From his so-called "cozy" little home within the relic—
"Cozy," of course, deserved quotation marks.
After all, the place was built almost entirely out of Desert Golem corpses. Sure, the golem bodies were made from some kind of special stone… but when all was said and done, they were still corpses.
How cozy could that possibly be?
Zhao Xuan had planned to take the two freshly obtained Land King Crystals and leave the relic to visit the Ability Users Guild, trade them in, and restock on energy fluid.
But just as he was about to leave—
A thought struck him.
He suddenly remembered something he had completely forgotten about.
He…
Had never actually checked out that so-called "Dreamspace" the 794 Bureau mentioned!
"Right… I joined that relic-strategy development unit or whatever it was," he muttered. "But I haven't even visited their Dreamspace yet."
Pulling out the silver 794 Bureau medal, Zhao Xuan focused his mental energy into it.
In the next instant—
Darkness swallowed his vision.
Then, light returned.
When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Xuan found himself standing inside what looked like a large administrative hall, its layout similar to that of the Ability Users Guild.
The place was bustling.
People came and went—laughing, trading, talking business.
A faint hum of energy filled the air, and as Zhao Xuan quietly took in his surroundings, he could feel the thick aura of Fruit abilities rippling through the space.
His eyes widened.
"Wait… this entire Dreamspace—don't tell me it was created by someone with a Dream Fruit ability!?"
He recalled what Shi Xuefei had told him earlier—that he should take good care of the medal.
The more Zhao Xuan thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was right.
Just as he was marveling at the Dreamspace's existence, a friendly, deep voice suddenly spoke up behind him.
"Yo, first-timer, huh?"
Zhao Xuan turned around to see a chubby man smiling warmly at him.
The guy looked honest—maybe too honest.
You could tell at a glance he was one of those people who seemed dependable on the surface… but somehow gave off the vibe of an old fox.
"How'd you know I'm new?" Zhao Xuan asked curiously.
The man chuckled. "That's easy! Take a look at yourself."
Zhao Xuan blinked, then looked down—
And froze.
His body… was that of a cactus with Desert Golem legs.
"..."
He was speechless.
"Hahahaha! Don't worry," the chubby man laughed heartily. "That's normal for newcomers. When you first enter the Dreamspace, your body's just your consciousness given shape—it takes a few minutes to stabilize. Right now, yours is still adapting, so it looks… weird."
"How long will that take?" Zhao Xuan asked quickly. "Because I'm not walking around like this for long."
"Ten minutes or so," the man said casually.
Zhao Xuan sighed in relief. "Ten minutes, huh? Okay, I can deal with that."
And so, during those ten minutes, Zhao Xuan chatted idly with the man.
He learned that his name was Fu Jieyan, a fellow native of Nanjiang Province, and like Zhao Xuan, a low-ranked investigator for the 794 Bureau.
Before long, Zhao Xuan's form began to settle. The golem legs and cactus body faded, replaced by his normal human appearance.
"Finally," he muttered, flexing his now-human fingers in relief.
"By the way, Brother Fu—you mentioned earlier there's a free trading market inside this Dreamspace, right? Where is it? I want to take a look."
"Hold up!" Fu Jieyan said suddenly, puffing his chest with mock indignation. "My name's Fu Jieyan, not Fu Yanjie! You flipped it!"
"Oh, right, right! Fu Jieyan! My bad," Zhao Xuan quickly apologized.
Fu Jieyan waved it off, grinning. "Heh, no harm done. But tell you what—just call me Brother Fu. Sounds more natural."
"Honestly," Zhao Xuan admitted with a laugh, "I was just thinking the same thing."
"Good! Then it's settled!" Fu Jieyan clapped him on the back. "Come on, Brother Zhao—this way! The free market's over there!"
Zhao Xuan smiled, following him through the bustling hall, unaware that the Dreamspace was about to open an entirely new chapter of opportunity for him.
--------------------------------------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters: [email protected] / KaiOynx