[BL] Daily Disposable Persona

111: Little Majesty 02

The Dreamlands???

Zong Yan finally understood where his inexplicable sense of familiarity came from.

Less than a year ago, he'd flown for the first time in his life, traveling across the ocean to London, England. At the time, the Gate of Truth had been opened in Westminster Abbey, London. Zong Yan pushed open the door, stepped inside, and immediately fell through the air.

On the way down, he saw the magical continent of the Dreamlands.

The cratered surface of the moon was clearly visible in the sky. He saw steam ships traveling back and forth between the Earth and the moon, the huge cogwheels of their machinery rotating, the rolling mountains in the distance, the ancient and ornate baroque buildings of the cities' architecture, and tall and magnificent Roman temples. There were people in corseted evening gowns dancing at balls, a scene of prosperity and luxury.

It was the realm of dreams.

The Dreamlands was a magical place constructed by the subconscious minds of all intelligent creatures in the universe. It was a parallel dimension, very different from the real world. As for why it was called the Dreamlands, it was because it could be entered via dreaming.

Although one could enter it through dreams, the Dreamlands wasn't a place where people could come and go casually. In most cases, only humans who lacked any desire for anything in the mortal world could enter the Dreamlands through their dreams. There was also a second route with more demanding conditions. For dead people with a deep obsession, the inhabitants of the Dreamlands could bring them back to life. Darwin and Einstein were a typical example. Aside from that, if a human was able to locate the caves in which ghouls dwelled on Earth, they could travel through them to enter the Dreamlands physically.

On the main continent of the Dreamlands, there was no language barrier between people, and there was a simple, medieval way of life. If someone wanted to travel to another planet, they could simply board a flying steam ship and enjoy an exciting interstellar adventure through the solar system.

This land was home to alien races with various dangers, but there were also many gods from Earth, including some well-known mythological figures. They'd taken refuge there under the patronage of Nodens, the Lord of the Dreamlands, and were hostile to Nyarlathotep. Many Great Old Ones and even Outer Gods had also settled in the Dreamlands. It was a realm parallel to and disconnected from the Earth.

If a human was fortunate enough to come here and possessed extraordinary creative ability, he could form an army, found a new country, and make himself a king. Unfortunately, the conditions for entering the Dreamlands were too harsh. Most humans with the ability to enter it completely lacked strong desires or were devout believers. Even if such people entered the Dreamlands, they would live like poor, ascetic monks. It was simply impossible for them to suddenly have intense desires.

If such a person suddenly developed a strong obsession, there was a good chance he'd never return to the real world, or if he returned, he wouldn't be able to come back to the Dreamlands. Over the years, the inhabitants of the Dreamlands had been at peace, and there were few major storms.

Zong Yan was of course familiar with the Dreamlands. Miskatonic University had negotiated with Nodens, the Lord of the Abyss, before moving there. It was now the last stronghold of humanity.

Indeed, because MU occupied territory on the border of the Dreamlands, several governments had reached an agreement with the Spire Council. If aliens invaded Earth or there was a big upheaval like the return of the evil gods, MU would become the last burning ember of humanity.

A question naturally arose.

The Dreamlands technically wasn't the property of any particular god. While Nodens might be the Dreamland's King of the Abyss, he had been given an honorary title because he was the strongest in the realm.