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Chapter 4365 Sober
Chapter 4365 Sober
Upon hearing the name "Sean," Uriel paused for half a second before turning around abruptly.
His Adam's apple bobbed for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a hoarse, almost distorted question: "Sean? The Sean you're talking about... is that Sean?"
Luigi's eyes held a hint of innocence: "Which Sean are you talking about?"
It was only then that Uriel belatedly realized that Luigi was just a dreamer and had no idea about his past, which was buried deep in his heart.
He hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up on explaining and simply said softly, "Tell me about this Sean."
Luigi shrugged: "I don't know. His name was said by a group of the Forty Thieves. I don't know anything else."
After a pause, Luigi said in an encouraging tone, "Do you want to go take a look? Anyway, this is a dream, so dying won't make any difference."
The Forty Thieves? That must be... him!
Uriel was dazed for a moment, then whispered, "This is a dream... So, is Sean also an illusion?"
Luigi: "Not necessarily. Sean might be in the same situation as you."
"Like me?" Uriel repeated the sentence, then suddenly seemed to realize something, his pupils contracted... If he is like me, does that mean he is still conscious, able to speak and communicate?
If that's the case... then can we ask him where Rigota is?
Where did Rigota go after Sean took her away that day?
Was he killed by him? Or was there some other unexpected event?
Countless questions surged and collided in his heart, but being in a dream, Uriel's thoughts were always a beat slower than in reality, and his reactions were also a bit sluggish.
Even so, he already had a general direction in mind.
He looked up, his eyes no longer showing the dejection of the past, but filled with an unprecedented determination: "I want to go with you."
Only by seeing Sean in person can one find the answers buried deep in one's heart.
This is the truth he has been searching for for three years and has never given up on.
Seeing the unprecedented determination in Uriel's eyes, coupled with the sudden increase in the weight of the atmosphere, Luigi paused for two seconds before quickly abandoning his previous casualness. He scratched his head and tried to ease the tension with a lighthearted tone: "Although I would like to go with you, you know I need to protect the Crown of the Stars. I have to deal with those challengers every night, so I can't spare the time at all."
He paused, then quickly added, "So, I can't go to the Misty Forest with you this time."
"But don't worry, Blanche will go with you."
Uriel had no objections.
He's going to the Misty Forest to confront Sean; it doesn't matter who goes with him, or even if he goes alone...
Moreover, Blanche might be better than Luigi's carefree personality.
"When shall we depart?" Uriel asked.
Luigi: "If you'd like, you can set off now."
Uriel didn't hesitate at all: "Now!"
After saying that, Uriel went straight downstairs.
Luigi had originally wanted to ask Uriel if they should pack their travel essentials... but then he thought that Uriel's attic was full of junk, and bringing it into the Misty Swamp would only make him a laughingstock.
It's better not to bring it.
……
Ten minutes later.
Uriel has already spoken with Blanche about the situation in the Misty Forest instance.
Although Uriel's understanding of "dungeons" was still vague, he at least knew what he had to do next—complete the main quest and find out the truth about the "evil spirits".
To be honest, when he learned the mission objective, Uriel felt a strange sense of relief and a subtle sense of relief.
Because the main quest and what he has to do do not conflict.
He had previously worried that if the main quest kept him away from the "evil spirits," then he... definitely wouldn't follow the main quest.
But since the main storyline involves encountering "evil spirits," there's no need to worry about missing out.
"It's about time we went in." Uriel looked at the wooden door under the tree, his eyes revealing impatience.
Blanche glanced at Camiro subconsciously, then turned to look at Luigi. Seeing that both of them were looking at her gently, indicating that she should make the decision, she nodded slightly and whispered, "Then... shall we go?"
With that, Blanche walked to the wooden door first.
She didn't push the door open immediately. Instead, she stopped, took a deep breath, turned around, and said to Uriel in a solemn tone:
“I’ve made up my mind. This time, my persona will be Mr. Uriel’s bodyguard.”
After saying that, Blanche covered her chest with one hand and said with a serious expression, "I will definitely protect you."
Hearing Blanche's solemn declaration, word by word, the people in the courtyard fell silent, their expressions somewhat subtle: "..."
Uriel, however, nodded with a smile: "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Blanche to take care of it."
During this time together, he also got to know Blanche better. She was a little girl who liked to immerse herself in her own fantasies, and she would create a novel character for herself every time she fantasized.
Sometimes she is a pampered princess, sometimes a valiant knight, and occasionally she even imagines herself as a tree in the yard, quiet and stubborn.
Therefore, Blanche's self-positioning as a "female bodyguard" is in line with her personality.
Moreover, in Uriel's view, it's better to establish a strong persona than a delicate young lady persona, since they're going to be operating in the treacherous Misty Forest this time.
Blanche was very happy with Uriel's cooperation.
To emphasize her "bodyguard" role, she even took a step back, striking a "protector" pose as she prepared to push open the door.
But just then, Luigi's voice came: "Wait."
Blanche paused, then turned to look at her.
Luigi turned around, walked to the exquisite travel hut next to the dilapidated attic, took out a glass ball, and gently waved his hand.
The travel cabin shrank at a visible rate, eventually shrinking into a tiny glass sphere.
Luigi walked over with the glass ball and handed it directly to Blanche.
"Take it."
Blanche was somewhat surprised and hesitated to answer: "I..."
Luigi: "You should know that the Traveling Lodge has a skill that can remove negative status effects, which might come in handy during your exploration."
The ability Luigi mentioned is—
"Want to rest?: Falling asleep in the travel cabin will slowly eliminate the negative energy attached to your body."
Although this ability requires falling asleep first, isn't "deep sleep" a kind of sleep?
Perhaps those who have been afflicted by the "Whispering Curse" can recover through this ability?
Blanche shook her head vigorously: "Mr. Luigi, this is too precious, I can't accept it."
Blanche had naturally experienced the power of the "Travel Cottage." Whether it was the instant recovery from "You must be tired from your trip" or the removal of negative feelings from "Do you need a rest?", the effects were outstanding, almost immediate.
Blanche naturally dared not accept such a precious magical artifact so easily.
Seeing Blanche decline, Luigi said irritably, "I'm not giving it to you, I'm just lending it to you. Besides, I basically don't need it in the Uriel instance, so leaving it here is a waste."
That's not a lie.
The travel cabin is currently located in Luigi's place, purely for resting.
Both abilities are completely useless.
"If I really want to rest, wouldn't it be better to just log off?"
"Besides, now that Uriel is gone, I can use his attic to rest."
"So please don't refuse. The travel cabin is of little use to me right now, but it might be surprisingly useful to you. It's always good to have an extra layer of security."
Blanche hesitated for a moment, but was eventually persuaded.
During this period, she witnessed Luigi's "challenge" firsthand. Each time, he would compete in a performance with others in the courtyard, and then he would basically go offline afterward.
The travel cabin was placed in the yard, but Luigi didn't use it much. Instead, she and Juanjuan often went there to curl up on the sofa and rest.
Therefore, Luigi was telling the truth.
She finally nodded and carefully took the glass ball: "I will definitely protect the travel cabin and bring it back perfectly intact!"
Luigi waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, the Traveler's Hut is a Wonderland artifact, it's not that easy to break, no need to be so careful. But... Uriel, you must protect it well."
Uriel was, after all, an ordinary person who had never been exposed to the extraordinary world, let alone a dungeon of E-level difficulty right from the start.
Even though you won't actually die in the instance, the eerie sights and deadly curses can leave a psychological burden and even break your mind.
During this time with Uriel, Luigi and Uriel became close friends, almost without the formal teacher-student relationship.
Unable to enter the Misty Forest himself to protect Uriel, he had no choice but to ask Blanche for help.
He lent out the travel cabin primarily to provide Uriel with some security.
Blanche nodded solemnly: "I understand. As a bodyguard, I will definitely protect Mr. Uriel's safety!"
Luigi smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead."
Blanche nodded, waved goodbye to everyone with Uriel, and then resolutely opened the gate under the withered tree.
Sun and Moon Wizard, Camillo, and Juanjuan all watched silently.
Only after Blanche and her companion disappeared behind the dark door did they disperse silently.
……
Angor had already left the Uriel instance.
When he opened his eyes again, the surrounding environment had changed once more, and he found himself in front of the crystal artifact in the Misty Forest instance.
The surroundings were still shrouded in a light mist.
He walked up to the crystal creation and entered the perspective of the miniature garden.
The view shifted, and Angor found himself above the Misty Swamp Forest. His gaze settled on a corner of the Green Forest, looking towards a dead tree at the edge of the forest.
Blanche was the first to step out of the dark tree hole.
Following closely behind was Uriel.
As soon as Blanche came out, she tensed up and warily surveyed her surroundings.
Beneath her feet lay soft, sticky black mud, sinking half an inch with each step, accompanied by a faint squelching sound. The stench of decay and dampness, mixed with the musty smell of withered leaves, rushed into her nostrils, choking her and causing her to instinctively cover her nose.
The surroundings were shrouded in a thick, impenetrable white fog, reducing visibility to less than three meters. The trees in the distance could only be seen as blurry black shadows, their branches twisted and intertwined like withered, barren claws pointing barely at the gray sky.
Everything around her matched her impression of the misty forest.
Dark, damp, and shrouded in layers of fog, the scene was oppressive as far as the eye could see.
Such a cold and dark place would have made ordinary people uneasy, and even instinctively fearful and retreating.
But there was no fear in Blanche's eyes; instead, there was an irrepressible excitement hidden within them.
It wasn't that she preferred this gloomy and terrifying environment, but rather...
Having been confined to Uriel's small courtyard instance for days, repeating the same routine every day, she was longing to go. Now, finally being able to step out of that world and truly enter a completely new and unknown area was like a long-awaited breath of fresh air for her!
Moreover, this misty swamp forest was so realistic that it was almost perfect. The vegetation, the moisture, the rotten mud, the mist... everything was exactly the same as the real world, which made her feel excited.
Because of her "strange illness," she was well protected by her teachers and had very little experience in real life.
Even if they went to the Misty Forest in reality, they would not be afraid with the strength of a wizard apprentice.
But in the Dream Crystal Plains, her abilities were sealed, and she stepped into this dangerous swampy forest with the body of an ordinary person.
Without any special techniques or trump cards, one can only rely on observation, caution, and courage to explore step by step.
This was clearly an adventure for her!
It's not a fake adventure created by myself in a fantasy, but a real adventure!
Although Blanche was excited, she didn't forget her character and Luigi's instructions.
She turned to Uriel with a stiff expression: "Sir, we have arrived at the Misty Marsh Forest. Next, I intend to..."
She meant to say that she would go and explore first, but she realized something was wrong halfway through her sentence.
Uriel's expression was full of surprise and doubt. He repeatedly touched his cheek with his fingertips, his eyes blinking incessantly, as if he had just completely escaped from a chaotic long dream.
"Mr. Uriel? What's wrong?"
Hearing Blanche's call, Uriel slowly came to his senses, his gaze falling on her, his tone slightly dazed: "You are... Blanche?"
Blanche was even more confused: "It's me, is there something wrong?"
Uriel shook his head slightly, but his gaze remained unfocused yet clear. He looked around at the cold, damp mist, the soft, rotten black mud, and the twisted, withered trees, every detail of which was glaringly clear.
He murmured softly, as if asking her, or perhaps asking himself:
"It's nothing... it's just, why does this place feel so real?"
In that previous dream, no matter how awake or how much he thought, his heart always seemed to be veiled by a thin gauze; his consciousness was his, but his reactions were always a beat slow, his emotions were separated by a layer, and his senses were vaguely blurred.
He knew it was a dream, and he accepted the dazed state, as long as he could remember it when he woke up.
But the moment you step into the Misty Swamp Forest, that veil crumbles.
There was no stagnation, no ambiguity, and not a trace of illusion.
The mud underfoot was heavy, the cold wind stung my face, and even my breath was damp and chilly.
Everything was so realistic that it made him uneasy.
He still retained a faint rational understanding that "this must be a dream," but his body, his five senses, and every taut nerve were frantically telling him:
This is not a dream.
This is real.