Angel bowed, walked to the table, and sat across from Sanders at his indication: "Mentor, did you call me for something?"
Sanders wearily rubbed his temples: "Indeed, there is a matter."
Angel noticed Sanders’ subtle gesture. The body in the Wilderness of Dreams also feels fatigue if it stays up late continuously, but Sanders had just entered, so it couldn’t be from that. It was likely a subconscious mental fatigue.
Perhaps, in reality, Sanders was in a fatigued state, and even if it wasn’t physical fatigue, it might be psychological exhaustion.
Didn’t Sanders go to see Flora and Sumishe? What happened in between?
"The specific details, I discussed with you last time, about Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm problem..."
Sanders briefly explained the near-broken state of Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm and the need to use the Wilderness of Dreams to nurture and recuperate it, allowing the Nightmare Realm to gradually repair itself.
Angel was already aware of this and had agreed. Because the future plan to save Jon’s Tri-State Equilibrium also required Sumishe’s cooperation. Helping Sumishe was something Angel would naturally strive to do.
Following that, Sanders elaborated on how to assist Sumishe in repairing the Nightmare Realm.
In short, it was about using other Nightmare Realms far superior to Sumishe’s current level to nourish and recuperate his, allowing the broken Nightmare Realm to regenerate itself.
The Wilderness of Dreams was such a world-class Nightmare Realm, far surpassing Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm level by innumerable times.
As for the specific method of operation, it was simple—let Sumishe grasp an authority of the Wilderness of Dreams, establishing a connection with it, actively incorporating his Nightmare Realm under the jurisdiction of the Wilderness of Dreams, and then allowing the Wilderness of Dreams to repair and nourish it.
"Is this method feasible? Can other Nightmare Realms really be incorporated into the Wilderness of Dreams?" Angel found it hard to believe after hearing this.
Sanders: "I did detailed calculations, and based on my calculations, the feasibility is very high. The Nightmare Realm is quite special; you can think of it as a kind of illusory world, and real worlds are constantly integrating other worlds, forming numerous subsidiary planes. The Nightmare Realm has this characteristic and can certainly incorporate other Nightmare Realms."
Angel: "It sounds reasonable, but not absolutely, right?"
Sanders nodded: "Yes, everything is just my hypothesis."
"After I learned about the Wilderness of Dreams, I started having such thoughts, even wanting to attempt such research at one point. But back then, you hadn’t obtained the Ability Tree. If I incorporated my Nightmare Realm into the Wilderness of Dreams, there would be a slight chance of stealing the spotlight. Now that you have the Ability Tree and mastered the core authority of the Wilderness of Dreams, there won’t be an issue in contacting and incorporating other Nightmare Realms."
Pausing, Sanders revealed a sly smile: "Actually, I was worried that incorporating my Nightmare Realm into the Wilderness of Dreams would lose autonomy, so I later dismissed the idea. However, since Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm happened to be broken and needed repairing, this was the only path, helping me complete more research on the Nightmare Realm."
In other words, Sumishe became a test subject. If successful, the Nightmare Realm could be repaired; if not, it wouldn’t matter, as it would still contribute to Nightmare Realm research—benefiting both sides.
Angel: "Just as Mentor was concerned, if Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm merges with the Wilderness of Dreams, won’t it lose autonomy?"
Sanders: "I am also concerned about this, but based on my calculations, it shouldn’t lose autonomy. Even if it does, it won’t lose all autonomy, like subsidiary planes in reality, which have their running rules and aren’t completely influenced by the main world."
"Moreover, it’s a risk. If Sumishe wishes to repair it, he needs to take this risk. If something does go wrong, it brings a new research topic, such as... how to extract a small Nightmare Realm from a super-large one?"
Angel: "..." Truly maximizing utility.
Having such a mentor, one can only silently light a candle for Sumishe.
Although Angel felt sympathy for Sumishe, he did not plead for him, as the research outcome would greatly benefit him as well.
Angel: "Since the success rate is high, it’s worth a try. When does the mentor plan to let Sumishe enter the Wilderness of Dreams to assume authority? And have you considered what authority he should take on?"
Sanders: "As long as he can bear it, any authority will do. But it’s best if Sumishe assumes authority related to subsidiary Nightmare Realms. Although, I suspect that the authority might be heavy, and Sumishe might not manage it currently... I’ll do a detailed calculation later and let you know."
"As for when to start... let’s wait a bit longer. His current condition is unstable, and he has been badly injured, with his spiritual power also somewhat damaged. We’ll consider it once he’s mostly recovered."
Angel nodded; he would follow Sanders’ arrangement for this matter.
However, he was now very curious about what happened on Sanders’ side, why he hadn’t logged in for days, and where Sumishe’s injuries came from.
Angel asked these questions.
Upon mentioning the real-world situation, Sanders rubbed his somewhat aching temples again, then sighed deeply, saying: "The current situation is a bit complex..."
As Sanders explained, Angel understood why he used the word "complex."
Flora initially only aimed to study the blood fusion virus, but later discovered it traced back to the Red Plague followers. Sumishe and Flora were fearless, continuing to secretly investigate despite the threat, and naturally clashed with the Red Plague followers, leading to further fragments in Sumishe’s Nightmare Realm and resulting in him seeking Sanders’ help.
Angel was already aware of these circumstances. What he didn’t know was what happened after Sanders found them.
According to Sanders, when he met Sumishe and Flora, they were still stable, safely hiding in the Red Plague followers’ area, and even had the resources to investigate the blood fusion virus secretly.
The Red Plague followers hadn’t approached them because the Extreme Sect had sent priests from the Heretical Judgment Hall to train in the area.
——The Extreme Sect sporadically sends priests from the Heretical Judgment Hall to train in the territories of Demon God cultists and alien clans, with official bishops restraining the top Transcendents, while apprentices sweep through various followers.
Upon learning this, Sanders marveled at their luck, but a mutation soon occurred.
Among the Red Plague followers was a God’s Chosen, who had reached the pinnacle of a Level 1 True Knowledge Wizard. This God’s Chosen was initially restrained by a bishop from the Heretical Judgment Hall, keeping things stable. However, the priests killed someone close to the God’s Chosen, causing them to go berserk, massacre the priests, and even target other Red Plague followers.
The God’s Chosen sacrificed the lives of the slain to the bloodthirsty Red Plague Demon God, gaining even greater power. In a short time, his strength rose to the Second Level True Knowledge stage, and, coupled with the advantage of the terrain, even the Heretical Judgment Hall bishop was severely injured and escaped at great cost through the gaps between dimensions.
The Second Level True Knowledge stage has the power to destroy a locality, and the God’s Chosen, recklessly releasing his energy, forced Sumishe and others out of hiding.
During this time, Sanders was simultaneously protecting the two and restraining the God’s Chosen.
Exerting tremendous effort, they finally exhausted the God’s Chosen’s acquired divine power, causing his power to plummet back to Level 1 True Knowledge, thereby granting them an escape window.