"Hmm, where am I?" Qin Shaoqing, who was quietly observing something, realized something.
"Wait, what was I looking at?" Qin Shaoqing questioned himself, looking closely at the thing he was looking at, but...
"It's just void." He murmured, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of dread looking in that direction. But before he could understand, a piercing gaze looked back at him.
'THEY have cast THEIR gaze upon you.' A voice whispered inside him.
[Warning, an unknown entity is trying to bestow Host power]
[Resisting..]
[Re!@#%!]
[Disconnected from the main system]
[Local system being overwritten]
'Certainty is merely an illusion, THEIR path is the ONLY answer.' Qin Shaoqing clutched his head to stop the voice, yet it was all in his mind. Only by taking control back can he keep it quiet.
[Skill bestowed "From Certainty. There Will Be Possibilities"]
[Skill bestowed "Cognitive Disruption"]
[Lesser skill detected "Phantom Presence"]
[Skill "Phantom Presence" being devoured by "Cognitive Disruption"]
[Skill bestowed "Setting truth and false"]
'You will never see THEIR true form, yet THEIR gaze will always watch over you.'
Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt a sudden dizziness and fell unconscious again.
"Gasp!" Waking from bed in a cold sweat, Qin Shaoqing looked around in panic and quickly made a self-body assessment and became relieved that he was fine.
"Phew, the hell was that dream?" He muttered, recalling each event that happened. "A lucid dream? No, if I were, I would be surrounded by foxians." Mulling through multiple possibilities, he suddenly realized one thing to be confirmed.
"System, pull up my skill status."
[Understood]
[Name Revealer]
[Reinforced Mind]
[Scent Distinction]
[Dismbodied Sound]
[Calm Demeanor]
[Steady Aura]
[Purifying Flames]
[Phantom-like Movement]
[Sanctus Medicus's Rage]
[Body Full of Dew]
[Absolute Sword Sense]
[From Certainty. There Will Be Possibilities] *New*
[Cognitive Disruption] *New*
[Setting Truth from Falsehood] *New*
Seeing the three new skills, a sense of dread overcame him; he had hoped it was only a dream, but seeing it was real, he couldn't help but be afraid.
Humans inherently fear the unknown, and he had now attracted a being incomprehensible to him.
'Calm mind, breath,' He told himself, yet the creeping dread still lingered. His hand kept shaking as cold sweat accumulated more, and his breath became heavier.
"Huff huff." Only after half an hour, he managed to calm down somewhat.
"Huff, at least I'm in no imminent danger, but I'm unsure of its motive." Qin Shaoqing said and decided it's time to hit the library again to learn more. Maybe it's a dream demon he hadn't read about, but seeing the three rewards he got, maybe he got a good demon.
Qin Shaoqing made a hollow chuckle at his self-amusement and looked at his phone to check if he had missed anything.
[Tingyun: Benefactor, would you mind meeting me this evening?]
Surprised by the sudden DM message, he checked the time the message was sent. He was relieved it was only 10 minutes ago.
[Qin Shaoqing: I'll be glad to accompany someone beautiful like you.]
[Tingyun: Hehe, Benefactor, you really know how to sweet-talk a girl.]
[Qin Shaoqing: I only speak the truth.]
After more back and forth of exchange, they agreed to meet at Central Starskiff. Though Qin Shaoqing doesn't know her full intention in inviting him, he might as well take a nice walk to clear his mind before fully researching what had happened in his dream.
At the very least, he didn't sense any bad intention from Tingyun.
Taking a shower to wash the cold sweat, he suited himself in a nice vest and exited the house.
Luckily, he was near the agreed spot and leisurely walked there, passing Xianzhou natives who seemed eerily calm and carefree even after the outbreak that had happened this morning.
It seemed the mentality is vastly different; they were raised being told their world follows the Reignbow Arbiter who hunts the fiends of abundance, and there are 8 other ships which follow the same mission.
Even after 20% of their ship being overrun by Denizens of Abundance, they remained steadfast and trusted their general and the Cloud Knights to protect them.
Such a scene made Qin Shaoqing a little uneasy; even powerless citizens are unfazed by this disaster. What would make them truly terrified?
"Ah, Benefactor!" A gentle voice drifted in the wind, snapping his train of thought.
Turning to face Tingyun, he returned the greeting, "Miss Tingyun, I'm relieved to see you well."
Qin Shaoqing scanned her figure; the bruises and cuts were nowhere to be seen, as if that incident had never happened.
Especially her clothes that were ruined by blood and dirt were now cleaned and looked brand new, almost making him ask if she had another set of clothes that were exactly the same.
"Ah, Benefactor, I've told you to just call me by my name, no need to be so formal." Tingyun's tail sways in dissatisfaction, distracting Qin Shaoqing's gaze for a moment before snapping back.
"R-Right, sorry, but anyway, Mis- Tingyun, are you sure you're not cold with such few clothes?" Qin Shaoqing changed the subject.
"Oh, you sure know how to joke, Benefactor. The atmosphere and temperature in Xianzhou are fully artificial; The Luofu only appears to be night to mimic being in a solar system. Truth is, we're nowhere near any heat source for thousands of light-years."
"Oh, is that the case?" Qin Shaoqing looked up at the sky. The "Sun" had long set, and the stars that were overshadowed are now fully visible, decorating the night sky with a breathless glimmer.
"Are... those stars real?"
"Indeed, now that the artificial light has passed, we don't need to hide the boundless sky." Tingyun paused for a long time before continuing, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Truly."