The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

George walked to the table and wrote down a few keywords on a piece of paper.

"Intuition, dreams, obsession."

As he wrote, he explained: "First, train your intuition. Try to train your body and instincts to take the lead, with the 'self' existing as a witness and affirmer, and then gradually integrate them."

Bates looked up from his book, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Second, explore your dreams," George continued. "For us veil breakers, dreams are windows into spiritual activity and revelation."

The path of the "hunt" might manifest as imagery or trials in your dreams. Try consciously guiding it—before sleep, give yourself a gentle but firm suggestion: "Tonight, I'm going hunting," and then remember everything you see.

He paused, then added, "Last and most importantly, consider the nature of supernatural power. Why do you crave it? What do you want to achieve with it?"

This will transform into a heartfelt yearning, the fuel that sustains us through the long and perilous journey.

Bates listened, put down his notebook, and stared intently at George.

"Intuition, dreams, essential desires..." he repeated softly, then nodded solemnly. "I understand, George, thank you. These experiences are probably as valuable as this book."

"We've been mentors to each other," George said, handing Bates the note he had written. "The matter of the manor is temporarily settled. You can come and discuss things with me anytime."

After seeing Bates off, George closed the door to the alchemy room.

He immersed his consciousness back into the card table, reaching out to grab the card of [Acquaintance Elliott], attempting to sense information related to "The Order" or "Revelation".

Vague hints surfaced in my mind, like an explanation of the rules at a card table.

To establish a cult, one must select an acquaintance as an initial member and provide them with a card containing secret knowledge that can be "revealed".

The founding ceremony requires the founder to consume the durability of either the "Reason" or "Passion" card in order to establish an initial spiritual connection and doctrinal foundation.

George's brow twitched slightly.

He has several suitable secret teachings here; the key is either [rationality] or [passion]...

[Rationality] is best saved for analyzing books, while the [Passion] card used the day before yesterday when analyzing [Pure White Cube] has a three-day cooldown period.

In other words, it will "light up" again tomorrow... or in a few hours.

A strange feeling welled up inside him.

Less than a week after returning home, he experienced bloody waters, frog plagues, and lice infestations, dealt with the pollution of the manor, comforted his family, dealt with the pest control bureau, and unexpectedly—or perhaps destined—continued to delve deeper into the extraordinary world.

Now, he is finally taking the first step in building his own power.

A cult that belongs to him, a group that may stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the future.

Of course, this choice has both advantages and disadvantages.

He temporarily suppressed the urge to act immediately and left the poker table.

As George picked up "The Shocking Secret!", which he hadn't finished reading yet, and flipped through the pages, he pondered his next plan.

Right now, besides establishing a cult, exploring new functions of the cheat system, and deepening his own power, equally important are undoubtedly advancing in rank and uncovering the truth of what happened five years ago.

According to the information Carson obtained, there are certain clues from Sybil, her uncle, and her grandmother.

So I should find an excuse to talk to my sister, and then...

George, who was aimlessly flipping through the printed materials in his hand, trying to find some inspiration for starting a church, suddenly stopped.

His attention was drawn to a lengthy annotation written by the Viscount next to a report about a medium performing psychic rituals.

"Interesting, perhaps we can give it a try... perhaps tonight?"

As night deepened, George returned to his room.

Following the viscount's annotations in "The Shocking Secret!", he began preparing a small ceremony.

If matter returns to waking state, then the spirit will return to the dream realm—somnium, which is the dream world.

Due to differences in principles, paths, and destinies, there are various methods for entering the dream realm. Perhaps the most wondrous is that of those who follow the "Ouroboros." Apprentices of the "Candle" principle typically light five candles by their bedside, which is sufficient for them to naturally fall asleep.

He placed and lit the five candles according to the marked locations: bedside, windowsill, corner of the desk...

The candlelight burned silently, crackling softly, mingling with the subtle scent of the burning wick.

George lay on the bed, relaxed his body, and let his mind sink into that warm spiritual fire.

At the same time, he recalled the five points of light that were jumping around in the room.

Consciousness gradually blurred, and the outline of the material world began to dissolve.

A familiar feeling of weightlessness, like passing through water, washed over me.

When he "opened" his eyes again, everything around him was different.

The bedroom remained the same, but all the colors were now imbued with a deep and clear cobalt blue.

The light no longer came from the fireplace or candles, but diffused from all directions, as if the entire mansion was immersed in a tranquil deep sea.

The edges of the matter trembled slightly, as if breathing, and countless visible dust particles floated in the air, slowly swirling in a silent rhythm.

He looked down at his somewhat ethereal hands—now tinged with a faint, translucent white, like glass submerged in clear light underwater.

With a thought, George moved with incredible lightness to the window.

The view outside the window was even more spectacular.

A huge moon hangs in the sky, its cobalt blue tinged with a faint bluish-white light.

The world was deathly silent, and countless rays of light poured down, gilding the rooftops, treetops, and lakeshore of Paradise Island Manor with silver.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to another light source.

At the top of the towering building on the west side of the manor, a steady golden light shone, reflecting the moonlight.

In contrast, the decaying lake surrounding the island in the distance now appears as a deep, black glass under the moonlight, as if the original night had been poured into stagnant water, reflecting endless depth.

"Su Meng... the dream world."

George drifted out of his bedroom and walked along the spacious corridor.

In reality, the corridors are filled with family portraits, but in the dream realm, the eyes of those portraits seem to open slightly, emitting faint blue light as they watch over him, the consciousness traversing his own territory.

He didn't stop, but guided by some kind of instinct, he turned to a relatively secluded lawn on the side of the manor.

The island's night view is breathtakingly beautiful in the dream realm.

The moonlight sculpted the neatly trimmed hedges, undulating grassy slopes, and sleeping flowerbeds into shapes of silvery jade.

The veins of each leaf are clearly visible, as if a river of shimmering light is hidden within.

Just as he was immersed in this tranquil spectacle, a slightly slender silhouette caught his attention a few steps ahead under an old oak tree.

That person also walked in this dream realm, their figure slightly more blurred than his, like a watercolor painting that hadn't quite dried.

He recognized the figure.

"Miss Moore?" George asked tentatively.