manynovel Chapter 834: Dawn of Roses Blooming (1)
Chapter 834: Dawn of Roses Blooming (1)
Nashida shook her head slightly, a hint of apology flickering in her emerald green and fiery red eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Her voice flowed like a spring, calm and apologetic. "I'm not really dreaming."
"I simply relied on the power of the gods to infiltrate this realm as an 'observer.' Essentially, I do not belong to this dream."
She turned around, pointed her slender fingers at Ming Yuan and the demon scale patient beside her, and sighed:
"It's the same with them. Whether we're consciousnesses torn away by external forces, or outsiders who don't belong to this world in the first place, we're all caught in the 'cracks' of dreams."
"Because of this, the consciousness within the dream world—that is, the residents here—cannot sense our presence at all."
"So, on this point, I really can't help you." She lowered her head slightly, and the patterns on her skirt swayed gently in the evening breeze, like a silent sigh.
Yuan Xi sighed softly, her tone filled with complexity and emotion: "Thank you, Little Auspicious Grass King, for taking the trouble to explain all this to me again."
These words were meant as a test, because deep in her memories of countless past reincarnations, Nashida had already fully explained them to everyone.
So Yuan Xi had no hope at all.
However, Nashida still responded to his questions as gently as the moonlight, re-arranging the whole story word by word.
This unexpected thoughtfulness made Yuan Xi's heart tremble slightly, as if she had caught a glimpse of a long-lost ray of morning light in the endless darkness.
As expected of the Marshal's daughter. Looking at Nashida's crimson eyes, Yuan Xi thought with emotion.
"In fact, there is one more crucial point." Jiuqi Shinobu spoke at the right time, his voice low and solemn, with a trace of fatigue that was difficult to conceal between his brows.
"I have tried to reveal the truth of the dream to the people of Xumi in the most obscure way possible, without disturbing their mental state, in an attempt to awaken more people's consciousness and strengthen our power."
A hint of bitterness flashed across her eyes: "But the result... is extremely disappointing."
"Because they don't believe they are in a dream."
"The Faithful Council's long-standing propaganda has ingrained the idea that 'Sumeru people don't dream.' This concept, like an invisible shackle, is deeply ingrained in the cognition of every citizen, even affecting the very logic of how the Sumeru people were constructed."
She slowly raised her head, her gaze far-reaching. "Even if we find the dreamer right now, convincing him that everything he sees is just a projection of his consciousness would probably be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Jiuqi Shinobu sighed again, his tone revealing helplessness and pity: "'Sumeru people no longer dream after they reach adulthood'——"
"This is claimed to be a symbol of mature wisdom, signifying the complete opening of the door to knowledge, with rationality replacing fantasy. Yet, it is precisely this very 'glory' that has become the greatest cage hindering awakening."
"Let me ask you, under such a powerful ideological indoctrination, who would be willing to admit that they are still dreaming like a child?"
Paimon, standing by, was so angry that his cheeks puffed up, his fists clenched tightly, and he said angrily, "What's even more abominable is! The real reason is not 'perfect wisdom' at all!"
"It's clear that when people dream, their brains gain unprecedented inspiration and creativity—this is exactly the real purpose of the Ordinance's frantic collection of dream data!"
Her voice rose, accusingly: "And yet they package this greedy plunder as a symbol of noble wisdom! Weaving glory with lies, camouflaging ambition with deception... This is simply despicable!"
Ying sighed softly, a trace of guilt and fatigue in her eyes. She looked at the small figure in front of her and whispered to Nashida:
"I'm sorry, Nashida... We still haven't been able to break the shackles of this cycle, allowing the dream to continue sinking into an endless cycle."
That gentle yet firm voice seemed to emerge from the depths of memory—it was the words that the Little Auspicious Grass King had said in a certain reincarnation:
“Dreams are supposed to be wonderful, romantic, and full of surprises, like stars adorning the night sky, like a spring breeze blowing through the heart.”
"But this excruciating cycle of reincarnation has long since deviated from the essence of dreams and is truly unnecessary."
Just as everyone fell silent, Ming Yuan approached slowly. His steps were steady and powerful, his eyes were sharp, and he had a soothing power. He looked around at everyone, his voice gentle but firm:
"Don't be too discouraged. Although the road ahead is long, we still have plenty of time to find the answers."
He spoke confidently, pretending to be relaxed, "With Iya and I here, even if we have to go through a hundred reincarnations, we can ensure that the patient's condition remains stable."
"You still have time."
"The most important thing now is not to stagnate in frustration, but to pick yourself up, start again, and pursue the dream master hidden in the fog."
His words were like the morning light that penetrated the haze, and everyone's eyes lit up slightly, as if an extinguished fire was quietly ignited.
Jiuqi Shinobu folded her arms across her chest, her expression calm and resolute. She spoke slowly, her voice clear and powerful, "You are right. At this moment, the fate of the entire Xumi City, the consciousness and safety of millions of people, rests on our shoulders."
"We must never give up easily." Her tone suddenly became more serious. "After all, people can't live in dreams forever."
"If this endless cycle continues, not only the people of Xumi, but also ourselves, will completely collapse under the mental pressure."
"Well said." Ying nodded slightly, a glint of determination flashing in her eyes, "We must find a way out, for everyone."
"Ha~" A hearty laugh suddenly rang out.
Arataki Ichito stood up suddenly, his familiar and flamboyant smile appearing on his face again:
"Give up? I've never even thought of that word before! I just felt a little tired and wanted to sit down and catch my breath, that's all!"
He clenched his fists and shouted with great courage: "As long as there is breath left, the battle will not end!"
Yuan Xi sighed slightly, then smiled, a smile as gentle and moving as a spring. "Sister Ganyu and the others are still waiting for us outside. We shoulder not only a mission, but also trust."
"Stopping is not what we should do."
Paimon fluttered into the air, his chubby little face filled with an encouraging smile: "Right! That's more like it! Being so dejected all the time is not like us at all!"
As each encouraging word fell, the gloomy and heavy atmosphere melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a renewed sense of faith and fighting spirit. Eyes met, a tacit understanding between the crowd, and morale soared.
The dejection faded, and hope was reborn. Everyone quickly gathered their thoughts and began to seriously discuss the next course of action.
Jiu Qi Ren frowned slightly and calmly analyzed, "The current method of blindly searching for the dream owner is too random and extremely inefficient. It is better to sort out the current situation first and narrow the search scope so that we can be more targeted."
Yuan Xi immediately asked, "Then how do we narrow the scope?"
Jiuqi Shinobu explained clearly: "This is a collective dream. Everyone's consciousness is unconsciously participating in its construction."
"They unconsciously refine the details of their dreams, making the entire world infinitely close to reality, like a reflection of the real world."
"But please note—it's 'infinitely approaching' perfection, not actual perfection." She changed her tone and emphasized, "Just like those phantoms that appear out of thin air, they are actually substitutes left behind by those who have lost their consciousness."
"The more people know a person, the more complete the dream's reproduction of that person's image will be, almost indistinguishable from the real person. Conversely, if only a few people know the person, the image will reveal obvious flaws."
Yuan Xi, Ying and Paimeng all nodded in agreement.
Just like Iya and Ganyu, their consciousness did not actually enter the dream, so the dream could only fabricate their illusions out of thin air to fill the role vacancies in the Flower God's Birthday Festival.
However, the only people who truly understand them are Ying, Paimeng, and Yuan Xi, so their influence is limited, resulting in obvious flaws in the illusion.
This is also the beginning of their awareness of dreams.
Jiuqi Shinobu continued to analyze in depth: "According to the suggestion of Little Auspicious Grass King, dreams will change according to the subject's thoughts."
"This means that the core of the dream—that is, the unknown 'dream master'—must be surrounded by anomalies and contradictions."
Paimon tilted his head, his face full of confusion: "How did you deduce this?"
Jiuqi patiently answered: "Because dreams are essentially a reflection of the subconscious. Deep in everyone's heart, there are some thoughts that they are not even aware of -"
“Maybe it’s a fleeting feeling of envy, a long-suppressed desire, or even a subtle resentment towards someone close to you.”
"These thoughts are rationally suppressed in reality, but in dreams, they may be amplified and distorted due to emotional fluctuations or subconscious influences, and eventually become reality."
"Therefore, within the scope of the dream master's activities, there will always be some illogical and counterintuitive details - those are the flaws."
"As long as we investigate these anomalies, the possibility of finding the dreamer will greatly increase."
After hearing this, Aratagi Ichito couldn't help but slap his thigh and yelled, "Ninja! If you knew all this, why didn't you tell us earlier? We've been going through so much trouble! Why not just find the flaws and be done with it?"
Jiuqi smiled helplessly, his tone calm but full of wisdom: "I just connected these clues a little bit. Besides, even if we understood this principle earlier, we might not be able to implement it effectively."
She looked around, her eyes calm. "If we weren't familiar enough with the daily details of Xumi City, we wouldn't be able to identify what's 'abnormal.' Only after experiencing multiple reincarnations, observing every corner and every person in depth, do we now have the true ability to spot flaws."
"So, this method is just right for now."