From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Consciousness returned to reality, returning to that warm yet heavy, realistically styled body.

Xingjian opened his eyes and found himself in his familiar private living room.

The pale golden morning light filtered through the gaps in the heavy velvet curtains hanging from the French windows, casting shadows on the walnut wood floor.

On the table, a crystal vase held several seasonal white roses, the edges of the petals curling slightly due to the dry indoor air.

The interior was quiet and luxurious, with only the occasional silhouette of a gardener trimming the trees in the distance flitting past the window, bringing a touch of life.

A servant in a black uniform stood silently in the shadows of the porch, as if he were an integral part of the house itself.

Xingjian, seated in his armchair, waved his hand, and only then did the attendant step forward.

"Your Highness, you woke up a little earlier than expected."

The attendant presented a glass of pale sparkling wine and then began to give a loud report.

"This morning, the Grand Duke personally reviewed the guest list for the banquet three evenings from now, adding several business representatives from the Veridia Federation. The Minister of the Interior and His Highness the Crown Prince should finalize it today. In addition, the Royal Tailor requests that you set aside half an hour this afternoon to try on the custom-made formal attire to ensure a perfect fit for your attendance."

Star Sword held the slender stem of the crystal glass, and after listening to the report, he drank the sweet wine in one gulp.

"Understood. I'll try on my formal attire after the sword practice at four o'clock this afternoon. As for the guest list... I don't have anyone I need to invite."

The servant bowed, acknowledged the order, and departed smoothly and silently, like the receding tide naturally dissipating onto the wall.

The doors closed, and the room returned to silence, once again isolating this private living room from the ritualistic trivialities of the outside world.

Xingjian leaned back into the armchair, his gaze falling on the bouquet of white roses on the table, his mind replaying the scene he had just experienced.

Compared to the disastrous script of the last time, "Beyond the Limit" truly exceeded his expectations, to the point that he still feels somewhat unreal.

Indeed, "Life and Death: Dreams" is the second script he has experienced, while the first script took place a month ago.

At that time, Dionysus brought four people, including him, one of whom was of a much higher rank than the "newcomer".

The other party claimed to be an "apprentice," but Xingjian knew that his actual rank was at least close to the second tier, and his experience, equipment, and reputation were all superior.

In that script, they received a large sum of money from the devil—specifically, a million "gold pounds" in banknotes—and then had to spend three months in a fictional world earning the same amount to give to the devil.

None of them were financiers or inventors, and the only possible plan for a "path of alchemy" candidate to concoct a potion ended in failure.

Needless to say, under immense pressure, the four-man team had to resort to some radical measures, robbing the largest bank in their country under the guidance of "The Apprentice".

The result was tragic; they fell into the devil's trap and were blown to bits by a well-trained army with cannons.

Dionysus is never merciful in punishing the losers, but fortunately, he later eliminated most of the negative impact with the support of those in high positions, and incidentally made his involvement in the drama public within his family.

That experience not only left him with a shadow, but also taught him a lesson: in an environment like "the epic drama of Dionysus," rank, experience, and reputation are not absolute life-saving measures; what determines success or failure is often something deeper.

This time, the seemingly complete newcomer "ideal world" withstood the impact of that soul projection, a situation that would cause headaches for most first and even second-tier beings.

He not only did not lose his way, but also gained the opportunity to complete the mission, and even achieved a performance that exceeded the script's expectations and was judged to be "beyond the extreme".

Xingjian did not directly question his teammate about the reasons behind his exceptional abilities, since the script of Dionysus limited the exploration of actors' personalities.

But he knew that he might prefer to share the stage with "Ideal Country" again in the next script rather than have a strong teammate.

As Xingjian recalled his gains, his mood improved involuntarily.

After formally encountering the extraordinary at the age of sixteen, he disregarded the royal family's established arrangements and abandoned the "path of majesty" in favor of the "path of chivalry," which displeased his family.

Later, he was burdened with a troublesome curse due to his failure in the Dionysus script, and his father had to ask his uncle to remove it, which disappointed the family even more.

Fortunately, through the lessons learned from this script, he was certain that his choice was correct.

These scripts are where, apart from his royal bloodline, he can truly increase his strength and gain "freedom"—but he needs reliable teammates.

However, Dionysus's team tends to be repetitive, so if he is brought back to the stage next time, he will most likely share the stage with "Ideal State" and "Torrent".

In the next script, will "Utopia" be able to maintain that victorious posture?

-----------------

When Edmund regained consciousness, he found himself lying in the soft chair in the study, looking as if he had naturally taken a nap in such a comfortable environment.

He simply sat down and slowly reviewed his experience with the script.

He only snapped out of his reverie when Thomas entered the study, and went upstairs to continue working on his computer.

That afternoon, Rebecca drove to the mansion again, accompanied by the server they had both longed for.

While installing the server, she praised the pet birds and jokingly inquired about the progress of the "cooling solution" from Edmund.

Fortunately, Edmund managed to distract Rebecca by talking about their server installation work.

The latter clearly regarded it as a "tolerable quirk" and did not want to delve into it further.

Over the next two days, the progress of the server project became background noise, and he focused more on completing another task: discussing the location of the "launch ceremony" with Thomas.

After he described his needs, the old butler's suggestions were surprisingly suitable for him.

"The open area at the end of the mixed forest behind the mansion, near the sea cliff, might be suitable. It's secluded enough, and it faces the bay with a wide view. When the birds are released, they will naturally choose to fly far away."

Edmund nodded; this was the embodiment of the imagery required for the "Traveler's Path" ascension ceremony: leaving the origin and flying towards the unknown ocean.

Finally, Thomas reminisced with a touch of melancholy, "The master once performed a similar ceremony, but he was very secretive about it. I hope your ceremony goes well, sir."

The following afternoon, Thomas led Edmund along the edge of the mixed forest behind the manor until they reached the open meadow near the cliff.

The sea breeze was warm, and below lay a bay strewn with reefs. The tide was receding, leaving damp traces between the rocks.

Just as Edmund looked down to check if the nearby flat area was suitable for setting up the ceremonial array, his gaze was drawn to a pile of pebbles below the tide line, repeatedly washed by the waves.

There was a uniquely colored and angular stone, its overall color a deep blue-black, shimmering with an unusual light in the sunlight.

Edmund, sensing something, approached and picked up the strange stone, subconsciously counting its number.

It does indeed have twenty distinct outer planes, and inside there seem to be two more constantly changing planes, forming a geometric structure that could not possibly have been born in a natural environment.

Regular icosahedron.