"Mr. Lu Li?"

The panicked Anna looked around and saw Lu Li retreating toward the shore behind her.

"The waves are coming up." Lu Li said.

Anna looked down, the white-capped sea water flooding her ankles.

"Wait for me!"

Anna didn't forget to pick up the fallen conch and returned to Lu Li's side.

The vast bay made Anna immerse…and also disappointed. She couldn't feel the sea breeze, nor smell the ocean aroma.

"Let's go back."

Lu Li could feel Anna's disappointment.

On the way back to the street along the beach, Lu Li suddenly said calmly, "You can possess a body."

"N-no, I won't…"

Anna was tempted, then quickly shook her head. Not only because she was kind, but also because she couldn't bear the strangeness and rejection of possessing someone else.

"Use my body."

"Ah? But… but I've heard being possessed by a ghost can make you sick." Anna hesitated, thinking of her own dream.

"It's okay."

Because everything is just a dream.

Lu Li stopped at the steps below the street, with the hopeful and anxious Anna beside him.

No one would disturb them here, no one would notice, the nearest pedestrian was hundreds of meters away at the coast.

"So… shall I come in?"

"Yes."

"It might hurt… shout out if you're uncomfortable, okay?"

"Okay."

"Uh… I can't, from the front I'll… feel shy… can I go from the back?"

"Yes."

A cold sensation enveloped the body, slowly spreading from the spine, causing numbness wherever it passed.

Lu Li maintained his composure, preventing himself from leaving the dream.

The icy chill spread throughout his body, and Lu Li lost all sensation.

"I can smell the seawater!"

Then, he heard his own excited voice shout, and saw two hands at the bottom of his vision repeatedly clench and unclench.

In a moment of novelty, Anna couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Lu Li, do you feel okay?"

Of course, there was no response.

Not getting a reply, Anna somewhat panicked and wanted to float away from the body. Thus, forgetting she was still possessing Lu Li, she made his body topple forward, the jagged steps quickly filling her vision—

Darkness lasted only a moment before Lu Li awoke in the Emerald Dream.

No matter how long the dream lasted, only a blink of an eye passed outside.

"Any progress?"

Lu Li's dark eyes contracted as if guessing the question from Silver Cross·Sloan upon his return.

"...Very little."

The "lighthouse" remained unchanged; the only "Dreamwalker" ability usable in the Emerald Dream showed no signs of change.

Lu Li gently touched his forehead; there were no injuries, only lingering pain that seemed to carry from dream to reality.

And now, they faced another difficulty: they had run out of the Emerald Dream potion.

Lu Li summoned Merchant Anthony to purchase more Emerald Dream.

"Wait." Mildred Hampri tore off a neck rope and handed a claw piece to Merchant Anthony: "Go to the Alchemists' Association in the old sewers, show them the claw piece, and it should be enough to exchange for two bottles of Emerald Dream."

The acquisition required time, but Mildred Hampri's contribution saved a lot of time. Soon enough, Merchant Anthony returned with two bottles of Emerald Dream from the Alchemists' Association.

"No need to thank me, nothing is worth more than living, if you truly wish to show gratitude, become a master."

Even though the duration of the Emerald Dream was a mere instant in reality, they still retreated to the swampy cabin.

Lu Li drank the Emerald Dream, appearing for the third time at Belfast's psychological clinic.

"You are—"

The exclamation of the perplexed psychologist echoed down the empty corridor.

Lu Li returned to the street and headed to the familiar location to take a rented carriage.

Da Vinci Street, No. 23.

With half an hour remaining before closure, Madam Anne's Art Gallery welcomed its last, and perhaps its first, visitor of the day.

"You're just in time, the gallery still has uh… sir… sir?"

Benjamin jogged to follow Lu Li deeper into the gallery, stopping before the oil painting titled "Madam Anne's Daughter."

A shilling was stuffed into Benjamin's hands; in his daze, the dark-haired man stepped across the barrier and removed the painting from the wall.

"The paintings here are not for sale—uh, just this once."

From that single shilling, Benjamin saw several bills worth 100, prompting a quick change of heart.

Lu Li remained silent, and as quickly as he arrived, he left, with a complicated gaze from Benjamin as Lu Li departed by rental carriage.

Clip clop, clip clop—

A dozen minutes later, the crisp sound of hooves stopped outside Hades' Detective Agency.

The oil painting was left temporarily in the carriage; with a clear jingling of the doorbell, Lu Li entered the Detective Agency.

"I am an Exorcist, in need of a Spirit-Calling Gun, and 10 silver-plated bullets."

"Of course, my friend. Hades' Detective Agency is the best support for fellow Exorcists." Hades opened his arms, flashing teeth gleaming gold: "Friendship price, how about 500 shillings? I'll even throw in 11 silver-plated bullets."

"Merchant quotes only 300 shillings." Lu Li exposed Hades' "friendship price."

"For the sake of everlasting friendship."

Hades accepted Lu Li's haggling, pulling out a holster-wrapped Spirit-Calling Gun from beneath the counter and pouring out bullets with a cool glow.

Lu Li placed his last hundred-odd shillings on the counter, reaching for the Spirit-Calling Gun.

"147 shillings? You're more than half short."

Hades scanned the pile of shillings, slamming his hand on the Spirit-Calling Gun, narrowing his eyes dangerously: "This isn't enough, friend. You know the price of a Spirit-Calling Gun."

"This is all I have." Lu Li said calmly.

"300 shillings, not a penny less." Hades maintained his last bit of courtesy as his hand began retracting the Spirit-Calling Gun.

…

Click—

A few minutes later, Lu Li loaded a silver-plated bullet into the chamber, holstered the gun.

Not looking at Hades, Lu Li silently turned and left the Detective Agency.

From behind him, the muffled struggles and shouts of Hades tied to a pillar rang out.

"You bastard! No one cheats Hades! No one!!!"

Bam—ding-ling-ling—

The wooden door closed, cutting off Hades' shouts.

Returning to the carriage, confirming Anna's painting was still inside, Lu Li grabbed the reins and headed back to the Sailor District.

Detective Agency.

The sky outside the window was shrouded in a dim fog as night approached.

The dim oil lamp dispelled the gloom in the living room, time moving forward, Lu Li waited for Anna to awaken, immersing in the Dreamwalker's faint light mass.

Sudden hurried footsteps abruptly disturbed the tranquil atmosphere of the Long House, echoing from the hallway.

At this moment, an elegant and beautiful girl emerged from the painting, curious: "Are you the one who bought—"

Bang bang bang—

Rough knocks echoed on the Detective Agency door.

The neighbors were startled and inquired through the wooden door, "Officer, what's going on?"

"Arresting a robber."

"—Who robbed me…?"

Anna blinked.

"No."

Lu Li withdrew his gaze from the wooden door.

The dream was becoming chaotic.

Unclear whether due to his own actions or too much time in the Emerald Dream.

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