Chapter 13 : Unwilling to Make a Wish
A while later, Ye Lan and the Leader met in a secluded place.
The Leader's expression now seemed troubled, apparently distressed by the dream's characteristics.
Ye Lan couldn't help but ask, "Leader, how is it? Have you analyzed any information?"
The Leader nodded lightly.
"We've indeed found some useful information. This dream is very bizarre, forming a separate world. Although its layout aligns with the capital, its essence has drastically different changes, giving a sense of separation between the virtual and the real."
"What does that mean?"
Ye Lan didn't want to hear any lengthy discourse; she just wanted to quickly know if there was any interesting information.
To this, the Leader also felt it wasn't the time for unnecessary words.
"This dream can, to some extent, realize people's thoughts, making ideas become reality in the dream through the dreaming method. Our existence is equivalent to a lucid dream. Although we've lost our Stars, we can regain Star power through the dreaming method."
"Oh! That's impressive. If so, shouldn't you be able to quickly break through this dream?"
Ye Lan thought there were many experts in headquarters. If they could use Star power in the dream, this situation should be much easier.
However, the Leader shook his head. It seems it wasn't as simple as Ye Lan thought.
"This is a misconception. The Stars in the dream and the Stars in reality are not the same concept. This is just an effect simulated by the Star Eclipse dream for us. The limitations are firmly controlled by the dream, making it impossible to achieve omnipotence like in reality. It can only maximally make our actions a bit more convenient. Ordinary people trapped in the dream can achieve this level as well. It's impossible to uncover the dream's mysteries in a short time. If the Star Eclipse's true form appeared before us, we couldn't do anything. Everything is under their control."
"Ah? How can this be?"
Ye Lan didn't know what to say.
It was indeed precarious.
At this point, Ye Lan suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Leader, I discovered something. When re-entering the dream, we can't remember what happened in the previous dream. Isn't this very problematic?"
"We've also discovered this. Some Night Watchers who had entered the dream before just reported this to me. It's indeed very troublesome. If we can't bring information out, we'll start from scratch when re-entering. To crack the mysteries here, we'd need to complete it in one go. But the problem is, this dream has a time limit. The moment of waking represents everyone's elimination. It's almost impossible to uncover all the secrets of the Star Eclipse dream in one night, unless the Star Eclipse weaving this dream appears before us to tell us personally, or we find that Star Eclipse and find a way to defeat it."
Hearing this, Ye Lan felt it was even more precarious.
It was unreliable, completely unreliable.
That Star Eclipse could weave this dream, so it must be invincible here.
Night Watchers could only obtain limited power based on the dream's characteristics, far from enough to confront the Star Eclipse in the dream.
Ye Lan had seen the Star Eclipse's appearance when she first entered.
Although it didn't look as terrifying as those out-of-control, frenzied Star Eclipses, its human-like behavior and demeanor gave people considerable pressure.
Ye Lan felt it was at least on the same level as the Troupe Leader in his "Demon King" state, at least in the dream.
Pitting the dream's Night Watchers against it, Ye Lan could only think of doom.
Not to mention that Star Eclipse was accompanied by a small, enigmatic Star Eclipse.
Ye Lan felt they could retreat.
At this point, the Leader stared at Ye Lan with her complex expression and asked, "Do you have any thoughts?"
"Mm... My thought is to retreat."
"That's too real. At least say something about defending the country being our duty to appease me."
"I don't have that kind of awareness..."
The Leader shook his head, not saying much more.
"Do you think if you made a wish to your Star in reality, it would resolve this matter?"
"I don't know. I'm just a little loli who doesn't understand anything."
Although she said this, Ye Lan internally felt it should be possible.
After all, the Wish Machine's ability was formidable. Even though Ye Lan's mental power was only C-grade, its ability to realize wishes wasn't just talk.
However, if she made such a wish, the Wish Machine would definitely make her contact the unknown Star Eclipse.
So far, when Ye Lan used the Wish Machine, it was always related to herself or friends and acquaintances.
If it was an unfamiliar entity, Ye Lan didn't want to contact it at all.
Even though she was a Night Watcher, this was still the case.
Asking her to strive for people she didn't know, to risk her life, was absolutely impossible.
She was very timid, very selfish, and very lazy.
If the Leader asked her to use the wishing method to resolve this Star Eclipse incident, Ye Lan would definitely refuse outright.
Because her Wish Machine was only for herself and her friends.
"Heh~"
The Leader seemed to see something in Ye Lan's eyes and smiled helplessly.
"Then we can only rely on you to transmit the information collected in the dream. There's nothing Night Watchers can't resolve. We only need time. No matter how bizarre this Star Eclipse is, it can't make us Night Watchers retreat."
"Mm... Then, good luck?"
"Don't forget you're also a Night Watcher. You need to put in some effort too, because you're the hope for breaking through this situation."
"Uuu, don't pressure me, Leader. I'll be crushed!"
"Alright, then we're counting on you from now on."
Thus, during this time, Ye Lan moved with the main force.
Other Night Watchers told the Leader the information they collected, and the Leader informed Ye Lan of this information, while Ye Lan recorded the information through Ye Xing.
Now the Leader seemed to have indeed placed his hope on Ye Lan.
It's worth noting that after returning to reality, they couldn't discern the truth of the information. Only Ye Lan knew.
In this process, if Ye Lan made even slight modifications, the Night Watchers wouldn't know.
So entrusting hope to one person was a very risky thing.
As a leader, he should choose a more stable method.
Even if it required time to explore.
However, the Leader didn't think too much and handed the important task to Ye Lan.
This level of decisiveness made Ye Lan admire him.
And this trust made her feel flattered.
It's worth noting that trust is the easiest behavior to gain favor.
The Leader truly understood this point.
Of course, it was also because he believed Ye Lan was a good child.
Otherwise, no matter what, he wouldn't entrust hope to an untrustworthy person.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Melodious flute sounds echoed in the dream, reaching everyone's ears. A mysterious power gradually blurred their consciousness, making them fall asleep within the dream.
The dream ended.
……
"Mm..."
Ye Lan opened her eyes in bed, realizing it was dawn.
With the participation of many Night Watchers, the efficiency of information collection had indeed increased significantly.
Ye Lan quickly took the already recorded information from Ye Xing and transmitted it to the Leader.
After doing all this, Ye Lan let out a light breath.
"Come to think of it... We didn't see those two Star Eclipses in this dream."