Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

Chess gripped the compass tightly in his hand.

This compass is not only connected to the temporary array set up inside the apartment.

It was also connected to a communication array at the temporary stronghold.

By infusing spirituality and activating the compass at a specific frequency, one can transmit encrypted information exclusively for the torchbearer.

He had already briefly relayed what had happened here to the temporary base.

He figured that by now, Morphy and Killian should have received and deciphered his message.

Vivian's disappearance did not throw Chase into a panic.

He immediately pointed his suspicions at Chris, who lived in room 102.

All signs indicate that this guy he's been keeping an eye on is not a simple person.

However, considering that he was now the only one left in the apartment, he decided to wait for reinforcements to arrive before taking any action, just to be safe.

Out of caution, Chess opened the door to room 101 and went inside.

Here is a temporary protective formation that they had set up beforehand.

The formation serves as an early warning system and provides a good defense against spiritual disturbances.

Although this formation has limited effectiveness in resisting the erosion of the Dark Domain, it can still play some role.

After entering the house, Chess did not turn on the lights.

A hazy shadow suddenly rose around him.

In an instant, he became one with the darkness inside the room.

Darkness was his best disguise.

Almost at the same time, the spiritual barrier outside that blocked out sound also vanished instantly.

……

Good morning, Mr. Chris.

A crisp voice came from his side. Chris turned his head and saw that it was Vivian.

Her outfit today was unusual, with black as the main color.

A black ankle hat, a black belted straight skirt, and a white striped shirt underneath—the outfit exudes a sharp and edgy feel.

Today is September 22nd, Friday, his break day.

Because he had so much to deal with, he got up very early.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into Vivian, who had also left home early in the morning, as soon as he stepped out.

This was the first time he had run into the other person in the morning since they moved in so long ago.

Good morning, Miss Vivian.

According to the customs of this world, it would be fine to address her as "lady," but since she was not married, Chris still used the term "Miss."

"Very proactive, Mr. Chris." Vivian looked at Chris, who was dressed casually, and suddenly smiled. "But wearing casual clothes isn't a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Chris turned his head slightly to look at the other person, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

He didn't quite understand what the other person meant.

Seeing his reaction, Vivian walked up to Chris and stood in front of him, still smiling, and said, "It's a good habit to arrive early on your first day of work."

"First day at work?" Chris looked at her with a puzzled expression.

He has the day off today, so what kind of work is he doing?

Suddenly, a long-lost sense of unreality welled up in my heart.

Chris immediately sensed something was wrong.

Something's not right...

He instinctively wanted to visualize the Star Key in his mind to dispel the feeling.

But then he noticed Vivian standing in front of him.

At that moment, influenced by that sense of unreality, Chris's vision began to distort.

In his eyes, Vivian was currently shrouded in a dark mist.

The black mist swirled and coiled, enveloping Vivian's neck, torso, and limbs.

The fog resembled a thick, black blood vessel, its surface rippling with regular waves from time to time.

Vivian, however, seemed oblivious to this, still smiling as she looked at Chris.

She also didn't notice Chris's unusual behavior.

Without much hesitation, Chris immediately visualized the Star Key in his mind, instantly dispelling the feeling of unreality.

After regaining his sense of groundedness, he looked at Vivian in front of him and a lot of questions suddenly popped into his mind.

"Where's Mr. Chase? Has he already gone to work?" Chris asked suddenly, maintaining his polite smile.

"Huh?" Vivian was taken aback when she heard Chris's question.

Then, with a hint of surprise, she said, "The mission is over, and Chess went back yesterday."

"Today is also my last day here. Mr. Chris, from now on you'll be all alone in this apartment building. Would you like to consider moving?" Vivian added with a smile.

Chris's doubts deepened upon hearing this.

He glanced discreetly into the apartment, already having a guess in his mind.

"I'm also going to the company, shall we go together?" Vivian suddenly said to Chris.

Upon hearing this, Chris immediately smiled and replied, "Sure, it's my pleasure."

"I'm honored?"

Vivian was slightly taken aback by Chris's reply, then smiled and said, "Mr. Chris, you're too kind. We'll be colleagues from now on."

……

On the carriage, Chris watched the street scenes rushing past the window and began to sort out the current situation in his mind.

It looks like our planned trip to Xingfu Street won't be possible for the time being.

He seemed to have entered another strange dream.

Of course, this is just speculation at the moment.

after all……

Chris tilted his head slightly, looking through the car window at the sky above.

At this moment, gray-white clouds shrouded the entire city.

As one of the major industrial cities of the Im Empire, Rom City experiences this kind of weather for most of the autumn season.

Apart from the grayish-white mist, there were only a few birds whose names I didn't know flying by occasionally in the sky.

He did not see the black crack that symbolized the countdown.

Chris looked away, sat up straight, and then noticed that Vivian, sitting opposite him, was holding a round brass object that looked like a pocket watch, examining it from all angles.

A hint of confusion seemed to float in her eyes.

Chris saw this but didn't ask any further questions.

He still hasn't figured out what the situation is.

Was he in a special dream?

At this moment, no other fragments of memory appeared in his mind, and the crack symbolizing the countdown was no longer visible in the sky.

But a series of events that began in the morning reminded him that something was wrong.

Suddenly, Chris's gaze fell on his left little finger.

There was a plain-looking thin ring, with a dark, dull texture, quietly worn on the last joint of the little finger.

"This is?"

Looking at the ring that had suddenly appeared on his hand, several memories suddenly popped into Chris's mind.

"The Ring of Protection..." he murmured to himself.

He already knew the origin of the ring on his hand.

This is an extraordinary item born from the fusion of those two stones, each containing the power of the earth's vein throat.

This must have been from last night...

"wrong."

"It doesn't seem to have happened last night..."

Chris frowned slightly; some of the memories in his mind began to contradict each other.

However, he quickly and instinctively sketched the outline of the Star Key in his mind.

Those vague memories that confused him and conflicted with his original memories vanished instantly.

He returned to a state of absolute clarity.

Those vague memories that conflicted with his original memories seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

At that moment, it vanished into thin air again.

Once he regained his senses, he was now fairly certain that he had just been affected by some unknown influence.

This influence caused his memory of certain events to become distorted.

Most importantly, when he met Vivian, he had already used the Star Key to dispel his abnormal state once.

When did that strange influence start to haunt him?

He began to recall everything that had happened after he met Vivian.

But as he recalled getting into the carriage Vivian had hired, he didn't notice anything amiss.

"Was I influenced without even realizing it?" Chris wondered to himself.

Although he hadn't found enough evidence, he was almost certain that he was currently in a lucid dream.

However, it was different from the previous two times.

This time, his condition was somewhat different.

He couldn't see the countdown.

Moreover, it seems that something is hidden in this dream world that can influence his memories without him even realizing it.

You have to understand, he is no longer the ordinary person he was in the previous two dreams.

He has embarked on the path to sainthood, and in a short period of time, his spirituality and understanding of the path to sainthood have improved several times.

In this situation, it was still able to influence his memory silently.

This made Chris instinctively sense a sense of crisis.

and……

Chris looked at the brass disc in Vivian's hand and couldn't help but wonder where he and Vivian were going.

Madison Asset Management?

This company was the first one that came to his mind.

The words Vivian had said to him before, such as "first day at work" and "we'll be colleagues from now on," were now clearly floating in his mind.

Chris guessed that in this dream, he was probably already an employee of Madison Asset Management.

Moreover, it's probably not just a matter of employees from asset management companies.

Vivian just mentioned that "the mission is over, and Chase went back yesterday."

Would employees at Madison Asset Management describe their jobs like this?

What are the employees of the asset management company doing in this old apartment building at 037 Nottingham Street?

Chris knew perfectly well that this was just a dream.

But everything in dreams is not entirely detached from reality.

Combining the clues he had already obtained about Vivian and Chase's identities, he slowly figured out what role he was playing at this moment.

Although it is somewhat difficult to understand.

But he should have become one of the torchbearers.

At least that's how it is in this dream.

As for why he became a member of the Torchbearers, he didn't know.

Those vague memories that had just interfered with his normal memory, as if they had appeared out of nowhere, gave him a very uncomfortable feeling.

So before he could examine them carefully, he used the Star Key to disperse them.

Looking back now, he can't help but feel a little regretful.

This is like playing an RPG game and skipping all the backstory.

Faced with the unknown developments ahead, Chris couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He tried to recall the key to the star in his mind again, but couldn't find that feeling of being able to escape from the dream at any time.

The countdown is still not showing.

There may be things in his surroundings that could affect his memory at any time.

Although he can dispel that abnormal state with the Star Key.

But the prerequisite is that he can detect something is wrong with himself in time.

If his memory malfunctions at a crucial moment and I fail to notice it in time, that could be dangerous.

This dream seems a bit too difficult...

But the most crucial question is how he can leave this place.