Chapter 184 Sleepless

The night was deep, and Hao Ren was making his final preparations for his journey to the Dream Plane.

Actually… what the hell was there to prepare! He could enter just by lying in bed and sleeping. No matter how much he prepared on the outside, it wouldn't be of any use!

Lili had been quite exhausted these past few days, and coupled with needing to conserve energy for her evolution on the full moon night in a few days, she had returned to her room to sleep early, before nine o'clock in the evening. Only Vivian and Izaak were left in the living room, busying themselves with Hao Ren. Vivian had made a large pot of medicinal cuisine that was said to help with essence, qi, and spirit. She supervised Hao Ren, forcing him to drink two large bowls, and then looked at him with particular concern: "How is it? Do you feel more energetic?"

Hao Ren smacked his lips. The bizarre taste of the medicinal cuisine made his tongue feel numb, but looking at the serious expression on Vivian's face, he was too embarrassed to refuse, so he could only nod: "Yeah, it works. I feel as energetic as if I just woke up early in the morning…"

"Then have some more!" Vivian was overjoyed to hear this, snatched the bowl, and scooped two more spoonfuls of the dark, oily gruel from the pot. "Let me tell you, the herbs in this are no longer recognized by anyone. Even old TCM doctors don't know them. This recipe was written down by Li Shizhen himself when he passed by a small village. Drinking it will invigorate your spirit and calm your energy. Going to the Dream Plane is basically having a nightmare. As long as you ensure your mental strength is stable, you don't have to worry about even the most terrifying nightmare."

Hao Ren quickly waved his hand, signaling Vivian to take the bowl away: "Enough, enough. If I drink any more, I won't need to sleep at all. Besides, don't be so nervous, I'm just going to sleep…"

"How can I not be nervous!" Vivian placed the medicinal cuisine on the table. "I've heard that the Dream Plane isn't as simple as ordinary dreaming. Many people have died directly inside. Raven 12345 only said that she'd guarantee you wouldn't die inside, but being half-dead also counts as not dead!"

Even Vivian could say such things, which showed how widely Raven 12345's terrible character had spread.

"If my blood magic worked on you, that would be great," Vivian suddenly sighed. "Many of the blood clan's spells are specifically targeted at the mind, and they're definitely more effective than making you drink this stuff. Why doesn't blood magic work…"

Even Raven 12345 was vague about this question, so Hao Ren naturally couldn't explain it either. He could only chuckle dryly and gloss over it. Izaak took this opportunity to speak: "Shall I try to create a protective ward for you with the magic from our side?"

Hao Ren waved his hand: "Don't bother. My body is immune to magic. Even buffs from teammates can't be used. What unlucky constitution…"

"How do you know if you don't try?" Izaak was a stubborn person. He had to try whatever he thought of. Ignoring what Hao Ren said, he directly wrote a dark green rune in the air and then slapped it on Hao Ren's back. "... Isn't this working?"

Hao Ren didn't react at all for a moment. By the time he realized that the great demon had already instantly cast a spell, he felt a burst of clarity in his mind. His perception of the surrounding environment was elevated to a state he had never experienced before. He still didn't know what mental strength was, but he was certain that the rune that Izaak had placed on him had definitely stimulated his mental power!

"Wasn't I supposed to be immune to magic…" Hao Ren felt extremely curious about his briefly enhanced mental strength, but he was even more surprised that he hadn't been able to nullify Izaak's rune. However, a few seconds later, he remembered what Raven 12345 had said. "Partially immune… I remember now. That crazy woman said before that I was partially immune to magic!"

"So you're not immune to demon power?" Vivian looked at this scene in surprise, then suddenly frowned. "Then you should be careful in the future. Don't think you're really not afraid of magic. It wouldn't be fun to be schemed against by other demons. Not every demon is as friendly as the big guy."

Hao Ren nodded repeatedly, then stood up: "Then that's it. I feel like I'm in unprecedentedly good condition. I'm going to sleep now. Vivian, don't you sleep late at night? Then help protect me nearby. Raven 12345 said that connecting to the Dream Plane occasionally causes anomalies to occur in the surrounding area. Help observe and record any situations. I'll report to Raven 12345 then."

Vivian agreed readily, and Izaak also scratched his bald head and laughed: "I'll help you keep an eye out too. I'm quite interested in your world's 'Dream Plane.' It's a pity I can't enter. I can only watch from the side."

Hao Ren thought to himself that he was finally a big shot. Look, he hadn't even returned to his room yet, and he already had a vampire and a demon as his protectors. What kind of awesome person would have such treatment? But just as he strode proudly to the door, he felt that something was wrong. He thought for a moment and turned back, saying with a wry smile, "Um, I'm going back to my room to sleep. Could you two please not use this expression like you're seeing Jing Ke off across the Yi River…"

Vivian and Izaak oh-ed and silently lowered their heads with serious expressions, instantly making the atmosphere in the entire living room like a funeral vigil.

Hao Ren: "…"

He knew that there was no way to communicate with these two, so he could only shake his head and return to his room. He lay on the bed, adjusted his mentality according to what Raven 12345 had said, and silently recited those self-hypnosis words, placing the data terminal beside him and waiting for the arrival of the Dream Plane.

Half an hour later, the door opened, and Hao Ren walked out from inside, wearing pajamas and swinging his arms. Vivian and Izaak looked at him in surprise: "Landlord, is it over already?!"

Hao Ren scratched his face awkwardly: "... I'm going to the toilet. The power of those two bowls of soup was too great."

Vivian: "…"

After relieving his internal emergency, Hao Ren returned to his room and continued lying down. Half an hour later, he finally realized one thing – Vivian's medicinal cuisine and Izaak's magic did indeed strengthen his mental power, but these two things also had a common effect, which was… to invigorate his spirit!

What a damn disaster, he had insomnia!

"I knew that there weren't many reliable people around me. I shouldn't have let them busy themselves!" Hao Ren suddenly sat up, but then lay back down again. What was the point of running out at this time? Could he have Vivian knock him unconscious with a punch? Or have Izaak hypnotize him with magic? Even if it worked, this forced unconsciousness caused by external force wouldn't allow him to enter the Dream Plane at all…

Hao Ren tossed and turned in bed. Finally, unable to bear it, he touched the data terminal beside his pillow: "Connect to Raven 12345."

It was impossible to contact that crazy woman by dialing the number 00000012345 on a mobile phone. Only internal equipment like the data terminal could connect to a dedicated line. Fortunately, Raven 12345 was honestly on duty this time, and it seemed she hadn't rested at night either. Soon, her boisterous voice rang in Hao Ren's mind: "Yo, Hao Ren, you've already taken a trip to the Dream Plane? That was fast?"

"Not yet, I've encountered a problem. I can't get in…"

Raven 12345's voice was surprised: "Can't get in? Didn't I tell you the methods of psychological adjustment and self-suggestion? At the very least, the data terminal can help guide you."

"It's not the problem. I have insomnia."

Raven 12345: "... Holy crap! Can you be more reliable?"

Hao Ren really didn't want to be evaluated like this by a crazy woman, but reality forced him to explain the cause and effect with a dry laugh. After listening, Raven 12345 was speechless for a long time, finally blurting out: "What kind of people are around you… What kind of people did I find?"

"Then like this…"

"Don't worry, I'll think of a way," Raven 12345 said with great momentum. Hao Ren was immediately invigorated, thinking that this crazy woman was finally willing to use her goddess power to do something serious. But the second half of her sentence was like this: "I'll sing you a lullaby…"

Hao Ren couldn't remember what happened after that no matter what. He only remembered that the moment Raven 12345 opened her mouth, his vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in a vast grassland.

Two moons, one large and one small, hung in the sky. The grassland under the night was breezy, and above him were glorious and unfamiliar stars. All around him were the scenes he had only seen once before. Hao Ren realized that he had successfully entered the Dream Plane, and… he had appeared in the same place as last time.

A faint wolf howl came from somewhere unknown.

"Damn it!" Hao Ren was immediately shocked. "This can't be a two-part dream, can it?! Continuing the plot from last time?"