately choose the Seer Pathway. He planned to state his decision the next day.

As Dunn's dream powers faded, a handsome silver-haired man wearing a red shirt and black coat narrowed his eyes and smiled in a small attic not far from the old apartment. He murmured, "Just as expected... This is truly interesting."

July 1st, 9 p.m.

Abner and Xio followed Mr. Gaston to the basement of the school warehouse, then passed through a hidden door into the true underground passage. At the end of the passage, they saw a lavishly designed door that lay between reality and illusion.

"Activate the Dream Talismans against the door!" Mr. Gaston said, taking the lead in demonstrating.

Naturally, Abner and Xio followed his instructions.

As the talismans activated, they felt the surrounding scene rapidly shift. Then, a towering structure that reached into the clouds appeared before them—a high tower inverted upon the earth!

(End of Chapter)