After Waking from the Dream

In the dream of the street, Lu, wrapped in countless threads of Inspiration, was no longer delirious, and his form became stable.

Fan Ning paid no attention to Lu's expression. The sudden anomaly of the Key in the dream seized all his attention.

He only felt that he was bearing Lu's expenditure, yet still had strength to spare.

So he tried projecting even more invisible threads of Inspiration around him.

This time, his consciousness became somewhat jumpy. All at once, he noticed another person beside him and sensed her response to him.

This person had clearly been beside Lu and him all along, yet he had not noticed her at all before, making her seem as though she had appeared out of thin air.

She was a tall young woman in a luxurious crimson corseted gown. Her face lacked some detail, but the outlines of her stunning features and her exceptional figure and bearing could still be made out.

"Mr. Caloin Van Ning?" The young woman covered her mouth and cried out in surprise.

"Miss Roy? Why are you here?" Lu, the timpanist, spoke in astonishment as well.

"Who are you? Who is Roy? No... how do you know each other?"

Fan Ning was utterly bewildered.

What the hell am I even doing?

The young woman pressed her overlapping hands against her heaving chest. After calming down, she politely introduced herself to Fan Ning.

"My name is Roy MacAdam. I'm one year below you and Lu, a cello major and deputy group leader of the first group. Last Saturday night, I sat in the audience and heard you perform 'Fantasy Impromptu.' Earlier today, Uncle Huxley invited you to join our Music Salon. Of course, Lu has long been a frequent guest at our Music Salon."

Only after hearing the blurry-faced young woman's full name and introduction in the dream did Fan Ning gradually come to his senses.

She was the organizer of the Music Salon—the daughter of the Marchioness MacAdam.

He had actually heard of her long ago.

Or rather, no one in the entire school could possibly not know Miss Roy's name.

Born into a prestigious family, of noble status, from a wealthy household, breathtakingly beautiful, overflowing with talent, disciplined in life—she possessed every quality, manner, habit, and refinement traditionally associated with a great noble lady.

Her admirers were as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

The old Fan Ning had immersed himself in musicology all day and had little presence at school.

In theory, they attended the same academy, and he should have had occasions to meet Roy. Yet in reality, he could barely even remember what she looked like.

Amid the boundless white fog of the street, Fan Ning replied somewhat blankly, "Hello, Miss Roy."

Then, just as he was about to ask something else, Roy continued, her voice carrying a trace of awe and respect.

"Mr. Fan Ning, I never imagined you were a Knower. Roy offers you her greetings."

The crimson-clad young woman covered the snow-white skin at her collar with one hand and gave Fan Ning a graceful curtsy.

"No, Miss Roy." Lu spoke solemnly. "To maintain a Shared Dream among three people for so long, and with two non-Knowers at that, Mr. Fan Ning's strength is certainly far beyond this."

Lu's voice trembled slightly. "Mr. Fan Ning is at least a high-rank Knower. He may even have broken through to the realm of a Deep Knower."

After saying that, he too bowed deeply to Fan Ning.

Roy cried out, "A Deep Knower?"

Among all the forces in Ufransel, high-rank Knowers could be counted on one hand. Deep Knowers? Perhaps there were only a few permanently stationed in the imperial capital?

So what sort of background and talent did this fellow student Fan Ning possess?...

No, he needed no background. A Deep Knower was himself the backing of a colossal force!

Even if he was "merely" a high-rank Knower, at such an age, he was already a genius seen only once in a century!

At this moment, neither of them could imagine Fan Ning's true origins or background.

"Is Mr. Fan Ning some grandmaster of a Knower school? A core talent nurtured by the Church? The inheritor of an ancient secret organization? A mysterious high-ranking official of the Empire's Special Inspection Office? Or perhaps—

"—someone standing above all those forces, even that 'Discussion Group' which even the heads of the Lineages usually spoke of only in hushed tones? The Special Inspection Office may harshly investigate those who come into contact with taboos, but it targets the more than ninety-nine percent of low-, middle-, and high-rank Knowers... If Mr. Fan Ning truly is a Deep Knower-level powerhouse, then even if he comes from a non-official organization, he is still someone the Special Inspection Office must face as an equal... Rules are often designed for those who are not strong enough, and they automatically lose effect when they encounter those at the top..."

The well-informed pair searched their memories for every scrap of knowledge and hearsay they possessed.

Fan Ning's bewilderment only deepened.

What is this even supposed to mean...

Why have you two each promoted me by another rank...

Yet Fan Ning quickly concealed that emotion and maintained his calm, confident expression.

He deliberately laughed in an interested tone. "It seems the two of you know quite a bit about Knowers."

Looking at the unfathomable Fan Ning before her, Roy hurriedly said, "You flatter me, Mr. Fan Ning. Although Roy has only just begun the Dream Control Method, and my Inspiration strength falls far short of the requirements to advance into a Knower, the MacAdam Lineage holds some standing in the Empire. Our Lineage has a small number of Knowers. Lu's family situation should be similar to mine."

Lu nodded. "It seems Miss Roy also happened to dream of Mr. Fan Ning after listening to that 'Fantasy Impromptu,' and thus had the opportunity to respond to the Shared Dream invitation."

Roy said, "That's right. And like you, I attended Professor Anton Conall's funeral and was fortunate enough to hear Mr. Fan Ning's deeply moving performance there."

Fan Ning silently analyzed the information revealed by their conversation.

The first easy deduction was that Knowers were exceedingly rare.

Even old noble families like Roy's marquis Lineage, or emerging financial powers like Lu's family, had Knowers who could be counted on one hand.

Then he recalled what Vyadlin had told him before: Knowers could indeed pull people into Clear Dreams and even Migrant Surges.

Now he knew more of the details—the prerequisites for a Shared Dream should be that they were already near each other in reality, or happened to be dreaming of each other. Furthermore, the person being pulled in had to be willing to accept the other party's Inspiration.

Dreaming of each other by coincidence certainly involved a degree of randomness, but strong hints in real life could increase the odds. If the other party understood a little of the Dream Control Method and possessed the basic Inspiration to test and recognize dreams, it would be even easier.

For example, this time, both of them had been deeply impressed by his two performances.

And because he had met Lu while laying flowers at the funeral, Lu had appeared in his dream more easily.

Roy had previously been someone he knew only by name, not by face.

But while he had been onstage, he might have glanced over her face below, leaving some impression in his subconscious. That was why her appearance in the dream had been slightly more difficult.

Finally, Shared Dreams were brief and costly. Even a Deep Knower would not use them lightly.

While bearing the burden of two people, his Inspiration should have been swiftly exhausted, and all of them should have fallen into other dreams without knowing it.

But this museum Key of his had caused the two of them to misjudge his strength.

More than a misjudgment—it had led them completely astray.

Having thought through these connections, Fan Ning finally gained a preliminary grasp of the whole sequence of events.

"Mr. Fan Ning." Roy spoke politely again. "Did you intend to notify Roy this way that you have confirmed your attendance at our Music Salon next Saturday?"

"Uh... I haven't decided that yet." Fan Ning's thoughts raced. But if I say I haven't confirmed, I'll need another reason to explain why I pulled them into my Clear Dream, otherwise this conversation will get rather awkward.

I didn't know this would happen before?

I thought it was fun and just pulled them in?

No... wouldn't that destroy the persona I just built?

He smiled and nodded. "Yes. I would ask that whenever you mention me in any setting from now on, you do so in the capacity of a fellow student."

"That is already the case, is it not?" Roy expressed her understanding, then revealed a sweet smile with flawless etiquette. "This is an honor for Roy and the MacAdam Lineage. I will send a carriage to collect you at the school gate an hour in advance."

"I understand what you mean." Lu hurriedly added.

Roy and Lu were both intelligent people. Since Fan Ning had chosen to publicly maintain his current identity as a music academy student, whether he did so for travel and experience or some other purpose was not for them to pry into.

At the very least, Mr. Fan Ning was a composer worthy of respect. Getting to know him had been pleasant, and befriending him could only bring benefits.

Lu stepped forward again. "Mr. Fan Ning, I have no wish to waste the precious Shared Dream time you created, but I would still like to make a request."

"Group Leader Adair, what is it?"

Fan Ning did not feel any sign that his Inspiration was running dry, so he asked unhurriedly.

"No, no, no, please just call me Lu." The young man shook his head repeatedly. "I would like to commission you to write a work."

"Oh?" Fan Ning was somewhat surprised. "Why? What kind of work?"

"Anything, so long as you leave my father's name in the dedication when it is published. As you know, this has nothing to do with any subsequent copyright matters. It is merely an honor for our family, like collecting a famous painting."

"If you are willing to accept the commission, we are willing to pay four hundred pounds for a chamber work, or twelve hundred pounds for a large orchestral work. Aren't you currently conceiving a symphony for your graduation concert?"

Lu hurriedly added at the end, "This is not a transaction, much less hiring you to do work. It is merely an expression of respect for an artist."

A chamber work for an apartment? A symphony for a small villa?... Artists in this world really are in demand. No, it should be said that capitalists are obscenely rich... Fan Ning sank into thought.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hmm... speaking of which, I have recently been conceiving a string quartet."

"Your wonderful Inspiration truly is inexhaustible." A trace of delight showed in Lu's voice.

"Mr. Fan Ning, we are willing to offer five hundred pounds for the dedication of the string quartet." Roy's clear voice came from beside him.

Lu stared at the crimson-clad young woman in astonishment. "Miss Roy, you didn't say anything before... first come, first served. You can reserve Mr. Fan Ning's next work."

Roy said, "Lu, I was thinking that I am the young hostess of next Saturday's Music Salon..."

Lu tried to raise the price further. "Mr. Fan Ning, how about six hundred pounds from me?"

Roy said irritably, "Can you listen to me finish first? I'm not trying to start an auction with you, you deep-pocketed fellow. Lu, aren't you attending the salon as well? Bring the viola you study as a second instrument. We can perform a new work together. Let my family have the dedication for now. Are you really worried Mr. Fan Ning will have no more works afterward?"

"All right... that is a good idea." Lu put on an expression of being persuaded.

Inwardly, he first considered that their two families cooperated in many fields, then considered that he ought to display the fine gentlemanly grace of yielding to a lady before Fan Ning. He decided to let Roy have the chief benefit of this premiere.

"However, if we are to perform it, we will need at least around a week of rehearsal to ensure the best result in a high-end setting. I wonder about Mr. Fan Ning's recent schedule..." Lu continued.

Fan Ning smiled. "I can finish it by the end of tomorrow."

Roy, you could have offered six hundred pounds too, Fan Ning silently added, but he was too embarrassed to say it aloud.

"Wonderful! You truly are an outstanding young composer." Roy sounded excited. "Then after Wednesday's academy public class ends, let us meet and try rehearsing first. We can see which small chamber hall is available. I'll play cello, Lu will play viola, hmm? As for the first and second violins..."

"I have suitable candidates for the two violinists." Fan Ning spoke again.

"Then naturally, we will follow your recommendation." Lu replied. "Miss Roy, the next opportunity for a dedication must be mine. Oh, and Mr. Fan Ning, if you are willing to publish that 'Fantasy Impromptu,' I can pay one hundred and fifty pounds—hmm... two hundred pounds—as compensation for the dedication!"

This guy is way too persistent... Fan Ning grumbled inwardly.

He cleared his throat. "We can discuss that later. Everyone, let me first wish you good night today."

"Good night, Mr. Fan Ning." The two of them once again saluted Fan Ning with standard etiquette.

In the dream, Fan Ning tried to retract the threads of Inspiration surrounding them. Their gazes swiftly became unfocused, and they sank beneath the street, falling into other dreams without knowing it.

He then tried shifting his attention and removing the visualization of the museum Key from his thoughts. Immediately, the entire necklace vanished from thin air.

His dream-control ability was becoming increasingly effortless.

Lying on the bed, Fan Ning opened his eyes.

"What is going on!? Did I transmigrate back to Earth!??"

Though it was still night outside the window, the bedroom was brightly lit, as if a high-powered fluorescent lamp from his previous life had been switched on.

The fright made him sit bolt upright in bed!