Chapter 63 If Tomorrow Will Eventually Pass Away: The Dream Under Caesar's Control...
After the dream, under Caesar's control, descended, people did not awaken from it.
The flow of dreams is often hundreds or thousands of times faster than in reality. People can have countless dreams in one night, but only a few hours have passed in reality. If you are nervous, you may even feel like you have been through a lifetime when you wake up.
Kerudela acted swiftly and decisively, quickly uniting with the ministers to formulate relevant laws against the Lygus. After confirming their accuracy, she announced them to the entire Onphalus, clearly publicizing all the truth in the form of official articles.
Tian is responsible for maintaining your connection with the people in the dream; Changyeyue is responsible for supporting the dream; Danheng guards the boundary between dream and reality to prevent Laigushi from invading; Heita and Luosigumu are tirelessly causing trouble for Laigushi, so he has no time to care about what happened in Onpharos that night; the people left on the train are not idle either, they are all eager to prepare for the upcoming decisive battle.
However... despite their vow to rebel, the ordinary people of Onphalus still didn't know what they could do.
Upon suddenly learning such a cruel truth, while they were inspired by Crydella's speech, they inevitably felt some fear and bewilderment.
Cerberus, however, said that her subjects should simply continue living their lives as usual. Because your plan is to incite rebellion in people's hearts, to give birth to self-awareness within the entire data deluge. If one dream cannot accumulate enough consciousness, then the next dream will continue to build upon it, in countless cycles. Even ordinary pieces, when accumulated, will eventually overturn the chessboard.
Your consciousness has moved into Crydella's palace, living right next to hers. Although you haven't been promoted or given a title, you've already enjoyed unparalleled honor.
After helping Kruldella with the legal documents and other matters, all that was left was to wait.
You often draw back the heavy curtains, stare blankly into the distance, and watch a cluster of blooming blue flowers sway by the window, your hand unconsciously touching the floral wreath ring around your neck.
"What are you thinking about, little gray fish?"
A strand of long purple hair fell beside you. You looked up and realized that Heather had come to your side at some point and was looking thoughtfully at the ring on your hand.
"Your tides... carry longing and melancholy," she whispered. "You've fallen in love with someone, haven't you? In a previous reincarnation?"
You hesitated before nodding, “...Yes. Onpharos is a very good place.”
Despite the suffering, despite the mysteries and unknowns, it was the place that gave birth to Bai E.
During your time back in Arimitshe, you've noticed that the villagers dote on Bai'er, and his parents guide him well as he grows up. When he left his hometown for Ohma, he met like-minded friends and responsible teachers. Perhaps it's because he has never lacked love that he wants to pass that love on to all living beings.
"Moreover... he was the one who was called the [savior] before. When it was my turn, I guess I realized how great the responsibility was behind that title."
Xiaobai, do you ever feel a little lost when it's late at night and everyone's quiet? How do you know you can do it well?
...Faced with the fate of an entire planet, and with an existence as unapproachable as the Star God, do you, who grew up in a small village, feel a sense of disorientation when you pick up the sword?
Hazel put down the tray she was holding, which was piled high with delicate pastries, and said in a gentle voice:
“I understand, I can feel the divine power fluctuations on that ring. These flowers are blooming so beautifully... the petals are the color of the sea... The path of [Bearing the World] is indeed difficult, but with someone by my side, it is not so lonely.”
*
Sofia is a gardener.
She had just graduated and ran a small flower shop in Stikosia. It wasn't big, but it was always kept clean, and most of her customers were regulars. She didn't aspire to great wealth; just being able to support herself and her grandmother was enough for her.
Her grandmother was her only family member, who raised her. Recently, however, she has developed an unknown age-related illness and can no longer recognize her. She spends her days drowsy in her recliner.
After being told the truth in her dream, Sofia didn't shut herself away at home like the other residents who were clearly anxious about tomorrow. Instead, she opened her door to welcome guests as usual.
“Even in dreams, flowers need to be carefully cared for!” she always said.
Sophia hummed a song as she passed Caesar's palace, tossed a few coins into the fountain, and was quickly drawn to the specks of blue blooming in the grass, running over in delight.
"—Forget-me-nots!" She looked left and right. "How amazing to find them in a place like this!"
She crouched down and observed the flowers' growth for a while, muttering to herself, "Temperature? Humidity?...Wait a minute, this isn't a suitable place for forget-me-nots to grow, and it doesn't look like the style of His Majesty Caesar's garden. Why are they growing here...?"
While deep in thought, she looked up and met a pair of golden eyes.
...That golden color, which appeared in the breathtaking scene of Caesar's proclamation last night, is deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Onphalus.
“…Ah.” Sophia said in a daze, “Lady Heather, and…the Savior.”
Hathaway smiled at her, resting her chin on her hand, while the gray-haired savior also squinted slightly and gave her a gentle smile.
Sophia looked back and realized that she had unknowingly deviated from her original walking route and had wandered into the depths of Caesar's Palace.
Her face flushed red instantly. "N-I'm so sorry...!"
Heather stepped forward and opened the French windows. You then walked onto the balcony and asked her with a smile:
"It's alright. Do you like flowers?"
Sofia wanted to answer directly, but her eyes involuntarily drifted to the flower wreath ring you hadn't had time to put away:
"Yes, yes, sir... that..."
You let out a puzzled nasal sound, looked down and followed her gaze to below your collarbone, and saw the ring swaying gently. The petals occasionally brushed against the skin above your collar, but fortunately, they were protected by alchemy and didn't scratch you.
A gust of wind rises, and the blue wreath flutters up, lingeringly brushing against the skin beside your ear, as if someone is gently tucking away stray strands of your hair.
The flower bushes under the balcony rustled softly.
Seeing Sophia staring at the ring with curiosity, you smiled and said, "This was a gift from my lover."
Sophia nodded knowingly. "I see. He must be a very kind gentleman! By the way, may I ask how this flower was preserved on the ring? Of course, it's alright if you don't want to answer, I was just asking casually..."
"It was my husband who asked his teacher to make it using alchemy, but I don't know the specifics."
Sofia blinked. "Then your lover must love you very much. When I was a student, I was terrified of being around professors, and he actually dared to bother them with something like this...!"
She made you laugh.
"Forget-me-nots are flowers of fidelity, symbolizing longing and unwavering love," she said. "But they love sunlight and usually only bloom in sunny spots. It's quite rare to see them growing in such a continuous patch, even under a balcony..."
"Ah, I should go back now, otherwise Grandma will be late for dinner."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard the bells ringing in the distance, muttered a few more words of annoyance, and waved goodbye to you.
You were stunned and lost in thought because of what she had just said.
Hazel gazed into the distance:
"Did you know? The mark of Cephalus is spread throughout the entire planet Onphalus... It is the Titan that carries the entire planet, and it is the Titan that is everywhere."
"Everywhere?"
Heather's voice was muffled, "Yes. The word '[world]' inherently includes the sky, the sea, and the earth, doesn't it?...He is everywhere, and even in the face of danger, His soul and His love are already tightly intertwined with Onphalus."
"You mean, this is what my lover thought? He turned into the wind and flowers..."
Why would a forget-me-not, which usually faces the sun, willingly squeeze into a small balcony? It's dark and damp there; in fact, if it were truly a white elf, it wouldn't even be able to see your face. Why go to such lengths just to become part of the beautiful scenery before your eyes when you're gazing into the distance from your balcony?
This simply goes against the laws of biology—aren't humans all selfish? You might not even know the sacrifices Bai Er made in doing this—
You hesitated for a moment, "...Could he still be conscious?"
Hazel shook her head. "No, perhaps he didn't mean it. The winds of this world all follow his will; flowers grow on his body, seeds sprout in his chest—"
"He didn't mean it. It's just that his love couldn't be hidden."
She paused.
"He might just be...too in love with you."
So much love that even when he's not by your side, his heart still beats for you.
And every gentle breeze that brushes against the petals is his tender gaze and a light kiss that wants to land on your hair.
You recall countless times when you turned around and looked back, you could always see Bai E behind you, either standing straight or lazily leaning against the back of a recliner, his blue eyes like a blooming flowerbed, the shimmering light swaying with them.
He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, said nothing, as if simply gazing at you was enough to make him feel happy.
...Seriously, that guy Xiaobai, saying something about "[forget-me-not]"...
How could you possibly forget him?
*
Sofia walked briskly back to the flower shop, easily pushed open the back gate, and found her grandmother sleeping soundly in the sunset.
Grandma's wrinkles were made more noticeable by the sunlight, but her face was peaceful, and she looked like she was fast asleep.
“Grandma, I met Lady Heather and the Savior today!” Sophia chattered on. “It’s the first time I’ve been so close to His Majesty Caesar’s palace! It’s so magnificent and spectacular—”
She rummaged through the bookshelf next to her for a while and pulled out a yellowed old book.
"If tomorrow will eventually pass away, how should we live today..." Sofia murmured the book's title. "Grandma, will tomorrow really come? When will this dream end? Will we still be alive after the dream ends..."
Grandma didn't say anything, and the recliner rocked back and forth.
"Just as I'm always thinking about my grandmother, the Savior is also missing someone." She wasn't in a hurry, murmuring to herself, "Love is truly a magical thing, isn't it?"
If tomorrow will eventually pass away, how should we live today? This is not a difficult question for Sofia.
She would be content as long as she could take good care of the flower shop and her grandmother. If the end were to come, she would fill the yard with flowers, hold her grandmother's hand, and close her eyes.
“But this is not my end point,” she said. “I have to work hard so as not to hold His Majesty Caesar back.”
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