Light Fortress-Chapter 43 - 41 Lantern Hourglass Dice
43: Chapter 41: Lantern, Hourglass, Dice
43 -41: Lantern, Hourglass, Dice
“Gu Shen, as you can see, three ‘Dream Sealing Objects’ lie before you.
The final evaluation by the audit team is simple…
Touch the three Dream Sealing Objects in turn, enter the dream, and complete the Dream Interpretation.”
A long table divided the classroom, with Gu Shen on one end and the formally seated audit team on the other.
“The time you take to interpret each Sealing Object will determine your final rating.”
The rules were introduced by the Grand Judge of Yinghai District, Tang Qingquan.
As he spoke, the expressions of a few other audit team members slightly changed, but none said anything.
With an expressionless face, the Grand Judge leaned forward slowly, scrutinizing the seemingly ordinary young man before him.
He had seen countless individuals, yet he could not discern any astonishing spiritual fluctuations in this youth.
Being chosen as an authoritative “S” level auditor was not an easy task.
Every member of the audit team that had arrived in Da Teng City possessed considerable Extraordinary Power.
They were all sizing up the young man before them.
On the table lay three items…
an ancient lantern, a depleted hourglass, and a restored magical Rubik’s cube die.
“You should be aware of the rules of Dream Interpretation, shouldn’t you?”
The Grand Judge asked routinely; he had reviewed Gu Shen’s file, which showed an outstanding performance in the fire incident.
Zhou Jiren had even secured a special pardon for him, suggesting that he had prepared thoroughly for this evaluation.
“Rules…” Gu Shen seemed perplexed, “What rules?”
Tang Qingquan frowned.
He did not understand.
Hadn’t Zhou Jiren extracted the Dream Interpretation questions on the plane and explained them to this newcomer?
“Is this your first time entering a Dream?”
The auditor next to the Grand Judge still had patience.
He looked at Gu Shen and earnestly said, “A dream is a world woven by spiritual power; thus, everything in the dream is illusory…
no matter how powerful the Sealing Object, it is no exception.”
“Once you touch a Sealing Object, there is no possibility of withdrawal.”
He pointed to the three items on the table and continued, “As for how to interpret the dream, it’s not complicated.
You only need to first realize that you are in a dream, then find the anomaly within the dream.
Finally, use the anomaly to naturally complete the ‘breakthrough,’ which is what is called ‘Dream Interpretation’!”
Gu Shen listened intently, confirming their explanation of Dream Interpretation using what he knew.
He had awakened on the grassland, first realizing that he was in a dream.
Then he identified the “anomaly”…
which in the Spring Thunder was probably the dense layer of storm clouds.
The interpretation of the Spring Thunder was simple.
It hadn’t been long before it started raining on the grassland, and he had simply sat down according to his inclination and immediately comprehended the breathing method of the plain that synchronized with the rain pattern…
It was just that simple to complete the breakthrough and the Dream Interpretation.
“The three Sealing Objects brought this time are quite intense,” said the serious audit team member, handing over a small copper piece.
“This copper piece is called ‘Heart Peeping Coin.’ If you cannot bear their dreams, we will forcibly take you away…
the cost will be slight mental damage, requiring rest for ten to fifteen days.”
“Of course…
if you exit the dream in this manner, your evaluation will also end.”
He paused and then sat back, “Do you understand?”
Gu Shen took the Heart Peeping Coin.
He weighed it in his hand; it felt substantial and appeared to be made of copper, but it seemed to have another mystery, feeling cool to the touch.
“Understood.”
Gu Shen held the Heart Peeping Coin and took a deep breath.
Senior Sister Luo had said that the Judgement Institute had thousands of Dream Sealing Objects…
these objects had different characteristics and were used to hone spiritual power.
Some Transcendents who perfectly mastered the rules of the dream could use these Sealing Objects as their weapons.
If the Sealing Objects were specifically prepared for his evaluation…
could it be to prevent “leakage of questions” by choosing from the Sealing Objects carried by the auditors themselves?
He approached the table, examining the three Dream Sealing Objects closely.
The hourglass sat quietly on the table, all its sand settled at the bottom, looking no different from ordinary objects, but after a closer look, Gu Shen immediately felt a sense of decay and dead silence enveloping his heart.
This was probably a Dream Sealing Object related to “time.”
Hmm…
a dangerous thing.
Gu Shen then looked at the die, seeing no anomalies; it was just a simple cube die.
Unpredictable, unassessable.
Finally, his gaze turned to the lantern.
The most noticeable item on the table was the old lantern in front of the Grand Judge.
Although it looked like an ancient object hundreds of years old, its core was ablaze with a vigorous flame, casting light on the tattered scroll depicted on the exterior of the lantern’s oiled paper.
This depicted countless chasing flames and ghosts, flickering with the flames, inhaling and exhaling as if alive.
It appeared to be in the hand-painted style of the Yinghai Region from long ago.
He looked towards the Grand Judge; Gu Shen had researched the identity of all members of the reviewing panel, and only this one was from the Yinghai District, perhaps this was his sealing object?
The Grand Judge stared back expressionlessly, his elbows propped up.
“Make a choice quickly,” Tang Qingquan tapped the table, urging, “There’s not much difference between these three.”
“…Alright.”
After hesitating, Gu Shen reached out a hand and touched the Rubik’s cube dice.
After observing around, the Rubik’s cube dice felt to him the most benign and harmless of the sealing objects.
After touching it, following the panel’s instructions, Gu Shen held the Rubik’s cube dice in front of him.
He waited a second, and nothing happened.
But the next second, Gu Shen realized he had made a grave mistake…
“Click!”
A crisp explosion sounded!
It felt as if something had cracked inside his mind, his entire soul struck by lightning!
Agonizing pain ensued.
Gu Shen looked down, his expression astonished.
The restored Rubik’s cube was rapidly spinning in his palm, scrambling itself, making crackling popping noises—
Because of his weak spiritual power.
Gu Shen struggled against the spiritual pull of the Rubik’s cube dice…
He tried hard to track the final twists of the Rubik’s cube.
Several seconds later.
“Click.”
When the Rubik’s cube stopped, the real Gu Shen had become as rigid as a stone sculpture.
…
…
A breeze blew through.
Bright light accompanied by the wind entered the classroom, touching the faces of each member behind the long table of the reviewing panel.
It was at the moment the Grand Judge had spoken.
Their expressions had subtly changed in an instant.
“Tang Qingquan, you’ve modified the rules on your own… by doing this, you’ve contradicted our original intentions,” the Redwood District Judge said softly, “The original rule was that he only needed to choose one item and complete dream interpretation to pass the review.”
“What’s the difference?” the Grand Judge said indifferently, “If Gu Shen could complete the first dream interpretation… we could inform him afterwards.
That was Elder Zhao’s idea.”
The Redwood District Judge frowned.
How could there be no difference?
This review was critical, and if Gu Shen knew the rule was to touch three sealing objects… in the first dream interpretation, he would definitely conserve his strength.
Most importantly, it could lead to a misjudgment.
With only one dream interpretation, he would definitely give it his all…
But with three dream interpretations waiting for him, this young man might misinterpret the difficulty of this review.
These three sealing objects, each imprinted with nightmare-level dreams!
“It’s a pity he didn’t choose my ‘Ghost Cage,’ otherwise this review could have ended early.”
The Grand Judge chuckled, “Perhaps he thought your ‘Green Dice’ looked simpler?”
“… I was ready to enter the dream and lead him out,” the Judge sighed softly, “The dreams of the Green Dice are very tormenting.
If he can’t endure them, giving up early might also be a good choice.”
