Piercing through a mbrane-like barrier, Luo En felt as if he had plunged deeply before bursting forth from the ocean surface, and the scenery before him marvelously transford.
The clear sky was high and the sun crystal clear, the salty sea breeze gently blowing, the fine sand beneath his feet soft to the touch, and in the distance, the sea water built up into white-capped waves...
All in all, sight, sll, taste, touch, and hearing were almost indistinguishable from the real world.
This dream is too real, isn't it?
Standing at the beachfront, Luo En scooped up sea water mixed with fine sand from beneath his feet, looked it over and over, yet was unable to distinguish reality from fantasy, feeling utterly incredulous.
But really, what was the use of putting so much effort into creating all this?
Just as Luo En was puzzled, clouds suddenly gathered in the once clear sky across the sea.
"Roar!!!"
Accompanied by a roar that shook the heavens, the seawater churned violently, heads resembling lions, leopards, oxen, and wild boars appeared in the thick dark clouds, stirring up harsh winds and waves.
Luo En stared at the terrifying shadow that darkened the sky above the sea, his heart pounding wildly.
Typhon?
How did this thing appear here?
In the swirling clouds, a throng of beasts in their myriad forms revealed themselves. With the intensifying roars, millions of Aether-snakes coiled around the ferocious animal heads, obscuring the entire sky. anwhile, the bottom half of the snake body moved towards the land from the sea.
Wherever it went, huge waves surged, the ground collapsed into desolation. Drops of poisonous saliva withered the trees and lted through stone, causing mountain peaks on several islands to beco tainted. As the mountains crumbled, billowing smoke and fire spewed forth.
An almost tangible divine oppression brought on an extre sense of suffocation; Luo En's heartbeat involuntarily slowed, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
It feels like it's real?
"Young man, the typhoon is coming! What are you standing there for? Co with to the city to take shelter!"
As Luo En was embroiled in turmoil, an elderly man dressed as a fisherman approached him and clapped his shoulder, kindly advising.
"A typhoon?"
Luo En was startled and pointed towards the monstrous figure in the sea with a snake body hundreds of ters long and topped with scores of monster heads, asking in astonishnt.
"Are you referring to this thing?"
"Yes, you've grown so big yet you've never seen a typhoon?"
The old man looked at Luo En with equal surprise and then noticed that the churning waters had almost reached his knees. Without further ado, he grabbed Luo En's arm and dashed towards a distant city.
"Stop talking and co with get into the city for shelter!"
Luo En, utterly confused, was dragged along and just managed to enter the city alongside the streams of people before the city gates closed.
With the high walls providing protection, the fierce wind blowing in from the sea was easily kept at bay.
"The weather these days is really strange, it's either thundering or raining."
"There've been a lot more typhoons too, no way to go out and fish."
"The mountains aren't peaceful either, either the volcanoes erupt or there are landslides."
"And there's sothing even more bizarre, sotis the ground just splits open while you're walking, and no one knows why…"
Noisy complaints ca from all around, from those who had escaped into the city to avoid the typhoon, reluctantly voicing their grievances. A certain gray-black aura emanated from their bodies, swirling above the city.
But soon, nurous golden-black butterflies descended from the clouds, fluttered over the city, and sprinkled dazzling phosphor powder all around.
Instantly, the people who were sowhat agitated and uneasy beca calm again, their faces brightening with optimistic smiles.
"The fields were just short of water, the rain is a blessing!"
"It's just a typhoon, nothing serious."
"Volcanic eruptions are a common occurrence, once the eruption stops, the volcanic ash is perfect for fertilizer."
In an uplifted atmosphere, Luo En looked at those faces beaming with smiles, and it reminded him of the residents of the Elysian Fields.
Now, he probably understood where the smiles on the faces of the residents ca from.
But why must they constantly maintain their positive and full emotions even in dreams?
"Roar~~"
At that mont, an unwilling roar ca from the sea, and the large expanse of dark clouds gradually dispersed. Hidden within them, Typhon was revealed under the sunlight, dissipating like foam and fading into invisibility.
Witnessing this scene, Luo En seed thoughtful, his gaze soon drawn to the mountains and plains outside the city.
These sections were peculiar, resembling giants covered with wild grass, buried in the soil, sinking into slumber.
Luo En's gaze swept across the mountain range shaped like giants, pretending to be casual as he asked a few people beside him.
"Why does that mountain look like a person? It's so strange."
"You an Mount Iapetus? It has always looked like that."
The residents of the dreamland answered nonchalantly, as if it were only natural.
Upon hearing this, Luo En's gaze twinkled darkly.
Iapetus, the Titan of soul and prophecy, the loser of the last divine war, a cellmate of Kronos in Tartarus Hell.
Then, Luo En looked into the distance at several humanoid areas and continued to inquire.
"What is that place over there?"
"Kronos Hill, it's quite suitable for farming."
"And the place in front?"
"The Plains of Crius."
Listening to the dream residents' unhesitating answers, Luo En muttered to himself.
Well, it seems the other two imprisoned Titan Gods have also been found.
Afterward, through his continuous roundabout inquiries, Luo En gathered terms like Coeus Star Field, Rhea Plains, and Thetis Sea from the mouths of the nearby dream residents.
As the casual conversation concluded, looking at the smiling dream residents exiting the city-state to continue enjoying their lives, Luo En stood in the street, his gaze flickering.
The sights and sounds of this dreamland reminded him of a story called "The Dream of a Thousand Cats."
The story tells of a purebred Siase cat, gathering nurous cats everywhere to give speeches. It had many kittens with a stray cat; the mixed kittens were put into a sack by its male owner and drowned in the lake. The Siase cat felt confused and terrified, and then it entered the Dreamland.
In its sleep, the Siase cat entered the cave of Morfeus, the Lord of Dreams, who told it that the world used to be ruled by gigantic cats, humans served the cats, and many cats also hunted humans for food.
One day, the subordinate humans betrayed the cats, knowing that if all humans dreamt the sa dream, they could alter reality. Thus, all humans had the sa dream that placed humans in a dominant position, and the world was transford into one where humans ruled, and the cats beca their pets.
The Siase cat's purpose in giving speeches everywhere was to have all cats dream of a world ruled by cats, reclaiming the reality altered by humans.
The "Thousand Cats" in The Dream of a Thousand Cats represent the diverse, variously ford cats. Each cat has its unique traits and personalities, symbolizing that each individual in the world is unique, with infinite possibilities. "Dreams" represent people's curiosity and exploration of the unknown world, as well as their boundless imaginations for the future.
If a thousand cats dream the sa dream, their collective consciousness can shape their deities, even altering reality to make cats rule over humans.
In this story, the collective belief/consciousness of all sentient beings in the universe creates "existence".
—I think, therefore I am.
So, what if a group of pure and more spiritually powerful demigods, nymphs, and humans, together dreamt a dream where so deities don't exist?
The answer is, these deities will be "forgotten" and "erased."
Indeed, the Divine King and Chief God possess the nature of immortality and cannot be easily killed. Being imprisoned in Tartarus can only confine them.
But if at this ti, the "Dream of Truth" collectively woven denies their existence, their self-awareness will gradually be eroded by the new concepts shaped by the collective consciousness, leaving behind only their "immortal" bodies to be integrated into the rules of the world.
This is the "Eternal Sleep" of the gods.
During the battle of the Titans, the Pantheon of Gods from Olympus gained new Divine Offices by leveraging the power of faith, defeating the ancient Old Gods.
Today, the "Truth" fabricated collectively in the dreamland of Elysium can also be the guillotine for those Old Gods!
Reviews
All reviews (0)