The voice of the white mist serpent suddenly appeared in Alka's mind.
Hearing this, Alka, who had already been completely absorbed in the pink mist, lost control of himself.
His hands began to tremble madly.
His body was incredibly stiff, his brows furrowed in a frown.
The pressure of engulfing and destroying a powerful dream creature threatened to crush him.
Faced with the serpent's proposal, Alka acted without hesitation.
"Mother of Respect, Stone of All Things, Spirit of Kindness. In the wheat fields of growth and nourishment, Stone Mother, please hear my request..."
Alka continued to chant the words of prayer, silently reciting them in his heart.
As the words rang out, a faint golden light, mixed with a single, brilliant, golden ear of wheat, inexplicably appeared in the sky.
This sight caused the crowd below to bow their heads in reverence, as if in prayer.
The aura of the Virgin Mary permeated the area.
She heard Alka's prayer and responded.
Jason and Shadaiti had even begun silently chanting the Virgin Mary's prayer.
Wheat ears landed on Alka's head, slowly enveloping him, and golden light merged into his body.
The power absorbing into his body coalesced into a streak of golden light, guided by Alka's hand, and flowed outside the Dreamcatcher's crystal sphere, merging into it.
With this added force, the swaying sphere gradually stabilized, and the pink mist began to spread once more.
Until it completely enveloped the red deer, forming a massive pink cocoon as tall as a mountain.
The enormous cocoon began to compress, and the struggles of the giant creature within created various bulges, as if ready to break free from the pink mist at any moment.
The enormous snake's tail lashed out.
It struck the mist cocoon, but without receiving a shred of the force from the outer pupa, it was transmitted directly into the interior, instantly shattering the red mist within.
Seizing this opportunity, Alka controlled and rapidly compressed it.
Even within the dream, even with the Virgin's grace, the energy within Alka's body began to diminish at an exaggerated rate.
The enormous cocoon began to shrink at a visible speed.
Until it became a massive, oval-shaped cocoon, only about five meters tall.
However, Alka frowned. The treasure could digest it and turn it into a trophy.
But the gap between his strength and the creature trapped within was too great, and he had no control.
But he couldn't give up. Only he knew how rare such an opportunity was.
He frowned and gritted his teeth.
He walked over, crystal ball in hand, and placed the Dreamcatcher crystal ball against the cocoon.
The entire cocoon was sucked in, and a pink rope was tied to Alka's hand.
After completing all this, Alka breathed a sigh of relief and sat limply on the ground.
Xadaiti and the others immediately gathered around him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, just exhausted."
Then he looked up at the white mist serpent in the sky.
"Thank you for your kindness. I will always remember it."
Xadaiti and the others also expressed their gratitude.
The white mist serpent simply nodded slightly, then turned into mist and disappeared into the sky.
As he disappeared, the entire island began to shake.
As the shaking continued, Alka felt golden energy pouring into his dream.
"The island is returning to reality. We need to leave."
Alka staggered to his feet, and Shadaiti immediately supported him.
Jason looked at him, shook his head, and gestured to the other side.
Alka looked over.
It was Kriel, still lying on the ground, still sound asleep.
"What's wrong with him?" Alka asked.
He didn't look dead.
Baraz, who had already stood up, heard this and said quietly, "The Guardian Serpent was summoned by him."
"What?" Everyone was surprised.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me in detail what happened after we escaped?"
Alka asked.
Baraz nodded. There was nothing to hide.
Sitting nearby, he began to recount the story to the others.
After listening, Jason patted Balazs's shoulder gently and nodded.
Alka looked at Kriel, who lay on the ground, sound asleep, and said, "Does that mean we can't do anything to him now? And once we return to reality, he'll wake up immediately?"
Balas nodded.
Shadaiti, standing beside Kriel, reached out and kicked him, but his foot passed right through him, as if he were just an image.
That made the situation somewhat difficult. According to Balazs, Kriel was in relatively good condition.
Their confinement was already in a very bad state. If they waited around until Kriel returned to reality, they would be back to their previous state once Kriel woke up.
Leaving now was the best option.
Observing this situation, Alka turned to Balazs.
"What about you? What are you going to do now? Are you going to leave with us?"
Now was the perfect time to escape.
They only needed to return to the ship in advance, wait for the moment they returned to reality, and quickly depart.
And sail aimlessly out of the island chain; this would guarantee their escape.
"My ship, it must be gone, right?" Even as he spoke, there was a glimmer of hope in his voice.
Lucille nodded. She had heard the news before.
It was the puppet girl on the ship who had said it.
With his last shred of hope shattered, Baraz's heart visibly sank.
"Alas, this scumbag has ruined everything I have."
He could no longer contain his rage and punched Kriel beside him.
However, his fist simply passed through him and hit the muddy ground.
The gravel on the muddy ground pierced his hand, drawing blood.
"Will you come with us?" Alka asked. Although he wasn't invited aboard, they were all traveling together, so taking him to a safe island and dropping him off wouldn't be a problem.
Baraz looked at him, deep in his eyes.
Suddenly, he asked, "You'll come back? For revenge, right?"
After all, Alka and his crew had nearly been wiped out several times, all by the inexplicable, completely unfamiliar Kriel.
"Of course," Alka replied without hesitation.
He was weak now and couldn't afford to offend him, but the future was uncertain.
Furthermore, if he found the right treasure, he would certainly return to perform the ritual and unlock the scepter-level treasure on the Broken Isles.
It would also be appropriate to eliminate this enemy while he was there.
He hadn't forgotten the numerous near-death experiences.
It was logical for him to return and settle the score.
Hearing this, Baraz nodded.
"That's good!"
Listening to Balazs' words and watching his movements, Alka nodded. It seemed he wasn't planning to leave with them, but rather to stay.
He was taking a gamble, and while Alka didn't understand, she respected his choice.
"According to calculations, how long will it take for this island to return to reality?" Balazs asked.
Alka calculated and said, "About four to six hours."
Hearing the time, Balazs frowned and nodded, then looked at the crowd.
"Go ahead! Knock me out. It's best if it's as horrific as possible, as long as it's not life-threatening."
Bang!
As soon as Balazs finished his words, he collapsed to the ground, dizzy.
Everyone looked up at their attacker.
Pororo took in the looks from the crowd and shrugged helplessly, "He told me to hit him. Don't worry, I'm skilled."
Alka looked at the large bump on Balazs's head; it clearly didn't fall into the realm of skilled combat.
But it didn't matter; the goal was achieved.
"Inflict some wounds on him, preferably consistent with the surrounding battle scars."
The others nodded and began to figure out how to inflict gruesome, yet non-life-threatening, injuries.
Alka then moved to the side, next to the still-sleeping Kriel, and unleashed various attacks on the ground beneath him.
He left numerous marks, but they were all strikes and collisions.
This would conceal their presence; after all, in Kriel's eyes, they were already dead.
He was the only one left alive.
Now, from Kriel's perspective, they were truly hidden. After completing all this, he clapped his hands.
"That way he looks like he's survived a catastrophe."
Jason rolled his eyes at the sleeping Kriel lying on the ground, and whispered to Alka, "Should we give him some more spice?"
Hearing this, the eyes of the male members nearby lit up.
Alka shook his head without hesitation.
"No, that's too insulting. If we anger him, he might even attack Balazs.
And it would also let them know we're still alive, which wouldn't be good for us seeking revenge on him later."
"Don't you want to see the surprised look on his face when he sees us again?"
Everyone seemed to agree, and they could only sigh in regret.
"He got away with it."
After completing this, Alka came over to Balazs, who was covered in wounds.
Seeing Balazs's miserable state, Alka couldn't help but frown.
He looked too miserable, as if he were almost dead, with all sorts of wounds covering his body.
But a closer inspection revealed they were all minor, non-life-threatening injuries.
Even if left alone, he would bleed for ages.
He reached out and rubbed his fingers over it, and tiny drops of pink mist drifted down around him.
This effectively concealed his body.
He deliberately let the mist stain a wound, as if it had been caused by an attack from a dream creature.
This mist also made it difficult for the surrounding dream creatures to detect him, ensuring his safety on his return to reality.
This provided an additional layer of protection for Balazs's life.
After clearing all traces of the surrounding area, everyone quickly ran towards the ship.
Finally, they returned to the Voice of the Dawn.
"Huh, it's so reassuring here," Jason said, lying on the deck.
"Alright, let's clean up the dirt first. Juanlu, please fix us a nice meal. Simon, we'll go to the manufacturing hall later."
Many of the puppet girls around them bore some scars, some even had broken limbs.
The members of the maintenance team were currently performing temporary repairs on their sisters' bodies.
However, their current skills weren't sufficient for a full restoration, so only two people could help.
After they were finished, everyone began to move on.
The whole process didn't take long.
After Alka and Simon repaired the severely damaged puppet girls, the remaining minor damage naturally fell to their sisters.
This was also a rare training opportunity.
Back in the dining room, looking at the table overflowing with delicious food,
My stomach growled, and my saliva flowed wildly. The intense tension of the past few days, coupled with the numerous near-death trials, had drained them of both physical and mental energy.
Now that they were relaxing, all their fatigue washed over them.
But Alka couldn't relax yet.
As he ate, Alka looked at everyone at the table and said, "Once we return to reality, we'll move at full speed and leave this sea area as quickly as possible."
"But I can't return to reality. The moment I do, I'll fall asleep, and my body will be temporarily in your hands."
"What's going on?" Sofia asked worriedly.
Alka smiled. "It's okay, don't worry. The giant dream creature hasn't been digested yet, so it'll take time. I've placed it in the Dreamcatcher Crystal, which is why my mind can't return to reality.
Once it's digested, I'll naturally wake up. I'll leave it to you for the time being."
Hearing this, Sofia nodded.
As long as there's no danger, it's fine.
And it was obviously a good thing to hear. The spoils of a monster's digestion would surely be terrifying.
Then Alka flipped his palm, and the coin appeared in his hand.
He reached out and tossed it to Julia.
Julia took the coin and looked at Alka with some confusion.
"The treasure obtained in this operation is now yours."
"Treasure? When did you get it?" Julia asked in surprise.
They had no idea this had happened.
"Right when we entered the treasury."
Hearing this, Juanlu's eyes lit up. He looked at Alka and asked, "Was it when you grabbed the coin?"
"Yes."
"That's impressive."
And he was truly brave.
He actually managed to take the treasure right under everyone's noses. Everyone could only look at Alka with admiration.
How could he still think of doing such a thing at that moment?
Everyone had almost finished their meal by this time, and all their eyes turned to Julia.
Julia looked at them, smiled, and didn't shy away.
For them, watching others master treasures was something they never tired of.
Each treasure had different abilities, and the process of mastering them would also be very different.
Julia took the coin in her hand, closed her eyes, and began to rapidly infuse magic power into the coin.
As magic power poured in, the coin began to shimmer.
The light emanating from the front and back sides was completely different.
The side with the portrait of a beautiful woman radiated a vibrant color like youth.
Although it was a little strange, it certainly gave people that feeling.
The side with the burning skull exuded a black and red aura of hellish hatred.
Two diametrically opposed, incompatible auras appeared on both sides of a coin.
Then, the two auras seemed to engage in a war.
The conflicting aura was, in fact, the aura of hatred and evil emanating from the skull, which was stronger, firmly suppressing the youthful, life-filled aura on the other side.
Continuously suppressing it, the coin seemed to be on the verge of transforming completely into evil.
At this moment, Julia seemed to have made a decision, and began to channel the magic power in her hand into the life-filled side.
The magic power instantly overwhelmed, the life force prevailing, firmly repelling the evil and even partially invading it.
But at this point, life didn't continue its attack, leaving evil some room.
Then, Julia opened her eyes.
At this moment, her azure pupils changed, becoming a purer blue, like the purest waves on the beach.
But within this deep azure, a hint of blood red lingered, like a ruby drifting on the waves.
"Inhale, exhale~"
She took a deep breath.
"The function of this treasure is somewhat complex. I don't quite understand it, but it seems to be related to fear and life."
Julia said, looking at the coin in her hand, which had completely changed color.
The coin was now azure on one side and dark red on the other.
"I need to balance these two forces, otherwise it will be difficult to use."
Everyone nodded. It seemed that this was a treasure that required training, understanding, and control to unleash its power.
However, judging by the positive and negative aspects just demonstrated, it seemed that its use would also have two effects.
After completing all this, Alka returned to his room.
He needed to rest here for a while, then wait for this area to return to reality.
As the entire island returned, it began to distort again, then slowly squeezed together.
The previously massive island began to shrink.
The sky also distorted, returning to its unchanging blue sky.
The sun, always shining from a single direction, fell.
A feeling of leaving the membrane came over him.
Alka instantly closed his eyes and lay down on the bed, falling asleep.
But his mind quickly sank into the world of dreams, into his own bubble.
The Voice of Dawn, now in full spell, raced across the sea, breaking waves and splashing on both sides.
...
At this moment, Kriel, lying on the ground, suddenly woke up, sat up, and looked around warily.
He felt the sunlight streaming down from the sky change and distort as he watched his surroundings, which had completely disappeared.
At the same time, he began to sense something within himself.
The feeling of being watched had completely vanished.
He was surrounded by traces of various things, and he couldn't help but turn around to look at where he lay.
There were all sorts of strange marks of attack, some in the shape of hands, some from the impact of massive objects.
This filled him with a sense of dread.
Finally, he looked at the remains of those who had died around him. Only these clothes and equipment remained, still bearing their names.
None of the elite guards who had come to this island with him survived.
He glanced at the tattoo on his chest; it had completely vanished.
Just as the guardian snake had said.
The contract ended.
But he had saved his life.
He dusted himself off and straightened his clothes.
It was then that he seemed to realize something, frowned, and looked off into the distance.
Behind a boulder, beneath a tree trunk, lay a battered Baraz.
The blood had already stained the surroundings red.
"You're lucky you're still alive."
Looking at Baraz, covered in wounds and looking as if he could die at any moment, General Kriel didn't doubt it. A bottle of potion appeared in his hand.
He fell on top of Baraz.
He wanted to know what had happened since he fell asleep.