I created a safe zone in the nightmare world.

Chapter 97 The Members' Preparations (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader 'Book Friend 20...4531374')

Inside the rented room, Shi An lay lazily, recovering his physical strength, energy, and the magical power contained in the cursed object.

Nearby, a red figure was wiping here and there with a burlap sack.

It didn't nod in satisfaction until the desk, wardrobe, and windowsill were spotless.

But when he noticed that a flowerpot not far away was tilted by one centimeter, he frowned again. A flickering candlelight appeared, and he precisely moved the flowerpot 10 millimeters, then trimmed the branches on it, before finally being satisfied.

Shi An never expected that the Underworld Robe would have obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Is this still weird?

But Blood Handprint doesn't seem to have any outstanding personality traits, does it?

Oh, not entirely. Little Blood likes to slack off.

Shi An couldn't conjure a second Shadow Avatar right now. While waiting for the safe zone to finish upgrading, he wasn't in the mood to go out.

He just wants to open for business as soon as possible.

He felt ashamed if his members and prospective members were lost in the dream world and couldn't find the safe zone while the safe zone was undergoing upgrades and maintenance.

"Leaving aside the prospective members, the members in the safe zone were basically always around during the battle, but they're probably all resting right now."

What Shi An didn't expect was—

During the battle, the members did indeed fight a very exciting and intense fight.

However, they can rest in the safe zone between battles without having to be wary of others, which is much easier than the hard times they used to endure.

Now, back to reality, resting is out of the question!

Even the most powerful members of the community who don't usually have much to do will seize the opportunity and make the most of their time once they return to reality.

Because some things can only be done in reality.

A mutual aid association gathering in Chaojiang District.

Li Wei has replaced the former leader and is now the president of the mutual aid society.

He was surrounded by a faint pressure from the Refinement Stage curse, which terrified the Dream Fallers around him, including the former guild leader who had reached the Control Stage.

Li Wei, that guy, was almost killed by Nightmare before, and in the blink of an eye, he's become a Refinement Stage expert!

This is the Refining Stage! Outside of all the major organizations, how many people in the entire Baijiang City are at the Refining Stage?

Even within large organizations like the Countermeasures Bureau and the Wizard's House, those at the Refining Stage are absolute experts, holding considerable status! What kind of fortuitous encounter did Li Wei stumble upon?

Although they coveted Li Wei's opportunity, the former leader remained respectful under the subtle pressure of the curse.

Li Wei said, "Our mutual aid association has always been based on mutual assistance. This time, when I took office as the president, I also brought a batch of rare magical items and props for everyone."

He laid out one precious, damaged spell artifact and prop after another.

There is also a complete-grade cursed artifact inside.

These are not given away for free, of course; they are sold at affordable prices.

The mutual aid society's gatherings were usually occasions for the dreamers to trade, barter, or exchange information.

However, rare items are scarce in the transactions at gatherings, and it's difficult to even find a practical, damaged cursed item, let alone a "big clearance sale" like Li Wei's.

The dreamers present stared wide-eyed and immediately became staunch supporters of the new president.

"President, please tell us what you need; we'll go through fire and water for you!"

One of the dreamers spoke up.

Li Wei smiled slightly, "I don't need to go through fire and water, but I do have something I'd like your help with. Have you ever heard of the Dream-Falling Pearl?"

"The Dream-Falling Pearl? Hmm, could it be that unlucky item?"

"I've heard of it, but why are you asking, Chairman? That thing is considered unlucky!"

In the past, Li Wei would have also felt that the Dream Pearl was ominous and would not have understood why the Nightmare World would produce such an item, which was clearly detrimental to them.

But now, Li Wei understands.

The Dream Pearl is wonderful, the Dream Pearl is fragrant!

Without the Dream Pearl, how could he stay in the safe zone for longer?

He not only wanted one Dream Pearl for himself, but he also wanted to buy a large number of Dream Pearls!

He could even foresee that as the safe zone expanded and the number of members increased, the "loss-making item" of the Dream Pearl would sooner or later become a treasure sought after and fought over by those who had fallen into the dream.

Supply falling short of demand is inevitable at that time!

Li Wei said, "I am preparing to acquire the Dream Pearl."

The dozen or so people present who had experienced the dream immediately stared wide-eyed, unable to understand or comprehend it.

Before they could ask, Li Wei said directly, "If any of you have any Dream Pearls, I will buy them for one Dream Crystal. If you want any kind of incomplete cursed artifacts, I can help you get them."

"Not only what you have, but as long as you provide information and introduce sellers to me, I will give you a commission reward of at least 200g of Dream Dust."

After he finished speaking, the entire gathering place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a few seconds of silence, a series of hissing sounds followed, accompanied by a series of inhalations.

The purpose of Chairman Li Wei's acquisition of the Dream Pearl is no longer important.

All they knew was that this was a big deal!

Moreover, the profit margin is huge! Normally, if a Dream Pearl is only sold for 500g or 400g, even a dog wouldn't want it!

"President Li Wei is so generous! So extravagant!"

Li Wei remained silent, only smiling.

He was indeed a tycoon in the eyes of ordinary dreamers, but he was just an insignificant member among the many members of the safe zone.

At this moment, others probably share similar thoughts.

he thinks.

The underground black market of Wanmeng Mall.

-

The black market was still bustling at night, and there seemed to be more vendors setting up stalls recently, making it difficult for the Dreamers to choose.

One of the dreamers stopped in front of a stall, his eyes scanning the displayed goods one by one, trying to determine whether they were genuine or fake.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a certain black bead.

This bead is clearly genuine, and it contains a considerable amount of cold, sinister energy.

But the next moment, the dreamer's expression changed, and he took three or four steps back in quick succession.

"Boss, why are you even selling something as unlucky as the Dream Pearl? Fine, fine, I won't buy it, I'm leaving."

The person who fell into the dream clearly felt that everything around them had been tainted by the bad luck of the Dream-Falling Pearl, and that these things were now considered unclean and should not be bought.

The stall owner opened his mouth, but still couldn't say a word.

Of the few items he displayed, the Dream Pearl was the most valuable treasure.

However, he also knew that this thing was a treasure, but a treasure that was hated by both people and dogs.

At this moment, another dreamer came to the stall, this time directly targeting the Dream Pearl.

He asked, "Boss, does this Dream Pearl come with a sealing box? If so, I'll buy it for 1000g of Dream Dust."

O

One kilogram!

The boss's eyes widened, but the value of the sealed box itself was higher than that of the useless Dream Pearl.

He was just an ordinary dreamer; he didn't have such a high-tech item as a sealing box.

The person who wanted to buy the Dream Pearl hesitated when he saw that there was no sealing box.

He did indeed want to rely on the Dream Pearl to stay in the Nightmare World for a longer time, thereby gaining more opportunities to enter the training room.

However, whether he will encounter a safe zone in his next dream is still unknown.

Carrying an unsealed Dream Pearl under these circumstances would be too risky.

If you don't encounter a safe zone and are still carrying the Dream Pearl, getting tainted by this ominous aura could be fatal.

"I'll buy the four hundred grams of Dream Dust."

A young man wearing a baseball cap and a mask bought the item.

He held the Dream Pearl in his hand without the slightest fear.

His fierce appearance made the surrounding stall owners and dreamers gasp in astonishment.

Only the Dreamer who had just been about to buy the orb stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Are you—a VIP member?"

"Oh, you're from there too?"

"Absolutely, absolutely."

With the safe zone as a link, the two strangers who had fallen into the dream quickly became quite familiar with each other.

Inside a residential building.

The bearded man had already met up with several brothers he had known in the safe zone in person.

-

Compared to meeting in a typical nightmare world, their relationship is much more reliable because they have a safe zone as a bond.

With proper training, they can become comrades-in-arms whom you can rely on.

The bearded man spoke up, "I think we can gradually expand and continue recruiting reliable people, either from the safe zone or from the real world."

"In the future, there will definitely be more strategy operations centered around the safe zone. Perhaps we can form the first safe zone strategy team!"

Conquering higher-level nightmares is beyond the capabilities of just three or four people.

Instead of finding another team to cooperate with later, it's better to make preparations on our own in advance.

The Wizard's House.

Xi Xue and Tao Zi are both making the most of their time to learn spells.

Can't learn it? That's okay.

They couldn't possibly learn a spell directly in a short time. All they had to do was memorize the learning process, usage tips, and power flow path of these spells.

In this way, the next time they enter the safe zone after their dream, they will be able to learn all these spells.

Perfect!

Rental housing.

Shi An was calculating the upgrade time of the safe zone.

As the event neared its end, he sat up straight, his face filled with anticipation.

Finally, "Ding!"

"Note: The safe zone has been upgraded to LV3, and the shops in the safe zone have been expanded."

"Notice: New land has been added to the safe zone, along with new employee accommodation and a canteen."

"Note: The number of Nightmare Worlds that the Safe Zone can connect to simultaneously has been increased to 10."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Hint: Safe zone building slots +1, employee contract slots +1, cursed item containment slots +1."

"Notice: A new building upgrade function has been added to the safe zone." This consumes Faith Points and allows you to upgrade existing buildings or expand the area of ​​shops within the safe zone.

The notification sound kept ringing in my ears.

Every tinkling sound was so melodious.

According to the prompts, the biggest changes are the addition of "employee accommodation area" and "building upgrade function".

No, that's not all.

Shi An closed his eyes, and he saw a small island floating in the vast sea of ​​gray fog, amidst countless nightmare bubbles.

On the island, stood the shops he was familiar with from the safe zone.

However, unlike Baijiang City, which was ravaged by the fog, this island in the safe zone—

Untouched by dust!

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