The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

The rice paddies were filled with grain, a sea of gold as far as the eye could see. Of course, there were also patches of green, not yet fully ripe.

Wang Ya recalled what the Single-Log Bridge had said and activated his Eye of Truth. He discovered that this golden rice seemed to be a plant unique to the Dream World, possessing a special Effect.

Coincidentally, there was an entry for it in the Dream Realm Creatures Atlas.

[Target: Golden Ant Rice]

[Details: A special type of Dream Plant. Upon maturation, each grain of rice is an ant about to be born. If not harvested in time, they will all burrow into the soil and form an ant colony underground. Illusory Dream Wizard’s Note: This item can be eaten raw for maximum effect, capable of enhancing one’s Physique and Spiritual Power with no side effects.]

Wang Ya’s eyes lit up. ’This is truly amazing stuff.’

’So much rice, and another batch of Golden Ant Rice crops about to ripen... This must be an Extraordinary Resource Land cultivated by the Illusory Dream Wizard. Its value is clear just from the note. Given the Traits of Dream Creatures, it might even be effective for Official Wizards.’

A massive Treasure Mountain.

Wang Ya remembered the Illusory Dream Wizard’s promise: as long as he had the ability to acquire the Dream Creatures within the Illusory Dream Garden, he was free to do as he pleased.

Golden ants fell into the category of ”creatures” too!

Wang Ya edged closer to the fields, preparing to pick a stalk and examine it closely.

But then he stopped, his expression turning grave as he looked into the paddies. He saw figures standing motionless, bodies bound with straw and dressed in tattered linen, just like the scarecrows in the rice fields of the Mortal World.

But these scarecrows in the Dream World not only had long, black human hair, but also human flesh mixed in with the straw, creating an intensely visceral and shocking sight.

They emitted a strange aura that stirred a raw desire in Wang Ya, an urge to walk toward the scarecrows and devour that human flesh.

This was clearly not normal.

The sight of the scarecrows standing there also made Wang Ya’s heart pound with fear.

’These must be the formidable ”guys” the Single-Log Bridge mentioned.’

They were probably dormant, just like that lawn of green snakes.

Wang Ya relaxed a little and reached out to pick a stalk of Golden Ant Rice.

The stalk was brittle, like the shell of an arthropod. The grains on it were plump, each encased in a transparent, amber-like substance.

Tiny golden ants were visible inside, beautiful to look at, and they sparked a primal appetite in Wang Ya.

He licked his lips, plucked off a single grain about the size of his pinky fingernail, and put it in his mouth. He chewed it gently.

CRACK!

A burst of juice flooded his mouth, then flowed through his flesh and blood up into his brain.

A sharp, needle-like pain pricked his mind, though it was very brief... A delighted smile appeared on Wang Ya’s face. The Effect was real! Although the increase was small, if he ate a whole bowl of this rice...

...it would be almost one-tenth as effective as the chocolate-colored liquid he had drunk at the Illusory Dream Wizard’s.

And this was something he could accumulate over time, eating it as a staple food.

The Illusory Dream Wizard was right. The only way was within the Dream World. Everything here was a massive opportunity, the kind that was impossible to find even at the Dark Land Headquarters.

With such Extraordinary Resources, combined with the unique characteristics of the Dream Mage System, his Spiritual Power would improve at an overwhelming rate—five, even ten times faster than before.

Wang Ya didn’t linger. He placed the stalk of rice into his red metal ring and continued deeper, soon arriving at the entrance of a manor.

The iron gate was covered in rust but wasn’t locked. Wang Ya gave it a gentle push, and it swung open. Weeds grew rampant inside, as if no one had been here for a very long time.

There were some lawn plants in the courtyard, but they had all withered, leaving only the black, glossy soil.

Wang Ya noticed that the buildings were ordinary, showing no signs of being Dream Creatures or made of Dream World material.

His Dream Sense also calmed down, so he went straight inside the manor.

The manor wasn’t large, and its interior was designed for a single occupant: kitchen, living room, bedroom, study... These were secondary. Since it had been uninhabited for a long time, everything was covered in dust and rust. The most crucial part was the manor’s core: an incredibly complete laboratory. It contained Wizard Instruments. While it couldn’t compare in scale to the ones in the Illusory Dream Tower, these Wizard Instruments were also highly specialized, seemingly designed for the express purpose of studying the Dream World and its Dream Creatures.

All the functions in the laboratory were intact, and it was remarkably clean. The workbench was covered with notes and research drafts.

Wang Ya gathered and organized them all, recording them with his Eye of Truth and learning a great deal of information.

This made Wang Ya’s expression grow complex. He murmured to himself, ’Teacher, so this was your plan all along.’

There was no trial, no danger. On the contrary, Wang Ya had gained a lot along the way.

The truly dangerous things had long since fallen into a deep slumber.

This was his Teacher’s doing.

These manuscripts revealed the whole story to Wang Ya.

Most of the information consisted of the Illusory Dream Wizard’s youthful speculations about the Dream World and Dream Creatures, as well as paper records of his experimental processes and results.

There were theories about the Dream World and explorations of his own Wizard Path. All of this seemed to conjure the image of a young figure before Wang Ya’s eyes, operating these instruments, sitting at the workbench, researching endlessly... Day after day, year after year, as time passed, the young Wizard matured. His understanding of the Dream World and his own Wizard Path grew ever clearer.

Eventually, that figure grew into the Illusory Dream Wizard in the Yellow Wizard Robe, wearing the bizarre wooden-eye mask.

Wang Ya’s heart grew heavy. It was a form of pressure, but also an encouragement.

It seemed he would be spending the next period of his life here as well.

The Golden Ant Rice could sustain him.

The Single-Log Bridge could attract more Dream Creatures, which would serve to verify and perfect his research on the path of a Dream Wizard.

Wizard Experiments, dissections, and the like all required the sacrifice of test subjects.

The Illusory Dream Wizard had already thought of everything.

Perhaps there were even more things like this scattered throughout the Illusory Dream Garden, prepared just for him, waiting to be explored and understood.

His Teacher believed he could complete the shaping of his Dream Wizard path within the Illusory Dream Garden.

Wang Ya clenched his right fist. He could not let his Teacher’s faith in him be in vain.

He had come this far, even managing to thoroughly research a product related to an Evil God. The mere Dream Mage System and its Dream Creatures would not trouble him.

He wasn’t lacking in Potential. He wasn’t lacking in resources. He wasn’t lacking in wisdom or character, and he wasn’t lacking in support methods.

The timing was right, the location was perfect, and he had the support. He had it all.

Therefore, he firmly believed he would succeed. There was no reason for him to fail.

...