Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 242 Dream Corridor
【"Dream Corridor" - Neural Roaming Terminal】

Type: Props

grade:/
Energy: 3%
Introduction:

"Dream Corridor"—from ancient temples to space fortresses, from wilderness adventurers to interstellar wanderers, 99.3% neuromorphic realistic recreation. Order now and renew your life experience card indefinitely!
Remarks:

"We see the world through the eyes of others, but we never possess their souls."

—Dr. Eliser, Principal Researcher of the Dreamweaver Project
"When you can experience a century-long undertaking in an hour, who would want to endure the mundane realities of life? The most dangerous side effect of this device is that it turns life into a low-quality simulation that can be exited at any time."

—Song Ying, technology ethics activist, in "The Age of Addiction"

caveat:

Key missing! Please enter a dynamic password manually!
……

……

The two experiences in the "Secret Realm," and the lucky coin that flashed across the field during the upgrade, helped him master the "Titan Umbilical Cord" gravity core of [Gravity Control].

This has subtly changed Xia Nan's understanding of the world.

On the surface, it may seem like just an ordinary Western medieval fantasy world, but inside it is already mixed with countless creations with very different styles.

Even if one day it is discovered that the true form of a certain god is a majestic and perfect man dressed in gleaming golden armor, sitting on a golden throne connected by numerous conduits and cables.

He wouldn't be too surprised... well, if that day ever comes, he'd probably be more afraid than surprised.

In short, as Xia Nan's attention was drawn to Luca as he entered the room and took out the metal block from his arms, a panel filled with densely packed characters appeared before his eyes.

He also realized the special nature of this item.

As I received it from Hai'an, a cool yet warm sensation spread from my fingertips.

Xia Nan carefully examined the oval-shaped metal in his hand, which was about one and a half palm-sized and entirely silvery-white.

"Dream Corridor..."

His dark eyes reflected the silvery-white hue of the metal block as he compared its attributes on the system panel, trying to guess the item's purpose and origin.

First of all, without a doubt, such a technologically advanced object is definitely not something that should exist on the continent of Aifara at present.

Perhaps it, like the wooden sword [Green Pine] on his body, comes from some secret realm.

It's a pity that the dwarf Luca mentioned is already dead, otherwise he might have been able to find out some information about the location of the secret realm.

After all, his previous encounters with the secret realm, though risky, had ultimately yielded valuable attribute points and specializations.

This is one of the reasons why Xia Nan, although currently only at level 1, possesses combat power far exceeding that of other professionals of the same level, enabling him to fight beyond his level.

As for its uses...

Based on the description on the attribute panel, he roughly guessed that it might be some kind of immersive movie, except that the perspective shifted from the audience outside the theater to the characters themselves, experiencing a person's life in a short period of time.

Furthermore, judging from the advertising-like tone of the "Introduction" section, this so-called "Dream Corridor" is most likely some kind of entertainment product.
Xia Nan didn't mind experiencing this device, which supposedly allows you to live another life within an hour, for himself.

However, the "Dream Corridor" currently seems to be unable to start.

One reason is that it only has 3% energy left, and Xia Nan is unsure if that's enough for the device to operate;

On the other hand, it's also because the properties panel indicates "Key is missing, you need to enter it manually".

Thinking of this, his gaze couldn't help but fall on the tiny characters floating and changing on the surface of the metal block.

It wasn't any kind of writing system he recognized, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to contain some kind of pattern, like the numerical symbols from his previous life.

He also tried to touch the changing symbols with his fingertips, as if "entering a password".

Feedback has been received!
Whenever his finger touched a character, the symbols on the entire panel surface would change, swapping positions and altering patterns, and each time it would be different.

Xia Nan guessed that if a dynamic password needed to be entered manually, it was done in this way.

However, he neither knew the number of digits in the password nor its composition type, so he feared that brute force would take forever to crack it.

Furthermore, if the terminal's power is insufficient, he may not even know how to "charge" it, or whether he is actually charging it.

Therefore, even if one has some guesses about its origin and function through the property panel, it is still difficult to start.

"So, have you discovered anything?"

At the other end of the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, the half-elf Hai'an asked Xia Nan.

Thanks to his cold and sharp appearance, and his good mental qualities.

Even as countless thoughts raced through his mind, Xia Nan revealed nothing to the outside world.

Therefore, to everyone in the room, after receiving the metal block, he simply sat in the chair, lost in thought about the object, and there was nothing unusual about him.

Faced with the half-elf's question, Xia Nan shook his head without hesitation and gave a vague answer:
"The craftsmanship looks excellent, perhaps it was made by a master blacksmith. Although the meaning of the unknown characters on the surface is unknown, judging from their changing appearance, it should be some kind of magical item."

When it comes to his biggest advantage, Xia Nan naturally wouldn't reveal what he saw on the attribute panel to everyone without a reason.

Therefore, they only vaguely share some ideas that are safe and do not expose their true intentions with the other party.

Hai'an didn't notice anything amiss, and after listening attentively to Xia Nan's analysis, nodded slightly.

His gaze then turned to Violet, who was sitting opposite Xia Nan.

"And you, can you figure anything out?"

In the eyes of people in this world, monks have always been seen as having profound knowledge.

And this is indeed the case.

Compared to sorcerers who, as spellcasters, rely more on developing their own bloodline abilities, or warriors who simply hone their physical bodies and refine their combat skills to level up, this is a different story.

While the mage profession requires considerable talent, even the most gifted individuals cannot neglect fundamental skills such as memorizing spell models, meditation, and reading spellbooks.

Behind every great master whose fame is known throughout the world are countless days and nights of hard work in the laboratory and at the desk.

Not to mention a typical academic mage like Violet, who once reached the extraordinary level and possesses memories of her past life.

Almost the instant Luca took out the metal block, her gaze was fixed on the strangely shaped object, and she began to analyze it in her mind.

"This style... perhaps comes from the Sea of ​​Stars? No, there are no obvious signs of enchantment on the surface."

"Could it be that it came from the laboratory of some arcane master?"

As mages with exceptionally active minds and strong exploratory abilities, it is perfectly normal for them to unexpectedly obtain things in strange experiments that they themselves do not know the purpose of.

"but……"

Violet's brows furrowed noticeably.

Based on the floating and changing characters on the surface of the metal block, it can be determined that it must be some kind of magical item.

Even when Violet concentrated all her attention, she could not sense the slightest fluctuation of magical particles around her.

It was as if what was in front of him was just an ordinary piece of metal.

This reminded her of a future catastrophe that would affect the entire continent, a memory she vividly recalled.

Some of the enemies' weapons are of this type—unrelated to magic, yet possessing the same effects as magical items.

I even conducted experiments and tests myself back then, which is why I understand its characteristics so well.

Of course, this was merely the only similarity between the metal block in her hand and the weapons in her memory that had slaughtered countless lives. It wasn't enough for her to make a judgment.

We'll just have to ask Luca where the metal block was found and examine it carefully later.

The most noteworthy point right now is the timing of the metal block's appearance.

It was that moment in his memory that changed the life of the dragonborn Sava, transforming him from an ordinary adventurer into an important figure in the Alliance.

Could it be that the other person broke through the limitations of their talent and reached that level in the future because of this item?

With these thoughts in mind, Violet's gaze couldn't help but drift toward the doorway, where Sava was leaning against the wall with a stern face, arms crossed and expressionless.

Noticing the mage girl's gaze, the dragonborn paused for a moment before frowning and saying with a hint of sarcasm:
"What are you looking at me for?"

"You don't think I can figure out anything, do you?"

The reactions were consistent with the personality and felt very natural.

It doesn't look fake.

Of course, it's also possible that the other party was an excellent actor and fooled him.

Having long planned to seize the opportunity from this future traitor, Violet would never allow this item, which seemed to be related to a turning point in the other party's life, to fall into Sava's hands again.

She turned her gaze to Haian and Luca, and spoke first:

"I cannot determine the specific purpose of this metal, nor do I have any key information to determine its exact origin."

"But I've always been interested in these kinds of items."

"If possible, I'd like to buy it. I wonder if you'd be willing..."

Haian did not answer, but looked at Luca beside him.

The good-natured guard, who had grown up in Wycliffe's household, didn't think much of it, and just grinned and scratched his head:
"Sure, I just picked it up randomly anyway, there's no use in keeping it."

"Just give me whatever you think is appropriate."

Upon hearing this, and seeing that neither Hai'an nor the Dragonborn reacted, Violet subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

He opened his mouth, about to state his offer.

A familiar voice, one that had left a deep shadow in her heart, suddenly came from behind her:
"I'm quite interested in it too, how about... we discuss it?"

The smile on the girl's fair face froze instantly.

……

……

In a secluded alley in Molten Scale Town.

The towering outer walls blocked most of the intense sunlight of the day, casting shadows over the man's face, obscuring his expression, leaving only a pair of eerie green eyes flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness.

He was still wearing the same metal armor stained with blood and bits of grass, and a faint smell of blood lingered around him.

His right hand rested naturally on the hilt of the sword, and the sharp, cold light that exuded a deadly aura flickered with each breath at the edge of the scabbard.

Lawson stood quietly, his head slightly lowered, as if he were looking at the three corpses at his feet.

The gloomy and oppressive atmosphere made the surrounding air seem to freeze, and only the slightest spark was needed to ignite the powder keg in his heart.

Of course, it couldn't be because of the death of a former teammate that I was sad.

In fact, Red Dragon may bear some responsibility for the destruction of the Fang Squad, but he himself sent several of them on their final journey, even though they could have survived.

The fact that the dwarf wanderer "Lame Ancient," a dignified level 5 professional, was reduced to this state, suffering severe injuries that even ordinary thugs couldn't match, was all caused by him.

The real reason Lawson had so many negative emotions was the heirloom on the body of the dead, the crippled man. It was supposed to have allowed Lawson to expand his territory like his ancestor, Duke Morton, or at the very least, return it to the Duke's house in exchange for a generous reward.

He was the only one left in the entire Fang Squad, and it took two years and countless resources to finally succeed.

Missed.

But the damned, disgusting, vermin-like slave trader beside him told him that he didn't know where to begin.

"Lord Lawson..."

The most influential figure in Molten Scale Town, whose name silences many ordinary townspeople, who dare not even call him by his nickname "Rotten Toe" in public.

Now, he was facing a powerful adventurer who could snap his neck with a flick of his wrist.

But he was like a dog that had made a mistake, his legs trembling, his back arched at almost a right angle, landing behind Lawson without raising his head.

The other party would probably just snort coldly and then eagerly kneel down on the ground and kowtow for mercy.

“I do know these two people. They occasionally come to me for work.”

"But they're all dead now, and I really don't know where the things went."

no respond.

The rotten toe could only feel the increasingly suffocating cold in the air and the long, drawn-out breathing sounds from the shadows in front of it.

What he said was almost entirely nonsense.

Lawson examined the three bodies on the ground.

The dwarf lame man was already critically injured and on the verge of death; any ordinary person could easily defeat him.

But the other two thugs both died in the same way.

There were no obvious signs of resistance before his neck was snapped.

His strikes were precise, swift, and powerful.

Without a doubt, the third party that most likely stole the treasure was a professionally trained individual with strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"check!"

The cold, hoarse voice echoed in the crowded air of the alley, causing Rotten Toe's body to tremble twice, his legs to buckle, and he almost knelt down.

"All the suspicious adventurers in town, the relatives and friends of these two scoundrels..."

"Don't miss a single one, find out the truth for me!"

Upon hearing this, the rotten toe, knowing it had survived, breathed a sigh of relief.

His head drooped even lower involuntarily, and he asked respectfully and humbly:

"Lord Lawson, what about these corpses..."

He turned around and walked towards the alley exit, his shadowy gaze sweeping over him.

My body trembled, and I heard echoes that seemed to come from hell.

"Don't you keep a few dogs at your casino?"

"Chop them up and give them something good to eat."

"Yes Yes……"

(End of this chapter)