What’s wrong with the dream world!

"I want to know you better than you think."

As soon as he finished speaking, many children suddenly appeared and surrounded No. 13.

The children were all wearing light-colored hospital gowns, but their ages and body shapes varied; some looked like they had just learned to walk, while others looked six years old.

But what made No. 13 feel creepy was that the faces of these children looked very familiar to him.

Because that was exactly the face of Thirteen when he was a child!

[Nightmare] I have dreamt about those experimental subjects countless times!

"Of course, even if this question is not important, I can still tell you the answer, because it is not only unimportant to you, but also not important to me."

"I don't care about you as much as you imagine, but I don't hate you as much as you fear."

Yu Xiu De felt that he had found the cause of this trouble, which was a problem that No. 13 had had since he was a child... In fact, in Yu Xiu De's opinion, the little monsters in the research institute, except himself, all had problems to a greater or lesser extent.

And now he had to solve No. 13's problem, just like he solved Fang Xuemu's Stockholm syndrome, using the efficiency and professionalism that had been honed and tested in dreams, and resolve the trouble peacefully through talk therapy rather than violence.

Although violence is also an option, Nightmare, who is full of human nature, still finds it difficult to bring himself to do anything against an old friend who is not really annoying but just a little annoying.

It would be best if it can be resolved peacefully.

"Number Thirteen, you have a problem."

"You've been a person without a strong opinion since you were young. When you were bullied, you never thought of fighting back. Instead, you wanted to find someone who could protect you."

"What you expect is not the real me, but the me you imagine."

"But it's not your fault, Thirteen, because this is inevitable for those born with this fate. Fate gives those born with this fate extraordinary abilities, but it can also cause problems in some areas."

"I now roughly understand how far you have developed your [Fate] and what 'Nightmare' is all about."

"But your approach is wrong. You shouldn't regard me as a prototype of faith, because my power is not as strong as you think."

"You've grown up, Thirteen. You should know that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself."

“If there really is an omnipotent God, He might not be willing to be a patient shepherd.”

[Nightmare] sincerely persuaded [Priest]:

"You should let go of your wishful thinking."

"But if you really can't let go, can't go against the instinct of your [Fate], and long for a being powerful enough to save the world, then..."

"You should go find Zero."

Real Dreamland: Chapter 82 Faith·Stay

Go find number zero...

Go find number zero...

Go find...Zero...

Thirteen could no longer hear Yu Xiude's subsequent words. He only felt a tightness in his chest.

What does this feel like?

It’s like a person who, when he is at his weakest and most helpless, unexpectedly gets help from another person and overcomes the difficulties.

He regards his benefactor as his white moonlight, and he is full of expectations. He doesn't even expect the other party to care about him as much as he cares about him.

He only hopes to get a word of affirmation from the other party, at least a sentence "I care about you a lot."

But the other party said that his behavior was not worthy of gratitude, and he would not establish any relationship with you because of your gratitude.

You should now be thanking another person who has nothing to do with you but is extremely powerful because that person can help you achieve your current goals.

His favor to you is not a big deal, because your difficulties are not worth mentioning and are problems that others can easily solve.

Your gratitude, your thanks, your feelings... are all very cheap things in the eyes of the other party.

This made No. 13 feel like he had become a very cheap thing.

……

[Nightmare] does not think that the [Priest]'s admiration and longing are feelings worth taking seriously.

Yu Xiu De believed that this was nothing more than an instinct of the person who owned the fate, just like the separation of the [Two-Faced Man], the arrogance of the [Ruler]... and the worship of the [Priest] was something similar.

Having lived two lives, Yu Xiu De, who possesses an emotional intelligence as high as the sea, does not disbelieve in feelings, nor does he lack feelings. In his eyes, feelings still have the weight they deserve.

And precisely because of this, Yu Xiu De didn't care about this old man in front of him who he hadn't seen for many years, but who began to release gravity on him inexplicably as soon as they met. He also cared about the emotions he expressed to him, and the loneliness and anger in his eyes.

It's just due to lack of experience.

It's not even as good as a dream, it's as fragile as thin paper.

Yu Xiu De is not a child who is ignorant of the world.

The rich experience in dreams, the firm will of two lives, and the thinking that may not be extremely intelligent but is definitely logical and smooth, make one's emotional intelligence as deep as the sea, so that one can easily find the "right" from the "wrong" that can confuse most people.

He is not like a little boy who has never talked to a girl, a love-deprived person who has never been liked by anyone, a lonely person who is alone and has no one to accompany him. He is not moved by a few words and changeable emotions... As a person with a natural personality who was born in this world with a perfect outlook on life, Yu Xiu De has his own judgment!

And now, Yu Xiu De thinks there is a problem with Number 13!

Wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions, and if violence is not the first choice, then let yourself show No. 13 the right path!

Yu Xiu De waved his little hand, letting the rest of the No. 13 in the dream disappear. He ignored No. 13's face, which was so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip out. He looked up at the pure white above and looked around, as if this dream, which originally belonged to "Nightmare", itself could arouse his interest more than No. 13 in front of him.

He continued to himself:

"You shouldn't be modeled after me, Thirteen. You should be modeled after Zero."

"She is now the most powerful superhero, even referred to by ordinary people as 'the one with the strongest destiny in the world.'"

"As the Federation's only X-rated hero, she has an incredible number of fans and followers. As a human deity who, in this era, has accomplished the feat of destroying a nation single-handedly, once again proving the innate superiority of those with this destiny, even outside the Federation, she is worshipped in temples by numerous believers, not to mention the fact that within the Federation, a religion has even emerged dedicated to her."

"I remember your fate is [Priest], number 13. And I also saw that thing behind you... um... quite creative, and some of the handmade products with hard-to-find materials."

"The fundamental reason you need to collect those with the 'Dream' fate is that initially, no one believed in the 'Nightmare' you mentioned."

"In this world, a properly developed religion should have faith before it has believers, but 'Real Dreamland' does the opposite: it has believers before it has faith."

"This compels you to capture those whose fates involve the realm of 'dreams,' creating your 'nightmare.' You've painstakingly cultivated 'real dreamland' for over a decade. Only today have you dared to take such a radical action as dragging multiple cities into the dream realm... for your so-called 'saving the world.'"

"I don't understand, Thirteen."

"You and I have been together for a while, and you should understand that dreams are just dreams. They are definitely not a panacea for salvation."

"Instead of seeking happiness in an illusory illusion, why don't you choose to build reality?"

"You go worship Zero... just like you worship me. You don't need Zero to know, and you don't need Zero's permission at all."

"You only need to utilize people's faith in her. You don't even need to do much. You just need to take away the existing power of faith... You will be closer to your ideal than you are now, and at the same time, you will go further in the realm of faith."

"Although you are now on an extremely wrong path, it doesn't matter, No. 13..."

"It's not too late for you to turn back now."

……

……

Yu Xiu De felt that he had done the best he could without resorting to violence.

He did not even deny the Priest's delusion, but patiently and sincerely gave No. 13 a more practical path - letting the other party pray based on the prototype of the Federal Girl.

Number Thirteen did not refute Yu Xiude's statement immediately.

Because [Nightmare] sounds like a way of passing the buck, it’s correct.

This method was theoretically feasible, as the [Federal Girl] already had a large number of fans and admirers. After the priest established her as a faith, the biggest problem would likely be competing with those who also dabbled in "faith" and considered the [Federal Girl] their own.

For example, No. 13 is now creating a "real dreamland" and preaching everywhere, just like a farmer who works hard and has a certain amount of luck. He may gain something in the end, but the gain is too little to support his dream.

And if No. 13 chooses to make [Federal Girl] his belief, then it would be like being in an orchard full of harvest. Although there are other fruit farmers who have set their sights on this place, the orchard is still full of fruits, which is still far better than No. 13 starting his own business.

From a rational point of view, what [Nightmare] said is correct.

but……

Under Yu Xiude's puzzled gaze, No. 13 frowned, narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a hint of anger but helplessness, and his pale cheeks flushed.

But the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily, as if he was trying hard to suppress a smile.

Number Thirteen blushed and laughed softly:

“Sure enough…Sure enough…”

"Number Six...you're still the same..."

"But unfortunately... you are a Nightmare, you don't understand 'faith'..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the "nightmare" behind No. 13 suddenly moved.

The flesh ball, which was formed by the possession of many "Dream" realm destinies, glowed with purple fluorescence all over its body, its eyes were all wide open, its mouth was all open, and its limbs were all stretched out.

Yu Xiu De withdrew his gaze from all around, and his lifeless eyes refocused on No. 13 and the "nightmare" behind No. 13.

The purple fluorescence on "Nightmare" became deeper and brighter, and its flesh was swallowed by the purple light, like a high-temperature melted iron ball, stretching and deforming behind No. 13, and finally formed the outline of a child.

[Nightmare] did not interrupt, but just stood there, ignoring the changes before his eyes.

Behind No. 13, a boy who looked exactly like the young Yu Xiu De, wearing the same hospital gown as the little boy in front of No. 13, took the place of "Yan".

He and Yu Xiude, who existed as a child opposite No. 13, had almost the same aura and appearance. The difference was that the boy's facial expression was filled with indescribable sadness and pity.

It was the same compassion that Thirteen's face looked like at that moment.

It is also an emotion that would never appear on the real Yu Xiu De's face.

"You don't understand 'faith', and you don't understand me now."

Number Thirteen seemed to have regained his composure at this time.

"If I hadn't grasped the realm of paradox in those early years, I'm afraid I'd have been convinced by you by now."

'【paradox】?'

Yu Xiu De was confused by this term; he did not understand the meaning of this word in the other party's sentence.

The research institute has never mentioned any related concepts about this, and [Nightmare] has never dreamed of any related knowledge... [Nightmare]'s dreams are just dreams after all, not reality.

When Yu Xiu De was in the research institute, he was able to learn specific information about other experimental subjects and could even "fight crickets in his dreams." He had a general understanding of the degree of danger of the experimental subjects because he also pulled those little monsters into his dreams.

[Nightmare]'s dreams are obviously not those of a normal person, because he can even learn knowledge from his dreams that he does not have at all, but this does not mean that he can obtain all the knowledge he needs from his dreams.

This may be proof that the development of [Nightmare] involves the realm of "omniscience".

But even so, "omniscience" does not mean true "omniscience", especially for a fate like [Nightmare] which has little to do with the field of "omniscience". Its efficiency and effect are naturally not as good as a fate that belongs to the field of "omniscience".

Moreover, [Nightmare] also has the common inherent defects of those who possess the fate of the "Dream" realm.

If he wants to improve himself through dreams, the more realistic his dreams are, the better, and it is best for him to learn step by step as in reality; and if he wants to maintain a state beyond human in dreams, such as having a photographic memory, reading ten lines at a glance, or even knowing everything, then everything in the dream is extremely false to him, and he cannot remember it at all, and the knowledge he learns cannot be brought into reality at all.

This feeling is very strange. Only those who have experienced the state between lucid dream and non-lucid dream and can skillfully switch between the two can understand this feeling.

Most of the time, [Nightmare] is obsessed with his own dreams, so naturally he lacks understanding of this kind of secret knowledge that is not public and even most of the people with this fate are not very clear about it.

……

……

“…It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Thirteen opened the "Gospel of Dreams" in his arms again, stroked the words on it, and said softly:

"Now I can perhaps understand why 'false religions' exist."

"Even though there's no one behind this destiny, and it can't perform miracles, they still willingly believe that something that doesn't exist can grant them favor and protection."

“Is it that faith comes first, then believers; or is it that believers come first, then faith?”

"Maybe this doesn't matter anymore..."

Number Thirteen closed the "Gospel of Dreams" in his hand, took the hand that "Nightmare" extended to him, and his eyes still stayed on the "Nightmare" in front of him.

He seemed to gain the confidence and peace of mind from the "Yama" next to him, who looked exactly like the young Yu Xiu De, except for his different expression.

"Number Six, I once believed in you, trusted you, and firmly believed that your ability could save this hopeless world."

"But in the end, I realized that while I might be able to trust your ability, I couldn't trust your will, so..."

"Today I believe not in the you of the past, but in the you of my imagination."