Audrey looked up slightly, gazing at the very top of the mental world, where the spiritual sky, an ethereal reflection of the Spirit World at the mental level, enveloped everything.
She quickly withdrew her gaze and sternly warned everyone:
"This is a wondrous world woven from the minds and consciousnesses of countless intelligent beings. Not only is it wondrous, but it's also dangerous. A moment of carelessness can lead to losing oneself or experiencing mental problems."
"For Beyonders, mental state is the most serious concern."
At this point, Audrey looked at Leyton and asked, somewhat puzzled:
"However, isn't this a world within a book? Why does a mental world also exist here?"
"This is a world born of Imagination, but that doesn't mean this world is false. It is equally True, equally mystical, and equally distorted…"
Leonard spoke as if a bard was reciting a poetic chapter.
You're just repeating the words of the Old Man inside you, why are you reciting them? Klein silently complained about his former colleague in his heart.
Leyton walked slowly down the spiraling, gray-white steps, his gaze unconsciously falling on Leonard and Klein. With such close observation, the Old Man must have already discovered Klein's identity, perhaps even sensing the aura of Sefirah Castle.
"A world born of Imagination?" Audrey, not hiding her curiosity, tilted her head and asked Leonard behind her.
Leonard didn't answer immediately. He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before speaking with a feigned profoundness:
"The items He imagines will materialize, the kingdom He fantasizes about will descend upon the material world, and the future He proclaims will unfold and become reality."
"I know, that's a description of the Dragon of Imagination."
"Is this a True world He fantasized into existence? Even though He has long since fallen, this world can still operate normally?"
Audrey's voice was quite pleasant, like a student who had perfectly answered a teacher's question in class.
Leonard was slightly surprised by Audrey's understanding of the Dragon of Imagination, but he quickly masked his emotions and responded with little emotion:
"Heh, indeed."
"Something is coming."
Klein reminded the few people who were focused on conversing and listening, his voice hoarse.
Upon hearing this, Audrey tilted her head to look below the spiral staircase. A substantial, inky Darkness surged towards them, like an all-consuming dark tide, carrying an indescribable terror.
Snap~
A crisp snap sounded, and the next moment, brilliant starlight rapidly spread. The dazzling blue glow quickly turned golden, then searing white, like countless small Suns. The blinding sunlight directly broke through the surging dark tide.
"This should be the fear of Darkness, or certain things within Darkness, in the subconscious of some beings. Their subconscious minds converged in the mental world and remained there."
"When we stepped into this mental world, we interacted with these subconscious fears, and they manifested as an inky, all-consuming tide."
Audrey explained the phenomenon using her knowledge of psychology.
Fors nodded, somewhat understanding yet not. Ever since she stepped into this mental world, she felt her imagination wasn't enough. The various sights here challenged her perception. I suddenly have so many ideas in my head—is this the power of the collective subconscious!?
The cup of gray-white scales in Leyton's left hand suddenly detached from him, floating in mid-air. The complex and three-dimensional mystical symbols on it continuously extended outwards, seemingly establishing a connection with a certain part of this mental world.
After floating silently for a moment, this gray-white scale suddenly slammed forward, rippling out a large area of waves around it, and layers of colors peeled off from the surrounding space.
"What is this?" Fors asked, puzzled. She subconsciously looked at Audrey, who knew the most about the mental world.
Audrey shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know either."
"It's establishing a connection with a certain place in this mental world."
Klein explained calmly.
This is somewhat similar to the process Mr. Azik taught me before, of overlapping the Spirit World with the Mirror World. Even in the mystical Beyonder world, much knowledge is interconnected.
As he mused, Klein saw the strange runes on the gray-white scale continuously intertwine outwards, quickly forming a somewhat illusory pair of double doors, dozens of meters high. Even the giant Groselle would appear like an underdeveloped child before this door.
Leyton silently sensed the situation on the other side of the Door, then chuckled:
"Let's go, we can reach our destination directly now."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was the first to walk towards the illusory double doors.
As he approached, the Door spontaneously split open, creating a gap wide enough for a person of normal size to pass through.
Upon entering the Door, the surrounding scenery dramatically changed. He found himself in a magnificent, ancient, and uniquely aesthetic building with a wild, alien feel.
This was a colossal floating castle, or rather, a temple. Around it stood enormous gray-white stone pillars inscribed with strange patterns, collectively supporting a series of grand and majestic palaces.
Leyton walked forward with familiarity. This place was no different from the Liveseyd that Ankewelt had manifested in the dream before, except that there were no giant Dragons here anymore.
"Hiss~ There's actually a palace deep within the mental world? Or is this also the subconscious residue left by certain individuals?"
Leonard followed Fors and Audrey into the Liveseyd. He was stunned the moment he saw the scene here, and the thoughts that had originally floated through his mind unconsciously slipped out in a low voice.
Klein followed behind Leonard, and while astonished by the massive palace, he was suddenly moved and blurted out:
"'Miracle City' Liveseyd~"
"'Miracle City'? Is this the Dragon of Imagination's Divine Kingdom?"
Audrey quickly reacted. She had exchanged information about the Dragon of Imagination from The Sun Derrick a long time ago. The moment Klein spoke, she instantly recalled it.
The Divine Kingdom of the Dragon of Imagination? Old Man, we're currently in the Divine Kingdom of an Old God! Leonard didn't hide his surprised thoughts, communicating them to Pallez, who was parasitic within him.
"It's just a Divine Kingdom. You'll go to the Tenebrous Heaven of the Evernight one day anyway."
Pallez replied impatiently.
That's completely different! Going to the Tenebrous Heaven is something that happens after death, and besides, this is the Divine Kingdom of an Old God! Do you think there might be any treasures left behind by the Old God?
Leonard didn't care about Pallez's not-so-pleasant mood and continued to grumble in his heart.
"Hmph! That Old God fell thousands of years ago. Even if there were, it wouldn't concern you. Besides, among this group of people, you're only slightly stronger than that Psychiatrist, just a little."
Pallez emphasized the "little" difference, which made Leonard's composure waver. He loudly questioned in his mind:
Impossible! Not to mention that gloomy guy behind me, but the lady in the beige dress, she should be the weakest one here, right?
"She has a very good Mystical Item. Among items below High Sequence, it's pretty much one of the strongest."
Pallez briefly explained, then fell silent. No matter how Leonard called out in his mind, he didn't respond anymore.
Soon, he followed Leyton into the main hall of Liveseyd.
As soon as he stepped into the hall, his thoughts quickly echoed around him:
"Old Man~ Old Man~"
"Don't act like a child and just…"
He looked up in astonishment, not understanding why his voice would echo around him.
"What's going on?"
"My voice, no, my thoughts…"