Chapter 2709: No Survivors
Chapter 2709: No Survivors
Zu An clasped his fist and said, “It’s truly my fortune to have met you. I’ll etch in my mind the help you've provided me.”
He had indeed taken advantage of the other party by posing questions with wide scopes. Thus, he thought it was only right for him to provide the other party with some emotional value too.
It worked. Employee 9527’s frown was alleviated as he began explaining, “Dreamland is a highly elusive place with little ties to the outside world. There is a long interval between each opening, and the interval varies. A long time ago, it didn’t even open once every ten thousand years, but more recently, it has been opening once every millennium.”
“I heard that Dreamland can fulfill any wish. Is that true?” Zu An was curious.
“Not even universal deities can fulfill any wish,” Employee 9527 replied with a smile. “But Dreamland is indeed a mystical place. Our information indicates that it can fulfill wishes within a reasonable degree, especially since most people’s wishes aren’t that hard to fulfill. If one has the resources to deal with our Universal Conglomerate, we can fulfill most of their dreams, too.”
Zu An frowned. “But unlike the Universal Conglomerate, Dreamland isn’t an organization with connections and resources across universes. It can’t fulfill wishes the same way the Universal Conglomerate does.”
“Indeed. We have been investigating the methods employed by Dreamland to fulfill wishes, but we haven’t been able to figure it out,” Employee 9527 remarked.
“Not even the Universal Conglomerate has been able to figure it out?” Zu An was taken aback. To think there are things that even the most powerful conglomerate is unable to figure out!
“We have had employees who entered Dreamland, but most did not return. Those who returned struggled to explain Dreamland’s inner workings. Furthermore, the interval between each Dreamland opening is too long, and the place doesn’t seem too dangerous. In the end, we decided not to bother with it,” Employee 9527 explained.
“Did no one return with news from the previous Dreamland opening?” Zu An frowned. Dreamland was only sounding more and more baffling to him.
“No one returned from Dreamland during its last opening,” Employee 9527 replied grimly.
“Huh?!” Zu An was shocked. “Doesn’t that make Dreamland public enemy number one? Why did you mention it didn’t seem too dangerous earlier?”
“Those people chose to stay in Dreamland voluntarily.” Sensing Zu An’s doubtful gaze, Employee 9527 elaborated, “They contacted their friends and family beforehand to inform them of their decision to stay in Dreamland.”
“Could they have been coerced into it?”
Employee 9527 shook his head. “That can’t be. There are powerful experts among those who chose to stay in Dreamland. Putting aside whether Dreamland has the means to simultaneously coerce so many people, there should be no way for them to pull that off without any anomalies.”
“And this is not the first time something like that has happened. The last few times it opened, most people were reluctant to leave Dreamland. Think about it—it’s a place where dreams can be fulfilled. It’s only normal for one to not want to leave.”
“Based on what I have heard, a corresponding price has to be paid for a wish to be fulfilled. It’s not like Dreamland is operating a charity. I doubt Dreamland will continue to fulfill all their wishes just because they choose to stay there forever,” Zu An said.
Employee 9527 was awed. “There would be far fewer wars in the world if most people could be as rational as you. You are right, but you have to put yourself in their shoes. The temptation is not that easy to resist.”
Zu An was alarmed. I mustn’t fall for Dreamland’s temptation. There are too many people waiting for me back home. “Do you know which universal deity Dreamland falls under?”
“As I told you, we know very little about Dreamland,” Employee 9527 said. “Our staff has discussed this matter, and we are split into two main factions. One faction believes Dreamland belongs to the Deity of Bliss and Desire because it fulfills wishes. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than the Deity of Bliss and Desire accomplishing such a feat.”
Zu An nodded. Many people have refused to leave after setting foot in Dreamland. That fulfills the trait of losing oneself in desire.
“The other faction thinks they belong to the Deity of Memory,” Employee 9527 assessed Zu An’s reaction as he spoke.
“The Deity of Memory?” Zu An was taken aback.
“Indeed. Among the Deity of Memory’s worshipers is a branch that specializes in crafting dreamscapes. Some of our staff believe the easiest way to fulfill a person’s dream is within a dream,” Employee 9527 replied with a smile. “You are a Deity of Memory worshiper. I thought you would have heard about this.”
Zu An shook his head. “As you know, I've been living in a remote corner. It’s only in recent days that I learned more about the Myriad Worlds. This is the first time I’m hearing details about Dreamland, so there’s no way I could have known such information beforehand.”
“That’s true.” Employee 9527 didn’t doubt Zu An. “Since you’re a Deity of Memory worshiper, you might have a huge advantage in Dreamland if it is under the Deity of Memory’s jurisdiction.”
Zu An responded with a smile, but his heart swelled with bitterness. But I’m a Time Scribe instead of a Mirror Scribe. That puts me on the opposite side of the Deity of Memory! Who knows what fate will befall me if I get discovered?
“Please let me know if you ever find out which universal deity Dreamland worships. I’ll compensate you generously,” Employee 9527 said. “The same applies to any valuable information. All information about Dreamland is worth a lot.”
“Of course. It’s my fortune to have befriended you. But how should I contact you in the future? Should I visit one of the Universal Conglomerate’s branches?” Zu An asked.
“You can reach me by reporting my employee number at any branch, but that’s too troublesome.” Employee 9527 handed him a little cube. “You can use this to contact me instead.”
Zu An was intrigued. The cube resembled an antiquated Nokia phone, but it only had two buttons. One resembled the pick up button, and the other resembled a hang up button.
Employee 9527 taught him how to use it. “You might not be able to use this inside Dreamland. That place is too enigmatic. Our conglomerate sent employees in with this kind of communication tool. We were still able to reach them at the start, but we soon lost contact.”
Zu An’s heart shuddered. Looks like this trip is going to be fraught with danger. I need to be extremely careful. Seeing that there was no more useful information about Dreamland, he decided to pose his third question. “I have a friend who is trapped in a place for a thousand years...”
Upon learning Dreamland could potentially only be able to fulfill wishes within a dream, Zu An became worried it couldn’t resolve his problems, so he decided to pose his question to the Universal Conglomerate too. He could always find the solution for Mi Li’s body elsewhere.
As for the issues concerning the Goddess of Wu Mountain and Chang’e, he dearly hated the fact that he couldn’t ask more questions.
Employee 9527 quickly searched the database before replying, “Saving your friend is both easy and hard.”