Ulrich greeted the familiar sight of a bustling city as well as the beaming sun. He didn't immediately leave to find Zheng San or Gu Lan; that would be a waste of time without proper planning. At the moment, he had two goals in mind.

  Firstly, the complete Shadow Rune.

  This would be his primary focus, as without power, he would be unable to ensure his own safety. The greatest clue and chance regarding this opportunity is Gu Lan. Unfortunately, Gu Lan only possessed an incomplete rune, rendering it useless.

  Secondly, he wished to verify the separation of time between the real world and this dream world. At this point, Ulrich has essentially confirmed that the real world and the dream are one and the same.

  The appearance of the Shadowfins, ancient hermes, and 'lost histories' of the past supported this theory.

  The existence of the almost modern-era technology, as well as the moon in the sky, cannot all appear in such a short time frame.

  At the same time, if this is the world at some point in the future, then there must be other traces from the past that haven't been discovered by him.

  With all his goals sorted in his mind, Ulrich quickly committed theft. A few wallets here or there, and he had enough to last the whole dream cycle.

  He thought it would be useful to practice divination and exercise his spirituality, so as to adapt to it quickly. Eventually, it would become ingrained, just like the habit he learned from the past in the dream.

  This 'expert' was precisely Gu Lan, who runs an antique shop selling various exotic and strange objects.

  "Welcome in."

  The shop bell chimed as Ulrich pushed through the door, stepping from the bright street into a dimly lit interior that smelled of incense, old paper, and something vaguely metallic.

  Ulrich approached the counter, keeping his expression neutral, as though he did not recognize Gu Lan.

  "I need divination tools. Basic supplies—nothing complicated. Candles, incense suitable for spiritual work, and a pendulum if you have one. Perhaps some blank parchment treated for ritual use, as well as a silver dagger."

  Gu Lan's eyebrow rose with intrigued.

  "A fellow enthusiast?" He moved with unhurried efficiency, gathering the requested items.

  Ulrich mused inwardly. He had no intention of playing around with Gu Lan this time around.

  In fact, after the encounter with Lewis Smith in the real world, Ulrich grew more anxious. Even at this moment, he did not know Selena's current whereabouts.

  "Here, all the things you need for divination and basic rituals." Ulrich glanced at the item, then nodded.

  The bell chimed again as Ulrich stepped back into the bright street, the bag of supplies weighing comfortably in his hand.

  Behind him, through the shop window, he could see that Gu Lan had already returned to examining his bronze piece, as if their interaction had been nothing more than a routine transaction.

  He smiled, calling a cab and going to Gu Lan's apartment.

  There, he plucked the shadow gem from the forehead of the shadowfins, as well as stole the "Silver Bough" before heading toward Zheng San's place.

  This time, Ulrich didn't come through the window on the balcony, but instead, knocked on the front door.

  "Who's there?" Zheng San called out through the wooden door.

  Ulrich thought, then replied in a casual tone.

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  "Your best mate, and fated brother."

  "Who the fu—" The door swung open with a loud thud. Seeing Ulrich's strange appearance with bags in his hand, he almost slammed the door shut, suspecting him to be a salesperson.

  However, the door couldn't budge as Ulrich stamped his foot at the edge of the door frame.

  "Your gift, I need to borrow your laptop," He said, tossing the black book in the air.

  Surprised and alarmed, Zheng San caught it and glanced at it for a moment. Immediately, he realized what it was.

  "How do you— I mean, why do you have this?!"

  Ulrich ignored him and walked into the apartment with great familiarity, and set his baggage on the floor in the sparse living room.

  Zheng San stood in the doorway, still holding the black book, his expression caught between suspicion and bewilderment. "You haven't answered my question. How do you have this?"

  "The laptop," Ulrich repeated, settling onto the worn couch without invitation. He gestured toward the desk where a sleek silver device sat among scattered papers and empty energy drink cans.

  Zheng San's jaw tightened. Every instinct told him to throw this stranger out, to demand answers before complying with anything. But the weight of the black book in his hands anchored him in place.

  "Fine," Zheng San muttered, moving to retrieve the laptop. He powered it on and set it on the coffee table in front of Ulrich, hovering nearby with crossed arms.

  "But you're going to explain yourself. Who are you? How do you know about the organization? And why—"

  "Later." Ulrich's fingers were already moving across the keyboard, his focus absolute.

  Zheng San clenched his fists, a bit irritated. Yet something held him back from pressing further. Perhaps it was the stranger's confidence, the way he moved through the apartment as though he'd been here a dozen times before.

  He sat down in the adjacent chair, still clutching the black book, and watched.

  Ulrich's search was methodical and purposeful.

  He pulled up every historical database, news archives, academic repositories, and anything that could provide a timeline of major events that he could find. His eyes scanned rapidly through article after article, his expression growing more intense with each passing minute.

  Wars, technological breakthroughs, political upheavals, natural disasters—he cross-referenced dates, locations, names. He opened multiple tabs, comparing information from different sources, occasionally pausing to stare at a particular passage before moving on.

  Finally, after nearly an hour of silent and relentless effort, Ulrich leaned back from the laptop.

  His face was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—a mixture of confirmation and dread, as though he'd found exactly what he'd been looking for, and wished he hadn't.

  600 Years. There was a gap of 600 years. The various archives, databases, and repositories all seemed scattered. It was as though history itself was 'lost'.

  Could it be that this is truly the future? The real world in 600 years? Ulrich was skeptical. However, all these vague and abstract clues seemed to hint at this.

  Facing this assumption, Ulrich swallowed hard. In six hundred years, the world will cease to exist due to the white light. What was the cause?

  Similarly, what is the root of his ability to dream of the future?

  After Ulrich's encounter with Lewis Smith, and subsequently, learning about the involvement of the Twilight Order as well as dealing with Selena's missing whereabouts. He was anxious.

  For a moment, Ulrich could feel a crazed madness eating away at his sanity. Quickly, he closed his eyes to quell the rising thoughts in his mind.

  Even if he could not save this world, so what? It was never his responsibility. Ulrich has always thought of 'home', true home. Not the Belham scattered in the fog sea, nor this 'modern day' dream of his.

  He placated himself, putting the matter in the back of his mind; it was simply too beyond him to worry about. It was not like his action could change the entire world.

  At this moment, Ulrich demanded that Zheng San contact the client again.

  "Show them this picture, they will agree." He said, giving him the same greeting in ancient Hermes as before.

  Zheng San, skeptical and reluctant, followed his instruction, only to be surprised when the client seemed enthusiastic, more so than he could imagine.

  Big Three: I know you won't answer where you get this book from. But, I want to know, how did you know about the lost history? Where did you hear it from?

  1999: How do you know?

  Big Three: Answer my question.

  1999 is typing…

  1999: I can't tell you that. You wouldn't believe it.

  Seeing this, Ulrich shook his head with a low chuckle.

  Big Three: One question, one answer, how about it? Fair?

  1999: Alright.

  1999: I had a dream once, many dreams in fact, of a strange place. Hmm. It was Earth, but without much land. The entire sea was foggy…

  As she continued typing, Ulrich's eyes widened.

  Big Face: Let me guess. In this world, there is no moon?

  1999 is typing… Stopped, as though his words became a spear that pierced through the screen.

  Ulrich could feel it, or see it. On the other side, or rather, this client with the username 1999, must be frozen and shocked by his words.