```

When Ralph uttered his own name, Lyle almost jumped out of his skin. With his body on the verge of trembling, Lyle controlled his cold sweat and made one last struggle.

"What are you talking about, Ralph, is Little Butler Mr. also here? Don’t speak in riddles to me."

Ralph completely put down his knife and fork, returning the piece of meat to his plate. His slender fingers interlaced on the table, Ralph smiled while looking into Gareth’s eyes.

"You do a good impersonation, Lyle, but Gareth doesn’t act this pretentious when we’re alone. I was his assistant, and we dealt with many dangerous cases together. He would never invite me to dinner just to say thanks; otherwise, I could eat him out of house and home."

Lyle complained to himself inwardly, damn it, he was indeed too afraid of Ralph seeking revenge; disguising oneself as another was surely a poor choice.

However, there was still a chance to remedy the situation, as long as he could replace the Dark Matter on Ralph’s plate, all of this could be dismissed as a harmless prank by a mischievous nephew.

Secretly channeling magic into the Immersive Stone in his hand, he began to interfere with Ralph’s dreams. He even blurred the clear images into a mess, turning it all into an illusion for Ralph.

But there was no response.

The device in his hand became as unreliable as its master Irason at that moment.

Ralph still smiled at him, and even Lyle found himself unable to move.

Damn, what’s happening! I can’t interfere with the dream!

Ralph’s corrective actions continued.

"Do you know where the biggest anomaly is, Lyle?"

Ralph displayed an uncharacteristically gentle demeanor, a dream-like gentleness for Lyle.

"In my dreams, I usually patrol the streets of Cassandra, or sort cases at the security office. So, when I came to the Brighton restaurant, I knew something was off with my dream."

"As for whether it’s your doing? I guessed it, after all, only you, my nephew, have been dabbling in magic around me."

"And you, you rascal, have indeed fallen for my bluff."

A gentle force stripped away Lyle’s disguise, revealing his own reflection in the mirror, along with the other people dissolving like dust around him.

Working even in dreams, are you a workaholic, uncle? Connecting the series of anomalies that occurred to him, along with Ralph’s previous description, an astonishing but logical point of view emerged in Lyle’s mind.

"Ralph... Uncle Ralph, are you saying that you ’work’ in your dreams, not passively experiencing them, but actively interfering? You... you can control your dreams..."

Ralph plucked a hat out of the air and placed it on his head.

"As you can see, I certainly can control my dreams, which is a bit of an anomaly for me. After all, uncle here is quite the oddity."

[Do not invade a Dreamwalker’s dream, Lyle, or you’ll suffer greatly.]

[Dreamwalkers are a unique talent; they can interfere in dreams, mentally influence others, and leave a special impression on them.]

Lyle felt his teeth were starting to chatter.

"Uncle, you are... a Dreamwalker."

Ralph looked at Lyle’s surprised eyes, his face showing confusion.

"What is that, explain it to me, my dear nephew."

Lyle watched as his own body relayed information about Dreamwalkers to Ralph, like an observer.

He was controlling his own actions in the dream.

Ralph pinched his chin as the scenery around them changed rapidly.

The two were back at Ralph’s residence.

"It seems I am indeed what you call a Dreamwalker, Lyle," Ralph said, looking up at the ceiling, "which means, in dreams, I should be capable of much more."

Ralph lifted his palm, and as he unclenched his fist, the ceiling cracked open, revealing the colorful aurora-lit night sky above.

"Such an interesting ability."

"But tell me, my dear nephew, what was the motive behind staging this deception in my dream?"

It’s all over, all hope is lost.

Perhaps attuned to Lyle’s internal lament, Nia peeked out from behind him, adopting the cute childhood form of Alianna, with sparkling large eyes, looking at a smiling Ralph.

"Ralph."

Ralph saw Nia, and he jolted. There was a clear pause in his dream space, and then the whole dream transformed into a sunny environment, much like the blooming Naranya.

```

"You actually brought Nia into my dream, honestly, can Nia adapt to this spell? Why don’t you consider how a child feels."

Although he was complaining, Ralph, with a face full of smiles, had already scooped up his little treasure onto his lap.

Well done, Nia!

As Ralph kneaded Nia’s little cheeks, he muttered to himself.

"If Lyle brought Nia along, then what exactly is he up to... "

Ralph’s eyes widened as he had already thought through everything in his mind, his gaze upon Lyle increasingly filled with contentment, his smile unusually radiant.

With the gentle murmur of an affectionate elder, Ralph was tender like a grandfather at this moment.

"Indeed, you’ve grown up, boy. Its different when you have a family."

"It’s also my fault for spending too much time on cases, after you left, I didn’t have much time to be with you."

"Let’s use my dream to make up for the time we’ve lost, Lyle."

"Let the Butler family have a proper reunion."

"Brother, Lyle has become a responsible man."

Outside the dream, a man who resembled Ralph and a gentle woman came into Lyle’s view.

Feeling his body trembling, Lyle knew who they were. They were his parents who had passed away.

"Uncle..."

Ralph smiled kindly.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life, child, but I can give you a beautiful dream. Nia must be longing to meet her grandparents too."

The pair with gentle smiles hugged Lyle and kissed Nia, enveloping her in their embrace.

Such a beautiful scene.

Ralph, witnessing this warm moment, felt profound satisfaction.

He picked up his knife and fork again.

"Alright, let’s see what my dear nephew’s comfort food tastes like."

The Lyle who was just touched felt a chill in his heart, his soul nearly leaping out in fright.

That steak was the unaltered invitation of agony!

"Uncle! Please wait!"

"The steak has cooled down! Let’s prepare something else instead!"

Ralph smiled and stopped Lyle.

"Silly boy, this is a dream, what does it matter if the steak has cooled down. Plus, your uncle here is a Dreamwalker, heating up food is a piece of cake."

"Don’t worry, I will not spoil any bit of the food you’ve prepared for me."

"What’s packed inside here is your sincere feelings for me, right!"

The steak that Lyle had been so desperate for Ralph to eat entered Ralph’s mouth under Lyle’s despondent gaze.

Nia, cradled in the arms of her grandparents, witnessed the scene and covered her eyes with her chubby little hands.

"Nia doesn’t know anything!"

The dreamworld trembled and twisted violently before finally settling back to calm, just as Ralph’s trembling hand reached back out onto the table.

A large puff of smoke wafted from his forehead, and in the smoke, Ralph transformed into a huge, menacing wolf glaring deathly at Lyle.

Ralph’s face convulsed violently, twisting his smile into the greatest nightmare Lyle had ever seen.

"My ’dear’... little bastard, your... intense... feelings for me... I’ve... deeply... felt them."

"Any last words?"

Nightmare descends!