Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 707 - 651: In the Dream

The Emerald Dream was not entirely green, nor was it predominantly green, which was far from Lyle’s expectations of the Natural Holy Land. In fact, it oddly met his expectations in an abnormal direction. The soil was blue, the trees were red, and the rivers were a deep purple that turned into a gradient from purple to red at the bifurcation points. Rainbow-colored bubbles the size of a palm were suspended in the air, clinging to the smooth bark of trees. With Susanna’s permission, Lyle gently touched a bubble, and it popped easily, releasing a shower of sparkling golden dust. This dust fell to the ground, and from it sprouted a maple-red rabbit with long ears, which hopped away.

"This is really magical; I could never dream up such things even in my dreams."

Susanna stood beside Lyle, her towering figure moving and popping countless bubbles, which caused a shower of small animals, including raccoons, squirrels, and koalas. They clung to the Elf Executive’s body, emitting sounds of either indolence or joy.

A moan rose with the wind, and the temperature plummeted. Deep blue translucent arms manifested in the air; these ghostly arms cradled the fluffy balls hanging from Susanna’s body, gently pulling them down and placing them in the bushes. Some hands that were closer grabbed Nia’s curious tentacles, pulled open Lyle’s collar, and stuffed the tentacles back in.

"Of course you can’t dream up such things, because normal thoughts aren’t wild like this. These are scenes from a dream unbound by morals and logic, areas of Irason’s dream realm. The Emerald Dream is a collective of dreamscapes, managed in tandem by the Dream Druids, each responsible for a different area. The connection here to the real world is linear, and as the Dream Druids sleep in their lairs, your consciousness too descends into the corresponding area of the Emerald Dream."

Lyle watched as the deep blue arms completed their task. Some disappeared, while others stayed to wrestle with Nia, and because there were so many of them, it looked as though Lyle’s body was covered in hands.

"But I remember we were sleeping in your lair."

"You think Irason would have her own private lair? That queen, who got allotted just a treehouse for her personal bedchamber. We share this lair."

"Isn’t that nepotism? I highly doubt why Irason only got a treehouse. I used to think she was disliked by the dream sprites, but now it seems the dream sprites still respect her..." Lyle eyed Susanna’s retreating silhouette questioningly, as her tall figure seemed to shrink in his view.

"Kid, are you itching for a spanking already?!" Susanna’s humiliated and angered scolding had just resounded when the deep blue arms surrounding Lyle collectively clenched into fists. Five or six grabbed Lyle’s collar and hoisted him up, others rubbed their hands together, ready for a scrap, and some even mimed their fists against Lyle’s forehead, threateningly.

"Sorry... sorry." It turned out that some of these deep blue arms were figments of Susanna’s imagination, which explained why their style differed from the surrounding environment.

Susanna led Lyle towards the other side of Irason’s dreamscape. Along the way, the scenery constantly changed: from a forest of different colors to a steel metropolis, then to a city made of nebulous energy, to a waterbed, and finally, to a diamond desert. Each scene transition brought about eye fatigue and discomfort due to the change in light, reflecting the instability of Irason’s inner world. It’s as if her mind was partitioned, with sections unrelated to one another. Lyle also slowly understood the original reason Mr. Scholar didn’t suggest entering the Green Dragon Priest’s dreamscape; for himself at that time, this dream experience was as devastating as a mental breakdown.

Amidst this chaos, Susanna gave a detailed introduction as if listing treasures from her own collection.

"This place captures every wonderful thought produced by Elan at any given moment, and because it has great commemorative value, I’ve saved them all."

Frankly, Lyle wasn’t curious, but Susanna’s excitement rippled around her. The Iron Lady’s presence was shrouded in a warm and sunny atmosphere, and under such influence, Lyle could only muster the courage to point out some targets.

"That object over there, it looks like a huge colander coated with frosting..."

"Ah, that’s one of Elan’s creations. She didn’t know how to season food at the time and mistook the food’s deliciousness as being due to magical kitchen utensils... Like the salt knife, the sugar colander, and the spicy pot among others."

Lyle pointed elsewhere, "And what about that, looking like an action painting splashed across the sky — is it a humanoid figure or a tree with a split trunk?"

"That’s also from Elan’s dream. She spent a few days contemplating the purpose of abstract painters. She wondered what we would become if the creator of the world decided to take up abstract painting."

Not all dreams are precursors to reality or give hints; some are meaningless extensions or whims that come out of nowhere. They suggest that life isn’t just about measurable specifics. Everything capable of thought, at least in part, can’t be interpreted with data alone. Perhaps this is the result of everything originating from chaos.

Soon the architectural style of the dream changed, and Lyle looked around, his smile tinged with mockery.

"This entire area is all Irason’s fantasy, isn’t it?"

"...Yes!"

"And this huge sculpture of the Green Dragon Priest lying on her side, is it also her own delusion? Imagining herself asleep?"

"...That’s right, it’s one of Elan’s fantasies."

"So this loli-sized Irason is also imagined by her, to recall her childhood?"

"...Mm-hm."

Lyle looked to the next one, his pupils suddenly constricted, struck by sheer astonishment. Moonlight shimmered behind a veil, and the lady with closed eyes rested in the moon’s radiance, her white dress adorned with stars’ faint and dreamy shine. A blend of divine compassion and feminine allure, the massive bouquet she cradled dropped petals softly, and her slightly leaning figure seemed to be greeting someone, or perhaps uttering some solemn oath.

This fantasy was so overpowering that Lyle felt if he said anything, Susanna would definitely go berserk.

Skipping this one, Lyle noticed another figure resembling Irason standing in place, looking at him, her bright eyes seemingly capable of speaking, brimming with joy ready to spill over.

This doesn’t seem to be a big problem.

"Irason’s life-sized doll, aside from its realism, doesn’t seem to have any other abnormalities. Ms. Susanna, could it be that this is also one of Irason’s fantasies?"

"That one isn’t."

Lyle’s eyes curved into crescents, as he let out a loud exclamation of surprise, pointing at Susanna with a triumphant look of someone who has discerned the truth.

"You finally ran out of excuses, you Irason superfan. You’ve stopped pretending at last, this doll is your fantasy!"

"That’s Claudia, you idiot."

Lyle’s body trembled as the "doll" in front of him came to life, the initial joy of seeing a familiar face replaced by gloom. The Green Dragon’s face held a smile, but the twitching corners of her mouth made it rather terrifying.

"Long time no see, Brother Lyle."

"You’re very good at making us angry, just like before, dear Dragon King Priest."