29: Chapter 29 Deep-Sea Currents and the Favor of Creation

Sitting at the Origin of the Dream World, Zhou Meng's consciousness was like an invisible web, covering this heaven and earth born of his thoughts. He 'watched' the ten members of the [Dream Society] fighting on the ghost ship, watched the rescue and choice of the mermaid princess Aelia, and also watched that book, "whispers of the abyss," being snatched away by a mysterious octopus tentacle.

When the mission ended and the team members turned into flowing light to return, Zhou Meng's consciousness did not withdraw. Instead, it followed the residual evil aura of that octopus tentacle and the trajectory of Aelia's pursuit, sinking toward the deepest part of the Dream World's boundless ocean.

That place was an area where even the turbid Qi and evil thoughts of the 'Earthly Path' settled, compressed, and underwent strange qualitative changes; it was a dark territory of the Dream World that had not yet been fully explored.

And right within this deep-sea abyss, which symbolized ultimate unknown and oppression, Zhou Meng 'saw' a behemoth slowly condensing and gestating.

It was not a concrete biological form, but more like a conceptual aggregate born from the indescribable nature of [Cthulhu elements], the suffocating pressure of [Deep Sea Phobia], the ultimate silence of [Fear of Death], the twisted Logic of [Madness], the trembling hesitation of [Fear of the Unknown], and the feeling of insignificance from [Megalophobia]... these deepest and most primitive fear concepts from the collective subconscious of real humans, intertwined and fused with the turbid Origin power representing gestation and destruction that had settled in the Dream World's 'Earthly Path'!

It was the [Lord of the Deep Sea]!

A perfect, natural ultimate villain BOSS and background setting for the Dream World! It had not even fully awakened; merely the aura it unconsciously emitted was enough to create an atmosphere of extreme horror and despair in specific mission worlds (such as those with ocean, abyss, or ruin backgrounds), spawning evil items like "whispers of the abyss" and the minions it controlled.

"Wonderful!" Zhou Meng could not help but praise in his heart. He had not directly created this existence; it was an 'indigenous' horror gestated on its own during the Dream World's self-evolution process by absorbing a large amount of fear-related emotions generated by the Hosts during missions (especially the deep-sea fear and death fear brought by this ghost ship mission) and combining them with the world's underlying rules!

"Is this the potential of the Dream World? It can not only evolve according to my settings but also derive such... appropriate and powerful conceptual creations on its own based on the experiences and emotions of the Hosts!" Zhou Meng felt incredibly gratified and excited. This world was becoming more and more 'real,' increasingly possessing its own 'ecology' and 'history.'

And an important turning point that catalyzed the birth of the [Lord of the Deep Sea] was precisely the [Dream Society]'s [Team Upgrade Mission], which was filled with an atmosphere of despair and deep-sea elements. It was their intense emotional fluctuations and unique mission experiences that provided the most critical nutrients for this breeding ground of fear.

Especially that young man named Zhang Hao. The calm analysis and precise judgment he showed during the mission, as well as his flash of inspiration in the final moment to decisively combine the "heart of the ocean" with the Tuning Fork spirit, had left a deep impression on Zhou Meng. He was one of the key figures who pushed the plot, triggered conflicts, and even indirectly catalyzed new 'world elements.'

"A good prospect." Zhou Meng's gaze pierced through layers of space, falling upon Zhang Hao, who was currently turning into flowing light along with the other nine team members, flying toward the newly acquired pure white Team-exclusive space.

As the Creator, he was never stingy about giving rewards to 'excellent employees' who could promote the evolution of his world.

With a slight thought, Zhou Meng did not mobilize his vast Dream Power. Instead, he stripped away a trace of imperceptible yet infinitely potential power of evolution from the Dream World's vigorous Origin, which represented 'evolution' and 'possibility.' This power was formless and quality-less, as if it were merely a blessing, a turning point.

With a gentle flick of his finger, this speck of light crossed the boundary between reality and dream, silently merging into Zhang Hao's body during the teleportation process. More accurately, it merged into his innate Talent—[Logical Connection].

This was not a direct Rank increase, but rather the planting of a seed of higher-order possibility in the soil of a D-Rank Talent. It might allow Zhang Hao's future reasoning to touch the essence more closely, might cause new mutations in [Logic Pre-simulation], or might stimulate unexpected resistance or... understanding when he faced certain specific situations (such as contacting an indescribable existence like the [Lord of the Deep Sea] again)?

All of this required Zhang Hao to explore and discover for himself.

Having done all this, Zhou Meng withdrew his gaze with satisfaction and once again turned his attention to the slowly pulsating horror aggregate in the deep sea. The [Lord of the Deep Sea]... what a perfect 'whetstone' and plot driver. He began to conceive how to skillfully weave it into future mission lines to bring 'surprises' and 'tempering' to more Hosts.

In the depths of the Dream World's ocean, the undercurrents grew more turbulent. And for Zhang Hao, who had received a trace of the Creator's favor, his future threads of fate seemed to have become even more blurred and worth looking forward to.