Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

Chris was thinking about the possible situations he might encounter next and how to deal with them.

The carriage had stopped at some point.

Chris stepped off the carriage first, followed closely by Vivian.

Chris frowned slightly when he saw the low, black building on the side of the street.

He had noticed through the carriage window that the place where the carriage was parked was not Madison Asset Management Company at all.

It was the Inmorais Funeral Home.

"What's wrong? Is it your first day at work and you're having some trouble adjusting?" Vivian asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Chris shook his head slightly and said, "I'm just a little emotional. I never thought I'd end up working here one day."

"Hehe, we don't need to worry about the funeral home's work," Vivian said with a smile.

After saying that, she led the way inside.

At this time, the funeral home had not yet officially opened for business; only an inconspicuous side door was open.

As Chris stepped inside, he immediately sensed a suffocating atmosphere.

This sense of oppression wasn't caused by any extraordinary power; it was simply because the various funeral supplies displayed in the funeral parlor, along with the Gothic decor dominated by black, made him feel oppressed from the bottom of his heart.

Vivian noticed that Chris's expression wasn't very good.

She said with a hint of teasing, "It's not like this is your first time here, Mr. Chris, why haven't you gotten used to the atmosphere yet?"

Chris felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

This was certainly not his first time here.

But he also knew that what Vivian said was completely different from what he was thinking.

An embarrassed smile immediately appeared on his face.

He lacks too much information now, and often can't just respond to a conversation.

I could only feign embarrassment and get through it with silence.

Seeing his reaction, Vivian stopped teasing him.

Following Vivian, Chris turned left and right through the dimly lit corridors of the Immorales Funeral Parlor, finally entering a room that looked like an office.

There are three rectangular desks in this office.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit was already in the room, sitting behind the desk facing the door, holding a copy of the Rom City Morning Post and reading it intently.

Chris was familiar with this person.

It was Benjamin, whom he had met before at Madison Asset Management.

He wasn't surprised at all that the other party was here.

But now a problem is facing him.

In this dream, did he have any prior contact with Benjamin?

The way people greet each other is completely different depending on whether they've met before or not.

Thinking of this, Chris could only maintain a smile and respond with silence.

At this moment, he was almost certain that he had joined the Torchbearers in this dream world.

It's perfectly normal to be cautious on your first day working at this officially affiliated organization for extraordinary individuals.

Chris comforted himself with this thought.

Benjamin put down his newspaper when he saw the two men come in.

Vivian walked naturally to Benjamin's desk and said softly, "Good morning, Captain."

"Good morning, Vivian," Benjamin replied with a smile.

After saying that, he turned to look at Chris, still with a friendly smile on his face, and greeted him, "Good morning, Chris."

"Good morning, Captain..." Chris replied hesitantly.

He was still unsure whether he had met Benjamin before, so he could only address him as Captain, just like Vivian.

But he thought that since it was his first day at work and it was the first time he had called the other party's captain, showing a little hesitation was actually quite appropriate for his current situation.

Chris felt that this was the best acting he could muster.

Benjamin's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Chris's response.

"Captain, I've brought the person to you. I'm going to return 3-036 now." Vivian said, slightly raising her handbag and gently waving it at Benjamin.

"Okay," Benjamin replied simply.

After Vivian left, only Chris and Benjamin remained in the room.

Chris looked at Benjamin, who seemed like a complete newbie in the workplace who had no idea what to do.

Seeing him like this, Benjamin slowly got up and walked to Chris's side.

This office has no windows and is lit by candles.

In the candlelight, the monocle on his left eye appeared as a white, reflective layer from Chris's perspective.

"You seem a little nervous," Benjamin said suddenly, his smile unchanged.

Upon hearing this, Chris forced a somewhat stiff smile, pursed his lips, and did not respond immediately.

He remained silent.

"Don't be nervous. After signing the contract yesterday, you're an official member of the Torchbearers," Benjamin said, gently patting Chris's shoulder with his calloused hand. "From now on, we'll all be colleagues."

Benjamin shifted his gaze from Chris to the door and said, "Come on, let me show you around this hideout."

"Okay," Chris replied simply.

He gleaned a key piece of information from Benjamin's words.

He signed a contract with the other party yesterday.

Although he had some doubts about why joining an extraordinary organization like the Torchbearers required signing a contract, he didn't ask any further questions.

From the outside, the Immorales Funeral Parlor doesn't look like a tall building, but the number of rooms inside is far more than Chris had imagined.

These rooms, in particular, are mostly dark rooms without windows, and are lit only by candles.

Following behind Benjamin through the dark and winding corridors, Chris couldn't help but recall the scene of their first encounter.

Back then, he followed behind the other person in the same way.

"Captain, what's the layout here...?" Chris asked tentatively.

"Oh, that's the usual style of Immorales Funeral Services. We're just using this place as a temporary base," Benjamin replied.

As he spoke, Benjamin suddenly stopped and turned to look at the wall on one side of the corridor.

Chris saw this and looked over as well.

The walls of the corridor were covered with off-white wallpaper printed with some kind of vine-like pattern.

Chris had a vague feeling that there was something in the corridor, but under these circumstances, he did not rashly activate his spiritual vision.

Benjamin took out a silver, round compass from his hand, almost identical to the one Chris had seen in his first lucid dream.

His fingers gently traced the surface of the compass, and strange runes suddenly appeared on the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floor.

These runes all radiated a faint, almost imperceptible spiritual glow.

Benjamin turned to Chris and said with a smile, "You can activate your psychic vision to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Chris didn't hide anything and immediately activated his spiritual vision.

The fact that the other party said that means he knows he can activate his spiritual vision.

It seems that in this dream, the torchbearer has already learned quite a bit about his situation.

I just don't know if the other party knows that he has already embarked on the path to sainthood.

After activating his spiritual vision, the world in Chris's eyes instantly changed.

The once dimly lit corridor was now adorned with runes that glowed with a pale blue spiritual light, making it look exceptionally beautiful and carrying a special sense of mystery.

The entire corridor was thus brightened considerably.

Mystical knowledge related to runes has been Chris's weakness until now.

He looked at the exquisite and intricate runes around him, his eyes filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

Benjamin observed Chris's reaction, a knowing smile playing on his lips, before beginning to introduce:

"These runes combine to form individual small arrays, which have two main functions: defense and monitoring."

He looked at Chris, then suddenly pointed to a rune on the wall and said, "Runic writing isn't difficult to learn. Take this rune, for example; it means 'protection'."

"The defensive formations of this stronghold, and indeed most defensive formations, are built around this protective rune."

"Guardian Rune..." Chris stared intently at the rune Benjamin was pointing to, trying to memorize it completely.

"Captain, does each rune have a corresponding meaning?" Chris suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Benjamin's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look, and he replied, "That should be the case. At least in the basic rune knowledge provided by the Torchbearer branch, the runes involved all have clear meanings."

"Each rune has a specific meaning..." Chris suddenly wondered if these runes themselves might be some kind of language.

He shared his suspicions with Benjamin, hoping to get an answer from him.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Benjamin's eyes, and he replied, "That's indeed a common saying."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze away from Chris and looked again at the runes on the wall that were radiating spiritual light. He then changed the subject, "But my study of runes only goes as far as learning how to set up these practical arrays. I haven't delved into it any further."

He turned to Chris again, and said with a hint of interest, "It seems you're quite interested in runic literature."

Hearing this, Chris smiled and admitted, "Yeah, it's really interesting to think that these runes can be arranged and combined in different ways to form arrays with various functions."

"hehe."

Benjamin suddenly chuckled, then said:

"The Torchbearer branch has provided each outpost with some basic occult books. You can take a look when you have time; there are books on runic literature among them."

With that, Benjamin turned and continued walking forward.

Chris quickly followed.

Afterward, Benjamin showed Chris around the temporary shelter's lounge, reading room, storage room, and emergency escape route.

Chris also gained a complete understanding of the various functional rooms of this temporary base.