Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

In the following days, Lin Yi did not choose to enter the Nightmare Realm.

For some reason, as he prepared to enter the Nightmare Realm, a voice inside him kept reminding him that this Nightmare Realm was completely different from the past, which was why Lin Yi chose to take a break for the time being.

For contractors at their level, sudden whims are often not unfounded, but rather a vague warning of the future from their high perception attributes; even dreams may contain fragments of the future.

During this time, the hotel suite where they stayed did not fall silent because of the host's silence. Instead, it attracted the attention of the remaining major forces in the Sleeping City, just like blood being thrown into a group of sharks.

After initially adopting a cautious wait-and-see approach, these local bullies finally couldn't contain themselves any longer and successively sent their respective representatives to test the waters.

These visitors were carefully selected, representing the attitudes and leverage of various forces.

The first to arrive was the representative of the "Salvation" organization, a middle-aged man dressed in a well-tailored dark suit with his hair neatly combed.

His speech and demeanor were full of convincing charm; every smile, every pause in his words, seemed meticulously designed, yet appeared incredibly natural.

The gift he brought was an antique wooden box containing a set of twelve ancient silver coins neatly arranged inside.

"On behalf of 'Salvation,' I extend my highest respect to you both."

"This humble offering comes from the royal secrets of a vanished dynasty, and we hope it will catch your eye. The order of the Sleeping City has long been broken, and chaos breeds evil. We, the 'Salvator,' firmly believe that great power is the most solid foundation of order. We sincerely hope to establish good communication channels with you two to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts. In this place, having one more friend is far better than having one more enemy, especially a powerful friend like you two. The 'Salvator' is willing to provide all the assistance within our power for this purpose."

Lin Yi sat on the sofa, not reaching out to accept the gift: "What's the price?"

Kane's smile remained unchanged, his demeanor composed, his words as smooth as if coated with oil: "You jest, sir. Friendship itself is a priceless treasure, so why discuss the cost? We only hope to have an opportunity for dialogue, a gesture of goodwill and understanding. After all, a stable environment benefits everyone, doesn't it?"

He spoke tactfully, clearly expressing his intention to make friends, but avoiding any specific promises.

Just then, the sound of high heels, slightly hurried yet rhythmic, came from outside the suite door.

The newcomer was a woman, wearing a dark red leather trench coat belonging to the "Survivors" organization.

She is one of the high-ranking diplomats among the "survivors," and her name is Shana.

She spotted Kane speaking at a glance, and her red lips immediately curled into an undisguised sneer.

"Oh? I wondered who would bother our distinguished guests so early in the morning. It turns out to be Mr. Kane from 'The Savior'." Shana's voice was slightly languid and hoarse. "You've moved quite quickly. What, who are you planning to write that empty promise of 'saving the world with love' to this time? Are you going to exchange a few scraps of metal dug out of who-knows-where for the 'friendship' of the two gentlemen?"

Kane's perfect smile froze for a moment, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, but he quickly recovered and turned to greet her politely: "So it's Ms. Shana. The 'Survivors' are still so well-informed, or perhaps they just have a particular fondness for following our 'salvation' activities? At least we brought tangible objects that carry history and culture, which is better than some organizations that only make empty promises and draw up pie-in-the-sky promises that can never be fulfilled."

Shana completely ignored him and walked straight towards Lin Yi and Gollum, utterly disregarding Kane's presence.

The gift she presented was an oil painting mounted in a special metal.

"Your Excellencies, the 'Survivors' have always valued strength and tangible benefits," Shana said directly. "We don't understand empty rhetoric. This painting comes from a long-vanished cult sanctuary, and we believe that only true power is worthy of your status. We 'Survivors' may not have much else, but we have plenty of 'hard currency.' As long as you two are interested, everything is negotiable."

Lin Yi and Gulu originally had no interest in this kind of social interaction and were preparing to routinely see the guests off, but at the same time, a notification from the Paradise of Reincarnation sounded in their minds, determining that the oil painting was a high-value item that could be exchanged for about 1.2% of the World Source.

Although the share is not high, this is undoubtedly a signal.

Gulu came closer, put the oil painting away, and asked, "How many of these are there?"

Kane's expression changed slightly as he watched from the side, realizing that this might be the other party's real interest.

He hadn't expected the "survivors" to have stumbled upon such a perfect opportunity. Just as he was about to try and salvage the situation by emphasizing the "savior's" advantages in intelligence and high-end resources, the door to the suite was knocked on once again.

The man who entered this time was dressed in a divine robe. He came from the "Papal Court" and was a Dark Raven Priest in charge of foreign affairs, named Morris.

The gift he brought was an ancient book wrapped in some kind of unidentified black leather, the edges of the pages showing signs of frequent use.

Similarly, in the judgment of the Paradise of Reincarnation, this book is also a high-value item that can be exchanged for the Source of the World, with a proportion even slightly higher than that of the oil painting.

Morris placed the ancient book on the table and continued in his flat tone, "Knowledge is priceless wealth and a source of power. The Papacy has accumulated over a thousand years, possessing many lost secrets and ancient wisdom. We believe that conversing with the holders of wisdom is far more meaningful than trading with violent servants."

These words seemed to be addressed to Lin Yi and the other person, but the real target was the "survivors" and the "savior" standing nearby.

Shana immediately retorted, "Ha, I thought it was someone important, turns out to be a guardian of the 'Vatican.' What, instead of counting coffin nails in your church, you're out here sunbathing?"

Kane interjected at the opportune moment, his smile still elegant, but his words were barbed: "Priest Maurice is mistaken. Power and wisdom are inseparable, and true order requires both to maintain it. It is the 'Papal Church' that has always liked to monopolize knowledge and flaunt its supreme authority. Such behavior can hardly be called 'dialogue,' can it? It is more like charity."

"It's better than some organizations, where hypocrites wear their masks for so long that they probably start to believe them themselves."

"What did you say?!"

"Watch your words, priest!"

The three representatives immediately became tense, glaring at each other angrily, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

They seemed to have temporarily forgotten their main purpose for coming here. Old grudges and a competitive spirit took over, and they began to mock each other in front of Lin Yi and Gulu.

"You 'survivors' are nothing but a pack of greedy hyenas!"

"What a joke! Who have you saved? You've only gathered a bunch of pathetic bastards through incitement and deception!"

"Foolishness! The Vatican's stubbornness is the stumbling block to the progress of this city!"

Lin Yi watched the farce unfold before him expressionlessly, while Gulu tilted his head, his eyes scanning back and forth between the three of them, occasionally nodding as if judging who had delivered the most brilliant insult.

Finally, just before the three parties were about to roll up their sleeves and start fighting, Lin Yi coughed lightly.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a cold current that instantly swept through the entire room.

The quarrel stopped abruptly.

Kane, Shana, and Morris immediately suppressed all their outward emotions and reverted to their usual polite demeanor, though a trace of mutual disgust and apprehension lingered in their eyes.

Lin Yi broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over the gifts the three had brought: "We appreciate your thoughtfulness."

There was almost no need for verbal communication; Lin Yi played the bad cop, while Gulu played the good cop.

The two actors, working in perfect harmony, displayed superb acting skills, repeatedly breaking down the psychological defenses of the representatives sent by these major forces.

Fearing they would fall into the hands of the next "hellish" forces, the two extorted far more antiques and rare resources from them than they had expected.

Interestingly, after being extorted for a hefty sum, the high-ranking members of the "Saviors," "Survivors," and "Papal States" actually felt relieved and even somewhat fortunate.

They weren't afraid that Lin Yi and Gulu would ask for things; they were afraid that the two of them would ask for nothing and have no desires.

The most terrifying are those who are without desire or ambition. That means they are impossible to communicate with, unpredictable, and unbridable, like a sharp blade hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment. If that happens, the survivors, the papacy, and the saviors will likely have to seriously discuss forming an alliance to fight back. After all, the example of Hell is right before their eyes, and none of them are confident that they can outlast it.

Now that Lin Yi and Gulu have clearly shown a need for certain specific resources, it proves that these old organizations still have value in the eyes of these two ruthless individuals.

In the cruel laws of the City of Sleep, the value of exploitation often equates to a guarantee of survival.

This means, at least in the short term, that they are relatively safe and have room to maneuver and trade.

At the same time, Bliss's status in the research institute rose accordingly.

He was almost the only person who had a "good" and "long-term" business relationship with Lin Yi.

In no time, he became a highly sought-after figure by various powerful forces, who flocked to him with invitations to banquets and gifts, all hoping to establish a more stable and secure communication channel with Lin Yi through him.

The "Survivors" organization went to great lengths, sending the twin sisters who had previously appeared on the black market in a carefully packaged manner, their intentions were all too clear.

Bliss accepted all the offers without hesitation, readily embracing all the sweet talk.

But when it comes to probing Lin Yi's specific information or hoping for any substantial promises from him, this researcher, who seemed to be blinded by wine and women, immediately becomes slippery and evasive, his words flowing smoothly and flawlessly.

All his answers were "we'll see," "we'll look into it further," "we'll study it further," and "we need to ask for instructions," leaving those who tried to get a breakthrough from him both furious and helpless.

A day later, Bliss visited Lin Yi's hotel suite with several scantily clad and alluring women.

Upon entering, the well-trained girls instinctively tried to use all their charm to get close to Lin Yi and complete the task assigned by the organization.

Before they could take more than a few steps, they felt a faint but palpable killing intent coiling around their necks like a venomous snake.

The source was Gulu, who was fiddling with a gleaming dagger on the sofa.

Like small animals targeted by a natural enemy, they obediently shrank back behind Bliss, heads down, wishing they could hide themselves, not daring to breathe, for fear of attracting the attention of that menacing star.

Gulu was clearly in a bad mood.

The women Bliss brought were not only beautiful, but also incredibly hot and sexy, with amazing curves. Even the one with the "smallest" breasts was at least a D-cup.

For someone like Gulu with such a well-defined physique, it's a visual shock combined with a ruthless crushing defeat in reality.

Lin Yi coughed lightly, breaking the suffocatingly awkward atmosphere.

He grunted but didn't speak, though the chilling killing intent around him subsided considerably.

She continued peeling the apple, but the subtle sound of the dagger cutting through the flesh was unusually clear in the overly quiet room.

Bliss chuckled dryly and wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

He didn't dare linger around those girls, so he quickly took out a document from his briefcase, walked briskly to the coffee table in front of Lin Yi, and carefully placed it down.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on the document, which consisted of just a few ordinary sheets of paper bound together, and was even somewhat thin.

"That's all?" Lin Yi picked up the documents; they didn't feel special to him.

"That's all. This is the preliminary conclusion that the research institute reached at the cost of the deaths of seventeen top researchers. All researchers involved in the 'Echoes of Sleep' project were required to write their wills before it began."

The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly at those words, and even the act of slicing an apple paused for a moment.

Lin Yi's gaze sharpened slightly as he turned to the first page of the document.

The homepage contained no specific content, only a huge warning sign printed in bold red font:
[WARNING: Deep cognitive dangers! Any active exploration, understanding, or recording of 'Sleeping Echoes' may be considered 'eavesdropping' or 'spying,' leading to being targeted and hunted down from the depths of the Nightmare Realm! The information itself is a trap! Please stop reading immediately unless absolutely necessary! Delete this page!]

Below the slogan were a series of names and numbers that had been brutally crossed out in black ink. The ink was of varying shades, some even appearing charred black, as if the writer was filled with fear and despair when writing them. They were clearly traces left a long time ago.

Lin Yi turned the page expressionlessly.

The main text begins on the second page, written in a cold, printed style, as if trying to avoid any expression of personal emotion.

[Phenomenon Definition: 'Sleep Echoes' are not energy residues or spacetime distortions in the traditional sense. Preliminary identification suggests they are fragmented phenomena generated by the 'World Sleeping Consciousness' (tentative name) after being stimulated by specific events, weakly projected onto the real world through unknown conditions. They can be viewed as world-class 'memory fragments'.]

[Characteristic 1: Information Carrier. The echo itself contains the deceased's fragmented memories and emotional pieces before death, as well as... possibly chaotic information flows from the world itself. The person who comes into contact with it passively receives this information.]

[Characteristic 2: Cognitive Distortion. The information flow is disordered and complex, carrying a strong subjective bias and a polluting effect of the original owner's worldview. Forced interpretation will severely interfere with the recipient's logical thinking and memory, making it difficult for them to distinguish the echoed content from their own experiences.]

[Characteristic 3: Resonance Attraction. Those who frequently or deeply engage with echoes will gradually resonate with the echoes' mental frequency. As the resonance rate increases, the individual may unconsciously 'reproduce' certain fragments of the echoes (such as sounds, images, low temperatures, unusual smells, etc.) to a certain extent. This phenomenon will further attract more and deeper levels of echoes.]

[Related speculation: There is a highly probable shared energy source with the 'Nightmare Space'.]

The following pages contain heavily blurred excerpts of case studies, with all specific names and locations blacked out.

The abstract diagrams of the echo energy waveform, along with numerous vague assumptions and conjectures, are marked with question marks and labels such as "doubtful," "to be verified," and "extremely dangerous."

The deeper one reads, the more one can feel the recorder's fear and deep confusion, as if they were not studying a phenomenon, but staring into a bottomless abyss that could swallow the researcher at any moment.

At the end of the document, a note was handwritten in slightly messy handwriting:
[Current effective response: Avoid prolonged immersion. Note: Destroying limbs (physical) cannot interrupt the triggered deep echoes; targeted mental intervention or spatial isolation is required.]

Lin Yi closed the file and placed it on the coffee table.

"Seventeen people were exchanged for..." Lin Yi tapped the document cover lightly with his finger. "The price was not small."

“Yes.” Bliss smiled wryly. “This is almost one of the most devastating research projects since the Society’s founding. Therefore, related materials have always been listed as top taboo, and all copies have special restrictions and are strictly prohibited from being copied. This is a top-secret copy specially approved by the President for your viewing only. It would be best to burn it after reading it.”

Lin Yi nodded, indicating that he understood.

Bliss wisely didn't linger any longer and quickly took his leave with the girls who were practically huddled together.

Gollum made no attempt to conceal his malice, and Bliss certainly didn't want Gollum to take his anger out on him.

Gulu then put down the apple, came over, picked up the document, and quickly flipped through it.

She pouted, tossed the file back onto the coffee table, her face full of disgust and annoyance. "This looks incredibly troublesome. I just came here to do a promotion quest, how did I end up running into this ridiculous mess?"

When she said this, her tone was filled with genuine frustration and a hint of barely perceptible doubt about life.

Most of the missions Gulu had experienced before had simple, direct, and clear objectives—either killing or finding things, with maybe a little puzzle-solving or survival involved. Only a very few of them involved troublesome matters that required a deep dive into the world's background, the world's origin, and strange phenomena.

Such missions often involve extremely high uncontrollable risks and unpredictable variables, which is precisely what she least wants to encounter at this stage. (End of Chapter)