I spent the afternoon napping leisurely together with Tsubaki. When I woke up, only then did I realize that my chest was burning fiercely.
Regarding the judgment of the cards, a jumble of thoughts I could not yet untangle surfaced in my mind, along with a vague premonition that I was just about to grasp the tail end of inspiration.
I just needed to capture a few more beautiful girls as reference samples.
No longer wasting energy on matters I still could not determine, I brimmed with anticipation as I checked the appearance of the newly acquired authority.
——
Conversion Authority: [Dream Entry]
Description: The holder may consume focus to enter another person's dream.
Source: Kasuga Tsubaki's capture success.
——
After clearly reading the description, I first let out a sigh of relief, then felt sincere gratitude.
Just as I had guessed, the authority gained from Tsubaki was indeed closely related to the kind of cultivation she excelled at, and it happened to be exactly what I needed most right now, rather than something like falling asleep quickly or deep sleep.
Since I had obtained the ability I needed, the most concerning points naturally became the duration of this authority and how much focus it consumed.
Perfect timing, since I could try it right away.
I looked to my side at Tsubaki, who had not been disturbed awake by my movements and was still immersed in sweet dreams. With a thought, I activated the [Dream Entry] authority obtained from her.
But nothing happened.
It was not a failure of activation, rather, there was no feedback of any kind at all.
Unwilling to believe it, I tried again, and there was still no response.
…Could it be that this credit card really bugged out?
After hesitating for a moment, I woke Tsubaki up.
"Mm… Sensei, what's wrong?"
I went straight to the point and asked, "Were you dreaming just now?"
"Mm~" Tsubaki smiled and nodded, savoring it with lingering fondness. "I dreamed of Sensei. It was a very happy dream~"
Because I did not feel even the slightest mental fatigue, I immediately denied the possibility that this counted as the "entering another person's dream" described by the authority.
Could it be that I had overlooked some hidden prerequisite?
Recalling the card's consistently troublesome nature, a possibility surfaced in my mind.
If I truly entered someone else's dream, then I myself would obviously also count as dreaming.
So could it be that the hidden prerequisite for using this authority was… that I had to fall asleep first?
But if I fell asleep, how would I use the authority?
No, wait. I seemed to recall that some people could maintain relatively clear consciousness even after falling asleep.
After frowning and thinking deeply for a long while, I consulted Tsubaki, the cultivation expert, about this issue.
"Lucid dreaming is completely heretical!" Tsubaki displayed a seriousness completely different from her usual self. "The beauty of cultivation lies precisely in that incomparably wonderful dreamlike feeling amid hazy consciousness… and if you can do whatever you want in dreams, you will gradually become unable to cherish the happiness of reality."
"…Is it really that serious?"
"Of course it is!"
I had not expected Tsubaki to resist so fiercely, like a devout believer's attitude toward heresy.
It seemed that from her side, I would not be able to learn any personally tested and effective methods.
Even if there were any, with Tsubaki's level of cultivation, I might not be able to replicate them anyway.
Tsubaki took a deep breath and calmed down a little. "Sensei, why did you suddenly ask about this? Is there some other reason that makes entering a lucid dream state necessary?"
I smiled wryly and nodded. "That's probably the case."
Even though it was still just a guess, I had to try it first.
After hesitating for a while, Tsubaki sighed lightly and said helplessly, "All right. I'll help you. There are also many methods online that teach how to enter lucid dreams. You can first choose one that suits you, then after long-term practice, you might be able to grasp some techniques."
"Wait, will it take a long time?"
"Depending on the learner's aptitude, the time required varies, but usually it won't be short."
Seeing my troubled expression, Tsubaki added, "However, you can also use external aids to guide the process and speed it up… Sorry, I'm not very clear about this area either. I can only do my best…"
"It's fine, thank you anyway."
I sat up and said sincerely to Tsubaki, "You've already helped me a great deal."
The authorities granted by the cards were mostly like this, hard to put into words, but at least they pointed me in a direction to work toward.
As we were parting, I suddenly thought on a whim that perhaps consciousness immersion might work, and asked Tsubaki to accompany me in an experiment. After she fell asleep and even started talking in her sleep, I entered the internal world of the Shittim Chest.
But this attempt still ended in failure.
After learning of my intention, Arona gave me a bit of a science lecture, explaining that virtual reality and dreams shared certain similarities, but could not be equated.
And when I questioned her about why she had not said so earlier, she confidently told me that she had been sleeping just now, then asked me back whether I had not seen it, so why was I even asking.
After saying goodbye to Tsubaki, I returned to Schale before nightfall. I handled some urgent documents that had piled up, and while eating my dinner bento, I casually searched online for information about lucid dreaming. My mood could not help but grow heavier.
So-called lucid dreaming, even at Kivotos's current scientific level, still had no definitive conclusion, as if it were shrouded in a mysterious veil.
Moreover, regarding training methods and effectiveness, many people online held wildly different opinions. Some of the statements made by certain individuals truly made one question whether their mental state was normal.
No wonder Tsubaki firmly regarded this as heresy.
At the same time, just as Tsubaki had said, aside from a few netizens who claimed they were born able to control their dreams, most people stated that long-term persistence was required to gradually gain mastery.
I considered myself lacking such aptitude, so if I wanted to achieve results quickly, I could only seek assistance from external tools.
In the materials I found, there were indeed related auxiliary devices.
For this reason, I contacted the Engineering Department again.
Hibiki seemed to have some understanding of this, claiming that she had recently been researching items that aid sleep and had looked up relevant materials, and that she could try to make one.
At the same time, she also told me that the effect of such devices might not be very significant.
In other words, extensive practice was still indispensable.
However, this was currently the most feasible method.
There was no choice but to grind through it the hard way.
Just as I finished eating the somewhat cold meal and was about to close the webpage and continue working, my eyes inadvertently swept over an inconspicuous link at the bottom of the browser.
My brows furrowed. I moved the mouse cursor, which had already reached the upper right corner, and clicked on that advertisement, subconsciously reading out the title:
"Shanhaijing Secondary School, Eastern Alchemy Society… volunteer recruitment in progress…?"