Dreaming for 10,000 years

Chapter 419 True or False
In the High God Cult, the Cat God created this world with a wave of his paw while slightly drunk, and thus he also dreamt of this world.

He might be a passerby you brush past in the morning light, his clothes still carrying the fresh scent of morning dew. Or he might be a silhouette at the edge of a distant mountain in the twilight, carrying the afterglow of the entire dusk.

Some see His languid figure every day, while others search their entire lives without ever finding a trace of Him. Only a technique like "Endless Dream" can awaken the sleeping cat god.

The City of Dreams is like a giant amber, preserving both the native inhabitants and the outsiders who accidentally wander in.

Under the influence of the "Endless Dream," outsiders will vanish like bubbles, while the locals will fall into an eternal slumber.

Until Shi Fei opened his eyes, the dream of this city had never been broken for thousands of years!
For this reason, Fang Yuan believed that he was the incarnation of the Cat God or even the Cat God's true form.

"I am not some supreme god!" Shi Fei looked at Fang Yuan and said, "Who are you?"

Although only a few seconds had passed in Fang Yuan's eyes, Shi Fei had been dreaming for a very, very long time. The immense power within the dream had made him completely different from before.

At this moment, he could clearly sense the strange power flowing within Fang Yuan's body. That power was like a thin mist under the moonlight, indistinguishable from reality. What surprised him even more was that there seemed to be another soul residing within this body.

“I am Fang Yuan, and also Yuan Fang.” As she spoke, Fang Yuan’s voice suddenly transformed into a melodious female voice: “There is a kind of fish in nature that can make itself rounder when faced with certain circumstances.”

"Oh, it's a pufferfish!" Shi Fei said, indicating he understood. He then asked, "What's going on here?"

His consciousness extended downwards to the entire city. The city was like a giant six-sided mirror, encompassing heaven, earth, top, bottom, left, and right. Without perceiving the city's essence, one could not leave it.

No wonder I couldn't leave the city even after driving all night.

"This is your dream city." Yuan Fang's tone was filled with the piety of a pilgrim: "You created such a world without disasters and calamities in your dreams, so that we can take refuge here, and so that countless wanderers in dreams can find shelter here."

"I don't remember doing that." Shi Fei shook his head in denial, then stepped onto the familiar stairs and arrived at his front door.

Previously, he and Lu Nanxing were being chased and fled in a panic, taking the stairs.

The house remained the same as always: a simple sofa, basic decorations, and unremarkable furniture. He remembered living in this city and at this home for many years, but he knew it was one of his "identities."

Yuan Fang followed him in and respectfully asked, "Would you like me to summon a 'fish' for you?"

The so-called "fish" refers to a supreme priest like Yuan Fang.

"How many of you are there?" Shi Fei stroked the familiar wear marks on the sofa armrest.

“Fifteen people,” Yuan Fang said. “There’s me, and also yellow catfish, snakehead, carp…” He was interrupted by Shi Fei before he could finish.

"Who was the first among you? Or who founded the Church of the Supreme God?" Shi Fei asked.

"..." Yuan Fang's lips pressed into a straight line.

"Can't you say?" Shi Fei raised his eyebrows.

“I have never seen him, but others say he does exist,” Yuan Fang replied cautiously. “We call him a whale.”

Are whales fish?
"Heh..." Shi Fei chuckled, the meaning of which was unclear.

Yuan Fang bowed deeply: "I will inform the whale and have it come to see you."

Shi Fei waved his hand: "I am not your supreme god, nor am I the cat god. There's no need for him to come see me. You may leave!"

He had finished talking to Yuan Fang and had nothing more to say.

"I..." Yuan Fang wanted to say something, but then he saw Shi Fei glance at him, which silenced him. He had just been an ordinary person in the city, yet after falling asleep, he had gained power that was incomprehensible to him.

Finally, he said, "Yes!" and silently left. He needed to quickly tell the others about Shi Fei's situation.

For believers of the cat god, seeing the cat god is still somewhat unbelievable.

Shi Fei looked at his home. The wear and tear on the sofa armrests, the scratches on the edge of the coffee table, the yellowed patterns on the wallpaper—everything was so familiar, as if etched into his memory. He could even tell you the location of every item with his eyes closed.

But this "familiarity" gave rise to a sense of absurdity in his heart.

Is everything I'm seeing real? Did he really live here?

Are those things in my dreams real?
Shi Fei clenched his fist; the power from his dream still flowed in his veins, clear and real.

The illusory things in my dream have become real.

Is what you dream about real?
What is true? What is false?
He slumped onto the sofa, his thoughts churning like a surging tide.

Outside the window, dusk was falling, and the last ray of daylight was swallowed by darkness, but his confusion did not become clearer with the night.

Suddenly, a piercing ringtone shattered the silence.

Shi Fei paused, then looked in the direction of the sound. It was his phone ringing! He had heard that default ringtone countless times, but now it felt strange, as if it came from another world.

It wasn't until the phone rang several times that he finally snapped out of his daze and pressed the answer button.

It was Lao Liu on the other end of the phone: "Hey? Why didn't you come to work today? You didn't even ask for a day off?"

Going to work? Taking a day off?
Old Liu's words made Shi Fei feel a little dazed. He remembered that when Lu Nanxing told him the truth about the city, he went crazy and wanted to leave the city, but finally returned here feeling lost.

As for going to work?

Life is just an illusion, so why bother going to work!

"Hello, hello, why aren't you saying anything?" Old Liu continued, hearing no response on the other end of the line, "Hello, hello, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you!" Shi Fei took a deep breath and said, "Old Liu, don't you think... never mind, are you free to have a drink today?"

"That's right!" Old Liu exclaimed upon hearing Shi Fei's words. "I still owe you a drink. Come on, let's drink after I finish what I'm doing."

It's already dark, but Lao Liu hasn't gone home yet. In their line of work, when do they ever get a proper "off-get off work" time?
“Okay! I’ll wait for you,” Shi Fei said.

"Tell me a place, and I'll come find you later!" Old Liu said.

"Then..." Shi Fei said, looking at the entrance of the residential area, "How about the noodle shop near my house?"

Drinking with someone doesn't necessarily require a fancy place. The quality of the drinking experience depends on who you're drinking with; generally, the strength of the relationship is inversely proportional to the location.

"Okay! I'll get right to it!" Old Liu said and hung up the phone.

Shi Fei got up, closed the door, went downstairs, and slowly walked to the noodle shop at the entrance of Chunhua Community.

(End of this chapter)