Chapter 64: The Coin-Scattering Girl Nilou in the Dream and the Blonde Idiot Fishing for Fish!
At this moment, the Grand Bazaar was filled with people who had not yet gone to sleep.
These were the bazaar's vendors and the theater's helpers.
Initially, they knew nothing about the plan.
However, after Nilou received the message, she noticed that Ye Xi had mentioned leaving trustworthy people to assist.
Without hesitation, she shared the plan with Sheikh Zubayr.
The people of the Grand Bazaar were deeply connected, with bonds as strong as family, and betrayal was unthinkable.
Especially after learning that the Lesser Lord Kusanali had been imprisoned, they all fully supported and trusted Ye Xi.
Thus, upon hearing of the plan to rescue the Lesser Lord Kusanali, everyone volunteered to help.
They removed their Void Terminals to avoid falling into a deep sleep and stayed at the Grand Bazaar to protect Nilou.
When Ye Xi entered, all eyes turned toward him simultaneously.
"Master Ye Xi! You're back!"
"You're here!"
"It was horrible! There were screams outside!"
Sheikh Zubayr, pacing anxiously around the theater, saw Ye Xi as if he were a savior. He rushed over and said, "Master Ye Xi, Nilou doesn't seem well!"
"Don't worry. Azar and his men have accelerated the dream cycle, but the Lesser Lord Kusanali will help."
As Ye Xi spoke, he gently pushed Nahida forward.
Nahida, still a bit shaken from her earlier fear, clung tightly to Ye Xi's hand.
When the people of the Grand Bazaar saw the small and adorable Lesser Lord Kusanali, they all held their breath.
Their eyes widened with disbelief.
They knew Ye Xi intended to rescue the Lesser Lord Kusanali, but they never expected him to bring her directly to the Grand Bazaar, right in front of them!
"Lesser Lord Kusanali!?"
"My goodness, is that really the Lesser Lord Kusanali? She's so adorable!"
"This is our goddess! My life is complete now that I've seen her!"
"How could the sages imprison the Lesser Lord Kusanali for 500 years!?"
"Five hundred years! Those bastards! Azar must pay for this!"
"Lesser Lord Kusanali! We will always stand by you!"
Everyone was overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of the goddess.
When Nahida came to her senses, she saw a large group of people bowing to her. Caught off guard, she didn't know what to say.
"Thank you! Thank you all for your help!"
"Alright, we'll save the thanks for later," Ye Xi urged. He knew every second counted.
As long as the dream continued, more power would be injected into the God of Opportunity, placing an immense burden on the people of Sumeru.
"Understood!"
Nahida quickly followed Ye Xi onto the theater stage.
---
On the stage, Nilou lay on a soft mat prepared for her. She was in a deep sleep, but her expression was one of discomfort, as though she were enduring some kind of pain.
"Nahida, use your power to enter Nilou's dream and tell her to end the dream," Ye Xi instructed.
"Then, guide her to follow the plan and assist her where needed."
Hearing Ye Xi's words, Nahida nodded. "Understood, leave it to me."
She clasped her hands together in front of her chest and directed her consciousness into Nilou's dream.
---
Nilou couldn't tell how many times the same dream had repeated.
Her memory reset every day, but one thing remained constant: the mission entrusted to her by Ye Xi.
[Wait for the Lesser Lord Kusanali!]
Nilou waited eagerly.
To be honest, she had always danced for the Lesser Lord Kusanali, yet the thought of meeting her filled her with apprehension.
How could she describe it...?
Even with her deep reverence and admiration, she felt nervous at the idea of meeting someone as grand as a goddess.
While pondering this, a small figure suddenly appeared before her.
The unexpected appearance startled Nilou, but she quickly realized who it was.
The figure before her could only be the Lesser Lord Kusanali!
"Miss Nilou, I'm here to help you," Nahida said calmly, introducing herself.
She had watched Nilou dance for her many times by possessing other bodies, so she already knew this young woman who devoted her dances to the goddess.
Even though she had prepared herself, Nilou was still astonished when Nahida confirmed she was the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"Miss Nilou, what's our plan?"
"Miss Nilou?"
Nahida gently poked Nilou's cheek with her finger.
"Huh!?"
Nilou snapped out of her daze and said hurriedly, "Master Ye Xi said we should gather everyone and lead them to the real Flower God's Birthday Festival!"
"Understood. And how do we do that?"
Nilou looked confused. Even though it was her own dream, she didn't know how to control it.
"You are the dream's master. All you need to do is imagine everyone appearing before you," Nahida explained.
Doing so, however, would require an enormous amount of mental strength.
Nilou lacked the power to do it alone, but Nahida was there to support her.
After hearing Nahida's guidance, Nilou closed her eyes and began to imagine.
The next moment, Nilou appeared on a high open-air stage.
All the people in the city gathered in the square below.
"Strange, why am I here?"
"Wasn't I just on Baoshang Street? Where is this?"
"What happened? Did I teleport!?"
"How is this possible? Could it be spatial displacement?"
"Ouch~ What are you doing? My experiment! My pigeon! My chicken just laid eggs again! Why am I suddenly here at such a critical moment!?"
The square buzzed with surprised chatter as people expressed their confusion.
Amid the crowd stood a yellow-haired traveler and floating emergency food.
"This is strange! Really strange!"
"Weren't we eating Beast Rice Xiangxiang just now? Where are we?"
"And it had to happen while I was eating! Waaaah..."
Paimon stomped her feet in frustration, crossing her arms and looking around.
Lumine frowned, her eyes filled with doubt. "Paimon, I can't shake the feeling that we've experienced the Flora Festival multiple times. But this time, something feels different."
"Huh? Multiple times? How come I don't feel anything?"
"Though now that you mention it, traveler, the smell of Rumi Xiangxiang does feel familiar!"
"But this is my first time eating it!"
Paimon looked puzzled but quickly decided that thinking too much would be tiring, so she dismissed the thought.
"Hey! Traveler, look over there!"
"Isn't that Nilou?"
Lumine followed Paimon's pointed finger.
Sure enough, Nilou stood on the tall stage.
At that moment, Nilou nervously addressed the crowd.
"Everyone... welcome to my dream!"
"I'm Nilou from Zubayr Theater..."
"Actually, this world is my dream."
The crowd erupted into chaos upon hearing Nilou is words.
Scholars, merchants, and passersby alike sneered in disbelief.
"A dream? That's impossible!"
"Little girl, people in Sumeru don't dream!"
"Hahaha! Stop joking. If this is a dream, prove it!"
Laughter and scoffs echoed through the square, as many dismissed Nilou is claim as whimsical nonsense.
But Lumine was intrigued.
Though she didn't fully understand what was happening, the mention of a dream resonated with her.
The repetitive feeling she had and the sense of déjà vu suddenly made sense if this world was a dream.
Paimon, pinching her chin in thought, quickly grew frustrated and climbed into Lumine is arms to avoid further mental strain. "Ugh, this is too much! Paimon doesn't want to think about it anymore!"
Hearing the crowd's doubts, Nilou took a deep breath to steady herself.
How can I prove this is a dream?
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.
"If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you!" she announced.
The square fell silent as everyone turned their attention to her.
"What's she going to do?" someone murmured.
Nilou raised her hands to the sky and declared, "Let the sky rain Mora! Let the beautiful Patti Saran bloom before everyone's eyes!"
As her words echoed, Nahida lent her powerful spiritual energy.
The next moment, golden Mora began to rain from the sky.
The sunlight reflected off the coins, creating a dazzling spectacle that left everyone awestruck.
"My goodness! It's money! So much money!"
"My research funding is secured! Hurry and grab it!"
"Don't take it all! It's mine! All mine!"
Chaos ensued as people scrambled to pick up the gleaming Mora.
Even Paimon joined in the frenzy, cheering foolishly.
"Look at all this Mora! Wow! I can buy so much Beast Rice Xiangxiang!"
"Traveler, let's grab some too!"
Just as Paimon was about to dive into the pile of coins, Lumine held her back.
"Paimon, doesn't this confirm what Nilou said?"
"This is a dream, not reality. No matter how much Mora you collect, it won't matter."
Paimon froze, realization dawning on her. "You're right!"
As she mulled it over, countless flowers suddenly began to bloom all around them.
Bright fuchsia Patti Saran flowers carpeted the ground, filling the air with their sweet fragrance.
Some scholars gasped in shock.
"No! That's impossible! Patti Saran has been extinct for ages!"
"How can so many of them bloom here all of a sudden!?"
"Could this really be a dreamland?"
"It's a dream!"
More and more people started to realize the truth.
They dropped the Mora they had collected and began to reflect quietly.
Seeing the growing calm below, Nilou knew her words had reached them.
"Everyone," she continued, "I will end this dream shortly.
"But before that, I hope you can all promise me one thing."
"When everyone opens their eyes, it will be our annual Flower God's Birthday Festival."
"I hope everyone can come to the Grand Bazaar as soon as possible to celebrate the festival with our Little Grass King."
"Before that, we will reveal something very important to everyone."
"It concerns the evil deeds of the Holy Order. Everyone must come."
Upon hearing Nilou is words, the crowd erupted in shock.
"What? The evil deeds of the Holy Order?"
"What happened? Did the court do something wrong?"
"Could this have something to do with our dreams?"
"Wait! Did she just say the Little Auspicious Grass King!? Together!?"
"Does that mean that at the Flower God's Birthday Ceremony tomorrow, the Little Grass King will also appear!?"
"I'll make a note! As soon as I open my eyes tomorrow, I'll head straight to the Grand Bazaar!"
The crowd buzzed with discussions, each person committing the matter firmly to memory.
Lumine, too, stood frozen in place, deep in thought.
In the next moment, everyone's dreams dissolved.
The dream world collapsed, and Nilou exited the dream and fell into a deep sleep.
Awakening
However, she was quickly roused by a familiar voice.
"Hey."
Nilou groaned softly and opened her eyes groggily.
Seeing the faces of Ye Xi and Nahida before her, Nilou jolted awake.
"Master Ye Xi! And... Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Nahida nodded gently, smiling. "Nilou, you did very well. Thank you for completing such a difficult task."
Nilou had indeed taken a great risk entering the dream reincarnation using the Void Terminal.
If the Great Sage Azar had adjusted its power to its maximum capacity, Nilou could have easily become a puppet.
"Thank you... Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Nilou was flattered but also confused. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, "Master Ye Xi, why didn't we just expose the Great Sage's [God-Making Plan] in reality instead of through a dream?
"In this way, everyone in Sumeru would know the Great Sage is a villain, right?"
In the dream world, Azar could reset people's memories only at night.
As long as Nilou ended the dream before nightfall, even if everyone knew the truth about the [God-Making Project], they wouldn't forget it.
Ye Xi smiled at her question and explained, "Setaria told me that Azar has the ability to monitor everyone's dreams.
"If we directly inform people that the Great Sage is a criminal, what do you think he would do?"
Nilou thought for a moment before shaking her head. "He would definitely run far away and never come back!"
"But," she added, "will the Great Sage return tomorrow?"
Nahida interjected, "He will. People like him won't let go of even the smallest chance to defend their actions."
Nahida glanced at Ye Xi with admiration.
From start to finish, Ye Xi's plan was intricate and flawlessly executed, taking full advantage of human behavior and psychology.
Every step had gone exactly as Ye Xi anticipated.
Even the God of Wisdom herself was impressed by his strategy.
Zubayr asked, "Master Ye Xi, what should we do now?"
"Clean up," Ye Xi replied with a smile. "Prepare Sumeru for tomorrow's Flower God's Birthday Ceremony."
"Understood!"
The Aftermath
The people of the Grand Bazaar cautiously opened their doors and found the city eerily quiet.
All the fools had vanished from Sumeru City.
Hu Shang, a toy vendor, walked down the street but tripped over something after just a few steps.
He looked down and gasped in horror.
"This... this is a charred corpse!"
Hearing his exclamation, others hurried over. As they gathered around, their faces turned pale with shock.
"My God! What on earth happened here?"
"So many charred corpses! Could this be the work of Master Ye Xi?"
"Look over there! Hiss... Did these people fall from above!?"
"Ugh..."
Those with weak stomachs vomited on the spot.
The entire street was littered with broken and burnt bodies, a horrifying sight that left everyone trembling.
They couldn't help but wonder just how powerful Ye Xi truly was.
Lidu Valley, Jingliuli Workshop
Watching Nilou is announcement on the screen, Azar frowned deeply.
"Master Sage, let's leave!" urged an officer.
"If the people of Sumeru discover the 'God-Making Plan,' it will spell our doom!"
But Azar shook his head. "No, there's still hope!"
"As long as we insist that this is a fabrication by the Khaenrins, the people of Sumeru will still trust us!"
"But... the Lesser Lord Kusanali is on their side!" the officer protested.
"Has anyone actually seen the Lesser Lord Kusanali?" Azar sneered.
"So what if they have? The Khaenrins likely used their mysterious powers to deceive our God!"
"After all, our God is not yet wise enough."
"And don't forget we are the leaders of the Akademiya!"
"Do you really think the people of Sumeru would trust the words of an outsider over ours?"
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