Chapter 361: Xumi People Don’t Dream
Kong passed by the thirty-man team guarding the city, walked out of the Xumi City gate, and headed toward the wilderness along the road. But suddenly, his figure disappeared, he disappeared without any warning, but the footprints on the road he walked on were still clearly visible, as if he had been suddenly wiped out from this world.
"What happened? Why did the traveler disappear?!" Paimon shouted in horror.
The thirty members of the city defense team looked at each other and were also very surprised at this situation.
The man who had warned Sora and Paimon earlier said, "I've warned you in advance that it's very dangerous to leave the city now! The Great Sage knew this situation, so he set up a ban!"
Paimon hesitated for a long time and finally chose not to leave the city. Instead, he returned to the place where he had just been and told Nashida everything.
Kong opened his eyes again, but what he saw was not the familiar ceiling, but a white floating spirit with its face infinitely magnified.
Paimon shouted, "Traveler, you're finally awake! Do you know how worried I was about you?!"
"...Why am I here?" Sora looked down at his hands in confusion.
"Ah?! Don't you remember anything?!" Paimon shouted.
"Well, let's try this again." Nashida once again made the canned knowledge materialize in her hands.
After absorbing the canned knowledge, Kong regained his lost memories. He rubbed his forehead and murmured, "...It turns out that two more days have passed."
Paimon couldn't wait to ask: "Traveler, what did you see outside the city?"
"...There are many, many spaces with all kinds of people in them, but everyone seems to be unconscious and performs actions mechanically." Sora answered, and then he thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps, the space we are in is special."
"Hmm...I don't think I understood..." Paimon said distressedly.
“This is actually not difficult to understand. If we regard the world we live in as the home of bees, then there are many different small rooms outside our room.
Every room can be filled with honey, and our little room is the most special one, which may be filled with nectar." Nashida said in a gentle tone.
"Ah? Why is it nectar?" Paimon asked curiously.
Sora said meaningfully, "Maybe it's because it's special."
Paimon nodded, not quite understanding.
Sora continued, "These spaces are constantly changing. When you walk out of one space, you'll see a new one. But after you hear the sound of 'beep—', all the spaces disappear..."
Paimon thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... that should be the prompt sound from the void."
Sora nodded, then his gaze turned to Dina Zedai who was sleeping behind Nashida: "Is she okay?"
Nashida said sadly: "It's not optimistic. Her consciousness and body appear here, which means she is not in danger for the time being. But if this situation continues, she will wither little by little like the deceitful flower that cannot absorb elemental power..."
"I will find the answer before then." Sora said firmly, "I think I know the truth now."
"Oh?" Nashida was a little surprised. "Then let's confirm together whether your answer is correct."
Sora: "I'm ready."
Nashida: "First question, what world are we in?"
Sora: "It is a world of consciousness, or rather, a world of dreams."
Paimon shouted, "Dream world? Don't Xumi people know how to dream? So are we the ones who are dreaming the whole time?"
Nashida: "That's the second question. Why don't the Sumerians dream?"
"Their dreams were taken away by the void," said Sora. "The Order has been deceiving the people, telling them that dreaming is an immature behavior, making everyone think that not dreaming is actually normal.
But outside of Xumi City, in the Huacheng area, the residents there can dream."
Paimon recalled what he had seen and heard in Huachengguo, and nodded thoughtfully: "Kole also told us that she dreamed of not finishing her homework on time and being scolded by five teachers in turn..."
After hearing Paimon's words, Kong hesitated for a moment. He remembered Tinari's strange action and his words before leaving the city:
It will affect your brain and make you hallucinate.
Could it be that he was hinting that the void would invade my mind? I was able to quickly connect the issue to the void, so I can't say I didn't get some inspiration from it...
But it's impossible, right? He couldn't have known the plans of the Order of the Lords in advance... And if he really knew, why couldn't he have explained it in a more direct way? I don't understand...
"Correct answer. Now it's time for the third question."
Nashida's voice interrupted Kong's thoughts. He immediately stopped dwelling on the matter and waited for Nashida to ask questions.