Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 522 - Chapter 522 Chapter 523 Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 522: Chapter 523: Unexpected Encounter Chapter 522: Chapter 523: Unexpected Encounter Heidi admitted that she had encountered countless thorny situations in her many years of a medical career–but none were as awkward as this one.

However, just as she was about to cringe herself into leaving fingerprints on the golden awl in her hand, Taran El suddenly burst into laughter.

“Even so, I still believe what you say is true,”

Heidi immediately showed a somewhat surprised expression.

“The ‘golden awl’ you’re using has a very unique insignia on it,” Taran El said with a smile, pointing to the “weapon” and “medical tool” in Heidi’s hand. “Even in this Dreamscape, you have accurately reproduced that insignia, which shows that it is of great importance to you–Miss Heidi, you are an outstanding graduate of the Academy of Truth. This kind of insignia is limited to ten spots per year, only bestowed upon the most exceptional young apprentices and engraved on an item of their choosing.”

Heidi paused for a moment, following the direction pointed out by Taran El’s finger, she looked at the end of the handle of the golden awl–there, an “Eye of Wisdom” insignia surrounded by light spots was etched at that exact spot.

Ordinary people could easily confuse this insignia with the common symbols of the god of wisdom, but only those who truly understand the various insignias of the Academy of Truth could discern the differences between this insignia and the ordinary “Eye of Wisdom.”

It was not until this moment that a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Heidi’s mind. She stared intently at the Elf scholar who claimed to be “Taran El” in front of her, and some vague impressions in her mind finally began to piece together:

Member of the Academy of Truth, member of the Elves, the ancient surname “Aer,” capable of observing the sun’s surface during the extinguishing of anomaly 001…

“Taran El… wait, are you the ‘Taran El’ from Light Breeze Harbor?!” Heidi’s eyes widened, “The master who researched the frontier and hidden knowledge…”

“I wouldn’t call myself a master, just a busy researcher,” Taran El said with a smile, waving his hand. Although he spoke modestly, the moment of being recognized clearly delighted him. But then he seemed a little puzzled, “You’ve heard of me? That’s quite unusual… I don’t really show my face much. While I may have some fame, it’s mostly within Light Breeze Harbor and the Elf community. How come an outsider human like you knows of me?”

“My father mentioned you,” Heidi said immediately. “I’ve heard about you since I was little!”

“Your father?” Taran El frowned.

“His name is Morris,” Heidi said with a hint of pride, “Morris Underwood. He studied at the headquarters of the Academy of Truth when he was young and also went on a scholarly visit to Light Breeze Harbor…”

Upon hearing that name, Taran El felt a sense of familiarity, and after listening to Heidi, he recalled at once: “Ah! That young man! I remember him, he was a young man with astonishing talent… You’re his daughter?!”

The Elf scholar exclaimed in amazement, looking Heidi up and down several times, unable to help but marvel. “He married and had a daughter quite early…”

Heidi’s face suddenly turned a bit strange, hesitating before she spoke: “…my father was nearly forty years old when I was born, which is considered very late…”

“Four…” Taran El opened his mouth, then slapped his forehead, “Oh, sorry, I forgot, it should be by human standards, sorry, I can be careless like this sometimes.”

Heidi could only smile awkwardly, noticing that this Elf scholar, whom her father had spoken highly of, could indeed be incredibly obtuse at times…

Taran El then quieted down for a moment before he couldn’t help asking eagerly, “How did your father mention me?”

Heidi unconsciously blurted out: “He said it’s awe-inspiring that you, as an Elf, could rely on a strong work ethic to suffer from cervical spondylosis and periarthritis of the shoulder…”

Taran El: “…”

Heidi: “…”

“No need to apologize,” the Elf scholar waved his hand, cutting off the spiritual healer who had just turned red with embarrassment, clearly already immune to such comments. “We’ve chatted enough, Miss Heidi; now it’s time to use your professional expertise to figure out how to get me out of this Dreamscape.”

This transition in topic immediately dissolved Heidi’s embarrassment, and she hurriedly gathered her composure and emotions, beginning to ponder how to unravel the Dreamscape.

But just as she started to recall the “professional knowledge” she possessed, Taran El spoke up beside her: “I must warn you first, Miss Heidi–I have already tried the Falling Method, Suffocation Method, Inquisition Method, and Reverse Hypnosis, to no avail. None of these methods can wake me from here, they only make me more and more lucid in this Dreamscape.”

Upon hearing this, Heidi was taken aback, her expression immediately changing slightly: “More and more lucid within the Dreamscape?!”

“Indeed, one of the most dangerous situations among the various perils encountered after being ‘trapped in a dream,'” Taran El spread his hands, “becoming more and more aware in the Dreamscape that you are in a dream, while unable to wake up, indicates that my rationality is gradually being assimilated by the underlying logic of the dream–from my subconscious, I no longer think it’s necessary for me to wake. In fact… my subconscious now believes I am already awake.”

“Have you tried praying to Rahm?”

“What do you think?” Taran El replied with a wry smile.

“…You’ve become so lucid in this Dreamscape that you can even receive Rahm’s protection…” Heidi’s tone grew increasingly somber, “So, in fact, you’ve already awakened, but the terrifying thing is that you are ‘awake within the dream’… Traditional guidance methods probably won’t work.”

“How about… you try poking me with that awl again?” Taran El gestured towards the golden awl in Heidi’s hand, “Give my subconscious the implication of a near-death experience. I’ll see if I can use the ‘Sudden Death Method’ to return to the real world.”

Heidi paused for a moment, then quickly shook her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

No sooner had she spoken than a strange, somewhat languid female voice suddenly came out of nowhere, “I don’t think it’s a good idea either, young lady.”

Heidi was startled by this voice, instantly tightened her grip on the golden awl in her hand, and looked towards the direction of the sound. The next second, a flurry of colorful paper pieces suddenly obscured her vision–swirling colors like snowflakes, falling from the sky, and an elegant lady with an aura of mystery emerged from the cascade of colors.

As Heidi’s alertness spiked and she struck a defensive pose, the mysterious lady who had appeared didn’t even glance her way but instead walked straight up to Taran El: “Seriously, Master El, forget about your ‘Sudden Death Method’. With your current health level, if this spiritual doctor jabbed you with the awl, you’d indeed drop dead in the real world.”

“Ah, Lady Lucricia!” Taran El’s face brightened at the sight of the newcomer, “You’re here to help–well, it seems my apprentices didn’t seek a spiritual doctor but found an even more powerful ally. They have summoned the Sea Witch…”

Lucricia waved her hand, “I’m the one who rejected the spiritual doctor your apprentices brought to me. They can’t help you–you’re now in my laboratory.”

Heidi watched this scene in stunned silence, first realizing that Taran El knew this suddenly-appeared mysterious lady, which surprised her. But then, she noticed the lady’s name.

Lucricia.

There might be more than one person named Lucricia in the world, but there was only one known as the “Sea Witch”!

In a moment of profound shock, Heidi not only felt a wave of nervousness and defensiveness but also realized she had to say something. The words reached her lips, but she stammered, “You… you are…”

“Don’t be nervous, Miss. ‘Witches’ don’t eat people,” Lucricia smiled, finding the reaction of the young human maiden before her quite amusing, “How interesting. I didn’t expect to find a ‘guest’ in Master Taran El’s dream. For a ‘predicament’, this place is a bit too busy.”

She spoke with a gentle smile. Gradually, however, the warmth of her smile started to fade, her eyes still brimming with amusement, but a cold, indifferent scrutiny began to surface.

“What’s your name, stranger?”

Heidi hadn’t even noticed the change in temperature of Lucricia’s smile.

Yet, at that moment, her mind suddenly went on high alert–an instinct rooted in her spiritual talent, “Intuition”, tensed her up sharply!

The “witch” before her was analyzing her soul and mind; she was treating her as a “contaminant” within the dream!

The second Heidi realized this terrifying fact, she tried to fortify her mental defenses. However, she found herself cut off from all Transcendent powers, even the golden awl in her hand, which had always been closely connected to her, seemed to become an unrelated object. She could only desperately stabilize her consciousness amidst immense unease and tension, and, while struggling to think, she spoke difficulty, “My name is Heidi, a spiritual doctor–I entered Mr. Taran El’s Dreamscape by mistake. The intruder is someone else, and some of them have already been resolved by Mr. Taran El himself…”

The pressure that had triggered her spiritual talent’s frantic alarms suddenly disappeared.

Heidi instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but in her relaxation, she also felt lost–

She hadn’t finished speaking.

Confused, she looked up. At some point, the amethyst pendant hanging at her chest began to warm again. She pressed her hand against the pendant while looking questioningly at the “witch” opposite her.

But Lucricia just furrowed her brows, “Are you a follower of my father?”

(Today, I’ve had another bold idea.)