Chapter 42: The Cocoon of a Thousand Dreams

“This is going to be difficult…”

Luo Wei found herself in a tight spot.

Under these circumstances, she couldn’t simply use the Hand of God to report the Crimson Troupe’s gathering point. If the Enforcement Guards acted rashly, the intel she provided would turn into a death warrant for the civilians of Kolun County.

More importantly, if she alerted the enemy now, the Crimson Troupe would surely be on guard against the Hand of God next time. The loss would far outweigh the gain.

I need to stay vigilant and see how the Crimson Troupe intends to carry out their ritual… then I’ll decide, Luo Wei thought privately.

At the very least, she had already notified the authorities in Kolun County about the Troupe’s existence. The Enforcement Guards would certainly tighten security during this period. Even if an emergency occurred, they wouldn’t be caught entirely off guard.

Judging from the results of her last report, the Enforcement Guards possessed a fair amount of competence when it came to dealing with cult organizations. If only they were a bit faster with the payouts, she mused.

At that moment, the library door creaked open. Luo Wei looked up to see Hume entering.

“How goes your study of the Proverbs of the Sleeper?” Hume asked, his tone gentle.

Right now, Hume looked like nothing more than a kind, elderly man with a white beard and hair. It was hard to imagine how many innocent infants had perished because of the sacrificial rituals he had devised.

“I’ve finished most of it,” Luo Wei replied casually, tucking away the files on the Crimson Troupe.

“Excellent.”

Hume nodded slightly. The gratified smile on his face would have shocked any other Priest who knew him; they would be stunned to see the man famous for being rigid and severe wearing such an expression.

It was all because of “Claudia.”

Hume was exceptionally satisfied with this new student. He had taken many students in the past, but none could hold a candle to Claudia. During their lessons, “Claudia” had actually managed to comprehend even deeper layers of knowledge, which in turn inspired Hume himself. She was a rare, peerless genius.

…In reality, Luo Wei was simply recycling the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge she knew from her previous life.

Whenever Hume mentioned a term that sounded familiar, she would dig through her memories and recite the corresponding lore. It was enough to leave the old man beyond shocked.

As a veteran investigator and Game Master who had devoured much of the original source material, Luo Wei could produce this information with ease.

For instance, when Hume spoke of the preciousness and limitations of “knowledge”—explaining that he rarely taught other Priests because not everyone was suited to touch the depths of the dream—Luo Wei had recited a passage from the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan.

“I have often heard it said that it is not man who diligently seeks knowledge, but knowledge that diligently seeks man. Yet I know this to be false; knowledge does not seek man, but rather emerges to hunt him. It is profoundly ruthless, like a hound chasing a rabbit.”

Though “Claudia’s” translation was a bit disjointed, Hume clearly understood the underlying meaning.

He had stood frozen for a long time. Finally, as if experiencing a sudden epiphany, he let out a cry of wonder. With tears streaming down his face, he had grasped “Claudia’s” hand, babbling things like, “Though I am your teacher, you are also mine.”

Luo Wei hadn’t expected Hume to react so strongly. Thus, throughout the rest of their lessons, she continued to recite original texts from Cthulhu-related books.

She kept it up until Hume eventually wept, claiming he was utterly unqualified to be her mentor. He left her his entire collection of rare books and Magic Potion formulas before burying himself in the texts she had recited.

Luo Wei wasn’t sure if he had actually figured anything out. Regardless, every time she saw him afterward, he looked gaunt, shaking his head and muttering, “How can this be wrong…”

As a standard for any transmigrator, Luo Wei had originally planned to be a “literary copycat,” using her status as a great author to make it big in this parallel world. However, three years of isolation had ground away her passion. She never expected that her dream of being a copycat would be realized in such a strange way.

What kind of literary copycat plagiarizes the Cthulhu Mythos, anyway?!

Regardless, Luo Wei had indeed obtained a vast amount of precious information regarding the Dream Sanctum from Hume—not just knowledge of the “Dream” sequence and its potions.

“Claudia, our period of confinement is over. We can leave The Shelter now,” Hume said, his expression turning solemn. “Remember to make preparations in the physical world. We must fulfill the Divine Envoy’s commission as quickly as possible.”

“This time, we must complete the Cocoon of a Thousand Dreams ritual.”

“The Cocoon of a Thousand Dreams?”

Hearing this, Luo Wei’s pupils narrowed instinctively. Information regarding the ritual surfaced in her mind.

“When the three thousand silk strands vibrate, the sleepers shall wake no more, and those who wake shall sleep forever.” — Proverbs of the Sleeper.

This was a large-scale Descent Ritual. It required soaking the transcendent material Nightmare Spider Silk in “pure souls”—the cerebral spinal fluid of infants under one year old—for three days. The silk was then wound in a specific pattern around dried Grave Lilies to create Cocoon Anchors.

Within the ritual’s range, these Cocoon Anchors were embedded at specific intervals. Upon placement, one had to chant prayers to the Lord of Ravings so that the anchors could establish a connection to the deity.

The ritual could only be triggered at night when thick clouds obscured the moonlight.

Once activated, every living creature within the ritual’s radius who was currently asleep would have their cognition gradually eroded by a labyrinthine nightmare until the Insects of a Thousand Dreams were born.

These insects were a type of Nightmare Aberration. they instinctively hunted any creature capable of dreaming and devoured their souls entirely. In the Cocoon of a Thousand Dreams ritual, these consumed souls served as sacrifices to the Lord of Ravings.

The preparation for this ritual was incredibly long and tedious. Furthermore, it was highly susceptible to interference during activation.

If the Insects of a Thousand Dreams failed to manifest, the ritualists would suffer irreversible soul damage. Even if they survived, they would likely suffer from severe cognitive impairment.

Hume had chosen this ritual himself. The risks were so great that the other two High Priests had tried to dissuade him. Because the Enforcement Guards were well aware of this ritual’s existence and were extremely wary of it, the Cocoon of a Thousand Dreams was considered almost impossible to pull off.

Yet Hume persisted, simply because it was the most effective sacrificial ritual known to them. Hume believed that with the Crimson Troupe’s formidable combat strength acting as a distraction, the chances of the ritual succeeding were high. It was a risk worth taking.

“Don’t worry, Claudia. I have already prepared all the Cocoon Anchors. You don’t need to trouble yourself with that.”

Hume looked at “Claudia” with kind eyes, his smile as warm as a spring breeze, as if he were merely a teacher giving a student last-minute advice before an exam.

“You only need to rest well and steady your mind. When our Lord grants us His grace for our devotion, you only need to stand by my side.”