Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 497: Settlements near the Wind Wall (Part )

"Guest, here are the keys to your room. There are two keys in total. Please keep them safe." The hotel manager handed two shiny brass keys to Wolfya and instructed:
"Room 0203 is on the third floor. Once you go upstairs, walk to the left until the end. For room 0204, walk to the right after going upstairs until the end.

"You are a member of the military and you are a hurricane-level person. You should know that in general, the first floor of a hotel built by the Federation is used for administrative and management offices, and there are only five floors for living. Therefore, the rooms on the third floor all start with 3. Please don't be surprised by this."

"Of course not." Wolfya nodded slightly and took the key.

"Also, guests," the manager continued:

"I don't know why, but there are a lot more guests coming and going than before. Even our federal official hotel has received a lot of telegram reservations. You are lucky. If it's another three or five days, you might have to sleep on the streets.

"By the way, based on the principle of responsibility, I would like to remind you separately that in addition to federal soldiers, people with special abilities and businessmen, there are also some lost people with special abilities living here. If you feel any discomfort while living here, or if you notice any difference in hearing, taste, touch and vision from usual, please come to the front desk immediately and we will find someone to help you solve the problem.

"Of course, if you are strong enough, please ignore this reminder. However, if you need to fight with other guests, please go to the central square of Athenasha Town. Otherwise, according to federal law, you will be sent to a military court."

"Thanks for the reminder. However, if no one provokes me, I believe we will not have a conflict with anyone. After all, fists are weapons used to uphold justice, not tools to show off strength."

Carrying luggage and backpacks, Wolfya, Dak, Talia and "Future" walked up the marble stairs to the second floor. After a brief conversation, Talia chose to carry "Future" to the room 0204 on the far right, while Wolfya and Dak walked to the room 0201 on the far left without looking back.

The rooms inside the hotel in the "Bersluna Region" settlement are different from those in large cities such as Binglin City, Mayan City, and Konigler. Although the first floor and the exterior are magnificent, demonstrating the confidence of the Federation, the layout and furnishings in the room are generally simple.

This contrast gives people a feeling of being all show and no substance.

I don't know if it's because the remoteness leads to insufficient electricity construction, or because the supply of raw materials for power generation is limited, but on the wall of the hotel room there is only a gas lamp connected to a winding metal pipe with a lot of dirt on the surface, and two simple lanterns with candles covered with glass.

However, Wolfya and Dak were not of noble birth, and Cruz's [warriors] generally did not have those extravagant and enjoyable habits. Dak and Wolfya simply packed their luggage, took out some daily necessities, and changed their clothes that already smelled a bit bad.

After taking a shower, Dak, who hadn't had a good rest for many days and was in a state of tension and fatigue, was finally "defeated" by sleepiness. He dragged his heavy steps to Bai Jie's big bed and fell asleep.

……

"Up and down, left and right, time, space."

"Up and down, left and right, time, space."

In a daze, Dak was awakened by a mechanical sound. He opened his eyes and stretched long enough, then he realized that he seemed to have slept for a long time and the room was already pitch black as if night had come.

Looking around, apart from the scarlet moon hanging high in the sky outside the window, emitting an unsettling glow and half hidden among the clouds, there was only the simple lantern on the table that had been lit, emitting a flickering candlelight.

After getting dressed and stepping off the boat, Dak noticed something strange. The floor was no longer made of cold tiles, but instead was made of warm wood. Everything around him had also been completely replaced. The gas lamps on the wall had turned into old lanterns, emitting a faint red light that could not illuminate the surroundings.

The glass coffee table turned into a square mahogany table that exuded the smell of death, decay, dampness, and coldness. The uncapped pen and ink bottle that were originally placed on it turned into a brush stained with cinnabar and an upside-down inkstone.

The wardrobe was replaced with a six-layer bookshelf, on which were scattered books written in the language of the Flame Empire. Even the windows were replaced with pure wooden ones, with carvings of golden birds with spread wings and giant snakes with terrifying horns flying in the sky.

Woo——!
Woo——!
A vague whistle was heard in the distance, which sounded very much like the irritating sound made by a weak sailor using the last bit of strength in his throat.

"Where is this?" Dak suddenly tensed up, and the slight drowsiness that had just remained was instantly "extinguished" by the cold sweat on his forehead. It was as if a piece of ice that had never melted was stuck on his back, and he instantly became completely awake. Fortunately, panic was not Dak's usual style. As a veteran federal soldier and a Cruzard [Warrior] with rich experience, Dak calmed down instantly, and his mind echoed Wolfya's warning to him in the "thick fog area".

"Well... everything around me is indeed a little weird. No, it's very weird. It's completely different. If I want to verify whether my brain has been invaded by 'Sorrow' and my mind and cognition are disordered, I should find a familiar object to see if it is different from usual. The object... is different... Oh, 'Silent Wolf Fang'."

The first thing Dak thought of was his personal belongings. Without hesitation, he reached his hand into his neck. The moment he grasped the "Silent Wolf Fang" in his hand, Dak felt a little calmer.

"Huh, this 'Silent Wolf Fang' does resonate with the water-based magic power in my body. The colder my palms are, the warmer it gets, until it becomes scalding hot. When I hold it and look at the moon, I do feel a little restless and uneasy, my whole body gets slightly hot, and I have an urge to fight." Dak muttered to himself:
"But why did the hotel room become like this? I remember it very clearly. It was a hotel built in the federal style. There was no way such a space could exist. These tables and chairs, wooden floors, and windows... The windows covered with a layer of paper instead of glass are obviously in the style of Khitanris.

"But this style cannot appear in the Extreme Cold Zone except in the Ice Province and some areas in the Far East. Could it be that... I have traveled through time?"

Dak was instantly amused by his own thoughts. After shaking his head and laughing bitterly a few times, he continued to stimulate the rational part of his brain to analyze:
“In the time-travel novels written by Putoya people, they do imagine that they wake up in the room of a Khitan Reis person, and then have superior talents and a powerful family, which allows them to study ancient oriental secret arts, handsome and elegant martial arts, and wonderful and mysterious oriental magic, and then marry a dignified and generous Khitan Reis lady and reach the pinnacle of life.

"But it's just an illusion after all. If I'm not mentally disturbed and my perception of the things around me is not distorted, then it means that I've entered a dream created by someone. Yes, it's a dream."

Thinking of this, Dak quickly reached for his waist where he placed his pistol. As he expected, there was no technological gadget produced after the Steam Age there. Instead, there was a dagger.

"Dagger?" Dak held it in front of him and looked at it carefully. He found that the sheath of the dagger was made of warm-toned brass, and it was engraved with a woman wearing a "flame dress" who was worshipped by the people of the Flame Empire. At this moment, she was dancing, preparing to receive the verdict of the gods symbolizing the sun and the moon.

He took off the condom and pulled out the dagger that was shining with a cold light. In order to thoroughly verify his guess, Dak actually held it in his hand, suppressed his trembling, and stabbed it directly into his heart.

puff!
There was a dull sound as if a fist hit fabric, but Dak did not feel any pain at all. At this moment, the dagger turned into a pool of sparks emitting faint light like fireflies and scattered around. At the same time, it disappeared in an instant, and the small door of the room was opened by an invisible force.

Picking up the simple lantern and using the tiny light, Dak bravely walked into the long corridor that came into view.

Before he could take a few steps forward, the small door behind him suddenly closed, leaving only a cold breeze.

Immediately afterwards, a lot of black and white mist rushed out of the corridor, invading his body like ribbons. Countless chaotic lights appeared under the corridor floor, as if they were born in a distant place called hell.

A three-dimensional laugh, with a hint of pride, belonging to a mature man, also emerged in his ears at the same time.

A few seconds later, a creature wearing a purple patterned robe appeared not far in front of Dak, with tentacles that kept extending out from its sleeves, shoe openings and back, shaking, twisting and trembling...

"Who are you?" Dark asked. He placed the simple lantern on the ground and began to silently recite the spell for gathering spirits, trying to mobilize the magic power in his body.

"I am... a Dreamer who once wandered aimlessly on the road of darkness, but not long ago I received the blessing of the 'King' and the 'Lord' and became a Lost One who has been promoted to a 'Prophet'. Of course, if you are not asking about my profession but my identity and position, then I will tell you that I am one of the leaders of the 'Spear of Odyssey' and you can call me 'Muyuan'."

"'Muyuan'? I don't like to describe others by titles, and I won't always stand on your side to understand you Lost Ones. I want to know your name and why you pulled me into such a dream." Dak said, staring at the Lost One in front of him.

But the Lost One in front of him did not answer Dak immediately, but silently took off the hoodie sewn together with the robe.

Then, all of his tentacles shot upward from all parts of his body and a dark mist of energy condensed at the tips of their tips.

After a few seconds, the mists bloomed and exploded like flower buds, revealing ugly hearts that were suspended in the air by the power of magic.