The sound of water splashing, raindrops falling into the lake stirred up circles of ripples. The humid air with the smell of soil turned into moisture with the smell of fish. The feeling of standing on a swaying boat was completely different from that of standing on flat ground.
“This is…amazing!”
Mr. Green said in surprise, opening his umbrella and looking around:
"We're in the lake in no time!"
The doctor shook his head and, like Shade, took out the pocket watch with only one pointer and took a look. The pointer was now pointing to the number "3":
"There is a slight force invading this dream, but it is not something to be concerned about yet. Detective, you are right. There is something wrong with Edwards' bloodline. As long as they get close to this island in their dreams, the dream will be connected to reality."
"Will it affect the plan?"
“It’s hard to say, but I have made many backup plans.”
He folded his umbrella in the rain and knocked against the side of the boat with the umbrella. Dong, Dong, Dong. After three knocks, the heavy rain stopped abruptly and the moisture on the three people evaporated quickly.
Although there were still dark clouds overhead and heavy vapor around, it was at least much better than raining.
The boat in the dream sailed silently into the thick fog. It seemed like only half a minute before Shade saw the small pier in the fog. Mr. Soren Green had obviously never been to this island, but the pier in the dream was exactly the same as the one in the real world, which once again proved the relationship between Edwards' bloodline and this island.
After the boat docked, the three of them stepped onto the dock and entered the island. However, there was not a trace of fog on the island, which made Shade very uncomfortable. The doctor looked at his pocket watch again, and the number was pointing to "4". As Shade, the only one who knew the way, led the two into the forest path connecting the dock and Green Lake Town, the pointer jumped directly to "5".
The doctor said nothing, but let Shad lead the way, and he walked side by side with Mr. Green, who was a little curious, behind.
Just like the last time Shad entered Megan and Audrey's dream, the dream about this island was so dark and eerie. Although there were no monsters, the silence in the silence was even deeper and more terrifying.
In the abandoned town of Green Lake, for some reason, several houses were lit up. The rain that had been stopped by the doctor began to fall again as they entered the island. As they passed through the forest and entered the town, the number on their pocket watch jumped from "5" to "7". The barking of a dog in the distance startled the three of them, and the three moons in the night sky became increasingly dim.
"This is where my grandmother and her family used to live..."
There was fear and surprise in it, and Mr. Soren Green didn't know how to describe his feelings at the moment.
Walking through the town, Shade and the doctor were sure that there were no residents in this dream, but they both felt like they were being watched. The hands of the pocket watch continued to turn slowly clockwise, and when they passed through the town and came to the road leading to Edwards's mansion on the hillside, the number had reached "8".
The night in the dream became increasingly darker, but there was no thick fog in the town, so he could barely see some of the surrounding scenery. The owner of the dream was not in a good state, and the psychological suggestion of the dream made the dream slide further towards the weird and gloomy slope.
In the drizzle, Xia De, who was walking in front, even felt that he would not be surprised even if a dozen evil spirits appeared in front of him.
Mr. Soren Green had already begun to tremble all over, and his instincts made him resist moving forward, so he had to be supported by Dr. Schneider. Shade was a little worried about this, but since the doctor still had confidence, he would not give up the plan.
Gradually, the Edwards Mansion appeared higher in the night rain. The first thing you see in the rain is the lights in every window, but the lights are too glaring to make it difficult to see the interior of the building.
In such a gloomy environment, the house with lights on and located in the middle of a deserted island in the rain is not something you should enter rashly.
The three of them were silent as they were led by Xia De closer and closer to the house until they were blocked by the fence outside the mansion.
Shade had encountered this situation in Megan and Audrey's dream last time, so he turned to Mr. Soren Green and said:
"Please knock on the door and make yourself clear."
The trembling man was supported by Dr. Schneider. He thought for a while before speaking:
"I'm Thoren Green, Maria Edwards' grandson, and I wanted to come back and visit."
Squeak~
The gate opened automatically, and the three walked in one after another. However, Shade did not lead them directly into the building, but motioned the doctor to look at the pocket watch.
“Still 8.”
The doctor's voice was calm:
“When we reach this number, we can be sure that there is something else mixed in with this dream.”
"Don't go in yet, I want to take a look here."
Xia De pointed to the well in the southeast of the yard. At this time, the well was covered by a large stone, on which were placed a bucket and a well rope.
The father of the Green siblings, the old corpse ghost Nicholas Green, said that the eldest son of the third generation, Envy Edwards, who died young, was not actually dead at all. Instead, he was kept in a secret room under a well by his "ancestors" since he was a child, and was subjected to various experiments on elixirs of immortality. He even survived to this day.
Now in this dream mixed with strange powers, there is a high probability that there will be no living dead. But if all the terrain and building structures on this island correspond to reality, then there should be a secret room under the well.
He told the doctor and Mr. Soren Green his thoughts, of course, without directly mentioning the source of the intelligence in the dream. The doctor also agreed with Shade's exploration plan:
"This dream is very strange. Walking around a little more will help me understand it better."
Of course, they were not stupid enough to let one person go down the well while the others waited on the surface. Instead, they planned to go down together. However, the large stone slab covering the well mouth seemed to have grown together with the whole well, and Xia De could not move it no matter what. He wanted to raise his hand and use the "stone to mud" to melt the stone slab directly, but was stopped by the doctor:
"It's better to be cautious."
He whispered something in Mr. Green's ear, and the latter nodded slightly and said to the slate:
"I'm a little thirsty. I want to get some water from the well."
Xia De tried again, and the stone slab was moved easily.
He picked up a stone and threw it into the well, then imagined a glowing spell in his dream, activated it and threw it into the well. Seeing that the well was not deep, Shade turned into a red butterfly and flew in first, followed by the doctor and Mr. Soren Green.
The well was almost dry, the bottom was sticky and slippery, and there was a strange smell, but the area was very large. After they each lit up the light, Shade and the doctor just looked around and directed Mr. Soren Green and said:
"Look, why is there a crack on this stone wall? Is there a secret door here?"
There was a keyhole on the wall, but no one knew where the key was. So Shade used the "door key" a little bit, and the door of the secret room was pushed open. Behind the door, the three people were shown a room similar to an alchemy workshop.
The area of the secret room was quite large, at least three times the size of Shade's bedroom. Unlike the sticky and slippery bottom of the well, the secret room under the well separated by a wall was still dark, but the air was dry, with only a foul smell and the smell of urine.
There was a bed and a small table in the corner, and other than that there were only bookshelves and test benches. Of course there was no one here, and when he opened the books, there were only blank pages. But when Xia De raised his right hand, the moonlight on his fingertips immediately illuminated the dense carvings on the surrounding walls.
This is not a text, but a completely hand-carved picture. The mural can be divided into two areas. The left area records a humanoid object that eats, drinks, and is even forced to undergo surgery to implant certain objects.
Not only was there a stone that seemed to refer to the Philosopher's Stone, but the humanoid creature even ate something that looked like a child. The doctor and Mr. Soren Green were both very surprised, but Shade corrected them:
"It may be a derivative of a relic called 'Baby Fruit'. The relic itself is the 'Eternal Life Tree', which can only produce fruit when the era changes."
This part of the mural probably records the content of the eldest son of the third generation being forced to conduct experiments on the elixir of life.
As for the mural on the right side of the head, it becomes a little abstract. There is a figure on the left, walking through doors. As the figure does this, the lines depicting him gradually become lighter and more discontinuous.
Shad didn't know what this meant, so he carefully wrote down the murals, while the doctor tried to find another exit of the secret room, but failed.
Apart from the entrance we just entered, there were only small openings for ventilation and air exchange, which could probably only allow little mice or large rats to pass through. As for how Envy Edwards, the eldest son of the third generation living here, got food, probably only the people on the island knew.
They did not stay in the well for too long and soon returned to the surface. Then, led by Shad, they pushed open the door of Edwards' old house.
The building was brightly lit, as if a grand banquet was going to be held here, but in reality there was no one there. Mr. Soren Green trembled even more violently. His own dream had completely frightened him. To him, the house seemed to be more terrifying than the gloomy island. Megan and Audrey said that the passage leading to the blood-red door was in the basement, and the witches had also explained the location of the basement. It was not complicated to find the door to the basement, but when the three faced the black iron door, Shade did not open it immediately, but looked at the doctor.
The doctor showed him the pocket watch in his hand. The hands were shaking like crazy as if he had Parkinson's disease. It was no longer of any reference value:
"The target should be behind the door. Do you still remember the plan?"