Dreams Within Dreams, Thunder Descends

This time, Lao Xia's dream was guided by the fear of Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving, which Lao Xia had already discussed with Xiang Kun before going to sleep.

The purpose of their experiment was to see if merging with other people's dreams was directly related to the "Emotion-Infused Object" that triggers the underlying dream.

Because of the special nature of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" that can be infused with emotions, Xiang Kun usually doesn't use it to guide others into dreams. If it weren't for Lao Xia's request and the fact that he knew Lao Xia could be "awake" in his dreams and could project "Super-Linked Object" into his dreams to have some control over them, he wouldn't have used the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" to induce Lao Xia's dream last time.

As it turns out, Lao Xia did indeed have a way to control this dream. Although she was still affected by fear, she was able to use the emotional projection of the chopsticks introduced by Xiang Kun to combat and dispel the fear.

Last time, when Lao Xia and Little Chubby Girl successfully merged in their dreams and "met" and "had a meal" together, Xiang Kun also knew from Little Chubby Girl's perception in the dream that she was not greatly affected by Lao Xia's dream emotions. Her emotions in the dream were mainly dominated by the pair of chopsticks that triggered her dream.

So even if the Little Chubby Girl sees the projection of the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" in Lao Xia's dream, she won't be too affected by fear. At most, she'll just see an eight-armed monster. Moreover, the image of the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving projection in Lao Xia's dream isn't that scary.

The result of the experiment was that in the dream triggered solely by the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving," although Xiang Kun could sense the Little Chubby Girl's chopsticks after Lao Xia was in a "lucid dream" state, bringing her into the dream as well, the two dreams proceeded in parallel and did not intersect. Xiang Kun's perception could switch directly between the two dreams.

To maintain the Little Chubby Girl's dream, Xiang Kun could no longer sense other "Emotion-Infused Object," unless the Little Chubby Girl could also sustain the dream on her own like Lao Xia —that's what Xiang Kun sensed in the dream on the bullet train. But obviously, that's not the norm; she can't act proactively in the dream like Lao Xia.

I thought this dream wouldn't be able to "pull" the Little Chubby Girl over, and I'd have to wait for the next dream. So, I told Lao Xia to stand the Little Chubby Girl up.

Unexpectedly, Lao Xia seemed to have sensed the problem Xiang Kun was facing. Using the "Super-Linked Object Dream Projection" she controlled, she created a chubby little girl in the dream. This was the emotional projection of her chopsticks "Emotion-Infused Object"—the Little Chubby Girl.

Of course, Lao Xia's emotional projection was just a "shell" and did not actually connect with the chopsticks.

But for Xiang Kun, this had already solved his biggest problem. He only needed to lock onto the emotional projection and sense the chopsticks given to Lao Xia to successfully establish the emotional projection between the chopsticks and the dream. Moreover, he did not need to sense it continuously. Lao Xia had already prepared support for him in advance. As long as he sensed it, the emotional projection could be maintained without Xiang Kun having to sense it constantly.

This situation further proves that "Super-Linked Object" and "Emotion-Infused Object" are essentially interconnected.

The "Little Chubby Girl" who appeared in Lao Xia's dream was "activated" by Xiang Kun and successfully connected with the "Emotion-Infused Object". The Little Chubby Girl's dream also began to merge with Lao Xia's dream.

Just like last time, the Little Chubby Girl directly replaced the emotional projection of the "Emotion-Infused Object" and appeared in Lao Xia's dream.

At the same time, Lao Xia's dream environment also changed drastically, from a pitch-black void with only one door to a valley in the void.

Wearing a hooded robe with cat ears, Liu Shiling, the "Great Mage" in the dream, walked dazedly to Lao Xia's side, held up a piece of Chocolate, and said, "Chocolate sister, here's a chicken leg for you."

Lao Xia looked at the Chocolate in the little hand, said nothing, took it, and was about to conjure a roasted chicken wing to return it to her when the Little Chubby Girl suddenly saw an Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster guarding a gate in the distant void.

From a distance, the monster appeared to be shrouded in black mist, its body shape barely discernible, except for the eight eyes on its head, which were clear and bright, like eight stars.

The Little Chubby Girl was stunned for a moment, then cried out "Ah!" before the dream collapsed.

Now that Little Chubby Girl's and Lao Xia's dreams have merged into one, Little Chubby Girl's dream disappears, and so does Lao Xia's.

Xiang Kun naturally lost his perception of the dream.

Sensing the Little Chubby Girl's reaction, Xiang Kun was immediately a little nervous, thinking she had been frightened.

But by immediately sensing the chopsticks next to the Little Chubby Girl, which were her "Emotion-Infused Object," she realized that she wasn't too afraid; rather, she was surprised and... excited?

Then, after carefully recalling the situation in the dream, Xiang Kun realized that the sudden collapse and disappearance of the dream was not because the Little Chubby Girl was "frightened" awake, but because there was a problem with the fusion of the Little Chubby Girl's dream and Lao Xia's dream. In layman's terms, it was "incompatible" or "had a bug".

Moreover, before the dream collapsed, Xiang Kun vaguely felt that the Little Chubby Girl seemed to have been in a "lucid dream" state for a period of time.

This brief dream allowed Xiang Kun to prove several things:

1. To merge other people's dreams with Lao Xia's dream and guide the "Emotion-Infused Object" in Lao Xia's dream, it must be related to another person, and the image projected in the dream must be similar;

2. Incompatible emotional projections in dreams may cause the dream to break down, or they may make the person in the dream "awake" in the dream.

In this way, if a suitable candidate is found in the future, emotions can be collected and transformed using "Emotion-Infused Object," just like how he transformed the Little Chubby Girl's emotions while eating and then infused them into the chopsticks given to Lao Xia, creating some "Emotion-Infused Object" that can allow Lao Xia to integrate into the dreams of specific people.

As for the purpose of this, Xiang Kun didn't think too much about it for the time being...

As he was thinking, his phone on the computer desk vibrated. Xiang Kun picked it up and saw that it was a QQ voice message from Liu Shiling.

Did the Little Chubby Girl wake up after her dream collapsed?

Xiang Kun looked up at Lao Xia, who was still fast asleep on his bed and showed no signs of waking up. It seemed that she hadn't slept enough this afternoon and was still very tired.

Opening the message, I heard the Little Chubby Girl's voice, slightly breathy and deliberately lowered. "Uncle Bald, Roast Chicken Wing Sister, are you there? Are you there? Are you there?"

"Little Bell, I'm here." Xiang Kun got up, walked to the balcony, and sent Liu Shiling a voice message.

"Uncle Baldy, I just saw a monster in my dream, no, I saw a monster with lots of eyes in Roast Chicken Wing Sister's dream... a big demon king, not just Roast Chicken Wing Sister's dream, but mine too... or maybe it wasn't just a dream, anyway there was a big demon king, and I was just about to help Roast Chicken Wing Sister fight it when I woke up..."

Sure enough, Liu Shiling's voice was completely different from the fear evoked by the "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving" under normal circumstances. There was a little bit of fear, but more of it was excitement, as well as the unwillingness and regret of not being able to kill the monster.

Although her words were somewhat incoherent and illogical, Xiang Kun was able to fully understand her meaning.

Before Xiang Kun could reply, Liu Shiling sent another message: "Uncle Baldy, that dream wasn't fake, was it? Was it real? Did I go to another world with Roast Chicken Wing Sister to fight monsters? Is the place I go to every night when I fall asleep another world? A real magical world?"

After listening to the voice message, Xiang Kun smiled and was about to reply when another voice message came in, "Uncle Bald, hurry and save Roast Chicken Wing Sister! She's doomed if she can't beat that big demon king by herself! That big demon king looks really powerful!"

Liu Shiling's previous dreams, caused by excessive control of "Super-Linked Object" or by being influenced by "Emotion-Infused Object," were not lucid dreams. Upon waking, she didn't feel anything was wrong and assumed they were just ordinary dreams.

But after connecting with Lao Xia night and discovering that the dream of eating with him wasn't just an ordinary dream, but something that actually "happened," she began to develop some wildly imaginative understandings of her past dreams. The little bit of childishness hidden in her heart couldn't help but burn brightly.

So, in that dream just now, after seeing the image of that Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster, her first reaction was—she had to fight alongside Roast Chicken Wing Sister! The magic she had practiced would finally come in handy!

Xiang Kun didn't explain too much about the dream, wanting to leave enough room for the Little Chubby Girl's imagination. He simply sent a voice message saying, "The eight-armed, eight-eyed thing you saw... wasn't a demon king, nor a monster. It was my pet."

In Liu Shiling's room in a residential area of Star City.

The Little Chubby Girl, lying in bed, listened to the voice message Xiang Kun on her tablet and was stunned.

"Pet?"

The Little Chubby Girl poked her head out from under the covers, looked at "Egg Pie" curled up on the sofa cushion in the corner of the room, and couldn't help but sigh with a hint of envy:

Uncle Baldy is amazing; even his "pets" are so impressive.

Now, in her heart, the world where she "ate and drank well" with the Roast Chicken Wing Sister, the world where "Chocolate" and "Ice Cream" were personified, and the world where she wore a "majestic" robe and could have whatever she wanted, must truly exist!

The monsters that the bald uncle wants to eliminate must have all come from that world!

After ending her chat with Xiang Kun, Liu Shiling tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. So she got up, sat at her desk, and took out her watercolors to draw.

Based on her previous dream, she drew a long-legged girl with a ponytail. Although her drawing skills were still relatively rough and simple, Lao Xia's characteristics were still clearly visible.

After finishing drawing Lao Xia, Liu Shiling picked it up and looked at it. She then added a large sword twice the length of her body to Lao Xia's left hand and drew a chicken leg on his right hand—though the chicken leg looked more like a giant hammer.

Clearly, the Little Chubby Girl, who considers herself a "Great Mage," defined Xiang Kun as an "archer" and then Lao Xia as a "great swordsman."

Then Liu Shiling drew the eight-armed, eight-eyed monster. Because Xiang Kun told her that it wasn't a demon king but a pet, the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster looked much "cuter" in her drawing, and she even drew armor on it with various colored pens such as blue, red, and yellow.

At first glance, it looks like a robe covered in patches...

However, Liu Shiling was quite satisfied with her painting. She looked at it from left to right, and then felt that the eight arms were not good because they were empty. So she added various tableware and kitchen utensils such as soup spoons, chopsticks, forks, spatulas, and kitchen knives to the eight arms. However, the chopsticks were drawn a bit too thick, making them look like they were making a "yeah" sign.

Liu Shiling squatted down next to the "Egg Pie" with her finished drawing, looking at the bald uncle's "majestic" "pet" in the drawing, and then looking at the "Egg Pie".

If only "Egg Pie" could be this impressive.

Liu Shiling rested her chin on her hand, and couldn't help but imagine "Egg Pie" turning into a big tiger, growing two big wings, four legs becoming eight legs, eight eyes growing on its head, and eight eyes growing on its butt. Then she would wear a gorgeous magic robe, ride on "Egg Pie's " back, and fly around in the sky, blasting magic wands.

As she thought about it, Liu Shiling couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

When she came to her senses, she found that "Egg Pie" had woken up at some point and was staring at her with its big, round cat eyes.

Liu Shiling sighed and patted the cat's head, "'Egg Pie,' you have to keep it up!"

After putting the painting back on the desk, Liu Shiling was about to go back to bed when she suddenly noticed "Egg Pie" darting to the window, leaping onto the windowsill, and looking at something through the window.

Curious, she followed them, parted the curtains, and looked outside with "Egg Pie." By the light of the streetlamp, they discovered several stray dogs tearing at each other.

She suddenly remembered that when she first saw the "Egg Pie," it was being chased by several stray dogs. Could it be these same dogs?

She glanced at the "Egg Pie" next to her, her round cat face staring blankly outside, motionless.

Isn't the "Egg Pie" feeling a bit stifled?

Liu Shiling glanced at the painting she had just finished on the table out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the eight-armed, eight-eyed monster, an idea suddenly popped into her head.

Without thinking, Liu Shiling took out the two Coin, one labeled "Ice Cream" and the other "Chocolate," opened the window, and threw them out.

Just before the two Coin hit the ground, they were suspended in mid-air and began to fly at an extremely low altitude, spiraling around in a manner reminiscent of someone who was "drunk," going up and down, hovering over the ground and the flowerbeds.

Because of the distance, Liu Shiling had some difficulty controlling herself. Her eyes widened, her lips were tightly clenched, her face was flushed, her forehead was sweating, and her little fists were clenched tightly.

However, ever since she started communicating with "Da Lu" last night, she has felt her "magic" increase dramatically. It feels like her scalp is connected to those electrical things, as if her hair has turned into countless antennas that can control and influence those things.

She can control not only things that require electricity, but also many other things around her using "Ice Cream" and "Chocolate".

Outside the window, two Coin swayed and hovered for a while, attracting some indistinct tiny particles that gathered around them, looking more and more like mosquitoes swarming together in summer.

It was a collection of fine metal shavings and smaller ore particles mixed in with the dust and sand. Under the influence of the two Coin, they came together and slowly took shape according to an outline.

At first glance, it looks like a cactus or a large tree with all its leaves gone. It has many branches, is over two meters tall, and has faint arcs of electricity surging inside.

But if Xiang Kun were here, knowing that this was the work of the Little Chubby Girl, he would understand that she was constructing the form of an "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster".

Even Xiang Kun was astonished, then grabbed the Little Chubby Girl's shoulders and shook her, demanding to know how she had done it.

When the small bits of debris and gravel first gathered under the influence of the two Coin, they were not particularly noticeable. But as they grew larger and larger, forming the outline of an "Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster," and awkwardly moved forward step by step under the "leadership" of the two Coin, the pack of wild dogs finally noticed it.

The streetlights along the outer wall of the residential area were affected and began to flicker.

As the electric arcs within the monster's body surged at an increased frequency, its body began to swell, crackling loudly. All the wild dogs were terrified and scattered in whimpering panic.

Before Liu Shiling could even feel smug, she suddenly heard a loud shout, "Holy crap! What is that thing?!"

She was startled, then realized the sound was coming from one of the apartments upstairs in their building.

Oh no! Someone saw us!

It's already past four o'clock, why are there still people awake?

As soon as Liu Shiling's attention was diverted, the fine particles lost their support and immediately collapsed. The two Coin secretly crawled back along the ground, then "climbed" along the wall back to the window and back into her hand.

Her little hands trembled slightly as she held the "Chocolate" and "Ice Cream" again, not out of fear, but from exhaustion. Despite the temperature being only three or four degrees Celsius in the early morning of the first month of the lunar calendar, she was covered in sweat and soaked through.

"I've helped you get revenge!" Liu Shiling waved her little fist, which was holding Coin, in front of the "Egg Pie" and said smugly.

Whether "Egg Pie" understood or not, it just shrank its neck and meowed.

Liu Shiling wiped the sweat from her brow with a tissue, changed into her pajamas, and crawled back into bed.

"Someone just saw me. Will they discover my magic...? Should I tell Uncle Baldy? I hope I'm not in trouble..." With these worries swirling in her mind, Liu Shiling fell asleep again.