“What’s wrong? You look so flustered. Did you lose something important?”
For some reason, in the few seconds after Ye Wanqing lost her glasses, when she looked at Irina, that mysterious face seemed to have unconsciously been replaced by Su Mu’s gentle visage.
It really was uncanny.
“My glasses fell off… fell so far away…”
“It should be fine. In the Dream World, you should be able to adapt to not wearing glasses.”
Ye Wanqing frowned as the blurry shadows before her gradually overlapped and disappeared.
Then she clearly saw Irina’s half-smiling face and those silvery-gray eyes.
The fleeting image of Su Mu that had just surfaced in her mind immediately vanished.
‘No, it’s different. Although the facial contours were somewhat similar, and the hair color nearly identical, Little Mouse Mu didn’t look so sinister.’
Most importantly, Little Mouse Mu never hid her face under the shadow of a hat, but Irina often deliberately adjusted the brim’s angle to ensure her face was always shrouded beneath it, as if unwilling to be seen clearly by others.
“It’s nothing. I can see clearly now.”
Though she said this, stepping on the soft belly of the Dreamswimming Fish made Ye Wanqing sway as she walked, as if she might fall at any moment.
She had to carefully steady herself, balancing as if on a narrow beam, holding her hands out to maintain her balance as she moved toward Irina.
Seeing the crimson-purple witch robe fluttering in the wind not far ahead, Ye Wanqing subconsciously quickened her pace, but at that moment, a long, resonant cry with a strong vibration came from beneath her feet.
Like the call of some bird, sharp and piercing, its penetrating power almost pierced Ye Wanqing’s eardrums, momentarily distracting her.
The call came from the massive Dreamswimming Fish.
If the Dream Realm’s sky was like an ocean, then these creatures were the largest and most peaceful denizens of the boundless deep—the whales.
Often revered yet overlooked, for all their majestic size, their aggressiveness was so weak it was hardly worth noting.
But when one filled its mouth and sent out that overwhelming sound wave, spreading through the ocean and enveloping every small fish and shrimp, no creature could ignore their presence—just like now.
Those who heard the Dreamswimming Fish’s call all looked up in unison, staring at the dark sky that beckoned sleep, gazing at these colossal beings tirelessly roaming the entire Dreamscape, their eyes filled with either longing or fear.
Those daring to board them were almost always powerful Transcendents.
Ordinary folk rarely dared venture here.
Transcendents who had broken through the boundary into B-rank often sent out a concept body, equipped with corresponding Magical Equipment, then entered the Dream World to retrieve treasures left behind by the witches.
Even if they got trapped, they could easily withdraw without injuring their true selves.
But C-rank girls couldn’t do the same.
If they fell here, the price was their life.
Ye Wanqing didn’t know this.
If she did, she probably wouldn’t have boarded this “pirate ship” at all.
And Irina, who brought her here, certainly had no intention of letting Ye Wanqing fall.
On the contrary, her goal was to help Ye Wanqing quickly break through to B-rank in this place.
To ensure Ye Wanqing’s safe return, she had summoned all five of her concept bodies together, appearing nearly in their complete forms in this Dreamscape.
While most witches only dared to produce three or four concept bodies, Irina’s presence was a dimensional crushing blow.
Even if that group surrounded her, it would be like a mere tickle—insignificant.
Such power was more than enough to protect Ye Wanqing, even clearing out everyone else in the Dreamscape wouldn’t be a problem.
Still, Irina felt guilty for bringing the still-unaware Ye Wanqing into danger.
No matter how small the risk, it couldn’t be ignored.
But Ye Wanqing needed this high-risk, high-reward adventure.
Seeing Ye Wanqing almost stumble as the Dreamswimming Fish suddenly shifted beneath her, Irina quickly reached out, accurately grasping her hand to steady her.
“…Thank you.”
Ye Wanqing instinctively tried to pull her hand back to adjust her nonexistent glasses but suddenly felt strangely reluctant to let go of Irina’s warm, soft hand.
For a long moment, she couldn’t come to her senses.
When she finally saw the smile on Irina’s face, she hastily withdrew her hand, cheeks faintly flushed.
‘Why does she keep staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?’
“It’s nothing. Did you see that group of Dreamswimming Fish over there?”
Following Irina’s finger, Ye Wanqing quickly spotted the massive fish approaching from all directions, along with the Transcendents riding them.
Their expressions and auras varied, and their Magical Power levels were uneven, but when they noticed Ye Wanqing’s curious gaze and then looked toward Irina, their breaths caught, and they all lowered their heads, cursing as if cursed with seven generations of bad luck.
Then, they quickly dispersed in different directions to avoid continuing to look at Irina.
“Are they here for the witches’ Dreamscapes too?”
“Yes, but we plan to leave soon. After all, we’re only here to satisfy your curiosity. The Dreamscape is dangerous and not suitable for a C-rank Magic Girl like you.”
Hearing Irina’s words, Ye Wanqing’s pupils suddenly dilated, and she stared intently at her.
“How… how do you know I’m a Magic Girl? You wouldn’t be…”
A certain ominous feeling resurfaced in Ye Wanqing’s mind.
“I don’t just know you’re a Magic Girl, I also know a lot about what you’ve been through, because I can read your thoughts and memories~”
Irina lightly stroked her smooth chin, smiling softly.
She quite enjoyed watching this one’s surprised expression.
Her eyes wide and lips slightly parted, as if just hearing from her mother that she was a kid picked up from the trash heap.
At Irina’s words, Ye Wanqing was so shocked she couldn’t form a complete sentence and could only stammer, pointing at her, “You, you, you—”
“Don’t be nervous. I won’t read others’ minds without their permission. But I do know you really need Magical Power.”
Currently, Ye Wanqing’s Magical Power came almost entirely from Tang Nai’s supply.
Though a Magic Girl, she struggled to gather enough power on her own.
Few knew this, besides her and Tang Nai—most others had already died.
And in the witches’ leftover Dreamscapes, there just happened to be a large amount of free-floating Magical Power.
If she could obtain power this way, she might break through to B-rank sooner and solve her current predicament.
Staring at Irina’s face, so much like Su Mu’s, Ye Wanqing was momentarily stunned.
Reason told her it was extremely dangerous to trust a witch she’d only known for less than two days.
But her intuition made her believe the woman before her.
Her intuition even told her that this witch named Irina had just stirred an emotion called shyness inside her.
“Maybe… I need to think about it.”
“No worries. After riding the Dreamswimming Fish, I’ll take you to see the ‘Aquarium’ in the Three-layer Dream, and we can clear up your doubts then.”
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