novelraw Chapter 445 - 231 Outsider’s Dream_3
Chapter 445 - 231 Outsider’s Dream_3
He had to peek into each bubble to see if the dreamer had gray skin and orange-red eyes. It was a relief that the two races didn’t look too similar. The islanders were evidently a branch of a special race, while the members of the merchant fleet resembled ordinary humans, at least in appearance.
As he explored further, finally, near the end, he found a Dream Realm belonging to a normal human. Though he didn’t see the dreamer, the setting of this Dream Realm was quite different. This Dream Realm was located in a rather bustling city. Alka glanced at the surrounding architectural styles, ones he had never seen before. The main colors of these buildings were gray, brass, and black, making the entire city look very gloomy. Yet, in some key places, they used bright colors as accents, giving the seemingly oppressive streets a different kind of vitality. These buildings were relatively symmetrical, but almost every building had a pointed top. On the street, Alka saw that the road was paved with nearly identical rectangular stone bricks. A carriage was parked in the middle of the road.
"This is troublesome," Alka muttered, standing in the center of the street. Though this Dream Realm wasn’t large, it was entirely composed of various stacked buildings, connected only by a main thoroughfare and some alleys. Some buildings were seven or eight stories high; Who knows which room the dreamer is in?Most people who dream of such places only do one or two things in their own room, looping endlessly, sometimes even just spacing out.I didn’t expect that after searching so long outside, I’d have to keep searching inside. What a bother.But what could be done? After all, it was someone else’s Dream Realm, so he had to search honestly, place by place.
Finally, through a third-floor window in a small alley, he spotted a young man wearing a newsboy cap and brown fur. He was supporting his head with his hand, leaning against the window, staring blankly at the sky with vacant eyes.
Alka looked at the young man. His hair was grayish-brown, and his face was slightly angular. Judging by his facial features and overall bone structure, though he was a normal human, there were clearly some differences compared to the races of the Homeland Sea. His skin appeared slightly dark.
Upon entering the room, Alka looked at him, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What is this city called?"
The man didn’t even turn his head.
Apparently, it had nothing to do with the city.
Alka pondered for a moment and then asked the simplest question. "What is your name?"
This time, he responded. Without turning his head, he said, "Jack. No surname, just Jack."
Goodness. Of all names, this one brought back unpleasant memories for Alka, and he shook his head helplessly. However, since the man was willing to share his name, it showed he had some inclination to communicate. He would probably answer as long as the questions weren’t too off-topic.
Alka looked at the structure of the man’s current room, trying to deduce what this dream was related to. He was already in a city in his dream, yet he didn’t mention its name. Clearly, the dream had little to do with the city itself. After prolonged observation, Alka finally noticed a photograph in the hand the man held against his chest.
Wait... a photograph? Alka squatted to examine it closely. It definitely wasn’t a drawing; it was indeed a photograph. It seemed the technology in the Endless Sea was rather advanced.
The photo was in black and white, showing a family portrait: an adult man and woman, likely his parents; a much younger version of him—he looked about four or five years younger than he did now—and a little girl.
"What a beautiful family. What happened to them?" Akka asked.
"They... they can’t come back," Jack replied.
Seeing that the man was finally willing to answer, Alka began to probe further along this line of thought. Alka continued asking questions until the man stopped speaking. Then, Alka left the Dream Bubble, summarized the information he had gathered from it, and entered the next one.
However, it was clear that not every person’s dream would allow Alka to glean intelligence. A large portion of these people’s dreams were related to this Island or various indulgences. Dreams always reflect the thoughts and desires of the day. This is inevitable. However, a small portion of dreams were different, and even from these, Alka managed to gather enough information. This information would at least prevent him from being instantly recognized as a newcomer to the Endless Sea when he encountered people in the outside world. He had acquired a lot of information considered common knowledge in the Endless Sea. But for those like him, who came from the Four Divine Seas, this ’common knowledge’ was often incomprehensible.
It was uncertain how much time had passed. As the night deepened, more Dream Bubbles emerged around him. One of them was almost as large as the Dream Bubble of this small town’s mayor. Evidently, this large Dream Bubble belonged to the captain of that ship, the leader of the merchant caravan.
Alka contemplated whether to enter a particularly strong Dream Bubble to investigate. It probably belongs to one of the ship’s officers. Logically, he shouldn’t be hesitating. After all, apart from the captain’s very large Dream Bubble, which he was reluctant to enter, the surrounding Dream Bubbles were of a strength comparable to his own, and mostly no larger than his. There was no need for excessive caution. Moreover, his fear of larger bubbles stemmed only from the concern that individuals at the Third Stage might detect anomalies in the Dream Realm, which would be counterproductive.
His current hesitation, however, arose because as time passed, the surrounding environment had become puzzling to Alka. It was extremely abnormal. The contrast with the environment further out, that of the small town itself, was stark.