Me! Cleaner!.

Chapter 1166 Crossing and Traveling Together
"what happened?"

Seeing the Taurus director suddenly freeze in his tracks, his expression one of surprise and uncertainty, Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he cautiously inquired:

"Could it be that the stargate just happened to malfunction?"

"Not at all……"

Raising his hand, he summoned the compass belonging to the Taurus constellation. After fiddling with it for a while among the countless dazzling stars, the Taurus director replied with a rather unpleasant expression:

"Within the old land's 'ferry,' many 'ferrys' that were originally very stable have now all fallen into chaos..."

Is the [Crossing] process in disarray?

Upon hearing the Golden Bull Director's reply, Lyon's brows furrowed involuntarily.

The vast astral planes are so expansive that the speed of the star gates that can traverse them is naturally faster. Often, in the blink of an eye, one can cross the distance of several planes.

At speeds countless times faster than light, users of stargates cannot lock onto their destinations. Therefore, they must rely on the [Crossing] that accompanies each plane to determine their current location and destination.

If we compare a stargate to a ship that can traverse the sea of ​​stars, then each "ferry" in the vast star realm is a crossing point that allows the ship to dock and adjust its course. If the "ferry" corresponding to a certain plane is disordered, it often means that there is a problem with that world itself.

"Your Excellency Taurus."

With a vague sense of foreboding, Leon quickly asked:
"What kinds of messed-up [crossings] are there?"

"Too much……"

The Taurus director reached out and stroked the chaotic compass, trying hard to discern the scattered stars, and said with considerable difficulty:
“Gravesites, Insufficient Land, Sea of ​​Clothes, Hanging Star Gorge, Ancestral Land of All Spirits, Plain of Shepherds, Abyss of Ten Thousand Evils… these [Crossing Points] that were originally linked together have all undergone large-scale displacement, just like…”

After a slight hesitation, the Taurus director said somewhat uncertainly:
"It was as if something incredibly huge was running through the entire astral plane, pushing aside all the planes along the way to the target."

Moreover, the planes that directly bear the brunt of the impact at the end of this 'path,' especially the three that are Insufficient Land, Shepherd's Plain, and Abyss of Ten Thousand Evils, have had their corresponding [Crossing] points almost completely shattered. Although they should still be passable normally after stabilizing, they have already shown very clear signs of shrinkage..."

"Like the Abyss Realm?"

"right……"

Nodding to confirm Leon's question, and looking at the faintly visible, almost impossible-to-connect stars in the Star Compass, Director Taurus gritted his teeth, looked up at Leon, and asked with a worried expression:
"Leon, do you think it's possible that... it was done by Number One?"

"It's not clear yet, but the possibility is certainly not low."

Looking at the three straight lines that had been "cut" open in the star compass, and at the three ends of those lines, the three dim stars that seemed ready to go out at any moment, Leon clenched his fist slightly, then answered in as steady a voice as possible:
"Your Excellency Taurus, in order to find potential allies, I have been looking at the Bureau's record tablets and taking notes on all the notes left by my predecessors about the Old Land. I have initially identified some planes that may have the remnants of the Root.

Among them are the "Land of Insufficiency," where there is only sky and no earth; the "Plain of Shepherds," where all the native inhabitants are beasts; and the "Abyss of Ten Thousand Evils," which is considered the birthplace of demons.

Especially the final [Abyss of Ten Thousand Evils], where the most and strongest demons of all planes gather, coupled with Ivangeline's memories, it's almost certain that that's the plane where the Root of No. 6 was born, but now…”

But now it's probably gone! It was smashed to pieces by something!

"call……"

Feeling inexplicably short of breath and slightly dizzy, the Taurus director steadied himself against the compass in front of him, gritting his teeth as he spoke:

"Leon, then...then you..."

"Then I really need to go there as soon as possible. If I'm lucky enough, I might be able to pick up something."

After telling the Taurus director a somewhat morbid joke to calm her agitated state of mind, Leon frowned as he looked at the chaotic star chart on the Star Compass and asked:
"Lord Taurus, with these [crossings] on the compass in such a chaotic state, can I still travel to the Old Land through the Star Gate?"

"Well... I can't say for sure either..."

After giving Lyon a wry smile, the Taurus director replied with a look of utter helplessness:
"The old land itself is too chaotic, and it is only with the help of relatively stable [crossings] that it can be located correctly. But now more than a third of the [crossings] have been disturbed. Before they stabilize again, whether you can be sent to the right place will probably depend on luck."

It's all about luck again...

Compared to the purely luck-based [Dream Butterfly], Star Gate seems to be more reliable. After thinking for a moment, Leon asked:
"Lord Taurus, if we find the closest one among the least affected 'crossings,' pass through the stargate first, and then use another method to reach our destination..."

"It's too late."

After shaking his head, the Taurus director replied:
"These crossings may seem close together, but that's because the compass magnifies them for easier observation. The actual distance is astronomical. Without using stargates or dimensional folds to travel through them, it might take hundreds of years to reach the end."

"..."

Got it, no chance.

After letting out a slight sigh, and realizing that the Stargate route was probably a dead end, Leon pondered for a moment before asking:

"Your Excellency Taurus, among the anomalous items in the secret vault that can amplify luck, are there any of them of relatively high rank? Also, among the True Gods I captured before, were there any that inherently possessed the power of [Luck]?"

"Don't worry, I'll prepare all of these for you."

After waving his hand to indicate that he, as the Taurus director, was there and that Leon didn't need to worry about these matters, the Taurus director couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Leon, who remained calm even after learning that multiple planes might be destroyed.

"Sigh... After hearing your story, I, as your senior, should have been the one comforting you, but I ended up losing my composure first..."

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore, Leon. It seems the difference between you and me isn't just in ability. I didn't expect that when things really get serious, you, this young man, would be more composed than this old guy."

"You are serious."

Seeing the slightly ashamed expression on the Taurus director's face, Lyon smiled and offered words of comfort:
“I can see into your heart. You have no fear of your own safety, only worry about others. So you are not losing your composure, but just care too much.”

"Alright, you don't need to explain for me."

The director of Jinniu shook his head and said:
"If you panicked, you panicked. There's no point in hiding it. If you're not as good as me, you're not as good as me... By the way."

At this point, Director Taurus seemed to remember something and asked curiously, "Where's that girl from the old town? Why didn't she come with you?"

"She originally intended to come, but she has some mental issues and is currently receiving treatment from Director Pisces."

After recalling the cost of using [Dream Butterfly], Leon said with a hint of admiration:

"As you know, the [Dream Butterfly] is an abnormal object that constantly travels between dreams and reality. If it is used too many times in a row, it will gradually make people unable to distinguish between reality and dreams, and may even directly transform them into dream creatures. Therefore, it is best for two people to take turns holding it."

But Miss Frederica had no companions to help her, so she simply carried the [Dream Butterfly] and traveled through it all by herself. According to her description, she traversed at least a hundred dream planes of varying sizes along the way, and even her memories were almost completely distorted.

"Really? That's quite impressive."

After hearing Lyon's account, the director of Jinniu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment:
"When using [Dream Butterfly], you will temporarily reside in a butterfly and lose your sense of self. Every time you pass through a dream dimension, it's almost like being reborn. Even if you regain your memories, it will take a long time to recover."

To be able to traverse so many dream dimensions without losing self-awareness and repeatedly find oneself, this child's willpower must be astonishingly strong, perhaps even comparable to yours.

"I can't compare to her."

Upon hearing this, Lyon shook his head, a slight sigh tugging at his lips, and said:
"If you want to use [Dream Butterfly], you can't resist this kind of loss. I just tried jumping to the shallowest part of the dream world once, and it took me a while to find myself again."

She traversed hundreds of dream worlds in three months, cramming a new life into her mind almost daily, then quickly waking up the same day and seamlessly jumping into the next dream… Honestly, I think it's absurd that she didn't go crazy.”

"It's really incredible... but it's also a bit strange."

The director of Jinniu first nodded in agreement, then frowned in confusion and said:
"I remember the reason why [Dream Butterfly] must be used by two people. Besides the fact that it is easy to lose the distinction between dreams and reality if used too many times in a row, there is another factor: a partner who can stay 'awake' is needed. The two people take turns waking each other up from the dream to prevent one person from becoming too immersed."

It's understandable that Miss Frederica wasn't assimilated by the dreams; after all, as long as her will or certain beliefs are strong enough to allow her to maintain her individuality, it's fine. But how did she manage to wake up from different dreams so quickly, time and time again, without any companions to awaken her?

She said she couldn't see any hope in her dreams, so she was able to quickly realize something was wrong.

After thinking for a moment, Lyon frowned and said:

According to her, the people who are descendants of the old land are like herdsmen who live by following the water and grass, and they spend their whole lives pursuing hope. The pursuit of hope has been engraved in the deepest part of their will.

And all dreams end in despair and emptiness; there is no true hope. Therefore, once she enters a dream, she feels very uncomfortable, instinctively recognizing it as a world filled with despair, and then quickly wakes up due to this discomfort.

"I see……"

After nodding with a look of sudden realization, the Taurus director, understanding the reason, thought for a moment, then hesitated before speaking:

"Leon, how is Miss Frederica recovering? Is she able to use [Dream Butterfly] again?"

"Director Pisces is very skilled in dealing with souls, but Frederica has been tainted by too many dreams. It will probably take her a few more days to recover."

After glancing at the hesitant Taurus director, Leon, understanding what she wanted to say, spoke up:

"Lord Taurus, do you wish for me to choose her as my companion and use [Dream Butterfly] together to return to the Old Land?"

"Um……"

The director nodded slightly and began his analysis:

"The things you're going to do on this trip to the Old Land are basically to support the Director and Aries, find potential allies, and help the remnants of the Old Land."

While Miss Frederica might be slightly weaker, she has several advantages: firstly, she knows about the Director and Aries' situation; secondly, she's a remnant of the old lands, facilitating communication; and thirdly, she can use [Dream Butterfly] at high intensity without losing herself. Therefore, she seems to be the most suitable candidate, except…”

However, she has just recovered from the ordeal, which has caused her mental health issues, and now she has to rush back at such a high intensity. This is somewhat inhumane, and she herself may not be willing to do so.

Understanding the reason for the Taurus director's hesitation, Lyon thought for a moment and then replied:
"I'll go ask her. Judging from her attitude, she probably won't refuse to go back again."

In addition, the fewer people there are on this trip to Old Land, the better. If we get blocked or something else goes wrong, it will be easier to escape if there are fewer people. So it's best to take her alone to Old Land.

However, if her mental condition doesn't allow it, then please have Director Scorpio or Director Virgo come with us. Director Scorpio or Director Virgo and I will be responsible for using [Dream Butterfly]. She only needs to be responsible for guiding the way and communicating with the remnants of the old land.

"It can only be the."

After nodding in approval of Leon's proposal, the Taurus director waved and sent the Star Compass back to the Taurus constellation. Then, using the teleportation ability of the Aquarius constellation, he and Leon teleported directly from headquarters to the Pisces branch, where they found the Pisces director, who was fast asleep in an embrace with Frederica.

"should be no problem."

After secretly wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, the Pisces director, awakened from her dream by the Taurus director, put on her veil, straightened her very disheveled dress, and then said with a serious expression:

“Miss Frederica has a very strong will. When I was helping her sort through the remaining dreams, I found that although her mind was somewhat confused, it was not scattered as a whole. It maintained a high degree of concentration from beginning to end. Her condition is better than I thought, and I estimate that she will recover in a few days.”

"That would be great!"

Upon hearing this, the Golden Bull Director was delighted and said:

"Given her current condition, can she still use [Dream Butterfly] as frequently as she did when she came to the mortal world?"

"This...it might not work."

"?"

"She experienced too many nightmares along the way, and in order to get rid of the dreams as soon as possible, her subconscious was constantly heading towards despair, so her hope was severely depleted, almost completely exhausted."

After briefly explaining the situation, Director Pisces explained:

"After losing the guidance of [Hope], if she uses [Dream Butterfly] to enter a nightmare again, she probably won't be able to wake up on her own and someone else will have to wake her up."

　Two-in-one Ha

　　
　
(End of this chapter)