Chapter 876 Communication in Dreams <TOC> Chapter 878 Conclusions of the Experiment
Translator: SumTLMan
“It’s me, Angel.”
The sound of Angel’s voice seeped into Jon’s ears, halting his actions. He pondered somewhat hesitantly, “So, sentiments can induce variations in dreams? Hence, lucid dreaming also harbors uncontrollable elements?”
Angel couldn’t help but chuckle at Jon’s soliloquy, “Indeed, I am a variable in your guiding dreamscape, but not a self-generated one; I’m the result of external intervention.”
Rubbing his thinly bearded chin, Jon queried, “Are you implying that you are the real Angel, and you’ve entered my dream?”
Angel affirmed, “Exactly.”
“How can you convince me to believe you?” Jon probed. “How do you prove that you are not merely a figment of my imagination in this dream?”
“Mentor, if you carefully perceive, you should be able to sense my presence. When you detect me, you’ll believe me.” Angel would never dare to expose his position to anyone else, as it would make him susceptible to the constraints of alien dreams. But facing Jon, Angel was willing to extend his utmost trust.
In this dreamscape, Jon was not only the creator but also the supreme executor. In other words, the dream world could adapt according to his will.
Just by shifting his thoughts, Jon could sense an odd, foreign stream of information around him.
This information stream was out of sync with the world around it. As Angel said, Jon was almost instantly able to discern that this stream of information was not part of his dream.
“Indeed, there are traces of external intervention, seems like a genuine intrusive variable,” Jon muttered to himself, then softly expressed his doubt, “Even so, how can you prove that you are my student Angel?”
Angel retorted, “Then, mentor, how do you suggest I prove it?”
Jon just smiled without saying a word. Amid Angel’s puzzled gaze, the surrounding dreamscape abruptly changed. They appeared in a strange classroom, with Jon standing in front of the lectern, “This is a university classroom where I once taught on Earth. If you want to prove yourself, it’s simple. Solve the problems below, and I will believe you.”
As Jon finished speaking, a holographic screen appeared before him. The glowing lights on the screen were forming a series of questions.
[Question 1: Assume a thousand people stand in a circle, starting from number 1, every two people kill one person, leaving only one alive at the end. Who would that be?]
[Question 2: Solve the rank of the following matrix…]
…
[Question 10: Using the Seidel five-image difference, recalibrate the following holographic chart, arrange according to the spectrum, and use the Vigenère square to analyze the final password.]
Angel stared at the ten questions in bewilderment. He had envisioned countless scenarios of his reunion with mentor Jon, but never had he anticipated that he would be asked to solve problems!
I’ve always let slide those moments you’ve attempted to pair me with your daughter, but now you’re really making me solve problems?!
Where is the promised serendipitous encounter? The echoed response to persistent longing? Is this it?
Angel could not help but roar inwardly. However, after Jon presented the ten problems, he sat on the podium and began to wait. Helplessly, Angel started to enter the calculating state.
Since advancing to transcendence, the speed of his mental computations greatly increased, making these problems not too challenging.
Without spending too much time, Angel finished the first nine problems. As for the last one, he didn’t even attempt to solve it and directly filled in the answer: 9371201.
Jon remained silent until Angel completed the last problem, then sighed, “It really is you, Angel.”
“I have no reason to deceive my mentor…” Angel responded, speechless.
“I didn’t expect you to come into my dream, is this the power of a wizard?” Jon sighed, then abruptly changed the topic, “But how can you be so slow? Solving the last problem directly would have ended it.”
Angel looked confused, “Huh?”
“Do you remember where the last problem came from?”
“It’s from the holographic tablet you gave me, the last problem before unlocking.” Angel remembered that he had completed a hundred problems in total, and this was the last one.
“There you go, just write this answer. I would have recognized you immediately, why did you need to solve the previous problems?” Jon clucked his tongue, “However, your current calculation efficiency is very high. It seems you haven’t been lazy after leaving Grud Town, that’s good.”
Next, Jon seemed quite inclined to teach, speaking for nearly half an hour. The main theme was, “Laziness causes regression, only diligence can make progress.”
After Jon finished his sermon, he listened silently as Angel spoke, “Mentor, you made me solve problems as soon as you arrived, didn’t you want to ask why I came to see you in your dream?”
“Oh, that.” Jon mused for a moment, then softly said, “Do you want to tell me… I’m beyond saving?”
Angel didn’t answer, but Jon continued on his own, “Actually, I’ve accepted my fate a long time ago. How could I possibly resist the great power of the Cosmic Will? During the time I’ve been dreaming, I’ve also speculated about my own situation. Now that you’ve come back but haven’t awakened my body, instead visiting my dream, the answer is clear.”
Jon didn’t seem to mind, “But it doesn’t matter. Just as I left you a message on the holographic tablet, I think I’ve lived a fulfilling life. Two universes, two skies, two civilizations, two sets of bonds, all with traces of my existence, what more could I ask for?”
Angel could sense it, Jon’s emotions were impressively stable. His words bore the weight of heartfelt sincerity, a candidness that Angel found difficult to bear.
“In truth, it’s not that there’s no hope, I’m trying to devise a way, I can assure you’ll survive…” Angel’s words were resolute, but Jon could detect a sliver of hesitation threading through his tone.
Jon chuckled lightly, “If there’s a chance to be saved, that’s wonderful. I have many questions about this world brimming with extraordinary powers. However, even if there’s no cure, you shouldn’t torment yourself. In a sense, you have already inherited everything from me.”
Perhaps sensing the conversation veering towards an emotional vortex, Jon steered it towards a different direction: “By the way, I’ve been having lucid dreams recently, is that your doing? Before this, I felt as though I was floating in darkness, in a state of oblivious bewilderment without any coherent thought.”
“The dreams are caused by a creature known as the Dreamweaver Ant. But I did not expect that the dreams you would have would be lucid,” replied Angel.
“Dreamweaver Ant? It sounds somewhat akin to the ant from the tale of ‘The Nanke Dream’ from my homeland,” Jon quickly recalled a folklore from his place of origin.
“Indeed, when I first saw this ant in Sky Mechanical City, I was reminded of the Nanke Ant you once mentioned. That’s why I brought it back. It is said that in the Southern Wizarding World, Dreamweaver Ants have been extinct for hundreds of years,” Angel replied with a hint of pride in his voice.
Jon caught the note of self-satisfaction in Angel’s words and smiled, yet his attention was caught by a term Angel mentioned: Sky Mechanical City?
The mere mention of it sparked Jon’s imagination. Just the literal interpretation of the name seemed to paint a grand vision of a majestic city in the skies. This world truly was fascinating.
Jon was becoming increasingly impatient to hear about Angel’s experiences over the years. What would the true face of this world look like?
Being a scholar with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Jon was content with the ancient philosophy of “Hear the Weigh in the morning, die content in the evening.” Of course, he’d be even happier if he could continue living in this world.
As time passed, Angel began to narrate his journey and experiences.
While Angel shared his story, Jon occasionally transformed the dream landscape to reflect the scenarios in Angel’s tale, reinforcing Angel’s narrative.
However, although Jon had control over his dreams, his physical body had been compromised, and his mental strength was exceedingly weak. A regular dream was already challenging to manifest fully, let alone a larger, more fantastical dream shift. After several transformations, the precision and detail of his dreamscape started to deteriorate.
At this moment, Angel was recounting the episode where he sailed on the ‘Bohemia’ and encountered the colossal cloud whale drifting in the sky.
Guided by Angel’s narration, Jon sketched the image of the Cloud Whale within his dreamscape. As he gazed upon the colossal creature that overshadowed the mountains, he couldn’t help but marvel, “It’s akin to the legendary Kun from the myths. It’s unfathomable how such a creature came into existence, considering the oxygen content here is similar to that of Earth!”
As Jon prodded Angel to continue, Angel, however, decided to pause.
“We still have plenty of time, let’s stop for today,” Angel murmured. “Though you, as the mentor, don’t feel fatigue in the dream, I can still experience hunger. I haven’t eaten in days. Once I’ve had a good meal and a good rest, shall we resume tomorrow?”
After all, Jon’s dreams still depended on the activity of his brain. An excessive number of dream transformations might inflict harm.
Even though Angel had many things he wished to share with Jon, he decided to take a break, just to be safe.
Hearing this, Jon nodded in agreement. “True, I’ve lost track of day and night. Considering how long you’ve been in the dream, it should be mealtime for you. Besides, the things you talked about today gave me a lot to reflect on. I need time to digest it all.”
Angel and Jon engaged in a bit more casual conversation before parting ways.
However, before leaving, Angel couldn’t help but ask, “Mentor, I made a special trip into your dream to see you, and you don’t seem moved at all? Haven’t you always said that the three greatest joys in life are regaining something lost, a false alarm, and a long-awaited reunion?”
Jon rubbed his temples, responding with some annoyance, “I’ve been manipulating the dream to go through your memories from infancy to adolescence. I completely forgot how cheeky you used to be. You expect me to be moved by this? It’s a miracle I didn’t give you a good scolding.”
Angel: “……” What did that have to do with him?
After Angel left Jon’s dream, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t questioned Jon about why he paired him with Jo Mu!
Not only had he paired them, but he also deliberately dumbed himself down, running around a tree stump giggling like a little girl! Even though this was a dream, wasn’t this tarnishing his image?
Chapter 876 Communication in Dreams <TOC> Chapter 878 Conclusions of the Experiment