Qin Ze had a very, very long dream.
In my dream, my family was reunited. There were no strange beasts or evil gods; life was peaceful and simple.
He wanted to keep having this dream forever, until...
"You're awake~"
Qin Ze slowly opened his eyes, and Miss Sword Case was still softly calling in his ear.
"Wake up, it's dawn."
Qin Ze sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He hadn't slept this soundly in a long time.
The surrounding villagers also gradually woke up and went home with their blankets.
The so-called bonfire party turned out to be just everyone gathering together to sing and sleep.
"So tired..."
Qin Ze stretched his neck.
Even though I slept all night, I still felt a deep, soul-deep exhaustion.
Miss Sword Case whispered, "Last night in my dream, something secretly stole your soul power."
Qin Ze frowned immediately.
BIG!
They even dare to touch me, their Troupe Leader!
He immediately examined his own spirit.
Just as Miss Sword Case said, the soul power was indeed reduced.
Miss Sword Case continued, "It wasn't just you; a small portion of the soul power of everyone present was stolen in the dream."
Qin Ze asked in a deep voice, "Including witchcraft?"
Miss Sword Case replied, "Even the witch was asleep; he was just the last to fall asleep."
The singing was indeed strange.
He fell asleep without even realizing it last night.
Although I was very tired when I woke up, I subconsciously wanted to do it again.
Not for anything else, but for that sweet dream.
Fortunately, Qin Ze is no ordinary person and his dependence on dreams isn't that deep yet, but who knows, if it happens a few more times.
"Have you noticed where everyone's lost soul power went?"
"They went east into the forest and disappeared deep within it."
Qin Ze looked over.
He vaguely remembered seeing a tall tower in that direction last night, but now there was nothing in the same spot.
Did you see the tall tower in the forest last night?
There's nothing there.
Qin Ze muttered to himself, "Am I the only one who can see this...?"
The long-armed man next to Qin Ze got up, wrapped in a blanket, and greeted him, "Did you sleep well?"
Qin Ze smiled and said, "I've never had it this good. These past few days of being tossed around in the Abyss have really exhausted me."
Is there a bonfire party tonight?
The long-armed man nodded. "Every night."
What a vampire!
Qin Ze was certain that it was the "god" the shaman had mentioned who was behind it.
Only a god could possess such unfathomable abilities.
However, Qin Ze did not discover Corruption in the Spiritual Sea of Consciousness; none of them were fanatics.
This was the first time he had ever seen an evil god who didn't harvest faith but instead drained soul power.
"I want to go hunting in the forest and make a blanket so I can sleep more comfortably at night."
The long-armed man said, "Don't go east; it's not safe there even during the day."
"Also, be sure to return to the village before dusk, and absolutely, positively, do not stay in the forest at night."
Qin Ze asked curiously, "What would happen if we stayed in the forest?"
The long-armed man's face showed a look of horror. "Someone once ignored the shaman's warning and left the village at night, never to return."
"That night, the screams in the forest lasted for a long time."
Qin Ze raised his eyebrows.
Isn't the world supposed to be safe?
It seems that it's not so absolute.
"I've got it."
Be back before dusk.
Qin Ze bid farewell to the long-armed man, Miss Sword Case over his shoulder, and left the village.
The villagers were already working in the fields, and the children were playing barefoot in the stream, creating a peaceful scene.
Miss Sword Case Box said, "After you fell asleep last night, the forest seemed to come alive."
The forest has come back to life; what a terrifying story!
Miss Sword Case continued, "There's a force in the forest trying to invade the village, but it was stopped by the guy who stole your soul power."
Judging from what Miss Sword Case said, it seems that there are two different forces vying for power in this world.
They are separated by dusk.
During the day, the village has the upper hand, and the villagers can freely enter and leave the forest.
Nighttime is the domain of the forest, with only a small village area being safe.
Miss Sword Case felt somewhat guilty. "Actually, I could have stopped it from stealing your soul power last night, but I didn't know its specific methods. I was worried that after it noticed my presence, it would forcibly tear your soul apart."
Qin Ze thought to himself that Miss Sword Case was an expert in dreams.
" Daydream " can easily interfere with anyone's dreams.
Qin Ze comforted him, "It's okay, you actually did a great job last night."
"You are my trump card; you must never reveal yourself unless it's absolutely necessary."
Miss Sword Case was very happy to hear Qin Ze's praise.
Upon entering the forest, Qin Ze immediately released a group of clones and simultaneously instructed everyone via the Local Area Network: "Head east, and don't come back tonight."
He wanted to use his clone to verify just how dangerous the forest was at night.
While you're at it, go find that tower.
Qin Ze was certain that last night's sight was not a hallucination; he had indeed seen the tower.
"Yay! We can finally explore the area ahead!"
Anyone want to team up? No Self-Destruct Squad, please.
"You ungrateful bastard, now you're complaining that we're too weak."
"Let's start clearing the land, brothers!"
"..."
The clones cheered and scattered, disappearing into the forest.
Qin Ze casually strolled around the area and, in the process, hunted a deer that bumped into him.
The forest was perfectly normal during the day; it was just an ordinary forest.
Looking up at the blue sky, Qin Ze rose into the air.
The greenery in this world is simply too abundant; everything in sight is green.
Even when he flew to the edge of the sky, he still couldn't see the end of the forest.
The village was like an isolated island in a green ocean; from his vantage point, Qin Ze could only see a tiny dot.
"The forest is more like the villain."
"The village that stole the villagers' soul power has become its protector."
How did the original inhabitants of this world disappear?
Qin Ze didn't go too far and returned to the village before dusk, where smoke was billowing from the chimneys of every household.
After returning to the house, he examined what his clones had seen and heard, but found nothing of value.
"We'll have to wait until tonight."
A child carrying a pot of flowers walked past the window, and Qin Ze called out to him.
Where did the flowers come from?
The child stopped and said, "It grows in the forest."
Qin Ze took out a deer leg. "I'll trade you this."
The child happily accepted the meat. "I'll give you the flowerpot too; I dug it up by the stream."
Qin Ze placed the flowerpot on the table and noticed several lines of small writing on its surface.
Miss Sword Case asked expectantly, "May I water it?"
Qin Ze nodded. "Of course, it was prepared for you."
Miss Sword Case eagerly took out her water-attribute flying sword. "You really are my best friend."
Splash--
As a stream of clear water flowed from the sword, the flower became even more stunning.
Not wanting to disturb Miss Sword Case's enjoyment, Qin Ze planned to check the flowerpots after she finished watering them.
Since it was dug up, the flowerpot most likely belonged to the indigenous people.
Why is it so itchy?
Qin Ze scratched his face, but the more he scratched, the itchier it became.
Miss Sword Case turned around at the sound, and was so startled that she almost dropped her flying sword.
"Ah!"
" Qin Ze, do you have eyes on your face?!"