From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Edmund stood on the porch waving, watching the taillights of the station wagon disappear beyond the holly hedge.

The mansion returned to silence, with only the faint echoes of the wind in the woods and the tides of the sea.

Back at the mansion, Thomas had already finished cleaning up the dishes and was tidying up some everyday items in the foyer while listening to the radio.

"Thomas, I'll be working quietly for a while tonight," Edmund told the butler. "If there are no other arrangements at the mansion, you may go and rest."

"Understood, sir." Thomas put the items in his hands away properly.

"However, I have a habit of spending half an hour patrolling the perimeter of the mansion before going to bed. If you need any assistance at night, my room is at the far east end of the first floor."

After giving his instructions, Thomas bowed slightly and retreated into the depths of the corridor, his footsteps gradually swallowed by the carpet.

Edmund carried the materials back to his room, tidying them up while mentally reviewing tonight's action plan one last time.

One of the paid Q&A posts on the BBS guided his actions.

A user who identified himself as "Narcissus" described how beginners can actively engage with the "Dream Realm," the first layer of the spirit world.

The core steps are not complicated. They mainly involve an undisturbed environment, a simple ritual, appropriate meditation, choosing midnight except in special circumstances, and most importantly, visualizing the core imagery of the path you are about to take.

Edmund had already had Rebecca purchase the materials for the ceremony. He didn't think his method was particularly special, so he planned to carry it out at midnight.

The poster believed that the path to promotion should be chosen based on individual aptitude and must meet certain "specific" conditions.

Visualizing the core imagery corresponding to this approach according to one's own suitability can significantly increase the success rate of becoming a suitable candidate.

At the end of the post, "Narcissus" wrote: "The dream realm is the level closest to reality, and you can touch it in the gaps between every dream. We just need to remember this path so that we can feel and even visit it when we are awake."

At midnight, Edmund quietly went downstairs with his travel bag.

He quietly went out and saw a garden that looked like it was immersed in mercury under the moonlight, with the edges of the mixed forest rustling in the night wind.

During his visit, he noticed a flat lawn surrounded by low shrubs at the end of the side garden of the mansion, and that was the spot he chose.

Edmund squatted on the grass and began to work by the moonlight.

First, a circular outline about two meters in diameter was laid out on the ground using deep-sea sand. Silver powder was then carefully sprinkled onto the sand.

He then took out herbs and essential oils, dripping various essential oils onto the herbs, and a slightly dizzying fragrance immediately filled the air.

A space was left in the array large enough for a person to lie down. Edmund gave the overall layout one last check before lighting the herbs in his hand.

[A well-constructed, simplified initiation ritual to assist qualified mortals in their first encounter with the first layer of the spirit world—the Dream Spirit Realm.]

Without the aptitude to access the Dream Realm, this magic array will only allow one to experience an ordinary dream. Without the corresponding knowledge of the Dao, the ritual has a very high probability of failure.

It seems there's nothing wrong with the ritual itself.

Edmund placed the herbs on the ground near his head and lay on his back in the center of the array.

The night sky overhead was crystal clear, and the silvery moonlight poured down without obstruction, enveloping the entire ritual array in a layer of cold radiance.

He closed his eyes and began to adjust his breathing according to the meditation method described in the post.

Under the influence of the herbs, the sensations in the body gradually faded from the extremities, first the touch of the toes and fingers, then the pressure of the back against the grass, and then the coolness of the night breeze on the cheeks.

His breathing gradually became deep and slow, and his consciousness sank into deep water like a pebble.

The moment the pebble touched the water's surface, Edmund felt a strange sense of weightlessness.

As if falling in an instant, the black under my eyelids blended into the "grayish-blue" that filled my senses.

[Currently accessing the first layer of the Dream Realm...]

Edmund "opened" his eyes and realized that he was "observing" his surroundings with a sense different from the naked eye.

He was suspended in an endless gray-blue chaos.

This space has no up, down, left, or right, and there is no gravity or temperature. The only existing reference points are countless floating fragments.

In the distant chaos, occasionally a huge, blurry outline moves slowly, like the shadow of a whale swimming in the deep sea.

Those should be the original beings of the Dream Spirit Realm.

Edmund did not waste time on mere observation; his experience in the forums told him that his time in the Dream Realm was limited.

The soul of a beginner cannot exist independently here for long; its stability will decay over time until it becomes a wandering soul forever adrift in this chaos.

What he needs to do is guide his own spirituality toward the "traveler's path".

Edmund adjusted his state of mind, recalling and repeatedly pondering the memories of the "journey," while imagining some free-flying birds.

After some time, he suddenly remembered a dream he had once had, about seabirds flying through a storm...

Suddenly, a giant albatross burst forth from Edmund's vision, soaring freely through the endless void.

Stirred up by the enormous bird, the gray-blue chaos gradually transformed into a storm-ravaged sea.

He seemed to stand atop a bird, his soul moving with the wind, rising and falling in the chaotic waves, as if the whole world revolved around him.

[Resonating with the image of Siheng "Lingtianweng", I received its gift...]

[Unlocked basic abilities: Spiritual Perception, Swift Movement, Vibrant Energy (Passive), Path Intuition (Passive)]

[You have been promoted to a suitable candidate. Note that being a suitable candidate only signifies an initial spiritual awakening; the formal promotion ceremony has not yet been completed...]

A more intense wave of dizziness pulled Edmund out of the dream world.

He opened his eyes abruptly and found himself still lying on the grass, the moonlight still shining, and the silver powder and sea sand in the ritual array trembling slightly in the night breeze.

His shirt was soaked with cold sweat, and his back was pressed against the grass, but he was in better shape than ever before.

It was so good that he could hear a series of approaching footsteps.

His right hand instinctively reached into his coat pocket—where the Veridia M10 revolver was located.

In the shadows of the bushes at the far end of the garden, a dark figure was approaching him. Perhaps Edmund's gaze had lingered in the darkness for too long, for the bright moonlight obscured the figure's form.

The silhouette steadily approached in the night, its firm steps pointing directly to his location.

Edmund's pupils contracted sharply. Had he been discovered? Thomas? Or someone else?

He didn't have time to identify the newcomer; he first rolled to the side, then reached for his pistol...

"Mr. Black." A familiar voice came from the direction of the shadowy figure.

Edmund's finger froze on the trigger.

The moonlight illuminated the newcomer's face, his meticulously styled silver-white hair, and the tweed coat over his dark bathrobe—it was Thomas.

Edmund saw that he was carrying a double-barreled shotgun in his right hand.

The old butler, his face impassive, stood in the moonlight, watching Edmund lying on the grass, holding a revolver.

As if to comfort the latter, his expression remained respectful, as if he were greeting a late dinner guest at the entrance of a mansion.

"Excuse me, sir," Thomas said with a polite slight bow. "We need to talk. Would you mind going back inside?"