Chapter 2653 Preconceived Notion <TOC> Chapter 2655 The Rapier
Translator: SumTLMan
Cecia brushed past Jon and sat once more opposite Angel. However, she did not speak immediately. Instead, she placed a hand on her forehead and fell into silent thought.
After Jon’s pointers, Angel also understood where he had erred, so he no longer showed any sign of impatience. He simply waited quietly for Cecia to return to herself.
“Keke and Lulu are real.” After roughly two minutes, Cecia finally spoke slowly.
Pausing for a moment, Cecia went on: “But they are also fake.”
“What’s real are those memories of the past, as well as their nature and independent consciousness; what’s false is their bodies.” Cecia offered an explanation of her judgment.
Angel: “From your words, it sounds like you’re inclined to believe me now?”
Cecia shook her head: “I can only be certain that Keke and Lulu’s consciousness is genuine. As for whether that so-called Popoca in your mouth is real, that’s still difficult to determine.”
Angel: “You’ll know once you meet him.”
Cecia: “Where is he?”
Angel pointed straight upward: “He’s in the dining room, on the second floor corresponding to our current location. If you can’t find him, you can ask the maid on the second floor to show you the way.”
“You’re mocking me, implying I’m too dull-witted to find my way around now?”
Angel: “Not at all. I’m just being friendly, if you need anything, you can ask the maids here.”
Cecia stood up, apparently not planning to continue exchanging words with Angel but rather preparing to go see this Popoca of whom he spoke.
“Do I need to be there?” Angel asked.
Cecia sneered coldly: “If this is a dreamscape of your making, what difference does it make whether you’re there or not?”
“You still think this place is a dream. Seems like you haven’t recognized its true nature.” Angel stretched lazily: “All right, then. Go meet Popoca. Let him tell you the truth of this place. I won’t go join in the commotion; I’ll wait right here for you.”
“Oh, right. Don’t take too long chatting. The time here is in sync with reality; your box can’t affect the flow of time here. So you must hurry; I still plan to look for the Wood Spirit. Once you’ve learned the basics, come find me. If you want to talk in detail with Popoca, there will be plenty of time in the future.”
Cecia’s ears twitched slightly: “So, you mean to say, I can still enter this place later on?”
Angel: “Of course. Those two gargoyle companions of yours are already fast asleep outside. I suspect from now on they can only live in the Wilderness of Dreams. Are you willing to let them venture forth alone in a world where everything is unfamiliar? Besides, inside that box, you have no contact with the outside world, whereas in here, you can meet people from every corner of the Southern Region.”
“What do you mean by that?” Cecia could hear that Angel’s words contained a tremendous amount of information, but it was genuinely difficult to make sense of all of it at once.
Angel raised a finger to his lips in a “shh” motion: “You can see for yourself, learn for yourself. If you really don’t want to waste time, then ask Popoca.”
Cecia gave Angel a searching look but did not press him further. She turned and left.
Yet before she stepped out, Angel’s voice came again: “Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. Do you really think your conclusion just now was correct?”
Cecia paused, turned her head toward Angel, and looked without speaking, questioning him with her gaze.
Angel: “You said that Keke and Lulu are real, so why do you assume that their bodies are false?”
Cecia: “What else could it be? You want to tell me that those weak, newborn fleshly bodies are actually real?”
Angel: “At least here in the Wilderness of Dreams, they are real. Just like the body you’re using now, modeled after the body you have in reality and manifested here as a newly formed version of you. So long as you don’t tear or break it, it will remain here in the Wilderness of Dreams, always accompanying you.”
Cecia narrowed her eyes: “You’re saying that this world is real? That all the bodies here are the products of creation?”
Angel: “Whether this world is real or not, that’s for you to sense on your own. As for whether those bodies are artificially made, I don’t know. Don’t look at me like that, I really don’t know. All I do know is that the Wilderness of Dreams keeps refining itself, and so do the bodies of everyone here. But the exact reason behind it, I’m not too clear on.”
Angel’s words added yet another layer to Cecia’s confusion while at the same time increasing her curiosity about the Wilderness of Dreams.
Cecia: “You’d best not be lying to me again.”
With that, she turned and walked out through the drape.
Angel’s voice continued without stopping, drifting out from behind: this time not a supplementary explanation, but a belated welcome: “I forgot to tell you before. This is Pat Manor. Lady Cecia, welcome. A friendly reminder: the cream of mushroom soup made by Maid Mana smells delicious, so please be sure to try some…”
Cecia gave a little “hmph,” not bothering to reply.
From the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside the curtain, one could tell that Cecia had already gone upstairs.
Only then did Angel let out a long sigh of relief.
Next it would be up to Popoca to take over. With Totoro coaching him beforehand, there shouldn’t be too big an error.
The only unexpected possibility would be if Cecia refused to acknowledge Popoca as a Laudsourcian… If that actually happened, Angel had no way to resolve it. He could only sigh that Popoca, as a Laudsourcian, had perhaps lived too much like a failure.
…
With Angel’s ability, it would be ridiculously easy to spy on what Cecia and Popoca were discussing. Yet he did not do so.
It wasn’t that he trusted Popoca so completely, but rather that he had faith in Totoro.
After all, Totoro had personally “coached” Popoca. ——If Popoca could still be swayed by Cecia and roped into concocting mischief together, then he could forget about convincing Totoro to ignite the Ancestral Altar for him. Indeed, Totoro had no real inclination for such matters anyway.
While Cecia and Popoca were talking, Angel did not sit idle. First, he went to make some arrangements for those two gargoyles.
Those two gargoyles were a major reason Cecia’s suspicions had been largely dispelled. So Angel had no intention of making them “paper-thin creatures in some illustrated compendium.” He would let them stay in the manor… As for their use, beyond providing Jon additional research material, they would be something caught between mascots or trash. One or the other.
As for the gargoyles’ innate “guardian” role, employing them to guard the gates? Forget it. They’d just been born, so they belonged to the weakest realm. Without training, it was uncertain whether they could even beat the local farmhands.
So their only advantage was their fierce appearance, which might scare regular people.
Arranging for them, in truth, meant simply taking Lulu and Keke around the manor for a short walk, letting them familiarize themselves with the land, the people, and letting everyone know that in terms of strength, these two were basically useless. There was no need to fear them; if anyone encountered them, they could treat them simply as cute mascots.
Once they’d strolled enough, Angel allowed them to find their own spot in the manor.
Meanwhile, Angel ambled back to the castle.
At this point, Cecia had yet to return. Angel couldn’t very well leave now, so he simply opened the Tree Group and began chatting with Iron Armor Granny, who was “always on standby”…
…
A quarter hour later, inside the Box of Cecia:
When Cecia awakened at the summit of her throne, her gaze was briefly dazed. Then, as though recalling something, she lowered her head to look at Angel, who stood in the shadows.
“You…” Cecia had just begun to speak when Angel cut her off.
“If it’s about anything to do with the Wilderness of Dreams, don’t ask me. It’s best if you seek the answers yourself. Even reading a classical book can lead to multiple interpretations, so how can there be only one perspective for an entire world? Each person observes from a different angle and draws a different conclusion. What I see and know may not provide the most accurate answer.” Angel used a mystic’s tone to cloak his own laziness in lofty grandeur.
After confirming that Cecia was listening, Angel continued: “Back to the matter at hand: does Lady Cecia still believe Popoca is just some false character I fabricated?”
Cecia remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded slightly: “Popoca is a Laudsourcian. I can be sure of that.”
Hearing her answer, Angel also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Popoca hadn’t dropped the ball…
“So does that mean you trust what I’ve told you now?”
Cecia did not reply, but sometimes silence itself is an answer.
“I imagine you now understand why I said we can easily meet in the future, right? As long as both of us are online, meeting each other isn’t difficult. And if you want information about the outside world, you no longer need to rely solely on the Wise One. There are transcendent individuals in the Wilderness of Dreams you can interact with.”
After conversing with Popoca, Cecia had learned a lot. And precisely because she knew, she was beginning to treat this place with respect.
In the broadest sense, this was a world independent of the Dream Realm.
Cecia had once heard a rumor: the very existence of a world is a miracle. Perhaps in time, the world Angel held would also become a miracle… or maybe a catalyst?
Cecia: “I only want to ask you one thing about this Wilderness of Dreams: Does the Wilderness of Dreams exist permanently?”
Angel: “It’s more or less permanent. But it’s adrift on the outskirts of the Dream Realm. If it accidentally encounters some monstrous creature from the Dream Realm that’s extremely powerful, it could indeed be destroyed.”
Cecia: “So, has the Wilderness of Dreams encountered any Dream Realm creatures before?”
Angel: “That’s technically a second question, but I don’t mind telling you, yes, it has. However, at the time I sought external help and took the creature down.”
“I’m a formal wizard of the Savage Grottoes, so I have plenty of backing behind me. Moreover, some ancestral spirits also reside in the Wilderness of Dreams year-round, for instance, Tree Spirit you’ve heard of. You’re both ancient beings who have lived for ten thousand years, so perhaps you’d have something in common to talk about.”
Cecia: “I don’t really know them; I’ve only heard their names.”
Angel: “Well, that’s fine. In any case, if you have nothing else to do, you can visit the Wilderness of Dreams often. Or you can even stay there forever if you wish. Given your status, you’ll gradually get to know them in time.”
“My status?” Cecia let out a sarcastic laugh: “What status could I possibly have? And what do you know about it?”
Angel gave her a puzzled look: “Isn’t your status simply that of a former Laudsourcian?”
Cecia choked on her words, suddenly at a loss for how to respond. She’d assumed Angel must know of her past status, but apparently he only recognized her race.
Observing Cecia’s silent, speechless appearance, Angel still wore an expression of innocent confusion. From the moment Cecia mentioned that the Wise One’s position had been similar to hers in the past, Angel had suspected she was no ordinary Laudsourcian, possibly some figure of major importance ten thousand years ago.
Yet since Cecia had chosen not to share, Angel wouldn’t pry.
At present, calling her “Miss Cecia” or “Lady Cecia” sufficed. If indeed she turned out to be some venerable ancestor, then he might have to address her more respectfully. But that could wait until Cecia truly stood on their side. Otherwise, everything he did or said would be too constrained, much too troublesome.
Angel: “As an ancestor of the Laudsourcians, even if you yourself have no desire to see people, simply by being in the Wilderness of Dreams, you’re bound to meet the higher-ups of the Savage Grottoes eventually. After all, a living Laudsourcian is not something I alone can protect. Without the Savage Grottoes as a shield, he might have been devoured by the outside world long ago.”
“Unless, of course, you decide never to enter the Wilderness of Dreams again.”
While speaking, Angel looked at the forehead chain on Cecia’s brow: “That forehead chain is the login device. I’m giving it to you, and I won’t take it back. Whether you choose to keep using it or discard it is up to you.”
As Angel spoke, Cecia’s hand was already on the forehead chain, ready to remove it. After all, it was quite large though elegant, easily blocking her field of vision.
But Angel’s words made Cecia pause.
Of course she planned on returning to the Wilderness of Dreams. After ten thousand years of solitude, even just quietly watching a crowd of lively people was a rare luxury for her, let alone actually conversing with them.
Besides, Popoca was there.
Even if it were only a dream, Cecia intended to indulge in it.
So taking off the forehead chain right this moment, wouldn’t Angel misunderstand, thinking she intended to throw it away?
Bearing that in mind, and facing Angel’s puzzled gaze, Cecia lowered her hand.
She could just remove it after Angel was gone. For now, she would keep wearing it.
“Miss Cecia, is there anything else you’d like to ask? Of course, not about the Wilderness of Dreams,” Angel said, looking at Cecia.
Cecia considered for a while: “Popoca told me a great deal of information, disorganized and jumbled. I need time to sort it out. For now, I have no further questions.”
Angel: “If you have no questions, then I’ll be on my way. If you need me, just leave a message in the Tree Group. As for what the Tree Group is, you can ask Popoca. If you have something urgent, go find Freud. He’ll contact me as quickly as possible.”
With that, Angel made a “please” gesture.
In other words, he was indicating Cecia could send him out of the box now.
However, Cecia did not immediately eject Angel. Instead, she said softly: “I heard from you earlier that you hope I’ll meet with the Wise One in the Wilderness of Dreams?”
Angel: “Yes. If possible, I’d like for the Wise One to meet you there. I believe you’re more likely than I am to persuade the Wise One.”
Cecia pondered: “If I call it the Wise One, it must be extraordinarily capable. I may be unable to detect the essence of the Wilderness of Dreams, but the Wise One might perceive a clue. Are you truly certain you want the Wise One to enter that place?”
Angel did not reply at once, seeing that Cecia had not finished.
Indeed, she paused momentarily before continuing: “You let me see the Source Fire, see the Wilderness of Dreams, and meet Popoca… I can guess your goal is to recruit me.”
Angel mused silently: No, recruiting you isn’t my goal. I just want to find a clan ancestor for Totoro.
Of course, Angel wouldn’t speak his real intentions. Instead, he simply asked: “And then?”
Cecia: “Whether or not you can recruit me depends on your ability, but you will never recruit the Wise One.”
“Why not?”
Cecia: “A being who has persevered in a ruined relic for ten thousand years, convinced that Nightfall City can be rebuilt, do you really think you can sway such a mind?”
“The Wise One is fiercely loyal to Nightfall City. I, on the other hand, am neutral. Do you grasp what I mean?”
Angel nodded. Essentially, Cecia might be swayed, but not the Wise One.
Cecia: “Moreover, don’t let the Wise One’s mild demeanor fool you. For the sake of reviving Nightfall City, it will go to any lengths. If the Wilderness of Dreams really is what you say it is, capable of evolving into a full-fledged world, then it will be extraordinarily significant… The Wise One might stop at nothing to turn the Wilderness of Dreams into a card in its hand.”
Angel rubbed his chin: “From the sound of it, I suppose I should be wary of the Wise One.”
“Only wary?” Cecia frowned involuntarily. However, the forehead chain obscured her brow, and she nearly scraped herself in the process.
“I realize the Savage Grottoes are powerful, and they’ll serve as your backing. But do you really imagine Nightfall City that’s lain dormant for ten thousand years is some harmless sheep?”
“If you ultimately decide to let me and the Wise One meet in the Wilderness of Dreams, I’ll go along with it. But I still hope you’ll think this decision through carefully.”
Angel nodded: “I understand. Thank you for the warning, Miss Cecia.”
Cecia said nothing more. She merely waved her hand, causing a red, glowing symbol to float slowly toward Angel.
“This is your ticket to advance. Take it; it will guide you all the way to the location of the Hanging Prison Stairs.”
Angel watched the red symbol hover over his palm, curiosity sparking in his eyes. He had noticed earlier that this object was peculiar. Though its structure seemed simple, for some reason, he couldn’t replicate it.
Cecia: “No need to overthink it. It’s merely a byproduct of an alternate dimension space, a specialty of this alternate dimension. It can’t be carried out of here. Once you leave this dimension, it will return to me on its own.”
She paused: “Now, I’ll send you out.”
Angel: “Wait a moment…”
Cecia: “…”
Angel smiled: “Everything goes both ways, right? You told me to wait just now, so now I’m returning the favor.”
Cecia: “Speak. What else do you want?”
Angel: “It’s nothing major. I just want to confirm a few details with you…”
Chapter 2653 Preconceived Notion <TOC> Chapter 2655 The Rapier