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After leaving Luke\'s workshop, Luca decided to head to the Mages\' Association to take on some tasks.

With his talent and abilities, once he reached level 30, he could start crafting high-tier magic runes.

Like other professions, high-tier magic runes for Demonic Rune Mages represented a qualitative leap in power.

If he could successfully craft them, his strength would skyrocket.

However, high-tier materials were always scarce and expensive, requiring a significant amount of gold to acquire.

And the meager amount of gold he had wouldn\'t last long.

Not to mention, Donald also needed a large sum to purchase weapons.

In simple terms, Luca was desperately short of money, and he needed to figure out ways to make more.

As he was contemplating this, a carriage came to a stop in front of him.

"Where would you like to go, sir?" The coachman in front of the carriage wore a bowler hat, obscuring his features, and his voice sounded hoarse.

Luca didn\'t sense anything amiss and asked, "How much to go to the Mages\' Association?"

"Three copper coins," the coachman replied.

Luca nodded without haggling, stepped forward, and prepared to board the carriage.

Just as he was about to enter the carriage—

The coachman slightly lifted his head, revealing a plain and unremarkable face.

But those eyes... They were cold and sinister.

In the next instant, a sharp dagger sliced through the air, aiming ruthlessly at Luca\'s back!

The coachman\'s timing was impeccable, and with such a close distance, there was no way for Luca to dodge. This was a sure-kill strike!

But just as the dagger was about to pierce Luca\'s body, something that shocked the coachman occurred.

"Whoosh!"

A silver flash streaked by, and Luca\'s figure suddenly vanished into thin air.

The coachman\'s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tried to retreat.

"Splurt!"

Blood sprayed everywhere, splashing onto the carriage!

A segment of a black spear pierced through the coachman\'s chest, its sharp tip dripping with fresh blood.

The coachman\'s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at his chest.

He couldn\'t understand where he had gone wrong, what flaw had betrayed him.

Standing behind him, Luca, with a calm expression, pulled out the spear and said indifferently, "The fare in the Outer District isn\'t the same as in the Inner District. Pay attention to that in your next life."

Blood gushed out as the coachman collapsed to the ground, a pool of crimson spreading from his mouth. His eyes were filled with unwillingness.

The coachman could never have imagined that such a small flaw would cost him his life.

After the coachman breathed his last, Luca searched his body.

All he found was a silver badge of the Assassin\'s Guild—nothing of value or any useful clues.

Luca had expected this. He had been an assassin in his past life and knew that professional killers never carried anything that would lead back to their employers.

"Who could it be?" Luca muttered softly to himself.

The number of people he had offended wasn\'t large, and even fewer had the means to hire an assassin.

If he asked Tia to investigate, it should be easy to narrow down the list.

With this in mind, Luca headed towards a secluded alley in the Outer District, planning to visit one of The Nightmare Cult\'s contact points.

His principle had always been simple: Do not offend me, and I won\'t offend you.

Now that someone had sent an assassin after him, there was no way Luca would let it slide as if nothing had happened.

After Luca left, Luke, still holding a cigarette in his mouth, walked out of his shop and looked at the assassin\'s corpse lying on the ground.

Clicking his tongue in amazement, he remarked, "That kid\'s got some skills, huh? Took down a Silver Assassin."

The rank of "Silver Assassin" within the Assassin\'s Guild was roughly equivalent to that of a mid-tier professional.

Luke had sensed the assassin\'s attack the moment it happened, but by the time he came out, only the assassin\'s corpse remained.

It could be deduced that Luca had completed the counterattack in an instant.

Luke shook his head. This kid, despite looking so young, possessed such formidable strength. It seemed Old Carl had truly backed the right horse this time...

…

In a desolate corner of the Outer District stood an abandoned church.

The church had been in ruins for a long time, with crumbling walls and shattered windows—conditions that would have typically turned it into a haven for vagrants.

But surprisingly, the inside of the church was meticulously cleaned, and there were quite a few devout followers praying within.

Most of them were dressed in tattered clothing, their faces sallow and emaciated. A few looked like ordinary people, as the wealthy in the Inner District had their own grand churches.

At the front pulpit, an elderly priest with graying hair held a Bible, recounting the myth of the Dawn Goddess "Sylvia," who, in order to seek forgiveness from the gods for humanity, sacrificed her divine body and transformed into a cluster of stars to illuminate mankind in the darkness.

The church was quiet, with only the murmurs of prayer echoing throughout.

Luca casually found an empty seat, closed his eyes, and waited patiently.

Before long, the prayers inside the church gradually faded.

"Master." A woman\'s voice whispered softly in Luca\'s ear.

Simultaneously, a scent of herbs mixed with roses wafted into his nostrils.

Luca opened his eyes and saw Tia and Mira kneeling respectfully before him.

The formerly devout worshippers in the church had, at some point, revealed the serpent-shaped tattoos that had been hidden beneath their clothes.

These were all members of The Nightmare Cult.

"Elder Gruen of The Nightmare Cult greets my Lord!" The elderly priest with graying hair knelt down, loudly proclaiming his reverence.

"Greetings, my Lord!" The other cultists echoed in unison, their expressions fervent and fanatical.

These were all followers who had been meticulously selected by Tia. The previous riffraff had long been purged.

Now, only one type of person remained in The Nightmare Cult—those who were absolutely loyal believers in Jormungandr, or, more precisely, in Luca himself!

In their eyes, Luca was the incarnation of Jormungandr, the second ruler of the Dream Realm, the all-powerful Father of Dreams!

These were all titles that Tia had propagated for Luca. Although they sounded a bit juvenile, surprisingly, they worked quite well.

There was no helping it—these cultists were exactly the kind of people who fell for this sort of thing.

Luca paid no mind to these fanatical followers and turned to Tia, asking, "Any results on the information I asked you to look into?"

He was referring to news regarding the nodes.

This was Luca\'s top priority at the moment. Finding the person who attempted to assassinate him was secondary.

Tia hesitated briefly before nodding, "We\'ve gathered some information, but it\'s not yet confirmed whether it\'s a node."

Luca was slightly surprised. He had only asked casually, not expecting any real progress. It seemed that the number of followers in The Nightmare Cult was far greater than he had imagined.

"What did you find? Tell me more," Luca said.

Tia answered respectfully, "Our people discovered unusual spatial fluctuations in a small town a few dozen kilometers outside Southwind City. However, it\'s not yet clear if it\'s a monster or a secret realm."

Luca understood. Both monsters and secret realms emitted a distinct type of energy fluctuation that was hard for ordinary people to differentiate.

But for him, it wasn\'t difficult at all. He had seen countless nodes and secret realms in his past life. When the time came, he would just have to take a look in person.

"Well done," Luca nodded slightly, and a flash of silver light glimmered on his hand.

The next moment, Jormungandr, dressed in a black gothic gown, materialized beside him.

The gazes of The Nightmare Cult\'s followers became even more fanatical. If not for Tia\'s presence, many of them would probably have rushed forward in adoration.

Jormungandr squinted her long, narrow purple eyes as she looked at the group of over a hundred cultists standing before her.

She licked her red lips and turned her gaze to Luca, her eyes filled with flirtation. With a soft, silky voice, she cooed, "Master, are all these people prepared for me? You really do treat me well~"

Not long ago, she had absorbed the souls of a batch of The Nightmare Cult members and had been in a deep slumber ever since.

Now, seeing so many humans right after waking up, Jormungandr\'s opinion of Luca improved significantly.

It seemed this human wasn\'t so despicable that he didn\'t even treat her as a person...

Luca glanced at her and said indifferently, "These people aren\'t for you. Besides, it\'s time to get to work."

With that, he gestured toward Mira, who was standing behind Tia. The meaning was clear: extend Mira\'s life.

"Extend… life?" Jormungandr\'s charming face instantly darkened, and her goodwill toward Luca dropped back into the negatives. This vile man was making her use her own life essence to extend someone else\'s life—again?!

"After all the things I fed you before, did you really think you wouldn\'t have to pay anything in return?" Luca gave Jormungandr a faint smile, his tone calm. "Of course, if you\'re unwilling, I won\'t force you…"

Before he could finish speaking, Jormungandr\'s delicate face stiffened as she forced a smile. "Wil…ling, I\'m willing. How could I not want to fulfill my master\'s command?!"

The last few words were squeezed out through clenched teeth, her fangs slightly showing.

With visible reluctance and heartache, Jormungandr closed her eyes and summoned a sphere of Dreamweaving energy, which she threw to Mira.

As the silver radiance flowed into her body, Mira\'s previously pale face quickly turned rosy.

And the sickly look on her face disappeared, replaced by a healthy, vibrant glow.

Tia\'s eyes showed a deep sense of gratitude as she bowed her head to Luca. "Thank you, Master!"

Jormungandr\'s lips twitched slightly. Why didn\'t anyone thank her? She was the one who had done all the work, wasn\'t she?!

The other followers of The Nightmare Cult looked even more fervent at this display. Elder Gruen, in particular, gazed at Luca with admiration and envy.

As expected, their master was truly the God of Dreams!

Didn\'t they see how even a being like Jormungandr had to obey him?!

"As I said before, as long as you do your work properly, I won\'t let you suffer," Luca said casually. Then he added, "Oh, and there\'s one more task I need you to handle."

"Today, a Silver-ranked assassin tried to kill me. Find out who\'s behind it and gather all the details on the assassin for me."

Upon hearing Luca\'s words, everyone present was stunned.

Tia\'s face turned deathly pale in an instant, followed by an intense surge of fury that washed over her.

Luca was the only hope for her sister\'s survival. If anything happened to Luca, her sister\'s fate would be sealed as well!

How could she not be furious and terrified?!

"Master, don\'t worry. I will definitely find out who\'s responsible for this!" Tia gritted her teeth, a cold, murderous glint flashing in her eyes.

Seeing this, Luca nodded slightly. He had confidence in Tia\'s abilities. After all, she would become the Nightmare Queen in the future.

He then selected a few followers, including Elder Gruen, and had Jormungandr fulfill their dreams and wishes.

Afterward, under the reverent and admiring gazes of the cult members, Luca left the church.

"Rest assured, Master, we will make those blasphemers pay the price!" Gruen clenched his fists, a fierce look appearing on his face.

The other cultists also showed a hint of murderous intent in their eyes. If Luca were to die, they would lose not only their dreams but everything they had hoped to achieve! Anyone who dared to threaten Luca\'s life—they would ensure those people had no place to be buried!