"Is this the origin of the City of Dreams?"

Watching this unfold, a faint suspicion formed in Zhou Chen’s mind.

’Could the God who destroyed that city be the master of the City of Dreams?’

He hadn’t seen any other Gods.

’Perhaps the City of Dreams was that God’s attempt at self-redemption before death.’

"Aargh..." A cry of pain came from the Plague Doctor beside him. He felt as if the light had nearly blinded him. He hastily tore off his crow mask, fished an Alchemy Potion out of his Storage Artifact, and sprinkled it onto his rotting, smoking eyeballs. A few minutes passed before his eyes regenerated.

Zhou Chen used an Alchemy Potion to heal Siegfried’s injuries as well. Wiping the blood from his face, he asked, his voice still shaky, "What was that?"

"I think it was an Essence Resonance..." The Plague Doctor was a promising junior member specially trained by the Salvation Army, after all, so his knowledge was considerable. "We accidentally touched upon a historical remnant of the City of Dreams. I just don’t know what it means..."

"The City of Dreams has changed... No, this must be what it originally looked like."

Several kilometers away, the ruins that had been swallowed by a sea of fire had transformed into a fantastical city. The sky was no longer pitch-black but a beautiful, multicolored aurora. Even from their position, they could see towering, gilded buildings, while colossal creatures native only to the Spirit Realm soared through the vibrant lights.

"Should we go?" Zhou Chen asked. "We seem to be the ’Lucky Ones.’ We can see the city without even setting foot inside it."

Zhou Chen knew exactly why. He was in a state of Divine Descent, which gave him a very high Status. This had, to some extent, affected the Plague Doctor beside him.

The Plague Doctor considered it for a moment. "Yes. City No. 19 has overlapped with the City of Dreams. Our target is an Ascender, so he should be qualified to enter. As long as I can find him, I can kill his spirit directly. That’s much simpler than an assassination in the real world."

"Alright."

Zhou Chen slammed on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like an arrow. Moments later, they reached the border of the City of Dreams.

"The City of Dreams is in the Spirit Realm, so only our spiritual bodies can enter. Our physical bodies will stay in the car. I’ll set up a concealment Matrix." The Plague Doctor took a metal disc from his Storage Artifact and placed it on the dashboard. As he channeled Essence into it, an invisible Matrix spread out and hid the car from view.

They both reclined their seats and closed their eyes. It took only a few seconds for them to fall into a deep sleep and resonate with the city before them. A moment later, their spiritual bodies appeared inside the City of Dreams.

Zhou Chen and the Plague Doctor found themselves on a massive plaza surrounded by magnificent buildings cast from solid Gold. Each structure was stunningly beautiful and as resplendent as an Imperial Palace. It was a hodgepodge of Eastern and Western architectural styles.

The plaza was filled with friendly Spirit Realm creatures: glowing jellyfish, floating fish, Treasure Chest sprites, adorable cat-like monsters... The moment the two of them appeared, a crowd of these creatures gathered curiously to observe the humans. A few of the cats even flopped down right in front of them, exposing their bellies.

Zhou Chen glanced around and spotted an exceptionally modern building several hundred meters away. A sign on it read, "Dreams Come True Center."

"Let’s go check it out."

The two walked straight toward it. The automatic doors slid open, revealing an interior that resembled a bank. There were ten counters in total, staffed by handsome men and beautiful women who were processing requests for the dreamers.

"Are you two new to the City of Dreams?" a gentle female voice asked. It was identical in tone to the voice from the broadcast earlier. A female employee approached them.

"Yes." Zhou Chen nodded warily, subtly sizing her up. ’No signs of mental corruption, not a Spirit Realm creature... just a human spiritual body.’

"I handle promotions for the City of Dreams, so it’s perfectly normal that you’d recognize my voice." The woman seemed to notice Zhou Chen’s scrutiny but simply offered a casual smile. "It seems the City of Dreams has overlapped with a major city this time, so it’s a bit crowded. Please come this way to queue up and take a number. An announcement will call your number when it’s your turn."

’This whole process feels so familiar...’ Zhou Chen accepted a number with a strange look on his face. He glanced over at the waiting area. Damn, there were forty or fifty people already waiting.

"Could you tell us about this place?" the Plague Doctor asked, his voice low.

"This is the City of Dreams, the place where any dream can come true. Once you qualify, you become a permanent resident, able to return to the City of Dreams every time you fall asleep."

The female employee pointed to the counters. "When it’s your turn, you can fill out a form with ten Dreams you wish to have fulfilled. You’ll have five minutes, so it’s best to think about them in advance. There’s no limit to how many Dreams you can have fulfilled; once your current ten are done, you can get back in line.

"Remember, this is a Rule of the City of Dreams. You must obey it, or your residency status will be revoked, and you will be permanently kicked out.

"A long time ago, the City of Dreams had no such order. Everyone who came fulfilled their Dreams wantonly, throwing the city into chaos. It was the Star Association that established the Rules and created the orderly system we have today."

Zhou Chen thought for a moment. "If everyone can live out their fantasies here, why are you working as an employee?"

’Are they just that dedicated?’

The female employee smiled. "This is our ’job’."

For a moment, Zhou Chen’s mind raced with horror stories—perhaps staying too long in the City of Dreams meant being permanently imprisoned as an employee. But his train of thought was derailed the next second when he saw the woman pull a Star Association badge from her pocket and pin it to her chest.

’So we’re colleagues...’ Zhou Chen felt a sarcastic comment die on his lips. He really wanted to ask if her department was hiring, since the benefits seemed amazing.

The two learned more about the City of Dreams from the employee. They discovered that in addition to the queuing system, there were also Rules prohibiting murder, kidnapping, and the like.

This put them in a difficult position. They had come here specifically to use the Plague Doctor’s special Ability to eliminate their target. If killing was forbidden, had they come all this way for nothing?

"Maybe we should change our approach," Zhou Chen said, stroking his chin. "Since we can’t eliminate the target, how about we raise some funds for the cause? Don’t forget, the treasures here, like the Gold, can be taken out into the real world."

"...That makes sense."

The Plague Doctor agreed. While the Salvation Army received aid from America, South America, and Australia, they were still desperately short on funds. If they could acquire a massive trove of treasure, it would significantly relieve the pressure on the organization.

"Gentlemen," the employee came over to warn them, "the amount of Gold each person can take out of the City of Dreams is limited. Many organizations have tried this before you, and they never managed to take much. Entry requires qualification—not only high spiritual sensitivity but also good moral character."

’Good moral character is also a requirement? Then our target probably isn’t here...’ Zhou Chen waved a dismissive hand.

"It doesn’t matter. We’ll take what we can get."

He looked at the Plague Doctor. "Should we call the others? Tell them to bring Storage Artifacts?"

"Yes!" The Plague Doctor’s eyes began to gleam from behind his mask.

’No matter how many members those other organizations have, can they possibly have more than the Salvation Army? Even with a high bar for entry, a few are bound to qualify out of our total numbers. If every single one of them carries out the maximum amount of Gold... just how massive would that fortune be?’

"Wait, I have another idea," Zhou Chen said. "Why don’t we conquer City No. 19 first and use it as our base? That would be the fastest way to screen for eligible candidates."

The City of Dreams wouldn’t just be here for a day—it was going to stay for seven!

If they moved the army here, they could screen tens of thousands of people. Even if only a few were eligible, it would be a massive gain. They had to take City No. 19 eventually anyway. Why not move up the timetable, capture it now, and use the City of Dreams to secure some funding?