Chapter 411: Mission Complete, Leaving

Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Mission Complete, Leaving

"Is... Is it over?" Ironhide still couldn’t quite believe it, looking around the ravaged but no longer hostile banquet hall.

"I think... I think it’s really over."

Clayton Quinn nodded, his voice, usually so quiet, carrying a hint of relief.

"So our mission... we passed, right?"

Joy Hughes asked softly. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were much brighter.

As if in answer to their question.

At almost the same instant, the familiar, cold, mechanical system notification sounded in everyone’s minds:

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, on completing Main Quest Two: Protect the Sweet Dream! You have successfully protected the Peach Kingdom Princess’s grand banquet from the assault of the nightmare forces.]

[Mission contribution is being assessed... Assessment complete. Calculating rewards based on Player’s performance in battle...]

[Ding! Congratulations, Player, on receiving the mission reward: Wish Treasure Box x1.]

[Ding! Detected that Player has completed all main quests in the current instance, ’Divine Kingdom of Sweet Dreams.’ Conditions for leaving the instance have been met.]

[Do you wish to leave the ’Divine Kingdom of Sweet Dreams’ instance and return to the real world immediately?]

[Yes/No]

The mission was complete!

The rewards were in hand!

They could finally leave!

Joyous expressions appeared on the faces of Ironhide and the others. They couldn’t wait to select "Yes."

To return to that cruel, yet real, world.

Seraphina Sullivan, however, didn’t make her choice right away.

She looked at the being who called themself Eureka, the divine incarnation of sweet dreams and fantasy, trying to discern more from their mischievous, smiling face.

"Why did you do this?" Seraphina Sullivan looked them straight in the eye, voicing her most central question.

Aside from the mission itself, Seraphina Sullivan always felt that this whole Peach Kingdom business was like a children’s game of make-believe.

But she had heard the black-haired Eureka say that they had already destroyed thousands of existences just like the Peach Kingdom.

So Seraphina Sullivan knew there was definitely something more to this.

Eureka blinked, their smile widening, full of a childlike cunning.

"It’s a secret! You’re always trying to get to the bottom of things. You have no appreciation for the romance of dreams or the beauty of fantasy. You’re no fun at all~"

They floated a little closer, lowering their voice.

Their tone took on a rare seriousness. "But... seeing as you really did help, stopping those annoying ’Nightmare Minions’ and keeping them from running wild on my turf, you can rest assured. The mission’s over, so go ahead and take your reward."

Eureka waved their little hand.

They added, "Oh, right, here’s a free tip for you. The [Desire Candy] is best used at night. Eat it when the starlight or moonlight is brightest, then make a sincere wish. If you do that... the probability of your wish coming true might go up just a tiny little bit, you know?

After all, nighttime is the best time for dreams and for wondrous things to come true~"

Seraphina Sullivan wanted to press for more answers.

Besides the God of Cuisine, this was the second divine being she could communicate with so calmly.

Of course, Seraphina Sullivan wanted to ask more about this apocalyptic Disaster Game.

Especially about the various divine beings and instances.

But Eureka clearly had no intention of giving her another chance.

"Alright, alright, question time is over!

Time to return to reality, with your ’sweet dream’ of a reward~"

The moment they finished speaking, Seraphina Sullivan felt a gentle yet irresistible Power envelop her consciousness.

The magnificent dreamscape before her eyes began to fade and blur. Eureka’s small figure grew faint, leaving behind only the afterimage of a cunning smile.

"Wait! I haven’t—"

Her consciousness was forcibly yanked away, like shooting up to the surface from deep water!

Her mind jolted, and the intense sensation of returning made her snap her eyes open in the real world!

"I wasn’t done asking my questions!"

The lingering thought made Seraphina Sullivan subconsciously try to sit up.

Her body tensed in an instant, nearly launching her upright!

"THUD!"

A dull thud echoed.

Thankfully, she reacted quickly enough to slam on the brakes just an instant before her head would have collided with the RV’s low ceiling.

She only bumped her forehead lightly.

Only then did Seraphina Sullivan become fully awake.

She realized she had returned from the "Divine Kingdom of Sweet Dreams" and was now lying on the bed in her RV.

’Whew... I forgot. It was my spiritual form that went to the Divine Kingdom of Sweet Dreams; my body was still in its sleeping position...’

Seraphina Sullivan rubbed her slightly throbbing forehead and let out a long sigh.

This "journey through sweet dreams" hadn’t been long, but the mental toll was significant.

The battle with the Nightmare Minions, the conversation with the God of Sweet Dreams, and processing all that information left her feeling a profound exhaustion that far surpassed physical weariness.

’I should get some sleep first and recover my mental energy. Everything else... can wait until tomorrow.’

Seraphina Sullivan lay back down, regulated her breathing, and forced herself to relax. She soon sank into a deep, truly dreamless sleep, restoring her drained spirit.

...

The next morning, Seraphina Sullivan wasn’t woken naturally. Instead, she was roused by the sounds of coughing and groaning from outside the RV, more frequent and severe than the day before.

She opened her eyes, rubbing her still-sore temples as she listened carefully.

"...COUGH COUGH COUGH! Mom, drink some water..."

"Medicine... is there any medicine left? Lowe’s fever has gotten worse..."

"We can’t go on like this. With so many people falling ill, even traveling is becoming a problem..."

"Officer Moore said the Central Base is operational again, but their medical resources are stretched thin, too. They can only offer limited remote guidance and airdrop coordinates for some medicine. We have to send our own people to retrieve it, and it’s not close..."

The fragmented conversations and worried sighs filtered through the RV’s not-quite-soundproof walls.

The atmosphere in the entire camp was clearly heavier and more somber than it had been the day before.

Seraphina Sullivan got up quickly, washed her face, and pushed open the door of the RV.

The scene before her confirmed what she had heard.

Throughout the camp, many people had sickly expressions, either sitting or lying down. The sound of coughing was incessant.

There were clearly not enough people to care for the sick, and their faces were etched with anxiety and fatigue.

Bubbling over the campfires were not just pots of food, but also some herbal concoctions. The air was thick with a mixture of smells, and the remedies were clearly having little effect.

"More and more people are getting sick..." Seraphina Sullivan murmured to herself, her brows knitted in a tight frown.

"Yeah, who knows when we’ll be able to solve these problems."

A passing Player heard her and couldn’t help but chime in, shaking his head with a sigh.

Without further delay, Seraphina Sullivan returned to her RV and took out two [Healing Blood Grape Seeds] from a Jade Box in her collection.

The seeds were warm and smooth in her hand, crystalline and blood-red, suffused with pure life and Healing Energy.

She clenched her fist around the seeds and stepped out of the RV again. Her gaze swept over the camp and quickly locked onto Justin Brooks, who was busy at a temporary communications post.

Justin Brooks was currently with Forrest Sterling.