Chapter 985: I Don't Believe It |
Hearing Luo Shan's question, Jenna was stunned.
Why would she suddenly ask such a question?
How did she suddenly think this was a dream?
How did she know? Who told her?
After coming to her senses, Jenna carefully asked in return, "What dream?"
Luo Shan looked at her for several seconds. "A Reporter has an ability to observe the truth, to see different scenes within a certain area, but it can't be maintained for too long. I've been using it often lately to check if anyone is hiding in my home or if there are any traps.
"When I came back in the evening, I used it once and saw you and Luo Fu talking. I heard Luo Fu asking about being kicked out of the dream."
So that's how it is… So that's what observing the truth means… Jenna's first reaction was "Don't panic, I'll make up a reason on the spot," but after seeing Luo Shan's eyes filled with deep sadness, confusion, and pain, she closed her mouth and remained silent.
Luo Shan took a moment before saying, "So, when Luo Fu suddenly became like a different person last time, it was because the consciousness from outside the dream was kicked out?
Jenna remained silent for several seconds, her tone becoming somber. "This is Zhou Mingrui's dream."
Luo Shan opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. Her expression gradually became vacant.
Jenna continued, "Some people want Zhou Mingrui to continue sleeping until the apocalypse comes, while others want to wake him up so he can lead everyone to resist the apocalypse."
As she said these words, Jenna felt sympathy for Luo Shan while keeping her mind highly focused, waiting for the possible dream rejection that might come.
She had almost revealed the essence of the matter.
With Lumina already kicked out of the dream, Franca ill, and the police department highly focused on the horrible case of Zaratulstra's shooting, Jenna wasn't prepared to conduct further experiments.
Even if she wanted to experiment, the target would be Peng Deng or Zhou Mingrui. It was unlikely to reveal the truth to Luo Shan now. That would require a gradual, step-by-step approach.
No one would accept that they were fake, that their existence was meaningless. This would cause unpredictable shock to Luo Shan. Jenna could hardly imagine what kind of changes this would cause in Luo Shan.
Compared to this, being kicked out of the dream wasn't a particularly serious problem. After all, she could enter again.
Of course, it would be best not to be kicked out. Otherwise, the weak and sick Franca might not be able to control Lumina and prevent her from secretly going to Mushu Hospital.
Luo Shan's lips trembled for a while before she finally said, "So, I'm just an illusory figure in someone else's dream?"
Before Jenna could respond, Luo Shan raised her hand to touch her own face, then suddenly shook her head. "I don't believe it… I don't believe it… I don't believe it! This isn't a dream, and I'm not fake!"
At this moment, Jenna wanted to persuade her to shift her attention, to find new meaning, but the words caught in her throat and she couldn't form a sentence.
Luo Shan cried out for a while before finally calming down.
She looked at Jenna again and said, "Every time, every time I observe the truth, I see grayish-white fog. It's in every scene. Wh-what is it?"
Jenna pondered for a moment and then said, "It might be, it might be the boundaries of the dream."
Luo Shan fell silent again, staring intently at Jenna's eyes as if grasping at the last straw.
She slowly lowered her head, turning her body while mumbling, "No, it's not like this… I don't believe it…
"I don't believe it…"
She completely turned her back on Jenna, facing the translucent barrier and the monsters hiding in the deep darkness beyond it alone.
…
Trier, beside the Srenzo River, in a café with outdoor seating.
Lumian wore sunglasses and had long hair draped over his shoulders. Basking in the bright sunlight, he held a cup of Intis coffee, his mind wandering as he gazed at the wide river, the classical buildings on the opposite shore, the steam-belching iron ships, the bustling and lively river island, and the occasional airship passing by, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
He temporarily had nothing that needed to be done.
He had originally planned to take advantage of his return to the real world to visit Bansy Island, seeking special scenes that could maximize the effectiveness of the corpse wax candle. But after careful consideration, he abandoned this plan.
There were uncertain risks in Bansy Harbor. If it led to him being trapped there, unable to enter Mr. Fool's true dream, or directly resulting in his death, it would significantly affect the subsequent progress of the awakening plan.
Lumian was clear about which of these two matters was more important.
He had also considered whether to go to the New City of Silver, enter the underground, and borrow the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact—Gift of the Land—to bring it into the dream city, enhancing the team's power. After all, for him, he could return to Mr. Fool's dream using the lucky coin regardless of where he fell asleep, and the New City of Silver was also a safe place.
In the end, Lumian erred on the side of caution and didn't make this risky attempt.
He carried Omebella's bloodline, and in the dream city, those blessed by the Great Mother like Grimm viewed him as the Great Mother's Child of God. The underground of Mushu Hospital still concealed the Great Mother's influence and erosion of the dream city. If he added the Gift of the Land transformed from the real Omebella's remains on top of that, Lumian dared not imagine what problems might arise.
He worried that as soon as he brought the Gift of the Land into the dream city, he might find his dream manifestation appearing in basement one of Mushu Hospital, with the Gift of the Land fusing with his body, allowing Omebella to be fully reborn.
And such an Omebella might be able to withstand the divine descent of the Great Mother.
Unable to do this or that, Lumian could only give himself a day off. As for making new Ice Mirror Charms, he had to wait a bit longer, because his misfortune had not completely dissipated.
Yes, although he had used Circle Inhabitant within the dream city, after returning to reality, he still bore the negative effect of misfortune.
Correspondingly, he could only use the Circle of Binding effect of his Circle Inhabitant seven more times, and using Circle Inhabitant twice had stacked his misfortune to six hours, which didn't take effect immediately.
The types of Circle Inhabitant he used on Zaratulstra's mirror projection and Historical Void image were not the same. One was to recreate the scene, the other was to fix the position.
Is the essence of negative effects reflecting in reality that using Beyonder items in dreams causes Beyonder items in reality to be activated as well, thus producing corresponding negative effects? Lumian took a sip of coffee, allowing his body and mind to relax.
He silently sighed. A rare moment of leisure in this fleeting life…
After a while, Lumian gazed at the gently rippling, relatively clean water surface, breathing in the cool breeze from the river, and spontaneously thought, Is the other 'me' also daydreaming like this now?
He had considered the problem of identity conflict corresponding to his female form being kicked out of the dream, but he hadn't reminded Jenna and Franca about it, only telling them to be careful of the influence brought by Omebella's bloodline.
He felt that this situation might gradually awaken some of Aurore's qualities in his dream self.
…
At 8 am, Dechuang Garden.
Franca had just groggily woken up when she saw Lumina standing by the bay window, looking at the already brilliant sunlight outside, lost in thought.
After a night's rest, Franca's condition had improved considerably. She was no longer weak all over, and walking was no longer a problem.
"What… are you looking at?" she tentatively asked Lumina.
Lumina didn't turn around, her tone slightly distant as she said, "I really want to go for a walk. It's not too hot at this time."
"Let's wait for things to blow over," Franca suggested. "How about we play computer games?"
"What games?" Lumina turned around.
"…" Franca suddenly fell silent.
Without a computer, what computer games could they play?
They didn't even have a gaming console!
They had to save every penny for when they needed to rent useful items from the Star Dream Provisions Store or complete crucial tasks. In daily life, non-essential expenses were always cut wherever possible.
"Mobile games then…" As she spoke, Franca stopped again.
What games wouldn't lag on their cheap phones?
"Let's play Fighting the Landlord!" That was all she could say.
At this moment, Jenna walked in, supporting Franca to the bathroom to wash up.
After closing the bathroom door, Jenna kept an ear out for any movement outside, worried that Lumina might suddenly run out, while lowering her voice to tell Franca about Luo Shan's situation.
Franca sat on the toilet, her mouth half-open, completely stunned.
After hearing Jenna's full explanation, she sighed deeply.
"We still don't understand enough about the abilities of the Reporter Sequence…"
She could understand how Luo Shan felt now. If someone with authority told her that her life since transmigrating was fake, that her past was also fake, that she was just an illusory character existing in a dream, she would certainly suffer a huge blow. Not having a breakdown on the spot was already quite good.
Even though they had thought about using Luo Shan to awaken Mr. Fool, Franca had previously hoped to persuade her with fabricated stories, not to tell her the truth.
Some truths were best never known.
They represented despair.
Franca pondered for a moment, then said desperately, "Can we find an excuse to cover it up? Not saying we lied to her, but designing some events to let everyone 'discover' together that the dream theory is just another layer of disguise, not the final truth. I think Luo Shan could accept such a development. People can deceive themselves about certain things. Hasn't she been saying she doesn't believe this is a dream?
"Moreover, we can't provide strong enough evidence to prove this is a dream!"
Jenna fell silent for a moment before saying, "We can only handle it this way for now. During this period, we need to find a way for Anthony to placate Luo Shan, or have him provide treatment directly."
Franca nodded lightly, suddenly showing a thoughtful expression.
She looked at Jenna and said slowly, "Based on our previous speculation, Luo Shan is a dream character shaped by Mr. Fool's divided subconscious, combined with corresponding images from memory. In a broad sense, she is equivalent to a part of Mr. Fool.
"After hearing the truth about the dream, the dream city didn't show any unusual changes, and you weren't kicked out of the dream…"
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