Chapter 495: Reflection of the World
Chapter 495: Reflection of the World
"Gentlemen, you must be from the outside world!" exclaimed a young lady, approximately twenty years of age, with a wooden box hanging from her waist. The lid of the box was open, revealing tickets for theater performances within.
"There are many new guests here today. It's a rare opportunity, so you must come to the Horna Theater and enjoy the wonderful performances of our actors!"
Lindsey and Alarson's vision had just stabilized when they were greeted by this enthusiastic call.
The young lady, with a wooden box hanging by her waist, was a ticket seller.
Lindsey looked around, realizing the identity of the person before him.
The world they were in mirrored reality, with the stars and moon hanging high in the sky and the city illuminated by dazzling lights. However, unlike the real Thousand Sails City, there was no colorful glow from Primordial Skill anomalies.
Even the thousand-meter-tall statue stood tall in the city, just as it did in the real world.
This world was an exact reflection of reality, except for the people and events, which were vastly different.
"Sir, sir!" the ticket seller continued.
"Come and take a look at our theater's performance..."
Boom!
As the ticket seller enthusiastically promoted her tickets, a loud boom echoed from the distant city, as if a bomb had just been detonated.
A surge of Primordial Skill erupted, causing large sections of the city to collapse, and seawater gushed in.
An Awakened was fighting over there?
Lindsey became alert and prepared to respond, intending to escape the danger zone with Alarson.
"Alarson, we..." Lindsey began, but the shattering city and gushing seawater suddenly froze in place.
Time seemed to have been halted in that area, and all objects reversed their shattered trajectories, returning to their original state as if time had rewound. Only the raging Primordial Skill remained as evidence of the recent explosion.
The ticket seller spoke up, "Gentlemen, rest assured. Our world is very safe. Everything here is anchored to your world, and this is a world that reveres performance and art!"
She winked playfully, "Well, how about coming to our theater for a look?"
Alarson turned to Lindsey, "Lindsey?"
Lindsey recalled the warning he had received before entering this world.
Everything in this world was indistinguishable from reality, making it extremely dangerous.
Their first priority was to gather information and escape their state of ignorance: "Miss, we've just entered from the outside and are not familiar with the currency used here."
"Currency?" The ticket seller tilted her head and smiled. "To buy tickets, all you need is your inspiration. We don't use external currency here."
Lindsey and Alarson exchanged a glance.
What would be the consequences of selling inspiration, the very essence of an artist's creativity? They weren't sure of the specifics, but their instincts told them this wasn't an acceptable transaction.
"Miss, we plan to explore the city first," Lindsey replied.
"We'll consider watching a performance later."
Lindsey politely declined, and the ticket seller didn't insist, turning to leave for another location.
Soon enough, another resident of the city approached and purchased tickets from her.
Was this the rule of this world?
Lindsey committed this scene to memory and then proceeded towards his intended destination:
"Anyway, let's head to the Fenburr Theater first."
"Even if Wah Wah Wah isn't there, we can trace his movements."
Alarson was still amazed by their recent experience:
"Just buying tickets requires us to spend our own inspiration..."
"Heh—"
"I've always heard that the worlds created by artists are vastly different from reality. Today, I truly witnessed it, and it's indeed a unique and challenging experience to evaluate."
As the two of them continued their journey, they paid close attention to their surroundings.
After walking down two streets, Lindsey noticed something very peculiar.
"Alarson, did you notice this?"
"There are no street vendors selling food here."
In the real Thousand Sails City's Blue Zone.
Due to the abundance of theaters and performance venues, almost all the buildings are dedicated to these purposes.
To meet the daily needs of the people, there are numerous street stalls selling all sorts of snacks and food.
In this Illusory Dream world, the corresponding stalls are still set up along the streets.
However, the vendors have been replaced by performers, some showcasing close-up magic tricks, while others sing or display their artwork. There's not a single food item in sight.
Alarson spoke with a peculiar tone:
"Don't tell me the people in this world don't need to eat."
Lindsey shook his head and said:
"The rules of this world are entirely set by its creator, so perhaps that's the case?"
As they discussed, the two of them quickly arrived at the Fenburr Theater.
Here, the theater was just as magnificent as in the real world, and its purpose remained the same.
Upon entering the hall, Lindsey immediately noticed someone.
—Lady Salah.
The first time he and Wah Wah Wah came to the theater, she had shown obvious disdain and even mocked them.
Could this person have been dragged into the Illusory Dream as well?
"Lady Salah, you..."
Lindsey approached her, intending to greet her and inquire about her situation.
To his surprise, the lady before him displayed an extremely enthusiastic attitude, and her first words were:
"Gentlemen, you must have come from the outside world, haven't you?"
"Our theater welcomes people of all kinds to enjoy our performances. If there's a particular play you're interested in, please tell me, and I'll take you there right away!"
"..."
Lindsey felt a chill run down his spine.
He carefully examined Lady Salah before him and noticed that she seemed younger than her real-world counterpart.
There were two possibilities.
First, the Illusory Dream had mirrored the real world, including its inhabitants.
Second, Salah was the same person from the real world, but after being unexpectedly pulled into this world, she had undergone some unknown experience, transforming her into a native of this world.
Lindsey activated his reconnaissance skill.
【Human Female - Ordinary human female without Source Essence, overweight.】
Only then did Lindsey breathe a sigh of relief.
The current situation was the less dire of the bad news.
The real Fenburr Theater's Lady Salah was an Awakened, but the one before him did not possess Source Essence.
Unless this Illusory Dream world could strip people of their Awakened abilities, the probability was high that this Salah was a replicated character from the locals.
"We have our own reasons for being here, so we won't trouble you for hospitality."
Lindsey bid farewell to Lady Salah and headed downstairs with Alarson.
The Illusory Dream was identical to reality.
Lindsey was quite familiar with this place, and as soon as he reached the corresponding location on the lower level, he spotted the room with the door he had pried open.
"Is Wah Wah Wah here...?"
Lindsey felt a bit anxious, so he opened his map skill...
"Daddy, did you come to save Mommy?"
Suddenly, a child who appeared to be five or six years old rushed over and hugged Lindsey's leg, pleading, "Come with me quickly! Mommy's in danger!"
(End of Chapter)
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