GBP Chapter 544 Exquisite Artificial Dream
Chapter 544 Exquisite Artificial Dream
The leader of the group rattled off a long list of things in one breath, almost making Paimon think he was there to perform a rapid-fire monologue.
Even Xu Ning couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Does this Sumeru really have so many things that look like wine gourds?"
The leader of the brigade's expression immediately changed upon hearing this.
"Did I mention a gourd? How did you guess it so quickly? Who are you?"
Seeing that the guy seemed to want to touch the curved sword at his waist, Xu Ning sighed, "I was originally thinking of proceeding step by step, but it seems that won't work. Next up is the impact therapy."
Xu Ning used professional terms that sounded impressive but were actually quite incomprehensible, which caused Pete and Paimon's admiration to rise rapidly.
Reaching under the table, Xu Ning pulled out the Dust Concealment Gourd and ripped off the black cloth covering his face. He then smiled at the brothers from the gilded guild in front of him and said, "Long time no see, brothers. Still doing business with no capital?"
The leader of the brigade and his brothers looked at the copper gourd on the table and felt a sudden, bone-deep pain erupt all over their bodies again, causing them to shudder violently.
"Look how trembling they are, what kind of work can they possibly do!"
The gang leader hid his slightly trembling hands under the table. "I was thinking of taking on some illegal jobs the other day, but the brothers are terrified. No, I should say they're not afraid of death, they're afraid of you, afraid you'll suddenly jump out from somewhere and start banging..."
"We were wrong before, but now we want to be good people. I just want to ask you one question in person: do we have that opportunity?"
Xu Ning laughed and said, "Of course. Welcome to the world of good people. You see, we can even be friends."
“We can’t be friends, and you’re not a good person at all.”
The leader of the group left a message, called his underlings, and walked away with his head held high.
"As expected of a dream interpretation master! You solved the two most difficult problems as soon as you arrived."
Pete excitedly flattered Xu Ning, "Next, please comment on the dreams of other people."
Xu Ning turned to Kong and Paimon and asked, "You guys brought me all this way just so I could sit here and do all that work for free? What about all those strange phenomena you mentioned?"
Kong said in a low voice, "It's this Ellerman in front of you."
Xu Ning turned around and saw an honest-looking man sitting in front of him.
Judging from his clothing, this man named Ellerman was not wealthy, and judging from the worried look on his face, he probably hadn't been doing too well lately.
"Has the person changed? It doesn't matter. I just want to ask how long my recent dreams will last? Will they continue like this forever?"
Xu Ning was still a bit confused when Kong quickly described Elleman's dream to him.
"So, you've been dreaming about your deceased wife for many days in a row, and each dream seems to connect with the previous one?"
Ellerman nodded and said, "Yes, although I am the one who tells her about our daughter Haida's recent growth most of the time, she also responds to me and reminisces with me about the days we spent together. I... I think it's good this way. I am willing to have this dream and feeling for as long as it lasts."
Xu Ning frowned. "You know that dreams always end, right? And you just said you have a daughter, didn't you? You're indulging in your dream with your wife, but what about your daughter?"
Ellerman was somewhat flustered by Xu Ning's questioning. "I will still take care of my daughter, I won't forget that. And sometimes she will come with me to see her mother in my dreams, and we will play together. It's just that waking up every day is particularly torturous, which makes me wish I could go back to the dream world as soon as possible..."
Xu Ning reached out to stop Ellerman's narration, "Your situation is a bit worrying. Are you sure your daughter is with you, even if it's just a dream?"
Ellerman asked doubtfully, "Do I need to confirm this?"
Xu Ning took a sip of wine. "Of course, if your daughter didn't go into the dream with you, and you were asleep while she was still outside, how dangerous would that be? But if she went into the dream with you, then things would be even more serious."
"As far as I know, the Void has been closed, and no one can use this technology to bring you into dreams anymore. If someone is still helping you fulfill your wishes in dreams, then they must have ulterior motives, and that situation is more dangerous."
Ellerman gave a wry smile. "We just want to spend even one more day with our loved ones. What use is there in such a wish?"
Xu Ning remained silent, only offering the advice, "Don't get too caught up in it," before telling Pete that she was a little tired and needed to rest for a while.
Let Paimon hold the fort for a while, then Xu Ning took Kong to the side and asked, "Are there many people like Elleman?"
Kong nodded and said, "There are quite a few, and what we are afraid of now is that this influence will gradually spread to other people, and by then it may be too late to reverse it."
Xu Ning naturally agreed, "We in Liyue have an old saying, 'There must be something fishy going on when things are not normal.' Someone must be behind this. I think it's probably the aftermath of the experiments the Order of the Fathers conducted last time."
"Liyue proverbs are always clear and precise. Dreams are very fragile and absurd. It is very unusual for dreams to be so stable, and they will not suddenly appear on a large scale for no reason."
A crisp voice rang out beside them. Xu Ning and Kong looked down and saw Nasita, dressed in a little dress, standing next to them.
Xu Ning looked at Naxida and sighed, "If only the void hadn't been shut down, you could have easily found the mastermind behind these dreams by touching the network of the void, right?"
Nasida laughed and said, "It's only relatively easier. Traveling through dreams is still a very arduous task."
"However, we should keep a close eye on Ellerman."
Ellerman's home was at the crossroads where Xu Ning last met Kavi. It was a wooden house outside the city, which looked rather shabby compared to the splendid stone houses inside the city.
Xu Ning called Kong and Paimon, and followed Nasida to Elleman's place.
"It's still daytime, so he probably won't fall asleep so quickly. Let's go to Chenyin Cave to eat something first, and then check on his dreams when it gets dark."
Paimon naturally agreed wholeheartedly, and Nasita, who had never been inside Xu Ning's cave before, was also filled with curiosity.
Xu Ning placed the Dust Concealment Gourd and led them into the space.
Paimon greeted Shen He familiarly, then went to find Qingyi to order food on his own.
Naxi Da was stunned as soon as she entered the cave.
Not to mention the dazzling symbols of the three colors of the gods—wind, rock, and thunder—on the surrounding wine springs, her gaze was almost immediately drawn to the small tree beside the "Thousand Leaves" wine spring.
Countless forgotten memories surged up like boiling water, and Nasita's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Xu Ning and Kong stood quietly beside her without saying a word.
"Thank you, Xu Ning."
Hearing Naxida's heartfelt thanks, Xu Ning and Kong exchanged a glance and both laughed happily.
“We discussed it and we all felt it was better to tell you, since ‘she’ once existed, and this outcome wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Naxida walked to the side of the wine spring, looked at the thriving silvery-white saplings, and then at the emerald green wine spring next to her with the word "Qianye" carved on it. She laughed and said, "This is the first time I've regretted not giving you the Heart of the Grass God."
Xu Ning said casually, "Really? Share the secret you got from the Doctor, and consider it giving me the Heart of God."
Nasita shook her head slightly. "No, it's better for us to have some reverence for that secret."
Xu Ning remained silent. If a god could utter words of reverence, he could roughly guess what the secret involved was.
Xu Ning didn't press the matter further. After finishing their meal, he called Shen He over and said with a smile, "We might have to enter the dream again this time. Although it's just an ordinary person's dream, just in case, we'd still like you to protect us."
Shen He naturally had no objections. Xu Ning and Kong left the cave together, and with Naxida's help, the three of them quickly entered Elleman's dream.
"He wasn't home. Oh, I found him. He's on that hillside over there..."
Paimon and Kong searched for a while from Elleman's house and finally spotted him on the hillside, where Elleman was chatting and laughing with a beautiful woman and a little girl.
"It seems this is their family. Is that little girl the will of his daughter in reality?"
Nasida shook her head and said, "The little girl is very naughty. She's still snuggled in bed and hasn't fallen asleep yet. This is just a product of her dream."
"Looking at it this way, there's nothing strange about this dream. The only thing that bothers me is that the dream is just too detailed."
"Detailed?" Xu Ning looked at the village, which was so simple it was almost outrageous. Apart from a bare hill and thatched huts, there was really nothing to see.
"The meticulousness I'm referring to isn't the content it contains, but rather the level of detail in constructing the dream. This is a technique unique to dream architects. At least we can be certain of one thing: although this is Ellerman's dream, it was constructed for him by someone else."
Xu Ning didn't expect to find traces of the opponent right away. "Alright, you see if you can find the person in charge by following this line. Kong and I will go up the hillside to talk to Ellerman."
After saying a few words to Naxi Da, Xu Ning took Kong and headed up the hillside.
However, after walking only a few steps, Kong grabbed Xu Ning and said, "Brother Xu, don't go any further. Something's not right."