Hearing Yu Sheng’s question, Irene looked a bit puzzled.
“If the ‘Black Forest’ is purely a space of consciousness, how did I manage to bring out that wolf’s corpse?” Yu Sheng spread his hands in frustration. “Right now, Wolf Granny’s body is still stored in Foxy’s tail, isn’t it? Plus, Little Red Riding Hood mentioned before that some anomalous subsets don’t just trap people’s consciousness—they can even transfer physical bodies into these ‘other spaces’ built on stories or emotions. So I think the boundary between consciousness and matter might not be so clear when it comes to subsets. The reason we can’t open a door to the Black Forest from this side might be something else entirely.”
Irene blinked repeatedly, trying to follow. “Uh… yeah? That makes sense?”
She then turned her head and saw Foxy, who had been calm and collected the whole time. Irene was instantly taken aback. “Wait, you understood all of that, Foxy?”
Foxy replied coolly, “Of course.”
“Turning the intangible into the tangible and vice versa,” Foxy nodded as if it were obvious. “Everything in this world is connected at the ‘fundamental scale.’ There’s no actual division between consciousness and matter. The immortals say the whole world is like a set of complex ‘waves.’ What we call ‘intangible’ and ‘tangible’ are just different waveforms of the same energy at varying frequencies. The mortals call it information unification; the immortals call it the return to the void.”
Irene stared blankly, as if listening to an alien language. After a long pause, she finally blurted out, “What the heck—who even taught you this stuff?!”
Foxy’s expression turned serious. “The Compulsory Education Immortal.”
“I think so?” Yu Sheng nodded hesitantly. “But this is the first time I’ve heard of this theory.” His gaze shifted back to Foxy, filled with growing curiosity. What kind of place was this fox girl’s hometown? She hadn’t even finished elementary school, yet these were her lessons? What do they even test in her middle school—building warp engines by hand?
But there was no time for answers. Yu Sheng refocused on the Black Forest. This time, he couldn’t help but incorporate the knowledge Foxy had just shared.
Deep in thought, he raised his hand again, gripping an invisible doorknob. The phantom door reappeared, slowly materializing as he carefully began to open it.
He moved painstakingly, as if trying to feel every detail of the door’s formation and dissolution. All his attention poured into the process. At one moment, he felt the faint breath of the Black Forest, as if the pathway had been established. His connection to the wolf seemed to strengthen—so close that he thought the door might fully form at any second.
Then suddenly, the connection jolted. It felt like the Black Forest had abruptly “moved away.” The pathway collapsed, leaving Yu Sheng reeling with dizziness once again.
The question flashed in his mind as his knees buckled briefly—but he had grown used to this kind of disorientation.
“Ah, the door collapsed again,” Irene remarked, watching the dissipating fragments in the air. She turned to Yu Sheng, whose expression had turned dazed. “Are you okay? Maybe we should stop for today—I don’t want you throwing up yesterday’s dinner.”
“I’m fine,” Yu Sheng cut her off, his brow furrowed in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly looked up. “I think I know what’s wrong—there’s an issue with the coordinates.”
“Coordinates?” Irene tilted her head. “You mean like… a position?”
“Exactly! That’s it!” Yu Sheng nodded, his excitement mounting. He turned to Irene with a gleam in his eyes. “Wait a second, Irene—how do you locate the ‘position’ of the Black Forest and send my consciousness and Little Red Riding Hood’s into it?” 𐍂ÂꞐ𝐨฿Ɛ§
Caught off guard, Irene answered quickly. “Well, it’s simple—I just traverse dreams. It’s second nature for me.”
“That’s it! Dream traversal—that’s what I’ve been missing when determining the coordinates!” Yu Sheng exclaimed. Without warning, he scooped Irene up, spinning her in excitement. “Irene, you’re amazing!”
The doll-like girl froze mid-air, wide-eyed and stunned. But when she heard the praise, she puffed up proudly. “Of course I am! I’m from Alice’s Little House. I’m full of talent. But… what does that mean, exactly?”
Yu Sheng put her down gently, holding her at eye level on his arm. “I’ve been calibrating the ‘frequency’ of the door using spacetime structures. That’s all I know how to do. But to enter the Black Forest, you have to determine its location on the ‘dream layer,’ because it doesn’t have a fixed position in spacetime. Dreams exist outside reality, constantly shifting!”
He continued, “The door collapses, not because it can’t be opened from this side, but because the Black Forest’s ‘location’ changes the moment I open it!”
Though Irene still looked confused, Yu Sheng patiently explained. “Think of the Black Forest as a moving train on a track. The real world is like solid ground. When I leave the Black Forest, it’s like jumping off the train onto the ground. But to enter from the outside, it’s like trying to jump onto a train speeding past. The moment you leap, it’s already moved ahead.”
“Ohhh, I get it now,” Irene interrupted, waving her hands to stop him. “So how do you fix this? You can find spacetime coordinates, but not dream locations—right?”
Yu Sheng grinned, his eyes bright. “I can’t. But you can.”
Irene blinked. “…What?”
“I’ll open the door, and you’ll navigate,” Yu Sheng said confidently. “Use your magical, mysterious powers—like you always brag about. The ones Alice’s Little House gave you.”
“…Are you sure this will work?” Irene muttered, her entire body stiffening. “Not that Alice’s powers aren’t reliable, of course! I mean your plan—what if the door eats you alive?”
Yu Sheng shrugged. “We’ll see.”
Irene gaped at him for a moment before sighing. “Why are you so obsessed with opening a door to the Black Forest from the outside? I can use dream powers to send your consciousness in, can’t I?”
“Sure, but you can only send my consciousness. What about the future? There’s Cinderella’s Ball and the Long-Haired Princess’s Tower. Being able to open doors is just more convenient. Plus—”
He trailed off, glancing at Foxy. His voice dropped. “I still want to see a Cyber Fox Immortal beat up children’s literature.”
Irene smacked her forehead. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Just admit you want to see it too.”
“Alright.” Irene sighed again, giving in.
Though she rolled her eyes, Irene couldn’t help but find Yu Sheng’s stubbornness endearing. His boundless curiosity and persistence were pure and childlike. She didn’t mind indulging him—most of the time.
“Alright,” she said, climbing onto Yu Sheng’s shoulder. “When the door appears, don’t open it right away. Just hold it steady and clear your mind. I’ll guide your consciousness—similar to how I do during dreams, but this time I’ll need to ‘borrow’ part of your spiritual intuition to influence the door. Got it?”
Yu Sheng nodded enthusiastically.
Irene paused to look at him, then gently embraced his head.
“Now, let’s become one in thought.”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation