Transcending Dreams

William had already moved to put some space between himself and the turtle while he stared incredulously at the alert. This solved his communication issue, but what kind of name was Lord Paddlington?

It sounded like something that a child would name their pet. That didn’t stop him from allowing the connection.

[Connection Allowed]

[Lord Paddlington of Deepwater Abyss is requesting display access]

[Allow: Y/N]

William glanced at the turtle doubtfully, seeing it return the same look to him. When he didn’t allow access immediately, it motioned its flipper toward the system alert as if telling him to stop wasting time.

It made William’s heart skip a beat.

He could understand how Sophia was able to see the system since she was apparently the one who created it, but it was hard to wrap his head around the fact that a turtle with the name of Lord Paddlington was able to do the same.

William had already assumed Lord Paddlington was somehow connected to Sophia, but this was a bit much.

… Unless she somehow came to know that the turtle would need the ability to see his system alerts in the distant future. Not that he would ever know the truth beyond his wild speculations.

Lord Paddlington of Deepwater Abyss narrowed its beady little eyes at William and motioned more firmly to the system alert with its flipper. He wasn’t sure why the turtle wanted this access so much. It wasn’t as if the system was hidden from it right now, but the sort of access it was asking for was harmless, so William decided to allow it.

[Display Access Allowed]

[Identifier: Lord Paddlington of Deepwater Abyss]

[Lord Paddlington of Deepwater Abyss: You are not worthy of saying my Lady’s name so casually. Respect her authority.]

William didn’t know what was more ridiculous. The tiny turtle demanding for him to respect Sophia’s name, or the fact that the turtle’s name in its ridiculous entirety would be stated every time it communicated with him through the system.

He would rather shorten it to something not as eye-roll-worthy. ‘LP’ would be far better for his peace of mind.

[Identifier Modified | Lord Paddlington of Deepwater Abyss —> LP]

William blinked, thinking that was convenient. The turtle patted him on the face, looking even more furious, and this time he didn’t have to guess why.

[LP: My Lady created me in tandem with the system. I can see your system screens. I suggest you treat me with the same respect you treat your honored ancestor.]

Ignoring the revelation that the turtle wasn’t a natural lifeform, but one that was created by Sophia, William was quick to change the identifier again.

[Identifier Modified | LP —> Lord Paddlington]

A quick glance at the turtle’s more relaxed look calmed his nerves. William didn’t think it would harm him. However, he was most afraid of the emotions it readily showed. Having the guide in his suicidal mission pissed off at him was a surefire way to never escape this dimension, shard, or whatever the hell people were calling it.

[Lord Paddlington: Good. My Lady has told me of your noble mission. It is suitable for you to put your life in harm’s way for her favor. Follow me. I shall lead you to the heart.]

William didn’t like the sound of that at all, even if he already assumed this was the case. Thinking it as a possibility, and having it said out loud by a tiny turtle were entirely different things.

Since Lord Paddlington could see the system alerts, William tried to get a way to have his own thoughts appear on it in text form, but when the system didn’t react to his attempts, he gave up and started to wave his arms frantically in a poor attempt of charades.

[Lord Paddlington: Did you lose control of your arms? I do not recall my Lady having similar issues, but she is perfection personified.]

William turned away from the snobby turtle to hide the roll of his eyes and swam back toward the bubble. The plan was to get back to a place where he could speak without drowning so he could say that he wanted to hunt the contaminated spirit beasts before going on that suicidal mission. It would likely get him more experience points and, if lucky, enough to increase in cultivation realm. Sophia only wanted him to be below the Foundation Establishment Realm, so there was no need to be hesitant about leveling up.

However, as was standard with William’s plans, the best option was usually taken away. He unexpectedly bounced off the bubble and blinked at it in a daze. Lord Paddlington took this as an opportunity to swim in front of his face to shoot him another amused look.

[Lord Paddlington: You will not be allowed entry into the safe zone unless you are in mortal danger. There is no point in delaying my Lady’s mission. Come, let us not waste more time.]

There was no way in hell that William would follow this overly amused turtle anywhere at the moment. Since going to the safe zone wasn’t an option, gestures to the system would have to do.

Impurity: N/A

William wanted to grab Lord Paddlington and shove its face right up to the screen. Instead, he pointed emphatically at the word ‘Impurity.’ Thankfully the turtle got why he was frantically pointing.

[Lord Paddlington: Ah, I see. I did not think you qualified for the culling with your low cultivation. Let me check if I will be required to guide you. After all, you might not be alive after this.]

William was alarmed, and the tiny turtle vanished to add to that alarm. The only sign that it hadn’t been erased from existence or showed the ability to teleport was the void that it left in the water. That void only lasted for fractions of a second before the water surrounding it rushed in to fill the empty space.

However, that was enough for William to conclude that Sophia had given it immense powers when creating it. Of course, the assumption was there, but getting a visual confirmation was nice. Seeing its diminutive form had started nagging on William’s mind, so it came at a perfect time.

It was also a good distraction so he wouldn’t start overthinking what the turtle said before zooming away. With its attitude towards him so far, William didn’t expect anything else. Besides, Sophia didn’t seem worried about him dying in his attempts to kill the contaminated beasts.

Lord Paddlington wasn’t gone for long. Within a few seconds, the turtle was back in front of William, looking slightly surprised.

[Lord Paddlington: You are in luck. The beasts are all below the Foundation Establishment Realm. If you are able to return, I will lead you to the heart.]

After sending him that message, Lord Paddlington disappeared once again, leaving him staring at nothing before he realized it. William was a little frustrated, of course. Still, once again, he had become used to bumbling about before something worked in his favor. Hopefully, that would also apply here.

William glanced at the very attractive, safe, peaceful bubble before shaking his head. The smug turtle was right about one thing. There was no use in delaying any longer.

He moved closer to the bubble so his back nearly touched it when he sat on the sandy floor. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from behind. It was just the top, sides, and front to be concerned about…

That might not seem like much, but William wanted to make it possible for an attack to push him directly into the safe zone purely by its force on his body.

He slowly closed his eyes and diverted his senses inward, quickly falling into the state needed for cultivation.

It was almost immediately noticeable that there was no accelerated gain. Just to be sure, William continued to cultivate for about an hour to see if there was that delayed start, as it happened the very first time.

Nothing changed.

[Cultivate in Qi-dense environment for 48 Minutes: +8 XP]

William stopped the cultivation in disappointment, though it wasn’t a surprise. The prickling sensation when the density of Qi was nearing the limit of what his body could handle did not exist here, so there were no expectations in the first place.

He pushed himself up and swam up to better understand the entire level. Seeing the vast space filled with life made him realize something. This was far larger than anything that could possibly be seen from outside the trench by an exponential amount. On top of that, those trench walls that should have existed were nowhere in sight.

William wondered if this was a dimension inside a dimension, which made sense with how there seemed to be a whole new ecosystem that was thriving here.