...
Roland had become skilled at the process of entering the dream. As long as he pondered the unique elements of the dream world before closing his eyes, he could "trigger" the light pillar that stretched to the sky. Afterward, he would naturally awaken and welcome the morning of another world.
However, this time, there was a slight accident. He didn't wake up naturally but was roused by a series of phone rings.
Fortunately, this sleep wasn't genuine slumber, and he didn't feel groggy. Roland turned over, sat up, and picked up his phone from the bedside table, discovering that it was Garcia calling.
"Hello, do you know what time it is—"
"Six thirty, not too early," the voice on the other end interrupted. "Besides, how would I know if you might have relatives suddenly visiting?"
Roland couldn't help but twitch his lips. It seemed she still remembered the last time he stood her up. "Uh... what's up?"
"Haven't you always wanted to know what Erosion is? The association has set the visiting time for new initiates for this afternoon. After breakfast, come to 0827."
"Isn't it supposed to be in the afternoon?"
"You're not the only new person. It takes time to get there and meet up with people from other districts," Garcia's voice rose slightly. "What, are you taking your relatives out again today?"
And there's more than one of them. Of course, he knew that if he answered that way, she would definitely block his door. Besides, he was indeed full of curiosity about the "Erosion" that Garcia mentioned. "Okay, but I went to bed a bit late yesterday, so... you know, my body might have a bit of a smell. Let me take a shower first."
"..." She fell silent. Even through the phone, Roland could feel the disdain emanating from the other end. Finally, Garcia hung up after throwing out a "Please hurry up."
Then he needed to hurry.
Roland got dressed and walked into the living room. Jieluo was busy in the kitchen – she was focused on frying eggs, wielding the spatula with skill. Just watching her movements, one would almost forget that she was just a nascent being.
"Good morning," he greeted. "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."
Jieluo gave him a suspicious look. "Uncle, are you going for a morning exercise?"
"Sort of..." he said casually. "Oh, right, the company has an employee conference this afternoon, so I might be back a bit late. Don't wait for me to eat together."
"Got it," the little girl pouted.
Leaving the dormitory building, the neighborhood was already bustling. White steam billowed from the rice noodle shops on the street, and the breakfast stalls sizzled with oil sticks being fried in the wok. Even though it was deep autumn and people were wearing much thicker clothes, many older morning runners could still be seen around the building. They wore short-sleeved shirts and sports pants, striding forward to the sound of the radio and vendors' shouts, their hands and feet not a bit slower than young men.
Roland turned into a small alley not far from the dormitory building and stopped in front of a shop that was not yet open. The rental notice posted on the storefront was quite eye-catching, except that a large "已" (already) character had been drawn in front of the word "rental."
He took out his key and opened the side door.
Walking inside, the twenty-odd witches standing inside knelt on one knee at the same time and saluted in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to Neverwinter.
Merely a wall apart, yet it felt like another world.
"Welcome to the dream," Roland nodded.
...
"You mean, there's a special mission today?" Upstairs in the shop, Phyllis, Faldi, Ling, and Tongen surrounded Roland, listening attentively to his instructions – as the first pioneers to enter the dream, they already had a certain understanding of this world, and thus became guides for the remaining survivors of Taqila. Whether it was enjoying food and entertainment or hunting Fallen Evils, they could play a role in taking care of and guiding others, which really reduced Roland's burden a lot.
And this shop was the new base he had rented with the proceeds from hunting, through intermediaries. Compared to the previous warehouse, it was not only much more spacious, but also less likely to arouse suspicion when moving around.
Roland repeated the notice from the Martial Artists Association.
once, "According to what Garcia said before, when the association organizes new people to understand the inside story, they will take them to headquarters. The specific location of this place has always been unknown to outsiders, so I want to take this opportunity to find out where they hide the base of natural power, and this requires your abilities."
"Let my bugs follow you," Faldi summoned a magic insect nest, picking out a beetle and pinching it in her fingertips. "That way I can know your location at all times."
After receiving his consent, the witch placed the beetle on his collar. The bug quickly crawled into his long hair and hid, with no change visible on the outside. He could only vaguely feel that there was something extra on the back of his neck.
"Also, Phyllis and Ling, come with me," Roland suppressed his discomfort and turned to look at the other two. "You should still remember how to take a taxi, right?"
Phyllis nodded. "Wave, tell the driver to follow the car in front, and pay when we arrive."
"Talk less when driving, and respond with silence to whatever they ask," Ling patted her chest and added. "Don't worry, Your Majesty, we remember it clearly!"
"Good," Roland praised. "After the car stops, Ling, try to infiltrate – although there is no God's Stone of Retribution in this world, I don't know if the Martial Artists Association has any other means of interfering with the operation of magic power. If you can't do it, don't force it. Your most important task is to hide yourselves, understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the three said in unison.
"Then... Your Majesty, what about me?" Tongen pointed to herself with an expectant look.
"You stay here and take care of the sisters of Taqila," Roland pulled out ten hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and handed them to her. "This is the money for ordering takeout, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The original entertainment activities will be postponed until tomorrow."
"Eh... but I'm also very suitable for infiltration," Tongen said unwillingly.
"It's precisely because you're suitable for infiltration that we need you to stay here. In case something unexpected happens, you're the only one who can evacuate without attracting attention." Roland patted her on the shoulder. "Of course, if you settle everyone down properly, I'll take you to the cinema specifically next time."
"I... understand," hearing the word "specifically," Tongen immediately regained her spirits. "Please leave it to me."
He had already let the four try ordering takeout before, and the Taqila witches' outstanding acceptance ability allowed them to quickly master this skill. As long as one person was left behind, there shouldn't be any major problems.
In this way, he was ready to go to the headquarters of the Martial Artists Association.