After the "Future" encountered a milk-producing mutation and a huge splicing monster, the crisis did not stop for a moment, and Crane had to board the "Black Tulip" to take on the "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell.

Eventually, after Anderson joined the life-and-death battle, Ludeville opened a bronze gate and drove the Black Tulip out of the sea.

When things finally calmed down, Crane returned to his room to find the lark still lying peacefully in the cage, not even moving a bit, still asleep.

Crane sighed.

I hope that Esther will not encounter any danger in her dreams, and that the next time the night comes, everyone's dreams will be connected, and maybe I will still hope to meet her, talk to her, and ask her what state she is in now......

Hope she's okay.

——

Esther was fine, but she was at a loss where she was.

She stood on a raft on the surface of the sea, the blue waves constantly pushing the raft around, the owner of the raft had soft facial features completely different from Rune's, more similar to the "Oriental" in Esther's memory.

But the young girl paddled on the raft had long, slender, pointed ears, and her long, shaggy black hair was tied in a low ponytail with kelp and hung down at the back of her head. Her kind black eyes are innocent and soft, showing a sweetness peculiar to her youth.

She wears a brown-and-black fishskin hunting suit and trousers, and carries a quiver and a longbow behind her.

Esther immediately connects the girl's appearance to the legendary history.

The young elf lowered his paddle and sat down in front of the lark that had suddenly appeared, looking at the bird in amazement.

"Hello." Esther spoke softly, in Elven language.

The elf girl was very bold, and her voice was crisp when she laughed: "Hello, I really didn't expect a bird to appear here, and you can even speak!" It's just weird. ”

This elf looks lively and cheerful.

The most intuitive feeling she gave Esther was that she didn't belong here.

No matter where you are, it shouldn't appear in a dream in this strange sea, which in itself is the most abnormal.

Esther raised her head and carefully observed all the expressions on the girl's face, but did not notice anything unusual, and the lark had to speak: "I am Nornes, what about you?" ”

"I'm ......," though the elf's thin lips opened and closed, but no sound came out, "but my family and friends like to call me kelp." ”

Such an abnormal situation made the suspicion in Esther's heart come true:

"Why do they call you that?"

The elf smiled and pointed to himself, "Because I don't like spices that much, but I like the taste of boiled kelp soup." ”

Then she raised her hand again and pointed to the other side of the raft: "I'm cooking kelp soup, do you want to drink it?" ”

Esther looked over, and there was indeed a stone bowl the size of a basin, but there was no fire below, only bursts of heat rising from above.

What was not there one moment later, the next moment because it was brought up, it appeared logically. The stone bowl seemed to have no weight, or it would have been overturned long ago if it had been pressed against the corner of the raft by its size.

"I don't know, I haven't eaten kelp."

What a clumsy lie! However, the elves don't know Esther, and in this place where logic is not needed, it is easy for a "fraudster" who can control dreams to win the trust of someone he can communicate with.

But Esther was a little more careful, and she didn't ask for more information about the "kelp" itself, the elf's real name was not in the dream.

Esther had a guess that "Kelp" was likely to have lost herself a long time ago, so her dream was as simple as empty:

The unnatural and sourceless sunlight, the vast but white blue sky and the sea, and this tiny raft.

Esther noticed that there was no sign of any creature underwater, and that the white spray on the side of the raft splashed but not a drop of it.

The elf's smile was sincere and welcoming: "Come and have a taste?" It's been a long time since I've spoken to other creatures! Oh, you're not an elf, you're just a bird. ”

Esther did not firmly refuse, but flew to the side of the stone bowl, and she circled it twice, only as she passed through the steaming heat, she could smell the strong salty umami, and once out of range it disappeared.

Esther did not settle on the edge of the bowl, but fell back onto the raft.

Naturally, the elf picked up a stone bowl and carried a wooden spoon with a deep bottom on the long handle, and began to pour kelp soup out of the pot.

Esther glanced at the kelp strips that the elves used to tie her hair, wondering where the soup came from.

Heat began to rise on the stone bowl, and the elf placed it in front of the lark, his eyes full of anticipation: "You taste?" ”

Esther looked down at the bowl, the soup was half-muddy, with a reddish layer of grease on the edges, and the floating black silk was definitely not kelp, but like the elf's long, loose black hair.

Esther looked up at the elf again, her expression glazed.

The elf in the girl's appearance didn't seem to notice it in the slightest, and when she saw the lark staring at her suspiciously, the smile on her face was gradually fading:

"Don't you like it? That can't be helped, but it's the only thing I can entertain you. In my community, I must show sincerity in entertaining guests who meet for the first time, express my sincerest kindness, and share my favorite food with each other.

If the other party accepts, it means that this goodwill is sent out, and both parties can be true friends. Would you like to stay and be my friend? It's really lonely to be here alone. ”

The elf pushed the bowl of soup in front of the lark again, but the expression on his face became more and more gloomy, even with a hint of pleading.

Esther chuckled, but there was no smile in the lark's eyes: "Then can you tell me what is in this soup?" ”

"It's kelp, of course...... taste. ”

The elf still pronounced the unspeakable name.

The lark jumped back two steps, avoiding the fresh aroma of the bowl of soup: "You can keep it for yourself." ”

The elf's face was full of loss, and he picked up the bowl of soup himself: "Okay...... Maybe you won't taste any worse than what's in this bowl. ”

The lark stared at her indifferently.

The elf poured all the hot soup from the bowl, and when the elf removed the bowl, her pink lips had turned bright red, and she was biting a tangled clump of hair between her teeth.

Esther's voice was gentle: "Do you remember who you are?" And what are you cooking? ”

A paddle whipped down hard, trying to slap the petite bird into a pulp.

But the lark had already appeared in mid-air, and the elf swung the oars with incredible force, and the raft was instantly pierced by the blow, and its ends were raised high and sank rapidly.

The stone bowl was swept away, and the hot soup inside was splashed on the elf's body, and she turned red and quickly swollen and blistered.

Amid screams of pain, the elves lay on the shards of the raft with tears in their eyes, struggling to reach out in the direction of the sky.

"Help me! Please, help me-"

The lark's gaze did not fluctuate at all, and Esther felt sad for the elves below:

"If that's what you want, all I can do is wake you up from your dreams."

The elf's eyes widened suddenly, and scales grew from her mouth to her entire face. She stopped struggling, let go of the piece of wood that was floating on the water, and let her body sink directly below the surface.

Esther felt something, and there was another turmoil around her.

A tyrannical force rose from below, and thick white thunder and lightning surged out of the sea like tentacles one after another.

However, all they shattered was a phantom that dissipated between the black doors.

The sea swelled, and the raging thunder and lightning destroyed the last fragments of the small raft.

Having lost the false self constructed from the remnants of the soul, the entire dream turbulent in a mad roar and quickly annihilated.

——

The Future continues to move deeper into the ruins.

Anderson walked to the side of the ship and stood beside Gelman Sparrow, who pointed to an underwater complex in front of him: "Go past this ruin, turn left and drive about ten nautical miles, and you will have a chance to meet a mermaid." ”

Klein let out an "um" and didn't look at Anderson, looking blankly ahead.

Anderson persistently found a topic of small talk: "So what about the bird you raised?" It's been hours, why haven't I seen you take it out for a walk? ”

It was not for nothing that Klein suddenly felt that Anderson would be unlucky, and he managed to "grab" the attention of others every time he spoke.

Klein had to admit that Esther's assessment was pertinent, "underplayed".

Thankfully, Klein didn't have to react to Anderson's question, because the sky was suddenly covered in darkness.

When night falls, everyone has to go back to their rooms and go to bed immediately, and Gardelia's vocal radio has been broadcast throughout Future, reminding everyone to fall asleep as soon as possible.

So Klein glanced at Anderson indifferently, quickly returned to his room, and lay down on the bed.

Soon, Crane wakes up from a dream and finds himself in the same place he entered this time as he left last time.

The library is flooded with light by the dim sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the tall shelves are crammed with books.

Crane walked past a neat row of long tables and settled in front of the bookshelves he had browsed last time, noticing a book with the title "Russell Notes 3" on the cover, in addition to the books he had looked through last time.

Just as Klein pretended not to care and reached out to pick up the book he had read last time, an inexplicable humming sound sounded in the library.

Klein immediately turned around vigilantly and pulled out the revolver under his armpit, he was still impressed by the fact that he had encountered Leomast's dual personality before, so he also maintained a high level of vigilance in the dream world.

The next moment, cracks appeared on the smooth floor-to-ceiling windows.

Klein saw very clearly that where the crack really spread was in the air, not in the window.

Ripples rippled in the cobweb-like trails, and a small bird flew out of it.

Judging by its slightly flustered appearance, it is obvious that it has just escaped from some kind of entanglement.

The lark was still covered in black mud, but upon entering the library, the black marks gradually evaporated into smoke and quickly dissipated into the air.

The lark turned his head and stared at Klein, who was polite with gold-rimmed glasses and half-height silk, just as alert.

The scene was deadlocked for a while.