Chapter 145: New Theories and Speculations
When Yu Sheng voiced his doubts, Irene’s expression turned just as puzzled.
“If the Black Forest truly is nothing more than a pure consciousness realm, then how did I bring out that Evil Wolf’s corpse?” Yu Sheng spread his hands. “Wolf Granny’s body is still stashed inside Miss Foxy’s Storage Tail, right? Plus, Little Red Riding Hood already said before—some anomalous types of the Otherworld can trap not only the mind, but also transfer the physical body into those realms shaped by story or emotion. So I think, when it comes to the Otherworld, the boundary between thought and matter might not be so clear. The reason we can’t open the Phantom Door to the Black Forest from the outside probably lies elsewhere.”
Irene blinked dumbly, uncertain how much she grasped. “R-Right…?”
She turned her head—only to notice the always-unfazed Miss Foxy wearing her usual calm face, and was immediately surprised. “Hey, Silly Fox, you actually understand all that?”
Foxy replied nonchalantly, “Of course.”
“…Seriously?!”
“Turning illusion into reality and reality into illusion,” Foxy nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “All things in existence are interconnected at the foundational scale. There’s no boundary between thought and matter. The Immortals say this world is composed of complex ‘waves.’ What we call ‘real’ and ‘illusory’ are merely waveforms manifesting at different frequencies. The people of the heavens call it informational unification. The Immortals call it the return of all things to the void…”
Irene stared blankly, as if she were listening to an ancient scripture, stunned for a good while after Foxy’s sudden revelation before blurting, “What in the world…? What kind of Immortal taught you all this?!”
The Demon Fox Maiden replied earnestly, “The Obligatory Education Immortal.”
Irene turned stiffly. “…Yu Sheng, did you understand any of that?”
“I… think I did? But this theory is definitely new to me,” Yu Sheng nodded hesitantly, though his eyes narrowed in growing suspicion as he looked back at the Fox Girl.
Just what kind of place was this girl raised in? Someone who didn’t even graduate elementary school, yet her classes were teaching this kind of stuff?! What do their high school exams even look like—handcrafted warp engines?!
But such questions were bound to go unanswered. As his mind churned with brainstorming, Yu Sheng’s thoughts returned to the matter of the Black Forest, this time taking into account the so-called “knowledge” Foxy had just offered.
Lost in thought, he once again slowly raised his hand to grasp the handle of the void. The Phantom Door shimmered into existence once more, and he began to open it, inch by inch.
This time, he opened it very, very slowly—as if to keenly sense each instant and detail of the Door’s transition from emergence to collapse. He poured all his focus into the process.
At a certain moment, he felt as if he’d finally touched the breath of the Black Forest. The channel felt nearly complete, and his connection to the Evil Wolf suddenly strengthened, as though the Door was about to solidify in the next heartbeat.
But then, the fragile link suddenly skewed—
The Black Forest seemed to vanish in a blink. The channel collapsed, and that intense dizziness surged again.
Misalignment?
As the thought surfaced, Yu Sheng swayed but did not fall—he’d almost grown accustomed to the vertigo by now.
“Ah, the Door broke again,” Irene muttered, watching the fading shards dissolve into the air. She turned toward the bleary-eyed Yu Sheng, “You okay? Maybe we should stop for today. I don’t want to see you toss up yesterday’s dinner…”
“I’m fine,” Yu Sheng cut her off, his expression sharpening into deep thought. He pondered for a long moment, then suddenly looked up. “I think I get it now… It might be a targeting error.”
“Targeting?” Irene echoed, puzzled. “You mean… coordinates?”
“Coordinates… yes! That’s it!” Yu Sheng’s eyes lit up as it all clicked. He turned sharply to Irene. “Wait, Irene, how did you determine the ‘location’ of the Black Forest and send me and Little Red Riding Hood’s consciousness inside?”
Caught off-guard by the shift, Irene answered quickly, “That’s… easy. Just a Dream Entry traversal. I have Dream Entry affinity. It’s like instinct to me.”
“That! Exactly that! Dream Entry affinity—I was missing that in my coordinate calculations!” Yu Sheng exclaimed and impulsively scooped up the little doll. “Irene, you’re incredible!”
The little doll froze in midair, stunned. But as soon as she processed the compliment, she puffed up with pride. “Of course! I’m a Doll from Alice’s Little House, I’ve got tons of talent! But, uh… what exactly does that mean?”
Yu Sheng quickly set her down on his arm, aligning their eyes, and explained excitedly, “When I usually open a Door, I determine its ‘frequency’ by calibrating it against space-time structures. That’s all I know how to do. But the Black Forest doesn’t have a fixed space-time location—to enter it, I need to find its coordinates in the layer of ‘dream.’ You get it? Dreams drift outside reality!”
“The previous collapses of the Great Door weren’t because it ‘couldn’t be opened from this side,’ but rather because the very ‘location’ of the Black Forest had shifted the instant I tried to open it!”
He spoke rapidly, noting the dazed expression on Irene’s face, and patiently elaborated, “Still confused? Think of the Black Forest as a train constantly moving along a track, and the real world as stable ground. When I open a Door from the Black Forest to leave, it’s like jumping off a moving train—you’ll land on the ground regardless. But opening a Door from the real world into the Black Forest? That’s like trying to jump into a speeding train’s door—by the time you leap, it’s already moved past.”
“Of course, it’s just a metaphor to help visualize it. In reality, even jumping from a train would cause displacement, but my Great Door corrects that when heading to the real world. It just can’t do the same in reverse…”
“Okay, okay, I get it! Any more and I might get more confused,” Irene hastily waved her arms to cut off Yu Sheng’s explanation. “So what’s your solution? You can only determine spacetime coordinates when opening a Door, but the Black Forest doesn’t have fixed spacetime coordinates, and you can’t locate a dream…”
Yu Sheng grinned, eyes sparkling as he looked at the little doll in his hand. “I can’t. But you can.”
Irene blinked. “…Huh?”
“I open the Door, you navigate,” Yu Sheng said seriously. “Use some kind of wonderful mystical magic or whatever. Don’t you always brag about the fantastic powers granted to you by Alice’s Little House…”
“…Is this even safe?!” Irene’s whole (lotus-root-like) body stiffened, quickly adding, “Of course the powers granted by Alice’s Little House are definitely reliable. I meant your plan—don’t just vanish through a Door or something.”
Yu Sheng shrugged casually. “Let’s just try it.”
“…”
The little doll stared at the reckless man before her, frowning in protest. “Why are you so obsessed with opening a Door into the Black Forest from the outside? Can’t I just use Dream Entry to send your consciousness in?”
“But you can only send my ‘consciousness’ in,” Yu Sheng replied as if it were obvious. “And it’s not just the Black Forest. Later we’ll have Cinderella’s Ball and the Tower of the Long Haired Princess too. Being able to open a Door in is just more convenient. Besides…”
He trailed off, glancing sideways at Foxy, voice dropping to a whisper, “I still want to see the Cyber Fox Immortal beating up children’s literature…”
“You need therapy!”
“Just admit you want to see it too!”
“…Fine. I do.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s try it.”
“Okay.”
The little doll gave in quickly.
In truth, Irene had guessed it would come to this from the start—not just because she, too, found the idea of the Cyber Fox Immortal tearing through children’s literature thrilling, but because she knew Yu Sheng. She knew the kind of obsessive persistence he possessed.
An unnatural, irrational determination—once an idea took root in his mind, he had to try it out. This obsession, like his overwhelming curiosity, was both pure and powerful, just like…
A child.
But that was okay. Despite all the complaining, she really did enjoy these chaotic adventures with him.
“Summon the Door soon, but don’t open it just yet. Keep it stable and empty your mind,” the little doll instructed solemnly as she climbed onto Yu Sheng’s shoulder. “Then I’ll guide your consciousness… it’ll be similar to how I usually guide your dreams, except this time you’ll be awake. At the final step, I’ll need to ‘take over’ part of your Spiritual Intuition so I can influence your Door. Okay?”
She gave a particularly serious look, emphasizing, “You must cooperate—you have to trust me completely. If not, we’ll both suffer a shock as intense as a Nightmare Entry backlash. I won’t vomit, but you’ve already fainted enough today. This time, you’ll definitely puke out yesterday’s dinner.”
Yu Sheng nodded fervently. “Got it, got it. Let’s begin.”
Irene stared at him for a moment, then finally exhaled softly, bent down, and gently embraced his head.
“Now, let our minds become one…”