Chapter 1327

NO. 231: Dreamless Dream

Often, the problems that keep the parties tossing and turning are, in the eyes of outsiders, matters that can be lightly decided, even hastily concluded.

It is because the onlooker is clear-headed, and also because it has nothing to do with oneself; even if one is mistaken, it is of no consequence.

But that is generally not considered a mistake.

In the eyes of Mancity Chazuo, the problems that could keep Aomo awake all night are not problems at all; the answers have long been clearly presented, so much so that she never doubted that sister's fondness for the trainer.

Or, more precisely……

Bias

For her trainer, this is a judgment that requires a comparison to be defined.

Aomo Lindun believes that Mancity Chazuo is not only a child, but also of the same sex; in that otherworld where the atmosphere is relatively unfree, she lacks sufficient reference value, yet this very line of thought already shows a degree of narrow-mindedness.

Narrow-mindedness regarding source energy.

——

A whale grows rainbow wings and soars in a lapis-lazuli-like sky; this is a dreamscape that the black-haired horse girl is especially fond of.

It is recorded in her dream collection, like a track in a jukebox, and can be reproduced whenever she wishes.

For any scholar who has specialized in dream-related fields, this ability is not necessary, yet they basically all still master it.

However, Mancity Chazuo is not a dream-related specialty.

As a student of necromancy, her involvement with the dream realm is merely a typical case of drawing analogies; dreams, as a major category extending from mental studies, are easily involved by other disciplines, and necromancy, which is deeply linked to soul studies, is no exception.

Whether studying souls, summoning them, or even commanding them, one inevitably touches the other's dreams, or reveals one's own.

Because dreams are a complete mapping of the subconscious, and also the most common place for volitional interaction; even for those souls that are overly deficient or extremely exclusionary, the only mental image that can be reached is likewise founded on the dream framework known to humanity.

Thus, as such situations become more frequent, the dream framework under mental studies also became a classic elective course in necromancy.

Even if you do not take the elective, the teacher will remind you that you must understand some basic theory.

Lest one mishap in communicating or commanding spiritual entities and become trapped in certain scenes with no way out.

Mancity Chazuo belongs to the latter.

Not taking such elective courses, yet she laid foundations through online classes, meeting all kinds of 'friends' by day, and at night exploring the diversity and boundaries of dreams.

Both are her hobbies, but compared to the former, which becomes increasingly familiar and effortless with more systematic study, the latter has always unfolded in a 'neglecting proper pursuits' manner.

Rather than mastering ways to crack dreams, manage disassembly, or vie for sovereignty, she is more enthusiastic about exploring different dream contents and boundaries.

This is like facing a game program; Chazuo does not ponder how to obtain permissions or crack code, but instead first goes to play the game.

All that can be said is that dream content truly attracts her.

She herself is not in a hurry either, because her grades have consistently stayed at the forefront of the class.

A girl her age, lacking special urgency and drive, would naturally find it hard to study diligently against peers, let alone as a horse girl, her curriculum focuses more on athletic specialization.

After signing with the trainer, this focus will only intensify, yet she can still gradually feel her grasp of dreams deepening.

This is an indescribable abstract sensation involving the mind and deep immersion in dreams, as if she had established a connection with the entire world.

When on her own turf, that is not considered an illusion.

Everything indeed moves as she wishes, embodying the master who commands all, though she mostly uses it to craft unique scenery.

But when she steps into others' dreams, this sensation is suppressed.

Different degrees of suppression reveal different degrees of disposition.

Among these, the trainer's dream always gives her the most vivid and profound sensation.

At first glance the unremarkable scenery is merely a shell; through that shell she can feel the pitch-black profundity, far clearer than reality, occupying everything outside, and at the end of it all she can faintly sense some cold yet throbbing vitality.

Even just a faint breath can make her tremble with excitement, as if she had seen the true object of her pursuit.

That feeling is like the joy of first delving into a COC worldview tabletop game, magnified here countlessfold.

By contrast, the ever-present Ling older sister is instead like a wisp of green smoke, fleeting.

Although she is mostly not the master of the dream, dream wanderers still bring in some self-expression, but with her, Chazuo often can only sense some dust and flowing water-like fleeting, formless sensations despite exerting her utmost.

But even such a tenuous presence still unfolds here relaxed and natural, fully showing ease and amiability.

That is clearly a fondness for this place in a direction different from her own.

Chazuo understands this very well.

The sensation of consciousness is hard to fake, such a relaxed mind is undoubtedly real, but unlike her own desire to gaze beyond the sky, Ling older sister loves the small world the trainer builds in the pitch-black profundity of the universe, as if this itself were her most ardently hoped-for goal.

To be frank, she does not understand.

Those tiny landscapes placed in a world that ought to be teetering on collapse, even if many novel and beautiful scenes are crafted, still cannot match the allure of the outer sky for Chazuo, who has already savored countless dreamlike splendors.

What she sees is merely the barrier that obstructs observing the pitch-black profundity, hindering her from feeling that warm and powerful force.

What does Ling older sister see, then?

How does this landscape, propped up in the boundless expanses of Hei'an, so tiny, frail, and teetering on collapse—like a little realm of order carved out of murky chaos—attract her to immerse herself in it?

Chazuo has never asked in private, nor does she know the answer.

But whenever she proposes or agrees to go stay in the trainer's dream......

Chazuo always feels that most intuitive sensation:

Partiality.

A particularly clear partiality, mixed with other fervent yet unfamiliar feelings, leaves her puzzled, yet she remains silent.

The adults haven't spoken up, so why should a child rashly reveal it?

Chazuo, well-behaved since childhood, would never make the mistake of speaking without restraint; she merely silently wishes to replicate the trainer's dream into her own dream collection.

This is not very polite, not in line with the consistent style of the good girl Chazuo, yet it is what she has been doing all along.

Unfortunately, such attempts always fail—until one day she received a monster card from the trainer's hand.

【EvilGodGatanothor/Evil God Gatanothor】

That night, late, her endless attempt succeeded.

Though it was only a moment, though it was not a dream she could control, she indeed felt the splendour from that distant depth.

At the centre of the profound, vast universe, beneath a night sky studded with dripping points of light like lapis lazuli.

There was no giant whale with seven-coloured wings, but there was an iridescent giant serpent.

She spent every night's dream in utter peace, unaware that more often, more often while she was awake and active in reality——

In that dream that should have been ownerless and on standby, in that little world that should have been hers, there was a figure remarkably similar to her.

She had black long hair, dark-gold eyes, a slightly taller stature, wearing a fluttering long coat like the G1 decisive uniform, yet she always wandered aimlessly.

Wandering between the city mountain villages and hills and rivers where it was forever night and forever drizzling the light rain she liked.

Sometimes she stepped forward, sometimes she lingered, sometimes she turned into a little black cat, sometimes she lifted her head and gazed at the distant rainbow serpent on the horizon; then her gaze gained focus, her eyes filled with worry, as if recalling that Ferris wheel she had not seen in ages.

She wanted to say long time no see, but she never had the chance.

She simply stood guard here in silence, together with the ruler of Hei'an, always waiting for the self that chased after darkness.