Olivia Melianne's eyes gradually widened. In her amber pupils, the reflection of a sprawling amusement park appeared. It was a place filled with magical facilities, all currently operating on their own.
'Is this an illusion?'
Olivia decisively pulled out another Refresher Talisman and used it to rejuvenate her mental state, only to find herself still standing in this bizarre space.
Around her, Ronan, Raymond Zeller, Rocas Buchanan, and Vanessa White were all present, but the Dreamwalker from before was nowhere to be seen.
"An illusion? Or a dream?" Raymond also used a Refresher Talisman, but it had no effect. He couldn't help but ask Ronan for his opinion.
The group turned their gaze toward Ronan. Faced with a situation that defied their understanding, they could only wait for the highest class rank among them to provide a solution.
Ronan’s brow was also furrowed. "It seems like an illusion, but I can't be certain. Sister Olivia, can you craft an Illusion-Breaking Talisman?"
An Illusion-Breaking Talisman was a specialized charm designed to dispel illusions.
Olivia shook her head helplessly. "I can't. That's a relatively high-end talisman; it hasn't appeared in my curriculum yet. Moreover, I know that such a talisman cannot be made with just a spiritual pen and spiritual paper alone. It requires other spiritual materials as supplements."
Even if she were to ask the magic mirror for the corresponding Sylvan Runes and the production method, it would be useless. The magic mirror could not directly provide spiritual materials.
Ronan hadn't held much hope to begin with, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.
He lifted his foot and stomped on the ground, then looked around. Everything appeared incredibly real. Yet, the various facilities in the amusement park not far away undermined that sense of reality, adding a touch of the grotesque.
Dreamy Flying Carpets soared through the air, seemingly capable of carrying passengers to enjoy the thrill of high-altitude flight.
A massive dragon head sat upon the earth like a tunnel entrance. A sign at the entrance declared it to be the Dragon's Den Adventure, where one could supposedly encounter legendary dragons.
Not far off was a Fairy Maze, claiming that magical fairies haunted its paths, interacting with visitors and offering hints that were difficult to distinguish as true or false.
There was a carousel that would carry visitors into the clouds, an Abyss Rollercoaster where demons and undead creatures would appear along the tracks, and Bumper Airships that fired intense projectiles controlled by the passengers themselves.
The graffiti on the walls seemed alive, greeting any living creature that passed by.
The weeds in the lawn had grown hands and were dancing and laughing hand-in-hand.
Translucent pink bubbles floated through the sky, frolicking with one another and emitting the sound of children's laughter.
The public benches were floating clouds.
Flying cars, climbing walls, rafting, water slides, performance shows... every facility and scene was filled with magical colors. These were scenes that seemed like they should only exist in a dream, yet they were all presented before them right now.
The expressions of the group turned solemn.
If they were currently in a dream and unable to escape, wouldn't their physical bodies in the real world be in grave danger? The Dreamwalker would only need to make a casual move to make them bid farewell to the world forever.
"It’s also possible that we aren't in a dream, but have entered a strange space with our entire selves," Ronan analyzed.
If their bodies were still in the outside world, the time that had passed would have been enough for the Dreamwalker to harm them. The body was the foundation; if it were being harmed, they shouldn't be feeling nothing at all.
At this moment, as Olivia looked at the various magical sights in the amusement park, she couldn't help but say, "Not long ago, I saw a book called 'Legends of the South District' at the Silman Library on Karen Street. It was a book of transcendent stories. It mentioned a place called Paradise, which was said to be formed by a Dreamwalker continuously stealing beautiful dreams and fusing them together. This Paradise, born from fused dreams, would be open to visitors, allowing them to experience happiness that doesn't exist in reality. I think what we see before us has some similarities to that."
Hearing Olivia's words, the expressions of Vanessa and the others shifted.
"A story from a book has manifested in reality?" Raymond’s expression was grave, feeling that the situation was far from simple.
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "There isn't necessarily a connection between the two. A story is just a story; it won't manifest in reality. Many times, events we see in reality that resemble stories in books are copycat incidents. Someone imitates an existing story in reality to create a similar event, aiming to confuse the public."
"So this is a copycat incident?" Olivia asked.
"Not necessarily. We currently have too little information to make an inference." Ronan shook his head and looked toward the amusement park, his expression growing more serious. "Let's go in and take a look. Perhaps we'll discover something."
Since they were unable to leave their current environment, entering the amusement park to understand the situation was an inevitable choice.
Just as the group began to move, another change suddenly occurred within the park.
In various locations across the amusement park, figures suddenly popped up one after another, scattered about like tourists.
One tourist even appeared not far from Olivia and the others.
"This is..."
This change caused the pupils of everyone present to contract.
Ronan immediately rushed toward the nearest tourist and asked, "Hey, can you talk? What's going on here?"
The tourist he questioned was a pot-bellied, middle-aged man. Hearing the question, he turned around in confusion.
However, as soon as he turned, the man's face changed. He instinctively covered his face and backed away.
"Clergy? Why would there be clergy in Paradise?"
The clothing worn by Ronan and the others was their best proof of identity. Anywhere in the Imperial Capital of Kaliron, the appearance of clergy usually brought a sense of peace of mind.
But now, right before their eyes, the discovery that the people approaching him were clergy terrified this pot-bellied tourist, as if he had seen some kind of monstrous beast.
The man quickly backed away, and after putting some distance between them, he even started running, leaving Ronan and the others staring at each other in bewilderment.
Being shunned as members of the clergy... this was a first-time experience for every one of them.
"Is it an issue with the environment here? Does it cause the clergy to be met with resistance?" Ronan whispered. He then looked at Olivia, who was dressed in everyday clothes. "Olivia, I'll have to trouble you to find someone and find out what's going on."
Olivia nodded. "I'll go give it a try."
She walked toward the amusement park, her mind wandering slightly. That tourist just now called this place 'Paradise,' didn't he?
That was the same name used in 'Legends of the South District.' Was this place really created by someone based on the stories in that book? But what kind of power would be required to create such an alternate dimension?
Just as Olivia stepped into the amusement park, intending to find someone to ask about the situation, another sudden change occurred!
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