After hearing Jillian's account,
It was clearly somewhat wishful thinking to expect any kind of power system or cultivation method from such a weak race.
"Still, she is a native of this place at the very least. There might be some useful items or intelligence..."
Leylin stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Besides, the Dream World can't be measured by common sense. It's entirely possible that this little one could grow into a terrifying existence by the time I return! Of course, the odds of that are negligible — dying is far more likely — but there's always that sliver of hope..."
"Don't... don't... don't leave..."
Jillian in her dream seemed deeply anxious, clutching the blanket with both hands, her brows tightly knit, her eyes darting wildly beneath her lids. She looked wretched and pitiful.
"Don't abandon me! Hah... it was just a dream..."
Jillian bolted upright, her face at first blank with confusion, until she spotted the steadily burning campfire and let out a long breath of relief.
"Bad dream?" Leylin smiled and set a piece of roasted meat in front of her.
The grease had melded perfectly with the meat, and the rich aroma wafting from it made Jillian swallow hard several times.
"Is... is this for me?" Jillian's stomach growled rather embarrassingly, but she still asked in a tone of disbelief.
"Of course!" Leylin's smile was warm and gentle.
He had no conflict of interest with her, and the roasted meat and bread she consumed — could that even be called a cost? For Leylin, such trivial expenditure meant nothing, and he certainly didn't mind displaying a bit of warmth and kindness.
Many examples had proven that in unfamiliar environments, this sort of disguise was remarkably effective for keeping one's true nature hidden.
Besides, Leylin had no objections to showing a stray cat or dog a bit of mercy now and then.
"Th-thank you..." Jillian whispered softly, then immediately grabbed the roasted meat and took a huge bite. Halfway through, her voice suddenly choked, and she began to cry quietly.
"There's no rush! I have plenty of food! Once you've eaten, I'll take you to find your companions!"
Leylin understood this kind of psychological state all too well, so he comforted her in a slow, measured tone that clearly soothed the girl's emotions.
……
Crack — a dry branch snapped underfoot. Leylin and Jillian carefully skirted the amusement park's location, pressing on through the primeval jungle.
"Those terrible monsters never leave the range of the nodes, so as long as we don't go in there, there shouldn't be any problem…"
Jillian wore the hunter's outfit Leylin had given her. With her face wiped clean, a spirited sharpness showed through, lending her features an almost handsome kind of beauty.
"What's truly terrifying in the Dream World are the Wanderers and the Lords! They can whip up storms at will, demolish houses and crops, and leave us dead or gravely injured…"
Jillian's voice dropped low. "If it weren't for the fact that they look down on us — treat us like ants — we'd probably have gone extinct long ago…"
As she spoke, she couldn't help glancing at Leylin. After all, the methods he had used back then bore a striking resemblance to what she imagined a Lord would be capable of.
"Don't worry! I'm not one of those things — I've simply learned a few other tricks. Haven't you ever encountered other intelligent beings you could communicate with?"
In front of Jillian, Leylin made no effort to conceal his identity as an outsider.
"We have! Not just in the jungle, but even inside some of the nodes — there are beings you can talk to. They just appear very rarely. The ones we see most often are those mindless killing machines…"
Jillian tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I remember my father once telling me that a very, very long time ago, a huge castle appeared inside one of the nodes. An old man with a white beard lived in that castle. Like those Lords, he commanded the power of lightning and fire. He even taught Uncle Morin how to master those powers…"
"Oh?" Leylin's interest was clearly piqued — this sounded somewhat reminiscent of Wizards. "And then what happened?"
"And then…" Jillian's eyes grew distant and unfocused. "After Uncle Morin had mastered those great powers, he said he would take us out of the jungle and show us the world beyond. After that… he disappeared… and never came back…"
"That's quite a sad story… Oh! I'm sorry!"
Leylin was at a loss for words.
"It's fine!" Jillian, however, appeared remarkably resilient. When she spotted a marker by the side of the path, she even let out a small cheer. "We're getting close to our camp!"
Whoosh!
A bone arrow shot toward Leylin, its fletching still quivering.
"Who goes there?" A deep voice rang out from among the trees. Leylin smiled but said nothing. He had long since detected the other party, but it was obviously better to let Jillian handle this.
"Uncle Marg! It's Jillian!" Jillian called out joyfully toward the depths of the forest.
"It's really young Jillian!" The bushes on the other side rustled, and a middle-aged man with a thick beard, dressed in animal skins, appeared. "I heard before that you'd fallen into the node, and I almost thought you were dead. Poor Uncle Marg even shed tears several times over it..."
"Uncle Marg!" Jillian stepped forward and gave the man a tight hug. "I'm sorry for worrying you! Come, let me introduce you. This is Mister Leylin. He's the one who saved me from the node!"
Jillian pulled Marg's hand and led him toward Leylin. Obviously, Leylin's unusual appearance, lacking the strange purple markings, made the man somewhat wary.
But Leylin just smiled, not particularly concerned. As long as he found the place, that was enough. With his abilities, could these primitive natives really stop him?
Of course, given the bizarre nature of the Dream World, Leylin didn't dare be too reckless. Anything that could be obtained through negotiation was better than using force.
After all, this was a world full of unknowns, its distortions and complexities far exceeding anything familiar.
Who knew, the next time he entered, these natives might undergo earth-shattering changes. So, making a small investment now to build good relations was definitely worthwhile.
Soon, everything fell into place. After Leylin clearly showed goodwill, and with Jillian's encouragement and assurance, Marg brought Jillian and Leylin back to their camp.
Leylin looked around. This was obviously a temporary settlement; there were still many felled tree stumps and debris that hadn't been cleared away.
Behind the camp, there were traces of a large fire. A patch of land had been crudely cleared on top, where edible plants and such were growing.
"The farming methods are quite primitive!"
Leylin shook his head inwardly, but he knew it was inevitable. For these natives, perhaps they would wake up tomorrow to find this land had lost all its fertility, turning into a gobi desert, wasteland, jungle, river, or even a volcano. So no matter how much effort they put in, it would be useless.
This simple style extended to their buildings too. A few logs pieced together formed a wooden hut. Most of the natives rested directly in the open, or found a tree hollow or something similar. Leylin even thought the tent he carried would count as a palace here.
Inside one of the crudely built wooden huts, Leylin met Jillian's father. He was a middle-aged man with a very haggard face. Long-term toil made him look almost like a man on the verge of death.
"Cough... Thank you! Guest from afar! You saved Jillian; she is my everything! I truly don't know how to express my gratitude to you, and these foods... they're truly..."
The middle-aged man looked at the pile of white bread and biscuits in front of him, a flush of color rising to his cheeks.
Such fine food was something he could never enjoy.
"Please, don't mention it! Jillian is a very lovely girl. No one could see her come to harm!" Leylin smiled gently.
"Forgive my bluntness, but according to what Jillian said, you... are a
"Yes!" Leylin was somewhat surprised, and even more curious. "Have you met Wizards before? Where did you have contact with them?"
"M-Molin... told me all this..."
The flush on the middle-aged man's face deepened, and Leylin could even sense that his life fire was nearing its limit.
"Molin was once favored by a Wizard and followed them for a period of study, telling us many strange stories. But sadly..." Leylin had already heard the rest of this from Jillian.
"May I ask, does that node with the castle still exist now?" Leylin was still somewhat curious about that fellow of his.
"No! One day, the entire castle and the node vanished without a trace. If Molin hadn't happened to be spending the night outside, I'm afraid..."
The middle-aged man shook his head, then seemed to recall something. With trembling hands, he fished out a piece of animal skin from his person and respectfully placed it before Leylin.
"This was something Molin left for me back then. Though I can't read it, it must be related to Wizards. Please accept it as thanks for your help!"
"This is..." Upon picking up the pelt, Leylin's pupils contracted sharply.
On the animal skin were brownish patterns and symbols. No wonder the man couldn't understand them, as the real information was actually stored on the pelt itself using a Wizard's Spiritual Power.
[Ding! Data interface detected, transmitting information!]
The Chip's voice echoed in his mind, bringing a hint of joy to Leylin's face.
[I am Molin! A native of the Dream World, as my Mentor called it. If you are seeing this data, I beg you to treat my clansmen kindly. Below is the path of Wizardry my Mentor researched specifically for my constitution over several decades...]
The information on the pelt made Leylin reveal a look of delight.