Echoes of the Past

Chapter 95: One more member in jail?

Chapter 95: Another prisoner added?

When Linem accurately described the buzzing sound of the fly mist, no further description or evidence was needed.

Since a corner of the sky texture was missing due to a bug, Nan'an has been completely baffled.

Upon learning that Linem was on the other side of the gap, his head was about to explode.

The place where heroes are born and resurrected, though shrouded in mist and unable to leave, is the unique home of Nan'an.

In Nan'an's vision, it has no anchor point in reality; it is a completely independent regional space that does not intersect with any other entity, and access depends on his authorization.

Furthermore, once the person granted the privilege is invited, they will lose their own dream and will inevitably be brought to his side after entering the dream.

Rather than calling it a consciousness space, Nan'an prefers to call this place a prison, and he is the warden.

In a true sense, those he names will end up going to jail together.

Nan'an currently has no way to remove the invitation privileges. It's as if once you've been to prison, you've been tattooed, and even he, as the warden, has no authority to issue release permits.

Now, Linem appeared near the prison without being invited—no, that's not right.

She had already hollowed out the wall of the warden's office, and was tapping on the wall through a thin layer of bricks to greet him.

How did you do that?

Faced with Nan'an and Suiyue's persistent questioning, Linem nervously swallowed hard.

"Lenem—Lenem, wandering in my dream, climbing up the clouds, what I saw—"

This did nothing to answer their questions; instead, it only made their heads spin even more.

"Is that all?" Nan An asked.

"Lenem sensed the scent of Southan—and it was warm, that's why she found it."

The supplementary explanation is equally shrouded in mystery.

Nanan took a deep breath: "I want to know, Linem, are you dreaming or awake right now?"

"He should be awake, right?"

"You can't even be sure about reality and dreams?" Nan'an exclaimed in surprise.

"Lenem often dozes off—she sleeps very lightly, sometimes she wakes up startled, sometimes she doesn't—she's just drowsy."

She seemed a little frustrated: "Sometimes Linem doesn't want to sleep, but she can't help it—my uncle says that's good, that Linem like this can help a lot of people—"

"No, no, no, Linem, what you need to answer is, assuming you can't distinguish between reality and dreams, how do you perceive your surroundings? Not through sight, right?"

"Lenem can see very far without eyes." Her tone suddenly became proud and cheerful, like a child proudly showing off to a friend, "Lenem is currently wrapped around Southan's waist!"

Suiyue moved slowly, swallowing hard.

A pure ghost story; Nan'an has absolutely nothing on him!

Wahdien is definitely hiding something from Linem's condition.

Her talent is definitely not just about creating absolutely peaceful and serene dreams.

Given that the Leod family did not systematically teach Lynem magic, most of her use of magic was more instinctive.

The reason she can't distinguish between dreams and reality is most likely because she can achieve a near-spiritual walking effect during lucid dreams.

Nan'an had heard the bookworm mention a similar technique, but that was a signature move of a master of mental magic!

In other words, her initial mental strength was astonishing, even by the standards of the late Gray Star, a planet shimmering with stars.

"Uncle just said I shouldn't disturb everyone's work. If it's just a dream, then it's okay, right? Playing with Nan'an and Suiyue in the dream is fine, right?"

Nan An asked curiously, "Does that mean you need to ask the original owner's opinion before you can play with someone in your dreams?"

'

"My uncle said this is a necessary procedure." Linem said hesitantly, "Is...is it okay?"

Saying no was useless; Linem escaped in the opposite direction and entered the warden's office, which was just a wall away.

Even without permission, Nan'an estimates that it's only a matter of time before the two sides meet.

Assuming that what Linem said is true, and that she only made a discovery while aimlessly wandering around in her dream, does this mean that the "prison" run by Nan'an is not an independent area?

Nan'an is about to explode.

If Linem were categorized as a god or demon, he could sigh with relief, "That's what gods and demons are like."

But—she shouldn't be, right?

"Lenem, don't tighten your grip too much."

"But, Nan'an, you're so warm—huh?" Linem asked in surprise, "Can you feel it?"

Nan'an nodded.

Perhaps because the summoned creature possessed both an energy body and a flesh and blood body, Nanan could feel the force that Linem was exerting on him relatively clearly.

Her hair was unusually long; when she rubbed it against her lower back, the strands of hair went straight into her waist, causing a numb and itchy sensation.

"Let's say goodbye to Sister Suiyue, we're leaving."

Linem trembled, her hand lingeringly sliding down her body.

She didn't say anything, but obediently threw herself into Suiyue's arms.

In Nan'an's perception, she was like a gust of wind, while Suiyue felt a sudden warmth in her chest and abdomen, as if something soft was gently pressing against her.

"In my arms?"

"right."

"Can I touch it?"

"She seems to have lowered her head." After saying that, Nan An switched to the summoning ritual to communicate, "But don't touch her, refuse for now."

Why?

"Until we figure out what happened in the dream, Wahdeen is right. We gave her too much love, and she became too dependent on us, which caused a change. What should we do about the Weeping Mist?"

"How should I put it?"

"Reject her directly, but—you can tell her, 'See you in my dreams.'"

Suiyue swallowed hard, her body trembling slightly.

She couldn't refuse Linem's request, but—after all, Nanan had spoken up.

"I'm sorry, Linem." She finally spoke, her voice a little hoarse, "It's urgent—the me in the dream should be able to fulfill your request."

She was silent for a moment, then smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Suiyue."

Not daring to linger, they inquired about the route out of the area controlled by Linem's tower, and the two of them, along with a chair, sped up their "escape."

Only when the tower behind him disappeared and the outline of the mountain range appeared in front of him did Nan'an finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Suiyue was still bothered by it and touched her lower abdomen.

"It's okay to agree to her, right?"

Nan'an complained, "I didn't expect you, a tomboy, to have such maternal instincts."

"Where's the maternal instinct?"

Nan An curled her lip and glanced sideways at Sui Yue: "From head to toe."

Knowing that arguing would definitely get her teased by Nan'an, Suiyue blushed and tilted her head away.

"What's wrong with touching it?"

"She's starved for love." Nan An stopped joking. "From birth, she's been a tool of the Leod family. Wahdien controlled the variables, removing most of her emotions to make her easier to control."

"You might think it's just a touch, but in Linem's eyes, she might be willing to give anything for you for that gesture."

"Then why did you let her hug me?"

"My brain is about to stop working," Nan An admitted, rubbing his temples repeatedly. "How should I deal with her—I really have no experience."

Nanan basically concluded that Linem was experiencing a certain degree of mental dissociation.

Due to the constant, chaotic switching between dreams and reality, she has a very weak sense of self.

This was also the point that had previously caused him anxiety about Wahdien's approach.

Humans are not machines. Even for sophisticated machines, it is unrealistic to expect them to operate stably for decades without any downtime or maintenance.

From the moment she became conscious, Krinem was given the mission of fighting against the Mist of Lamentation.

15-year-old Linem is nearing her limit.

The two walked in silence for a while.

The outline of the mountains became clearer and clearer in the field of vision.

The mountain is not steep, covered with dense vegetation, and occasionally you can see bare rock walls that gleam with a damp sheen in the mist.

As they walked, Nan'an's gaze was drawn to a mountain wall by the roadside.

It was an inconspicuous opening, hidden behind a dense thicket of bushes.

The moment I gazed at the cave entrance, a strange feeling crept into my heart.

Nan'an stopped in his tracks.

Suiyue noticed his unusual behavior and looked in the direction of his self-illumination. "What's inside?"

Nan'an frowned: "A familiar feeling."

Sometimes it's difficult to describe subconscious intuition.

It's like pushing open the door to a room you lived in as a child and looking at the objects that haven't changed their positions for years, or even decades.

Words piled up in my heart, but when they reached my lips, they often left only a soft sigh.

Nan'an parted the bushes, took out the Wind-velvet Grass Crystal, and felt it glow faintly inside the cave.

A standard divine or demonic reaction.

Suiyue activated the halo wheel of her magical artifact, making her shine like a cheering stick and dispelling the darkness in the cave.

The chair floated behind them, lying flat, like a quiet attendant.

Walking close to the rough, uneven rock face, Nan'an soon saw the object that had drawn his intuition to this place.

That was a table.

It is small and minimalist in style, with four straight legs and a flat tabletop. It has no carvings or drawers, and its design is unusually old-fashioned, with a dark luster on its surface that comes with the passage of time.

There was a landline phone on the table.

Nan'an was stunned.

He was very familiar with that style; it was no different from the ones he had seen in the sales hall before he transmigrated.

Back when smartphones were all the rage, they were already rare items in many households, discarded and left to gather dust in a corner.

It just sat there quietly, completely out of place in this cave filled with rock walls, gravel, and dampness.

Of course, it also makes one feel out of place in this world.

Suiyue moved closer to him, staring at the landline phone, and whispered, "What is this? It looks a lot like the thing in that pavilion last time."

It does look very similar. Nan'an already suspects that a predator is lurking directly below, waiting for Nan'an to step forward and then swallow him whole.

Looking at the landline phone, an object belonging to another world, the strange feeling in my heart grew stronger.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and picked it up—there was no telephone line connected to the back.

Picking up the receiver, a cacophony of static and a rapid, drawn-out beeping sound rang out simultaneously.

After a moment's thought, Nan'an hesitated before dialing the number of her best friend from before she traveled through time.

"The number you dialed is not in service. Please check and dial again."

"The number you dialed is not in service. Please check and dial again."

The prompts are the same, but the audio prompts are given in Nora.

After hanging up the phone, Nan'an thought for a while and then dialed another acquaintance's number.

The same notification sound is playing again.

He suddenly realized something: this landline might not have been prepared for him at all.

His power to suppress gods and demons can disable or distort the abilities of most gods and demons.

Those two "no" calls just now might not have been a real response, but rather the result of a suppressive force.

It's like a malfunctioning machine that can't function properly and can only output preset error messages.

"You give it a try," Nan'an said.

He naturally took Suiyue's hand and gently placed the receiver to her ear.

Suiyue paused for a moment, but quickly gripped the receiver and adjusted her posture.

She didn't touch the dial pad because she had no idea what number to dial.

However, the moment the receiver was placed against her ear...

Beep beep beep—

The dialing was successful, and the long tone of the call waiting to be answered brought Nan'an a sense of relief.

The inference is correct.

Click.

The call was answered.

"Feed?"

A woman's voice came from the other end of the receiver.

The voice was very soft, slightly hoarse, as if the person had just woken up.

Suiyue's body suddenly stiffened.

She didn't know whose voice it was.

She had no memory of ever hearing that voice.

She was too young to remember any images of her parents when they passed away.

But the moment she heard that voice, she knew perfectly well—it was her mother!

There was no reason, but I just knew.

"Feed?" the voice called again, trembling. "Is it...is it Suiyue?"

Suiyue's lips trembled slightly.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

She raised her hand to wipe away her tears, watched Nan'an pounding the ground, sensing her surroundings, and finally straightened up.

"You can continue; it really does seem to be just a phone call."

"But she—"

"It's just the power of gods and demons." Nan An leaned against the stone wall, hands in his pockets. "At least it satisfied your need to talk to your parents, didn't it?"

Suiyue's mouth was slightly open.

"It seems that Suiyue grew up smoothly after that," the voice said. "It's good that she grew up—at least she wasn't bullied."

Watching Suiyue holding the receiver and weeping, Nan'an suddenly realized that she wasn't as strong as she had imagined; she was just more tolerant than others.

No matter how good the orphanage is, it can never replace the responsibilities of parents.

There are too many children who need to be managed and educated, and some of them will not receive the nuns' love.

When faced with the warm greetings from her "mother" on the microphone, Suiyue's performance was no better than Linem's.

"It seems like they're all pretty starved for love."

Perhaps because of the relatively heartwarming experience he had with the Red Rat Adventure Team after his time travel, he was able to extricate himself from those words.

Based on the Nan'an squinting telephone, it has been roughly deduced that it possesses the power to "communicate with the dead".

This is obviously fake.

Its ability is merely to communicate with the deceased as conceived in the user's mind.

However, when used for psychological comfort, it seems to be surprisingly effective.

Most people only let their guard down around their closest loved ones.

The conversation was very positive. Suiyue's mother, who was on the other end of the line, kept praising and encouraging her, acknowledging all the efforts she had made so far.

They unconditionally accepted her.

Nan'an had a dark suspicion that the phone might lead users astray, but that never happened.

After Suiyue hung up the phone, sobbing, at her "mother's" suggestion, Nan'an finally spoke up.

"Take it away and let the people of Erlu test it thoroughly. If there are no obvious side effects, it can be used as a psychological comfort tool."

Suiyue was initially delighted, but then became hesitant.

"You don't want to pay?"

She nodded.

Nan An shrugged: "If you really need someone to talk to, I'm a good one. You should realize it's a fake, right?"

Suiyue's initial感动 (feeling of being moved) vanished completely. She pouted and said, "At least she got to play my mother."

"I can too," Nan'an replied immediately.

"You?" Suiyue's eyes widened, and she waved her hands repeatedly. "No, Mom, it has to be a girl!"

"Wow, what did the male mom do to you!"