'My dream?'
Geoffrey blinked a couple of times, thinking hard about what his dream was.
Now, he knew that the whole world was in danger. All he wanted to do was save the world and reunite
with his parents.
Pondering for a while, he wondered if those were part of his dream.
However, he soon concluded that they weren't.
Despite everything being hazy at the moment, Geoffrey knew this wasn't his ultimate dream.
His mother was the leader of the Cloud Hall, and his father was a legend in every world.
While he had lived his whole life in a safe environment, he couldn't help but feel like he was in a prison.
He couldn't make decisions on his own, and he couldn't leave without permission.
He couldn't live a life he wanted in the Cloud Hall or the fairy palace.
Ever since Zen went to the Source World, Geoffrey had stayed in his inner world. But he was his
father's tool. Whenever Zen needed him to decipher Sanskrit words, he would summon him.
Although Zen had given him the illusion of freedom in his inner world, sometimes even creating
obstacles for him, Geoffrey knew that everything was still under his father's control. Ultimately, he was
safe there, and never needed to stare death in the face.
Due to his experiences growing up, Geoffrey didn't really care about anything, since he couldn't even
be the master of his own life.
As he reflected on his past, he found that his days of happiness only really started when he had set
foot in the Abstruse Energy World from the Deleting Space.
There, he had encountered so many dangers.
His parents weren't by his side, so he finally felt the thrill of courting death.
Despite the danger, Geoffrey was very happy.
Then, it clicked. "My dream is to travel the worlds freely!" he exclaimed.
Even when Geoffrey gave his answer, the consciousness still did not have any reaction. He, Elder Xue,
and the others continued to move along the green lines, with no obstructions before them.
"Elder Xue, this is easier than I thought," Geoffrey said with a nonchalant shrug.
"It's not that simple," Elder Xue responded, shaking his head. "They are just collecting information."
"Why would they do that?"
Just as Geoffrey finished speaking, he reached the end of the green lines and a red line suddenly
blocked their way.
Then, the consciousness suddenly became active in his mind. This time, however, it didn't raise any
questions but went straight into Geoffrey's soul.
Boom!
Geoffrey felt as though a wild, ancient beast had just rammed into him. A white light flashed in his mind
briefly, and when he had gathered his bearings, he found himself in a strange world.
There was no sign of Elder Xue or the Levitation Tower. Instead, Geoffrey saw a seemingly unending
wilderness. After taking in his surroundings, he saw several old, dilapidated wooden cabins nearby.
As Geoffrey made his way towards the cabins, he suddenly heard the pained wails of someone crying.
Whipping his head about, he tried to follow the direction of the sound. Finally, his eyes landed on a thin,
short girl who was as pale as a ghost in one of the cabins.
"Hello,"
Geoffrey called out from a distance.
Since he didn't know where he was, he didn't dare approach the little crying girl.
"Hey, why are you crying?" he asked again.
The little girl slowly raised her tear-stained face. "It's all your fault! We're all going to die!" she wailed.
Geoffrey was confused. "What did I do to you?"
'I guess I am in an illusion created by the Levitation Tower. This must be a test, ' he quickly figured. His
face relaxed when he realized this.
Seeing Geoffrey's relaxed expression, the little girl got angrier. "I was created because of you. Dead
crows would appear over there. We can't escape from them. We will die here," she spat, resentment
written all over her face.
Hearing the little girl's words, Geoffrey immediately realized that the little girl's words was an important
hint.
He raised his head and looked at the end of the wilderness in the distance. A black cloud was steadily
approaching, and as he squinted, he realized it was actually a horde of black crows.
"The dead crows are coming our way. Run!" Geoffrey urged.
"No, I am not going anywhere. I can't escape them anyway!" The little girl shook her head stubbornly.
"Then, I'll leave you here!"
Without hesitation, Geoffrey turned around abruptly and started to sprint away. As he ran, he muttered
to himself, "What the hell is this illusion?"
After a while, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He could sense that the little girl was still wailing,
sitting on the ground of one of the cabins. Raising his eyebrows, he turned around and headed back for
her.
'Since the little girl is in this illusion, she must play a role, ' he thought to himself.
Squatting in front of the little girl, he said, "You didn't even give it a try. How would you know that you
can't run away from them?"
"This wilderness is very large. The dead crows are very fast. Of course we can't outrun them!" The little
girl pouted.
"Are you familiar with this place?" Geoffrey asked, raising an eyebrow.
The little girl shook her head stubbornly. "Anyway, we are doomed. We will die here!" she said again.
"If we don't run, we will surely die. But if we run now, we might make it out of here. So why don't we
give it a shot? If we don't do anything and give up, we will regret it!" Geoffrey coaxed her gently.
"Look at those dead crows. It'd only take one of them to devour the both of us. Even the nearest city is
a hundred miles away. We'll be their food before we get there. So, just give up!" the little girl huffed with
conviction.
"Since you know that this world is illusionary, you should know that it is just a test. If you run with me,
we will find a way to get rid of them," Geoffrey patiently persuaded. By now, he had already figured out
that the little girl was the key to passing the test.
"My existence is meaningless. Whether I run or not, I will disappear with the world. So it makes no
difference whether I choose to run or stay here," the little girl retorted, her eyes flashing with defiance.
"But it'd mean a lot to me," Geoffrey said, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice. He didn't know
how to talk the stubborn little girl into going with him.
"It's not my responsibility to help you, and I can't help." By now, she had stopped crying. If Geoffrey
wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be a hint of malice in her large, twinkling eyes.
Quack! Quack! Quack!
The dead crows were steadily closing in on them. Geoffrey could see the ferocity in their eyes.
'I've only climbed around two feet on the Levitation Tower. Am I really going to die here?' he thought.
He frowned and stood up. All of a sudden, an idea flashed in his mind.
'I've been focusing on persuading this little girl. What if I tried another method?
There's no way I'm giving up like this!' Geoffrey thought to himself resolutely.
Lowering his head, he glanced at the little girl. With his eyebrows raised slightly, he suddenly grabbed
the little girl by the arm and began to run.
The little girl was as light as a kite.
He kept running while grabbing the little girl tightly. "Now that you can't help me, let me help you!" he
said as he sprinted.
The little girl didn't resist. Instead, she smiled. Gently waving at the sky, a fan-shaped flame suddenly
appeared.
In the blink of an eye, all the dead crows were burnt to ashes.
Then, a hush fell over the vast wilderness. Even though it was just an illusion, it felt so real. The smell
of burning flesh filled Geoffrey's nose.
"You passed the test," the little girl said calmly.
Geoffrey threw the little girl to the side and panted. Before he could reply, the illusion abruptly
disappeared.
He was back in the Levitation Tower. The red line that had blocked him moments prior was now
replaced with two green lines.
As for Elder Xue and the other three men from the Elemental race, their eyes were still shut tight. It was
obvious that they were still trapped in the illusion.
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