Chapter 1 Padded Coffin

As the hibernation pod slowly closed before him, Hao Ren's chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down, and he began to enter a state of forced hibernation. Before falling asleep, his last thought was that even the Hollywood sci-fi filmmakers wouldn't dare to imagine that anyone could use such high-tech gadgets in such a country bumpkin way: the hibernation pod was lined with bedding and pillows, and there was even a kettle filled with water beside his head…

He increasingly felt like he was lying in a coffin.

A moment of dizziness swept over him, and as with many previous experiences, the darkness lasted less than a second before he "woke up" again. He could hear the bustling sounds of the Dream Plane. A breeze, much fresher than on Earth, brushed his cheek. Hao Ren opened his eyes and found himself standing near the entrance of the town of Lombelet. Before him were the strange otherworldly buildings he had seen before, as well as a circle of frightened locals and two city guards pointing their spears at him.

"Who goes there!" one of the spear-wielding soldiers shouted nervously. He was a young man with a few freckles on his face, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old. He looked at Hao Ren, who had suddenly appeared before him, as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Hao Ren quickly raised his hands to show that he was harmless (and incidentally, to raise the kettle). Only then did he remember that a major characteristic of entering the Dream Plane was that the location would be the same as when he last left. Last time, he had disappeared directly on the main street in full view of everyone! This time, he had indeed caused trouble again.

"Well, I'm a magician from out of town, uh, a magician," Hao Ren quickly organized his words, trying to fabricate an excuse based on his understanding of the Dream Plane. "I was experimenting with a teleportation array and ended up here. If you don't believe me, I'll teleport again right here and now…"

As Hao Ren spoke, he scanned his surroundings, looking for the figures of the others. Logically, they should have appeared beside him, but perhaps because they were "hitchhiking," the others were a bit slower to teleport. Soon, he noticed the air around him beginning to distort, and figures slowly materialized from the void, the most easily recognizable being the hulking giant who was two meters and fifteen centimeters tall. This obvious anomaly made the two city guards even more nervous, and the freckled young man continued to shout, "Dangerous magic experiments are not allowed on the streets!"

"Just a few more, just a few more!" Hao Ren waved his hands, signaling to Lily, who had just teleported in and was still a little dazed, not to run around. "We're a team of magicians, researching teleportation technology together!"

Vivian and Nangong Wuyue had just teleported in and were about to curiously examine the strange buildings around them when they realized that the atmosphere was wrong. The two of them instinctively moved closer to Hao Ren and quietly asked what was going on. While Hao Ren was explaining the situation to the two girls, the two city guards confirmed that the teleportation had stopped and that the strange fellows before them didn't seem hostile, so they relaxed a little: "Where are you magicians from? Don't you know that dangerous experiments are prohibited on the streets? Do you have a permit? A magician's professional qualification certificate?"

"There's such a thing?!" Hao Ren blurted out subconsciously, then quickly changed his tone. "Uh, I mean, who has time to bring that sort of thing when an experimental accident happens—didn't you see that I'm carrying a kettle! I came out in such a hurry…"

"Carrying a kettle for a teleportation experiment?" The freckled young man was stunned. "Even though I don't know magic, don't try to fool me…"

"That's just how it is, it's a personal habit, it's none of your business," Hao Ren gently tapped the lid of the kettle to quiet the little mermaid inside. The little guy should be rummaging around inside, playing with the data terminal, making clicking sounds. Then, he began to wave his arms, telling the surrounding onlookers to disperse. "Everyone, move along, move along, it's just an experimental accident, nothing to see…"

"Everyone, move along, move along, go about your business, don't block the road." The two city guards also began to disperse the onlookers, and after dispersing the crowd, the freckled young man walked up to Hao Ren. "Come with us to the garrison to register."

Hao Ren suddenly felt a headache. He had just entered the Dream Plane and was already encountering such a troublesome situation. If he really went to that garrison, he didn't know if he could bluff his way through. He shamelessly tried to negotiate with them. "We have urgent business, could you maybe…"

"Hey, it's just a formality," the other city guard grinned. "We don't have strict rules in this small place, and it's hard to manage magic experiment accidents anyway. We just need to register your names, so we can report to the Magician's Association if they require it."

Hao Ren looked at the people around him, thinking that with his group's skills, resisting arrest wouldn't be a problem, and even if they didn't resist, they could just run away. However, if he wanted to conduct his investigation peacefully in this world, he couldn't cause trouble. As he hesitated, Izhaks suddenly spoke up: "Let's go then, it's just registering our names anyway."

Only then did Hao Ren remember that he was also carrying around this paragon of virtue, the Great Demon. With this guy around, he guessed he could only follow along and be a paragon of virtue too…

The two city guards glanced at Izhaks with awe, then one stayed behind to guard the gate, while the other (the one with freckles) led the group towards the town. Nangong Wuyue trailed behind the group, drooping her shoulders and sighing, "Ugh—so unlucky, Landlord, what kind of path are you leading us on?"

Hao Ren chuckled awkwardly and didn't say anything. Lily, on the other hand, wasn't affected at all and began her exploration of this alien world. Although she could only follow the group for now, she was still running around as much as possible, examining the decorations on the walls, the things being sold at a roadside stall, and occasionally running over to tease the cats and dogs by the roadside, having a great time. It was the first time the husky girl had entered the Dream Plane and seen such a wonderfully strange alien world, and she was overjoyed.

The pedestrians on the road were also attracted by this group of strangely dressed outsiders, especially after Lily jumped around for a while, and the situation became even more pronounced. Hao Ren could only helplessly grab Lily's collar again and again, pulling the girl back. "Can't you be a little calmer?"

"Nope," Lily replied straightforwardly. "This otherworld… this place is so much fun!"

"I've been wanting to ask," the freckled soldier who was leading the way had really never seen a magician group like this, especially one with someone as lively as Lily. "Are you really magicians? Why aren't you wearing robes?"

Hao Ren made something up on the spot. "Oh, we're a small team, a sect of our own. Our sect's rules allow us not to wear magic robes."

"Is this big brother also a magician?" the freckled soldier asked cautiously, pointing at Izhaks. "Why does he look like a mountain barbarian berserker?"

"He's skilled in both magic and martial arts, skilled in both magic and martial arts," Hao Ren said with a smile. The information he had gotten after meeting with Becky last time was now coming in handy, including the nature of magicians and the existence of "magic swordsmen" and similar professions in this world. "Have you seen mountain people?"

Hao Ren found that this city guard seemed easy to talk to, so he thought about asking him for some inconspicuous information. The other party answered without question, "Mountain people? I've seen them a few times. Isn't there a small village of theirs far to the west? Now many mountain people are starting to move to the plains and communicate more with the outside world. But it's the first time I've ever known that mountain people also study magic."

Izhaks smiled perfunctorily: "A little, a little."

At the sight of his "amiable" smile, the freckled soldier immediately decided not to delve deeper into this topic.

As the group walked down the street, they didn't forget to observe the surrounding situation. Vivian was constantly studying the ancient symbols painted on the exterior walls of the houses along the road. She whispered into Hao Ren's ear, "They are indeed Leta runes, but I don't see anything of value. They are all the simplest sentences praying for blessings and peace for the home, and there are many spelling errors and far-fetched sentence structures, which will hardly produce any actual magical effects."

"So… just decorations?" Hao Ren asked softly.

"Well, they can only be used as decorations functionally," Vivian muttered. "The mysterious Leta runes on Earth may just be ordinary writing used by people in this world, so people here don't deliberately use them to cast spells."

The group finally arrived in front of a sturdy building located in the north-central part of the town. This was the so-called garrison, but just as Hao Ren was about to step inside, a slightly familiar voice suddenly came from the side: "Oh! The guy who broke his head! You're still here?"