Chapter 293: Chapter 289: The Nightmare’s Information

Zhou Ze shook his head, then took a deep breath, trying to block out the chaotic thoughts.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he subconsciously glanced at the cane in his hand.

On the outside, the cane looked ordinary enough. In reality, however, it was made from a bone wrapped in some kind of human skin.

Moreover, using it too often would worsen his physical condition, even hastening his death. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

’Could it be that the Erosion from the Dream Eye on my body has become too severe...?’

At this thought, Zhou Ze’s expression darkened.

He reached out and gently stroked the cane’s surface, feeling the skin-like yet cold and rough texture as he mused inwardly.

’It seems I need to get acquiring a second Dream Eye on the agenda as soon as possible.’

...

However, unbeknownst to Zhou Ze, just as the car turned the corner, a figure emerged from a nearby alleyway.

The figure glanced in the direction the car had gone before looking away. It was Hu Qi.

His body had already returned to its normal size.

Hu Qi walked down the street in the other direction.

Then, he found a restaurant by the roadside and walked straight in.

To the utter astonishment of the restaurant’s server, Hu Qi ordered nearly twenty dishes in one go before entering a private room by himself.

While waiting for the food, Hu Qi recalled what had just happened.

In truth, what had happened to Zhou Ze was neither a so-called dream nor the result of Erosion from his Dream Eye. It was all orchestrated by Hu Qi.

He had first knocked out the driver, Xiaowu, then used the power of his Mirror Person Dream Eye to pull Zhou Ze into the Mirror World.

His goal in doing this was clear: he wanted to learn more from Zhou Ze about this world and its Nightmares.

Previously, Hu Qi had managed to find some related information online through special means, but that information was incomplete and even contained many errors. It could only be used as a reference and couldn’t be fully trusted.

Now, with an official Dream Master right in front of him, Hu Qi naturally wasn’t going to let this rare opportunity slip by.

As for why he didn’t reveal his own strength and join the other party’s faction, it was because Hu Qi had never liked being tied down.

Back in the Earth Star World, his joining a School and entering Zhu Xi had only been a means to better hunt Exotic Beasts and secure a future for himself.

But this world was different. With his abilities, he could replace anyone at any time if he so desired.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was just how weak this Zhou Ze was.

To be precise, a Dream Master without their Dream Eye seemed no different from an ordinary person.

Still, just to be safe, Hu Qi had used some external assistance when employing his Hypnosis Technique—specifically, the method of physical interference.

The method was remarkably effective. Hypnotizing the subject after choking them half to death worked wonders.

Before long, in a session of questions and answers, Zhou Ze had spilled everything, telling him every last detail he knew.

Finally, Hu Qi hypnotized them both and altered their memories, making them believe only five minutes had passed.

’Just as I thought. The Dream Masters of this world walk an extremely distorted Extraordinary path.’

A thought crossed Hu Qi’s mind.

Dream Masters relied on the power of Dream Eyes to use all sorts of bizarre Abilities.

However, their own physique, strength, and reflexes were no different from an ordinary person’s.

Hu Qi had already noticed this with Wei Fan, the suspected Celestial Fate Person.

The Dream Eye on Wei Fan had made him feel a sense of danger, which was a testament to its extraordinariness.

But what happened? Hu Qi had merely tossed a piece of concrete at him.

And Wei Fan was knocked unconscious. The contrast was simply too stark.

However, after hypnotizing and questioning Zhou Ze, Hu Qi now understood the reason.

Dream Masters were a group of people who used their own flesh and blood to wield Nightmare Power.

"Wield" wasn’t quite the right word, though. They were merely nourishing their Dream Eyes with their own lives.

The moment one became a Dream Master, their life entered a countdown.

The only difference was the length of that countdown.

As for the Nightmares—where they came from and how they appeared—Zhou Ze had no idea.

As far as he knew, Nightmares had only begun to appear three years ago.

Of course, Zhou Ze wasn’t entirely sure if this was true.

It was simply what he had been told.

After all, it had been a year at most since he became a Dream Master and joined the Sword Holders.

Because they had to face the Erosion from their Dream Eyes, Dream Masters themselves had very short lifespans.

This was even more true for Sword Holders. Not only did they have to resist the Erosion from their own Dream Eyes, but they also had to resolve Nightmare incidents in their designated areas. To resolve these incidents, they had to use the power of their Dream Eyes, which meant they died even faster.

Just like Zhou Ze’s predecessor, the former Sword Holder of Qishan City, who had died in a Nightmare just six months after taking the post, which was why it was Zhou Ze’s turn to take over.

Sword Holders were so named because they were people who wielded a double-edged sword. In swinging the sword that was their Dream Eye to solve problems, they also inflicted equal harm upon themselves.

Nonetheless, under normal circumstances, there was still no shortage of Dream Masters willing to join the Sword Holders.

Putting aside the immense power and worldly benefits like money, the status of a Sword Holder alone granted access to resources that civilian Dream Masters couldn’t obtain.

For example, the Spirit Candle that emitted a green glow, which Wei Fan had used before, was a strange item developed internally by the Sword Holders that could put a Dream Eye into a temporary slumber.

Because this item was relatively easy to make, the Sword Holders sold it in large quantities. Even the production method had leaked out and was now known by some civilian organizations.

This was also why Zhou Ze hadn’t pressed further after hearing Wei Fan’s explanation.

However, as far as Zhou Ze knew, the fact that this kind of Spirit Candle was sold openly meant it was essentially an obsolete item.

Within the Sword Holders, there were actually stronger, more effective Spirit Candles, but those were much more difficult to produce.

There was also a type of camera that could temporarily freeze the form of monsters in a Nightmare; the film roll inside that camera was very special.

There was no shortage of items like these.

These were all precious, life-saving treasures at critical moments, items that could not be found on the outside.

By becoming a Sword Holder, one would receive a certain monthly allotment. If they wanted more, they would need to exchange points for them.

There were only two ways to get points: a fixed monthly stipend and resolving Nightmare incidents.

Comparatively, the latter was the main source of points.

Besides that, there was another piece of information that almost every Dream Master knew.

Namely, that Gold could, to a certain extent, block the permeation of Nightmare Power.

This was why Wei Fan had kept that Dream Eye in a box made of Gold.

Additionally, there was information regarding Nightmares and the Level classification of Dream Masters.

Nightmares were categorized from Level One to Level Nine based on their area of influence and degree of harm, which wasn’t much different from what Hu Qi had learned online.

As for Dream Masters, they were divided into three tiers: Initial Awakeners, Dreamwalkers, and Dream Masters.

Initial Awakeners: This type of Dream Master had control of at least one Dream Eye. Depending on individual differences and the strength of their Dream Eye, they were capable of resolving ordinary Nightmare incidents, which meant Level One to Level Three Nightmares.

Zhou Ze belonged to this tier.

Dreamwalkers: They needed to control at least three Dream Eyes, allowing their Dream Eyes to exist in a strange state of balance.

In this state, the Erosion to their own body would be reduced when using the power of their Dream Eyes.

This was also why they were called Dreamwalkers.

They already possessed the strength to walk through Nightmares with ease.

Dream Masters of this level were exceedingly rare even among the Sword Holders. In the entire Yu Country, only the first-tier major provinces would have one stationed there.

As for the final tier, Dream Masters, Zhou Ze only knew the name. He was ignorant of any more specific information.

After all, he was merely the person in charge of a third- or fourth-tier city like Qishan City. His status among the Sword Holders was not high at all.

Furthermore, Dream Eyes were divided into two types: item-type and prosthetic-type.

Item-types included things like the Bone Shattering Hammer, the Mirror Person, and the cane in Zhou Ze’s hand.

The prosthetic-type referred to Dream Eyes that could be integrated into the human body, similar to Wei Fan’s eye.

There was no distinction of strength between the two types.

However, compared to the former, the latter was much rarer.

Controlling a Dream Eye was in itself a huge burden.

And with the slightest carelessness, the Dream Eye could reawaken and kill the Dream Master themself.

Let alone controlling even more Dream Eyes.

Therefore, to successfully control more Dream Eyes, luck was one factor, but more importantly, it depended on whether they were compatible with the Dream Eyes one already possessed.

Some Dream Eyes, when combined, were as if they were originally one piece—extremely compatible.

If one could find such a set, it could greatly increase the success rate of controlling a second, or even a third, Dream Eye.

According to what Zhou Ze knew, he had once seen a major figure whose first controlled Dream Eye was a strange Opera Robe.

Later, that person obtained a Red Veil and a Phoenix Hairpin.

The three Dream Eyes achieved an almost perfect balance.