Reality was not as Lu Li had imagined.
He had thought the Erald Dream seeped into his consciousness when he let Katerina go, dodging the attack.
But the truth was, it had all been a lie from the start.
That explained why the Katerina in the "dream" had wanted him to lift the crate. If he had, he would have, in reality, moved the crate that was pinning his legs. Then, guided by the dream's suggestion, he would have either stepped out into the Eternal Night or walked straight into danger.
So where was Katerina?
Lu Li scanned the silent caravan as a light wind swept through it. The screams had vanished, leaving only the sound of the wind, the crackle of fire, and a faint, soul-chilling crunching that seed to co from all around the caravan, even from inside one of the wagons.
Either Numa was eating, or sothing was eating Numa.
Lu Li looked down at the cargo pinning his body. He made to shift it, but then hesitated.
How could he know this wasn't a third layer of the Erald Dream?
If he moved the cargo, his body would move it in reality. And if the Erald Dream had distorted his sense of direction, it could easily lure him out into the Eternal Night.
But he had no other choice. With every passing mont, the caravan grew more dangerous...
The diners were already flocking to the feast.
As if in answer to his thoughts, the glow of a nearby piece of fluorite was suddenly obscured, and a silhouette approached in silence.
Lu Li held his breath, trying to make his breathing impossibly quiet.
With no other light sources around, he could only make out the approaching figure by the faint glow of the fluorite and the distant flicker of the fire. The silhouette squatted down a few feet away, and Lu Li thought he could sll a damp, mossy odor wafting from it.
A rustle broke the silence.
Then ca the sounds of tearing and chewing—the squatting figure was devouring a corpse.
It paid Lu Li no mind, despite him being so close.
Why was there a corpse next to him?
Lu Li recalled the attack in the second layer of the Erald Dream—the thrust of the dagger, his dodge, grabbing the attacker's wrist, the slackening resistance, the fall, the dagger plunging into a chest...
The pieces clicked into place, forming a horrifying reality.
Suddenly, the cargo pinning his legs shifted, and several items tumbled down. They missed Lu Li, but the clatter they made was sure to draw attention.
Lu Li braced himself, but nothing happened. The only sounds were of tearing and chewing—the silhouette seed oblivious, continuing its al.
Picking up a stone, Lu Li tossed it to the other side of the corpse.
The feeding sounds continued, uninterrupted.
That counted as good news. The creature likely hadn't noticed him at all, rather than simply planning to finish the corpse before starting on him.
But the danger was far from over. The longer he remained here, the more anomalies would be drawn to the scene.
He had to leave.
Rembering the "Dust Cover" from the second layer of the Erald Dream, Lu Li hoped that, much like the "Door," this anomaly mixed grains of truth in with its lies.
Lu Li started shifting the crates pinning him down, listening intently for any pause in the feeding sounds.
After shifting the crate resting on his thigh, Lu Li managed to pull one leg free. The resulting clatter was louder this ti, but the figure still did not react.
Remaining calm, Lu Li skirted around the figure and reached for the fallen piece of fluorite.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the stone, Lu Li caught sight of sothing in the dim light, right next to the corpse and the feeding figure: the edge of a dirty, battered flask.
It was Katerina's flask.
After a brief hesitation, Lu Li picked up the fluorite, slipped it into his pocket, then turned and made his way toward the lead carriage.
The sounds of feeding faded behind him.
Rounding a wagon, Lu Li reached the leader's carriage without incident.
The carriage door hung open, just as in the Erald Dream. But inside, there was no luxurious decor or pile of rchandise—only a simple carriage with a rug on the floor.
Lu Li climbed inside and, using his lamp, spotted a crate in the corner.
Lu Li opened it. Inside lay a folded piece of cloth.
The mont he touched it, a wave of insignificance, timidity, and worthlessness washed over him. Lu Li's mind imdiately threw up a barrier to contain the emotions.
Lu Li pulled out the Dust Cover. It looked like a simple canvas tarp. When he draped it over his shoulders like a cloak, the negative emotions intensified, but his presence seed to fade into nothing.
It really worked.
At that mont, the carriage swayed slightly—soone had stepped inside.
But in the light of the lamp, Lu Li saw no one.
The Dust Cover was blocking all of his external senses.
Remaining silent, Lu Li pressed himself against the carriage wall to get around the invisible creature and stepped outside.
After one last glance at the silent caravan, stranded in the middle of the wasteland, Lu Li wrapped the Dust Cover tightly around himself, clutched the piece of fluorite, and stepped out into the Eternal Night.
Lu Li continued on in the sa direction the caravan had been heading. The City of Phantoms was not far now, perhaps less than twenty kiloters away.
The Dust Cover concealed Lu Li's presence, allowing him to walk past several indescribable entities and wasteland anomalies. Three hours later, he reached the safe periter of the City of Phantoms, guided by the torches burning within.
What were the rules of the City of Phantoms?
Just before entering the city, Lu Li thought for a mont and slung the Dust Cover over his shoulder, no longer completely concealing himself.
An unfamiliar city can sotis be little safer than the wasteland.
However, the crowd gathered at the gates dispelled his apprehension. People spotted Lu Li and began to murmur, watching him as he approached.
“The Dust Cover? Are you from the caravan?” a stout, potato-shaped, middle-aged man in an expensive suit and a white wig demanded, squeezing past the guards. “What happened?”
“I was a passenger. The caravan was attacked by the Erald Dream,” Lu Li answered calmly.
The crowd gasped.
There were few who didn't know of the Erald Dream...
Lipsus the butler wasn't concerned about the Erald Dream. He only cared about one thing. “And the cargo...”
“If the anomalies weren't interested in the cargo, it should still be out in the wasteland,” Lu Li replied.
At these words, several hunters in leather armor discreetly slipped away from the crowd.
“I knew it... I knew it... Damnation, I knew it!” Butler Lipsus muttered, then his head snapped up. “This is a serious matter... Sir, I must ask you to co see my master.”
“To the count?”
“Yes, quickly...”
Butler Lipsus put Lu Li in a carriage, and they sped off toward so estate.
After driving around a garden filled with tombstones, the carriage stopped before a mansion. Lipsus scrambled out, tripped and fell, then scrambled back to his feet and rushed into the house.
Lu Li followed him.
He saw the "count"—a ghostly figure dressed in an old aristocratic suit, sitting in an armchair by the fireplace. Butler Lipsus stood respectfully behind him.
“Please, have a seat,” the count said, his voice a leisurely aristocratic drawl, as he gestured to the armchair opposite.
After waiting for Lu Li to sit, he asked, “You said you were attacked by the Erald Dream?”
“Yes.”
A maid in a wedding dress offered Lu Li a cup of coffee, but she suddenly tripped over the hem of her gown and tumbled forward. The liquid splashed all over Lu Li. It was frigid, devoid of any warmth.
Lu Li woke with a start.
His coat, cold and drenched, clung to his skin. The sound of rushing water filled the cramped space.
It was the splashing water that had woken him.
He recognized the subterranean stones.
Perhaps Lu Li had never left the underground caves.
Everything that had happened was just a dream, induced by his unconsciousness. This—this was reality.
No Friday, no campfire, no Beacon, no food...
No way out.
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