At this moment, Caelus did not conceal his presence. He was openly sitting on a park bench, drinking the SoulGlad in his hand, with the giant statue of Clockie not far away.
At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on another dream, and Firefly was also performing a bus-ride-to-death scene in front of Stelle.
"Everything is arranged and ready. We are only waiting for the final battle to begin. So, what should I do next?"
Caelus took another sip of the SoulGlad in his hand and began to consider what he should do during the next period of time. Should he follow the Astral Express Crew and see what kind of story they would perform on the original script's stage? Or should he stroll through Penacony again and see how many people's dreams were buried in this land of sweet dreams?
Just as Caelus was thinking about all kinds of messy things, and even considering whether to go to Penacony's library to correct the tampered history of the past, the sound of a phone rang in his ear.
Caelus took his phone out of his pants pocket. Since arriving in Penacony, he had not used this thing. Back when he was on the Xianzhou, a few friends would still call him.
Looking at the unfamiliar number displayed on it, Caelus thought for a moment, then answered it directly without rejecting the call and asked.
"Hello, what is it?"
"Caelus, long time no see. How have you been lately?"
A charming female voice rang in his ear. Caelus could tell who this voice belonged to. It was someone he had met before, someone he had seen with his own eyes, a Stellaron Hunter, Kafka.
"Are you here to stop me from executing my plan? Or is Terminus going to take action personally?"
Caelus naturally knew that if he were to do something big, Terminus, who moved against the flow of time, would definitely know what he was going to do in the future. Although his talent from outside fate allowed him to avoid all abilities related to causal prediction, they were traveling directly from the future to the past. They were not probing the constantly shifting and uncertain fate from the present, but directly returning to this point in time from that shifting and uncertain fate.
"No. In those abandoned future timelines, Terminus judged that if excessive preventive action were taken against you in the present, it would only result in an even harsher and crueler fate."
"This time, the main hope is that you will not take action against Pier Point afterward."
"It seems that the people from the Corporation wanted to prevent my dream from spreading in the future, but because they had no good solutions and did not want to improve the treatment of lower-level employees, they directly blockaded Penacony. The Family was also worried about the growth of my dream, so they tacitly agreed to this plan, right? Under those circumstances, in order to demonstrate my deterrence, I went to Pier Point. So, did I demonstrate the essence of Finality there, or did I directly drag in Nihility?"
As soon as Caelus heard Kafka's request, he knew what had happened in the future. He thought for a moment, then asked in a tone full of curiosity.
"To be honest, since obtaining the Path of Finality's power from that other universe until now, I have never truly exerted the full power and symbolism of this Path of Finality. So I am quite curious. If I were to fully unfold the Theory of the Unity of All Things at Pier Point, what would actually happen? Even I cannot predict how events would develop, so regarding this aspect, I would quite like to give it a try."
Hearing Caelus's tone, which was full of curiosity and eagerness, like a child who had seen a Gundam model and wanted to play with it, Kafka took a deep breath and said, "There is no need to use such extreme methods. After you unfold your plan, we can help you resolve the obstruction from the Corporation and the Family. There is no need to use such extreme means. The Corporation has a major role in the future script, so doing this now is not quite appropriate."
"Fine."
"But you have to think carefully. Once you actually accomplish that, the entire universe will be thrown into turmoil. Many people will want to participate in the dream, and many people will want to stop them. All kinds of chaos and conflict may arise because of this. Is that really okay?"
"I am not a very kind person. I am just using this method to practice my own path, leaving a final glimmer of hope for those on the verge of collapse. And this chaos and turmoil will not last long, because what I am doing is maintaining the Equilibrium of all things in this world. You may compete cruelly, and you may climb upward cold-heartedly, but you must never forget the masses of living beings beneath your feet."
"If you view the masses beneath your feet as ants, then go ahead and persecute and oppress them as much as you like. Because sooner or later, the deaths of these ants will eventually forge a fruit that will make you pay the price yourselves. This is karma."
Caelus actually hid one thing from everyone, but this thing would only be revealed in the final stage. Because he knew that what he was doing was equivalent to truly forging the foundation for an Aeon's ascension. At that time, some Aeons would probably stand forward to stop him as well. Given his current level of power, it would be impossible to resist an Aeon's methods. So, when that trump card was revealed, even if those corporations and families, as well as those ignorant people, were still oppressing the masses and still blocking all living beings from reaching the sweet dream, this last trace of warmth...
That trump card would also tell them that, one day in the future, they would eventually have to pay the price for their actions.
If one were not truly unable to survive, if one had not truly given up all hope, how many people would be able to truly give up everything in reality and indulge in an empty dream?
Moreover, if someone clearly told you that if you died in the dream, you would become nutrients for the growth of certain existences, would you still be willing? Not many people would be willing to give so selflessly, just as many people would not be willing to donate organs they could still use even after death. No one wants to benefit others for no reason.
And if, after knowing all this, someone were still willing to sacrifice themselves and accept death in the dream, then it proved that they had already decided everything was meaningless. The cruelty of external reality had completely crushed everything about them.
As long as people were given a job with decent pay, and as long as they were given hope that they could see tomorrow even while working hard, how many people would choose to end their own lives?
"Alright. Since this is the decision you have made, we understand. After your plan succeeds, we will be responsible for negotiating with the Family and the Corporation. But if your plan fails, this matter will also be left unsettled. I hope you can succeed."
"Also, that guy Blade heard about this, and he wants to indulge in your sweet dream too."
Caelus thought for a moment, then said.
"He probably will not be able to lose himself in it, because in the first two layers of dreams I set up, he will likely be woken up by his companions from his memories."
"...Haha! That's not impossible, though I doubt Blade will give up easily. He has to try it to understand."
The communication ended completely, which also meant Terminus had given up on interfering with Caelus and left him to act on his own.
This actually proved, from another angle, that if Terminus had stepped in to interfere with Caelus's plan, Caelus would have been backed into a corner and would have chosen even more radical actions than the original plan.
Compared to that more terrifying future, Terminus ultimately chose to wait and see. At least it would not become worse than that future.
That was a terrible future where even memories could not be left behind.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)