The Record of Unusual Creatures

“It has something to do with the Wall of Reality?” Hao Ren was surprised after listening to Raven 12345’s speculation.

Raven 12345 nodded gently and said, “This disc is part of a computing device. It is not used to calculate the regular data, but to calculate the connection between the two worlds. Its operating mode is ideal for interfering with the Wall of Reality.

“So the role of the Creation’s Engine is to open the Wall of Reality?” asked Vivian.

“I can’t be sure. It could also be used to fill the hole in the Wall of Reality or to enhance the stability of the wall. I’m more convinced of both possibilities. After all, the collapse of the Wall of Reality would have a huge impact on both universes, even triggering the end of the world. The risk is the same for everyone. And, more importantly… Since Vivian could walk through the Wall of Reality, it means that the Goddess of Creation had mastered the way to open the door. So, she didn’t have to build another device that would take thousands of years to complete, unless she planned to tear down the entire wall.”

“The Goddess of Creation once told her guardians that the Creation’s Engine would bring a ‘new balance’ to the universe,” Hao Ren touched his chin while recalling what Lemendusa had told him. “I don’t think breaking the Wall of Reality has anything to do with the balance.”

“That’s pretty much what it means. One with a right mind will not want to break the wall unless he intends to destroy the world from the start. According to the behavior of the Goddess of Creation, she would not do such a thing,” Raven 12345 said while giving the Gilded Disc back to Hao Ren, “I have recorded all of the information, you can take it back. This thing has a connection with the Goddess of Creation. Maybe it’ll be useful if you keep it in the Plane of Dreams.”

Hao Ren took the Gilded Disc back. After all the questions had been asked, he was ready to leave with Vivian. But at this moment, Raven 12345 suddenly stopped him. “Wait, Vivian, you go first. You stay. I have something to tell you.”

Hao Ren looked at Vivian, and then pointed to himself and asked, “Just me?”

“This is your job, of course I’ll only explain it to you,” Raven 12345 glared at Hao Ren and said, “you don’t know what to do without her?”

Hao Ren smiled awkwardly. He let data terminal to open the teleportation portal for Vivian and Lil Pea, and then turned to Raven and asked, “Okay, what’s up?”

Raven did not answer him. She just snapped her fingers, and the next second, the scenery around changed completely. The mysterious lake under the night sky had disappeared and the aurora and the starry sky were also rapidly gone. A cloudy light gray fog gathered from all directions, turning the whole world into a boundless land. And there was a round table made of white jade standing in the center of the fog, like a lone island in the sea of chaos.

Hao Ren was looking at the strange scene that suddenly appeared before him, a little confused. “You told me to stay just to see this?”

“Of course not,” Raven answered with a strange smile, looking amiable but also elusive. She looked at the endless fog, slowly said, “This is a sea of dreams.”

“Dreams? Whose?”

Raven 12345 did not answer him. Instead, she suddenly asked him a seemingly irrelevant question, “what would you do if I asked you to find someone in this chaos?”

Hao Ren felt that Raven 12345 suddenly sounded a little bit mysterious. Both the way she spoke and the questions she asked were very different from her usual self. But he knew that Raven 12345 had a deep meaning behind every act, so he did not speculate on the reason behind it, but pondering the question. He looked at the endless thick fog, wondering what he should answer in such a situation. However, Raven 12345 did not give him much time to figure it out. “Just answer directly. There is no standard answer.”

“In a situation like this? Without any clues?” Hao Ren tried to get more hints.

Raven 12345 just nodded quietly.

“Then I can only follow my feeling. Everywhere in this thick gray fog looks the same, and I don’t even know the direction of the person I am looking for. I can only go with my gut feeling. Maybe follow your heart and you will find it.”

He also said something that sounded a bit naive, but he did not really believe in it. Maybe he would believe something like ‘follow your heart and you can find the direction of life’ when he was younger, but now he was already a 20-something man, and he knew that he had become a more realistic person, whether he wanted to or not.

Even though he was doing a lot of supernatural and surreal things every day…

“Follow your heart?” said Raven 12345. Hao Ren could not read from Raven 12345’s expression that whether she was satisfied with the answer or not. Or, maybe the answer to this question did not really matter. All that matters was that Hao Ren answered it. “This is not what a rational adult should believe… But it’s still one of the answers,” said Raven 12345.

“I think that’s the only answer. According to the situation you said, tossing coins is the same as following the feeling. Why do you suddenly ask me this? Do you really want me to find someone?”

However, Raven 12345 suddenly laughed and patted Hao Ren on the shoulder, intentionally avoiding the question and said, “Aha, don’t think so much. I’m just testing your perceptual thinking. OK, that’s it. You can go back now and have dinner with them—anyway, I don’t provide dinner here.”

Hao Ren was confused. He still had a lot of questions to ask, but looking at Raven 12345, he knew that she wanted him to leave and would not answer his questions. So he just swallowed the questions and left the place.

After Hao Ren was gone, Raven 12345 was still standing there, gazing into space. A few seconds later, she took out a tiny crystal prism.

This prophetic prism was emitting faint white lights. After Hao Ren left, the white light on its surface was fading. Raven 12345 rubbed the surface of the prism, muttering to herself, “Follow your heart… This is the answer he gave. Is this thing broken?”

Another voice suddenly appeared in the air. “I’ve told you, the accuracy of the predictions of the crystal is very high, but you just don’t believe it.”

A woman who looked exactly the same as Raven 12345 was slowly emerging in the air. Although they were dressed and looked alike, the expression on the woman’s face was dignified and steady, which was totally different from Raven 12345.

“Yo, 23333, it’s been a long time,” Raven 12345 greeted her colleague while waving the crystal prism in her hand, “You’re right, this thing works. I thought you gave me a fake one to fool me.”

Raven 23333 was offended, but she decided not to start a fight with this crazy Goddess. She looked around and said, “Take it all down. Let me see what your mansion has become.”

Raven 12345 laughed awkwardly, rubbing her hands to remove the camouflage in this space. The surrounding landscape changed dramatically again, revealing the real ‘celestial realm’.

But it was a mess. The gorgeous mansion was ruined as if it had been bombed and demolished. The fountain in front of the mansion had been cut into two. The square next to the fountain was crisscrossed with deep sword cuts. The gardens on either side were mostly empty, with only a few lone stumps teetering on the edge of a series of large pits. On the wall of the mansion, they could see a line of huge, shimmering words. Every stroke of the words was deeply cut with a sword which read: Bastard! Give me my machete back!

Every stroke of the words was vigorous and forceful. These words were not carved on the wall but were carved directly into space.

Raven 12345 looked at her miserable house, quite proud of it. “Luckily I’m smart, didn’t let them see it, otherwise Hao Ren will say something nasty again!”

Raven 23333 looked at her with a strange expression and said, “How many times have you let her tear down your mansion? And this time it’s covered with cuts and marks. Can you return the machete to her?”

“No way! I’ll lose if I return it!”

“But now you get beat up every time you see her. Are you happy?”

“Yes!”

Raven 23333, “…”