Alice misA--白色城堡桌

Chapter 11, The Sleepwalker★Part 6

Part 6. Time Stopped at Six O'clock

"So... Wisdom Caterpillar, you also know about the real-world dream-like Wonderland novels?" Jasky asked in confusion.

"Of course, I am a top-notch sage. Just now, you mentioned the March Hare saying that the tea party is about to disappear, and the Mad Hatter stating that the tea party stopped at six o'clock, right? Do you remember how it was written in the original novel?"

"I know!" Toosb, familiar with the story, quoted from Alice's novel, "Ever since the argument with Time, the clock has remained stuck at six o'clock, and thus, the tea party can never end!"

"Well done! And the key number is that '6'," the wisdom caterpillar said. He separated the sun into two parts, creating a line as a boundary, and then exhaled a spiral of smoke rings rotating clockwisdom around the sunset.

"Let's assume... no, it's probably not an assumption, this world is divided into two realms: the reality and the dream realm. The order is maintained in the Dream Caverns, which keeps a delicate balance between the two. However, at a certain time, the Dream Caverns weaken, causing the boundary between them to blur. It's a time neither day nor night, and we call it..."

"The Devil's hour!" Amisa eagerly raised her hand to answer. The wisdom caterpillar looked surprised, "Oh? I'm amazed that Amisa knows. Can you explain it?"

"Sure! The Devil's hour refers to the time before the sun sets, when the light blurs the outlines of the world, making it easier for people to encounter things that don't exist in the real world. Some people believe they are... malevolent entities, but others see it as an entrance to the dream realm."

"Really?" Toosb exclaimed.

"Hehe~ You understand quite well. It's surprising," the wisdom caterpillar said, making the two suns rise and set separately. The line between them gradually faded, and when they merged into a circle at the center, the spiral smoke rings appeared and disappeared.

"In ancient times, people regarded the rising and setting of the sun as reference points for their day. Daytime was for reality and hard work, while nighttime was for rest and entering the dream realm. This concept has accumulated in the collective subconscious of people over thousands of years, and the overlapping Bewitching Hour has become a blurry time when the Dream Caverns are difficult to distinguish between reality and dreams. This period is very short, probably less than half an hour, which leads to the stories of the tea party quickly disappearing and time stopping. It's also the reason why you fell into the collective dream during twilight."

Whoosh~~ At this point, the wisdom caterpillar placed the second mirror on the horizon, forcing the two separated suns to be forcefully pulled together.

"Hearing it from wisdom caterpillar, it doesn't sound so scary," Amisa couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"I feel like I understood and didn't understand at the same time," Toosb said, tilting his head with a confused look.

Jasky remained calm and raised another question, "I understand. So, for some reason, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare are trapped in the Bewitching Hour, and we mistakenly entered during that time. But if that's the case, won't there be a bunch of people entering every twilight?"

"Jasky, that's a very good question. In fact, even during the Bewitching Hour, it's not easy to disturb the order of the Dream Caverns. If there were such a possibility, it would be something that happened in your world around 150 years from now. In theory, it's almost impossible for you to come in, unless someone deliberately opens the entrance using some kind of item or ability."