CHAPTER 368: CHAPTER 206: AWAKENING THE STRANGER

Inside Alka’s own room.

At this moment, he was leaning against the headboard, deep in thought. This idea had existed ever since he first discovered it was a human dream.

Waking that person up in the dream would allow him to obtain more information.

However, when Alka first glimpsed that person’s dream, he knew nothing about where the person was, nor about their true circumstances.

But after a day’s exploration, Alka had gained a fair understanding of this island.

With the help of a complete map and the clear knowledge of the treasures marked on it, he was also aware of how dangerous this island was.

Just now, while he was in that dream, he had casually asked about the person’s current condition, though he received no answer.

Now that he was awake, this information would be gathered one last time before he decided whether or not to awaken the person within the dream.

The only possible negative consequence of waking an enemy was if the dream’s owner turned out to be the culprit behind everything on this island.

If that were the case, Alka’s awakening might expose some information.

And that could lead to unexpected turns in their plans tomorrow.

There was risk, but for Alka and the others, they still maintained absolute initiative.

Moreover, the Treasure Hunting System could assist with analyzing the information, so no matter whether what was said was true or false, Alka could carefully weigh it.

And by then, these light spots would also be reflected accurately.

With that thought, Alka immediately lay down, quickly sinking into the Dream Realm.

Without the slightest pause, he swiftly flew towards that Dream Bubble, and soon spotted its presence.

At this moment, the scenes within the dream were exactly the same as when he had just left.

He landed on the deck, entered the central command room, and once again sat beside the person.

But Alka did not immediately touch them or awaken them.

After some thought, the Mirror Surface appeared on his face.

He reached out and touched the Mirror Surface. Instantly, the mirror on his face shattered, and the fragments formed a special effect, completely obscuring his face.

Pink mist surged from the crystal in his chest, enveloping Alka completely.

Soon after, his clothing changed and transformed.

A black top hat settled onto his head. He now wore a black suit, and a Civilization Staff appeared in his hand.

No matter who this person really was, disguise was absolutely essential.

Once everything was ready, Alka finally stood by their side, wearing a pair of close-fitting white gloves. He placed his hand on the Dream Owner’s shoulder.

With Alka’s touch—

The person in front of him had been staring fixedly at the deck, but now, confusion appeared in those resolved eyes.

Confusion quickly cleared into lucidity.

The arms that had been crossed over his chest dropped naturally down to his sides.

He turned his head and looked around.

"This... Steel Melody is completely intact? Am I not dreaming?"

Then he suddenly leaped to the side, but whether from physical weakness or some other cause, he immediately collapsed.

Lying on the ground, he didn’t get up but instead quickly scooted backwards twice, putting some distance between himself and Alka.

Then he stared at Alka with a highly vigilant expression.

Staring at this strange figure before him—if it even was a person.

After all, Alka’s entire face was now just an illusion of shattered mirrors.

"Who are you? Why are you on this ship?"

Alka crossed his hands in front of him, leaning on the Civilization Staff, and turned his head slightly to glance at him.

At the sight of Alka’s mirrored face turning his way, the man shrank back again.

"This is your dream—and as for me... you can call me Magician."

"This is my... dream?" He repeated the words softly, then leaned against the wall and used his feet to push himself up.

After observing Alka warily a few times and confirming Alka wasn’t making any extra moves, he glanced outside at the deck, then surveyed his surroundings.

He observed his environment with keen detail, as if trying to distinguish its reality.

Alka simply observed the man before him.

His arms hung low, his steps were weak, his body swayed unsteadily.

This man’s real state in the waking world was far worse than Alka had imagined.

Suddenly woken up in a dream, his real physical state was reflected with startling clarity.

For example, those drooping arms—whether he fell or stood up, his hands hung naturally at his sides, with no sign of using them to assist movement.

He didn’t even use his hands to cushion his fall—he simply crashed heavily onto the floor.

Such behavior made it plain to Alka: this man’s hands must be injured—most likely broken—in the real world.

Just like Lucilia before; people could walk normally in regular dreams, but once clarity returned, reality bled into the Dream Realm.

And he collapsed right there on the ground.

Looking at the man’s weakened state and the slight arch to his body—those were signs of hunger.

As Alka observed him, he in turn was scanning the ship—and covertly watching Alka out of the corner of his eye.

At last, he confirmed: this really was a dream.

"You entered my dream, and even woke me up—what do you want?"