Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Palace of Dreams (4)
My surprise only lasted for a moment before I began taking everything in. Should I say it felt nostalgic? The name of this place was the Palace of Dreams.
According to the original plan, I would have killed the Dream Bird and fought the boss here. After everything that had happened, arriving here instead as a guest felt strangely refreshing.
"You built it well."
As I stood there absentmindedly looking around, the Dream Bird suddenly started pecking me repeatedly, apparently annoyed for some reason.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
The moment I spoke in a murderous tone, it immediately settled down. I let out a faint chuckle and stood up. I admitted it was a beautiful building, but I had no intention of sitting around here forever.
"Come to think of it, how did you even bring me here?"
Mwi! Mwimwi. Mwimwimwi. Mwiii.
"What are you even saying?"
The Dream Bird desperately tried to explain something. But all I could hear was "mwi."
As I frowned deeply, the Dream Bird began looking hurt. It stretched out its neck and pointed at the tattoo with the tip of its wing.
"Why Anaye's Mark? You're saying I was able to come here because of this?"
Mwimwi! Mwi!
Was that a yes or a no?
Seeing the blank look on my face, the Dream Bird pounded its own chest while trying to suppress its frustration. For some reason, the sight reminded me of Winter.
"Fine, I got it, so hurry up and send me back. I was sleeping just fine before you dragged me here."
Mwi....
The Dream Bird finally became completely dejected and began leading the way with sluggish steps.
It did look rather pitiful, but that wasn't enough to sway me. Since I believed there was no such thing as kindness without a reason, I remained cautious.
The Dream Bird's ability was unique enough that I had secretly made it one of my Believers, but I wasn't stupid enough to immediately trust it just because it suddenly showed me overwhelming affection.
"Well, would you look at that."
I had assumed it was going to send me out of the dream right away.
But I was wrong.
The place it led me to was its own room.
The room was fascinating, with signs of careful attention everywhere. Shelves completely filled one wall, and resting upon them were mysterious, multicolored orbs.
"And what's this?"
Mwimwi! Mwi~
I picked up the closest orb. It resembled a rainbow-colored pearl and was so large I couldn't hold it properly with one hand.
I asked the Dream Bird what it was.
It suddenly became excited and launched into a long explanation only it could understand. Judging by its behavior, it seemed to be proudly showing something off, so I quietly listened despite not understanding a single word.
"Forget it. I'll figure it out myself."
Mwi....
Ignoring the Dream Bird, I examined the orb.
I was freely handling its belongings right in front of the owner, but I didn't particularly care.
As I stared into the orb, something about it felt strange.
There was an entirely different world inside it.
I checked another orb as well.
"So they're storing dreams."
This was a place where the extraordinary dreams of countless people had been gathered.
Dreams filled with joy, sorrow, rage...
Dreams where emotions reached their absolute peak were contained within these orbs.
I nodded.
This was the source of the Dream Bird's power.
"Hm?"
While looking around in fascination, something suddenly caught my eye.
A very familiar back.
Pure white hair.
A tiny frame.
As though possessed, I picked up that particular orb.
Winter appeared inside it.
I looked around the surrounding shelves.
Mine was naturally there, and since the Imperial Princess, the Vice-Commander, and even Worden had entered dreams before, it was only natural that theirs existed as well.
But even Canis, Aro, and Winter, whose dreams had nothing to do with the Dream Bird until now, were here as well.
"What's the standard here? Shouldn't these only gather dreams that are actually related to dreams?"
Mwimwi.
"Why am I even asking you?"
Was this because of the Mark too?
Connected as one through Anaye...
Something like that?
Thinking that, I took a closer look at Canis's dream.
Among everyone present, she was the one I trusted the least.
I silently watched her dream replay.
"Well, this is something."
I frowned.
I had expected her to have some hidden scheme.
Instead...
Canis had no ulterior motives whatsoever.
The problem was her mental state itself.
Canis didn't even appear in her own dream.
Only Anger existed.
"I guess it's about time I got started."
The game had heavily emphasized Canis eventually becoming a boss. Everything that looked even slightly suspicious had been highlighted and focused on.
But now that this had become reality, I hadn't noticed any signs of that happening.
Still...
A dream filled entirely with Anger could never be good news.
I had planned to take things slowly, but it seemed I'd have to start dealing with it now.
"Tsk."
I lay down on a bed that I had no idea why was even here.
The Dream Bird, cautiously watching me, quietly climbed onto the bed.
When it rested its head against my chest, I instinctively started stroking it.
It was simply a habit I'd picked up from doing the same to Aro.
Unlike Aro's soft fur, its feathers were much stiffer, but the texture wasn't unpleasant.
'Episode 5 is still a little ways off.'
Episode 5 began with the midterm exams and continued for quite a long time.
In the game, you could breeze right through it, but now that this was reality, there was no helping it.
'What a pain.'
Between the Religious Order and the Imperial House, there was so much to do.
If it was going to keep bothering me anyway, it would be better to solve everything as quickly as possible.
"You should come work with me."
Since I happened to have someone useful.
Now that we'd gathered here anyway, I might as well make some progress through the Floating Island.
***
"Canis."
"Canis~ has arrived~"
After leaving the Palace of Dreams, I headed straight back to the inn.
Since the more active members were absent, everyone from the Religious Order had gathered there.
Several Religious Orders were sharing the inn, yet for some reason, ours was the only one in sight.
"What do you mean 'arrived'? You were just sitting there."
I sat down at the table and scolded Canis for her nonsense.
I ordered a mug of beer and settled into my seat.
Aro, who had been curled up asleep on top of the table, immediately ran over to me.
"You should come work with me."
"Hm? You're talking~ to me~?"
"Yeah. You."
When I singled out Canis, Winter and Aro both tilted their heads.
Since I wasn't calling anyone else, it clearly wasn't something related to the Religious Order.
"What is it?"
"There's something I need to deal with."
I gave Aro a vague answer.
Taking the beer that had just arrived, I took a drink and drew everyone's attention.
"I've been thinking."
Everyone looked at me with curious eyes, waiting for what I had to say.
I shared the idea that had occurred to me alongside Canis's issue.
"Our temple is going to be built on this Floating Island."
"Huh? Really?"
Aro and Worden, who hadn't been present at the time, looked genuinely shocked.
It was only natural.
A Temple of Anaye that didn't even exist on Museion Island was going to be built on the Floating Island.
"We'll have to cover the construction costs ourselves. But that's fine. We've already saved enough money. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me."
"What thought?"
Aro confidently sat cross-legged on top of the table, intrigued by the conversation.
I smiled in a way that was probably a little too rough.
"You know what the defense industry is, right?"
"I do. It's the industry that manufactures equipment used for national defense."
"Exactly. Right now, the Imperial House has blacksmiths dedicated exclusively to them. Competing there isn't even worth considering. But what about combat consumables?"
As our numbers gradually increased, the Religious Order needed a stable source of income.
Originally, I planned to make do by selling Candela and Blood Mist.
But now that things had turned out this way, I intended to do it properly.
"Combat consumables... You mean things like potions or bombs~?"
"Right. We already have Candela and Blood Mist, but those will be supplied exclusively to the Imperial House. What we'll mass-produce instead is something else. That's the first part."
Candela and Blood Mist were both extraordinary items.
Candela's paralysis effect and destructive power, along with Blood Mist's ability to nullify magic, made them incredibly troublesome to face as enemies.
Personally, I was immune to all of it, so it wasn't a problem.
But looking at the bigger picture, someone like Canis, one of our strongest combatants, would immediately become useless against them.
That was why it was best to sell them only to the Imperial Knight Order, who would undoubtedly become our allies.
"Then what's the second part?"
"Combat consumables that are revolutionary without being troublesome. Arrows."
I answered Aro with complete confidence.
The others, who had been expecting something much grander, all looked disappointed.
Ignoring them, I turned to Worden.
Among everyone here, he was the only one with actual experience using ranged weapons.
I waited for his opinion.
"What kind... of arrows?"
"Right now, I'm thinking of arrows that pierce magic."
My idea was simple.
Coat the arrowheads with my blood.
That alone would reliably neutralize magical shields.
"Better than I expected. It's good. Bows are mainly used by ordinary soldiers and hunters."
Worden's response was surprisingly positive.
I quietly looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"For ordinary soldiers... their combat power would increase. Every living being in this world... possesses magic. Simply being struck by one... would interfere with their vital functions."
"Ah~ that's true. Davide's blood does have the ability to block magic~."
"You're right. Blood Mist was designed to nullify magic, and even if it's inhaled, it's relatively easy to expel. But injecting it directly into the body with an arrow would be a completely different matter."
Canis and Aro immediately joined the discussion after hearing Worden's explanation.
Meanwhile, Winter quietly opened her notebook and diligently wrote down every important point that came up.
"Would it actually be competitive?"
"Absolutely. There are many different kinds of arrows, but nothing like this exists. The closest comparison would be arrows made for exorcism, but they're difficult to produce and extremely expensive. One arrow costs around 120 Nuckles."
"If anyone has any other ideas, discuss them. One thing is certain. I'm going to build our temple on this Floating Island and establish a factory that manufactures Religious Order-related goods."
"Does it really have to be on the Floating Island?"
"With Winter's help, we'll have free access. The Floating Island itself is suspended in the sky, making it difficult to invade. Security is practically guaranteed. Besides, there are unique plants that only grow there."
"That~ sounds like you're planning to take over the Floating Island~."
I didn't answer Canis.
Because that was exactly what I intended to do.
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course. All I have to do is negotiate."
I had already figured out exactly how to win Berrot over.
"Then I'll leave the discussion to Senior Aro. The sooner, the better, but it doesn't have to be today. Winter, write down all the important points."
"Where are you going?"
In response to Aro's question, I pointed at Canis.
Suddenly finding herself singled out, Canis tilted her head.
"She caused some trouble. I think I need to deal with it."
"Ah. Well then... good luck."
No one questioned what I said.
Faced with such an absurd accusation, Canis looked completely dumbfounded.
From her perspective, it probably felt unfair.
She hadn't caused any trouble at all.
"Hey. Come with me."
I grabbed Canis by the back of the neck and pulled her to her feet.
She stared blankly at me for a moment before quietly following.
"What~ is this~ about~?"
"Once we're done with the Floating Island, go back to Ulbushis Territory."
After we stepped outside, Canis asked curiously.
Without wasting time, I got straight to the point.
She couldn't immediately understand why I was telling her to return to her family's territory.
"You have a goal, don't you? I'm going to help you accomplish it."
"...Do you even know what my goal is~?"
"I do. So are you going or not?"
Seeing how confident I was, Canis looked at me suspiciously.
"Alright~ I guess I don't have much choice~."
"I can give you exactly what you want. But naturally, I'll need something in return."
After thinking for a moment, Canis nodded.
"Have the Ulbushis Family invest in the Floating Island."
"Invest?"
"Yeah. Invest in a promising new defense company. You already made quite a nice profit from your Candela shares."
Canis thought it over carefully before nodding.
With that, the foundation had been laid.