The Scarlet Mist Sea is designated by the Star Envoy Association as a Fallen Zone.
The Association's regional risk labels are categorized into five levels: Safe Zone, Low-Risk Zone, High-Risk Zone, Fallen Zone, and Forbidden Land.
A Safe Zone is a location like the Deep Blue City or the City of Steam, which is protected by a Star Beast Mimetic Obelisk (abbreviated as a Star Obelisk) of the Calamity Level. These areas are safe for ordinary people to move about freely, with a very low probability of a 'Star Beast invasion.'
A Low-Risk Zone is an area where only Level 0–1 Star Beasts are active. Ordinary people can enter and explore these regions with caution.
A High-Risk Zone is an area with Level 1–2 Star Beasts, and a small chance of Level 3 Star Beasts. It is extremely dangerous, and non-Star Envoys are forbidden from entering.
Fallen Zones and Forbidden Lands are more specialized.
Both are similar in terms of the observed Star Beast energy levels, containing Star Beasts of Level 3 and above, or even higher.
Therefore, the only distinguishing criteria between the two is whether any Association Star Envoys who entered to explore managed to return alive.
If Level 3 or higher Association Star Envoys entered and successfully emerged alive, the area is called a Fallen Zone.
If Level 3 or higher Association Star Envoys entered but not a single one returned alive, the area is called a Forbidden Land, a region that even Calamity-level powerhouses dare not tread lightly.
The area where the steam train is currently traveling is the border between the Fallen Zone and the High-Risk Zone in the Scarlet Mist Sea.
This location was chosen due to the Scarlet Mist Sea's unique oceanic environment.
The Scarlet Mist Sea has two distinct periods: the White Mist Season and the Red Mist Season.
During the White Mist Season, only a small portion of the sea is classified as High-Risk; most areas are High-Risk or even Low-Risk.
During the Red Mist Season, the Star Beasts in the Scarlet Mist Sea undergo large-scale riots due to the influence of numerous Blood Crystal Coral on the seabed.
This makes the entire Scarlet Mist Sea dangerous.
To account for this, the 'Steam and Gear Joint Railway Company,' which built this offshore railway, originally laid the tracks in a Low-Risk Zone.
However, with the approaching Red Mist Season this year, this Low-Risk Zone has slowly transitioned into a High-Risk Zone, and in a short while, it will even be classified as a Fallen Zone.
Yet, so-called "danger" is always relative.
With two Calamity-level powerhouses aboard the steam train, those who should be afraid are not the passengers, but the Star Beasts leaving the ocean, attracted by the "pure life force" emanating from Tendo.
After all, from the very beginning, they were never the hunters—they were the prey.
"Phew, the sea breeze... it feels so nice."
Jing Liuli sat cross-legged on the metal roof of the middle carriage. Her light-purple long hair lifted gently in the sea wind.
Her eyes were closed, and her hands gripped her delicate little ankles. Her posture was so relaxed it looked like she was dozing on a lawn in the afternoon, showing no sign of the tension associated with being in a Fallen Zone.
A multitude of ethereal purple dream butterflies fluttered within a fifty-meter radius of Jing Liuli, scattering beautiful "phosphor dust" in the air.
This made Jing Liuli look like an elf that had stepped out of a dream, seeming utterly harmless.
But contrasting sharply with her leisurely demeanor, Star Beasts were constantly leaping out of the ocean, shrieking as they rushed toward the carriage she was on.
Among these Star Beasts, some had octopus-like tentacles with suction cups full of barbs.
Some resembled scaled sharks with sharp bone spikes on their backs.
Others were entirely transparent jellyfish, with only a pair of glowing compound eyes flashing through the mist.
Although their levels were not high—mostly Level 1 to Level 2—there were over a hundred of them, swarming so densely that they nearly enveloped the middle of the train.
However, these ferocious Star Beasts couldn't get within thirty meters of the carriage.
Because whenever a Star Beast lunged, bizarre dream creations would appear out of thin air.
These dream creations included giant winged scissors, puppet dolls shedding black tears, and unspeakable entities covered in eyes.
These things, which should only appear in nightmares, were now vividly present before all the passengers, precisely blocking the path of the Star Beasts.
'Watching' the tide of Star Beasts obstructed by her "dream creations," Jing Liuli laughed with her distinctively sweet voice: "Now this is a true 'Daydream.'"
In Season One, Jing Liuli's "Daydream" was not only a "slacking god-skill" that allowed her to cultivate while sleeping;
When she got tired of cultivating, she could even turn her "sweet dreams" into "Sweet Dream Candy" to satisfy her cravings.
It was essentially the ultimate slacking skill every worker dreamed of.
After a perfect awakening, Jing Liuli's "slacking god-skill" had evolved again.
It transformed this unique Trait-type Star Source, originally meant for "slacking" and "support," into a true battlefield weapon.
Because now, she could truly materialize the so-called "Daydream"!
[Name: Daydream]
[Type: Trait-type Star Source]
[Effect 1. Daydreaming: Can enter a dream state while conscious to absorb dream power.]
[Effect 2. Sweet Dreams Like Candy: Can create Sweet Dream Candy with special effects based on her current state and the vision of a sweet dream deep in her soul.]
[First Awakening Effect · Sweet Dreams Come True: While in the dream state, can materialize the creations within the dream.]
On the sea surface, the dream creations materialized by Jing Liuli's "Sweet Dreams Come True" seemed absurd, yet they precisely countered every single Star Beast.
The octopus Star Beasts had their tentacles clamped by the scissors. The shark Star Beasts had their scales corroded by the puppet doll's black tears. The transparent Star Beasts were paralyzed with fear, rigidly stared down by the eyes in the shadows.
If she relied solely on the "Daydream" Star Source, Jing Liuli could certainly hold back this small-scale beast tide, but she wouldn't have done so with such ease.
What truly turned this battle into a one-sided slaughter was the perfect synergy between her Star Core and her Star Source.
Flap! Flap!
In mid-air, the phosphor dust scattered by the purple illusionary butterflies fell upon the sea surface like countless specks of starlight.
The moment this dust touched the Star Beasts, the creatures—whose eyes had been fierce—instantly let out piercing screams, and their movements became erratic and confused.
Some Star Beasts suddenly began frantically attacking their comrades, while others curled up, shivering as if they had seen their greatest fear.
[Name: Evernight Illusionary Butterfly]
[Type: Trait-type Star Core]
[Effect 1. Thousand Butterflies Devour Dream: Creatures that inhale the Evernight Illusionary Butterfly's phosphor dust will have their greatest fear materialized.]
[Effect 2. Butterfly Slumber Assimilation: When Jing Liuli enters a sleep state, she can enter a shared dream with creatures within a three-hundred-meter radius.]
[First Awakening Effect · Dreamlike Illusion: Enhances fear effects, amplifying the power of nightmares.]
The original Evernight Illusionary Butterfly's effect, though powerful, only achieved its maximum impact when Jing Liuli and the enemy were both asleep.
But this meant that Jing Liuli's body in reality would be left uncontrolled.
If someone broke free from the dream, or if someone outside the range of her 'Illusionary Butterfly' launched a long-range attack against her, Jing Liuli had no particularly good way to deal with it.
But when Evernight Illusionary Butterfly is combined with Daydream, it's different, because the two achieve a near-perfect complementarity!
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