yournovel Chapter 84 Are you a Nightmare God?
Chapter 84 Are you a Nightmare God?
Chapter 84 Are you a Nightmare God?
In Wahdien's narrative, Nan'an Suiyue is able to unveil the veil of mourning.
The Mist of Mourning first appeared in Mount in the year 181 of the Black Mist Calendar. It was located northwest of Rostarek and was the first line of defense against the Black Mist 200 years ago.
It is also the territory of the Leode family.
Disaster struck silently.
There were no warnings, no prior anomalies that could be documented.
Overnight, Leod's manor was reduced to ashes, and half of the family's elite perished.
The black fog did not show any obvious movement, but a mist, distinct from the black fog itself, silently seeped into the unaffected areas and expanded rampantly.
The survivors' descriptions of the fog are fragmented and contradictory.
The results of the on-site investigation were even more chilling.
Over the long years that followed, the surviving members of the Leode family pieced together the name bit by bit: Weeping Mist.
Wahdien opened the briefcase on the table.
It was an old-fashioned box with worn dragon scale patterns on the edges, possibly from a real dragon. He unfastened the clasp, and the lid popped open, revealing a photographic scroll, sealed books, and everything else.
He reminded Nan'an and Suiyue before they reached out to touch it.
"Whatever you see is only for your personal knowledge. Once it spreads, the fragile peace of Nora and the living erosion they are trying to change will become utterly ridiculous."
Nan'an pressed down on Suiyue's hand and looked directly into Wahedeen's unfathomable, languid eyes.
"Does it have the ability to recognize pollution?"
"Cognitive pollution—" Vahdine repeated the word, a slight smile playing on his lips. He pulled out a pipe, slowly filled it with tobacco, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I like your description, as if being aware of its existence is a curse."
"Then what do you mean by 'spreading'?"
"Suppose we can't defeat the Weeping Mist and let it grow," he laughed self-deprecatingly, "does it really make sense to discuss the future? Leod has witnessed its transformation firsthand."
"Have you made up your mind? Then watch and see. I'll explain anything you don't understand." His face was obscured by the mist.
Without further hesitation, Nan'an reached out and took out the scroll.
The written record is very long and was written by people with different handwriting styles.
The ink varied in age, and the handwriting was sometimes neat and sometimes messy, with some characters appearing as crooked marks made in a state of extreme panic.
It is a symbol of honor for the Leode family, and also a testament written by several generations.
To confirm the properties of the Weeping Mist, the secret-guarding Leod elites periodically approach and delve into that gray expanse.
If someone returns alive, the records of the Mist of Weeping will be enriched by a few lines.
Some people remain there forever, and their names are engraved at the beginning of the next paragraph.
Each writer would solemnly write down the full names of the entire team that explored the mist after signing their name.
Those names, densely packed together, are a list of the fallen, a historical graveyard belonging solely to the Leode family, serving as a transition in scrolls and books.
It symbolizes the interval of time.
One group of people left, and another group took over.
Nan'an's gaze swept over the names, extracting large amounts of textual information from each "tombstone".
The characteristics of the weeping mist are clearly defined, line by line, almost coldly so.
Its existence and manifestation depend on being known by intelligent life.
Imagination is both an amplifier of its power and a tool for shaping.
In the fog, imagination, especially associations based on fear, can directly generate malicious physical entities that attack the imaginer.
The fog itself is the absolute domain where its power takes effect.
Within the fog, "cognition is power."
From the moment they step in, those who enter automatically become its tools, and all their thoughts nourish the fog.
Since it has no fixed form, the appearance of the weeping mist is determined by the imagination of the person who steps into it.
This means there are no physical weaknesses that can be preemptively exploited.
It can be anything, or it can just be a harmless fog.
Its ability to adapt and counteract is extremely rapid.
Any resistance based on fear and imagination will instantly be transformed into a force that attacks the resister himself.
There is no option to leave it unattended.
The Mist of Mourning erupts periodically, is difficult to predict and defend against, and continues to expand its territory.
For decades, while the mutation of the black mist throughout Nora stagnated, it remained highly active, and its danger far exceeded that of the black mist itself. Although Suiyue was stupid, after reviewing a series of characteristics verified by human lives, she was already sweating profusely.
They were incredibly lucky to escape the pursuit of the Weeping Mist twice in a row!
Nan'an looked grave, understanding that only a few people in the two high-ranking officials of Nora knew the reason for the existence of the Mist of Weeping.
Such a truth should not be widely disseminated.
Wahdien's face flickered in and out of the smoke, with only the embers in his pipe providing a constant glow.
"In the eyes of most of the Fogbreakers in Nora, gods and demons are just inanimate objects."
"They wander the world unconsciously like ghosts. Even if there are special cases like cat food, they are just isolated cases, some kind of exception that can be ignored."
"But we know very well that the Nightmares are living beings, and they can also develop intelligence."
"Two hundred years ago, perhaps the Mist of Weeping was indeed as people imagined, acting solely on instinct, like a lowly flying insect that only chases after light."
"But in recent decades, it has demonstrated basic logical thinking, learned countermeasures against the family, and has been selectively hunting and acquiring fragments of other gods and demons to strengthen itself."
Nan'an suddenly asked, "Like—eating?"
Wahdien turned around, his blue-grey eyes gleaming in the smoke.
"Doesn't it look very similar?"
He didn't wait for Nan'an's reply and continued speaking.
If the Nora were to widely publicize the fact that "gods and demons live," how would they think?
"If gods and demons are also a form of life, then—everything that is happening now is just a 'new cycle' similar to the changing tides of magical energy."
"New life forms are born, and the old life forms are powerless to resist and are thus eliminated. The magical age is coming to an end."
Gods and demons are the "signal" for the next era.
He took another drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling, his entire body enveloped in a grayish-white mist.
"At this point, there will be no more pro-war factions in Nora."
We really need to be anxious.
Nan'an finally understood the root cause of the chief elder's eagerness to make changes.
They need to create more possibilities within a limited time and find a way to break the deadlock amidst the variables.
Otherwise—the Mist of Lamentation will devour all current civilization!
Nan'an hesitated, then asked, "Is Linem also a Nightmare God?"
Wahdien closed his eyes.
"No, she is a person, a living, breathing person, a miracle born from the Leode family in this utterly garbage era—"
"If she were Gray Star, I think she would have been able to shine in Nora. Unfortunately, she was born in the wrong era."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Lenem is a half-human, half-elf, and bloodline testing has also revealed that she has some siren blood—Nan'an, you must have heard of those exceptionally gifted magical geniuses during the Gray Star era, right?"
The nerd once described to him the lucky ones who were fed by the world itself.
It was a talent completely different from that of ordinary people; from the moment they were born, fate opened a special door for them.
Some people are born into the wrong family.
For example, a human being could possess the magical breathing speed of a dragon.
Even more absurdly, it is clearly not a siren, nor does it have the "demon scales" necessary for casting spells, yet it can still use spells.
Some people are born with a set of skills.
Born with a mastery of some kind of spiritual magic, as if those complex incantations had long been engraved in their soul.
There are also those who created their own talents.
Born with an affinity for both water and fire elements, it's like a gift casually given by the Creator.
According to Vahdion's description, Linem's situation is rather unique.
She seemed to have touched a little of everything, which eventually created a strange effect, like the power of gods and demons.
Linem's dreams possess a strange power to heal the mind. Any distorted things or memories that would make Linem sad cannot create a negative impact in her dreams.
In theory, even if a powerful mental mage were to destroy Linem's consciousness with the most violent means, everything would be back to normal once she had a good night's sleep.
It seems to have a built-in system reset function.
Suiyue listened, completely bewildered.
"But how are we supposed to fight off the Mist of Mourning?"
Before she could get an answer, Nan'an, already understanding, stroked his chin: "I see—you severed the path for obtaining 'imagination' from the Mist of Sorrow."
When he was rescued by Linem, he wondered why the weeping mist chasing behind him had turned into a landscape painting, presenting a pastoral scene of cattle and sheep grazing in the wind-blown grass.
Looking back now, everything makes sense.
The Mist of Sorrow's "reading" of him and Suiyue was rewritten by Linem's dream, forcing the Mist of Sorrow to enter the beautiful dream and become Linem's dream amplifier.
Linem's dream continuously released a self-healing effect, perfectly suppressing the possibility of the weeping mist disturbing the dream and causing Linem to have nightmares.
Even if Linem had mastered high-level mental magic, a simple dream could not possibly have such a vast range of influence, achieving power close to the domain level.
The only reasonable explanation is becoming increasingly clear.
"There's more than one tower, right?"
For the first time, Wahdien showed a hint of admiration for Southampton.
"Indeed, we build towers at intervals around the border where the Mist of Sorrow is active, and connect them with magic circles to amplify them and form a resonance."
"Through Linem's dreams, the activity of the mist is repeatedly suppressed, forcing it to abandon its expansion and return to the depths of the black mist."
Suiyue didn't understand: "Since you've already figured out a way to use her, why lock Linem in the tower and never let her go out since she was a child?"
"Even if there's a concern that the Mist of Sorrow might strike at any moment, it's reasonable to let her interact and socialize with outsiders, right? She seems so—so eager to talk to people—"
Vahdion turned to face her, his eyes showing only a quiet weariness. "What I've told you is merely the result of the Riod family's years of observation and deduction. In reality, no one can truly know the full picture of Linem's Immaculate Dream."
"After she was diagnosed with this ability at birth, the Leod family treasured her and began making arrangements around her."
"The construction of the tower, the physical isolation between the inside and outside, is only to ensure one thing—that variables are controllable."
Vahdine countered, "What if Linem is allowed to have excessive contact with outsiders, causing uncontrollable changes to the Immaculate Dream?"
"Who will stop the weeping mist?"
His gaze shifted from Suiyue's face to Nan'an.
"You, or me?"
The stable experimental environment of the sterile laboratory was suddenly invaded by two uninvited guests, enraging the laboratory's owner.
Although not, Wahedien's attitude can hardly be described as pleasant.
Considering the heavy responsibilities he bears as the current head of the Riod family, Nan'an can understand Wahdien's frustration and impatience.
"Lenem brought you up to me on her own initiative—this is not good; she is starting to feel more and more attached to the outside world."
Suiyue muttered to herself.
"It wasn't that we made contact with them on our own initiative—both times, it was actually a chance encounter in the black fog. Nan'an and I don't know why it happened either."
Wahedien glanced sideways at Southampton.
"This is also what I'm curious about: why is the Black Mist of the Scythe River connected to the distant Mist Front? Is it related to you, the Heroic Spirit who has been resurrected after hundreds of years of slumber?"
"I have heard about your deeds from Gunn and the Bewitching Raven. Your immunity to gods and demons is selective—I would call it differential treatment."
"Some gods and demons are completely immune, while others are only partially immune. It seems you can effectively grasp and differentiate the degree of harm caused by gods and demons, thereby releasing the corresponding level of immunity and benefiting from it."
Wahedien stepped forward to stand before Nan'an.
The two locked eyes, their gazes sharp as blades.
"Excuse my bluntness—you don't seem like a heroic spirit, but rather a nightmare."
The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly; the airtight basement was suffocating.
"Doesn't Linem look like it?"
Nan'an responded.
Standing beside the two, Suiyue felt the "qi" constantly being released from their bodies and couldn't help but swallow hard. For a moment, she didn't know what to say to break this maddening stalemate.
Wahedien was the first to look away; he took out his cigarettes and decided to have another pipe.
Nan An took a step back, came to Sui Yue's side, and took her hand. This girl is so adorably silly. She actually thought a fight would break out and had already asked how to make a move during the summoning ritual.
It's fun.
Then I'll have to ask her which side she'd be on if I were truly a god or demon.
"Erlu can take in cat food, and it can take in another cat food. We didn't object back then, and we won't now." Wahdien exhaled a smoke ring, looked up at the sky, "As long as it acts the way we think—let's judge by actions, not intentions."
"Is this also your defense of Linem?"
"She's just a tool, and there's no need for her to defend herself."
Anger crept onto Suiyue's face, and she clenched her fists.
"You may not like how I describe it, but the truth is always painful."