Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

"I still need to find a way to give away what I have first..." Lin Yi rubbed his temples and decided to go to the witch's bar first.

On one hand, Gulu said that she had collected the remaining soul crystals and asked Lin Yi to go and get them when he had time.

On the other hand, the witch is well-informed, making it easier for Lin Yi to sell his possessions.

After being teleported to a private room and then using location tracking, Lin Yi quickly appeared at the entrance of the Witch's Bar.

As you push open the door, the wind chimes tinkle, but the shop is quite deserted, with only the rhythmic "tap, tap" sound coming from behind the bar.

Gulu was sitting alone on a high stool behind the counter, still wearing his signature black Lolita dress. His two legs, covered in white stockings, were swinging back and forth idly like sausages, with his heels occasionally tapping lightly against the chair legs, making a crisp sound.

She seemed to be fixing her pigtails in front of a small mirror, humming an off-key tune.

Hearing the door open, Gulu cautiously raised its head.

Upon seeing Lin Yi enter, her first reaction was to prepare to run away, but she gave up the idea of ​​escaping only after remembering that she had already collected enough soul crystals.

Although Gulu successfully completed his professional awakening this time and his strength made a qualitative leap, his heart was bleeding whenever he thought of that huge sum of money.

After giving away this pile of soul crystals, the rare materials, spare equipment, disposable scrolls, and other supplies that she had accumulated in her personal space over the years shrank by 80%.

These were all money she had painstakingly saved up, but most of it was used by her to secretly exchange for soul crystals for Lin Yi.

Even with this, Gulu still had connections in several large chambers of commerce, allowing him to obtain relatively "favorable" prices. If he didn't have a channel to directly acquire the goods from chambers of commerce or large auction houses, the premium he would face would be so high that even if he stripped himself bare, he might not be able to gather the amount Lin Yi needed.

Lin Yi looked at Gulu's miserly appearance, shook his head with amusement, and walked to the bar next to her to sit down.

"Where is the witch?" He looked around but couldn't sense her presence.

"The witch went out for a while, saying she was going to pick someone up. She'll be back soon." Gulu put down the small mirror and sighed.

Lin Yi casually took out two glasses of juice that he had collected in a certain food world from his storage space and pushed one glass to Gulu.

Gulu took the juice, took a small sip, and her complexion improved a bit. She then started chattering to Lin Yi about the recent soaring prices and her "heroic deeds" of outsmarting those unscrupulous merchants in order to exchange for crystals.

The two chatted for about fifteen minutes before the bar door opened again, and the wind chimes tinkled softly.

The witch's tall and graceful figure walked in first, still wearing that black dress that accentuated her breathtaking curves, with a lazy smile on her face.

But behind her was a girl who looked a bit dazed.

The girl was about half a head shorter than the witch, around 1.6 meters tall. She was wearing a light blue hooded casual outfit with the hood hanging loosely on her head, and a few strands of soft, flaxen hair sticking out from the brim.

Her face was slightly chubby, and her eyes were large with rare amber pupils. At this moment, they were slightly wide open, looking at the bar's furnishings with a hint of curiosity and bewilderment. Her hands were neatly folded in front of her, and she exuded an innocent and even somewhat timid aura.

The moment Lin Yi's gaze fell upon the girl, his honed sense of danger was pricked as if by a needle, triggering a sharp alarm.

This girl is definitely a very dangerous person!

That innocent and adorable appearance is probably just a perfect disguise to deceive its prey.

This restrained sense of threat is even more unsettling than some menacing monsters.

What surprised Lin Yi even more was Gulu's reaction.

Almost at the same moment he saw the girl's face clearly, Gulu jumped off the bar stool like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his fur standing on end.

Her previously relaxed expression was instantly replaced by disdain, wariness, and a hint of barely perceptible frustration.

"It's you?! You persistent, clueless goose! What are you doing here?!" Gu Lu's small mouth instantly transformed into a rapid-fire machine gun. With each opening and closing of her pink lips, a string of words, devoid of profanity yet highly aggressive, poured out like bullets. "Witch, don't you even look before you pick up things? You bring home this guy who could walk into a wall and talk a devil? You're dragging down the average intelligence and class of our guild! Did you 'accidentally' destroy your mission target and allies in some other world again, and now you have nowhere to go but come here to freeload?"

To Lin Yi's utter surprise, the seemingly dull girl was actually a hidden "master of Yin and Yang".

Faced with Gulu's barrage of questions, she merely tilted her head slightly, her amber eyes sparkling with innocent light. Then, in a soft, gentle, and utterly unassuming tone, she slowly spoke: "Gulu, long time no see. Your voice is still so energetic. You can pinpoint the target you need to scare away with noise even from three blocks away. What a useful talent. Compared to some little brats who only use volume to mask their intellectual poverty, at least I can distinguish between a bar door and a wall. As for freeloading... I remember last time someone, apparently, couldn't afford the 'Illusion Potion,' so they waited outside the lab for three days, and ended up paying for it by helping with drug testing, right?"

She spoke slowly and softly, but every word was like a poisoned needle, precisely piercing Gulu's sore spot.

After a few words, Gulu's face turned red with anger. She pointed at the other person and stammered "You...you...you..." for a long time, but she couldn't put together an effective counterattack. She stomped her feet in anger, looking just like a cat with its fur standing on end after its dried fish was stolen.

"Alright, you two, you start arguing the moment you meet. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?" The witch sighed and rubbed her forehead, but a hint of amusement lingered on her face.

She turned to Lin Yi and introduced, "Don't mind them, they've always been like this. This is the Illusionist, number four in our guild, who just returned from a long mission."

Upon hearing the witch's introduction, the girl named Illusionist seemed to only then notice Lin Yi's presence. She quickly and gently pushed Gulu, who was trying to organize a new wave of verbal attacks, aside, then walked up to Lin Yi, put her hands together, and gave him a soft smile: "I'm sorry, you must have seen this. I am Illusionist, please guide me."

Her obedient and polite demeanor was completely different from the sharp-tongued "yin-yang master" she had just been.

Lin Yi looked at the Illusionist in front of him who instantly switched modes, and raised her danger rating by another level in his mind.

He nodded and replied, "Hello, doctor."

He paused, then asked with a hint of curiosity, "How do illusionists join the Phantom Troupe?"

He was indeed a little curious; the criteria for recruiting members for the troupe seemed...very unique.

Upon hearing this, the Illusionist scratched his head sheepishly, his chubby cheeks flushing slightly. His eyes darted around as if trying to recall: "Uh... well, it's a bit of a blur. I remember it was in a fifth-tier primordial world. The mission was quite complicated, involving dealing with some 'rulers' or something. And then... um... I think I accidentally got carried away killing them? By the time I realized it, all the rulebreakers in that world seemed to have been... uh... completely wiped out. When the mission was completed, I received an invitation from the witch sister, and then I was directly pulled into the guild. I can't quite remember the specific details."

She spoke in a slightly dazed tone, as if she were talking about something trivial.

But Lin Yi keenly grasped the key information: a fifth-order primordial world, purging all violators, "accidentally getting carried away with killing"... Behind this understated description lies terrifying efficiency and killing methods!
Lin Yi immediately realized that the Illusionist's innocent and harmless appearance was the most deceptive disguise, and that he was probably an extremely dangerous person in reality.

Those who made it into the troupe were all shrewd and capable.

"I see." Lin Yi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he had already formed a preliminary understanding of the Illusionist. At this moment, the Illusionist seemed to finally connect the code name "Healer" with certain information. His large amber eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had discovered some rare treasure. His previous confusion was instantly replaced by a burning curiosity and anticipation: "Ah! I remember now! I heard you often have good stuff leaking out, especially rare materials and high-quality equipment from special worlds!"

She moved closer to Lin Yi, so close she could almost feel her breath, her eyes sparkling with light: "Did you bring anything good this time? Like soul-type equipment or materials? Gravity-type is fine too! Or do you have any top-quality items suitable for technique-type powerhouses? To be honest, I'm pursuing a rather diverse path, so I have a great need for these kinds of things!"

As a member of the guild, the Illusionist is indeed a guy who develops along multiple paths.

Watching the Illusionist instantly switch from adorable mode to "frenzied buyer" mode, Lin Yi found it rather amusing.

He recalled that among the spoils he obtained from the Dream World: The City of Sleep, there was indeed a batch of extremely high-quality soul-type materials, which he had originally planned to dispose of when the opportunity arose.

Since the Illusionist is interested, we can take a look.

"Soul-related supplies? I do have a little bit." Lin Yi began taking things out of his personal space with great interest.

The first thing he took out were two pieces of equipment that emitted a faint glow; these were the spoils he had chosen to keep when he divided the loot with Gulu.

[A hazy slumber]

Origin: Dream Corridor

Quality: Epic
Category: Facial accessories (masks)

Durability: 55/55
Equipment requirements: 85 points of true intelligence, 80 points of true charisma, and 30 points of willpower.

Equipment Effect 1: Dreamwalker (Passive): Your mental resistance is increased by 20 points. When you are asleep, in a hallucination, or under mental control, your consciousness will remain clear, allowing you to observe your surroundings in the form of "lucid dreams" (perception range is based on intelligence attribute), and slightly accelerate the accumulation and recovery of resistance to abnormal statuses.

Equipment Effect 2: Dream Invasion (Active): Locks onto a target within your line of sight and implants a "Nightmare Seed" into them. For the next 60 seconds, any mental damage you deal to the target or any negative effects such as fear or confusion you inflict have a 30% chance to increase its effect by 50% and extend its duration by an additional 2 seconds (10-minute cooldown, only one "Nightmare Seed" can exist at a time).

Rating: 655
Synopsis: "Dreams are not an escape from reality, but another real battlefield. Wear it, and you will become the master of dreams, not their prisoner. Be careful, if you cannot distinguish between reality and illusion, you yourself will become a part of the dream." — Aria, the Dream Weaver
Price: 355000 Paradise Coins

【A Thousand Memories Spinning Wheel】

Origin: Dream Corridor

Quality: Epic
Category: Special equipment

Durability: No concept of durability
Equipment Requirements: 100 points of True Intelligence, and mastery of at least one Soul or Spirit skill.

Equipment Effect 1: Memory Threads (Passive): Your soul damage abilities are increased by 15%. When your attacks or abilities deal damage to enemies, they will extract a "Memory Thread". Each thread collected will increase the damage of your next soul ability by 3% (up to 5 stacks, all stacks are consumed after casting a soul ability).

Equipment Effect 2: Dream Weaving (Active): Consumes 200 mana to create a "real illusion" targeting the target's mind using collected "Memory Threads" and the target's subconscious. This can inflict a "Sinking" state on an enemy for up to 3 seconds (duration and success rate are determined based on both sides' Intelligence, Charisma, and Soul Strength). During this time, the target will be completely immersed in the illusion and unable to act, but taking any damage will immediately break the state (Cooldown: Maximum of 3 uses per quest world).

Rating: 690
Synopsis: "The dreams of all beings are woven from threads of memory and desire. This artifact can weave the sweetest dreams and the most despairing nightmares. Remember, those who manipulate memories will ultimately be consumed by them." — The Dream Keeper's Last Words
Price: 395000 Paradise Coins

The Illusionist's eyes were fixed on the light screen. Although these two pieces of equipment were not conventional weapons or armor, they perfectly suited her area of ​​expertise, and their value to her even exceeded that of some Saint-level equipment.

But that wasn't all. As if by magic, Lin Yi started taking things out of his personal space again.

There were pieces of [Soul-Condensing Crystal], [Soul-Soothing Incense], and [Mind-Stabilizing Agent] radiating pure energy, and even a [Soul Energy Orb] that pulsated slowly as if it were alive...

With each item Lin Yi took out, the Illusionist couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes widening as if his burning gaze was about to burn holes in the supplies Lin Yi had brought out.

These supplies are all rare soul-type resources, and if they were put on the market, contractors of the relevant routes would definitely fight tooth and nail for them.

By the time Lin Yi laid out a small pile of more than a dozen soul-related materials and consumables on the bar, the Illusionist was already in a dazed state.

She glanced at the two epic-level pieces of equipment, then at the pile of rare materials. Her face flushed crimson with excitement, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes as she muttered to herself, "It's over... I can't afford it, I simply can't afford it... Even if I sold myself, I still couldn't buy a few pieces..."

She suddenly looked up at Lin Yi with pitiful eyes, like a puppy about to be abandoned, her voice trembling: "Big brother... no, godfather! Are all these things... really for sale?"

Gulu, who had been sulking, had somehow pulled out a brand-new camera and pointed it at the Illusionist, a smug grin on his face, clearly having anticipated this scene.

She whispered into the "camera": "Here it comes! A classic remake! Viewers, please enjoy the amazing performance of the illusionist contestants!"

As expected, under the impact of the immense temptation, the Illusionist seemed to have completely given up thinking about the friendship that Lin Yi had not yet had time to establish.

Under Lin Yi's slightly astonished gaze, she rushed forward with lightning speed, her previous sluggishness completely gone. Then... she grabbed Lin Yi's leg, looked up at him with her adorable little face, and cried out in a voice trembling with tears, "Godfather! My dear godfather! I want all these treasures! You see, I have nothing of value, so I can only offer myself... no, I mean, work to pay off my debt! Godfather, do you need someone to serve you tea and water? Do you need someone to test medicine and explore the way? Or do you have any enemies you need to settle accounts with? I'm highly skilled, and my prices are fair and honest! As long as you loosen your grip and give me... even just one or two items, I'll work for you under the table until the next era!"

Lin Yi: "..."

He felt that black lines might be sliding down his forehead.

He looked up helplessly at the witch beside him, who was laughing hysterically, his eyes conveying a clear question: 'Do all the people in your Phantom Troupe... have this kind of quirk?'

He remembered that a similar scene had occurred when Gollum was looking to buy equipment.

Receiving Lin Yi's glance, the witch not only didn't stop the illusionist's shameful behavior, but instead lightly covered her red lips with the back of her hand, smiling even more charmingly. She even winked at Lin Yi, teasingly saying in a seductive tone, "What's wrong? Feeling troubled? Do you need me to hug you too, to make it double? The price is negotiable~"

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, looked down at the Illusionist who was still clinging to his lap, blinking his big eyes and pretending to be pitiful, and sighed: "...You'd better not make things worse."

He moved his legs slightly: "Get up first. We can talk about the things, but let's skip the title of 'godfather'."

He really didn't want to have two such peculiar "good sons" at such a young age.

Upon hearing this, the illusionist's eyes lit up like light bulbs. With lightning speed, he released her grip, scrambled to his feet, and even brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes. His face instantly transformed into a sweet and obedient smile: "Yes, Godfather! Whatever you say, we'll talk! I'll listen to you!"

The speed at which this person changed their expression made Lin Yi realize once again that his new teammate's "acting skills" were as unfathomable as her abilities.

Gulu, standing to the side, was already laughing so hard that he curled up in his chair, clutching his stomach and convulsing.

The witch's bar was filled with a joyful atmosphere. (End of Chapter)