activa-t Chapter 41 Awake and Sleeping
Chapter 41 Awake and Sleeping
"Grey?" Lucius repeated the name in surprise, then asked:
"Isn't he supposed to be attending elementary school? And an 8-year-old pharmacist... is this really okay?"
Oliver helplessly spread his hands and explained with a smile:
"So you could only study with him on Saturday afternoons. The elementary school schedule was filled with math, Horn language, and religious studies from Monday to Friday."
Saturday was his only day off from the detective agency; as for the weekend... he had to go to the Church of the Unending God with his parents to pray.
As for the 8-year-old pharmacist, this is quite normal for a child blessed by the gods; even if the ingredients of his concoctions are exactly the same as those in the recipe book, their effects will always be significantly better.
Lucius nodded, already having a direction in mind.
He prefers to become a weapon enchanter rather than an apothecary.
If Lucius learns to attach protection to his weapons, it will not only make up for his lack of direct offensive power, but also allow him to sign supply contracts with the church or the anti-suppression bureau in the future.
They were responsible for selling his enchanted blessed weapons, from which he would receive a considerable fixed income.
Seeing that Lucius already had a plan, Oliver did not ask for further details.
He brought the topic back to today's lesson content:
"Alright, you can take your time to think about choosing your skill set. As for now, let's begin today's lesson."
Lucius focused his attention on the blue booklet and whispered its name:
Analysis of the Basic Concepts of the Awake World and Wandering Abode
“That’s right,” Oliver said, turning to the second page of the booklet, where a diagram was drawn with an explanation.
Above is a light gray area filled with fine horizontal lines, and below is a dark blue area outlined with wavy patterns.
He pointed to the light gray area above the diagram and began to explain:
"Before the course begins, we must have a full understanding of what the world we live in is like."
His finger slid down to the first line of text:
"When you are awake, it is the material, mundane side of the world; the floor beneath your feet and the long table in front of you both belong to the waking state."
"The 'mansu' aspect is the spiritual, transcendental aspect of the world; it is the source of sexual power."
"So, we Sequencers belong to the Mansored?" Lucius asked, following this line of reasoning.
"Not entirely correct," Oliver didn't completely dismiss Lucius's guess, pointing to the table in front of him as an example:
"If something exists, and you can see it when you are awake, then it exists when you are awake."
"This seems to contradict the first sentence." Lucius seized on the loophole after hearing Oliver's addition.
Oliver chuckled. "That's right, that's the question I wanted you to ask."
His finger traced a circle between the light gray and dark blue lines on the diagram:
"We Sequencers undergo nine divine graces and trials from our first ascension."
Every promotion reduces the distance between us and Mansu; this process has a specific term:
No dreams.
Gods have no dreams; those in the Sequence are close to having no dreams.
Lucius frowned as he listened and raised a question:
"But what's the point of advancing in rank if we abandon everything in the waking world just to serve the gods and enter the Mansu realm?"
"So, this is the second point," Oliver's finger slid to the second line of text:
"The relationship between the dream world and waking life is not as opposed as you think. It lies beneath the surface of the world. In fact, it can be considered to overlap with waking life. Even ordinary people can enter it in their dreams."
"Is this the essence of dreams? The gateway connecting sleep and wakefulness?" Lucius figured it out.
He then thought of the crimson church he had reached during his promotion yesterday, when he had entered some part of Mansour.
Oliver nodded, then spoke seriously for the first time:
"Dreams are far more dangerous than we imagine; the slightest mistake could lead you to some dangerous place in the dream world."
He turned to the fourth page of the booklet, where an illustration of a dense forest was printed in dark black ink:
The twisted tree trunk grows outwards, without a trace of light.
"Among them, the most dangerous place is the woodland, a wild and eternally dark jungle. Those who enter this place will be infected by the nature of the woodland itself, and eventually treat all living things in their sight as prey."
"The Bureau of Countermeasures' files contain no fewer than a dozen cases of Sequencers who, while exploring dreams, wandered into the woodlands and then disappeared without a trace."
Lucius took a deep breath after hearing Oliver's warning, especially about the woodland.
He suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Since acquiring "The Secret of the Night Watchman" on the night of his transmigration, Lucius has used his dream-entering ability to fall asleep quickly almost every night, but he has never explored any scenes in his dreams.
Looking back now, perhaps this was some kind of subconscious instinct to avoid the unknown?
"Hehe, there's no need to be so serious." Oliver noticed Lucius's overly tense expression and put on a smile again.
I really like a saying from the Eastern Continent: "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night."
Ordinary people know nothing about the occult; their dreams remain at the level of basic fantasies about money and power. Their brains piece together scenes from fragments of their own daily memories, completely covering up any abnormal projections from the occult.
Such people are actually safe; even if they stumble upon the entrance to the Mansu Inn, they will forget everything the moment they wake up.
Only those who have advanced enough times will occasionally have the entrance to the Dream Realm opened in their dreams.
Therefore, if you see a scene in your dream that is not part of your memory, leave that place immediately. Do not try to explore it, do not try to remember its details, and return to your familiar waking world.
"Maintain reverence for dreams," Lucius concluded.
"Not bad." Oliver nodded, acknowledging the summary, and then turned to a new section in the booklet, which contained several illustrations arranged in sequence.
"Based on this, we can begin today's dream course, which is called 'Dream Creation'."
Use the power of the lamp's nature to construct a dream space for the other person after they fall asleep, which you will control and completely cover up any random dreams that they might otherwise have naturally occurred to them.
This is the kind of ability I used to test your reaction patterns when you first met us last Thursday night.
The carriage, the streets, Felix, and me that you saw in that dream were all scenes I constructed in your consciousness.
The reason you didn't immediately realize it was a dream is because I strictly followed the physical laws of the waking world when building it, and there were no errors that would make you feel uncomfortable.
Lucius recalled the dream he had been invaded by Oliver, at which time he was surprised by the speed of the official response.