Chapter 167: Seeking Death

Eternal Sleepers.

Upon hearing the name, Gawain wasn’t excessively surprised.

He had pondered about who or what faction would try to deal with him and use such an ‘unconventional’ method. The nobles in the royal capital who harbored unfathomable motives would only dare to create some disturbances secretly, while the royal clan didn’t need to oppose him for now. Apart from them, the Cecil Clan didn’t have any dispute over benefits with any of the current factions in the world, with the exception of those heretics who were opposed to everyone by nature.

Among the major heretic factions, the Eternal Sleepers were the strangest and most unpredictable; they were also the most proficient in spiritual sorcery.

Gawain glanced at the surrounding scenery again with curiosity. He was amazed by the exceptional skills displayed in this ‘illusion’ as everything looked real. Be it the towering Mage spires or the giant energy shield that enveloped the imperial capital from above or the radiance from the Well of Deep Blue near the imperial city — there weren’t any flaws in this illusion, and it even provided a genuine sense of touch. The round table and the chair below all gave a very real sensation. Gawain even had reason to believe that the pastries on the table would actually have taste if he put them in his mouth.

This was a world that would cause a person to immerse in it easily.

However, the more realistic this world felt, the more vigilant he was.

As such, he controlled his expression properly and tried his best not to reveal any emotions as he praised, “I heard that the Eternal Sleepers are adept at creating illusions and dream realms, but this is the first time I am experiencing it personally. I have to admit that your skills in this aspect are brilliant.”

“If a person relied on the so-called sight, touch, and smell to perceive the world’s existence, then if those things are perfectly simulated, is there any difference between the so-called reality and illusion?” the white-gowned individual spoke in a strange tone that sounded neutral. “As compared to a reality that is depraved and dark, wouldn’t it be better to have a perfect dream realm?”

“But in this ‘perfect’ dream realm, isn’t your attire a little too dazzling?” Gawain looked at the white-gowned person and finally criticized the opposition who was in novel attire and had a neutral tone of voice. “It doesn’t matter what you wish to discuss with me. You have to reveal your true identity, right? Moreover, you have yet to introduce yourself to me until now. This doesn’t seem to be appropriate for a person who wishes to have a discussion.”

“I am merely a person seeking the truth. The members of the Eternal Sleepers don’t need any personal name or clan name. As for my true identity… it is indeed something that people constrained to the real world would ask for.” The white-gowned person sighed while his image suddenly changed: the mask seemed to melt onto his face like water, but the face underneath the mask was constantly changing. It was constantly switching between man, woman, old, young — all sorts of faces. “It is a pity that people constrained to reality would never understand the greatness of the Eternal Sleepers’ dream realm. In this perfect world, the so-called ‘individual appearance’ is already meaningless. Which face do you think suits me better? This face… or this face?”

The white-gowned person’s face was constantly changing, but each face was filled with mockery and contempt. Gawain looked at him quietly while the white-gowned person altered his face and waited for half a minute before responding dully, “Just let it continue changing like that. It is rather nice for it to keep refreshing.”

The white-gowned person’s face suddenly stopped changing and fixed on a stern middle-aged man’s face.

“It seems like you have ample patience to idle away with me. It is a pity that I do not have such patience.” The stern middle-aged man finally stopped the nonsense and looked straight at Gawain. “I have called your distinguished self here merely to understand something from you.”

“What thing?”

“What exactly did you see in those frustrating sea regions?”

Gawain’s previous composure was partially acted out, but his confused expression now was real. “What did you say?”

However, the white-gowned middle-aged man treated Gawain’s confused look as a kind of deception. He frowned and said, “You don’t need to pretend. You and I both know clearly that the so-called ‘Sea of Eternal Darkness’ is what I’m referring to. Outsiders might not know of your secret voyage, but there were still survivors on the same voyage as you that returned. We know clearly that you had a clear objective when entering the Eternal Darkness Sea and that you had obtained some enlightenment and also returned with something… We are very curious about those things.”

Gawain’s heart was suddenly filled with a great wave.

This heretic of the Eternal Sleepers actually knew of a secret that Gawain Cecil couldn’t remember!

What was the Sea of Eternal Darkness that he mentioned? What was the secret voyage that he mentioned? What were the enlightenment and the object that was brought back?!

Gawain suddenly associated it with those crystals. Those crystals were handed to the Mithril Vault to safeguard by the original owner of this body. But there wasn’t a trace of the memories about those crystals remaining. Could everything be associated together in this place?!

However, Gawain needed to forcefully conceal all of his astonishment and other reactions as he hoped he would be able to trick the heretic in front of him to provide more information. The opposition would never have imagined that Gawain Cecil’s body was hiding a foreign soul and that this was just a method to deceive the opposition!

“Do you wish to know, or do the Eternal Sleepers wish to know? Perhaps… other people wish to know?” Gawain used a stern expression to look at the middle-aged man with an unwavering tone.

“You probably wouldn’t believe it if I said that it was just my personal curiosity.” The middle-aged man revealed a stiff smile and said, “This matter concerns the entire Eternal Sleepers. Please believe me that we are different from those heretic factions that declared their intention to destroy the world. The Eternal Sleepers might be considered ‘heretics’ by everyone, but everything we are doing is actually to protect the world and all living things. Our methods of doing things might not be understood by others, but I believe that the enlightenment that you obtained in the Sea of Eternal Darkness concerns the truth of this world… If that is the case, you must understand the doings of the Eternal Sleepers.”

The enlightenment that Gawain Cecil obtained in the Sea of Eternal Darkness would make him approve of the doings of the Eternal Sleepers that was an evil cult?

This statement contained a lot of information!

Gawain tried his best to make a stiff face while staring at the middle-aged man’s eyes. “In regards to the incident when I was in the Sea of Eternal Darkness, does anyone else know? How did your faction find out about it?”

“I have mentioned that there were survivors on the same voyage as you, and there were more than one. I can tell you clearly that there were spies from the Eternal Sleepers among those survivors,” the middle-aged man answered honestly. “As for anyone else that knows of this secret, please be at ease. They are very few. Even among the Eternal Sleepers, only a few individuals above the nightmare bishop class would even know a portion of the information. We do not have the intention to disseminate this secret as it will not be beneficial to us. To those forgetful and mediocre people, an ancient secret from seven centuries ago is something they wouldn’t be concerned with.”

“It is true that I have brought something back from there.” Gawain decided to reveal a little information before he continued with the trickery. “But how can your faction be so sure that if I understood the so-called world’s truth at that place, I will definitely understand the thoughts of heretics like you? In other words, how can you be sure I will cooperate with you?”

Gawain attempted to make this superfluous heretic speak of everything he knew and to speak of the entire process of Gawain Cecil’s voyage to the Sea of Eternal Darkness. However, the middle-aged man suddenly shut his mouth and revealed a pretentious smile after a few seconds and said, “Yes, I knew that you wouldn’t cooperate with me, and I knew that you wouldn’t answer any of my questions. You are a great hero from seven centuries ago. How is it possible for you to trust a heretic who spoke of some nonsense and speak of all your secrets?

“With the same reasoning… Why do you think I would stay here and talk with you while continuously answering your questions?” As soon as the middle-aged man’s voice ended, the scenery around Gawain swayed abruptly and violently. The Gondor Empire’s city was starting to collapse, and the magic dome above had also shattered. Noises started to appear in this spiritual world!

Gawain finally knew what was the true danger in this place; he finally knew why a crafty heretic would be having a conversation with him and would voluntarily reveal so much information. Gawain might have been suspicious from the beginning and was vigilant against any schemes, but he had only realized now what the opposition’s scheme was.

There was something invading his consciousness! It was prying into his memories!

“Inside the Eternal Sleepers’ dream realm, even a giant dragon would gradually succumb.” The middle-aged man stood up, while the pastries and red tea on the table turned into constantly twinkling star lights and gradually vanished. “The consciousness is very incredible. People rely on it to be human, but humans are seemingly unable to control it. In a person’s subconscious mind, almost everything is operating automatically. Even a legendary figure would reveal the greatest flaw in this place.”

Gawain felt that his memories were starting to loosen. A foreign ‘reader’ was searching for an entry point to his memories, and Gawain was struggling to control his thoughts, to control those lantern slides that started to appear in his mind like memory fragments. While controlling all these, he experienced an extreme spiritual pressure, causing him to become speech impaired, and he could only stare at the middle-aged man’s eyes.

“When you were having a conversation here with me, you were gradually opening the gates to your memories. It doesn’t matter if you answer our questions as the ‘conversation’ will still get established… including now. When you are listening to my voice, you are receiving information that I transmitted, and during this process, your consciousness barrier is constantly disintegrating. But it is a pity that it is almost impossible for you to stop the process…” The middle-aged man smiled resplendently, and it was obvious that he felt he had victory in his grasp. “Ah, your resistance is indeed very tenacious, and it is rather fitting for your status as a great hero. But don’t you know? The Eternal Sleepers’ greatest power isn’t illusion or some spiritual attack. It is the ability to seize memories from others and to process those memories and turn them into our new power… At the same time, it is to make such a ‘memory path’ become a springboard. You will forget this meeting, and after I finish reading your memories, I will leave a transfer channel in your subconscious mind. It will allow my will to ‘descend’ onto your body at any moment… That’s right, that’s right. Your mind appeared with the figure of that pitiful mercenary. Yes, it is that kind of springboard. The Eternal Sleepers traverse the world of dreams and thoughts using such springboards…”

Gawain silently organized the memory fragments in his mind and didn’t respond to the heretic’s provocation. Finally, when the noise in his mind was so intense that it was unbearable, he then finished the final organization.

In the white-gowned man’s vision, Gawain lifted his head, and his face had a smile that had been hidden for a long while now. “Are you sure… you want to see my memories?”

The middle-aged man was startled. “You…”

Gawain released his consciousness’s restraints completely.

“If in every individual’s consciousness there exists a barrier for the memories, then my barrier isn’t actually to protect myself. It is to protect rude intruders like you.”

Gawain stood up straight while he silently watched the middle-aged man slowly widening his eyes that were filled with extreme horror. Gawain watched as the man let out hysterical screams, as his face melted like wax, as his body distorted and crumbled. Even after the body crumbled into a pile of blood and flesh, the hysterical screams could still be heard.

“You actually dared to see hundreds of thousands of years of observation data? Do you even want your brain anymore?”

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