by N. Heller
Perhaps everybody had gone to the black mountain to report, for she did not bump into any townsfolk along the way and soon arrived in the town hall. She slammed the door close, took a broom she found in a corner, and latched it on the door handle.
She took a deep breath to soothe her burning lungs. After that, she turned around and began studying the hall.
The town hall was huge and majestic, its grandiose atmosphere reminding her of the national theatre.
She walked forward, the heels of her boots cl.i.c.k.i.n.g rhythmically against the shining floor. Just when Lin Sanjiu was about to take the stairs up, the soft female voice rang out again, making her jump. "Attention. Connection to another posthuman's libretto is being established. Please take note."
'Another libretto? Isn't this place where Mayor Orlean, the posthuman who dreamt up the black mountain, resides? Could it be that the one who previously linked to my libretto was not Mayor Orlean?'
Lin Sanjiu pressed down the sea of questions and bounded up the stairs.
Before she could reach the top, the door above her exploded. Shrapnels of wood were sent into the air along with a violent airstream that shot out of the wall. A humanoid figure flew across the air and fell to the floor.
"F*ck!" Mr. Orlean's gasping voice rang out from the room. "What have you done to me?!"
The tattooed man clawed his way up from the floor. He coughed incessantly, and before he could say anything, he froze. Mr. Orlean fell silent as well. At that moment, Lin Sanjiu knew that, like her, they received the notification from the female voice as well.
"Attention. You have been connected to another posthuman's libretto. Please take note."
Chapter 756 - White Gloves
The man's face was full of tattoos as well. His eyes, which sunk in the royal blue tattoo ink, were riveted on Lin Sanjiu.
Suddenly, his lips quivered.
'What?'
Lin Sanjiu was dumbfounded, but she kept her guard up. She held the tattooed man's gaze and frowned. "What are you—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a tinge of itchiness on her wrist. She looked down and saw black ink seep into her skin, forming into two words.
Looking at the two words, realization dawned upon her as she understood why Mayor Orlean would be so furious.
"What the hell is this?" She lifted her head to look at the man and raised her voice. "What have you done?"
While she was speaking, a figure appeared from the office. The man had an ordinary face with an eye-catching scar running across his forehead. It took Lin Sanjiu a few seconds to realize the person was none other than Mayor Orlean. He gazed around when he stepped out of the office. It was only then that he noticed Lin Sanjiu's presence. His brows furrowed deep in frustration as he harrumphed, "Jeez, there's another one?"
A few long moments passed with the three of them just staring at each other. It was as if it was a competition to see who could last the longest without breaking. They were capable of playing the game for hours, but they did not have that kind of time, so the tattooed man broke the silence first.
"Don't blame me." The tattooed man held his arms high in the air as he slowly rose to his feet. His c.h.e.s.t rose and fell fast; his breath was quick, shallow, and ragged. "This is my dream, and anyone who is connected to my dream must have one of these things on them."
"Bullsh*t! I don't believe that you don't have control over it. Everyone knows this is a semi-lucid dream, so don't you dare give me that sh*t!" Mayor Orlean turned to the man and snapped harshly. It seemed as if he had shed away the awe-inspiring righteousness and high-spirited facade he portrayed on TV, and his crotchety and mean self began to surface.
"Yeah, this is a semi-lucid dream," the tattooed man countered, "So the best thing I can do is pick one option out of my set of choices and give it to you."
Mayor Orlean had a round face, large chin, short neck, and a full pair of feminine lips. Despite his good-natured face, he definitely did not give off a friendly and complaisant vibe.
"Well then, please give me a proper explanation." He stared at the tattooed man and rolled up his sleeve. Only now did Lin Sanjiu notice that he wore the same type of deep blue shirt as the townsfolk in Peanut Town. "What the hell is this, and how will it affect me?"
Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes and saw the phrase "white gloves" on his exposed wrist, which was also written in the same royal blue tattoo ink.
"I'm afraid you'll have to ask yourself that," the tattooed man answered simply and smiled bitterly. He raised his wrist, and the phrase "pusher" flashed before their eyes.
"You too?" Lin Sanjiu was shocked.
"Yes. It was here as soon as I came in and it got me really curious. I have been thinking a great deal about it, and I have a few thoughts I would like to share," the tattooed man said as he stared at Mayor Orlean. "So, you guys want to put aside our feud for later and hear me out first?"
Mayor Orlean's expression was ugly. He pouted his lips but said nothing.
Lin Sanjiu nudged her chin, "Spill the beans."
"Here is my thought. I think the phrase is the role assigned to us. In this case, I am a "pusher". Then, when I bumped into you..." He stole a glance at Mayor Orlean and continued, "There is no logic in a dream. All I know is that I have to pick a phrase for you and you will certainly get it… You get what I mean?"
"When I bumped into you, a row of vocabulary options appeared before my eyes. I think if I choose the right phrases, then I could make a complete storyline out of the interconnected librettos. In this way, I will fulfill my role and I can detach myself from the pocket dimension."
At least someone had an idea of the whole matter at hand. It was just that his speculation did not have any positive implications on their situation.
Apparently, Mayor Orlean felt the same way.
"So this is the reason you gave me this?" He shook his arm as if he could cast "white gloves" off his hand. "You picked this phrase for me, and now you are telling me that you don't know why?"
"I have never come across any of you before in my life, so how the hell am I supposed to know that?" the tattooed man sneered. "I just chose a phrase that fit your image the best based on my intuition and the first impression you gave me."
Not wanting both of them to lock horns anymore, Lin Sanjiu cleared her throat and cut in.
"Erm, Orlean, right?" She turned to the mayor and tried to talk as calmly as possible. "All of us have the same goal: to finish our storyline as soon as possible and get out of this pocket dimension."
"Yeah," Mayor Orlean replied simply.
"You are the one who dreamed of the black mountain, correct? Can you fill us in about what it is?"
"Then? What are you gonna do after you learn about it?" A smirk tipped his lips as his face scrunched up in a weird expression.
Before either of them could reply, he extended his arm forward and pulled a cigarette out of the air. He held the cigarette between his lips, and then repeated his gesture. This time, a lighter appeared. When he spoke, the cigarette bobbed up and down in his fleshy lips, "I had a bad dream. In the dream, there was this monstrous figure in the shape of a giant black mountain. After that, my dream connected to yours, and before I knew it, I was sitting in the town hall and all of them were calling me Mayor Orlean."
Lin Sanjiu and the tattooed man exchanged glances, and both of them had surprised expressions on their faces.
"I will be honest with you." Orlean took a long drag on the cigarette. He pulled the smoke into his mouth and kept it there for a while as he savored the taste. He then looked at Lin Sanjiu, letting the smoke curl from his lips as he said, "The black mountain is indeed the creature that appeared in my dream, but everything that happened after was because of you. Now, both of us have told our sides of the story, so shouldn't you tell us what is going on in yours?"
"Hold on a second. Your cigarette… how did you do that?" The tattooed man took a step back as he raised his guard. "Our abilities are kind
of unsteady while we are in the dream, so how can you pull a cigarette out of nothing? Besides, your attack earlier on was pretty solid too. Care to explain yourself?"
Hearing the tattooed man's words, Mayor Orlean took the cigarette out of his lips and giggled.
"Oh, did I miss something?" He laughed. "Well, I have the strange feeling that the black mountain and I are the same entity. It seems that it's the black mountain that gave me unlimited power, unlike you poor wrenches."
Lin Sanjiu and the tattooed man took a step back in unison, though both of them knew such a maneuver was useless.
"I don't care what you guys think or what you want to do," he said as he swung his arm, causing the phrase "white gloves" to turn into a blur in their eyes, "You better wish that your storyline didn't make me or the black mountain your enemy."
Staring at Orlean, the tattooed man let out a breath. When he spoke, his voice was much softer, "Even though our librettos have connected, it doesn't necessarily mean that we have to fight with each other. I have experienced some librettos where they require all the participants to work together to complete the storyline."
Lin Sanjiu did not make any comments. She grabbed her wrist and said cooly, "What happened to the townsfolk? They were normal when my dream first started."
'Or were they?' Lin Sanjiu suddenly remembered Old Borg, the high school girl who reported her, and her stolen car, and she began to doubt herself.
"The townspeople?" Mayor Orlean shrugged. "They are having a pretty good life now, don't you think? When my dream first connected to yours, they had to drive to work every day, worry about their jobs, and they couldn't afford to buy anything they wanted… But now, everything is different."
The corridor suddenly moved and brought a window into Lin Sanjiu's sight.
The reporting session had finally ended, and people were walking down the streets into the town like a herd of sheep. Since there were no vehicles in the town anymore, they had banished all the traffic lights. The townsfolk did not have to watch the road for any incoming vehicles as they rolled leisurely around the town like balls.
As they walked, their mouths didn't stop.
Their cheeks were filled out and distended with food. Even from her current spot, Lin Sanjiu could clearly see that all of them had a great wealth of food wrapped around their waists. Wherever they walked, they would stuff something into their mouths, and even though they were sweating profusely, none of them stopped.
A rank of armed police officers was guarding the entrances and exits of the streets. They were the only ones who weren't eating anything, but instead were eyeballing the people as if to prevent them from running away.
"Why are they always eating?" Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but ask.
"What is wrong with them eating nonstop?" Mayor Orlean glanced at his townsfolk and said nonchalantly, "They now have an endless supply of food to feast on; their clothes are supplied by the town hall, free of charge; they could have anything they want, and they did not even have to worry about their husbands or wives, as we will distribute their designated partner to them. Their lives are much better now than in the past. They only have to work a little, and all the black mountain wants in return is for them to eat more. This is the only price they have to pay to me, the black mountain, and the town in exchange for their current lives. Look at them, can't you see the satisfied smiles on their faces?"
"But who can consume so much food in one day?"
"Haven't you heard that "post-meal stroll helps digest the food"? As long as they keep walking, they can keep eating."
Lin Sanjiu was tongue-tied, her gaze fixed on the people who were walking outside. From the moment she first looked at them, they had never stopped munching on the food in their hands.
"You and the black mountain," she mumbled, "What have you done?"
"Please don't point your finger at me." Mayor Orlean shook his head and continued, "If you hadn't dreamt of this town, the black mountain wouldn't have taken root here. Without the soil and the nourishment, do you think that a beast such as the black mountain could survive?"
Mayor Orlean's voice echoed in the corridor. It was only when the lingering sound dissipated that Lin Sanjiu found her voice again.
"What… what do you mean?"
"If it weren't for the people here being wholeheartedly satisfied with their lives, do you think the population of Peanut Town could grow to more than two thousand people in such a short time? Mayor Orlean giggled. "Oh, wholehearted isn't the right word. Do you know how weird this town is? Every resident in this town... there is nothing inside of his or her c.h.e.s.t. In other words, they don't have a heart."
As he reveled in Lin Sanjiu's expression, he took one last drag from his cigarette. After that, he threw the stub away and moved on, "Surprised, yeah? The black mountain could tell which organs they lack by swallowing them. So far, none of the people of Peanut Town have a heart in their c.h.e.s.t."
Chapter 757 - Undereducated Mayor Orlean
Ever since she entered the Reverie Libretto, Lin Sanjiu retained a certain degree of command over her own actions but for one thing—the environment. She couldn't make the weather warmer, she couldn't turn herself into a titan, and she couldn't even activate her abilities. Posthumans were restricted by their dreams, so that's why most of them regarded this pocket dimension as a "semi-lucid dream".
She couldn't comprehend why Mayor Orlean was an exception.
"You're leaving now?"
Mayor Orlean's voice came sliding into her ears and snapped her out of her thoughts. She raised her head and saw Mayor Orlean's large face pressing against hers. There was a smirk playing on his fleshy lips as he said, "Before you went, can you show me the phrase on your wrist first?"
He had made himself pretty clear: if he found something wrong with her phrase, he wouldn't let her go easily.
Lin Sanjiu heaved out a long sigh and forwent her attempt to alter the environment again.
She had been trying her best to change the environment, yet aside from bringing pain to herself, she couldn't alter anything. The sunlight continued its journey and speared through the window relentlessly, illuminating the dust motes that spiraled through the air.
In contrast, Mayor Orlean was able to change the direction of the town hall with a mere swipe of his hand.
'Is the black mountain giving him that much power?' Lin Sanjiu wondered
"Hurry up, let me see your phrase," he urged Lin Sanjiu again and pointed at the tattooed man. "Don't waste my time. I still have a lot of questions for him."
'I guess it's the only choice I have…'
Lin Sanjiu exchanged glances with the tattooed man and slowly raised her arm.
Craning his head forward, Mayor Orlean narrowed his eyes and studied her wrist meticulously. When his two fleshy lips parted asunder, her heart somersaulted. Then, she heard him mumble, "Good night?"
He smacked his lips and retracted his neck.
"What does that mean?" He turned to the tattooed man, asking, "Why are all your phrase options so weird? Good night, white gloves… What do they all mean?"
For a moment, Lin Sanjiu was too stunned to speak. She withdrew her hand quickly and hid it behind her back. She looked at the tattooed man, bewilderment written all over her face.
'Can he give two different phrases to one person?'
"She is a girl, and I thought this kind of mildly-toned phrase better fit the vibe she exuded." The tattooed man stepped two paces back and sat lackadaisical on the window sill. "Haven't you heard about "Good Night"? It's a famous poem, and because of one particular line in the poem, I decided to pick the phrase for her."
"Uh-uh. What was it?"
"'Walk gentle into that good night'," he raised his head and began chanting the poem, "'Look, look at the dying light'… It's written by Dylan Thomas."
Mayor Orlean compressed his mouth, looking unconvinced. After that, he looked at Lin Sanjiu again.
"I don't care what you think," she took the chance and
chimed in, "I'm leaving anyway. I need to go out and search for clues about the storyline in my libretto."
Even though she looked calm on the surface, only she knew how nervous she was deep under. If Mayor Orlean refused to let her go, she didn't know how she was going to escape. However, after a moment of hesitation, he nudged his chin and said, "Alright, then."
It appeared to Lin Sanjiu that he did not want anyone to get into his way either. To prevent him from changing his mind, Lin Sanjiu took one last glance at the tattooed man and then stormed down the staircase.
She had heard the poem before.
The sunlight cast a halo of light around her the moment she stepped out of the town hall. She realized she was now facing the street she escaped from. Turning her head, the town hall had returned to its original direction. Initially, she thought she would come out of the back of the town hall. Little did she expect that she would run straight into the group of townsfolk and police officers.
"Act normal. They don't seem to recognize you," Mrs. Manas whispered, "But there are several police officers watching you."
Lin Sanjiu quickly calmed herself down after she heard what Mrs. Manas said. She glanced around the town; she didn't know why, but she felt the town had changed again. The number of police officers had doubled to the point that she thought there was a sea before her eyes. They barricaded all the exits and entrances, and aside from several buildings, the townspeople couldn't go anywhere.
Mrs. Manas was right. None of the police officers could recognize her, and she felt that a long time had passed after she went into the town hall.
One of the most striking changes was the size of the black mountain. It had become a lot bigger than the last time she saw it. It had moved from the corner of the town to the center, and she could see some remnants of the crushed houses under its base.
Nevertheless, nobody was looking at the black mountain; it was as if they did not care what was going on behind them.
Standing stock-still, she looked at each person that stomped past her, but she didn't see anyone she knew. The air percolated with their heavy breathing. They were all as massive as walruses, and their vibrant shirts had become so thin as if they would burst at any time. Glancing across the street, all the a.d.u.l.ts and children looked the same and it was hard to tell apart their genders.