Whispering Poems

Chapter 4284 Collective Unconscious

Chapter 4284 Collective Unconscious

"Birthday?"

Iluna pursed her lips, somewhat surprised. She blinked and, amidst the noisy background noise of the street, said very seriously:

“Shad, only children celebrate birthdays. Today is my nineteenth birthday, and traditionally, we don’t celebrate such days. You see, Luvia and Dorothy never celebrate their birthdays, and Galina never mentions her birthdate.”

It's a tradition in this world not to celebrate birthdays after growing up, which is different from the hometown of outsiders. This year, when Adelina turned eighteen, there was no grand celebration either.

Shad nodded, but then said:

"I'm not throwing you a birthday party, I just want everyone to get together for dinner. We didn't prepare a birthday present for you, so don't be disappointed. Emilia might bring you a jar of candy pods."

Iluna laughed too:

"There's no need to celebrate my birthday in the first place. People will just think I'm a child if they find out."

She felt too shy to make any more intimate moves with Xia De on the street, so she only boldly hooked her finger around Xia De's and whispered:

"I will go. And thank you."

"Do I need to be so polite with you?"

Shad said, then waved to her:

"If you don't have anything else to do, remember to come over early tonight. Winnie and Tifa will be preparing a very nice dinner."

"I see."

Iluna nodded and stood in front of Blackrock Security Company, watching Shad leave. The nineteen-year-old girl felt she would look forward to this all day.

The trip to inform Iluna to come home for dinner that evening didn't take too long. As usual, Shad arrived at Fragrant Mansion before nine o'clock, while Vigo had already received the information from the church.

Sylvia has already returned to Margaret's side. Before Shad arrived, Vigo was discussing the information shared by the church with Flora, but the church's investigation results were somewhat different from what Shad had expected.

"Last night, the Church of Nature dispatched a professional 'Dream Explorer' team of five to infiltrate the dream of a patient suffering from narcolepsy. At first, they failed, as the dream was preventing the intruders from entering. However, this was within the Church's expectations. Later, they used a secret technique to forcibly break through the blockade and enter the dream, after which they appeared at Gray Rock Pass."

In the dream world, tree roots emerging from the ground entangled the entire pass. Although the investigation team did not encounter any enemies in the dream, those tree roots made it almost impossible for them to move.

Damaging the tree roots would trigger a strong reaction in the dream world, and without damaging them, they had not yet found a way to leave Grayrock Pass. Before venturing forward by force and nearly being swallowed by the mutated dream world, the team found at the entrance to Grayrock Pass fortress that a barrier of tree roots completely blocked the passage. The roots and spikes on them possessed unknown toxicity and indestructible properties.

Even if they manage to find a way to get closer to the fortress entrance, they'll need to figure out how to break through the barrier to enter, which is extremely difficult.

Xia De asked, puzzled:

"There must be more than one way to get into the fortress. Even if you can't walk past the checkpoint, you can fly, burrow underground, or even cross the river, right?"

But Wei Ge shook her head:

"That dream was probably more than just a dream; it also involved people's collective subconscious. Everyone knows that Grayrock Pass Fortress is the entrance to Arcadia City, so apart from that one and only proper road, there's no other way to directly enter Grayrock Pass Fortress in the dream, let alone get close to the city. That's the rule."

The five-person investigation team spent the entire night searching for a way out of the checkpoint and making various attempts. They discovered that they couldn't leave the dream directly through conventional means. Currently, only one person has awakened and reported information about the dream; the others are still investigating within it. However, the church has a way to wake them all up; they just don't want to waste the opportunity to enter the dream.

Before dawn, the Church dispatched a second team to attempt an invasion of the Dream Realm in the Upper City of Arcadia, far from the Grayrock Pass fortress, but they again appeared at the Grayrock Pass outpost. The good news was that the two teams reunited, proving that the dreams of different narcolepsy victims were interconnected.

"In that case, the church's exploration progress is a bit too slow. But why have they all appeared at Grayrock Pass?"

Shad then shared his dream from the previous night with Viggo, and Flora laughed after listening to it:

"Yes, most people would think that the gateway to Arcadia is Gray Rock Pass, but you're different, Shad. Your memories begin in 1853, so you don't have the common sense that everyone else does. Plus, you always appear in this area from the Blue Ink Library, so only you would think that the gateway to Arcadia is the Blue Ink Library."

Your dream thus begins in the Lower City, and the manipulator behind it is clearly only guarding against intruders entering the core area of ​​the dream from Grayrock Pass, which is why barriers have been set up at the checkpoints. The mastermind did not expect anyone to appear directly in the Lower City.

While Flora wasn't an expert in the power of dreams, she could perform some basic dream analysis, a hypothesis that Shad agreed with. Although the church's investigation team hadn't yet delved deeper into the dream, they had already encountered the glowing red tree roots, thus realizing that the roots likely originated from the core that constructed the dream.

Vige put down the report in her hand and naturally took Xia De's hand:

"In this way, I'm afraid anyone other than you who directly invades the dream will appear in Grayrock Pass. Even other witches who have used the [Blue Ink Library] will be affected by common sense."

My idea is not to invade other people's dreams, but to be drawn into the dream myself while I'm asleep, thus gaining access to other parts of the dream as a victim of narcolepsy.

"But this also makes it harder to break free from the shackles of dreams. You might be captured by tree roots before you even regain consciousness after entering a dream."

Flora said that Shad already had an idea:

"If you really want more people to enter that dream, then take me as your guide. I will enter the dream first, and then let others enter my dream. Although that strange dream may still forcibly change the location of others entering the dream, I can set up a ritual in the dream world to receive them."

"I'll handle this. I know a high-level sorcerer in Topske who's an expert in dream magic. I'll discuss the current situation with him. Even if no one else can explore the dreams with me, as long as I can find a way to conceal my presence within them, I can delve into the core of the dream world alone. In the dream, I am more powerful than in reality."

The helper Shad mentioned was, of course, Dr. Schneider, and his claim that he was very powerful in his dream wasn't an exaggeration. Because of his divinity, Shad's soul was inherently stronger than his physical body, and with the blessing of the "childhood dream," Shad was confident he could handle this trouble on his own.

Shad's dream last night proved that "narcolepsy" doesn't just affect ordinary people, and as the tree roots Shad saw in his dream continue to expand, reports of ring mages being affected should soon appear.

Vige took this very seriously. She had quite a few low-level sorcerers among her subordinates, and she was especially worried that Adelina might be harmed again. Meanwhile, Shad saw Adelina in the study and, remembering his invitation to Iluna for dinner that evening, asked her again:

"Would you like to have dinner with me at No. 6 St. Teresa's Place tonight? I'll bring you back after dinner."

Adelina remembered what day it was after just a moment's thought:

"Wow! Today is Iluna's nineteenth birthday!"

"Yes, but Iluna said she's not a child anymore and doesn't need a birthday party, so tonight everyone will just have a simple meal at my place."

Adelina was certainly willing to return to Topsk with Shad, as Iluna was her best friend. However, Adelina did not act on her own initiative and instead looked at Vigo.

Viggo didn't mind letting Adelina go back; she even wanted to suggest that everyone come to her place for dinner. However, Viggo immediately realized that the Shad family must hold some important significance for the chosen one of balance, so she didn't voice her thoughts.

Vigo was also very busy today. Although Margaret's welcome banquet would not be held until tomorrow night, Margaret would officially take over the affairs of the Arcadia region starting today. As a princess, she was stationed on the eastern front and held the highest administrative rank in the city.

Although Vigo wasn't a noblewoman, as the most important figure in the area, she frequently had to meet and interact with Margaret. Therefore, that morning she only spoke briefly with Shad before leaving the Fragrant Residence. Of course, before leaving, Vigo took the opportunity to avoid Flora, hugged Shad, and drank his blood again, before leaving with a smile like a little fox who had stolen something.

Shad felt that Flora must have found out about this, but the artist lady didn't say anything about it, so she probably didn't care at all.

Shad did not stay at Fragrant Residence that morning. Viggo had already contacted Miss Camille Eden, the "Sun Emblem" of the Church of the Sun, for him. Shad met with this thirteen-ring sorceress on Friday morning.

The two met at the "Madame Bovary Tea House" opposite the Tower of Wonders, where Shad had previously had tea with Miss Sabel. Miss Eden, who possessed angelic blood, had been handling affairs in the New World until this year, and Shad vividly remembered the power this sorceress had displayed in the snowy mountains.

The meeting with Miss Eden was still about the [Holy Son Alliance]. The two sat in a corner of the teahouse, which smelled sweet. The steaming black tea was fragrant, and although neither of them was hungry, Shad still ordered some desserts.

The two had interacted several times on Fatummst Island, so they didn't exchange overly polite pleasantries after sitting down. Shad briefly explained the recent events concerning his "mother" and his plan to join the witches in dealing with the [Holy Son Alliance]. The blonde Miss Eden nodded after listening.

“If that’s the case, now is indeed a good time to make a move. Although the Holy Sons Alliance is a secret organization known to very few people, the Church of the Five Gods has actually been hunting them down for a long time. We’ve been tracking them for many years before they came to the Arcadia region. I even encountered this group of people in the New World three years ago.”

Xia De held up his teacup:

"Miss Eden, have you ever faced the Infant Mother head-on?"