Chapter 859 Never Forgotten <TOC> Chapter 861 Tenderness
Translator: SumTLMan
If Jon were aware that he was in a dream—more precisely, he was experiencing a lucid dream. In the parlance of the Wizarding World, it was known as clear dreaming, or lucid dreaming.
The one who is in a lucid dream has a certain extent of control over their current dream state.
For instance, even if one is frail in reality, as long as they can achieve a lucid dream, transforming into a superhero in the dream is not an issue.
However, as of now, Angel has not noticed any changes in Jon’s dream. This is because there is a clear indicator when modifying a dream: the trajectory of the dream will change.
During a normal dream, logic is not particularly clear. Physical constants, world background, environmental details, and so on…all might not respect facts, but at most, it forms a blurred undercurrent, generally something you wouldn’t notice.
Yet, when in a lucid dream, the dream will undoubtedly change, then not only the undercurrent logic, but also the explicit ongoing dream will have a logical collapse. For example, one second you’re being chased by an evil spirit, and the next, you’ve turned the tables to the extent of instantly vanquishing the evil spirit. Or, the original dream was of a magicless world, but suddenly it turns into a world replete with magic.
The style and logic of the dream take an almost 360-degree turn, as during a lucid dream, you naturally guide the dream towards what benefits you.
However, now, Jon has walked a long path home in his dream and has been standing at the door, gazing at his wife for what feels like an eternity. In the concept of dream time, this has taken quite a while.
Such a long duration, with a clear logical thread that hasn’t collapsed. Aside from the flaw of the “incomplete manifestation of the dream world”, this seems almost like a replay of memory.
In the case of a lucid dream, this is rather rare.
As Angel was pondering whether Jon was in a lucid dream, a little girl with a bun hairdo suddenly dashed from behind and accidentally ran into Jon’s leg, ending up sitting on the ground.
As Jon bent down to look at the little girl, Angel also got a clear view of her.
She looked about eight or nine, dressed in a pink princess dress, carrying a backpack, her hair tied up into two buns, and her features bore a striking resemblance to the woman in the attic.
The little girl sat on the ground, her lips pouting in an about-to-cry manner.
“Little Mu!” Jon suddenly called out her name.
The little girl was taken aback, blinked her teary eyes, and her disappointment instantly turned into delight: “Daddy! Great! Daddy’s back!”
The girl, called Little Mu, disregarded the pain behind her, immediately got up, and hugged Jon’s leg, ecstatic with joy.
Jon tenderly patted his daughter’s head, gently admonishing, “Little Mu, you must be more careful in the future. You were running with your head down, next time you might collide into a lamppost.”
At this moment, the woman from the attic descended, and, coming to the doorway, watched her husband and daughter with an affectionate smile gracing her features.
After a few more reminders to his daughter, Jon led her and his wife inside the house.
Within, Jon whispered sweet nothings to his wife while their daughter nestled quietly in his embrace, her face occasionally breaking into a dimpled grin.
The scene was awash with warmth and tranquility, which brought a certain calm to Angel’s mind. Perhaps, for Jon, this simple yet blissful dreamscape was the epitome of a beautiful dream?
Through their conversation, Angel learned the name of Jon’s wife—Xia Haiwei—and his daughter—Jo Mu.
Xia Haiwei was a full-time housewife, dedicated to the home and their daughter’s upbringing. Jo Mu was a second grader in a local school, which was only a hundred meters away within the same research park, so she usually went to and from school on her own.
Their fond exchanges went on for quite a while, with no drastic shifts in the setting.
It was only after dinner that Jon announced, “The project at the lab has reached a milestone. I’ll have a month’s vacation coming up.”
At these words, both Jo Mu and Xia Haiwei showed surprised delight. Jon’s work often kept him away, leading to more times apart than together for the family. A month of reunion, though brief, was indeed a comforting balm for their yearning hearts.
But Jon’s next words caused their faces to fall.
“However, as I’ve mentioned before, this project is an international collaboration. Our side was primarily responsible for cultivation and providing plant samples. But today, before I left, I received news. Due to potential issues with the plant samples, once our research concludes, I’ll be summoned to Long Island, New York, in the United States to participate in the main experiment at the headquarters.”
Xia Haiwei stiffened, “Are you saying… your next research assignment is abroad?”
Although she and her daughter often couldn’t see Jon, they knew he was in a research institution in the same city. Being in the same city provided a certain solace, knowing that Jon could hop onto a bus home whenever he had time off. But being oceans apart… Xia Haiwei could hardly bear to think of how long it might be before their next meeting.
“Indeed, it involves going abroad. However, given the importance of this project, I may be away for several years once it begins. So, I applied to the headquarters to bring you two with me.”
Xia Haiwei asked, “Did they approve?”
Jon nodded, “They did.”
Initially, Xia Haiwei was reluctant to part with Jon. But now, the prospect of moving to America with Jo Mu felt unfamiliar and overwhelming. There were many practical issues to consider—family, friends, finances, child education, adapting to a new environment… All these uncertainties made her hesitant.
As Xia Haiwei wrestled with her decision, Angel noticed that Jon had been quietly gazing at his wife all along.
It was as if he sought to etch her image into his eyes forever. His deep affection, tinged with a touch of helpless sorrow, made Angel feel as if Jon was truly living a lucid dream. The look in Jon’s eyes was not that of a man parted from his wife for half a month, but rather one separated for decades.
Xia Haiwei remained indecisive until Jon finally spoke up, “Come with me. Not just because I want you with me, but because I want to show you…my favorite student.”
The moment Xia Haiwei nodded, the entire dreamworld underwent a drastic transformation.
Countless dream fragments streamed past Jon’s body.
Within these dream fragments, Angel saw a plethora of things that seemed to be memories from Jon’s past. A steel car soaring in the sky, an undersea rainbow tunnel, scenes of having breakfast with family, cultivating plants in a laboratory, holding academic conferences with many white-robed scholars… The protagonist of these fragments was always Jon, yet his temperament within them changed, evolving from youthful naivety to elegant maturity.
When all the dream fragments had swept past, in the blink of an eye, Angel found himself in a new setting.
He was in a technology lab that was beyond his imagination. It was a fully enclosed metallic space with various holographic projections, peculiar experimental apparatus, and rows of screens filled with symbols and numbers. The sight left Angel in awe.
“Is this an Earth laboratory?” Angel had seen many Earth cities and cultural aspects in documentaries, but this was his first encounter with a lab embodying Earth’s technological cutting edge.
The spectacle unfolding before him was nothing short of magical.
Jon sat in front of a glass framework, seemingly documenting something. Inside the glass structure, a strange colored mist was being sprayed, preventing Angel from discerning what was within. But it appeared to be a plant of some sort.
A middle-aged man in a white robe suddenly strode in, “Jon, it’s your team’s turn next. Huh, where is everyone else?”
“They’ve gone to observe the base. Plants number 87 to 132 of the P series have shown widespread decay,” Jon sighed, “Looks like it’ll just be me today.”
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, “Alright, if it’s just you, take plants number 7 to 13 of the R series with you. I’ll give you thirty minutes to record. The Heavenly Eye has been fairly inert recently. I guess even thirty minutes might be a bit too much.”
With that, the middle-aged man left.
Jon remained in place, seemingly in a daze.
Angel didn’t understand why Jon had suddenly spaced out, but when Jon extended his hand, trembling as he lifted five overlapped glass cultivation boxes, he suddenly saw something familiar.
Each of the five glass cultivation boxes contained a plant. While Angel didn’t recognize the other plants, the one on top was something he couldn’t be more familiar with…it was the Morning Dew After Rain.
Upon witnessing the Morning Dew After Rain, it was as if Angel had a sudden enlightenment.
Previously, Jon had explained his arrival in the wizarding world as a result of his study of the Heavenly Eye. An unexpected anomaly had transported him from Earth to this magical realm, and with him, he had brought the morning dew.
Observing the Morning Dew After Rain materializing within the cultivation chamber, Angel pondered – could this research be linked to the anomaly that occurred with the Heavenly Eye?
Angel furrowed his brow in confusion: the Dreamweaver Ant was supposed to use its white tendrils to touch Jon, weaving pleasant dreams. So, why was this scenario unfolding?
For Jon, this was undoubtedly a nightmarish situation!
As Angel was contemplating whether there had been an error in the Dreamweaver Ant’s dream-weaving process, Jon’s trembling hand grew increasingly shaky.
In fact, his entire body was subtly quivering, as if dreading something.
Witnessing this, Angel felt a moment of disorientation: Jon shouldn’t be aware that he would face the unruly Heavenly Eye in the next moment, so why would he be fearful now?
Unless, he knew what the future held.
At this instant, Angel was somewhat certain – Jon was genuinely lucid dreaming.
Only in the state of a lucid dream, one could retain clear memories and thoughts.
If Jon was indeed lucid dreaming, this could be advantageous for Angel. He could delve into the study of dream magic and eventually communicate directly with Jon within the dream realm. Only lucid dreamers can interact within their dreams without any other mediation.
Jon’s trembling intensified as the door was pushed open.
“Jon, it’s confirmed that the decayed plants over there might indeed be a result of the Heavenly Eye…Hey, why are you trembling? Are you not feeling well?” The newcomer, a man roughly Jon’s age, walked in holding a touchscreen holographic recorder.
“It’s nothing, just feeling a bit cold. Probably caught a chill last night,” Jon responded in a dismissive tone.
“Sick, huh? Then leave the recording to me. I’ll handle it.” The man attempted to take the glass box, but Jon quickly retreated.
“No need, it’s just a recording. You better get the data on the decayed plants. I’ll go ahead.”
With that, Jon turned around and left the room.
Angel had witnessed the entire scene.
Initially, he had considered the possibility of an error made by the Dreamweaver Ant. However, after observing Jon’s obvious abnormal behavior, he was almost certain that Jon was lucid dreaming. The present scenario was most likely not a fabrication of the Dreamweaver Ant, but rather… something Jon himself wanted to happen.
A Dreamweaver Ant would flawlessly weave pleasant dreams and wouldn’t result in any discrepancies. Only when the dreamer themselves decides to alter the course of the dream, anomalies can occur.
But why would Jon want to do this?