Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 137 The Dream Weaver

Li Wei discovered that the impression Annie gave him in his dream was somewhat different from how she appeared in real life.

When she's conscious, Annie isn't incapable of speaking; she just rarely does, somewhat like a human-machine NPC—meaning she won't initiate conversation unless you talk to her. Li Wei remembers the few times Annie did initiate a conversation with him, seemingly only because of the sea monster dissection and the train duel.

At the time, Li Wei felt that apart from being a little quiet, Annie didn't seem particularly strange.

As a result, perhaps because it's easier to speak one's true feelings in dreams, Li Wei found that Annie not only acted very much like a robot, but her way of thinking was also quite hard to describe.

However, this is a matter of personal freedom of thought, and Li Wei is not so bored as to want to interfere with this.

The biggest problem now is how to get out of this dream.

I don't know much about dreams.

Anne quickly admitted that she wasn't good at dealing with this kind of situation.

"However, generally speaking, if a person encounters a fatal threat in a dream, they may wake up in reality."

"Yes, that's generally correct."

Li Wei could understand Annie's meaning. In fact, most people have probably had similar experiences, such as dreaming that they jumped off a cliff, or missed a step on the stairs and fell down, and then instinctively stretched out their legs, only to be woken up in fright the next moment.

I recall some scientific research suggesting that this is actually a physical phenomenon related to the length of time a person spends sleeping, but whether that's true or not is a matter of opinion.

"So, we should find a cliff and jump off?"

"That was just a normal dream. Considering the current state of the world, I think it's best to proceed with caution."

If it were just a regular nightmare, Annie's suggestion might actually work. But Levi knew that the Phantom Assassin had the ability to kill in dreams. Since this place was related to the Phantom Assassin, dying here might be equivalent to dying in reality.

Moreover, the system hasn't triggered any tasks yet, which suggests that the problems in this dream world might be deeper than I imagined.

After several trials, Li Wei discovered that this system wasn't like a game where you could just walk down the street and tap a question mark to trigger a quest. Instead, Li Wei had to collect certain clues to trigger it.

For example, if Li Wei bumps into a woman on the street, the system will not trigger a mission.

However, if Li Wei becomes suspicious of this woman, follows her to a certain place, and then discovers that this woman is actually a member of a cult—then the system's mission will be delivered to his door.

From this perspective, this method of triggering tasks is actually quite in line with my professional characteristics as a "detective".

On the other hand, Li Wei can also use this rule to investigate. For example, if he is caught up in an obvious supernatural mystery, but the system does not react at all, it means that Li Wei is still far from the core of the incident and has not even found any clues.

From a certain perspective, this can also be considered a means of identifying false leads.

The problem is, where do we go to find clues now?
Just then, a soft laugh rang out.

"Hoo hoo hoo, you seem to be quite troubled. Do you need any help?"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Wei reacted immediately, quickly turning around and raising his gun to aim at the source of the sound.

Then he saw a strangely dressed woman lying on a tree branch not far away, smiling at him.

Strictly speaking, that was not a human female.

It looked just like those animals in white coats that had been surrounding Anne, except this woman was now entirely in cat form. It also resembled a cat, its paws clasped under its head, its gracefully curved body and smooth fur forming a straight line along the branch, a tail peeking out from behind, constantly swishing back and forth.

"who are you?"

Li Wei stared at the catwoman and asked in a low voice, to which she chuckled.

“Me? I have many names, but for now, I should use the name you know. I am Cheshire Cat.”

"But you're not the Cheshire Cat."

Li Wei immediately became more vigilant, after all, there was no Alice in Wonderland in this world, and logically speaking, there shouldn't be a Cheshire Cat in this world either.

The latter still had a smile on his face.

“That’s right, but this is your consciousness, your thoughts, what you expect to be able to answer your questions and solve your problems. And coincidentally, there is such an image in your consciousness, so I borrowed this image. You see, it’s that simple.”

"who are you?"

"I am a resident of this world... I never expected to meet a dream maker in this era. How interesting."

"Dream Maker?"

"Yes."

The Cheshire Cat wagged its tail.

"For most people, dreams are chaotic and uncontrollable. Like the waves of the ocean, one can only immerse oneself in them and drift with the current. However, some people are exceptionally gifted; they are not controlled by dreams, but rather create and control them... Even in the era when gods roamed the world, dream weavers were rare, let alone now..."

Are dream weavers rare?

"Of course, controlling dreams is not an easy thing."

The Cheshire Cat grinned again, revealing a smile.

"In dreams, everything exists, but for you, is that existence a given? Dreaming isn't just fantasy. Although we all call fantasy daydreams, dreams and reality are interconnected. You must recognize it, understand it, and accept it. If you can't do that, then you can't create and control all of this..."

Before she finished speaking, the Cheshire Cat vanished in a flash, then reappeared beside the group of velociraptors, curiously observing them. The velociraptors, in turn, stared back at her warily.

"How interesting, so clear, so vivid. Does this kind of animal still exist in the outside world? It's clear that it has left a very vivid impression on your mind."

As it spoke, the Cheshire Cat cautiously reached out its paw, and then the lead velociraptor suddenly opened its mouth and bit at the Cheshire Cat's paw. The latter couldn't dodge in time and had its paw bitten by the velociraptor. However, the next moment, it disappeared into thin air as if it had turned into a simple sketch, and then reappeared on the branch.

"Look, how interesting! You must have seen this adorable creature before, and it must have left a deep impression on you. You believe it is your companion, which is why it is here."

"Really? Mr. Levi, are they real beings?"

Hearing this, Annie stared at the velociraptors, her eyes shining.

"Hmm...it did exist."

Li Wei wasn't lying; after all, it was the truth.

"But that's not important. Do you have a way to get us out of this world?"

"Of course, dreams are omnipotent. If you are omnipotent, then you can naturally leave this world, but the premise is that you must have a firm belief in this."

"…………………"

Anne frowned.

"That doesn't make sense."

She thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"There is no evidence that we can leave this world, and how can we be sure that we have a way to leave this world? But if there is no evidence to support it, isn't it just a simple fantasy?" "Because this is a dream world."

The Cheshire Cat's smile grew even more cheerful.

"This is not a world that will reason with you or use logic—or rather, the dream world has its own reason and logic."

"We can discuss this issue later."

Li Wei did not dwell on this matter any longer; he already had his own ideas deep down.

"The most urgent task now is to save the others. Since you are a resident of this world, do you know where my companions are?"

"Of course, no one has been here for a long time, and fresh flesh and souls will soon attract attention."

"Were those animals from earlier also?"

If Li Wei still doesn't understand what the Cheshire Cat meant, then he's incredibly stupid.

"That's right, but those are just lower-level beings in the dream world. They can only appear by borrowing the image in the consciousness of others, just like me, in order to taste their bodies and souls..."

"how about you?"

Li Wei clearly wouldn't let go of the meaning behind Cheshire Cat's words.

Are you also interested in my soul?

"Of course, who wouldn't like a rare dream weaver? But I'm not like those fools. If I can build a good relationship with a dream weaver, it will be beneficial to me."

The Cheshire Cat licked its paws, still wearing a smile—or rather, the smile on its face had never changed.

It looks rather creepy.

"Then can you take me to find them?"

"Of course, please follow me."

Although this Cheshire Cat was equally untrustworthy, Levi had no other leads at the moment, so he had no choice but to follow it. Levi also inquired about the dream world, or rather, about its inhabitants. The Cheshire Cat answered all his questions.

According to the Cheshire Cat, the inhabitants of the dream world are also divided into strong and weak, with the lowest being the velociraptors that Levi has summoned so far—like the Cheshire Cat, they are not actually real velociraptors, but rather beings from this world that have acquired the images in Levi's mind.

These low-level creatures have little self-awareness and mostly act according to the will of the dream master, which is why Li Wei can control them.

The animal doctors that Annie encountered were even more powerful; they possessed self-awareness and were capable of incorporating the consciousness of others, using this ability to attack their prey.

However, their strength is limited; or rather, at this level, their strength is basically only as strong as people subconsciously perceive them to be.

However, most people cannot imagine particularly powerful monsters, so their strength is, strictly speaking, quite weak.

Neither of these two dream creatures poses a significant threat, but things change at higher levels.

It can not only appear in the subconscious, but it can also modify your consciousness, inducing the dreamer to get close to the other person, thereby obtaining the other person's soul and power.

"This world is not isolated from humanity."

Walking through the dense forest, the Cheshire Cat spoke.

"The dream world is closely connected to the real world. Everything in this world is a dream made by people in that world... Look."

As they spoke, the Cheshire Cat hopped onto a branch in a few quick movements, gesturing for the two to come over. Levi and Anne climbed up the branch and came to the Cheshire Cat's side, looking ahead. Then, their eyes widened in surprise.

Previously, the surrounding area had been surrounded by dense jungle, so Levi and Annie had not noticed anything unusual. It was only now, as they emerged from the jungle, that they were surprised to discover this magical scene before them.

Before them stretched a vast, pitch-black sea, reflecting starlight. On its surface, in the distance, various islands could be seen; some shone brightly, others glowed dimly, some were ablaze with fire, and still others roared with thunder and howling hurricanes…

How should I put it? It's as if this world is built on a series of floating islands in the universe.

“Every island and every point of light here is a dream.”

The Cheshire Cat spreads its paws.

"Dreams are boundless, and we wander through them, searching for interesting dreams, enjoying them, appreciating them, and of course, many of us prefer nightmares."

"why?"

"Because it's more exciting."

The Cheshire Cat licked its paw.

"There are too few happy dreams, and the troubles of ordinary people are too boring. In comparison, nightmares are more exciting and easier for us to feel."

That's right. Compared to romance movies and urban dramas, horror movies are definitely the easiest to get people emotionally excited.

“We are immortal, we will live here forever. Those you destroyed before only lost the form that contained them. In fact, they did not die. For us, the only pleasure in this long and boring life is to search for and experience dreams.”

"But if that's the case, why are you attacking the people who come here?"

“It’s simple, kid.”

The Cheshire Cat squinted.

“We love to dream, but we don’t get to decide what dreams they have. Even if we have the greatest power in this world, we can’t influence people in reality, and we can’t be sure what dreams they have. But it’s different for the people who come here. We can let them experience everything at will and use it to create the dreams we want.”

"Ah, that's it."

Li Wei understood. He recalled a movie he had seen before, in which a novelist was in a car accident and taken to a woman's home to recuperate. But in reality, that woman was the novelist's biggest fan, and a huge fan of the book he was currently writing.

However, the woman disliked the ending the novelist wrote this time. So she forced the novelist to burn the manuscript and broke both his legs, forcing him to write the ending she wanted—before, the woman and the novelist were thousands of miles apart, and no matter how much she protested the ending, it was useless.

But things are different now. Now that the novelist is in her hands, it's natural that the woman has the final say.

It was obvious that we, the people who had stumbled into this world, were just like that unfortunate novelist.

The creatures of this world are like that "number one book fan".

The next step was to tie them up in the basement and force them to "create" everything they wanted.

It really is a strange world.

Li Wei sighed silently.

"Next comes the first challenge: the dream weaver."

The Cheshire Cat stared at Li Wei.

How are you going to get out of here?

(End of this chapter)