themonasnovels Chapter 42 Miss Moran Arrives
Chapter 42 Miss Moran Arrives
Oliver pointed to the first illustration, which depicted a middle-aged man falling off a cliff with a terrified expression, his hands and feet flailing wildly in mid-air.
He explained, "The first rule to follow when creating a dream is not to frighten people."
The perception mechanisms in dreams are different from those when you are awake. When you are frightened while awake, you will only feel your heart racing, sweating, and wanting to run away.
However, if you are frightened in a dream, your most likely reaction is to wake up immediately; this is the dream's self-protection mechanism.
When consciousness perceives a threat beyond its tolerance, it forcibly severs the connection with the dream space, allowing the dreamer to return to a safe waking state.
Therefore, if you want a dream to continue functioning, you must ensure the dream scene is stable and believable. Once the target experiences fear in the dream, the dream will immediately end, and all your previous scene construction will be wasted.
Oliver thought for a moment, then added with a smile:
"Of course, if you just want to scare people, this is actually a good reference."
Lucius recalled that his most memorable childhood dreams were usually not about ghosts or cliffs, but about being in a toilet.
I was relaxed at the time, and only realized something was wrong after it was over. Then I woke up abruptly and groped for the sheets in the dark...
This idea gave him a deeper understanding of the principle that "fear leads to awakening," and that any scene that gives the dreamer a strong sense of reality may interrupt the dream due to physical reactions.
Oliver continued flipping through the pages, pointing to the next few illustrations.
The second painting depicts two people sitting face to face in a study, one of them talking to the other. The listener's expression is sincere and relaxed, while the speaker's eyes are slightly unfocused.
"There are many subsequent applications of dream creation, such as allowing people to relax their guard and reveal their true feelings in their dreams."
Another method involves inducing a deep, dreamless state. Subjects can sleep for only 4 or 5 hours without being disturbed by any dream content, and their mental state the next morning is almost equivalent to having slept a full night.
"That sounds like a junior sleep aid therapist on the second floor of a sleep aid club," Lucius remarked casually.
Oliver readily admitted it.
He closed the booklet and set it aside, then took a small silver badge from his inside pocket and placed it on the table.
"In fact, all the sleep aid clubs in Hull City are subsidiaries of the Invincible Sun Church."
Just as the Unyielding Order controls the metal forging and fine jewelry making throughout the kingdom, we Radiant Ones also need a daily operating organization that allows us to practice our dream manipulation abilities while also providing a legitimate and stable income.
Oliver pointed to the badge and chuckled:
"I am also a senior sleep aid therapist in the sleep aid club. On my day off each week, I will occasionally go to a club in the North District to sit and do a few sessions."
So, if you ever want to earn some extra money through your dream-making abilities, you can get a recommendation letter from me. No need to queue or pay the £1 membership fee.
Lucius's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he recounted his experience at the Bank Street Sleep Aid Club last Sunday.
"Mr. Oliver, thank you so much! I'd love to join the sleep aid club!"
Oliver smiled and nodded, tore a blank sheet of paper from the notebook on the table, unscrewed the pen cap, and began writing a letter of recommendation.
As he wrote, he made arrangements:
"The mysticism class tomorrow afternoon is canceled, and you also need time to prepare for the auction dinner tonight."
Take the recommendation letter I wrote to the sleep aid club on Bank Street and fill out the basic information first.
As for the voting process among all sleep therapists, I'll talk to the church friend who's on duty at the club to get the shortest possible public notice period... it should be approved in about two or three days."
He folded the completed letter of recommendation into thirds and handed it to Lucius.
Lucius accepted the letter of recommendation, thanked Oliver again, and the two then steered the conversation back to the Dream Course, turning to the next chapter of the blue booklet.
…………
At 3 p.m., Lucius took a steam tram back to Bank Street.
Upon arrival, he first turned toward a high-end clothing store on Bank Street with a sign that read "Blue Ocean House".
The salesman in the store was a middle-aged gentleman with excellent eloquence. He talked about everything from the yarn count of the fabric to the angle of the neckline cut, and even analyzed the waist proportions that were most suitable for his body type.
When Lucius walked out of the store carrying three large paper bags, he had spent a full £15.60.
This dissuaded him from buying a gentleman's cane, since Felix had only approved 20 gold pounds for himself, while a fine sandalwood cane would cost at least 10 gold pounds at the Blue Ocean House.
On his way back to his apartment, he stopped at Moran Bookstore.
The "Temporarily Closed" sign that had been hanging on the shop door since last Saturday has been taken down.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, you can see the faint glow of gaslight emanating from inside the bookstore.
Miss Moran is back?
Lucius quickly walked back to his apartment, placed the paper bag containing his formal attire in his bedroom, then turned and went downstairs to open the door of Moran Bookstore.
The copper bell on the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound.
Behind the counter, the blue, high-pointed, wide-brimmed hat hung quietly.
Miss Moran was engrossed in battling the matcha cake on the counter when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked up, a trace of cream still on her lips.
Good afternoon, Miss Moran.
Lucius found it somewhat amusing; Miss Moran seemed quite pleased with the food tasting event, and even took some home?
"Good afternoon, Lucius." Miss Moran put down her fork, her gaze shifting somewhat laboriously from the half-eaten matcha cake to Lucius's face.
She can still tell which is more important, running once or running every other meal.
Lucius opened his mouth, wanting to continue their plan to have a meal together. He suggested they try making fried pork chops tonight, as breadcrumbs were still plentiful at the market yesterday.
But his gaze suddenly fell on another person in the bookstore, who was pulling a blank sheet of paper from the bookshelf behind him.
His image was illuminated by the gaslight:
He wore a black trench coat, had a hooked nose, dark eyes, and a thin, sharp face.
As he approached the counter, Miss Moran didn't even turn her head, but simply said:
"1 gold pounds."
The man in black nodded, took out his wallet from the inside pocket of his trench coat, and placed a green banknote on the counter.
During this process, he glanced at Lucius, then turned to Moran and said in a flat tone:
"A banqueting apostle is of no help to our plans."
Lucius was startled; this man had accurately identified his sequence pathway with just a glance.
He subtly moved closer to Miss Moran, hoping that their "dining buddy relationship" was strong enough.
Fortunately, the man in the trench coat did not make any other moves. After taking back the manuscript, he turned and walked towards the shop door.
"Ignore him," Miss Moran's voice came from behind the counter.
She put the green banknote away and then took a gift box from the storage compartment under the counter.