Chapter 143: Dream Death

Dream

The Doctor and the Knave woke up simultaneously, startled to discover that they were sitting side by side on a park bench. They stared at each other in mutual bewilderment.

"Are you plotting against me?" the Doctor asked, his gaze cold as ice.

"No," the Knave denied flatly.

The current situation was somewhat beyond her expectations. Perhaps that mischievous dragon had grown bored and restless, deciding to drag them both in just for amusement.

If there are two of us here, maybe my current situation will be slightly safer?

Then again, not necessarily.

"You expect me to believe that?" The Doctor let out a cold laugh.

"If I were going to plot against you, why would I be sitting on the same bench with you right now? Perhaps you overestimate your own charm—no, or perhaps you underestimate it."

Pure, naked murderous intent flickered in the Knave's eyes. The charm she spoke of was not one that attracted affection, but rather the kind that made people desperately want to kill him.

*Elemental energy cannot be used here.*

The moment she entered the dream, the Knave had tried to strike directly, but her power had been suppressed. Both her spiritual energy and elemental power were severely dampened... The Doctor on the other side had probably tried the same, hadn't he?

Why would this happen? What on earth was that troublemaking dragon thinking? What was his ultimate goal?

"Hmph!"

The Doctor folded his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly against the bench without another word.

At this point, whether he believed the Knave or not no longer mattered. What mattered was that he had fallen into a terrifying nightmare. According to the Knave's previous report, the youth suspected to be Nidhogg possessed the power to manipulate dreams. He suspected that Nidhogg was at work here.

Being unable to use his powers within a dream made this environment extremely dangerous to him. Even if he used a Gnosis to fight back, he could not be certain it would have any effect.

Footsteps echoed in the distance.

From around the street corner, a grey-haired youth slowly emerged, holding the hand of Furina, the Hydro Archon.

It was Lu Mingfei.

He looked at the two Fatui Harbingers, a smile gradually breaking across his cold face. Just moments earlier, he had contemplated dealing with the Doctor, but Furina had refused.

And now, Focalors had presumably sensed the Doctor's threat and proactively pulled him into the dream. Under these circumstances, Lu Mingfei had more than enough justification to make a move against the Doctor.

Killing the Doctor once or twice in a dream wouldn't change reality; the Second Harbinger of the Fatui wouldn't die so easily. When the time came, the credit for the kill would still go to the Traveler—he was merely making things slightly easier for her.

Lu Mingfei turned his head, pointing at the Knave and the Doctor on the bench. "Look, two reckless rats have scurried in."

*Scurried in?*

The Doctor's expression shifted slightly. From the moment he laid eyes on Lu Mingfei, he could sense that this fellow was not the same Focalors he had encountered previously.

Moreover, it was clear from this person's words that he was entering this dream for the first time. A third party must have orchestrated the pull. The psychological trauma he had suffered earlier, along with this forced extraction, was most likely the work of that other Focalors.

"This is Focalors' doing, isn't it?" the Doctor suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? You know quite a bit, don't you?" Lu Mingfei looked slightly surprised.

He had assumed the Doctor was unaware of Focalors' existence. He hadn't expected the man to have gathered so much intelligence, even managing to investigate Focalors.

No wonder Focalors had dragged him into the dream; it turned out he had dug up the crucial clues, leaving her no choice but to pull him in here. If that was the case, he really ought to take good care of the guest.

*As I thought!*

On the other side, Lu Mingfei's reaction undeniably confirmed the Doctor's suspicions. He was now virtually certain that Focalors and this Lu Mingfei were two entirely separate entities, yet there was some peculiar connection between their respective dreams.

Furthermore, their abilities differed, and the forms of their existence varied even more. Focalors existed in reality as a spiritual entity, while Lu Mingfei existed in the dream as a spiritual entity.

The one who harmed me before was Focalors, and he wants Lu Mingfei to finish the job!

*Damn it!*

The Doctor clenched his fists in secret.

Lu Mingfei stepped toward him. His footsteps sounded as though they were treading directly upon the Doctor's heart, causing it to shudder with every stride.

He wanted to run; he wanted to resist. But within the realm of dreams, the Doctor's desire to escape was naturally impossible to realize. Right now, he couldn't even stand up, forced to watch helplessly as Lu Mingfei drew closer step by step.

"Wait!" the Doctor suddenly shouted.

"Hm?"

Lu Mingfei smiled playfully, eager to hear what the fellow had to say. In his eyes, the Doctor was nothing more than livestock trapped in a cage, and all his resistance would appear laughable due to his utter weakness.

As someone from China, he harbored an instinctive repulsion toward human experimentation. Therefore, he had never regarded the Doctor as a normal human being from the very beginning.

"What do you want to say?" Furina narrowed her eyes and asked.

"Fontaine is a nation of justice, and you are the Hydro Archon who wields the laws... I believe you surely wouldn't attack me without cause and subject me to lynch law, would you?" The Doctor looked at Furina.

"Of course I wouldn't," Furina replied.

A smile gradually surfaced on the Doctor's face.

Furina continued, "He, however, is a different story."

The Doctor's smile froze as he fell silent.

The Knave tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth curving upward in a silent smirk before she quickly masked it. She loved seeing the Doctor thwarted; she enjoyed it immensely.

"I am an envoy of Snezhnaya. Doesn't it feel a bit inappropriate for you to just stand by and watch someone attack me?" The Doctor gritted his teeth and pressed on.

"I do think it feels a bit inappropriate," Furina replied, nodding deeply.

"Oh~"

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, his stiff smile relaxing as he said, "Then you—"

Furina cut him off directly, flashing a radiant, blinding smile. "Then I'll just close my eyes for a moment, won't I? As long as I close my eyes, I won't see anything. I truly am a genius!"

"..."

The smile vanished from the Doctor's face once more, migrating to the faces of the Knave and Lu Mingfei.

His brain whirred at lightning speed. He snapped his gaze toward the Knave, staring at her with burning intensity as he accused, "Your expression has been strange this whole time. Could it be that you have already... betrayed her Majesty the Tsar?"

"I haven't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense," the Knave denied decisively.

"You didn't? Then why are you so calm facing this fellow? I can't detect a hint of tension on your face," the Doctor challenged.

"Because my psychological fortitude is stronger than yours," the Knave replied matter-of-factly.

Nearby, watching the exchange between the Knave and the Doctor, Lu Mingfei's face broke into an understanding smile. He glanced at Furina beside him, raising his eyebrows in silent communication.

Lu Mingfei: *Since the Knave is acting, I should just kill both her and the Doctor so her performance looks more authentic. Otherwise, what if the Doctor discovers something's amiss? No, absolutely not!*

Furina: *Clearly, you just wanted to make a move yourself!*

Lu Mingfei: *Who told her to attack you earlier? I'm petty; I remember things for a lifetime. If I have the chance, I have to trip her up. Hmph!* ╯^╰

Furina: *Idiot, are you even being childish?*

Lu Mingfei: *This is called maintaining a pure heart, not childishness. Men stay youths until the day they die, understand?*

Furina: *Fine, fine, fine. Do whatever you want; I can't control you anyway.*

Having transmitted her final thought, Furina turned her head away. The corners of her mouth in the shadow curved upward unstoppably, her pretty face—turned away from Lu Mingfei—brimming with smiles. Though she wouldn't say it aloud, she secretly adored this simple, straightforward favoritism.

As for the Knave...

Anyway, this is a dream; letting her die a little death doesn't matter. I can't suppress the feelings of the boy who likes me just for the sake of the big picture, can I? Priorities must be clear. Besides, isn't she also pretending to have nothing to do with us? We're merely playing along with her; I'm sure she'll understand.

With that thought, Furina cast a gaze at the Knave filled with an unfamiliar, profound smile.

*Lady Furina has another plan in mind?*

The Knave caught on instantly, roughly guessing the upcoming plot development. She shifted her gaze to Lu Mingfei, her eyes growing tense and cold, as if looking at a familiar enemy.

"Remember, do not foolishly attempt to pry into things you have no business knowing." Lu Mingfei slowly raised his hand. Azure currents began to gather, transforming into two divine dragons that coiled around him.

"Damn it, she was the one who came looking for me in the first place!" the Doctor cursed under his breath.

At this moment, he had roughly guessed that the relationship between Lu Mingfei and Focalors might not be all that close; they merely had some mutual understanding.

Lu Mingfei didn't know what Focalors was up to, and Focalors hadn't shared her plans and intentions with him. Their relationship was perhaps akin to that of Fatui Harbingers.

"Torrential Flood!"

With a flick of Lu Mingfei's finger, the two azure dragons lunged instantly toward the Doctor and the Knave, tearing them both to shreds with a terrifying, overwhelming torrent of water.

Then, he began to reflect on the Doctor's final words: *She was the one who came looking for me.*

Focalors came looking for him?

Could it be that Focalors took the initiative because she worried the Doctor's presence threatened the people of Fontaine? Should I chat with Focalors later to get the details?

***

**Dream Cinema**

"You went looking for the Doctor?"

Lu Mingze looked at Focalors in surprise, meeting her expression of utter bewilderment.

"I did no such thing."

Focalors scratched her head blankly. She had clearly stayed inside the Seat of the Archon the entire time, going nowhere. Why would she proactively seek out the Doctor? Besides, the Doctor claiming she was the one who sent him in made no sense either.

"Really not you?"

"Really not!"

"Hmm."

Lu Mingze studied Focalors carefully. After a long, serious look, he said, "You don't look like someone who can lie. Perhaps it truly wasn't you. But if it wasn't you, then who on earth disguised themselves as you and sent the Doctor into this dream?"

"Could it be you?" Focalors blurted out suddenly.

"Are you kidding? I can't even go to your world. If I could, I'd have been having a blast by now," Lu Mingze said, waving his hands helplessly.

"True, you've been right here all along, even before the Doctor entered." Focalors nodded slightly, agreeing that it didn't seem like Lu Mingze's doing; he lacked the foundational capability to pull that off.

"Why would you suspect me?" Lu Mingze asked curiously, sipping his cola as if discussing the most natural thing in the world.

"Because I feel like you're capable of doing just about anything, so I just asked by the way," Focalors replied with a smile.

"Capable of doing anything?"

"Yeah, anything! You can conjure up so many delicious snacks, you're practically as omnipotent as a god. It's amazing!" Focalors praised enthusiastically.

"Uh..."

Lu Mingze smiled awkwardly, his expression gradually turning serious. He continued, "Regardless of how or why, the existence of another Focalors in the Teyvat world poses a massive risk to you."

"First of all, he definitely knows Lu Mingfei, and he can also connect to this dreamscape using his own power, which is how he managed all this... Judging from the Doctor's mental state, that fake Focalors probably launched several psychological attacks on the Doctor as well."

"Psychological attacks... linking dreams... and knowing of Focalors' existence... Could it be that he's Nidhogg's spiritual entity?" Lu Mingze exclaimed as if struck by a sudden realization.

"Nidhogg!"

Focalors was startled as well. She instinctively reached into the popcorn bucket Lu Mingze was holding, scooped up a massive handful, shoved it into her mouth, and stared at Lu Mingze in shock. The entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid, as natural as a reflex.

She was simply that kind of foodie.

"Yes, Nidhogg... from your world." Lu Mingze's expression grew solemn. He quietly moved the popcorn bucket slightly out of reach, then fished out some for himself and began to chew.

"The Traveler seemed to have mentioned him."

Focalors replied while watching him, stealthily creeping closer to Lu Mingze. Her little hand reached out shamelessly for the popcorn, completely unconcerned about physical contact.

"So good!" Focalors smiled.

"Hey, hey, we're talking about Nidhogg here!" Lu Mingze felt compelled to emphasize.

"You're right, but under the circumstances, let's eat first," Focalors said with a giggle.

"Sigh~"

Lu Mingze sighed helplessly. He felt that all the psychological tactics he had prepared were utterly useless against this creature—not that they were needed anyway.

Perhaps this was fine too?

This was fine just as it was...