On a desolate stretch of wilderness, a group of three travelers was making their way.
Leading the path was a young boy in tattered hunter's garb, carrying a long black ironwood spear on his back, from the tip of which hung two stiff-furred rats as trophies. Beside him walked Leilin and Bodak.
After a bout of "friendly and heartfelt" communication, Leilin and his companion had successfully persuaded the boy to guide them to his tribe.
As for the boy's name, they now knew it was Jiabaduoli, a youth from a large nearby tribe.
Though not yet of age, he had already been sent out to shoulder his share of responsibility.
The boy seemed quite cheerful after his successful hunt, even humming a strange little tune.
Though Leilin had his doubts about how many meals two stiff-skinned rats could provide, by the boy's account, this was actually considered a good haul.
"The animals in the wilderness are all incredibly cunning. Even the best hunter in the village can't guarantee a catch every time..."
Jiabaduoli gazed at Leilin and Bodak with admiration. "Are you the legendary envoys of a lord?"
"No!" Bodak said flatly. It still couldn't understand why Leilin showed such keen interest in these mere insects, but since it needed something from them, it didn't dare disobey Leilin's wishes. As for giving Jiabaduoli any pleasant expression—forget about it.
Unfortunately, the boy's curiosity was in full bloom, more than enough to overwhelm his original fear.
"Then... is Master Bodak from the city? From Maxi City? I've been there once..."
...
Throughout the journey, Jiabaduoli had nearly driven Bodak to the brink of collapse—until they spotted the low wall in the far distance. The happiest of the three was not Jiabaduoli, but rather Bodak, rejoicing at the prospect of finally being rid of the boy.
Jiabaduoli's tribe not only controlled a stretch of territory but had also built a wall around the village perimeter. Though Leilin had his doubts about its defensive value, the strength it represented still gave him some comfort.
Clank!
Just then, the village gate swung open, and a ring of villagers dressed in rough black hemp cloth emerged, surrounding several elderly men in their midst.
An unmistakable air of grief hung over the crowd. Many women were covering their mouths, stifling sobs.
"Doesn't look like they're here to welcome you, kid!" Bodak snickered mockingly, but this time Jiabaduoli didn't argue back. His eyes were locked on the elderly natives being escorted in the center of the group, his fists clenched so tight they might have drawn blood.
"The elders are being exiled?" Leilin guessed directly. During periods of low productivity, many tribes would expel elderly members who could no longer contribute labor.
"No... they're going voluntarily," Jiabaduoli said in a low voice. "So that more of our people can survive better..."
"Ah! Such is the heaviness of life. Even one who has traversed many worlds, like myself, cannot help but sigh at this..." Bodak fixed Leilin with a deep gaze. "Would you permit me to compose an epic to record this moment?"
"No!" Leilin refused without hesitation. This one-eyed dragon's verbosity was truly epic in scale—especially its poetic ability, which could make any bard vomit blood on the spot. What made it worse was that Bodak had absolutely no shame about its self-proclaimed genius, leaving Leilin thoroughly exasperated.
By now, Jiabaduoli had set down his spear and picked up one of his catches, his eyes brimming with inner conflict.
"What's the hold-up? If you're giving it, give it already. One rat of this caliber isn't going to feed them for long anyway," Bodak grumbled, then was promptly silenced by Leilin's glare. "Fine... fine, I won't say another word. Nothing at all!"
Throughout it all, though he had already taken out the game, Jiabaduoli did not chase after them. Instead, tears glistened in his eyes as he watched the elderly men walk with straight backs into the darkness of the wasteland.
"The young children in the tribe need these more! Please, my lords, follow me."
After this episode, Jiabaduoli seemed to have matured considerably. He stood back up and led the way forward.
"Mm! Not bad! This kid has real potential to become a leader." Bodak nodded approvingly, then quickly covered its mouth again.
Once inside the settlement, Leilin immediately sensed something distinctly different. This difference didn't come from the natives—who averaged the strength of Second-rank Wizards—but from the very center of the village.
"There... I sense a familiar aura. And moreover..."
Ignoring the handful of natives who had surrounded them, Leilin walked straight toward the depths of the settlement.
The deeper he went, the stricter the security became. By the end, a peculiar gleam had appeared in Leilin's eyes.
At the very back of the village, built against a towering black mountain, lay a plaza. Natives clad in metal armor and wielding sharp weapons formed the final defensive line.
At the base of the great mountain, a deep cave had been carved out, and powerful radiating energy wafted from within.
"The energy fluctuations are approaching those of a fifth- or sixth-level
"This is a restricted area, outsider! Halt your steps!"
At that moment, someone clearly of higher rank stepped forward to block Leilin's path, flanked by more than a dozen armored spearmen. Jiabaduoli stood beside him, his face etched with anxiety.
"Heh heh... Since when do a pack of rats dare block my path?"
Bodak could no longer contain itself and stepped forward, a flash of savage menace crossing its features.
"Wait!"
In that critical moment, it was Leilin who raised his hand to stop the other. After all, these were the descendants of an old acquaintance—using force here would be rather tasteless.
From these guardian warriors, he could sense the distinctive aura of Knights and spellcasters from the Wizard World.
Clearly, these natives had undergone rigorous training in both the Knight and Wizard traditions, and the source of that heritage traced back to Leilin himself.
"It seems that after the upheaval in the Dream World, combined with the path of power I taught them, they really did manage to develop something of their own..."
"I mean no harm," Leilin said aloud, but his actions didn't hesitate for a single moment.
Along the way, anyone who tried to stop him simply crumpled to the ground in silent unconsciousness.
"Tch! Should've just let me swallow them instead!"
Bodak grumbled disdainfully at the sight, though it still followed closely behind Leilin.
With the strength of two Rule-level existences, destroying the entire village would require nothing more than a passing thought. But out of respect for old ties, Leilin had no intention of pushing things that far.
The cave was shallow—only a few steps inside and they had reached the end.
Mineral formations resembling quartz crystals lined the cavern ceiling, casting down a faint glow. The ground was slightly damp with traces of water, and a layer of black moss grew over much of it.
"We meet again, Jillian."
Leilin gazed toward the far end of the cave. There, a massive pit had been hollowed out, filled with a thick layer of animal remains intermingled with green vines.
And in the center of it all stood a white marble pillar in the shape of a cross.
Atop the smooth pillar, a strange sculpture appeared to have fused entirely with its base.
The upper portion of the statue was a young girl, her face adorned with peculiar purple patterns. Her features bore a faint resemblance to the Jillian of Leilin's memory, though she had grown considerably more mature.
From the waist down, she had completely dissolved into a cocoon-like form—appearing as a fusion of human and pupa.
The girl's expression was serene, as though she were merely asleep. Leilin closed his eyes, and it felt as if the girl who had once called him "uncle" was right beside him.
"Dormancy? Mutation?"
Bodak stared wide-eyed, shouting out in shock. "Don't tell me this human pupa is the ancestor of those natives outside? The gap is just too absurd!"
"Mm. She appears to be in the midst of a soul fission. We shouldn't disturb her any further..."
Though Jillian now resembled nothing more than a statue, Leilin could still feel the powerful vitality pulsing at the core of the human cocoon.
Moreover, it was she who had been emitting that distinctive energy radiation—like a great beast marking its territory—driving away other terrifying creatures and thereby shielding her own people.
Leilin closed his eyes, the truth slowly crystallizing in his mind.
"Back then, Jillian must have undergone the same power mutation as the rest of her tribe. Then, driven by the desire to survive, the entire tribe migrated to the northern frontier..."
"And the infusion of Dream power follows no discernible pattern. Physical transformation would be perfectly normal... Relying on this power, Jillian's people were finally able to settle in the north. After that, a series of events unfolded that I know nothing about, until eventually only Jillian remained of her generation—advancing to the threshold of a sixth-level Wizard, slumbering here in metamorphosis while sheltering her descendants..."
"When I touched that sleeping native earlier, I caught the scent of a Dream Demon."
After exiting the cave, Bodak suddenly spoke up.
The one-eyed dragon possessed a unique olfactory talent for spiritual matters—even traces Leilin had left behind thousands of years ago couldn't escape its notice.
"Of course. At Jillian's current energy level, how could a Dream Demon leave her dreams alone?" Leilin shook his head as he answered, then suddenly froze.
"Dreams, absorption, enhancement, replenishment... forming yet another cycle? This pattern holds on the small scale—perhaps the same model operates on the scale of entire worlds..."
A flash of insight gleamed in Leilin's eyes.
"But... knowing does me no good. Without sufficient power, nothing else matters!"
Leilin shook his head and turned to look at the panicking natives around them.
"What now?" Bodak asked from the side.
"I just came to visit an old friend. Now that's done, I suppose I'll wander around a bit—or perhaps try to break that curse on you."
Leilin was quite indifferent to the matter. Investigating the Dream World only required staying within the Dream Realm, so for the moment, he truly had nothing pressing to do.