Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 724 - 677 Dream Thief

"Hold on! She's becoming suspicious, this assassination is simply too foolish! Can't you concoct something with a bit more complexity?" A man named Trivank was berating his companion in a secret chamber.

At this moment, his companion was intently fiddling with a crystal ball, as if something within it was about to break free.

"Stop nitpicking! Do you know how difficult it is to weave a dream that can fool her?" The companion manipulating the crystal ball retorted discontentedly, simultaneously intensifying his control over it.

Inside the crystal ball, a purple halo pulsed like breathing, but with the controller's increased exertion, the trembling gradually stabilized.

Seeing the purple halo settle, the manipulator finally exhaled a long breath and freed one hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"The mental strength of this Count is stronger than ten people combined! Trying to control her dreams is no joke!" The manipulator complained, yet he still said to Trivank, "If you want to tackle her in the dream realm, at least devise a plan that can actually assassinate her in reality, otherwise you can't bypass her subconscious defenses!

How can someone have such strong subconscious defenses? Has she no one she trusts?

Moreover, her soul is peculiar, as if she possesses two sets of entirely opposing worldviews, damn it, and they can coexist logically despite their conflicts—how is this person not insane?"

The manipulator's face was now bulging with veins; he considered himself quite experienced, but had truly never encountered a target as peculiar and challenging as this one.

"Perhaps this is the secret of the bloody Count's genius? Though it's normal for her to be insane—as insanity is a prerequisite for daring to profane the gods," Trivank still maintained a cold expression, disdainfully commenting before he continued, "But no matter how formidable she is, she remains vulnerable in her dreams! If we can implant suggestions in her dream, we can control her thoughts!

This is precisely why we sought you out! Isn't this what dream thieves do?"

"That's not incorrect, but dream thieves also have their limits! If you let me control and influence ordinary people, I could plunge an entire city into nightmares and implant suggestions in them! But expect me to control the likes of this Count without affecting her cognition and abilities—even one such as her is tough!" The dream thief manipulating the crystal ball grumbled, unable to resist complaining, "If not for my faith in the Goddess of Beauty, having received divine revelations, I wouldn't dive into such troubled waters! Do you know how much trouble would ensue if we fail and offend this Count?"

"Then don't fail!" Trivank's face remained cold, unwilling to hear explanations.

At this moment, the young man who had been dining with Trivank suddenly spoke up from the side, "Don't say that, Trivank, we all know how troublesome the Count is, didn't you resort to influencing her spirit through dreams precisely because you couldn't handle her in the real world?

If the dream thief truly can't do it, why not have him send you in, and you deal with the Count in the dream realm yourself?

With your skills, surely you can manage to resolve that Count in the dream realm? She's merely a teenage girl and only an alchemist, without the stringent defenses of the real world, wouldn't it be straightforward to deal with her?"

"Shut up, Kelin! If you're not helping, then keep your mouth shut!" Trivank cursed once more, but he also seriously considered the suggestion.

Finally, he asked the dream thief, "If you send me into her dream, can she be taken care of?"

The dream thief looked at Trivank in astonishment, not expecting him to ask such a question.

But after thinking for a moment, he still opened his mouth to say, "Theoretically, it's possible. I can deliver you into this Count's dream, but I must remind you, her subconscious defenses are the strongest I've ever seen!

She guards her psyche with meticulous care, though I've tried to get her to lower her defenses, I can only allow you to enter her dream under an identity that aligns with her cognition.

If you attempt to do anything counter to her awareness in her dream, you will be repelled by her dream defenses; in other words, the defenses within the dream will begin to attack you."

Upon reaching this point, the dream thief noticed the purple energy within the crystal ball quivering once more, so he hurriedly placed both hands back on the crystal ball, concentrating while continuing to explain, "Common dream defenses might just be sturdy houses, towering walls, or patrolling police—things one's subconscious perceives as protective.

Nobles might switch houses for castles and police for knights, though they're still relatively manageable.

But the Count's dream is a tightly guarded city, and at her side stands an entire Steam Knight Order! There's also her legendary knight-level old steward and all defensive measures compatible with her cognition.

If you rashly enter, you'll have to be prepared to fight an entire army."

"How can someone have all these things in their dreams?" Kelin uttered in surprise.

He possessed a certain understanding of dreams and had been the one to find the dream thief, but he originally thought Perfikot's dream defenses would be difficult yet wouldn't surpass one or two squads of knights at most.

Given his and Trivank's abilities, they considered this level of defense manageable.

Especially within dreams, these defenses can at times be easier to deal with than in reality.

After all, if you can make the dream's owner believe these defenses have been breached, then you can breach them without genuinely doing so.

Put simply, it's about deception; by the dream thief manipulating the dream, weaving lies within it. As long as you can fool the dream's owner, you can dismantle the defenses within the dream.

However, it's evidently clear that Perfikot's dream defenses are too robust, and the dream thief cannot easily accomplish this.

"I don't know, this Count's dream is exceptionally peculiar; it seems to have two layers. I can only enter her first dream layer; it's a bit unstable, so if you're trying to get inside, exercise caution. If you accidentally fall into her deep dream layer, I won't even be able to fish you back out." The dream thief glanced at Trivank and Kelin with a look suggesting if they wished to send themselves to their deaths, they better do it quickly.

Yet Trivank hesitated momentarily before still coupling with Kelin, "Since you came up with this idea, you're coming in with me!"

"Alright, I'm interested in seeing what the world-renowned alchemist prodigy has inside her dream." Kelin saw Trivank determined to drag him along and could only succumb to his fate.