This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 11 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
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Long asked, "Who is Empress Mary?"
The old man shook his head.
"I don't know either. I only understand that she's a figure that appears in dreams and is deeply revered by these youngsters of the village."
The old man turned to the group, who were clearly confused about this so-called "Empress Mary," and continued:
"I'll take you to meet Alice and her mother. That girl has been asleep for over half a year now—she can't wake up. She's the first case of this strange sleeping illness."
After saying that, the old man prepared a type of caffeine-extracted medicine for his son to drink. He then tightly tied the boy to the bed and set an alarm to go off every twenty minutes to prevent him from falling asleep. He carried out these actions quickly and with practiced ease.
Afterward, he led the group along the village paths. His posture was weary and exhausted, each step slow and heavy.
The scenery on both sides of the road was beautiful with golden autumn leaves, yet the atmosphere was filled with gloom. The fading twilight made everything even more unsettling. Occasionally, there were screams—sometimes cries. Their AI Witch barely functioned, only enough to maintain basic farming tasks.
"We're here. This is Alice's house!" the old man said, pointing to a rustic house at the foot of the mountain.
The group approached as the old man gently knocked on the door.
"Claire, are you home? It's me—Thomas!"
The heavy wooden door slowly opened. A woman with shoulder-length, wavy reddish-brown hair appeared. Her blue eyes were filled with exhaustion, dark circles clearly visible beneath them. She wore a coarse fabric blouse, a fitted bodice, and a flared skirt slightly stained with dirt. Her apron was smudged all over. In a weak voice, Claire spoke:
"Hello, Mr. Thomas. What brings you here today?"
"Claire, these are people sent by Madam Li-chang to help us. Perhaps they can save us—and Alice as well…" Thomas said.
"Mm…" Claire replied reluctantly. "But many bounty hunters have come before. All of them died in their sleep… You're still so young. Don't risk your lives for us…" she added softly.
Long understood that after everything that had happened, the villagers were losing hope. He reassured her with his firm determination:
"We can do it. Please trust us!"
Mai added, offering a faint smile to ease the heavy atmosphere:
"Yes, please believe in us. If Madam Li-chang entrusted us with this, there must be a reason. That's why Mr. Thomas believed in us and brought us here to meet you…"
Claire hesitated, her eyes scanning the group. There was sympathy in her gaze, along with uncertainty. After a moment, she spoke:
"Alright… come in. There's another bounty hunter inside."
Another one? Who could it be? - The group wondered.
Claire led them into an old bedroom. On a small bed lay a young girl—Alice. Her face was dotted with freckles, her hair messy. She looked pale and gaunt from prolonged IV treatment, yet the corners of her lips curved upward as if she were smiling.
Standing beside her was a young man with his arms crossed, radiating cold indifference.
Mai exclaimed, "Nguyen? Why are you here? When we verified identities at the Autumn city gate, we didn't see you. Where did you go?"
Long added in surprise, "Don't tell me—you're the bounty hunter that Ms. Claire mentioned!"
Nguyen looked at Long and Mai, then slowly stood up, arms still crossed, his voice calm:
"I don't have time to explain to you. You came at the right time. I also have something to say about Alice—and this village."
Dreamy spoke up:
"So you've also sensed the strange magical energy emanating from this girl?"
Nguyen replied,
"Yes. The villagers are under a high-level illusion magic related to dreams. But what's strange is that the source of that magical energy comes from this girl."
Claire froze in shock.
"Magical energy… from her? What are you talking about? Is she okay? Is she going to die?"
She collapsed to her knees, her face blank after days without sleep, her eyes filled with panic. Thomas and Mai quickly helped her sit down and tried to calm her.
Claire covered her face with both hands, closing her eyes as she leaned into them. Her body trembled, her hair clinging together. Then she began to speak:
"More than six months ago, Alice dreamed of having an AI Witch named Bakky, it took the shape of a dream-eater Baku. That AI Witch had amber-colored eyes, with pupils like red crystal. From then on, she would often go to sleep early just to dream of it again."
Her voice faltered, trembling with fear.
"Then one day… that AI Witch brought along a girl named Mary…"
At this point, Claire's voice broke completely. Her hands still clutched her face, but her eyes widened in terror, burning with hatred:
"That girl—Mary… she kidnapped Alice into the dream world and brought disaster upon this village! It was her… Please, destroy Mary and save Alice…"
The group exchanged glances. Mai spoke softly:
"It seems like AI Witch shaped Baku and Mary are the key things we need to investigate. But how do we do that? If we fall asleep, we'll become victims too…"
Dreamy placed his paws behind his head, looking annoyed:
"Hmph, such weak magic, yet so troublesome. If it were me in the past, I'd solve everything with a snap of my fingers… Hmph… I thought we'd get a good meal, but instead we got dragged into this mess. Oh… but I think someone here can help you."
Dreamy glanced at Nguyen, his eyes sly and arrogant.
"Am I right, Nguyen?"
Nguyen smirked.
"You truly are proficient in millions of spells, aren't you, my lord?"
A spark lit up in Mai's mind—the "future AI Witch researcher" spoke excitedly:
"That's right! Nguyen has the Eye of Eris—the magical eye that can bring people into illusions and dreams. It can take us directly into Alice's dream, and even the villagers' dreams, in a more controlled way."
Long frowned. "What do you mean?"
Dreamy scoffed. "Idiot."
Long shot him an annoyed glance.
Mai continued explaining:
"In simple terms, we won't need to fall asleep like them. Nguyen will bring us directly into their dreams, and if necessary, we can leave easily. We won't be trapped in someone else's illusion magic. We'll go in, investigate the source of the magic, and cut it off to save the village!"
Nguyen smiled slightly at Mai's insight, while Long and Dreamy occasionally glared at each other, each trying to outdo the other in stubbornness.
"Yes," Nguyen said. "I will bring us into their dreams. But there are certain limitations."
Mai asked softly,
"What kind of limitations?"
Nguyen fell silent. He didn't want to answer. Instead, he changed the subject and turned to Dreamy:
"My lord, AI King Witch—within the dream, the power of your cognitive core could crush that world. You'll need to suppress and seal it. Can you do that?"
Dreamy burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Don't worry about that!"
Nguyen then looked at everyone.
"Are you ready? We're about to enter the dream realm of Alice and the villagers."
They all nodded in agreement.
Nguyen suddenly levitated into the air. He closed his eyes tightly, his arms relaxed at his sides. The red, pupil-less Eye of Eris began to glow with a strange crimson light, illuminating the entire room.
Then he brought his hands together, and a dark red sphere appeared. It grew larger and larger, transforming into a spatial gateway before flashing with blinding brilliance.
In an instant—the entire group vanished without a trace.
Thomas and Claire watched them disappear. They clasped their hands together and whispered:
"Please… save the villagers… please save them…"