A Young Woman's Heart

"Because I was too tired yesterday... I didn't want to go to work after school, so my sister did the work of two people by herself. She probably didn't get home until very late." Mo Zhuyou gently tapped her sister's forehead.

Mo Xiaoxiao raised her arm and gently grasped Mo Zhuyou's hand, mumbling incoherently in her sleep, "Stop fooling around..."

"You told me not to disturb your sister, but you still went and bothered her," Mo Xueyao said helplessly. "You should let her get some sleep too."

"Well, it's okay, my sister's still asleep, hehehe... See, it's fine to pinch her cheeks~"

"Tsk."

……

"An Ruosu, are you alright?"

"fine."

"You've hurt your knee and it's bleeding. You should go to the infirmary to get it treated to avoid tetanus." Li Hongran helped An Ruosu up.

"Yeah, at least apply some mercurochrome," said a boy from the next class.

"Hmm...? The infirmary isn't open? That's strange."

"The door is open, but the teacher doesn't seem to be here. How about we find the red medicine ourselves?"

"also."

……

Chapter 308 Aishuer Finally Awakens

"Aishue—!"

"Aishue!!"

On the streets where a light drizzle was falling.

Aishu looked around blankly.

This situation has been going on for a long time.

People kept calling her name, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find the person calling her.

It seemed to come from the sky, or perhaps from underground.

She took off her rain-soaked hood and went into a dimly lit little house.

Inside the cabin, only a crystal ball emitted a dim light, allowing one to barely make out the outlines of the furniture.

"Hello... Is anyone there? Is anyone home?" A man who looked very down on his luck called out cautiously from the doorway.

“Someone’s here.” Aishu’er shook off the rain, and her blue-black robe with gold trim instantly became dry, as if some magical force had evaporated the moisture from it.

"Hello, I want to have a sweet dream."

Do you have a Zorke?

Yes, I have it!

"A day in a dream is one Sok."

"I want to sleep for a month."

“If it lasts a month, you’ll die.” Ashley looked at the blond, brown-eyed man with a puzzled expression. “Unless you wake up halfway through and then continue having that dream.”

"One month, just one month, let me die in my dreams... This is my last bit of money." The young man said with a bitter smile, throwing a whole bag of jingling coins onto Ashleigh's table. "Please."

"I can't just watch you die."

"It's alright, it's alright! It was my own choice! You're a witch, so after I die, just burn me to ashes, please!"

Ashley frowned. This was the third person to come to her hoping to die in the beautiful dream she had woven for them.

Perhaps they were simply despairing of this reality.

War, famine, exploitation by nobles...

Those who lack the courage to resist can only choose to escape.

"I beg you!"

"...So, what kind of dream do you want?"

"I hope my family is still alive. You are the Dream Witch, so you should be able to find all my memories in my dreams, right?"

"No, unless you let your guard down."

“Okay, I will let down all my guard... You will be able to see everything from my past, and when that time comes, you will understand what I want most.”

“Okay…” Aishu’er twirled her long, black-blue gradient hair and sighed softly, “Let’s go to the back.”

Behind this small house is a room that resembles a dormitory.

Two people were already asleep here. They were pale and looked very weak, but they had smiles on their faces, as if they were so engrossed in the most beautiful dream that they did not want to wake up.

"Please lie down." Aishuer gently stroked the other person's short, stiff hair, which was as straight as a hedgehog, with a soft little hand, and slowly made him lie down on the bed.

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in a very, very long time."

"Don't worry, I am the Dream Witch. Giving you a peaceful dream is the simplest thing for me." Aishuer took a deep breath and took out a pale pink candle and a silver-gray pocket watch from the small crossbody bag hanging on her belt.

The pocket watch has only three hands and no markings.

The pattern on the surface is a swirling vortex like a galaxy.

Just looking at it can make you sleepy.

Aishuer raised her hand and tossed a small flame onto the candle, lighting it, and a faint fragrance began to fill the room.

The pink candle wax flowed slowly, making the magic crystal lamp hanging overhead appear even more dim and yellow.

She slowly shook the pocket watch in her hand at the young man:

"You believe it to be true,

"But it was all just a dream."

"The bizarre and fantastical things you see"

"But it is the most certain truth."

"Wake up from the dream,

Still trapped in a dream,

Sleep in your dreams.

"Enjoy that moment of peace."

The young man's eyelids began to droop, a smile appeared on his lips, and then he finally closed his eyes.

Aishu closed his eyes and entered his dream.

His past memories were indeed unguarded and could be easily accessed.

A flood of images rushed towards Ashley, but she skillfully set aside the images representing the trivialities of daily life and focused on the recent events.

Read his life story from back to front.

The young man was once the son of a merchant.

However, he wasn't a big businessman; his family just ran a general store, but over time they had accumulated quite a bit of wealth.

He himself was not a citizen of the Duchy of Iner, but a citizen of the Kingdom of Sok.

At first, the Kingdom of Sok only started to see prices rise.

Later, when his father wanted to arrange a new property for him to get married, he found that he could not afford not only the land, but even a small room in a house.

Later, the nobles began to restrict cultural creation, using their vast wealth to silence countless people.

Those who dared to resist often died in the dark sewers before they could make much of a sound.

Later, the Kingdom of Sok was transformed into an empire, and countless impoverished people were forced to sell themselves into slavery, becoming slaves of the nobles.

Rising prices exacerbated the economic downturn, and people were constantly struggling to get enough to eat and wear.

Money, resources, and power were all in the hands of the nobles.

After that, the nobles began to fight each other, vying for territory and attacking the royal family.

The entire Sok Empire was plunged into chaos and devastation.

The Duchy of Inel did not let this opportunity pass and took the chance to send troops to attack the Sok Empire.

Other countries also want to take advantage of this opportunity to gain more benefits. Countries form alliances today and break off relations tomorrow. There is no trust between countries, and the same is true between people.

The whole world is in chaos, and there is hardly any peaceful place.

To prevent him and his sister from becoming slaves due to abject poverty, the young man's parents sold themselves for money, allowing them to escape the Sok Empire.

But with the world so vast, where can one go?

Along the way of fleeing, everywhere you look, there are traces left by war, or wars that are still going on.

Even a city like Beta, located in the rear, is about to be attacked.

Even if you have money, there's nothing to buy.

His sister starved to death on the road, and he arrived here with hundreds of Sok coins, but couldn't even afford a single bun.

He knew, of course, that the witch collecting money was merely a symbol.

What they are really collecting are certain emotions from people.

Or rather, the soul.

Aisha bit her lip gently; in fact, she already knew all this.

Misery often stems from shared misery.

"Have a beautiful dream, a dream you'll never wake up from..." she whispered sadly.

"Aishue—"