On a Friday, deep into the night, in Audrey's bedroom. Upon receiving Audrey's gaze, the golden-haired dog, Suzy, opened the door herself and settled outside, lying down to guard against any disturbance. Audrey then retrieved from various hidden corners the "Wanderer of Dreams" exceptional trait, the corresponding auxiliary materials, and the vessels used for preparation—the majority of the auxiliary materials originating from the City of Silver, items that were not easily obtained even with modest merits. As for payment, Audrey had not yet settled it, as the little "Sun" had not yet decided what it wished for. With practiced skill, she prepared the potion, gazing at the liquid shimmering with faint, scattered gray-white glimmers. Then, stepping back, she clasped her hands together and placed them before her mouth and nose, softly reciting in ancient Hermes: "O fool of a time unbound..." As soon as her prayer settled, countless shadows of indescribable form appeared before her. They swam swiftly and intertwined, as though vibrant and active within the sea, while at the sea's zenith stretched seven bands of luminous, differently colored pure light, each seemingly brimming with boundless knowledge. Above these seven bands lay an endless expanse of gray-white mist, upon which, faintly visible, rose a majestic and imposing palace. At that moment, the palace doors opened, and a human figure formed by a golden radiance descended, spreading out twelve pairs of crimson flame wings that unfurled and settled gracefully before Odile. These flame wings cascaded over her, enveloping the young girl with golden hair and green eyes. The scene lasted only a few seconds—vanishing as swiftly as a vision—yet each time, Odile found herself slightly immersed in the sense of sacred and noble presence. Calming herself, she sincerely thanked the "Knight of the Fool." With the "angelic embrace," she could now remain awake within her dreams, able to awaken at will, no longer fearing becoming lost in them. That meant she had already completed the corresponding ritual for the "Dream Walker," and the effect was surely better than the original version. After all, not every "hypnotist" could be blessed by such a hidden presence, embraced by a special angel... Audrey, keep going! In her mind, Audrey murmured these words, then picked up the glass bottle and drank the potion in one go. The potion wasn't as bitter as she had expected—it was slightly sour, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, slightly dreamy, slightly stimulating, much like a wildly unrestrained dream. Before she could fully feel the potion's effects on her body, her mind suddenly fuzzed out, then cleared again. She saw the night outside transform into morning, the sun rising on the horizon, casting a warm red glow. Inside the garden, flowers bloomed one by one, and dewdrops trembled gently at the tips of the green grass. Audrey seemed to have become the sovereign of this world, her consciousness floating above, observing scenes unfold from a bird's-eye view: her parents walking hand in hand along the garden paths, bathed in morning light, gently inhaling the fragrant air; her two brothers, Hiberet and Alfred, overcoming their differences, riding horses with attendants, laughing continuously as they entered the forest beyond the city, competing to see who could achieve greater hunting success; ambassadors and special envoys from nations such as Vosak, Intis, and Feneport signing agreements at the Sodrak Palace in Run, declaring that war would not come, and as a result, the overcast skies began to clear; the smog in Beckland continued to improve, with factories passing rigorous dual reviews by the Alkali Inspector and the "Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee," and these standards being gradually adopted by other countries; workers' working hours and fundamental working conditions were fully met, industries flourished, and the number of homeless people had dropped to levels that were almost unimaginable, with the kingdom's various welfare programs reaching every segment of the population; more and more workers could now afford bicycles, and on city streets, the steady stream of bicycles moved like an "This is truly beautiful... If I hadn't remained conscious, I would have been completely immersed in it, drifting down from the heights of awareness, walking with my parents, hunting alongside my brothers, occasionally teaching children at school, and frequently striving for the enduring peace of the world..." Audrey gazed upon this dream, moved deeply within. Then she felt her stellar body rising once more, transcending the hazy edge of the world. She saw her dream unfolding like a vast bubble, growing from the "island of consciousness" and gently enveloping it. Around this "bubble," the scene was hazy; at a distance, other "bubbles" could be faintly discerned, each often corresponding to an "island of consciousness" beneath. Deep within the haze, a silent, shimmering ripple of waves unfolded—an ethereal ocean without a visible bottom. The vast ocean of collective unconscious... This is the landscape of the inner world as seen from the perspective of the Dream Walker... And now, the Manipulator begins to truly engage with the vast ocean of the collective unconscious. Audrey nodded with a sudden clarity, turned her gaze away, and made a determined effort to break free from the dream. What she saw immediately returned to normal—dark outside, with only the gas streetlamps around the garden casting their glow. Audrey then directed her attention to the full-length mirror in the bedroom, feeling as though she had changed little compared to before. Only upon close inspection did she notice that her emerald eyes had grown clearer and deeper, as if capable of reflecting others' souls. Closing her eyes and absorbing the knowledge from the potion, Audrey quickly grasped the core ability of the Dream Walker: Through guiding and manipulating dreams, gathering intelligence, and influencing adversaries. This involves two aspects: first, "guidance," analogous to the "Nightmare" path, which gradually leads the target to reveal their inner secrets through evolving dream states. The difference lies in that the "Nightmare" can forcibly draw individuals into dreams, whereas the "Dream Walker" cannot—unless supported by hypnosis. Second, "modification," which progressively influences the target over time through subtle changes in their dreams, causing them to make changes they would not have otherwise made. This modification operates by using dreams as an entry point and star-spirit bodies as intermediaries, gradually seeping into the target's spiritual essence before manifesting in their mental core, taking root in the unconscious. Compared to direct hypnosis, this form of influence, originating in dreams, is more gentle, more subtle, and less detectable, making it particularly effective for higher-level targets. So it seems that among all those instant-attraction encounters, there may well be several—perhaps even more—instances of "dream modification" at work... Hmm, in many bestsellers, the female lead frequently dreams of a certain figure, gradually building a series of romantic and beautiful interactions with him. When she then encounters a male protagonist resembling that dream image, she instantly falls deeply in love, filled with yearning for love—ah, Audrey finds herself chuckling as she recalls various novels she has read in the past. To her, whether "guiding" or "modifying," there's no fundamental improvement over "hypnosis"; rather, she holds a special fondness for another remarkable ability: "dream traversal." This allows her body to become ethereal, transforming her into a dream sprite or dream traveler. She can not only seamlessly enter someone else's dreams but also leap from one dream to another, thus achieving a physical "teleportation" effect. — The limitation of this mode of travel is that the two dreams must be within 500 meters of each other and involve intelligent beings. Under certain conditions, this effectively conceals one's presence... Hmm, why doesn't Herwen Lembis directly influence me through "dream modification"? Is it because of protection provided by the Church? The "Night" path is also highly skilled in the realm of dreams... Audrey thoughtfully begins to draw inward her spiritual energy. ... Above the gray mist, within the ancient palace. Seated diagonally across several positions from one another at the weathered bronze long table, Caine and Leonard were facing each other. "Why have you suddenly come to me?" Leonard leaned back against the chairback, asking with a notably relaxed posture. Regardless, he had always remembered that this space belonged to the "Fool," and had never dared to be overly casual. Caine glanced at him and said, "There's something I need your help with." "Something I need to help with?" Leonard pointed to himself, expressing surprise. "You mean regarding Paleis?" "He doesn't feel like he can do much for a克莱恩 who's already become a half-god." "Your sense of self is quite clear,"克莱恩 scoffed. "Still, this time it's specifically you—I'm dealing with several dreams." "Dreams..." Leonard seemed to suddenly grasp, then expressed a mix of mild confusion and amusement. "Klein, you've changed, I mean—you're more like yourself now, no longer always brooding with that same gloomy expression." Before克莱恩 could respond, he smoothed out his slightly disheveled ethereal hair and smiled. "That's good, actually. So, I'm fairly skilled in dreams—whose dreams, specifically?" 克莱恩 replied calmly. "A soldier from Rûn over a hundred years ago, a noble from the Fourth Age, a hermit from the Third Age, and one each from the Second Age—elven and giant." "What?" Leonard's green eyes blinked in mild bewilderment, as if questioning whether he had heard correctly. Without even considering the elves and giants of the Secondary Age, let alone the nobles of the Quaternary Age, one would have to have chosen a particularly extraordinary path and become a saint in order to survive this far! Could it be that aside from that Ruun soldier, everyone else were angels? Enter the angels' dreams... or perhaps... perhaps go find the old man. Leonard's thoughts surged in a whirl, as though he were dreaming.