Mystery

Not long after, five scruffy men stepped forward.

They were generally dressed in tattered linen clothes, with their faces covered in unkempt beards, making it impossible to discern their true ages.

'Your names…'

Alan Sothos sighed inwardly and asked.

'I'm Sanchez.'

'Grimm.'

'Beck.'

'Adam.'

'Eight Fingers, my lord.'

Each of the five militiamen reported their names. Alan glanced at the one named 'Eight Fingers,' who appeared to be in his thirties with a pointed face. Seeing Alan's gaze, he offered a fawning smile, though his rotten teeth detracted from his appearance.

Alan glanced at the man's hands and saw that both of his pinkies were missing, his heart stirred.

According to the laws set by Theodore, anyone caught stealing within the territory would face the punishment of 'finger chopping.'

'This man has had both pinkies chopped off, indicating he was caught twice. Who knows how many times he wasn't caught…'

'A despicable thief, an honest farmer… Father really gave me a good selection.'

Alan's voice turned serious: 'Starting today, you are each captains of your own squads. You must complete the tasks I assign you, especially on the battlefield. Do you understand?'

A listless chorus of responses followed. It was clear that this was a group of seasoned but demotivated soldiers.

On the battlefield, they would surely prioritize their own survival, perhaps vying for spoils, but expecting them to fend off strong enemies was a dream!

Fortunately, Alan had no such illusions.

To the lord, they were cannon fodder.

To Alan, however, they were meat shields, and at worst, they could distract enemies during a retreat, which was enough.

'Now, start training!'

He coughed and pointed his Long Sword at Eight Fingers: 'You, come spar with me!'

Alan had some understanding of the art of leadership and prepared to establish his authority.

The opponent was merely a frequently hungry thief with some street fighting experience, no match for Alan, who had undergone formal knight training!

...

In the forest.

Having briefly disciplined each captain, establishing his authority, and promising future rewards, Alan armed himself with a bow and arrows and ventured into the forest for hunting.

Swoosh!

His archery, while not as refined as that of a specialized archer, was still competent after rigorous training.

Catching sight of a trace of prey out of the corner of his eye, he drew his bow, released his fingers, and the bowstring vibrated.

Thud!

In the distance, a small deer fell to the ground, pierced by the arrow, a pool of blood forming.

'Good luck today, we can have an extra meal.'

Alan nodded, carrying his prey out of the forest.

Along the way, the commoners of Green Forest greeted him respectfully.

Alan kept a cold demeanor, mostly ignoring them, as he was used to it and couldn't possibly respond to each one. Only a few notable figures in the territory would receive his nod in return.

Before long, he arrived outside the castle.

Ginny, holding up her cake dress, was about to go out. Seeing Alan, she greeted him: 'Alan… is this your prey?'

She had beautiful blonde hair, and the purple eyes inherited from the Sothos Family sparkled like gems, constantly blinking as she eyed Alan's prey with a look of longing.

Alan smiled, patting Ginny's head: 'Don't worry, there's plenty for you.'

He found it amusing and recalled past memories.

He remembered the first time Ginny saw him catch a wild rabbit. Her eyes filled with tears: 'The little bunny is so cute, why kill them?'

Then… Alan cooked a braised rabbit and fed a piece to Ginny…

The result was Ginny discovering a new world—little bunnies were not only cute but also delicious!

Moreover, even the little bunnies' parents were delicious! The little deer were also delicious!

'It's a deal then, this is our lifelong agreement.'

Ginny mischievously blinked.

Alan's hand slid down and pinched Ginny's smooth cheek.

Hmm, it had to be said, little girls are indeed the cutest, making him slightly regretful. In his past life, he should have had a daughter. A son, even a dog would dislike, might be cast aside for now.

'Though… I didn't have a wife in my past life…'

'I'm already ten years old, stop pinching my cheeks.'

Ginny pouted, puffing her cheeks like a bun, as if performing a facial expression.

'Haha!'

Alan couldn't help but laugh heartily at this scene.

Although Sonia and Sean were annoying, this sister was quite adorable.

However, he wondered if this pure sibling affection would survive as they grew up.

Thinking of Colin and Sean, Alan sighed again.

...

Night.

He re-entered the dream world.

The originally deep-blue sea now reflected a crimson light, turning into a 'Red Sea.'

Alan looked up at the scarlet sun. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt the sun growing redder and increasingly nauseating.

It was so red it seemed it might drip blood...

'To think I can do this in my dream…'

Alan glanced in the direction he had set and did not move.

Based on his observations, movement required energy.

And the sixteen years of accumulation had been exhausted in the transformation of the sun.

He was back to his childhood predicament, but at least he could start acting.

'Energy is precious now, and with the threat of war in reality, using it for movement would be wasteful. It's better to explore how this mysterious power from my dreams could assist me… Maybe even bring the dream's power into reality, perhaps not to the extent of altering reality, but even a fraction, one ten-thousandth, would make me invincible in reality, maybe even… immortal?'

Alan's eyes filled with longing as he tried to recall the feeling of transforming the sun.

That sensation of being the [Creator in the Dream]!

'I want to be stronger!'

'I want the mystery!'

'I want to be extraordinary!'

...

Reciting his desires like a prayer, complex and terrifying sounds reached his ears.

It was like the reappearance of that day, with endless chaos and madness surging.

In an almost crazed state, Alan received his 'feedback!'

'Insufficient Mystery!'

'Mystery? This must be the energy I defined earlier, generated daily with my Dream Entry?'

Alan realized that, in this semi-mad state, his authority had increased, giving him a taste of 'omniscience.'

'I can't transform my body now because I don't have…'

'The extraordinary insight can be obtained, but energy is insufficient!'

'Moreover, it is easy to obtain the extraordinary in this world, but to manifest miracles in the real world is very difficult!'

(End of chapter)