Mia and Zula sat on the sofa, listening carefully as Arsene explained the entire plan. They immediately became somewhat interested.
"Sounds pretty good... exploring dreams!"
Mia agreed without hesitation. "I'm actually pretty curious about what kind of dreams I'll have... If you see them, remember to tell me!"
She was genuinely looking forward to it.
To the people of this world, "dreaming" was a very sacred thing. This was especially true in places with occult traditions outside Avalon, where the Paths had once been sealed.
All transcendent beings knew that the power of this world came from the Dream Realm. Although this place appeared to be "filled with love," it was actually a theological seminary trying to cultivate devotees.
Iris was different from Stibium and Avalon—in fact, it was the exact opposite. Although it had barely produced any transcendent beings, much occult knowledge had instead spread among the common people. Most of those traditions were incomplete, and quite a lot of the occult knowledge was simply wrong, containing hidden dangers.
Yet precisely because of this, Arsene, who came from a commoner's background, had been able to embark on the transcendent path, thereby changing his own fate... and even the fate of this country.
For these young transcendent beings who knew occult knowledge but had not yet officially embarked on the transcendent path, they had not even participated in their first Promotion Ritual. The entire Dream Realm was shrouded in mystery to them, and they yearned for it immensely. After all, being able to enter the Dream Realm meant officially becoming a transcendent being.
That yearning far surpassed the anticipation examinees felt toward life after passing their exams.
Zula looked just as eager. "Can I join too?"
"I'm afraid not, dear."
Arsene said regretfully, "If I could, I'd really like to