/
The rest of the Missiontakers remain quiet for a moment, until most of them agree simultaneously, “that does hold up.”
Fei and Wu Jian are absolutely impressed, because Mu Jiashi has even managed to correctly deduce the Normal End they knew about – preventing the man walking into the fog from starving to death.
Collector raises his objections at an inopportune time, however, questioning with that usual smile that looks awfully insincere given the circumstances, “so what about the True End? You’ve got the analysis of the Nightmare down pat, but what about the Ending?”
Mu Jiashi pauses.
He can’t help but recall how, the last Nightmare he was in, he was also faced with similar criticisms.
Certainly it is the case that it might be meaningless to analyse the Nightmare and what the truth is behind it all; their ultimate goal is the resolution of the Nightmare, and not working on amateur deductions.
This time, though, Mu Jiashi isn’t reacting as mopey as last time. Perhaps his recent days spent on the bottom floor of the Tower recovering did help a little.
Besides, while he was all about slacking off and giving up on the Nightmare, he still did need to acquire clues for this Nightmare, in exchange for information on Su Enya.
Therefore, Mu Jiashi merely bitterly chuckled, answering, “I still do not know what the True End might entail, but I believe there is a certain need for analysis of Nightmares.”
Meanwhile, Fei has a much more prudent question at hand, “so what should we do? Jump off the rooftop and leave this dream in a dream?”
“Wait, I have another question,” Baldie interjects, “what is the reason the last run of the Nightmare restarted?”
Mu Jiashi shakes his head, replying, “I don’t know,” then he adds, with an unsure tone of voice, “I have some guesses, but completely unsubstantiated.”
Baldie looks at him and doesn’t question him further.
He largely agrees with what Mu Jiashi said, and therefore, he is perhaps thinking the same thing as he is.
That there is some unknown changes to the Nightmare, occurring outside of this dream itself.
In the second layer of the dream, the condition for restart is the complete loss of memories──Although it might be more accurate to say that it is the restart of the novel’s contents rather than the Nightmare itself.
They are practically the collateral damage in that sense, being forced to repeat the fruitless in the same manner as that man that walks into the fog.
In the first layer of the Nightmare, the surface dream, however, the condition for restart is still likely physical death. It is possible that someone died in that surface Nightmare and… caused the Nightmare to restart completely?
If that is the case, then it would actually turn out to be that they are currently only in the second run of the Nightmare.
… Not that it’s useful to crunch numbers here, other than confusing themselves even further. Whichever run it currently is, they have enough information already. And in fact, right now, they may be well on their way to attempt a True End.
Though Mu Jiashi is feeling deeply wary inside.
The closer their journey is to fruition, the more anxious he is for whatever unforeseen changes may occur in the Nightmare. For example… a sudden crumbling?
Worried as he is, there is nothing he can do.
Fei continues to ask once again, without losing patience, “what should we do now?”
Mu Jiashi isn’t much the wiser either. They have analysed enough information for now, but he still thinks that there are clues to be found in this dream in a dream.
However, if he chose to remain conservative in action, it might end up just like the last Nightmare he was in – forced to come to face the full brunt of a near-Collapse.
So he is full of doubt at himself.
Meanwhile, someone has finally made their merry way to Xü Beijin’s bookstore. It’s Dai Wu.
Not long ago, while the Missiontakers were still preoccupied thinking about the dream in a dream, he has slipped away from them already. They noticed, but they weren’t in the mood to stop him further.
This time, the situation is drastically different from both previous runs.
In those two runs, thanks to circumstances, Dai Wu never arrived before the victim was pushed off the rooftop. This third run, though, he made it in time.
The moment seems too convenient, and so Xü Beijin stands up, asking Dai Wu with a surprised tone, “did changes happen to the Nightmare?”
“Ever so slightly, yeah,” Dai Wu is smiling. In some inexplicable sense, he might be said to be similar to Collector. The man continues, “though the beginnings of crumbling only affords me ever so slightly more freedom in Acting, Even becoming a higher level Actor merely bestows such measly rewards, but better than nothing.”
Xü Beijin concurs, “that’s true.”
He is looking at Dai Wu with this ‘I want to talk’ face. He wants to know if those slightly peculiar choice of wording he heard, really was trying to imply something.
Dai Wu is already saying, though, “heh; you know, I came for you specifically.”
Xü Beijin has no response for a while, before slowly asking, “what do you want with me?” He looks somewhat tired and disinterested continuing his question, clearly being fed up with the topic, “is it about my Nightmare?”
“You don’t need to be on guard. Really, bro,” Dai Wu says with his most genuine tone possible, “you know, we aren’t really…”
“You, plural?”
Dai Wu nods, smiling again to explain, “of course. Us. We are pretty high level Actors in general. See me, a side character, at your service. We all get to be a bit less restricted in the Nightmares; maybe you could consider it as well?”
XĂź Beijin merely stares at him for a long time.
Dai Wu doesn’t pay much attention to Xü Beijin’s gaze, and instead says, “anyway, I came here to invite you to work with us. Remember what I told you in the very beginning, when we just met?”
He is saying the words more and more slowly, trying to articulate each and every word carefully, and sample their meanings carefully, before accurately conveying them.
What they talked about, when they first met?
Xü Beijin pauses to recall for a moment, and then asks, “Defeat… NE?”
Dai Wu nods with what definitely couldn’t pass for a solemn expression.
XĂź Beijin is feeling a deep incongruence and even slightly sick sense of amusement inside. When he heard Dai Wu talk about this that time, he felt so much suffocating pressure and unease.
Then Dai Wu clarified to him that it was just his way of pursuing his goal of having a ‘Second Life’ – a way for him to remember that, they are in a ‘second’ life. This is not their ‘first.’
XĂź Beijin accepted the explanation, and is rather casual and collected in subsequent interactions with Dai Wu hence.
He really did think that, Dai Wu’s almost farcical goal of ‘Defeat NE,’ really is a joke.