Chapter 853: The Newborn Fool's Dreams and the Bustling Soul Dreamscape
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 853: The Newborn Fool's Dreams and the Bustling Soul Dreamscape
As the first Fool's Dream appeared within my soul dreamscape, I gradually began to understand certain things.
Or rather, I finally figured out some key points.
It was as if the puzzle pieces had finally clicked into place, and I naturally came to realize the truth of the matter.
It wasn't that other Fool's Dreams had never entered my soul dreamscape before; the key lay in the Enlightenment Meditation Art, which was shaped by the "rune" each Fool's Dream represented.
One could say that the Enlightenment Meditation Art was something intimately connected to "Holy Relics."
Through this—and through the previous Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art—the Fool's Dreams were able to appear in my soul dreamscape.
And now... Fool's Dreams were "growing" out of the Seed of the Fool's Dream. Every leaf that unfurled from the seed represented the memory of a Fool's Dream. It was foreseeable that as the Seed of the Fool's Dream grew and transformed back into a "tree," that tree would become to the Fool's Dreams what the Fool's Village once was.
However, there was a difference. The old Fool's Village had been their only home, but now... their home had transformed into the "Tree of Great Wisdom Enlightenment" within my plan. This meant they had broken free from the framework of the original Dream Scroll and left the Fool's Village, yet they remained inextricably linked to it.
It was a strange sensation. After all, the place they now resided... was my soul dreamscape!
It felt as if I were nurturing an entire race within my own body.
Furthermore... up until now, I hadn't seen the "imagery" manifested by the [Transcendent Knowledge].
I recalled that in the early stages of the Tree of Great Knowledge, the imagery formed by [Transcendent Knowledge] was the very soil in which the tree stood. It supported the Tree of Great Knowledge, fulfilling the concept of "plant growth" by absorbing knowledge for nourishment.
Though... even now, the completion of the Tree of Great Knowledge remained a distant prospect.
So, what about this Seed of the Fool's Dream?
If the concept of [Transcendent Knowledge] directed everything toward life, then... what would its imagery be?
"Sage Sister?"
At that moment, by my feet, that Fool's Dream curiously tugged at the hem of my skirt and called out to me in a weak, timid voice.
"Hmm? What is it?" I knelt down and stroked the Fool's Dream. Although I had many things on my mind and much to do, I possessed a great deal of patience and tolerance for the Fool's Dreams.
"It's so big here... so empty... Sage Sister, didn't you say we were going to find friends?"
"Friends..." I instinctively looked toward the Seed of the Fool's Dream. "Then how about we wait here together for the second companion to arrive?"
I led the Fool's Dream to the spot where the seed was sprouting. "Look, you appeared right here just a moment ago. This leaf represents you. And then... when this new leaf currently budding unfurls, your new friend will appear."
"Really?"
The Fool's Dream mimicked my posture, half-crouching on the "ground." Upon hearing my words, she didn't doubt me for a second; she believed it implicitly.
Although the Seed of the Fool's Dream was growing at a rate almost visible to the naked eye, it still took time for the second leaf to unfurl.
As if guided by instinct, that Fool's Dream began to pray for the swift arrival of a new playmate, while I watched quietly from the side.
I never forgot that the closer the Fool's Dreams were to their true selves, the more likely they were to contain information that held some form of revelation. Every behavioral response they gave was an instinctive reflection of their own will.
At this moment, however, aside from seeing how cute they looked and how adorable they acted, I truly had no other thoughts. I simply felt that such lovely creatures deserved to exist in this world!
Yes... instinctively feeling that they should exist in the world—this simple yearning for beauty—was perhaps the shallowest form of revelation.
"Wow! Hello! Let's be friends!"
As a brand-new figure gradually materialized within my soul dreamscape, I keenly sensed the information released at the moment of the Fool's Dream's "birth," though I didn't yet understand what it represented.
They were all Fool's Dreams from the Fool's Village; they had simply left the village in a different way. That was my initial thought.
But thinking about it now... that didn't seem entirely accurate.
It would be better to say that only the Fool's Dreams who left the Fool's Village truly counted as having existed.
Before I actually reached the Fool's Village, the concept of a "Fool's Dream" was just a name. Once I brought that concept into the village, the Fool's Dreams took on their current form, their current appearance, their current language... their current everything.
But that didn't mean the past of the Fool's Dreams was meaningless.
Back when the Fool's Dreams still existed in the Academy Dean's secret realm, they weren't even in the form of cat-girls. Thus, the stance of the Fool's Dreams hadn't been like this from the beginning.
Moreover, I was certain that the current appearance of the Fool's Dreams was only finalized after Sister Bai and I had discussed it.
However... just watching these two Fool's Dreams, seeing their joyful smiles upon meeting, I found myself unable to stop myself from looking deeper into these things.
I knew very well that the deeper I dug, the more I would inevitably encounter a specific concept: the essence of what a Fool's Dream is.
I used to believe that Fool's Dreams were dream consciousnesses—special consciousnesses born within dreams, the root of their existence.
If I continued down this path of inquiry... I would be investigating how dream consciousness itself is born.
While my rational instinct told me that investigating this would greatly aid my understanding of the composition of life, my emotional side wanted to leave this secret to the Fool's Dreams themselves.
I knew that once I thoroughly understood the essence of the Fool's Dreams, the way I looked at them would inevitably change forever.
But research... doesn't always have to be a purely rational analysis of everything. Just like mysticism on the transcendent level, not everything can be given a so-called explanation.
"Sage Sister... um... over there, beneath our feet, there's a really big tree!"
"What is it? Do you want to go play on the other side?" I asked in a doting tone.
"Mm... can we?" the Fool's Dream asked cautiously.
"Of course you can. I'll take you both there!" I picked up a Fool's Dream in each arm and then let myself fall backward.
...And so, I chose to interact with the Fool's Dreams in a more emotional way, just like when I first encountered them.
Using emotion instead of logic, companionship instead of research, games instead of experiments, and play instead of study...
The revelations that come from emotional investment, occurring in moments of casual interaction, are the most precious. Or perhaps... this was something Dean Mei had never tried?
When my figure returned to "reality" from the other side, as if waking from a dream, the massive Tree of Great Knowledge already stood tall before me.
I lightly tapped the ripples on the water's surface, leading them toward the Tree of Great Knowledge.
"Wow! So fun! We got here just like that?"
"Mm-hmm. That up ahead is the Tree of Great Knowledge." I set them down.
For the first time, I felt that the things within my soul dreamscape were a bit sparse.
However, these two Fool's Dreams were having a wonderful time.
I used to think that these two trees taking up the entirety of my soul dreamscape was enough, but now it seemed... it was far from sufficient.
To that end, I specifically released the knowledge within the Tree of Great Knowledge, using the power of order to accompany them in their play.
Nevertheless, I still felt a slight barrier between myself and the Fool's Dreams, as if I felt, deep down... that I was no longer suited for such carefree play.
Still, I felt that just watching them play was quite nice. Seeing them so happy in front of me made me feel happy as well.
Gradually, the scene before my eyes began to accelerate. The number of Fool's Dreams increased as the Seed of the Fool's Dream continued to sprout.
I watched as they wove the power of knowledge into swings, frolicking happily upon the Tree of Great Knowledge. Some mischievous Fool's Dreams climbed onto the branches just to find two identical leaves.
Some used the power of knowledge to piece together childish drawings, their creativity radiating boundlessly...
Slowly, many more things appeared in my soul dreamscape—things that should have been there and things that shouldn't. They decorated the soul dreamscape I had thought empty until everything became orderly.
I felt a momentary blur in my vision... and when I regained my senses, a figure appeared by my feet.
"Sage Sister, won't you be lonely standing here all by yourself? How about I stay with you?"
"Hmm?" As if waking from a great dream, I watched as the figure before me gradually overlapped with the image of a Fool's Dream I knew well.
"Yu... Xing?"
"Sage Sister, I'm here!" Yu Xing jumped up excitedly, seemingly thrilled that I still remembered her.
Then, I looked up and realized that everything before me had become both familiar and strange.
Familiar was the towering Tree of Great Knowledge; strange were the buildings that had been "established" with the Tree of Great Knowledge as their center.
"This... what exactly happened?"
"Eh? Is there something you don't understand, Sage Sister?" Yu Xing tilted her head and asked. "But haven't you been watching over us all this time?"
"Watching over..." Hearing that word, countless images suddenly flashed before my eyes.
They were every detail faithfully recorded by the Tree of Great Knowledge.
From the confusion of the very first Fool's Dream, to two Fool's Dreams becoming friends, to the third becoming a companion...
As the Seed of the Fool's Dream grew, they continuously became friends, eventually gathering to form the current Fool's Village.
But the center of this Fool's Village was no longer the Starlight Tower the Fool's Dreams used to watch over; it was the Tree of Great Knowledge...
Wait!
Thinking of this, I suddenly snapped to attention!
Why had I just let the Seed of the Fool's Dream grow on its own like that?
Shouldn't I have used the Seed of the Fool's Dream as a framework and the [Transcendent Knowledge] as a core to create the true Tree of Great Wisdom Enlightenment?
"Sage Sister?"
At that moment, my brief flash of panic was instantly healed by the Fool's Dream's call.
"Sage Sister really does love to daydream, doesn't she? Would you like me to take you on a tour? You haven't responded to our calls for a long time, Sage Sister."
"Has it been a long time... Alright, why don't you show me around?" The confusion in my eyes vanished, replaced by a gaze full of anticipation.
"Wow! It's Sage Sister! Sage Sister has come to the Fool's Village!"
"It really is her!"
As my figure appeared, unlike in the past, the Fool's Dreams were incredibly excited by my arrival. They all put down what they were doing and gathered around to watch me.
I vaguely remembered that in the old Fool's Village within the Dream Scroll, they mostly kept busy with their predetermined tasks.
The current Fool's Dreams possessed something else I could sense—freedom.
When they first appeared in my soul dreamscape, the eyes of the first Fool's Dream were filled with a fear of freedom.
But as they explored that freedom, they discovered that curiosity grew from fear, urging them to do things they never would have dared to imagine before.
Meeting their curious and excited gazes, I saw a wondrous scene beneath the distant Tree of Great Knowledge.
"Yu Xing... the Fool's Dreams beneath the Tree of Great Knowledge, what are they doing?"
"Them? Oh... they're studying!" Yu Xing looked in the direction I indicated and spoke.
"Sage Sister's Tree of Great Knowledge contains infinite knowledge. It is an ocean of wisdom!"
"You actually started studying on your own?" My eyes widened in disbelief. Even for me, the idea of Fool's Dreams studying was hard to imagine.
These innocent and adorable little ones were actually relying on my Tree of Great Knowledge and the knowledge deduced from my power of knowledge to study continuously.
"Yes, yes! I've gone to study too! But the knowledge told us to balance work and rest, so I've been resting lately!" Yu Xing told me excitedly, her tone practically begging for praise, which was evident in her smile.
"Yu Xing is so good... and not just you, all the Fool's Dreams are the best..."
I didn't hold back my praise, not just for Yu Xing, but for nearly all the Fool's Dreams.
The Fool's Dreams all cheered excitedly at my praise, for this was recognition from their Sage Sister!
In a daze, I seemed to see a wisp of something float past my eyes. I gently reached out my finger and wound that wisp of pale gold aura around it.
Intuition told me that this thing seemed to link me and the countless Fool's Dreams together in that instant.
It was as if a special anchoring had been established between me and every Fool's Dream, an anchoring that originated from a completely different kind of... "emotion" each Fool's Dream felt for me.
Gratitude, admiration, affection, worship, hope...
The sensation was so wondrous that this power resonated with a certain throb in my heart.
I pressed both hands to my chest, and when I slowly opened them, I found that what lay in my palms was... a glimmer of radiance.
It was as if I were a medium, gathering the expectations of every Fool's Dream.
They collectively believed in me, seeing me as the hope that would guide them toward life.
In this moment, the barrier that had existed between me and this power vanished. It flickered at my fingertips with the brilliance of "Life."
It was no longer the old Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, nor was it some Great Spellbook; it was a goal shared by me and thousands upon thousands of Fool's Dreams.
...
I see... this was a long behavioral ritual. Because I had endowed [Transcendent Knowledge] with the concept of leading toward life, and because I had practiced toward this goal until its mission reached its end, it had now been carried into my consciousness.
Because the Fool's Dreams and memories of the same origin had collectively chosen me, its power was guided out within the dream.
In this moment, I realized that under the influence of this power, the skills and techniques I had developed in the past now had a foundation for use.
Though familiar yet strange, it held infinite hope!
So... did this count as indirect proof that the path I had been exploring was correct?