Anna of Dreams

Anana followed Xia Lun, seemingly very excited. Like a child out on a spring field trip, she chattered non-stop like a little sparrow.

Xia Lun didn't find her noisy at all; in fact, he quite enjoyed this kind of childish innocence.

"Mr. Administrator... the sword in your hand is so beautiful."

Anana's attention was drawn to the longsword Xia Lun was holding.

The design of the sword was indeed quite unique. At the crossguard, layers of profound ice formed a blooming ice rose.

"Mm, because it's an ice sword."

Xia Lun flicked his wrist. Where the tip of the sword pointed, a chilling aura overflowed, condensing into fine ice crystals that scattered down like falling stardust.

"That's so nice. I wish I had a sword like that," Anana said, her eyes filled with envy.

"But this is my wife's sword. Without her permission, I can't give it to you," Xia Lun smiled and shook his head. "Besides, you probably wouldn't be able to wield this longsword."

The ice sword was constantly emitting a freezing aura. With Anana's current strength, she would be instantly frozen solid the moment she even gripped the hilt.

Furthermore, since she was a student of Olifando, Anana would definitely become a mage in the future. Xia Lun didn't want the child to stray down the wrong path.

"Oh, I just thought that if I had a sword like this, hugging it to sleep might keep me very cool... I feel like it's been a bit hot when I sleep these past few days." Anana stuck out her little tongue. "The snowfields are still more comfortable."

Xia Lun couldn't help but laugh. What an interesting little one.

"If we can meet again after going back, I can ask Aina for a small piece of ice crystal to give you, so you won't be hot when you sleep."

"Really? That would be wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Administrator!" Anana excitedly bowed deeply to Xia Lun.

"But, Mr. Administrator, you always mention your wife." Anana suddenly changed the subject, her tone rising slightly. "I suppose you must..."

Xia Lun gently picked up the conversation and smiled, "Yes, I love her very much."

"I suppose you must be completely henpecked, right?" Anana giggled.

Xia Lun: ...

He completely didn't expect Anana to not play by the rules.

"Hahaha... This little girl says the most interesting things. I like her." Aina's soft laughter echoed in Xia Lun's mind. Her consciousness had not left; she had been watching the situation here all along. She certainly wouldn't let Xia Lun be alone with another girl.

"Mr. Administrator, in the future, I will definitely learn from your wife and train my own husband to be perfectly obedient." Anana's figure flickered again as she reached out and patted Xia Lun's shoulder. "You are truly the model of a good man."

"If we can meet again in reality, I could give her a little gift," Aina's somewhat gloating voice rang out in Xia Lun's mind again.

Xia Lun gave Anana a rather resentful look, but the girl still looked cheerful and had no reaction whatsoever.

"Don't blame the child, Xia Lun... She's still dreaming right now," Aina's voice explained in Xia Lun's heart. "Her current mental state is completely dazed. She probably doesn't even know what she's saying herself... When you're in a dream, you might also do some bizarre things, right?"

Xia Lun naturally wouldn't hold it against Anana, and merely rubbed the little one's head vigorously.

Anana seemed to enjoy it, smiling even more happily.

"Mr. Administrator, we've been walking for so long. When will we finally be able to walk out of the library?"

A moment later, Anana complained to Xia Lun.

They had only been walking for a few minutes.

Xia Lun shook his head and chuckled; this must be a cognitive error unique to being in a dream.

"It's okay, just hold on a little longer. We'll be out soon," Xia Lun comforted her softly.

As for when they would get out... that depended entirely on when Anana left the dream.

Anana's figure flickered unsteadily like a flame. She might detach from the Spirit World the very next moment, or she might remain until she woke up at dawn the next day...

It wasn't that Xia Lun had no other methods. If he just gave the child a fright and scared Anana awake, he could directly help her leave this place. But in the end, Xia Lun didn't want to resort to such a method.

"Walking is so tiring..." Anana sighed.

Then, a scene that surprised Xia Lun occurred. Anana floated up weightlessly, her feet leaving the ground as if supported by an invisible force.

This wasn't a flight spell; Xia Lun didn't sense any magical aura. This was simple flight, like a biological instinct... Even Xia Lun couldn't do this. Even Xia Lun had to rely on the magic power within his body in order to fly.

Right, Anana was in a dream, which meant her subconscious believed she could fly... The Spirit World was a world of the mind and soul, which was why she could achieve this.

"Phew—this is much easier." Anana flew beside Xia Lun. "Let's keep going, Mr. Administrator."

However, at this moment, there was suddenly another commotion.

Boom—

From the shadows of the bookshelf that Anana had knocked over earlier, viscous dark liquid suddenly emerged. Like living tainted blood, it quickly crawled all over the scattered bookshelves on the ground, wrapping, eroding, and restructuring them.

Under this eerie power, the wooden bookshelves twisted and deformed, piecing together into a massive skeletal frame. The black slime rapidly multiplied, covering it and forming continuously pulsating flesh.

Soon, a behemoth shaped like a giant python, yet constructed of bookshelves and shadows, reared up. It had no eyes, only a massive maw constantly dripping black mud, letting out a chilling, monster-like exhalation.

"M-Monster!" Anana let out a cry of alarm.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take care of it." Xia Lun stepped forward, shielding Anana behind him, his voice as calm as ever.

The shadow python let out a terrifying roar, then charged fiercely at the two of them like a derailed train. Wherever it passed, even the space itself seemed to be stained with a murky dark hue.

Xia Lun held the ice sword in one hand, positioning it in front of him. A piercing cold aura permeated outward with him at the center. Just as the snake's head rushed to his face, he suddenly pressed his wrist down and swung his sword in a fierce slash.

Swish—!!

A pale blue frost sword aura tore through the air like a crescent moon, freezing everything in its path.

The sword aura sliced through the giant python's body without any resistance, instantly cleaving it in two. The unabated cold wave then spread in all directions, completely encasing the writhing black slime in solid ice.

The massive body crashed heavily onto the ground. The shadows dissipated, eventually reverting back into a scattered pile of broken bookshelves.

"Are you alright?"

Xia Lun retracted his longsword and looked back, but there was no one behind him. Anana had disappeared without a trace.

Well, she was probably frightened awake the moment that monster charged over.

Xia Lun shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Silence once again enveloped this area of the Spirit World, leaving only Xia Lun alone, along with the lingering traces of cold air in the atmosphere that had yet to dissipate.