Cicia and Jon passed each other and then sat back opposite Angel. But she didn’t speak immediately; instead, she held her forehead with her hand and fell into silent contemplation.
After Jon’s guidance, Angel also realized where he went wrong, thus he no longer appeared impatient, choosing to quietly wait for Cicia to come back to her senses.
"Coco and Lulu are real." About two minutes later, Cicia slowly began to speak.
After a pause, Cicia added: "But they are also fake."
"What’s real are those memories of the past, their essence, and independent consciousness; but fake are their bodies," explained Cicia.
Angel: "From what you’re saying, you should trust me now, right?"
Cicia shook her head: "I can only determine that Coco and Lulu’s consciousness is real. As for the Popota you mentioned, it’s still hard to say."
Angel: "You’ll see for yourself if you pay him a visit."
Cicia: "Where is he?"
Angel directly pointed upwards: "Dining room, that corresponds to the second-floor location where we are situated now. If you can’t find it, you can ask the second-floor maid to show you the way."
"Are you ridiculing me for being so stupid I can’t find my way?"
Angel: "No, just a friendly reminder that if you need anything, you can ask the maids here."
Cicia stood up, seemingly not planning to converse further with Angel, preparing to meet Popota that he mentioned.
"Do you need me to be there?" Angel asked.
Cicia retorted coldly: "If this is your dreamscape creation, does it make any difference whether you’re present or not?"
"You still think of this place as a dream realm. It seems you haven’t realized its essence yet," Angel stretched: "That’s fine; go meet Popota, let him tell you the truth of this place. I won’t join to mess things up; I’ll wait here for you."
"Also, don’t chat too long. The time here mirrors reality; your box can’t affect the time flow here. So, you must hurry, I plan to find the Wood Spirit next." Angel: "Once you understand the basic situation, come to find me. If you want to have a detailed conversation with Popota, you’ll have plenty of time in the future."
Cicia’s ears slightly moved: "You’re saying, I can enter here again in the future?"
Angel: "Of course. Your two Gargoyle companions are already lethargic outside, and after this, they might only live in the Wilderness of Dreams. Are you really willing to let them venture alone in this unfamiliar world? Moreover, you can’t access the outside world through that box, but here, you can connect with people in any corner of the Southern Domain."
"What do you mean?" Cicia could sense that Angel’s words contained profound information, difficult to comprehend all at once.
Angel made a "shh" gesture: "You can explore and understand this on your own; if you really don’t want to waste time, go ask Popota."
Cicia gave Angel a deep look, refrained from questioning further, and turned to leave.
But before Cicia could exit, Angel’s voice reached her again: "Oh, I forgot to ask. Do you truly believe that the judgment you made earlier is correct?"
Cicia paused, turned to look at Angel, and didn’t speak, instead inquiring with her eyes.
Angel: "Coco and Lulu are real, but why do you think their bodies are fake?"
Cicia: "If not, do you want to argue that their fragile, newborn bodies are real?"
Angel: "At least within the Wilderness of Dreams, they’re real. Just like the body you’re currently using, it’s manifested based on reality as a newborn version of you. As long as you don’t damage it, it will accompany you here in the Wilderness of Dreams."
Cicia squinted: "Are you saying this world is real? That all the bodies here are creations?"
Angel: "Whether this world is real is something you can feel for yourself. As for whether the bodies are creations, I don’t know... don’t look at me with that skeptical gaze; I truly don’t know. The only thing I’m aware of is that the Wilderness of Dreams is continuously improving, and each person’s body here improves along with it, but I have no clear understanding of the specific reason."
Angel’s words added another layer of doubt in Cicia’s mind. However, at the same time, her curiosity about the Wilderness of Dreams increased substantially.
Cicia: "You’d better not be deceiving me."
With those words, Cicia turned and exited the curtain.
Angel’s voice didn’t stop, continuing to sound, but this time, it was not for supplementing information, but rather a late welcome: "Earlier I forgot to tell you, this is Pat Manor, Miss Cicia, welcome to your arrival. A friendly tip, the cream mushroom soup made by Maid Mana is delicious, I’ve already smelled the aroma, and when the time comes, please make sure to try it..."
Cicia "hummed" lightly, and didn’t respond,
Through the thumping sound of footsteps outside the curtain, it could be known that Cicia had ascended the stairs.
Only at this point did Angel let out a long breath.
Next, all depends on Popota’s performance. With Dororo’s prior guidance, hopefully, there shouldn’t be any big mistakes.
The only unexpected issue might be if Popota wasn’t recognized by Cicia as a Baiyuanian... if such an accident really occurs, Angel would have no choice but to accept that Popota, as a Baiyuanian, had lived a bit too unsuccessfully.
...
With Angel’s abilities, wanting to spy on what Cicia and Popota were discussing was easy. However, he didn’t do so.
This wasn’t about trusting Popota excessively, but rather having confidence in Dororo.
Dororo came to personally "guide" Popota, so if Popota still ended up being swayed by Cicia, colluding to cause trouble, then don’t expect Dororo to ignite the ancestral altar for it. — Besides, Dororo wasn’t too interested in that aspect.
While Cicia and Popota were talking, Angel wasn’t idle; he first went to arrange those two Gargoyles.
Thanks to these two Gargoyles, Cicia discarded most of her doubts, so Angel didn’t plan to let them be "paper monsters from the illustrations," they should stay in the manor... as for their usage, besides providing Jon with more research material, just let them be mascots or waste.
Regarding the Gargoyles’ talent "Guard," having them act as gatekeepers? Forget about it; their bodies are just newborn, among the most fragile. Without training, don’t expect them to be impressive; whether they can even handle the farmers in the field is a question.
At least their fierce appearance might scare some people.
To say arranging them was simply taking Lulu and Coco on a walk around the manor, getting familiar with the place and faces. Letting everyone know those two are weak in power, no need to fear, should they encounter them in the future, treat them purely as mascots.
Once they’ve toured enough, Angel let them find a place in the manor to stay.
Angel then leisurely returned to the castle.
At this time, Cicia hadn’t returned, so Angel couldn’t leave now. Instead, he opened the tree network and started chatting with the "always active" Ironclad Granny...