I! Cleaner!
Chapter 457 - 395: An Unexpected Expected Event

Chapter 457: Chapter 395: An Unexpected Expected Event

"Soon."

If Leon had asked this question ten minutes ago, the tall, thin man probably wouldn’t have bothered to respond. If he was particularly annoyed, he might even have thrown in a sarcastic quip or two to relieve some stress.

But now he raised his hand to point above, gazing at the Nightmare River pouring into the night, patiently explaining:

"Within the range of the Demonic Soul Abyss, the King of Nightmares cannot truly be killed. It is quite a cautious type among the Evil Gods, generally not leaving the Demonic Soul Abyss to avoid being eradicated by the Bureau.

And the black river of the Nightmare River is, in a sense, an extension of the Demonic Soul Abyss. As long as it doesn’t leave the range of the Nightmare River, it can infinitely resurrect even if killed.

According to past records of the Bureau, once the waters of the Nightmare River completely spread out, providing a sufficiently safe foothold, that’s when he will truly descend."

Waiting for the river to spread out?

After hearing the explanation from the Scorpio Bureau Chief, Leon looked up at the surging waves of the night sky, still not grasping what extent "completely spread out" referred to. Just as he was about to inquire further, he suddenly noticed a slight chill in his hands and feet.

Immediately, large snowflakes began to fall from the pitch-black, starless night sky of the capital, and the river channel not far away inexplicably started to freeze over.

"Watch out, true elites are coming down, and it’s more than one."

Glancing at the dried-up river channel nearby, for some unknown reason, the tall, thin man with dry, cracked lips frowned, then kicked open the box at his feet again, took out a token, and grabbed it in his hand. After pondering with a furrowed brow, he also took out a crown carved with a dog head and carefully placed it on his own head.

"Woof!"

The joyful barking of a dog sounded. As the Scorpio Bureau Chief adjusted the dog-headed crown properly, a large dog with a thistle crown atop its head silently appeared beside Leon.

"This nightmare is different from the previous batch. I might not be able to take care of you all the time later."

After stabbing the throat of a pale doll again and executing hundreds of Dream Realm Creatures, the tall, thin man holding the token advised:

"This dog is an abnormal object called the Thistle-crowned Canine. It can carry part of my will. Remember to stay close to this dog. If I get entangled by the nightmares coming down... Woof... Woof woof!"

Before the Scorpio Bureau Chief’s words could finish, a burst of dry, scorching yellow sand, carried by a hot breeze, sprinkled over him, turning his subsequent words into indistinct barking.

But just two steps away from him, Leon suddenly felt a chill throughout his body, as a wave of biting cold air flowed through his nostrils and straight into his lungs, outlining the positions of his internal organs clearly.

Immediately, the world before his eyes abruptly shifted from the guest area beside the capital’s canal dock to a snow-filled mountain path. Except for glacial valleys all around, only tree branches, battered and broken by wind and snow, remained.

"Woof... If I get entangled, this dog can temporarily protect you. Once I’ve resolved the issue over there, I’ll come to find you."

Finishing the latter half of the Scorpio Bureau Chief’s words, the large dog with a thistle crown on its head looked around before continuing in human speech:

"Be careful. The nightmare targeting you should be based on folklore from the Ice Plains Nation. Those foolish people believe the winter spirits will, during the coldest part of the season, transform into beautiful women with pale skin, enticing travelers into the snowstorm, thus freezing them to death in the deep mountains.

And their deeply held beliefs appear in countless dreams, eventually manifesting as this nightmare... In terms of strength, it’s around 30 Leon Value points, stepping into the threshold of a first-level Cleaner. Stay close to me and don’t wander off, or it might be dangerous."

"Got it."

Rubbing his arms which were breaking out in goosebumps from the cold wind, Leon couldn’t help but lean towards the warm-emitting large dog, then asked:

"Mr. Edward, what’s the situation on your side? What about these nightmares?"

"Woof... My side also has nightmares of roughly the same level, but there are six of them: Green Tide Sea Monster, Forest Face Spirit, Plague Maiden, Blood Cattle Blue, Swamp King Serpent, and Dune Giant Worm.

These six monsters seem to have been strengthened by the King of Nightmares, designed specifically to keep me occupied. They avoid direct confrontation with me, instead spreading their respective nightmares across deserts, oceans, swamps, and forests, constantly running."

After recounting his encounter, the large dog scratched its chin with a hind leg, then continued sniffing Leon’s scent while advising:

"The six nightmares on my side are a bit troublesome. I’m not sure how the King of Nightmares handled it—maybe fed them a lot of True God flesh, rendering them somewhat divine and a bit hard to kill.

Hold on a little longer. Once I find them all and take them down, I’ll break open the dream they are maintaining and come to get you... Damn it! Why does this worm run so fast?"

"..."

If I guessed correctly, I shouldn’t count on him getting it done...

But it doesn’t matter. With my luck, thinking I could easily get through without a scratch by following him was never plausible. I didn’t initially count on him being reliable anyway.

After watching it suddenly leave mid-speech to scratch against a dead tree and lift its leg to start urinating, Leon couldn’t help but sigh helplessly, then waited by its side for it to finish peeing while observing the valley before him.

According to known information, this snow-filled valley is the nightmare realm supported by the Snow Woman’s own power, in other words, he has been forcibly dragged into her dream.

However, although the Snow Woman is the master of this dream, she is still a nightmare born of folklore, so she cannot act as she pleases like turning into an Ultraman or a Saiyan, but must adhere to certain rules, closely aligning with her own legendary tale.

According to folklore from the Ice Plains Nation, she does not directly attack travelers but conjures fierce snowstorms, using the cold to oppress the traveler’s will, later employing deceptive tactics to coax them into stepping into the storm and freezing them completely.

As long as I can remember this and quietly stay in a hollow or someplace, avoiding stupidly walking directly into the snowstorm, it’s unlikely I’ll encounter lethal danger, especially with the Scorpio Bureau Chief’s dog around...

Um... speaking of the dog, where did it go? Is it still not done peeing?

And why am I bringing a dog into the mountains in a snowstorm? Isn’t staying warm and cozy at home better? Could it be... am I a hunter? Oh right, what’s my name again?