There's actually a large patch of orchids...

Gazing at the clusters of blooming orchids before him in the mountains, Leon couldn't help but subconsciously take a sniff, smelling the scent that was so similar to Fredri's, and then he slightly frowned.

By appearance and fragrance, they definitely look like orchids, but I should be in Fredri's dream with the help of Taurus Director to verify if she is truly an Old Soil native, and this orchid in her dream...

After taking a few steps toward the orchid cluster not far away and closely observing the orchids in Fredri's dream, Leon's frown deepened even more.

It's too similar.

The distance between the Old Soil and the present world is extremely vast; the plane where the Old Soil natives reside should be very different from the present world. However, the orchid varieties on both sides have only very slight differences, almost possible to determine as the evolution of the same species, and it's not just the flowers...

Rising to look at the surrounding lush greenery, the vegetation and landscapes seemingly identical to the present world, with similarly close birds and beasts, Leon couldn't help but be on alert.

This "Old Soil" in Fredri's dream looks too much like the "present world," which currently means there are roughly two possibilities.

One possibility is that the Old Soil natives, while fleeing the Four-Pillar Gods, happened to find a new plane exactly like the present world among countless various planes and decided to settle there.

The other possibility is that Fredri is not an Old Soil native but a human born in the present world, and all she says about Old Soil...

"Moo!"

Just as Leon's brain was racing, pondering Fredri's origins and possible motives, he suddenly felt something prod his behind.

And when he suddenly turned around, a slow-chewing old yellow cow was staring at him with a relaxed look... and nudged his belly again.

"..."

Where did this cow come from? It clearly wasn't here before... Also, do cows eat orchids?

"?"

Seeing the cow-chewing Leon with a puzzled look and a shepherd boy's demeanor, the old yellow cow cocked its head in confusion and then, with a less friendly expression, lowered its head and knocked Leon over.

You as a caretaker should hurry and lead me to graze, standing there dumbfounded watching me for?

"..."

Damn!

After seeing deep disdain in the old yellow cow's eyes, finding a rope in his hand that he didn't know when he got, Leon could only climb up from the ground. Following the strange dream-conceived identity as a shepherd boy, he walked towards where the grass was longest and thickest.

This cow is really not like a cow at all... never mind. Although this dream was created based on Fredri's own memories, it is, after all, a dream. A dream too logical is rather strange.

With the old yellow cow occasionally butting him, shepherd Leon in his linen clothes had to lead the cow through the deep mountains while subconsciously touching his forehead.

[Name: Butterfly Dream (Dreams, Time)]

[Appearance: About 5cm long, the colorful butterfly has special eye-like patterns on its underwings, which slowly close as the butterfly flaps its wings.]

[Ability: Lucid DREAM, Dream Dance]

[Cost: Due to the special nature of lucid dreams, the longer the user holds this anomalous object, the easier it becomes to confuse fantasy with reality... It is suggested to alternate users with at least two individuals (costs identical to [Dream Butterfly])]

[File: The contemporary Taurus Director of the Clearance Bureau utilized a secret technique sigil left by Libra Director, forcibly adjusted the [Dream Butterfly]'s essential balance using the [Anomalous Imbalance] secret technique of Libra Palace, thus temporarily crafting this corresponding anomalous entity.

Unlike the [Dream Butterfly] that freely jumps through all dreams, the effect of the [Butterfly Dream] crafted by Taurus is relatively singular, limited to accessing the dreams of a single [Dream Butterfly] user.

However, after exiting the dream, the [Butterfly Dream] user can eradicate traces of the dream, avoiding detection by the [Dream Butterfly] user... currently held by the contemporary Clearance Bureau director Leon Laine.]

[Rating: To avoid the dangers of excessive immersion hindering escape from dreams, Director Taurus worked tirelessly for two days and three nights to produce this highly targeted anomalous object so try not to waste her efforts.

Even with the mighty effects of the "Butterfly Dream," it's unlikely that anything done within another's dream will be remembered by its owner, but it's best not to use it for questionable deeds.

To reiterate, you won't do anything strange with it, right?]

[Contamination Value: 69]

Of course, I won't do anything weird! I'm a righteous gentleman, okay?

Scowling at the evaluation perceived in the [Butterfly Dream] as having taken him for a weirdo, Leon let out a displeased smack of the tongue, promptly shutting off the introduction panel from the [Butterfly Dream], beginning to peer around.

The mountains are mountains, the grass is grass, the cow is a cow, I am a shepherd... This definitely doesn't appear to relate to Fredri's origins.

But the odds of errors by the Taurus Director and Pisces Director are slim; perhaps Fredri's strong will is causing the dream to be unimaginably immense, so he might not have encountered her consciousness yet and can only wait for the dream's "plot" to progress.

Looking up at the verdant mountains with peaks stacking upon peaks, glancing back at the old yellow cow having munched out a wide path... a cow road, yet still ceaselessly chewing behind him, Leon couldn't suppress a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

This incredibly vivid and somewhat abstract dream is overwhelmingly large, leaving Leon clueless about how long he has to wait. Though eager to fly to a vantage point, he's worried about destroying the dream, so reluctantly he begins trudging with his legs uphill.

However, the old yellow cow, which has grazed almost a grass road while constantly nudging Leon along the way, either finds it too difficult to climb or doesn't fancy eating grass from rock crevices, stubbornly refuses to follow regardless of the coaxing, adamantly pulling against Leon.

And as the Clearance Bureau's present-day director, Leon, possibly the strongest human to date, naturally... couldn't outstubborn the robust, resilient old yellow cow, getting yanked, screamingly tumbling down the slope, landing with a splash in a chilly pool.

Dammit! Once out of this dream, I'm having beef! Stabbing with a dinner knife and fork! Smothered in double layers of beef sauce!

Irritably emerging from the pool, Leon wiped his face, intending to swim towards the shore only to spot a familiar figure cross-armed covering her... daintily proportioned chest, retreating bashfully, glaring at him angrily in the chilly pool waters...

It was Fredri, elusive until now!

"Moo~"

With the old yellow cow's teasing moo echoing from the shore like it's watching a show, an expressionless Leon couldn't suppress the recurring panel prompt from [Butterfly Dream] echoing in his mind.

Are you sure you won't use it to do anything strange, right?