"Mister Dream, what do you require?" Han Sen didn't think that the creature's smile was very nice.
Dream Beast did not say anything, but his eyes flashed. Han Sen felt a power come upon him, and his heavy body started to fly.
Splash!
Han Sen flew over the lake and dropped into it.
Normally, falling into a lake was no big deal. But now, his body was so heavy that he could not get away from the water. He couldn't even float.
Dream Beast approached Han Sen's struggling form and laughed. "Stop pretending. I know you can survive in the water. There is a type of gemstone beneath the sand. It is my food. You can go down there and get me some. I require ten of them a day. If you don't fill the quota, I will give you a nightmare."
"And by the way, I am fond of cleanliness. Some would say too much. So, do not make the water dirty. If you do that, I will give you one hundred nightmares," Dream Beast said.
Han Sen, upon hearing all that, stopped pretending to struggle. He immediately dove down into the water.
He could breathe underwater, but he just wanted to earn some sympathy points first. Unfortunately, the act didn't work on Dream Beast.
The Dream Lake was clean, and you could see down to the bottom. Han Sen guessed it must have been ten meters deep.
Strangely, though, Han Sen did not see any other creatures in the water. There weren't even any plants like seaweed. The whole lake was clean like a well-polished gemstone. There was not a single speck of dust, which was quite scary.
Han Sen's body reached the bottom, and his feet touched the sand. The sand followed the waves, rising like mist.
"This is your first day, so I'm only giving you a warning. If you kick up any sand again, straight into the dreamscape you go." Dream Beast's voice boomed into Han Sen's ears.
"If you don't let me stand on the sand, how am I supposed to find your gemstones?" Han Sen asked quickly.
"That is your problem, not mine. I am merely following the rules," Dream Beast said as if it was ordinary.
Han Sen knew there was no point resisting, so he pulled his legs off the bottom of the lake. He remained afloat, afraid of moving the sand with his body. But the sand was very light. The slightest wave would make the sand rise like mist, and the water would become dirty-looking.
Han Sen tried his best to keep any more body parts from touching the sand, and that was how he avoided making the sand rise again.
Normally, it would not have been difficult to maintain this position, but Han Sen still had Sky Heart Lock clamping down on him. Beneath that pressure, holding his position was difficult. It brought his body pain.
Han Sen was using all kinds of strength to support his body; otherwise, he'd have already been down against the bottom of the lake.
But keeping that position was a challenge. Han Sen looked around the lake, and the sand was very flat. There was no mark or disturbance, and neither were there any convenient rocks.
Han Sen looked around for a while, but there did not seem to be any gemstones.
According to what Dream Beast said, the gemstones were supposed to reside beneath the sand. So, he'd have to collect the gemstones out of the sand.
But Han Sen did not know where exactly beneath the sand a gemstone might lie. He used his Dongxuan Aura to scan the lakebed, but there was nothing to be seen.
"At least today I can break the rules." Han Sen used his strength to dig through the sand, and after digging for a while, he found a clean, orb-sized gemstone that looked like a diamond.
"Mister Dream, is this what you are looking for?" Han Sen asked, holding up the gemstone.
"Yes. I eat ten a day. If you miss one, you'll have nightmares forever. Plus, you deliberately destroyed the bed of sand. I will punish you now by making you work for me for another month." Dream Beast's voice came out of nowhere.
Han Sen felt depressed, but it was his own fault for not abiding by the rules in someone else's abode.
The sand did indeed harbor gemstones, but they were a rare find. Detecting the gemstones without touching the sand was very hard.
But that couldn't stop Han Sen. Han Sen had learned a gentle skill from Moon Wheel King and the Narrow Moon Knife. He could cast power into water without causing a ripple. It would not be too difficult to keep the sand still, then.
Han Sen cast his gentle Moon skill and looked through the sand carefully, searching for a gemstone.
His body was suppressed by Sky Heart Lock. He had to keep his head down and his feet up, and he had to use the gentlest power he could to retrieve the gemstones. He was in the lake for a whole ten hours straight, fetching the gemstones.
When he came back out of the lake, he did not want to move.
You are better than I thought. It looks like if I want to eat more, it should be fine." Dream Beast was resting beneath a tree. He smiled at Han Sen casually.
Han Sen did not even have the strength to complain. He just lay in the grass near the lake, his body too sore to move.
He felt so soft, as if his body was devoid of bones.
The sad life of Han Sen started on that day. Every day, he spent most of his time under the surface of the lake in pursuit of gemstones. Whenever he had time remaining to himself, he rested. He did not have time to practice.
Han Sen did not know why the leader wanted him to be here, but it was related to Yisha. Therefore, it shouldn't have been too harmful.
And the leader had used his own energy to give Han Sen two Sky Heart Locks. If he wanted to harm Han Sen, he wouldn't have had to make such an effort.
Han Sen worked hard in the lake. Dream Beast still never grew to like him, though. If he got up late, Dream Beast would go and kick him into the water.
And the sick Dream Beast would always say how great fresh gemstones were. Han Sen couldn't get any more than ten to save for the next day.
"When I become deified and stronger than you, I will make you search for the gemstones. I will tie your legs up and make you scour the sand with your own tongue," Han Sen thought angrily to himself.
"Good thinking. From today on, you will use your own tongue to search for the gemstones. But if your tongue touches a gemstone, I will cut it off," Dream Beast's toneless voice said right beside Han Sen.
Han Sen was struck with another chill. He felt hopeless, and he thought, "Sh*t! He can read minds?"