Chapter 13: So, does that mean I can bully you whenever I want?

The sunset, as vivid as fresh blood, was about to disappear beyond the horizon. The afterglow tinted the young girl’s pale face with a faint blush, its translucence surpassing even the finest jade. She waved her hand, a pure and innocent smile lighting up her face—like a child cherishing every moment of freedom after escaping from captivity.

For some reason, such a thought arose in Mo Wen’s heart.

“Miss Freya?” he called out cautiously.

Though he suspected the figure before him was likely the “maiden” Freya rather than “Queen” Freleia, Mo Wen intended to confirm, just to be safe. After all, if he was wrong, the consequences might not be pleasant.

“It’s me,” the girl replied, hands clasped behind her back. She wore the rough, grayish-white prison garb from their first meeting. Tilting her head slightly, her glossy black eyes blinked: “You haven’t seen me for a while, Mr. Mo. Have you forgotten me?”

“Well, that would be normal,” he replied.

“But I always thought you were different,” she said. “Just like you can still see me now.”

Hearing this, Mo Wen breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped over to the abandoned fountain and met her smiling gaze. “It’s not that I forgot, it’s just...” His voice faltered, struggling to find the words, “I mean, your other side?”

He ventured his thought.

“Oh, that’s it,” Freya suddenly understood. “I was wondering why you seemed a little afraid of me.”

“Honestly, even I’m a little scared of that side of me,” she admitted. “Though I know she’s a good person, her overbearing nature can be quite troubling.”

Mo Wen studied her expression. “You don’t seem to know what happened to her, to Miss Freleia?”

“That’s right,” the girl nodded openly, then pouted in frustration. “It’s unfair, really. She knows what I’ve been through, but I hardly know anything about her experiences.”

“But this time, hmph!” Freya crossed her hands proudly. “In this special place, a dream body like hers, no matter her rank, can’t manifest.”

“From today on, whatever I do here, she won’t know a thing!”

Hmm... So in other words, I can bully you all I want here?

Mo Wen tugged at the corner of his mouth, though it was only a joke.

Although Freya’s spiritual intensity felt about the same as his, the reconnaissance skills only yielded a name and a question mark for her.

What high-level professionals could accomplish was anyone’s guess. After all, they had managed to bring “false dreams into reality” — though it relied on the forbidden artifact, the Dream God’s Brain, the skill of the experimenters was evident.

Legendary professional Julia had reached that level, not to mention the mysterious “question mark-level” existence of Freleia.

Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, Mo Wen looked at Freya seriously.

“Miss Freya, you do realize how dangerous this place is, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Freya shrugged, “So?”

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Mo Wen rubbed his temples.

If not for the “Real Puppet Curse,” he would never have come here willingly.

“We are dream bodies. We can die and be reborn. It’s no big deal,” the girl waved her hand dismissively.

“...” Mo Wen was momentarily speechless. He took a deep breath. “Yes, dream bodies can revive after death, but such a vivid dream body means the pain we endure when wounded or dying doesn’t lessen one bit.”

After all, they had become acquainted, and Freya had helped him survive the clutches of the Black Beast Captain. Such a delicate young girl didn’t deserve such suffering.

“Are you caring for me?” she tilted her head. “It’s the first time I’ve felt this way.”

“Don’t worry, I may seem like this, but I know quite a few things,” Mo Wen smiled.

“Although I’m not much of a fighter, I can help heal your wounds. I can also share some secret extraordinary knowledge.”

He admitted, he was a little tempted.

Who doesn’t like a healer?

But...

“Your safety?”

Mo Wen was realistic.

Right now, he was just a novice blacksmith, with almost no real combat experience. Whether he could protect himself during the upcoming exploration was uncertain, let alone protecting someone else.

“Mr. Mo...” Freya sighed softly, “No one else can see me except you.”

Such a simple sentence carried a peculiar weight for Mo Wen.

Imagine living almost nonexistent in the eyes of others since birth—how agonizing those lonely years must have been.

After a moment of silence, Mo Wen nodded. “Alright, you’ve convinced me.”

“But we must agree on one thing: you have to listen to me all along the way.”

“No problem!” Freya pumped her little fists energetically. “Freya’s got it!”

“I can’t wait!”

“What do we do next?”

“Oh, I just found a map under the statue by the fountain. Take a look.”

A map?

Mo Wen’s eyes lit up.

Having a map in an unfamiliar territory would greatly reduce the risks.

He took the parchment map and spread it out.

Freya leaned in beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder.

There was a faint, refreshing fragrance about her that was truly uplifting.

Mo Wen focused on the map.

Most of it was soiled, except for a small patch in the lower left corner that remained barely legible.

He tried to wipe the dirty parts, but the stains had soaked into the parchment; cleaning it aggressively could risk damaging the map.

He gave up on cleaning and carefully analyzed the scant information.

Soon, a gleam of joy appeared in his eyes.

In the bottom left corner stood a triangular symbol representing a building, labeled in small letters—“Saint Steel Chapel.”

The very place mentioned in the secret note where the “Thousand Winds Swordsmanship Compendium” was hidden!

On the map, Saint Steel Chapel sat at the borderlands. From here, a road named “Pilgrim’s Path” stretched toward “Clark Town,” and between them lay the “Venomous Serpent Forest.”

“So this abandoned chapel I’m at now must be Saint Steel Chapel?” Mo Wen pondered silently.

His original purpose for joining the “False Dream Becoming Reality” experiment was to find the source of the “Real Puppet Curse.”

But clearly, this was not something to be found in a short time.

He had to prepare for a long struggle.

And strength was the foundation for endurance.

Even though the dream body’s death wouldn’t kill his true self, the three days of intense weakness afterward would severely hamper his exploration progress—time was limited.

The longest anyone in the empire who contracted the “Puppet Curse” lasted was two months.

And what he had was the “Real Puppet Curse,” an even more advanced version by name alone...

So, exploration and power growth must go hand in hand!

Not to mention, the physical enhancement from practicing the “Thousand Winds Swordsmanship Compendium” would help suppress the Real Puppet Curse.

With that in mind, Mo Wen had a plan.

He turned his head to Freya, who stood less than a fist’s distance away from his shoulder.

“Let’s go check behind this abandoned chapel first.”