The people in Charles Palace were once rulers in reality, and after tasting the sweetness of power, they seem to develop a common trait: the hope to live longer so they can hold onto power longer.
It can be said that Charles I, Charles II, and Charles XIII were all driven by the desire for power, which led them to become the Mirror Grudge.
The stronger the desire, the harder it is to let go of one’s thoughts.
They always ponder how to ’live’ longer, how to ensure their descendants in reality do not forget sacrificial offerings, how to control reality’s power through the ’Moss Stone Mirror’... As the heart thinks, the dream reflects.
Therefore, these three from the Charles lineage dream at a frequency several times higher than that of other mirror creatures.
Hence, they clearly remember when they suddenly stopped dreaming.
"According to Glaipnir’s investigation, three thousand years ago, Charles I noticed that his frequency of dreaming began to decrease. However, he did not pay much attention at the time."
"Two thousand eight hundred years ago, the frequency further decreased, and Charles II and Charles XIII also noticed the reduction in dreaming frequency."
"And by two thousand three hundred years ago, Charles I had basically stopped dreaming, with the last dream being a hundred years prior. Charles II and Charles XIII were facing similar situations."
"One thousand nine hundred years ago, Charles XIII had his last dream, and since then, they have not dreamed again."
Although they sometimes still sleep now, dreams no longer occur.
Since they were not originally born in the Dream Realm, and once were Transcendent, they care greatly about the sudden cessation of their dreams; they even jointly researched it for a while.
Thus, from Charles Palace, Glaipnir obtained not only the precise timeline of the ’Dream Realm disconnecting from the Mirror World’ but also a large amount of research data.
The research from the Charles lineage is quite comprehensive, involving not only investigation but also world comparisons.
From their big data investigation in the Mirror Domain, the result is interesting: the vast majority of mirror domain creatures generally stopped dreaming between three thousand to two thousand years ago.
Below two thousand years, currently only Charles XIII.
If an anchoring target is to be made, Charles XIII’s period of one thousand nine hundred years ago should be a relatively precise number.
Besides the investigation in the mirror domain, the Charles lineage even returned to reality for comparison.
They, as Mirror Grudge, and with the ’Moss Stone Mirror’ as a foundation, along with their descendants’ offerings, found it relatively easy to leave the Mirror Domain. However, in reality, their power would be continuously consumed and diminished. If faced with unexpected situations, they might truly face misfortune.
They wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.
So they rarely return to the real world. To conduct this research, all three returned to reality, which shows their curiosity about this research topic.
"The final result is that even if they return to reality, they will not dream in reality."
"And their descendants, those humans, are not affected; they will continue to dream as usual."
From this, a conclusion can actually be drawn: The creatures in the Mirror Domain not only do not dream, but they are likely stripped of their ability to dream.
And the only force that could strip mirror domain creatures of their ability to dream... seems to be the will of the Mirror World.
Previously, Laplace thought Angel had personified the Mirror World and Dream Realm, making it seem as if they were in a struggle, which shouldn’t be the case; now, however, the Charles lineage findings are starting to sway Laplace’s stubborn beliefs.
On the other side, Angel did not anticipate that Glaipnir would bring such significant intelligence.
It’s important to note that not only did Charles Palace provide the investigation, but a detailed research report as well. This report not only includes extensive data but also world comparisons. This saved Angel a lot of time.
There’s hardly a need to listen to other reports now.
But Luigi was sent out after all, so to prevent him from feeling his efforts were wasted, Angel asked: "What about Luigi’s side? Did he get any news from the Tooth Fairy castle?"
Laplace: "In the Tooth Fairy castle, the old Tooth Fairy’s answer is similar to the Charles lineage’s investigation result. Approximately two thousand to three thousand years ago, they began to dream less and eventually stopped dreaming."
Angel nodded: "Whether it’s the intelligence from the Tooth Fairy castle or Charles Palace, it’s clear now that dreaming does not disappear immediately, but weakens and wanes gradually. This means that if the Mirror World truly disconnected from the Dream Realm, it did not occur immediately but through a long process."
Laplace did not refute this, as the facts are indeed as Angel stated.
After stating this conclusion, Angel shifted focus to the Sweet Dream again: "Speaking of which, the timing of Sweet Dream’s emergence is very interesting."
At this point, Angel looked at Laplace: "I’m about to tell a story I’ve imagined, which may also personify the worlds, be it true or false, just listen to the musings of a fantasist."
Laplace did not respond, silently watching Angel.
After organizing his words slightly, Angel began to tell a small story he imagined.
"The prelude to the story is something I’ve briefly mentioned before: At first, the Mirror World and Dream Realm showed no signs of disconnecting; at least three thousand years ago there weren’t any. But why then did signs of disconnect begin to appear between Mirror World and Dream Realm? My guess remains the same: the creatures in the Mirror World would be influenced by the Dream Realm, yet the mirrors in the Dream Realm could not reflect the resources the Mirror World desired or reflect the space of the Dream Realm."
"Maybe the Mirror World felt this was unfair; why are you allowed to invade me, but I’m unable to extend my reach into your world?"
"Thus, the underlying logic of the Mirror World commenced new operations, ultimately choosing to gradually disconnect from the Dream Realm."
"And this probably started three thousand years ago."
"However, the Dream Realm did not desire to disconnect from the Mirror World, but its rules could not influence those of the Mirror World. Seeing the gradual approach towards disconnection, the Dream Realm finally acted."
"Thus, the Sweet Dream was born in the Mirror World."
"The Sweet Dream can bypass all laws, connecting to the Dream Realm."
At this point, Angel suddenly looked at Laplace: "If I were in your position, I might wonder why the Dream Realm chose to let the Sweet Dream emerge in the Mirror World. Even if it did emerge, it seems pointless, as the Sweet Dream can’t possibly allow all mirror creatures to dream."
Laplace responded calmly: "Your speculation is correct, I would indeed think that way."
"In my view, the answer isn’t hard to guess." Angel: "I wonder if Lady Laplace has heard of the lotus root?"
Laplace shook her head.
Angel directly extended his finger and conjured an illusion of a lotus root in mid-air.
"Lotus roots have a trait, that when you break them, they don’t split directly into two parts; there are some fibers inside that remain connected."