Odd Containment Specialist.

Chapter 1068 Returning to Normal
Although this routine felt quite pleasant, Natsumori knew he had important things to do.

First, I need to have a good talk with Alice.

Since I met Alice in the Old Ya Kingdom, many things have happened since then.

During the car accident, he briefly entered the real world and learned that Alice in the book was untrustworthy. After waking up, he followed Sister Yan and the others to escape from Lao Ya Kingdom, naturally escaping Alice's control as well.

Subsequent events proved that the information he had received in his dream was correct; the Alice of this world was indeed untrustworthy, and she seemed to have other motives.

After they separated in the Old Ya Kingdom, he naturally tried to kill Vero, but due to the influence of the law and various other factors, he failed. Although he killed many hyenas, he did not kill Vero.

This was also confirmed during this journey to another world.

In that case, what Alice said might actually be true.

"Sister Yan, I want to go and meet Alice," Xia Shou said.

Shangguan Yan took a sip of milk and nodded calmly: "Okay, I'll arrange it for you."

……

……

"Lord Xia Shou, you've finally agreed to see me."

In the Western restaurant, Alice pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Natsume.

The meeting took place in China, and neither side had made much preparation.

They are not in another world. Both sides have extremely weak control over reality. There is no control bureau in this world. Xia Shou's biggest backer, Shangguan Yan, is just a little rich and has a wide network of connections.

Alice, on the other hand, only wields considerable influence within the religion of another country.

Although they have a voice and can command others, that's all they can do. It's impossible for them to act recklessly. To kill someone without leaving a trace and escape government punishment is pure fantasy.

But because of this, they can feel free to find any place to sit down and eat.

"Lord Summer Guardian, how have you been sleeping lately?" Alice asked.

"It's alright. Although I'm dreaming about it more and more, I only have a brief moment when I first wake up where I can't distinguish between reality and dreams. With Sister Yan taking care of me, I have no problems with daily life at all," Xia Shou said. "Alice, you said last time... that dog is with you, is that true?"

“Of course, Vero and I have known each other for a long time,” Alice said. “Although I don’t remember very well, Vero and I have always had a good relationship, you see.”

Alice handed over her phone, which was playing a video. The video showed her playing with an African hyena in an apartment. The fierce wild animal was as docile as a pet dog trying to please its owner, constantly making whimpering noises.

"Is this the dog?" Xia Shou frowned in suspicion.

The hyena in the video is clearly not the one that attacked him when he was a child.

But Alice nodded and said, "Yes and no. It could be, but if it were with you, it wouldn't be."

Alice took the phone back and continued, "Lord Natsumori, do you feel happy with your life now?"

“If there weren’t so many troubles, and without all those messy dreams, it would be quite blissful,” Xia Shou said. “I think so too. If it were just life in a book, that would be truly blissful,” Alice remarked wistfully.

She turned to look out the window, where there was only a very ordinary city street scene: office buildings, roads, parks, pedestrians, and traffic.

"Without those dangers, a normal life like this would be very happy. If it weren't for those dreams from the outside world, you, Lord Natsumori, would not have become like that."

But now you're completely cut off from ordinary daily life, even though Xiao Yan is helping you... Ah, sorry, I accidentally spoke from an outsider's perspective. I should address you as Miss Shangguan here.

"Lord Xia Shou, even with Miss Shangguan by your side now, you must be exhausted from sleep, right? Even if you wake up afterwards, very subtle traces of the emotions from your dreams will still remain, won't they?"

"It's alright," Xia Shou said, taking a sip of lemonade and trying to sound calm.

He didn't want Alice to think that his life was very troublesome, but it was undeniable that those dreams had indeed caused him a lot of trouble. Even though the finger-cracking incident hadn't happened again, the intense emotional fluctuations in the first few minutes after waking up had already had a significant impact.

This negative impact wouldn't seriously disrupt daily life, and with Shangguan Yan's assistance, the side effects could be almost avoided. But it's still a negative impact nonetheless, just like how diabetic patients need to use insulin and heart patients need to have nitroglycerin pills on hand at any time. He's the same.

Those relentless, bizarre dreams were like pebbles in my shoe, constantly nagging at me.

"I know that the emotions and desires in dreams are like seawater that keeps evaporating in a swimming pool. The seawater evaporates again and again, seemingly completely evaporating each time, but the residue that cannot be evaporated is left behind... just like the salt impurities in seawater."

Lord Natsumori, you know very well that I am not exaggerating. You yourself can also sense that those very easy-to-master skills, your tolerance for gory horror movies, and other small details are all proving to you that... you have not completely forgotten everything.

Desires can lie dormant until something happens, but every time you start over, every time the storyline changes, you plant a new seed, and that seed will sprout.

A flowerpot may be able to hold ten seeds, or even a hundred, but there is always a limit to the number. When they first sprout, they may not seem crowded, but one day, the flowerpot will not be able to support the spreading root system.

Lord Natsumori, from the past to the present, you have had far too many dreams. The disorientation of time and the extreme back-and-forth of emotions must be overwhelming for you.

Haven't you ever thought about... going back to a normal life? Getting a good night's sleep?

“…” Xia Shou fell silent.

The sense of reality brought about by the events in the dream dissipated upon waking.

The only motivation that keeps Xia Shou from continuing to assist the dream world in this world is that the dream world will genuinely affect his current life.

Those dreams prevented him from sleeping normally, and if he didn't want to continue, he might self-harm during the time he was awake.

And so, he continued to be pushed around in this world, persistently pursuing his mission to kill a dog.

If... if it were really possible to end all of this.

"Lord Xia Shou, your sleep will become even more difficult in the future. I have followed you for so long and I am familiar with your experiences. Although I have forgotten a lot, I still know that as you get older, the accumulation of dreams will become more and more intense, and your emotions and information will become more chaotic."

Miss Shangguan can still take care of you and soothe your emotions now, but this soothing effect will become weaker and weaker in the future.

So, you really don't want to be free?

(End of this chapter)