No taboos

Chapter 443 The Bystander (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
“I can’t write stories.” Richard smiled, then picked up a pen: “I’ll just copy one of our famous fables from Almeria.”

"The story is called: Jack and the Beanstalk."

Richard stood in the center of the stage, his pen scratching across the paper. He wrote rapidly, while the puppets, scenery, and musical instruments on stage remained completely still.

The bodies and faces of those dolls were pieced together from various parts, resembling horrific scars.

It always gives people a gloomy feeling.

The entire Department of Purification was filled with doubt and curiosity, and they waited patiently.

The ability to create illusions that are exactly the same as the real world also existed in the Ming Dynasty.

Even many.

Many powerful demons, or certain "treasures," possess this ability.

However, they all evolve into a specific, fixed scenario.

To be able to write any story and have it performed on stage... that's truly unheard of.

If what Richard said is true, then this "prop" is the most entertaining thing in the world.

The emperor would indeed be a very suitable gift.

Xu Yuan also looked at Richard with anticipation, his eyes never blinking.

But in reality, Xu Yuan's attention was half on the stage and half on the other people.

Xu Yuan had secretly asked Asmru what the "gift" the Indian delegation was going to present to the emperor was.

Asmru doesn't know.

Although he was a fifth-rank official, he seemed to hold a "quite high position" within the delegation.

But he was not Richard's confidant.

He felt more like an ally of the delegation.

The mission needed a powerful "writer," and Asmru wanted to travel to the East with the mission to gather material.

At this moment, Xu Yuan noticed that the Indian delegation had also split into two groups.

Most people seemed very excited and expectant.

Similar to the people in the Department of Purification.

Clearly, this was the first time these people had learned what gift the delegation had prepared for His Majesty the Ming Dynasty.

They were excited because they had heard of the legendary "Dreams Come True".

The other part has a much smaller number of people.

His face was full of pride and smugness, but deep in his eyes, there seemed to be something strange hidden.

Most of these people were at the fifth rank; they were core members of the mission and had long known about the existence of "Dreams Come True".

Xu Yuan secretly tested his "unrestricted" state again.

This fate is still trembling.

Xu Yuan secretly guessed that the influence of this "dream come true" was extremely strong?

Or is this thing itself an evil spirit?
Xu Yuan secretly opened the "Looking at Fate" again, but did not see the fate of "dreams coming true".

This is indeed a prop, not an evil spirit.

"Looking at Fate" didn't see anything wrong, so Xu Yuan quietly took the "Yin-Yang Guillotine" again.

In the right eye's field of vision, the entire "stage" looked very strange.

From each of its parts, several souls extend.

These spirits have different shapes and colors.

They were packed tightly onto the stage.

But they are not isolated; they are actually intertwined, forming a massive soul entity.

Each soul may seem independent, but in reality, each is only a part of the whole.

But they harbored no resentment; on the contrary, they were all cheerful and content.

It was as if they had died in... bliss.

They merged together to form a massive soul entity, and their wills were also mixed together to form a single dominant will.

This central will is focused on the script right in the center of the stage.

The soul and the will are both part of this prop.

Therefore, "dreams come true" is indeed a prop, not a strange phenomenon.

If we understand it using the theories of imperial craftsmen, the soul and will are the "materials" for creating this prop.

In the system of Western Professions, the higher the "activity" of the materials used to craft items, the better the effect.

This "activity" became contamination in the Ming Dynasty.

The props were contaminated to a far greater extent than the crafted objects.

While the effects are strong, the risks are also significant.

High activity also means that the item is easy to lose control of.

Lord Xu is probably the person in the entire Ming Dynasty who understands the Western Barbarian professional system the most.

He, Alejandro, and Asmru had very in-depth discussions on this topic.

Xu Yuan had been secretly holding the Yin-Yang Guillotine, wondering, "Is Richard refusing our search because there's something wrong with this item, or because... he's afraid that if we see this rare object, we'll become greedy and want to keep it for ourselves?"

"Will the upcoming performances directly harm us?"

"No, they shouldn't be. They still want to go to Beidu to meet the Emperor. The journey to Beidu is long and takes a long time. If something happens to us, they won't be able to go to Beidu."

But the phrase "no taboos" kept trembling.

It serves as both a warning and an immunity to certain evil abilities.

It seemed to be due to the powerful influence of this soul, but Xu Yuan felt it couldn't be that simple.

Xu Yuan's gaze fell on Richard once again.

He wrote very quickly, and it seemed that this wasn't the first time he had shown people the wonders of this prop.

Richard finished writing it in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

He smiled slightly at Xu Yuan, then stepped off the stage: "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy a magical performance!"

As he finished speaking, the stage suddenly came to life.

The shelf in the center of the stage, and the book on it with the fable written on it, were the first to slowly disappear.

The various sets on the stage began to spin rapidly, and then with a "whoosh," a dazzling white light flashed by, and everyone could see nothing for a moment.

As a melodious tune began to play, everyone's vision slowly returned, as if a dark curtain had been drawn back before their eyes.

Several sets and puppets gradually enlarged in front of everyone and became more realistic.

It was as if a voice was whispering in everyone's ear: "The story begins..."

This is a small mountain village with a landscape reminiscent of Eliya.

When the little boy Jack woke up in the morning, his mother asked him to sell the family's cow, and specifically told him not to be cheated.

Upon hearing this, the members of the Exorcism Division gasped in surprise.

Although the mother and child both looked like blue-eyed barbarians, they spoke the Ming Dynasty Han language!

Hearing the exclamation from the person next to him, Lang Xiaoba turned around and complained, "Zhou Leizi, why are you standing so close to me... huh?!"

Lang Xiaoba suddenly exclaimed again, "Zhou Leizi? Where are you?"

Lang Xiaoba clearly heard Zhou Leizi's voice, but when he turned around, he saw nothing!
There was only darkness around me, and I was also hidden in that darkness.

Lang Xiaoba subconsciously reached out and tried to touch the place where the sound had just come from.

Then Lang Xiaoba discovered something even more incredible: he couldn't see his own hands!
I can clearly feel it, but I just can't see it!

Then Lang Xiaoba felt his hand touch something.

"What poked me!" Zhou Leizi's voice rang out in the darkness.

Then a commotion ensued.

Everyone has noticed that we are still here, but we are hidden in darkness, unable to see others or ourselves.

Amidst the commotion among the members of the Exorcism Division, a few mocking laughs rang out from the professionals in the delegation.

Richard's voice rang out: "Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic. While we are enjoying the story of 'dreams coming true,' we are in a state of 'observer'."

The people from the Exorcism Division gradually quieted down and slowly understood the meaning of the so-called "bystanders".

It will not appear, cannot affect, and cannot interfere with anything that happens in the story.

“Please continue enjoying the show,” Richard said.

Jack met an old man and bought his cow for five beans.

When Jack got home, his mother thought he had been tricked, so she threw the beans out the window.

Then the beans suddenly sprouted and grew into a vine that reached the sky.

When this scene unfolded, it was spectacular, eliciting gasps and exclamations of amazement.

But Jack and his mother on stage seemed not to hear at all, and continued to perform faithfully.

As the vines grew, Xu Yuan's "unrestrained" trembled even more violently.

Curious, Jack climbed up the vine and met the demon's wife. The wife kindly gave him a meal and hid him, helping him escape the demon's search.

The "demon" appeared incredibly terrifying, and the members of the Exorcism Division marveled at it, feeling that it was even more frightening than all the evil spirits they had dealt with in the strange cases.

When the demons appeared, Xu Yuan felt that the power of "no taboos" had reached its peak.

Xu Yuan's right eye saw that each of these "figures" contained a soul.

It was extracted from that enormous soul body, and did not separate from the soul body; it was more like a puppet on a string.

Before leaving, the little boy Jack stole a bag of gold coins from the demon's house.

After some time, Jack ran out of gold coins. He climbed up the vines a second time and returned to the demon's house. This time, the kind demon wife believed him again, treated him to a meal, and helped Jack escape the demon's pursuit for the second time.

When Jack left, he stole the hen that laid golden eggs.

Jack returned to the demons' house a third time and stole their magic harp.

The demon chased down the vines, and Jack and his mother cut them down.

From then on, they had a hen that could lay golden eggs and a magic harp that could play music, and lived a happy life without any worries about food or clothing.

The story ends, and music begins.

As the "magic violin" in the story was played, it flew up and returned to the instruments on the stage.

The scenes in the story also became rigid sets, receding into the background.

Several dolls were revealed; they were Jack and his mother from the story.

At the same time, light shone all around, and everyone reappeared in their original positions.

The story ends, and everyone withdraws from their "observer" state.

"Wonderful!" The members of the Exorcism Division applauded and cheered, and some even threw a handful of copper coins onto the stage.

"This child is so lucky."

"We were almost captured by demons."

"If I had a hen that lays golden eggs, I wouldn't have to work so hard as a pawnbroker. I could just go home, buy hundreds of acres of land, and live a comfortable life as a wealthy man."

The members of the Exorcism Division were still engrossed in the story, discussing it animatedly.

Almost everyone was filled with envy for Little Jack. Xu Yuan frowned secretly.

He paid particular attention to the few scholar-officials among his subordinates.

They discovered that, like everyone else, they were excitedly fantasizing about how luxurious their lives would be if they could have a hen that lays golden eggs, just like the little boy.

"This is very strange," Xu Yuan thought to himself.

This little story about Anelia... well, it's quite immoral.

The demon's wife was kind-hearted; she invited Little Jack to dinner twice and helped him escape death.

But Little Jack turned around and threw someone else's stuff.

He ran away. How will the demon's wife explain this to the demon?
Moreover, if the first two times Jack climbed up the vines because he had no food, it makes sense.

The third time, he couldn't resist and wanted to steal something good!
In fact, if the demons were replaced with humans, Little Jack would still behave the same way, without any change.

Xu Yuan once discussed the Anelians with Alejandro.

Knowing the nature of these Elijahs.

All I can say is that this little story is truly "Elija".

The entire story, at its core, reveals the "pirate logic" of the Anelians.

If most of the captains under his command overlooked the "immorality" of the little boy's behavior because the performance was "novel," then the civil officials should not have been able to see it.

They are well-versed in classical texts and are extremely sensitive in this regard.

But now, these writers are also "immersed" in the story, their minds filled with fantasies.

"If we could test them now, the level of infection on their bodies would probably be very high," Xu Yuan thought to himself.

Although there were only some clues, Xu Yuan was already quite certain that the Anelians were up to no good by giving His Majesty this "dream come true" first!
Richard walked over, smiled, and opened his arms to Xu Yuan: "Lord Xu, as you can see, this prop is truly amazing."

Of course, it is also very expensive.

Our mission this time is undertaken with utmost sincerity; we hope to discuss matters concerning India with your Emperor in person.

Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "But... is this thing really as magical as you say?"

Richard said unhappily, "Sir, you have already seen it with your own eyes, do you still have any doubts?"

Xu Yuan: "How do we know if this story was pre-arranged by you? What I need to confirm now is whether this prop can really be used to enact any story?"

Richard then said, "If you don't believe me, you can go up and write a story yourself."

The eyes of the members of the Exorcism Division lit up; they clearly hadn't had enough of the show they'd just witnessed.

"Sir, we do need to verify it again," someone urged.

Xu Yuan nodded: "Alright, I'll write one too."

Xu Yuan walked up to the center of the stage and looked down at the notebook on the shelf.

The notebook is the normal size of a book.

The story Richard just wrote only took up one page.

The writing on this paper is slowly disappearing.

Richard used the Anelic script.

Next to the notebook was an ordinary fountain pen.

Xu Yuan flipped through the notebook; it had twenty pages in total.

Xu Yuan asked, "Does it have to be written here? Can't we just bring over a book and put it here?"

Richard shook his head: "No, this notebook is also part of the props."

"But this notebook only has twenty pages. What if the story is too long to fit in?"

Richard was taken aback and hesitated, "This...this...I don't know either. But for 'Dreams Come True' to be performed, it must be a complete story."

If you only have half of it, you can't activate this item.

The members of the Purification Division below were whispering amongst themselves: "What kind of story will the lord write?"

Xu Yuan nodded, then picked up the pen.

Just as she was about to put down her pen, she suddenly asked Richard, "Why is this prop called 'Dreams Come True'?"

Richard smiled: "Because it will bring to life everyone's favorite story as if it were real, helping everyone weave a beautiful dream."

Xu Yuan nodded, put down his pen, and began to write quickly in the notebook.

But after writing a few strokes, I got stuck and started scratching my head, thinking.

I thought I'd write a few lines, then stopped, crossed my arms, stared at what I'd written, and crossed it out if I wasn't satisfied.

Richard's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't help but raise his hand: "Sir, wait a moment!"

Richard walked off the stage and stopped, not coming up.

"There shouldn't be any large-scale corrections, as that would confuse 'Dreams Come True'. You'd better think it through before you put pen to paper."

Xu Yuan immediately looked apologetic: "I didn't know there was such a restriction. What should we do now?"

Richard said, "Please come down first. Once the writing on the notebook disappears, you can go back up and continue writing."

Xu Yuan then asked, "Can only one person stand on the stage?"

Richard stood below the stage, too afraid to go up.

Richard didn't want to say, but when asked, he could only explain: "Yes, since it's a 'dream come true,' it can only be one person's dream."

Everyone's dreams are different. Fulfilling one person's dream inevitably means failing to fulfill another's. Therefore, in every story, only one person can be on stage.

Xu Yuan nodded, put down his pen, and came downstairs. After waiting for about 15 minutes, Richard went up to check and found that the writing on the notebook had disappeared.

"Sir, that's enough."

Xu Yuan went up again, this time he seemed to listen to advice and did not rush to write. He rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while before starting to write again.

After writing for fifteen minutes, filling an entire page, Xu Yuan suddenly became irritated and forcefully crossed out what he had just written: "Wrong! Wrong!"

This isn't the story I wanted!

"Writing a book is really hard!"

"No wonder Asmru often doubts himself..."

Richard was at a loss for words and stood below the stage, gazing resentfully at Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan angrily grabbed the notebook and was about to tear it apart, but Richard didn't stop him because the notebook couldn't be torn.

The notebook is the core of this prop.

As long as the entire "dream come true" is not destroyed, the notebook will not be damaged.

But after several attempts, Xu Yuan had already gotten the result he wanted.

Each major alteration greatly displeased the spirit within the prop.

The souls within the body will grow and twist wildly like thorns.

Xu Yuan took a few deep breaths on the stage, stepped down, and said to Richard, "I'm sorry, I didn't control my temper."

Richard couldn't help but say, "Sir, not everyone is a writer. If you can't write something, why not just copy a ready-made story?"

Xu Yuan didn't speak.

Once the writing on the notebook had completely disappeared, Xu Yuan returned to the stage!
This time, when Xu Yuan picked up the pen, he felt a stinging sensation in his fingertips.

This prop is used to resist Xu Yuan.

Just like the "craftsmanship" of the Ming Dynasty, when the user "can't control" it, it wants to secretly bite someone.

The "Dreams Come True" item is extremely valuable in Anelia.

Everyone who uses this tool will make all the necessary preparations beforehand.

After taking the stage, he successfully wrote his own story.

The same applies to the Ming Dynasty. When using a high-quality, precious artifact, everyone would handle it with great care.

But Xu Yuan seemed to have no regard or reverence for this precious prop.

If you make a mistake, just cross it out.

And on this third occasion, Xu Yuan made three or five more attempts to cross out everything he had written—making Richard almost lose his temper and kick him off the stage.

Fortunately, Xu Yuan managed to hold back, and it took him most of the next half hour to finish writing the "story".

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, put down his pen, and stepped down from the stage.

Just like the previous procedure, the set rotated rapidly, a flash of white light appeared, and the scene before everyone's eyes gradually became clear.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "What happened? The 'Dreams Come True' performance failed to materialize?"

What was presented to everyone was still that "stage," and everyone was still in the delegation's residence at the post station.

It was as if nothing had changed.

But then everyone realized something was wrong: "I... have already entered the state of an observer!"

Immediately, everyone saw Richard and his delegation step forward. Richard then flipped a switch on a certain mechanism, and the stage retracted, transforming back into a train carriage.

Richard used that lock to lock "Dreams Come True" again.

Then the entire delegation chatted and laughed. The Exorcism Bureau finally let them go. They could leave this damned Champa tomorrow. They had been delayed here for too long, and so on.

The very next day, the entire mission set off without any further obstacles. They boarded a large ship and encountered several more checks and difficulties along the way, which Richard dealt with smoothly.

After two whole months, they finally caught sight of the majestic southern gate of the Northern Capital of the Ming Dynasty, which stood like a heavily armored general!
They were received by the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty and stayed at the Siyiguan (Foreigners' Residence), but they waited expectantly for several months...

They wanted to see the emperor, but were repeatedly told to wait.

Richard eventually used his remaining funds to bribe a high-ranking official and finally got his turn in line.

He was granted an audience two weeks later.

But before that, the gifts they presented to the emperor had to be examined by the Imperial Observatory.

The "dream come true" challenge failed.

The fact that several senior repairmen in the Imperial Observatory were easily saved shows that this artifact has the evil effect of "addicting people's hearts"!

The more you watch, the more you want to watch; the more you watch, the more you immerse yourself in it.

Anyone who uses this prop multiple times will have only one fate: they will be unable to resist writing a "beautiful dream" about themselves, and having this prop bring it to life.

This will bring ultimate satisfaction.

Then they will become completely absorbed in this prop.

My soul has been controlled by this prop!

This is Richard's real conspiracy!
After pointing out this disastrous outcome, the chief astrologer of the Imperial Observatory immediately took action and easily arrested everyone in the delegation, including Richard.

Richard's sixth-tier strength was no match for his opponent.

Da Xiu scoffed, "These foreign devils are far too underestimating my Ming Dynasty!"

The entire mission was imprisoned and subjected to severe interrogation.

A month later, they were all executed in the street!
This story ends here; the mission ultimately failed to meet His Majesty the Ming Emperor!
A somber soundtrack begins, the scene becomes static, and then recedes into the stage set.

Richard and the others turned back into dolls, and in a very strange way, picked up the severed heads and put them back in their own possession.

The lights came on all around, signaling the end of the performance.

Richard and all the members of the delegation slumped down off the stage, drenched in cold sweat and panting heavily.

Xu Yuan's voice rang leisurely in my ears: "Mr. Richard, is this your beautiful dream?"

(End of this chapter)