If it were in the present world, even if you couldn't touch things from the outside world, only eating pterosaur meat, wearing linen clothes, and drinking spring water, people would still fight tooth and nail for that five-hundred-year lifespan.

But when it comes to the Old Soil settlers, most of them can resist the temptation of that five-hundred-year lifespan, choosing to leave it to their descendants, leaving with just a glimmer of hope and leaving the vast saintly land somewhat empty, which is really...

After shaking his head in disbelief, Leon gazed intently at Fredri, asking with a scrutinizing tone:

"So your parents have already left?"

"Yes, although they stayed longer than most because they had so many children, they eventually left early. Now, they should be aging as quickly as my grandfather."

Fredri answered with her eyes downcast:

"Those who stay may possess a long [lifespan], but being inside the saintly land means they can't have any special abilities beyond basic physical qualities, resulting in them being just particularly healthy ordinary people, no matter how long they live.

We believe there is hope outside, but pursuing that hope requires enough strength, and strength rarely manifests in aging minds and bodies, so most people choose to leave while they are young.

Although my brothers and I are still in the saintly land, we will all leave the saintly land in about ten years, to journey beyond our grandfather to a vaster realm, and then... never return."

I see...

Even with many doubts still lingering in his heart, and tempted to inquire about the saintly land's core, considering this is ultimately just a dream, touching the core would yield no truth, and inquiring about its location would seem like a "preparation to seize", Leon dismissed the thought, instead nodding politely and saying:

"Thank you for your explanation, I don't have any questions for now... do you have anything you want to ask?"

"?!"

Upon hearing Leon's words, Fredri was taken aback for a moment, then blinked her big eyes in surprise as she looked over.

Can I ask too?

"I just said, the foundation of cooperation is honesty."

Although he hadn't completely trusted her yet, on the one hand, he believed in Director Amendo's judgment of "more good than evil", and on the other, he got along quite well with her dream family, so Leon took the initiative to say:

"Both the Cleanup Bureau and I value this cooperation, so I won't hide what I'm allowed to tell you, and will directly inform you if anything is inconvenient to answer... is there anything you'd like to know?"

"I... do have a question I've always wanted to ask you."

Seeing Leon's rather sincere expression, Fredri hesitated slightly before carefully saying:

"Our Old Soil settlers have tribes instead of kingdoms, so in a sense, I, as the tribe's saintess, am equivalent to a princess or a queen in your present world. And I've heard rumors that you have a certain... very special collection obsession with noble women, so you..."

"Rumors! All rumors!"

Not expecting this to be what she wanted to ask, the corners of Leon's mouth twitched, and he spoke with a darkened face:

"I have no such princess collection obsession! It's all nonsense by others!"

"But the newspapers..."

"What wouldn't the papers write for sales?"

Leon said with a disgruntled expression:

"You should read less of small tabloids like The Sun News and Corner Alley News! You should read more official newspapers like the Royal Daily and the Truth Newspaper! What they write is the truth!"

"But..."

"Anyway, there's nothing between me and them! The princess collection thing is pure nonsense!"

Having obtained the information he wanted and achieving his purpose for entering the dream, Leon made to leave, saying:

"Do you have any other questions? If not, I'll be off!"

"Oh, wait!"

Seeing Leon seemingly agitated by her question and about to leave the dream, Fredri blinked and hurriedly reached out to grab his sleeve, and curiously asked:

"I have another question! Between you and the red-haired director of the Virgin Branch... hang on! Wait a minute!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Wait for what!

Finding that none of her questions were serious matters, Leon, feeling embarrassed, forcefully shook off her hand and voluntarily exited the dream.

And once Leon left the dream, Fredri, unable to catch him, stopped, choosing not to leave the dream herself. Instead, she looked up at the bright full moon above the horizon, and then serenely mounted the back of the ox.

It seems to have worked out... although not completely fooling him, he doesn't have time to verify, so it can barely be considered successful.

"Let's go."

After patting the back of the old yellow ox, Fredri looked toward the deeper part of the saintly land, reminiscing:

"I initially wanted to go by myself, but since he has brought you here... Saint Ox, please give me one last ride up the mountain!"

...

This is... already there?!

As Leon voluntarily left the dream, and Fredri rode the old yellow ox toward the saintly land, Omnia Cicada, denied entry to the Dream Abyss, felt a slight movement in his heart, then looked down at his palm...

A small lighthouse mark lit up, the eye at the top of the lamp room slowly opened, meeting the anxious gaze of Omnia Cicada.

"Father!"

Calling out in surprise and joy, Omnia Cicada quickly said:

"Please hold your action! The Dream Resting Master hasn't glimpsed the Food God's spirit core! If you go now, you may not be able to..."

"I know."

The eye at the lamp room blinked, responding calmly:

"The Food God is quite special. His dream is so peculiar that even I couldn't glimpse his origin, and it's hard to even determine if he's really human... don't you run off now!"

Accompanied by a somewhat displeased moo, Fredri's voice sounded, soothing:

"Though this is my dream, I shouldn't directly spy on him, nor do I know where he stashed those cigarettes... so how about this, you first carry me up the mountain, and I'll help you search his room when we return?"

"Moo!"

"I'll definitely help you ask him for it! Next time for sure!"

After gently stroking the old yellow ox's back a couple of times and painting a big picture for next time, Fredri... or "Few", coaxing the old yellow ox to continue carrying her up the mountain, while relying on the secret lighthouse mark on her tongue, calmly instructed:

"Don't act rashly, just keep guarding outside the Dream Abyss, try not to directly get involved.

Though I'm still in the dream now, I can already smell the stench from Number 7. With his personality, even if he's not confident, he'll surely force his way into Number 3's dream... hmm, or it shouldn't be called Number 3."

Sitting on the back of the ox, Fredri's eyes gazed eerily at the rising and falling pterosaur group atop the mountain, her tone slightly odd:

"I deliberately went to the present world to check, and the origin there hasn't been unsealed, so Leon should be just an ordinary person who accidentally stumbled between the origins, like that square-headed director, the true Number 3 hasn't awakened yet."

What?!!!

Upon hearing the news relayed by [Father], the Blue and Red Pillars God couldn't help but be taken aback.

The real master of the Number 3 realm hasn't awakened until now? The Food God, strong as he is, isn't an origin remnant? Merely an ordinary person through and through?

"Though he's not one of my people, he is stranger in some ways than them. Even with a calculated move against him, Number 7 may not be his opponent, so be extra cautious not to get caught up in their conflict."

With a gentle reminder, Fredri scanned the surroundings atop the ox's back, Omnia Cicada's lighthouse mark moved slightly, and the eye at the lamp room swung back and forth, finally locking onto the thrush behind Omnia Cicada.

"What's going on?"

Seeing the thrush tied up tightly with a blood-hued ribbon, Fredri asked curiously:

"What did the thrush do wrong this time? Why are you tying him up?"