Chapter 9 : Right
Upon seeing the message from Ye Lan, the Leader almost didn't react.
He hadn't expected that the Star Eclipse, which a group of Night Watchers couldn't find all night, had been seen by Ye Lan.
What an absurd situation was this?
Could this also be the power of an exceptional Star holder?
The Leader quickly recovered from his self-doubt and prepared to go out.
"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back soon. Continue searching for clues about the Star Eclipse."
"Yes, Leader."
The Leader returned to his office, not conspicuously seeking out Ye Lan, but choosing to wait in the office for Ji Yun to bring her there.
Even if the situation was urgent, he wouldn't lose his judgment and decision-making ability.
If he fell into panic at every incident, he would be failing in his duty as the Leader.
After sitting in the office for a while, Ji Yun sent a message.
"Leader, I've brought Ye Lan to the door."
"Bring her in."
"Understood."
The door opened.
Ji Yun walked in with a puzzled-looking Ye Lan.
After bringing her in, Ji Yun turned and walked out, not intending to stay and listen to their conversation.
The Leader looked at Ye Lan gently and said softly, "Come, sit down and tell me slowly."
"Mm... Leader, I'm leaving."
"No, you can't leave yet."
"Eh? Is there something else?"
Hearing the Leader's words, Ye Lan could only cautiously inquire, afraid of saying something wrong.
"You just said you saw a Star Eclipse. What's this about?"
After asking this question, the Leader also spoke about yesterday's events.
"Yesterday, our headquarters' [Star-Knower] sounded an alarm. A mysterious Star Eclipse appeared in the capital, but after a night passed, we made no progress, still at a standstill. So I urgently need clues about this Star Eclipse. Can you tell me?"
"I see... Then can I leave after I tell you?"
The Leader fell silent briefly, not making an easy promise.
"We'll see."
"Mm..."
Ye Lan suddenly had an ominous premonition. Why did she feel like she would be kept here to work?
It couldn't be, right? Surely not?
The Leader looked so great, so dignified, so good, he surely wouldn't employ a "child laborer" to participate in such dangerous matters.
It must be so!
Ye Lan had to trust the Leader!
Thinking this, Ye Lan recounted the events of last night.
A while later, she had finally finished explaining.
"That's how it was."
The Leader was digesting the information Ye Lan had given, not speaking immediately.
"A dream world where any thought can be realized, only those who are asleep can enter, Stars can't be used after entering, becoming an ordinary person, and all memories of the dream disappear after waking..."
Looking at this information, the Night Watchers who went to sleep early yesterday also entered it, but they were just a minority. Even if the alarm sounded, it didn't wake them. Such a small anomaly couldn't be noticed in such a short time.
Moreover, those Night Watchers would forget the events in the dream after waking up, not even knowing it was a Star Eclipse event.
If it weren't for the special Ye Lan who could retain her memories, perhaps the headquarters wouldn't have been able to discover the source of this anomaly.
Connecting all these, this Star Eclipse that appeared was truly bizarre.
And Ye Lan saw the Star Eclipse in the dream, which means that [Dream Narrator] only appears in dreams?
How should the Night Watchers act now?
This was a problem that required decision-making.
They hadn't understood the Star Eclipse's purpose, nor grasped its abilities. Acting under so many unknowns was extremely dangerous.
Moreover, this dream thing wasn't in the countermeasure scenarios that Night Watchers were trained for. Falling asleep and dreaming might be the only way to enter.
Then what after entering?
How could Night Watchers who had lost their Stars deal with that mysterious Star Eclipse?
Thinking this, the Leader looked at the obedient-looking Ye Lan with a thoughtful expression.
Seeing this, Ye Lan's expression froze, suddenly having an ominous premonition.
"Um... Leader, you surely won't have me participate in this, right? I'm just a newbie, a true newbie. I'm not suitable for participating in such dangerous actions. You won't have me participate, right?"
"..." The Leader remained silent, just looking at her sincerely.
Ye Lan's expression froze.
"Right...?"
However, the Leader's next words shattered Ye Lan's fantasies.
"Ahem, Ye Lan, to be on the safe side, you should stay in the capital for now. This situation is a bit complicated, and we might need you to collect information for us. I'm counting on you."
"Uuu, I knew it..."
The light quickly faded from Ye Lan's eyes.
Thus, at the Leader's request, Ye Lan still temporarily stayed in the capital.
She really hadn't expected to encounter such trouble on the day she was supposed to leave.
Could this be fate?
The more you don't want something to happen, the more likely it is to occur.
Ye Lan silently made a resolution in her heart, deciding never to raise flags again!
She strongly suspected that the [Wish Machine] was inversely promoting her thoughts.
The Wish Machine had done nothing but evil!
Ye Lan once again blamed the innocent Wish Machine.
Afterwards, the Leader let Ye Lan go back to rest.
If she re-entered the dream and discovered anything, she should tell the Leader privately.
This way, her secret could be kept, avoiding attention from strange people.
The Leader then returned to the command room filled with gathered talents, and relayed what Ye Lan had said along with his own analysis.
After listening, the other Night Watchers fell into contemplation.
"I see, so it's a dream? "
Hearing about the battlefield from the Leader's mouth, the Night Watchers only felt their heads ache.
They had never encountered such a situation before.
This wasn't even reality, how could they think of countermeasures?
Moreover, the information revealed in the Leader's words made them feel somewhat powerless.
That is, after entering the dream, they would lose their Stars, and after waking up, they would have no memory. It was truly hell-level difficulty.
No one knew what [Dream Narrator] wanted to do, or what harm the dream he wove would bring to ordinary people.
The Night Watchers didn't want to wait, nor did they want to gamble. They could only take the initiative to strike.
But the question was, how to strike?
At this point, the Leader said: "We can only sleep. Last night, Night Watchers who slept early also entered that bizarre dream. I think perhaps only by entering sleep do we qualify to enter the dream. We can try it."
Hearing this, the other Radiant Sun Night Watchers nodded thoughtfully.
The Leader continued: "We will lose our Stars in the dream. If we encounter the Star Eclipse, don't fight it. Try to collect information. This way, we'll have a better grasp of the situation."
"But after waking up, we'll all lose our memories. How can we bring the collected information back to reality?"
The Leader glanced at the Night Watcher who spoke.
"How do you think I know this information?"
"As expected of the Leader."
The other Night Watchers didn't inquire further. They only needed to know that there was a possibility of breaking the deadlock.
As for what came next, they just needed to follow the Leader's command.