"Are you happy now?"

"Of course."

The man wearing the golden mask blurted out, "I've recently found another dimension with a complete civilization, and there are traces of the Old Gods there... Have you heard of the Chosen Ones? They are humans selected by the Old Gods and are granted some incomplete powers of the rules. I'm planning to capture one and put them on my ship to study them closely."

"Tsk tsk."

The Red-haired Girl responded to the man in the golden mask in such a manner.

The treehouse fell into a brief silence. After a moment, the King of Gold turned around, actively picking up a new topic, "What did you mean earlier by implanting a thought in someone else's mind?"

The Red-haired Girl looked around and finally fixed her gaze on the black dragonling she was holding, "Take him as an example. According to this dimension's rules, he and I are spiritually highly compatible partners. Our souls can sense each other's existence, and apart from death, nothing can separate us... This is a 'rule' that even you and I cannot alter."

Sensing the Red-haired Girl's gaze, the black dragonling happily flapped its wings.

The King of Gold nodded slightly, "It's amazing you could find such a place."

A dimension without death or conflict, where people lived harmoniously. Battles were conducted with carefully cultivated magical creatures facing off against each other. Even if injured in a duel, they would quickly receive healing. In other dimensions, injuries that would be fatal merely result in a temporary loss of consciousness in this world.

People who lose consciousness would be sent to the nearest aid station. When they awakened, both they and their creature companions would receive effective treatment.

In the King of Gold's view, such an Eden-like dimension seemed like something the Goddess whimsically created after a night of drunkenness, turning a childhood memory into a real dimension.

"That's not the point."

The Red-haired Girl shook her head, "If I implant a thought into this little guy's mind, I could bypass the rules set by the Goddess."

"What kind of thought?"

"For example... hmm, like letting him believe he hatched from a dragon egg stolen by a Poacher Gang, adopted by a wicked noble. It's basically the circus mindset. This way, his thinking and will would change."

She paused, "You just need to plant a seed in someone's mind and wait for it to bloom and bear fruit to get what you want."

"Boring."

The King of Gold unceremoniously gave his evaluation, "It's no different from illusion magic. Many of Sincaro's Believers can do this. The more skilled ones can even deceive the Guild's A-ranked investigators."

"You're the boring one! Get out of here; you're not welcome!"

The Red-haired Girl pointed at the treehouse door.

It seemed they were long accustomed to interacting this way.

Having been asked to leave, the King of Gold shrugged and walked towards the outside of the treehouse. At the door, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you really not coming with me to that dimension to take a look?... It's said that Merlin has also gone there. Maybe that place isn't as simple as we think."

"I don't like those kinds of places."

The Red-haired Girl said, "Good luck."

...

When the illusory image disappeared from his sight, confusion was written all over Black Steel's eyes.

Ignatius, the stolen dragon egg, the evil noble caring for animals circus-style... his childhood spent in the treehouse, and the white dragonling whose name he still couldn't recall.

The Red-haired Girl seemed to see through his thoughts, "Which memory is the real one?"

At this moment, a devilish smile curled up on her lips.

Black Steel was utterly bewildered. Suddenly, the memory of being adopted by a great noble seemed void and empty. Upon closer scrutiny, many details appeared shaky.

But if the memory he just saw was the reality, then all the hatred and obsession he held for years...

"Maybe the memory I showed you just now was fabricated."

The Red-haired Girl's words interrupted his thoughts, "I have every reason to do so. After all, time is so long for us that we need to find some amusement to continue living—my fun is deceiving everyone, like now. You walked here with the resolve to die but are now hesitating because of a memory."

Black Steel stared intensely at the figure before the treehouse.

Logic reminded him that this woman was full of lies, and he should fulfill his mission.

He had worked for years just for this moment.

But his body once again defied rationality, seemingly influenced by the soul contract—between a creature and a Summoner with souls in harmony, only death could separate them, and that would take a very long time until one of them had lived out their entire life.

And this also brought a more terrifying fact.

This world without death, which he viewed as hypocritical, was the real one.

"Little Ignatius, do you know what really makes this experiment interesting?"

The Red-haired Girl's gaze was captivating, "Even if they one day realize their memories were tampered with, they will never be able to tell which side is real... Your mission is complete, and you're no longer needed here."

She suddenly changed her tone, becoming cold and distant.