Chapter 121 Nightmare
“How fun.” Akarnis smiled, “It’s really enjoyable working with you, little one. What can you do in other people’s dreams?”
“I can ask them how old they were when they wet the bed, what it felt like to poop their pants for the first time, and the color of their wife’s underwear.”
“Well then, I happen to need to infiltrate the ‘Freeman’ gang. They requested my help to find a blacksmith.”
The official title in Shalin City refers to the “Freeman” as slave bandits.
“A blacksmith?” Ji Ma’s heart leapt with joy, feeling as if fate had brought her to this moment. It seemed as though someone had arranged it; she asked, “Is he an important member of the ‘Freeman’?”
“No, the freemen in Shalin City would never show themselves. I heard he’s a slave who redeemed himself in Shalin City. Ha, I thought no one could redeem themselves.”
“Does he have a face full of pockmarks?”
“You’ve looked for the freemen in advance in dreams?”
“A judge has set her sights on me, I just entered her dream…” Ji Ma briefly explained the situation, “For our first collaboration, I’ll provide the information; you help me deal with her, okay? Just keep in mind, we can’t kill her, or it will raise suspicion.”
They quickly came to an agreement, and Ji Ma revealed to Shadow King Akarnis the location where the blacksmith was held.
“Alright, you can roll out of my dream now,” Akarnis said, “In the future, when you enter others’ dreams, don’t pick nightmares.”
Nightmares? To personally kill the powerful Fulis and make this murderer feel sorrow?
Ji Ma looked at him curiously.
“What’s wrong? Do you have a crush on me? The line at the docks is so long that the women in town who want to get with me are almost spilling into the sea.”
“Not at all,” Ji Ma replied, “I just never expected you’d wet the bed in a nightmare.”
“Get lost!” Shadow King Akarnis summoned a shadow blade and thrust it toward Ji Ma.
Ji Ma spread her wings, suddenly transforming into a pair of four-meter-wide wings, and with a gentle flap, soared into the sky, as dark clouds behind her split open to reveal a black hole. She said:
“The moment I enter your dreams, it becomes a nightmare. Wetting the bed has nothing to do with me.”
With that, Ji Ma flew back into the black hole. Darkness engulfed her, but in an instant, a dream composed of black and white filled every shadow.
She looked around and found herself back in a room in a mansion in the noble district. The dream on the bed had vanished, and she could faintly see a figure rising from the bed, which then disappeared from her view.
From her previous explorations in dreams, Ji Ma realized that one could not discern people’s appearances or see conscious individuals in the dream. Therefore, she couldn’t follow or spy on someone in the dream, which was quite regrettable.
As an exceptional talent, she had hoped to take advantage of her ability to be conscious in dreams to maximize her nighttime learning, reading, and playing. Unfortunately, time passed exceptionally quickly in dreams.
Now, as Ji Ma entered the dreams of two people, she noticed the originally tranquil dreamscape was gradually filled with noise. The originally dark night sky was also tainted with a gray hue.
Her intuition told her it should be nearing dawn. Today’s task was considered complete, so it was time to go back.
Ji Ma stepped on the window frame, exerted force in her calves, and leaped into the sky, freely soaring above the sleeping city.
This feeling of unbound freedom made Ji Ma momentarily reluctant to return to the “training room” underground.
Currently, Ji Ma felt like a high school senior who sneaked out of school to go online before evening study sessions. With no internet and the evening study not yet over, she wandered aimlessly on the street, unwilling to return to the semi-militarized management of her high school.
In the “training room,” even eating or walking had to be done cautiously. Otherwise, she would face the punishment from the strict old matron. Moreover, she had to deal with a perverted beast-like elf.
The more Ji Ma thought about it, the more her resentment intensified. She flipped through the small black notebook filled with her grudges, her anger boiling as she imagined facing the old matron’s haughty demeanor, pulling out a knife to cut away the deep wrinkles on her face and listening to her scream.
Ji Ma landed on a rooftop and slashed several times toward the imagined old matron to vent her frustration. Only then did she slowly calm down.
Ji Ma muttered to herself, “A gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years. I’ve been able to endure under my enemies for so long; this little grudge is nothing.”
The anger in her heart was suppressed for a moment but then suddenly flared up again.
“No! What gentleman? I want to be a scoundrel, seeking revenge from dawn till dusk.”
As Ji Ma spoke, she gazed at a location underground near the noble district. A puff of black smoke, resembling wolf smoke, rose from there; it was the black smoke emitted by the “Seed of the Dream” on the old matron. Ji Ma reached out, gently feeling that circle of darkness.
A powerful force tugged at her, propelling her toward the “Seed of the Dream.” Even though she had experienced this many times before, this hawk-like sensation still made Ji Ma involuntarily cheer with joy.
She dove headfirst into the old matron’s dream, and the surrounding black-and-white dreamscape suddenly vanished.
Ji Ma found herself in a sunny mansion, the estate of the Great Benefactor. Although the mansion was well-designed by a master, its overall effect was impressive and splendid, Ji Ma felt it was lifeless, devoid of vitality, tightly bound by rules.
The maids in the mansion moved robotically, each appearing as if they were trained to walk in identical strides. They were absolutely symmetrical; when one maid wiped a window, the two maids on either side maintained a strict mirror alignment, taking one step left while the other took one step right simultaneously.
Their hands grasping the cloth moved up and down in unison, like machines, presenting an indescribably bizarre scene.
The old matron was dressed in a tightly fitted black-grey outfit, a high collar covering her neck, and she wore black gloves. Only her face was exposed. She sat at the center of the balcony at a white round table, slowly drinking a cup of red tea while occasionally extending a ruler to strike at a black-haired girl who resembled Ji Ma.
The black-haired girl was clumsy, walking like a gorilla, her limbs moving awkwardly in stark contrast to the orderly maids around her.
“Feet together!”
“Eat slowly!”
“Why do you walk like a gorilla?”
The ruler struck the black-haired girl from afar, bringing tears to her eyes; she cried and practiced, shouting:
“Don’t hit me, I was wrong, I was wrong.”
Ji Ma watched, her fists clenched tightly. She never expected that in the old matron’s eyes, she would be seen as a gorilla-like girl and a cowardly one at that.
Ji Ma leaped down gently from the blue roof and asked:
“What do you think of the girl named Ji Ma?”
“She learns quite fast; she’s a good material. The Great Benefactor has far-reaching vision.”
“Then why are you so strict? Not a single kind word?”
“The Great Benefactor has entrusted a heavy responsibility to me; I must train this wild child better. She has no foundation at all, her character is wild, definitely uneducated, and she’s cowardly, afraid of pain. So she should be punished; after all, she can endure it, and in such a short time, she must be trained to be a qualified flower of Shalin City.”
This old woman is getting too arrogant! I give you a chance to act, and you’re treating it like a business?
With a blank expression, Ji Ma raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Behind her, the glass door suddenly became dark, and in the darkness, the terrifying voice of the elf Litith echoed, filled with suppressed excitement:
“Little sister, wait until you see what fun I’ve brought you!”
The previously calm old matron was startled into a shake; a splash of red tea flew from her white porcelain cup, dropping onto the clean tablecloth. She turned her head to see a shadowy figure of a dark elf gradually emerging from the darkness behind the glass door.
It was Litith, well-dressed in excessively revealing clothing, her red eyes gleaming, holding the leash of a silverback gorilla behind her. She kicked the door open and confronted the old matron, saying:
“Come, little sister, let’s play together!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the strong silverback gorilla behind her began to breathe heavily and joyfully beat its chest with its hands.
The old matron was so scared, her cup fell from her hands, shattering on the floor. She shouted loudly:
“You, you, I will tell the Great Benefactor! Don’t come near me!”
Litith, dragging the gorilla, walked over confidently.
Terrified, the old matron felt her legs give way, rolling off her chair, screaming as she crawled with all her might, even flinging away the rings on her fingers. This woman, who was usually dead serious, appeared comically awkward as she ran, prompting Ji Ma to burst into laughter.
She twisted the dream; although the old matron appeared to be running quickly, she remained in place. Turning her head in despair, she saw Litith getting closer and closer. Litith approached the old matron and pushed her down, pinning her under her weight, licking her face with her tongue.
“Tsk, what a pleasant taste.”
“Don’t, don’t!”
The voice was filled with panic.
This sequence was not intentionally controlled by Ji Ma. It happened naturally—rather, it was a replay from the old matron’s memory; their last encounter likely started in a similar manner.
Ji Ma controlled Litith to say:
“Little sister, I’m here to offer you a passionate love.”
With that, Litith let go of the leash. The silverback gorilla roared and lunged at the old matron, screams echoing throughout the dream, and Ji Ma sitting on the railing turned her head away to avoid harming her mental health.
Screams of horror mixed with the sound of fabric tearing came from behind, the tattered remnants falling at Ji Ma’s feet.
In reality.
The old matron lay flat in the center of her bed. Cold sweat poured down her face, trailing along the wrinkles, and she cried out, “No, no!”
Her cries grew louder, and she flailed her arms on the bed, fear etched on her face, her struggles intensifying as the blanket was thrown off the bed. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up, enduring torment for over half an hour, finally opening her eyes with a scream and sitting up in bed, her white hair a tangled mess, and she screamed again, rolling off the bed.
…
…
Meanwhile.
The only clock tower in Shalin City rang out seven times; dawn had arrived.
The port began to awaken gradually. A three-masted cargo ship, loaded with heavy iron goods, sailed out of the port against the gentle morning breeze.
At the ship’s stern stood a young man draped in a brown hooded cloak, holding a massive sword behind his back, gazing at Shalin City, where Ji Ma was imprisoned. The golden dawn light fell on his handsome profile—none other than George the Hammer.
George learned through other channels that Ji Ma was to be sold as the “flower of Shalin City.”
Every thought of Ji Ma suffering under various wicked trainers sent a sharp pain through his heart.
Such an innocent and playful girl was bound to suffer greatly.
Images surged in his mind—a burly trainer, grinning sinisterly, approaching Ji Ma, who was locked in a corner, clinging to her knees while crying out her name.
Tears welled in George’s eyes as he raised his hand to wipe at the corners, murmuring to himself, “Hold on, I promise I will rescue you.”
At that moment, a voice called from behind.
“Buddy, turn around; the first mate says you look a lot like someone.”
George turned his head and saw a vigilant captain standing beside a group of armed sailors, one of whom held up his wanted poster with George’s face vividly illustrated.
