"The heart of the Nightmare Lord?"
Richard looked back at the hovering black pyramid, "You can actually tell that I am a Wizard. I thought that not even the Nightmare Lord could see through my identity."
Because his true body was not in the Nightmare World, Richard spoke with more confidence.
So what if you see through me? Have the guts to run to the Material World and kill me at the Tower of Truth.
The black pyramid emitted another sound:
"The talent of you Wizards is almost like it was carved from the same mold. Each one of you hides yourselves and wears robes of the same style.
So many years have passed, and you haven't changed."
Richard's expression paused for a moment, as he did not expect to be recognized for this reason.
But he quickly realized that this was indeed a flaw. The talent and appearance of a Wizard's Nightmare Body are often determined by the Wizard's inner desires, and it was obvious that every Wizard wanted to conceal their identity and felt a strong association with their identity as a Wizard.
Thus, it was common to see little difference among the Nightmare Bodies of Wizards.
And in the Nightmare World, difference is the normal state; being alike is what's alien.
"I must say, it's been a very long time since I've last seen any trace of you. Has your war finally ended?" the black pyramid spoke with a relaxed tone.
It seemed that the black pyramid had extensive past interactions with Wizards and from its words, its age seemed to trace back to the very end of the enlightenment period, the time of the great Wizard war.
After pondering for a moment, Richard decided to answer truthfully:
"If you're referring to the great Wizard war, then that has long since ended."
The black pyramid fell silent for a while:
"It seems I have wasted a lot of time."
"So, what kind of deal do you want to make with me?"
The black pyramid hesitated, then said, "I need a body, a custom-made body without a core. This shouldn't be difficult for you Wizards."
"Indeed, it's not difficult," Richard replied indifferently, "but what price will you pay?
Wizard's rule, equitable exchange. But what can you offer now, in your current state?"
"Equitable exchange?" The voice of the black pyramid suddenly became cheerful, "After so many years, you Wizards still like to hang this nonsense phrase on your lips.
When have I ever made a deal with you that wasn't at my loss and at your advantage?"
"That is your perception," Richard replied calmly.
"Alright, you Wizards are still the same, and that reassures me," the voice of the black pyramid relaxed, "You make the body as I have requested, and I will give you an incomplete Nightmare Artifact."
"Oh?" Richard raised an eyebrow, "This sounds like quite the advantageous deal for me."
"I haven't finished my conditions. I need five hundred years with this servant of yours, during which he will follow my commands completely," the black pyramid added.
Richard narrowed his eyes. He had not expected this lord to want Bone.
"You actually want Bone? I think we can further discuss this condition."
Bone usually protected Richard's avatar, and if he were to follow the Nightmare Lord, there would inevitably be battles, which did not align with Richard's needs for Bone.
"Oh? Do you actually have feelings for the little guy?"
The black pyramid was surprised; according to its impression of Wizards, they would certainly agree to this trade.
"Bone is needed to guard this avatar of mine and cannot follow your orders completely," Richard replied evenly, "But I have another little guy here who might satisfy your requirements."
With that, Richard pulled the coachman out of his pocket.
"This little guy degenerated because he violated the rules, but with enough Power of Nightmare, he will soon recover.
His strength is much more formidable than Bone's."
"So it's this little one, I thought he had already died," the black pyramid recognized the coachman, "But right now, he's just a Nightmare Spirit, raising his Power of Nightmare will take too much."
"Don't worry about that. If you agree to the trade, he will soon become a Big Nightmare."
The black pyramid was silent for a long while, seemingly considering whether the trade was worthwhile.
"You need to turn him into a Big Nightmare first, then I can agree to this trade."
Richard nodded: "No problem, but I need a small favor from you."
Three hours later, Richard threw the carcass of a Big Nightmare to the coachman.
As a vast amount of Power of Nightmare was absorbed, the coachman's strength returned to that of a Big Nightmare.
The task Richard needed the black pyramid to do was simple: to summon those Nightmare Creatures again.
Looking at the energy circuits, there was a massive Energy Network hidden beneath the entire Inner City District, and the hub just happened to be the black pyramid.
But regrettably, the Nightmare energy in these energy networks was not from the black pyramid itself, but rather from the land of the Nightmare World.
The energy circuit that could be observed through the strata because it was familiar, wasn't it?
The territory of the black pyramid just happened to cover a piece of land that was generating Black Knights, and the pyramid, thus, had connected to this Nightmare Network and activated its defensive measures.
However, the Nightmare energy used to generate the Black Knights was not something to be consumed lightly, and the black pyramid only dared to use it to activate defenses and did not dare to take more.
As the Nightmare Lord, he knew many of the dark secrets of the tidal forces.
With the carriage driver returning to the Big Nightmare, the Black Pyramid finally agreed to the trade.
He only needed a Big Nightmare to help him get through the initial difficult years, as for which Big Nightmare it was? It didn't matter.
"Very well, since you agree to the trade, bring out the energy circuit diagram for the body you wish to craft."
Richard looked forward to the Black Pyramid with some anticipation, a body custom-designed by a Nightmare Lord surely contained a wealth of knowledge.
But the Black Pyramid said, "Before the trade, I need you to take an oath on the Sea of Souls, promising not to leave any backdoors in the body during its creation. And after the transaction is concluded, you must not attack me, mark me, seal me, or engage in any hostile actions against me, and this must be maintained for at least five hundred years."
It had to be said, the Black Pyramid definitely had been tricked by Wizards in the past. Wizards, although sticklers for contracts, felt no guilty conscience about backstabbing after a deal was finished, especially when dealing with Alien entities.
Richard's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he unwillingly took an oath on the Sea of Souls.
After the oath was taken, the Black Pyramid sent a Spiritual Message to Richard.
This message was an energy circuit diagram he had never seen before, which was many times more complex than that of an ordinary Nightmare Spirit, yet it still fell within the category of a Nightmare Spirit.
If one became a Lesser Nightmare using this energy circuit, the energy flow within would be several times more complex than that of an ordinary Lesser Nightmare.
And the secrets within, probably only the Black Pyramid itself knew.
Following the diagram, Richard spent a lot of time completing the body. After delivering the body, the Black Pyramid slowly flew into the chest of the body and then merged into it.
Three seconds later, the body opened its eyes.
"Very well, you Wizards are cunning, but the things you make are indeed useful."
The Black Pyramid stood up and took out a miniature Black Pyramid from its chest.
"This is what you wanted."
Richard took the pyramid and asked, "I haven't had the honor of learning your name."
"Name?" The Black Pyramid snorted coldly, "I dare not tell you Wizards my real name, you can simply call me 'Pyramid.'"
Richard's eye twitched. He thought to himself about what his fellow Wizards must have done in the Nightmare World to make a Nightmare Lord so wary that they wouldn't even reveal their name to a junior Wizard like himself.
"Enough, our trade is complete, the defenses of the land have been lifted, you may leave at your leisure."
After saying this, the Pyramid Lord beckoned the carriage driver over and left the territory without hesitation, without a trace of reluctance.
It seemed that this land was not so much a dominion to him as it was a prison.
Richard checked the Nightmare Artifact given to him by the Pyramid Lord. The artifact was only the size of a fist, made of smooth obsidian and looking very exquisite.
The only defect was that one corner of the pyramid was chipped.
On the five faces of the pyramid, Richard found markings similar to runes, but the system of these runes was completely different from that of a Wizard's runes, and in the short term, Richard was unable to decipher them.
Infusing the Power of Nightmare into the Black Pyramid, the next moment, it merged into Richard's body and fused with the core of the Nightmare Body.
And he became aware of the use of the Black Pyramid.
"Nightmare amplification, once merged into the body, any actions involving Dream Rules will be amplified by the Black Pyramid. Moreover, this ability can also be shared with subordinates through the bond of gifting names."
Understanding the function of the Black Pyramid, Richard shook his head:
"What's the use of this, Bone, how much do you know about the Dream Rules?"
Bone shook his head: "Boss, I don't know many strategies involving the Dream Rules either."
Richard sighed, "It seems this thing is of little use for now."
Thinking about it, if this artifact was a very useful Divine Artifact, Pyramid would definitely not have given it up so easily for five hundred years.
"Verbally giving it to me while actually allowing me to attract firepower, and then sneaking off to grow with his subordinates. He will come back for this Nightmare Artifact once he's grown," Richard looked in the direction Pyramid had left, scoffing in his heart.
But this Nightmare Lord probably never dreamt that his Nightmare Artifact was like throwing meat buns to a dog, gone without return.
No matter what marks Pyramid had left in this Nightmare Artifact, as long as Richard found a way into the Nightmare World.
A Nightmare Artifact? Merely a vessel for the rules, all for my crafting!
With that thought, Richard lay back down in the coffin.
"I've expended a lot of energy on this operation, and I fear I won't be able to awaken for some time. Don't return to that tavern after you go out, just go straight to the Wilderness and find another Lawless Land. The one who leaked the information about the Nightmare Artifact, will definitely not let you live."
Bone nodded vigorously, "Survival comes first, I know, boss."
Richard nodded, then closed the coffin and shut off the Dream World Communication Device.
Exiting from the Communication Device, the room where Richard had placed the device was hot as a furnace. Staying in the Nightmare World for nearly a day was a great challenge for the Dream World Communication Device.
But from what he could see now, Richard's modified cooling device was definitely sturdy.
Stepping out of the Communication Room, Richard moved his body around, preparing to enter his laboratory and continue his experiments.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
A nearly imperceptible connection, despite the obstruction between dimensions, had linked to his soul.
And the source of this connection was none other than the Nightmare Artifact.
"Could it be... I can use this Nightmare Artifact in the Material World, too?"