Chapter 761: A Sudden Turn—But That Person Was… What the hell?

After finally unraveling the truth behind the Sleeper’s Project Zero, and understanding the extreme, fanatical goals those “mind manipulators” were striving for, a flood of new questions surged up alongside his shock in Gawain’s mind.

“Has Project Zero actually taken effect?”

“It must have, to some extent,” Daniel replied. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept pushing it forward all this time—it’s an incredibly costly endeavor.” Though Daniel had recently been promoted to archbishop, he hadn’t yet been fully briefed on all the core secrets, so his knowledge of Project Zero was still limited. Some things he could only speculate about. “In conversations with other archbishops, I’ve heard veiled references that, at least before the sandbox went rogue, those dream worlds had indeed achieved a state of complete ‘godless existence.’”

“But the sandbox still went out of control…” Gawain frowned. “How exactly did it lose control?”

“The cause remains unknown,” Daniel said, “but Archbishop Selina Gelph once mentioned something—within the rogue sandbox, there were suspected traces of a deity.”

Gawain’s brow lifted slightly. He recognized the name from Daniel’s report, but quickly set it aside, because something else made his heart skip a beat:

Traces of a god?!

“So… the sandbox was contaminated by a god?” he stared at Daniel. “And the way it was contaminated was completely beyond the Sleepers’ understanding—beyond the reach of their technology?”

“Yes. Every piece of information related to the sandbox has been thoroughly examined. Every mind entering it was subjected to extremely strict screening. Yet the sandbox was still contaminated by a god,” Daniel said gravely. “The rogue sandbox is called ‘Sandbox One.’ It’s the core of Project Zero, the most fully constructed and longest-running of all the test sandboxes.”

The old mage paused, then continued: “After it went rogue, that world entered a state where it couldn’t be shut down. It sealed itself off and, under the effect of time iteration, evolved rapidly. Within just a few hours, its internal history likely diverged completely from the ‘script’ laid out by the external simulation team. Now, no one knows what’s really going on inside.”

Daniel’s report was filled with technical jargon that would be hard for most to grasp—some terms even felt anachronistic—but Gawain, as a specialist in Sleeper technology, understood it all clearly.

He pressed on: “How did this incident affect the normal operation of the mind network?”

“There was an ‘overflow’ from the sandbox,” Daniel answered immediately. “Though the sandbox was designed to be closed off, you should know that its operation requires the caster’s consciousness to intervene. The Sleepers’ spells aren’t like the ‘immersion pods’ we build—they lack triple fail-safes and an emergency stop button on the lid. They rely entirely on the operator’s own mental barriers to ensure ‘safety’…”

Gawain, well-versed in Sleeper tech, guessed the truth almost instantly: “The operator was contaminated.”

“Yes. The operator monitoring Sandbox One was infected. The overflow data used their brain as a springboard, quickly taking over several key nodes and spreading into the mind network—it spread so fast that by the time the outer personnel realized something was wrong, the contamination was already out of control.”

“What measures have the Sleepers taken so far?” Gawain frowned. “Are they effective?”

“They’ve been constantly resetting and purging contaminated areas, deleting short-term memories from some infected nodes. But these measures only maintain the status quo temporarily. They’ve also deployed something called a ‘hysteresis device,’ which generates reverse time iteration. It successfully slowed Sandbox One’s time flow to synchronize with the real world. This is currently the most effective measure—otherwise, in just a day or two, the contamination would evolve beyond anyone’s control.”

Hearing this, Gawain’s eyes widened. “That’s all?”

Daniel nodded. “That’s all they’ve done so far. They brought me in for my expertise in network architecture and information security, so they haven’t hidden these countermeasures from me. The intelligence should be reliable.”

“Have they tried forcibly severing the connection between the sandbox and the main network?” Gawain asked, puzzled. “I mean physically, in the real world.”

“That would kill all the ‘brain servants’ that make up the sandbox world…” Daniel’s expression grew complicated. “At least half the archbishops oppose that—even the Pope is against it.”

For a moment, Gawain thought he must have misheard. He double-checked: “They’re not cutting the physical connection because it would kill the ‘brain servants,’ not for any other reason?”

Daniel nodded. “That’s what I’ve heard.”

Gawain couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “You guys… I mean, they’re supposed to be a cult, right?”

“…I’m surprised too. But compared to the End of All Things sect, the Sleepers are a relatively… ‘milder’ dark cult,” Daniel said, his expression growing more subtle by the second. “Of course, the very existence of ‘brain servants’ isn’t exactly mild either.”

“Maybe they judged the loss too great, unwilling to spend huge resources ‘manufacturing’ a new batch of brain servants—kind of like how you’d take care of your tools,” Gawain said, unable to come up with a better explanation, brushing the topic aside. “In any case, it’s clear the Sleepers don’t have a better solution right now. Is that right?”

“Yes, my lord,” Daniel replied.

“Then do your best to help them find one,” Gawain shook his head, feeling a bit out of place but forced to say it. “Preserve the mind network at all costs. If it can’t be saved… evacuate immediately. I’ll find another way to contact you.”

“Yes, my lord…”

Daniel responded respectfully, but halfway through, his expression suddenly froze.

Gawain noticed the subtle change. “What is it?”

“I left a ‘projection’ in the Dream City to handle emergencies. It just received instructions,” Daniel said quickly. “Another overflow contamination zone has appeared outside the Dream City. This one seems… strange. The High Archbishop Council has ordered me and several other archbishops to investigate.”

“Then go,” Gawain nodded. But just as Daniel was about to take his leave, Gawain suddenly had a bold idea. “Wait.”

Daniel lowered his head. “Please, command.”

Gawain smiled. “I’m coming with you.”

“My lord?” Daniel was surprised, but quickly understood Gawain’s intention. “Understood—I will prepare a secure jump point for you.”

Gawain gave a short affirmative. Daniel couldn’t help but warn him: “Also, please be careful. You’ll be traveling with archbishop-level Sleepers, possibly even under the Pope’s watchful eye. They’re very sensitive to abnormal fluctuations in the mind network…”

As soon as he said this, Daniel realized it was presumptuous to caution such a powerful ‘extradimensional wanderer.’ He added hastily, “I overstepped, my lord. I shouldn’t doubt you…”

“No need,” Gawain interrupted calmly. “Let’s go before the archbishops start suspecting you.”

Daniel said no more, simply saluted Gawain. Then the light and shadow around them flickered and shattered silently.

Sunlight poured down on them. In the blink of an eye, Gawain found himself standing in the Dream City, on a grand circular plaza surrounded by hundreds of ornate pillars, its edges scattered with golden fallen leaves.

Only a few people stood nearby. Gawain quickly spotted a woman in a white dress, her smile gentle and serene, holding a lantern—she stood directly opposite him. That face was exactly as he remembered: Selina Gelph.

The lantern in her hand was clearly a “replica” created within the dream world—after all, the original was now in Gawain’s possession, already dismantled into parts by Rebecca and her team.

But in this mind-powered world, replicas and originals functioned almost identically.

Beside Selina stood a tall, slender man with a scholarly air, wearing a long robe and a monocle.

Judging by his demeanor and position, he was another Sleeper archbishop.

Daniel stood opposite them, discussing something.

Gawain glanced to his side—Daniel, who had been standing next to him moments ago, had vanished. His “projection” had merged back with the one before Selina, a process invisible to all.

Besides the three archbishops, three figures in standard black robes and owl masks stood nearby—Sleeper special operatives, directly under the High Archbishop Council or the Pope, handling confidential matters.

High-level tools, nothing to worry about.

Confirming his own status, Gawain strode forward confidently.

No one on the plaza reacted; they all seemed to instinctively ignore the uninvited guest.

A faint smile crept onto Gawain’s face.

When he first infiltrated the mind network, he wouldn’t have dared act so boldly. Back then, he only had the permissions of a high-ranking cultist, with limited understanding and control of the network. He’d even worried about being detected just by seeing Selina Gelph’s figure.

But today was different.

The mind network now had a sophisticated address recognition system—one he designed.

It had more efficient identity expression technology—also his design.

And the latest “invisibility” exploits, thousands of disguised jump points, hidden data ports… all his work.

He casually took his place beside Daniel, listening to their conversation, and glanced at the unfamiliar, scholarly archbishop.

Immediately, a light screen appeared above the man’s head, invisible to others, displaying clear text:

Yuri, Archbishop, Male, High Peak Rank.

Current location: Typhon—Sutini Province—Harentan Valley.

So his name was “Yuri”…

Gawain gave the Sleeper archbishop a quick once-over, a hint of amusement in his mind.

Too bad he wasn’t bald, and no tubes were implanted at the back of his head.

Of course, in the real world, maybe he had tubes—or maybe he was bald.

Gawain chuckled silently to himself, but quickly reined in his wandering thoughts—these Earth jokes were only for his own amusement.

As he listened to Daniel and Archbishop Yuri discuss operational details, his gaze drifted to the other Sleeper clerics. Text floated above their heads too—some detailed, some brief.

Finally, his eyes casually swept over Selina Gelph.

At first, he paid little attention—he already knew this “Dream Saint,” and though he didn’t know how she’d survived to this day like Beltira, he at least knew Selina’s true identity.

But the moment the text appeared above her head, Gawain’s gaze suddenly froze.

Selina Gerfen, Archbishop (Deceased), Female, Spirit Form.

Current Location: Ansu / Correction / Southern Territory of the Cecil Empire.

(End of Chapter)