The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

By the time George emerged from the woods, it was completely dark.

The sun was about to sink below the horizon, the top of the sky was a deep indigo, while the pale moon had quietly risen and hung on the treetops to the east.

George returned to the mansion just in time for dinner.

With the addition of a witty lawyer to the dinner table besides his uncle, tonight was probably the best atmosphere he'd had since returning to the manor.

After dinner, he returned to his room and began studying alchemy with the Viscount's notes until he fell asleep.

The candlelight burned quietly in the bedroom. George lay on the bed, guiding his spirituality using a method he had gradually become familiar with over the past few days, his consciousness sinking into the dream realm.

A familiar feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and then the world was enveloped in a cobalt blue halo.

George noticed that his spirit underwent some slight changes after advancing to the "Enlightenment" stage.

The halo around it now has a more solid texture, with clearer edges and a slightly stronger core.

He stood up in the dream realm, left the mansion with practiced ease, and "walked" towards the grove of trees to the west.

Movement within the dream realm was light and swift, and he soon arrived at the grove he had carefully searched during the day.

The enormous moon shone even brighter in the dream realm, its silvery-white light illuminating the area outside the forest as if it were daytime.

But for some reason, the woods remained dark, so George had to imbue his hands with spiritual energy in hopes of providing light.

He walked slowly forward, observing his surroundings.

The trees in the dream world are slightly different from those in reality—their outlines are more blurred, especially their branches and leaves.

Overall, however, this forest is not significantly different from its counterpart in the material world.

The cobalt blue glow was much dimmer here, replaced by a dark and hazy atmosphere like a misty fog.

But it was better than the dream George had before his promotion, which was so cramped that it was difficult for humans to pass through.

When he passed through the area he had traversed in the afternoon, he checked the sites he had previously dug and found nothing unusual, so he continued deeper.

The forest gradually became denser, and patches of moonlight had long since appeared amidst the overly dense branches and leaves.

George suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A clearing appeared ahead, with a huge rock standing in the middle.

It appears to be a prismatic stone pillar; George needs to look up to see the top, and the smooth surface is devoid of any ornamentation.

It has a dull metallic sheen, giving it a "bright" feel in the surrounding dimness.

George slowly stepped forward and examined the stone pillar.

It does not exist in the corresponding location in the real world.

After a moment, still clueless, he continued walking forward.

Deeper into the forest, he found a second, a third... each one slightly different in shape, some with flat tips, others with pointed tips.

He noticed that these stone pillars stood in clearings in the forest, and their distribution did not appear to be random.

After comparing them, he found that the stone pillars were roughly arranged in an arc.

So George walked towards the center of the arc.

As they ventured deeper, the trees gradually thinned out until a relatively open space appeared.

A huge oak tree stood in the center of the open space.

This oak tree is far larger than any of the trees around it—its trunk is so thick that it takes four or five people to encircle it, and its branches and leaves are so thick that its canopy blocks out the sun.

But what is most striking is that the branches are covered with dense mistletoe.

The mistletoe had an almost transparent green color, and shimmered with a faint luster under the moonlight.

George slowly walked around the oak tree.

There is a hole on the north side of the tree trunk near the ground, big enough for an adult to squeeze through.

The cave was pitch black, and it was impossible to see into its depths.

Without thinking twice, George crawled into the hole...

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

"Whoosh."

After an unknown amount of time, George suddenly opened his eyes in the bedroom and sat up in bed.

The candlelight had mostly gone out, leaving only a tiny flickering flame.

He sat in the darkness, trying to calm his racing heart.

His exploration of the dream realm was over, but he found it difficult to judge the dream itself.

Woodlands, stone pillars, oak hollows, and a broken knight wielding a broken sword, bringing it down on his head.

Tonight's dream journey was closer to the dream I had before my advancement than the one where I discovered the "Mystery of the Moon".

Crawling into an unfamiliar tree hole, entering an unknown space without any preparation—this irrational behavior naturally occurred.

George rubbed his forehead.

The involuntary feeling in his dream reminded him of the dreams he had in his previous life when he was an ordinary person—dreams that he knew were illogical, yet he couldn't control his actions.

But today's dream was clear and coherent; it's just that the initial active exploration unknowingly turned into a passive illusion...

This is probably what the Viscount's notes refer to as the "danger" and "madness" of the Dream Realm.

He shook his head, put those thoughts aside, and lay down again.

This time he didn't enter the dream realm again; exhaustion quickly overwhelmed him.

Upon waking up in the morning, the first thing George does is carefully check his physical condition.

Fortunately, nothing unusual was found, only the refreshing feeling one should have after waking up in the morning.

He subtly inquired about Elliott's situation and received a normal reply.

Satisfied, George went downstairs and noticed that someone was still missing from the breakfast table today.

"Where is Frederick?" The old lady frowned, her gaze turning to Uncle Albert.

"His personal servant said that he often skipped breakfast when he came last year, and he didn't have a fixed time to change his clothes." Albert wiped his mouth with a napkin, his tone calm but tinged with helplessness.

"Young people have their own schedules, and we shouldn't interfere too much."

"But he didn't eat yesterday either," Sybil added quietly, poking at the fried eggs on her plate with her fork.

Albert paused for a moment, then put down his napkin. "I'll go check on him in his room later."

After breakfast, George was about to return to the third floor to continue studying the diamond and the key when Lieutenant Bates and Butler Carson found him together.

"George," Bates' voice held a hint of anticipation, "the gym is all cleaned up, and we'd like you to come and take a look."

George thought for a moment and then agreed.

As the three walked down the corridor, Kelly Moore, who had just come out of the restaurant, happened to pass by the side door.

Her gaze lingered on George and Bates for a moment, then she asked curiously:

"Mr. Delapour, Lieutenant Bates, where are you going?"

"Go check out the manor's gymnasium," George replied politely. "Mr. Bates wants to practice swordsmanship."

"The gym! May I join you?" Kelly's eyes lit up. "It's been a week since I got here from London, and I haven't had a proper workout yet."

George and Bates exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes—this commissioner was being far too proactive.

"Of course you're welcome, Miss Moore." George stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

Led by Carson, the four went up to the east side of the third floor.

The gym door was open, and it had indeed been completely renovated.

The thick wooden floor was spotless, the practice swords and protective gear were neatly arranged on the equipment rack, and there were several benches and lockers in the corner.

"Quite good." Bates looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

He went straight to the equipment rack, took down a practice sword, and then took a cork ball from the box next to it and tied it to the tip of the sword.

"This was a common training method used in the military in the past, to train precision and wrist strength."

Bates explained, his wrist already giving a slight twitch.

The cork ball traces a famous arc, drawing three perfect circular trajectories in the air. The entire process is fluid and graceful, making it quite a spectacle.

"Beautiful," George exclaimed sincerely.

Turning her head, Miss Moore, who was standing next to her, also picked up a sword and stared intently at Bates.

"The lieutenant is quite skilled." She slowly walked to the opposite side of Bates. "May I ask for your guidance?"

George was taken aback. This Moore, at this moment, exuded a completely different kind of capable aura.

"Miss Moore, it might be too much for you to compete in a dress..." Bates began cautiously.

"I'll be careful," Kelly interrupted him, holding her sword to her chest. "Treat this like a points match, stop when you've made your point."

She looked up, her gaze fixed on Bates, her voice so low that only a few could hear her:

"As you know, our combat capabilities cannot be measured by the standards of ordinary people—this is a rare opportunity."

Bates' pupils contracted slightly as he took one last look at George.

George nodded slightly—since the decision had been made not to deliberately hide it, a small sparring match would be fine.

"Then I'll gladly accept your offer." Bates turned and walked to the equipment rack to begin putting on his protective gear.

"But let's make it clear first: the sword tip will be fitted with a cork ball, and we'll stop short of a direct confrontation."

Just as Miss Moore's satisfaction and anticipation were beginning to appear on her lips, there was a sudden, urgent knock on the gym door, followed by a male servant opening the door and striding in.

Just as Carson, the butler who had been standing next to George, was about to reprimand the impetuous servant, he heard him quickly speak to George:

"Master George, Master Albert has instructed me to summon you to Master Frederick's room as quickly as possible!"