The Third Dream: City of Clouds

Although the stern man kept a cold face, if one looked closely, there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes. If there had been no one around, it would have been fine, but with people watching, that grounded sense of security only made Li Le’s emotions spiral further out of control.

Witnessing this, the leader found himself even more at a loss. Remembering the real culprits, he turned, his brows tightening sharply, and barked, “You little rascals, get over here!”

Clearly, this stern man held considerable authority. The burly men exchanged glances and hurried over, only then noticing the figure their leader had entirely blocked from view—a little girl, terrified by the javelins they’d just thrown, sobbing miserably.

She seemed so young that she hadn’t even performed the Rite of the Blade yet, one of the city’s most protected children.

A cold shiver ran through the group of men. Relief mixed with dread swept over them—the kind that left their scalps tingling.

Seeing the stunned men at his side, the stern man’s temper flared. He kicked the nearest man with force, cursing, “Look at the mess you’ve made!”

The kick was so fierce that even Li Le, standing nearby, was startled. Yet the man seemed unfazed; he merely stumbled, steadied himself, and looked a bit aggrieved—why am I the only one getting hit when everyone threw?

The others kept their heads bowed, eyes lowered, as if meditating: You were closest to the boss—didn’t you bring this on yourself?

After a moment, Li Le’s storm of emotions finally began to subside. Remembering her own pitiful state just now, she wiped her face again, feeling deeply embarrassed.

Seeing her tears stop, the group of men let out a collective sigh of relief. The stern man then approached, trying to soften his expression and asked gently, “Which family are you from in the city? Why were you alone in the fog? Where are your elders?”

The men shivered at his tone, hairs on end, exchanging glances—had they ever heard their leader sound so “gentle”? It was terrifying!

Li Le’s eyes and nose were still red as she looked up at the stern man. “I’m not from the city… I don’t know how I got here… My family isn’t here.”

Recalling her misfortune, Li Le’s composure nearly crumbled once more.

The stern man froze. “You’re not a child of Cloud City?”

The men’s reactions were even more exaggerated, especially the one who’d been kicked. He blurted out, “How is that possible! The nearest city to Cloud City is Prosperity City, and that’s at least a hundred li away! Besides… this is the deadliest time of the death fog, the Annihilation Period!”

Li Le felt something was off but didn’t dwell on it. Looking at him, she repeated, “I told you… I’m not from Cloud City or Prosperity City. I don’t know how I suddenly appeared here…”

Her eyes and nose still red, Li Le tried to explain herself to the burly man. Faced with his skepticism, her tone inevitably turned frosty.

The man rubbed his nose, muttering awkwardly, “If you don’t know, you don’t know… no need to be so fierce…”

She’s just a child!

The others exchanged looks of exasperation—couldn’t he see she barely understood what was going on, and now he was mocking her?

Li Le was never one for a gentle temper; she was just about to retort when the stern man’s nose twitched and he caught a familiar scent. His eyes shifted to the bulky coat slung over Li Le’s shoulder. Quietly, he asked, “Child, what’s in your pack?”

“Li Le.” Her obsidian eyes met his. “You can call me Li Le, or just Lele.”

He paused, sensing her openness toward him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the envy practically bubbling from the other men—what was so enviable about dealing with a youngster? He almost felt dark lines forming on his forehead.

At that moment, Li Le carefully sat down and began working at the stubborn knot on her bundle—she’d tied it too tightly before, and now, frowning, she debated biting through it.

Watching her, focused entirely on the knot, the stern man bent down, catching a glimpse of her soft, jet-black hair. His face stiffened again, his fingers twitching slightly.

Just as Li Le was about to use her teeth, the stern man, face still rigid, grabbed the knot with both hands.

With a sharp rip, the cloth tore. The coat, sturdy as it seemed, parted in his hands as if made of paper.

Li Le was speechless—she felt somewhat insulted, though no one noticed her wistful gaze.

All eyes—men and leader alike—fixed on the ancient-looking mushrooms inside the bundle, struck dumb.

“So many… Death’s Mushrooms?!” one of the men exclaimed.

Death’s Mushrooms?

Li Le blinked, noting their expressions and realizing these fungi were likely far more valuable than she’d assumed.

“You picked all these?”

The stern man stared at the mushrooms, his gaze complex as he looked at Li Le. For her to have gathered so many Death’s Mushrooms, just how long had this child been surviving in the death fog?

Li Le didn’t notice his shifting emotions; she simply placed the mushrooms back onto the coat, retied the bundle, and looked up at his question. “Yes.”

The men began to connect the dots, recalling her earlier mention of having no elders… and seeing Li Le’s matter-of-fact, oblivious demeanor, a wave of bittersweet feeling washed over them.

Why the sudden silence? Li Le was momentarily confused, only able to sense the tangled emotions in their eyes.

“…Li Le, right? Don’t worry. Once you’re in Cloud City, you’re home. No matter what came before, from now on you’ll be one of us…” The man who’d been kicked spoke first, his tone intense with emotion and tinged with guilt.

For once, the others agreed with him.

Li Le paused, mulling it over—they must have guessed something from the number of Death’s Mushrooms. She wanted to explain, but it would mean revealing her system and the strange changes in her body, and she didn’t know where to begin. So she kept quiet.

She was starting to sense this world was not the one she’d come from. So she obediently sat and listened to their discussion.

“…But, Boss, what about the child?” one man scratched his head, voicing the question to their leader.

The stern man was taken aback, realizing the issue for the first time: minors were extremely precious and rare in this world, even in Cloud City, and were always assigned a guardian—usually the strongest direct relative. If a guardian died or was punished, the role passed down by strength.

Thus, it was almost unheard of for a child to be left unprotected. But here was a child alone, without any relatives. Even if she made it into Cloud City, life would be hard without someone to look after her.

How should this be handled? The stern man frowned slightly.

At that moment, he felt a gentle tug at his coat.

Looking down, he saw the child sitting beside him, her slender hand holding his sleeve. Those obsidian eyes looked up at him and she asked, “…Can I stay with you? I’ll share half my mushrooms with you…”