Dreamland

The firewood was running low, and it would only burn until midnight. Lu Li realized that there wasn't enough time to search for more firewood. Additionally, he couldn't carry a large quantity by himself. The remaining firewood would only last for about 34 hours, and there were still at least five hours until dawn.

Despite the retreat of the Corpse Demons, Lu Li was well aware that there were other lurking spirits in the darkness. If the firewood burned out, these spirits would see him and the old man as their breakfast the following day.

The old man held the puppet, and the tears in the corner of the puppet's eyes seemed even more captivating and beautiful. The atmosphere in the ruined temple was oppressive, and a sense of drowsiness lingered in the air. Lu Li noticed the old man's eyelids growing heavy as he fought to stay awake. He added more firewood to the blazing flames, causing the old man's head to droop again as he succumbed to sleep.

Dizziness overwhelmed Lu Li once more, but then something caught his attention. His brain limit had been unlocked: 10... 11... 12... 15! The unlocking of his brain not only increased his thinking speed but also enhanced his ability to process information. Normally, our brains filter out irrelevant information to prevent burnout. However, Lu Li's brain now collected and analyzed every detail of his surroundings—the temperature, air quality, scent, light, sound, and even the intangible sensation of darkness. All this information flooded his mind, allowing him to make connections and draw conclusions.

With newfound clarity, Lu Li grasped his bright-red nosebleed-stained fingers and exclaimed, "Eureka!"

Then he fainted, and the ruined temple began to disintegrate, transforming into black-brown ashes that fluttered away. Reality merged with illusion, and falsehood became even more real. This place was a dreamscape, yet it wasn't. It existed somewhere between the void of nothingness and the realm of reality.

When Lu Li regained consciousness, he saw the puppet sitting across from him. It gazed at the old man, who was still sound asleep, with an expression of unrequited love. Lu Li couldn't help but feel a sense of cruelty in their existence. Like two flowers on opposite shores, they bloomed and shed petals, their paths never crossing, forever mistaken. In the waking world, the old man was unaware of the puppet's consciousness, while in the dreamland, the puppet could only watch as the old man slept. Their intertwined existence, bound by destiny for decades, remained unfulfilled, tragic even.

After a sigh, Lu Li addressed the puppet, "Let's continue our previous discussion. What would you like me to do?"

"I have seen your dedication, young master," the puppet replied, its gaze returning to Lu Li. "I mentioned before that everything here holds significance, but there should have been a temple that has vanished. Without it, our efforts are in vain. That temple is the symbol of safety. If we find it and transfer the firewood there, we will truly be secure. The safety of the temple in the real world will also be strengthened."

"A temple?" Lu Li peered deeply into the puppet's eyes, refraining from further questioning about the temple. Instead, he asked, "We don't have enough firewood in the real world. You have a better understanding of the lurking entities in the darkness. Do you have a solution?"

"Young master, you don't need to worry. I will take care of it when the time comes," the puppet replied with a faint smile. It then turned away and said, "Hurry and prepare. Our time is limited. The flow of

time in the dreamland is unstable. If we take too long, it will be detrimental."

Lu Li tore off another strip of fabric from his pants and fashioned a simple torch. He noticed a peculiarity in this dreamland—whenever he tore a strip of fabric here and returned to reality, the strip remained, but when he returned to the dreamland, it disappeared. Now, he had neither strip of fabric, and his school uniform pants had turned into shorts.

Luckily, the snowflakes floating around weren't too cold; otherwise, he would freeze. With the puppet leading the way, sharing knowledge about the dreamland, Lu Li followed behind with the torch, maintaining a steady pace.

"Dreamland is like a bubble with distinct regions, but they are not entirely separate," the puppet explained. "Although spirits usually remain within a specific region, they can sometimes cross boundaries. They manifest as projections during the sleep stage. If they harm you here, you'll also be injured in reality."

"Doesn't it require the person inside the house to open the door for the spirits to enter freely?" Lu Li asked with interest. The existence of these spirits was difficult to perceive, and their interaction with reality was limited but not impossible. They could produce sounds that normal people might not hear, except those who were neurotic or had neurasthenia. For example, knocks. Once the person inside the house opened the door, the spirits could enter without hindrance, taking the house as their safe haven.

"You mentioned that these spirits have difficulty existing in reality. Then how do these pale-skinned monsters come into play?" Lu Li inquired, curious about the Corpse Demons. Although they feared fire, they could still exist in the real world during the night.

"These monsters have a special reason," the puppet replied suddenly. "They are different from me, spirits with ethereal bodies. We, as spirits, are non-living entities in reality. However, they were once living beings whose physical bodies have died."

"Dreamland also has different periods. During the daytime, it enters a low period where spirits find it difficult to move and cannot harm the projected humans. But at night, if you are in a house without the high-piled firewood or similar safeguards, you may become a monster's dessert. Of course, when a large number of humans gather, their collective vitality forms a protective effect similar to high-piled firewood."

"Remember, Dreamland and the real world are not completely interconnected. For example, special individuals like you can enter this realm, and we can even use our abilities to affect reality. In the real world, certain actions can directly bridge the gap between both realms, summoning fabricated ghosts into reality."

"This world is unsafe," the puppet summarized.

Lu Li paused for a moment, then smiled and said softly, "Indeed... it's an interesting world."