A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

"Oh? You actually understand it? And you can even resonate with it? That's something I didn't consider."

The dark figure shook its head and waved its hand. Then, in Zhou Ke'er's eyes, the ancient book appeared as a blurry mess, as if it had been pixelated.

Zhou Ke'er finally snapped out of her daze and confusion, gasped for breath, and her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

The shadowy figure waved at Zhou Ke'er: "Let me give you some advice. It's obviously dangerous, so it's best not to try to investigate it. If it weren't for the protection you have from the Seven Secrets of the Earth and other beings, you would have already been parasitized or possessed by this book. In that case, even if I were watching from the side, I wouldn't have been able to stop you in time."

Zhou Ke'er wiped her sweat casually, but a smile appeared on her face as she asked, "What kind of result would it have if I were parasitized? The Xuanjun... uh, the 'Seven Secrets of the Earth' you mentioned, that I'm currently possessed, isn't it also a state of being attached to me? And when Long Aotian arrives later, won't he also be parasitized by this book?"

The shadowy figure nodded. “Indeed, as you say. You’ve developed a tolerance for this kind of energy. Even if this book were to parasitize you, you wouldn’t suffer any major aftereffects. At most, you’d experience some immediate shock—but that’s only one aspect. The biggest problem is that if you get two books… then you’ve violated, well… the ‘rules.’ You’ve violated the rules of this game. That’s the most troublesome thing—and I’ll be implicated as well.”

"The rules? I think I understand."

Zhou Ke'er stroked her chin, nodded slightly, and pondered to herself.

It seems that either there is a being superior to all others who established all the rules, and the other beings are "chess players" who abide by these rules; or all beings are checking and balancing each other, and established these rules in order for the "game" to continue.

If it's the former, then it doesn't matter if one being violates the rules; that being will be immediately eliminated by the highest-ranking being. But if it's the latter... if one being leads the way in violating the rules, it's possible that the others will join in and expel that being, or it's possible that... it will directly cause all the other beings to start violating the rules as well. In that case, it would be the most dangerous and chaotic situation.

"Oh, our distinguished guest has finally arrived. So, would you like to excuse yourself, or stay here and watch?"

Just then, the dark figure clapped its hands and asked Zhou Ke'er.

Zhou Ke'er snapped out of her daze, chuckled twice, and shrugged: "Why should I avoid it? There's no need. I'll just watch from here."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a bat looking disheveled burst open the door and appeared in Zhou Ke'er's line of sight.

The bat instantly transformed into Long Aotian's appearance, seemingly unharmed, but looking utterly exhausted, and stared at Zhou Ke'er in surprise: "You... how did you get here? What happened?"

The dark figure looked at Long Aotian's appearance, sighed, and said to Zhou Ke'er, "What a pity, it would have been better if you hadn't been chosen by another being."

## Chapter 533, Section 528: You Owe Me a Favor

Zhou Ke'er shrugged, not responding to the dark figure. Instead, she turned to look at Long Aotian, who looked rather disheveled, and chuckled as she replied, "Why am I here? Because I got here before you. What's there to ask?"

Upon hearing this, Long Aotian frowned at first, not immediately understanding what "arrived first" meant. After a moment's thought, he realized: "Is this the place you've been talking about, the place where that ancient book is? But why did you suddenly disappear just now?"

Zhou Ke'er pointed at the dark shape. "Then you'll have to ask it. What do you think? Why is it doing this? What is its purpose?"

Actually, Zhou Ke'er had already guessed the gist of these questions on the way here. Asking now was just a sarcastic remark to annoy this dark figure.

The shadowy figure calmly replied, "This is a test. It's a test that anyone who wants to obtain this ancient book must pass. Only after passing it can they obtain it."

Seeing that the dark figure seemed quite rational, Long Aotian gradually calmed down as well. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Ke'er, "So that means, Zhou Ke'er, you've passed the test and can obtain this ancient book?"

The dark figure seemed about to say something, but Zhou Ke'er shrugged, a bright smile on her face. "Oh dear, look at what you're saying—I did pass the test, but wasn't it to help you pass? Look, I've been sitting here waiting for you to come and get this book. How could you be so petty and judge me like that? It really hurts my feelings. How could I possibly steal your things?"

"My things?" Long Aotian narrowed his eyes.

Zhou Ke'er shrugged matter-of-factly and said, "After you take this book, this secret realm will collapse and disappear. Obviously, this thing is the energy source that supports the existence of the entire secret realm. Since you discovered the secret realm, it should belong to you. Why are you looking at me like that? I've always been a rule-abiding person, okay?"

"Well... thank you so much?"

Long Aotian slowly walked over, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I thought you were worried about something going wrong, so you were planning to use me as a guinea pig. It seems I misunderstood."

Zhou Ke'er stood tall and proud, her face full of righteous indignation, and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! How could you think of me like that? It's so unfair! My young heart has been severely hurt! You have to compensate me!"

As she spoke, Zhou Ke'er reached out and touched the corner of her eye, which had no tears at all. She put on a pitiful look and said, "I finally made it here after going through so many hardships and overcoming so many obstacles. I used all my strength and wits to barely pass this test, all to wait for you to come and help you get this ancient book. And yet you still think I'm that kind of person. It really hurts me!"

The dark figure trembled slightly upon seeing Zhou Ke'er's performance, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

Long Aotian almost gave the same look as an old man on the subway looking at his phone, but since he was in the wrong and Zhou Ke'er looked so "sincere," he had no choice but to back down: "Okay, okay, I misunderstood you. I apologize."

Zhou Ke'er stopped her affected performance, pretending to still be wiping away tears, and immediately began to bargain, saying, "Apologizing alone is not enough; you have to owe me a few favors."

Long Aotian couldn't help but twitch his lips: "How many favors do I have to repay? One at most, no more."

Zhou Ke'er immediately stopped rubbing her eyes, her expression changing from self-pity to a broad smile. She said with a grin, "Okay, okay, it's settled then. You owe me a favor."

Long Aotian immediately realized—he had definitely been tricked by Zhou Ke'er! However... he didn't say anything.

Zhou Ke'er continued to push her luck: "Oh right, besides this favor... you see, you were the one who brought me into the secret realm to farm skills and weapons, but in the end, it turned out that I helped you get this ancient book that serves as the energy source for the secret realm, and I didn't get anything myself. That doesn't make sense, does it?"

Long Aotian was both amused and exasperated: "How about I give you the ancient book instead? You just need to owe me a favor. How about that?"

"This won't do! I've already made a promise with them to protect this ancient book, that I wouldn't take it. How can I break my promise? I'm such an honest and trustworthy person! How could I do such a thing?"

Zhou Ke'er refused righteously and firmly, then stood up and walked over to Long Aotian in a few strides, pushing him forward. "Alright, alright, stop wasting time, just take it! The sooner you take it, the sooner it's over. I still need to meet with my teammates to discuss some things before the game updates. Stop dawdling."

Long Aotian's face darkened as Zhou Ke'er pushed him forward, muttering, "I have a feeling you're plotting against me... This book really seems suspicious."

"What are you talking about! Would I possibly harm you? If I did, you'd owe me a favor, and where would I find you to ask for it back?"

Zhou Ke'er answered as a matter of course.

The dark figure reached out and waved it over the ancient book. The mosaic covering the book vanished instantly, revealing its original appearance. "Please. I've already wasted too much time here. It's best to finish this quickly."

Long Aotian sighed. Anyway, dying the first time in this secret realm wouldn't cause any problems, so he decided not to think too much about it—he was pretty much used to not using his brain when he was with Zhou Ke'er—so he reached out and picked up the ancient book without hesitation.

As he moved, the ancient book seemed to melt away, passing directly from his hand into his body. Simultaneously, the entire secret realm began to melt and collapse.

Long Aotian lost consciousness in an instant, immersing himself in merging with the ancient book.

Before leaving, the dark figure casually tossed something to Zhou Ke'er, saying, "Here's a little gift for you before I go. After all, passing the test deserves a reward, right?"

"That's natural."

Zhou Ke'er reached out and took the things the shadowy figure gave her without any qualms.

Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a pocket watch with a chain, but upon opening the cover, one discovers a pale, lifeless pupil inside, which immediately sends chills down one's spine.

【Name: Eye of Aihot】

Type: Jewelry (Pendant)

[Quality: Epic]

[Special Effect: Consumes a certain amount of sanity to partially deprive the target of their five senses, trapping them in a sensory maze you construct for a certain duration. The duration and degree of sensory deprivation are related to the amount of sanity consumed.]

[Note: One of the eyes of Aiholt, the god of labyrinths—beware, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.]

## Chapter 534, 529. Parading Through the City

After the secret realm collapsed, Zhou Ke'er and Long Aotian reappeared in the same wilderness where they started.

However, the vortex that had been quietly spinning in the sky had disappeared.

Looking at Long Aotian, who was still unconscious, Zhou Ke'er rested her chin on her right hand and thought for a moment. Although her original intention was to grab the guy and drag him back on the ground, if the other members of Long Aotian's guild saw this scene, it might hinder the cooperation between Zhou Ke'er and Long Aotian.

Therefore, Zhou Ke'er ultimately chose to treat Long Aotian like a sack, grabbing his hands and throwing him onto her shoulder, before heading towards Long Aotian's guild base in the main city.

Then... many people in the main city saw the spectacular sight of Zhou Ke'er carrying the unconscious Long Aotian through the streets—especially since Zhou Ke'er didn't try to hide it at all, but instead smiled and greeted those people, acting like a superior leader on an inspection tour.

Perhaps it was because the Long Aotian Guild's notification was indeed very fast. Zhou Ke'er had only been in the main city for a short time and was on her way to the Aotian Guild's base when she saw Ye Liangchen and Chen Beixuan walking towards her in a hurry. When they saw her, their eyes widened, and they showed an expression of "There really is such a thing."

Ye Liangchen quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "What happened? How come our guild leader fainted after we went out together?"

Chen Beixuan muttered to himself, "Can you even faint in a game?"

Zhou Ke'er unceremoniously put Long Aotian off her shoulder and quickly handed him to Ye Liangchen and Chen Beixuan, saying, "You two help him up, and I'll tell you slowly. First, I have some bad news to tell you."

Chen Beixuan and Ye Liangchen obediently took Long Aotian from them, each supporting one of his arms as they walked forward. Chen Beixuan subconsciously asked, "What bad news?"

Zhou Ke'er crossed her arms and said matter-of-factly, "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that your secret realm is gone."

"It's...gone?! How could it be gone? What did you do?"

Chen Beixuan was shocked. This was something he truly hadn't expected. How could such a thing happen? His guild leader took his sister to the secret realm, and then the secret realm itself disappeared?! Does this make sense?

Women are terrifying!

Zhou Ke'er pouted unhappily and said with dissatisfaction, "What do you mean by that? It's as if I did it. It was your guild leader Long Aotian who did it, okay? He clearly promised to take me to the secret realm to get some good stuff, but I didn't get anything, and he destroyed the secret realm himself."

That's... well, that's certainly true.

"We're well-read, you can't fool us! If our guild leader destroyed the secret realm, how come he's so powerful and now he's unconscious? That doesn't make sense!"

Ye Liangchen and Chen Beixuan naturally didn't believe it and immediately retorted.

Zhou Ke'er immediately revealed a smirk and said disdainfully, "Why should I, Zhou Ke'er, explain my actions to others?"

Chen Beixuan's eyes widened: "You...you stole my lines!"

Zhou Ke'er was too lazy to pay attention to this guy. She could tell that Long Aotian's subordinates were all a bit off. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and casually added, "Why don't you just ask Long Aotian yourself after he wakes up? Anyway, no matter how I explain it now, you won't believe me, right?"

Ye Liangchen and Chen Beixuan exchanged a glance and whispered, "That makes sense. She can't escape in the main city anyway. The truth will come out once the guild leader wakes up. There's no need for us to keep asking questions... What if their relationship... we might anger the guild leader..."

Seeing the two still whispering to each other, Zhou Ke'er was too lazy to argue with them any longer. After finding out where Honghe and the others were, she casually said goodbye and left.

Then, Zhou Ke'er opened her message list and saw that Ming Mengjing was online. She casually called out to her, asking her to come over and telling her where she was.

A moment later, Ming Mengjing rushed over. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhou Ke'er and quickly walked over, asking, "What happened? Why did you call me over in such a hurry?"

Zhou Ke'er scratched her cheek. "It's nothing urgent... never mind. Anyway, you saw the system notification about the game update tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, isn't this something all players will see? Why are you suddenly asking about this..."

Ming Mengjing didn't react for a moment. She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wait... you mean that the big event you mentioned before will start after the game update? Is the time so tight? Even if the other exorcists enter the game today, most of them won't have time to enter the main city."

Zhou Ke'er nodded. "You're right, it seems we can't rely on them now. But we don't need to despair, we still have a chance to win. By the way... do you know any players with high intelligence? You know, for large-scale events like this, strategists or planners are still very important."

"I don't know any of the players... but I do know a few clever guys among the exorcists."

Ming Mengjing shook her head. "Don't you know any players like that?"

Zhou Ke'er's lips twitched. "How would I know any other players? I should have had players like that on my team, but for some reason, that guy's been acting increasingly strange lately. He was quite decent at first, but now he's just a complete idiot. I can't count on him."

(Sand between fingers: ?? Suddenly I feel like someone's talking bad about me behind my back?)

"I understand... Is there anything else besides this?"

Ming Mengjing nodded, then continued to ask.

Zhou Ke'er thought for a moment, then shook her head.

Ming Mengjing couldn't help but show a "Are you kidding me?" expression. "Huh? For something that can be resolved by sending a message, do you really need to call me in person? I thought you had something to give me."

"Hey, I just wanted to see you come over."

Zhou Ke'er scratched her head and chuckled, but secretly she was thinking: Come to think of it, I haven't been paying much attention to how Bolius is doing in the game. He's a powerful asset; I need to get him on board too. And those NPCs from the Divine Academy—maybe I can recruit a few to help out as well…

To be honest, Zhou Ke'er somehow started thinking about Mo Bugui again. Although he was a bit annoying, he was strong! If she could summon him to help, Zhou Ke'er would naturally be able to feign compliance for a while.

It's a real shame that guy was either killed by Nyarlathotep or taken somewhere else.