Upon hearing footsteps again, Number Five’s reaction was still sowhat vigilant. It might have been because Xuanming had just appeared, coupled with our discussion about "people from the future," he had so bizarre expectations for the next visitor.
Could it be Number Two, Little Bowl, showing up this ti? I watched expectantly in the direction of the sound.
However, reality did not et my expectations.
The owner of the footsteps quickly approached us; the dark figure that erged from the gray mist was not Number Two, Little Bowl’s petite fra, but a tall, thin shadow. I recognized him at a glance—it was Number One.
"New here?" Number One looked at Number Five.
Number Five was also observing the other: "Hello, I am Number Five."
Number One nodded and declared his own nurical identification: "Number One."
I did not continue to pay attention to their interaction but looked back into the depths of the mist.
Number Two, Little Bowl’s prolonged absence made anxious. Although it might simply be that she was running late, considering her terrible situation, I couldn’t help but worry.
And the more I thought about it, the more I felt that the situation was not optimistic. In Doomsday World where Number Two, Little Bowl was, ti flowed unevenly. Although she claid she could only hold on for a maximum of ten days, what if she entered a region where ti moved very quickly? Perhaps only a few days had passed here while weeks, months, or even years had gone by there.
No, after all, comparing the flow of ti between "now" and "the future" itself was unreliable. They were not two different places, but two different tis; how could I assu that just because a few days had passed here, the corresponding number of days should also have passed there?
The operational chanism of this Mist Dream Realm was also full of mysteries. If the condition to enter the Mist Dream Realm was sleep, what would happen if one of us happened not to sleep or simply did not need to sleep at all? Or was it because soone among us hadn’t slept over the past few days that the Mist Dream Realm had not been activated?
Considering that there were even people from the future among us, could it be that Number Four, Xuanming, with whom I had just conversed, was misaligned in ti, like, in reality, Xuanming might be awake while the Number Four, Xuanming I talked to, was experiencing sleep a few hours before or after?
Truly intriguing, I was eager to dive deeper into this... No, no, I should first be concerned about Number Two, Little Bowl.
"Has Number Two not arrived yet?" Number One asked .
"Not yet." I shook my head while observing Number One.
He seed quite concerned about Number Two, Little Bowl. Perhaps because he and Number Two, Little Bowl were the first to et in the Mist Dream Realm; I could vaguely sense his care for acquaintances despite his usual indifference.
Could he be Ying Lingyun?
Physically, there was no visible difference between Number One and the Weirdo Maker. It was difficult to judge based on personality, especially since the personality Number One showed in the Mist Dream Realm might not be his real one.
Number One did not continue talking to but walked to a spot far from Number Four, Xuanming. Number Four, Xuanming, also paid no attention to us, continuing to stare at the giant. The atmosphere fell into silence for a mont. Number Five seed to want to ask Number Four, Xuanming sothing but hesitated perhaps due to apprehension.
Guessing that I might be more approachable, Number Five turned his attention to , leaned in, and quietly asked, "Are you close with Xuanming?"
"I’ve only t him once before and exchanged a few words. It was also in this place." I had questions for him too, "From what you said earlier, does it seem that the two Impermanences attacked by Xuanming both possessed Divine Seal Fragnts? Are the Impermanences collecting Divine Seal Fragnts?"
Number Five cautiously said, "...I’m unsure, I had only suspected it before. After all, the divine seal is just a legend..."
"Is that so, but I had ntioned earlier that you were pulled into this dream because of a Divine Seal Fragnt, and you didn’t seem to doubt that."
At that point, I also realized for the first ti that everyone gathered in this Mist Dream Realm, who held fragnts they believed to be from a ’legendary divine seal,’ never doubted it. Even Number One, who had once vehently declared that the idea of a ’wish-granting machine that fulfills all wishes was rely a drear’s fantasy’, never questioned holding a Divine Seal Fragnt.
The term "Divine Seal Fragnt" initially ca from Number Four, Xuanming. Number Two, Little Bowl, might have confird it with Mazao much earlier, so let’s not ntion that. Number One had imdiately accepted it, and the sa went for Number Five in front of . As for myself, I rather treated the Divine Seal Fragnt as a tool to keep Mazao by my side, without ever holding any expectations for its legendary power to change the world.
"Of course," said Number Five, "After all, having personally used the power of the Divine Seal Fragnt, it’d be hard not to believe in it."
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but be montarily stunned and subconsciously looked at the reactions of the others. Number Five had stated this openly, and both Number One and Number Four, Xuanming, must have heard it. Yet they had no reaction at all, as if what Number Five said was completely expected.
Wait, what does that an, personally using the power of the Divine Seal Fragnt? Is the power of the Divine Seal Fragnt not only about pulling us into the Mist Dream Realm but also about not being able to get rid of it?
Although I had suspected that Ying Lingyun might have obtained so power through researching the Divine Seal Fragnt, before this, Number Five had no idea what the Divine Seal Fragnt was. Could it be that as soon as you possess a Divine Seal Fragnt, you can use its power, making it a convenient Magic Treasure?
I wanted to inquire in detail but found it difficult to grasp the nuances. If what he said was considered common knowledge around here, then I, who did not know this common knowledge, would undoubtedly be seen as an outsider. Although I was unsure what that implied, recklessly exposing my anomaly might prompt Number Five to be wary and prevent from obtaining the answers I sought.
"What’s wrong, did I say sothing odd?"
Number Five seed to have caught sothing from my reaction, reflexively checking the reactions of Number One and Xuanming.
"Don’t worry, you just said sothing normal."
I casually brushed it off, and he seed reassured for the mont by the casual attitudes of the others.
The next mont, footsteps sounded from afar again. The change drew my attention back into the depths of the mist.
Would it be Number Two this ti? Or another newcor?
Suddenly, Number One tensed up, whipped his head around, and hissed, "Who?"
Number Five, who had seed to get used to the sudden footsteps, was startled by Number One’s intense reaction and tensed up as well.
I didn’t quite understand why Number One was reacting this way. However, rembering the past, it seed that he always reacted like this to new sounds. The last ti I ca with Xuanming and the ti before when I visited the Mist Dream Realm alone, he had abruptly turned and hissed.
Perhaps startled by the hiss, the footsteps stopped in the distance.
"What’s wrong?" I asked.
Number One stared intensely into the gray mist and after a mont replied, "Be careful, there are ghosts in this Mist Dream Realm."
"Oh, ghosts?" Xuanming turned, intrigued, "In this place?"
"Ghosts... do you an Spiritual Bodies?" Number Five asked.
"I don’t know exactly what it is, can only refer to it as ’ghost.’" Number One said, "This happened before Number Three and Xuanming entered the Mist Dream Realm. Back then, it was just and Number Two here, and Zero—the giant."
He pointed unhesitatingly at the giant in the distance and continued, "Zero once told and Number Two that only he and the chosen holders of the Divine Seal Fragnts could enter this Mist Dream Realm. The latter could be at most seven people, all humans.
"However, after he fell into a deep sleep, inexplicably, other bizarre entities entered the realm."
At this revelation, my interest intensified, "Bizarre entities?"
"That thing was formless and colorless, and Number Two and I could only sense its presence and gaze. It lurked in the mist like a ghost, and although it has appeared only once so far, its identity, origin, and purpose are unknown—probably a bizarre creature beyond Zero’s control," Number One said apprehensively, "And here, we can’t exert the powers we have in the real world; if it is a dangerous Demon, we are all helpless."
"Indeed..."
Hearing this explanation, I beca anxious, yet curious. I had not realized the Mist Dream Realm harbored such dangers, and I had been trekking through the gray mist unknowingly, perhaps even passing by the bizarre entity without realizing it.
Wait, though, why does his description sound sowhat familiar?
Formless, colorless, appeared only once?
The first ti I ca to the Mist Dream Realm, I visited in a form that had no body, like a ghost cara angle in a shooting ga, and that form has never appeared again after that.
Could it be that Number One was talking about ?
"Looks like there’s no movent?" Number Five said, puzzled as he stared into the depths of the mist.
"Right, the last ti that bizarre entity appeared, it vanished suddenly as soon as I made a sound," Number One seed to be listening to sounds in the mist, "But it seems it hasn’t disappeared this ti; I can hear breathing..."
This made even more certain of my guess, and then I said, "The bizarre entity you ntioned shouldn’t have footstep sounds or breathing sounds, right?"
"Exactly..." Number One nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, the footsteps in the deep mist sounded again. Number One and Number Five stood on guard, while Xuanming, seeming to sense sothing, shook his head and turned away. I decided to take the initiative to move forward, to check if the newcor was Number Two.
The figure soon revealed itself through the gray mist.
It was a shadowy figure, like a little girl.
"Um..." Number Two spoke carefully, "It’s ."
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