Chapter 515: Chapter 56 Beyond the Dream _1

Annan’s expression was somewhat complex.

Hearing Dmitry’s implication, it seemed he also knew that the Annan from the first cycle was a transmigrator.

...In novels, isn’t this sort of thing usually kept hidden until the grand finale?

It was one thing for beings like the Silver Baron, the old grandmother, and Yawen, the True Gods, to be aware of it. But why did even my brothers and sisters know I was a transmigrator...

"Don’t overthink it, Annan,"

Dmitry glanced at Annan and knew what he was thinking.

Even without his memories, Annan was still Annan after all.

The man with long black hair and an icy demeanor spoke, "It was indeed you whom we first knew.

"The biggest difference between Winter and other nations is that we don’t name babies. We wait until a child grows up enough to eat on their own, dress on their own, and understand how to take care of themselves without starving to death at home before they are given their own name.

"A person who can’t take care of themselves doesn’t deserve a name, let alone the right to carry on a family surname... At most, they are nothing more than a pet."

In Winter, the boundary between "human" and "beast" isn’t that distinct.

Those who can’t be considered adults are simply treated as "younglings."

By the same token,

if someone commits a sin that humans shouldn’t, or does something humans shouldn’t do, then they are stripped of their human name.

Just as Grianznuha Rinfrost was stripped of the surname "Rinfrost."

——In the Duchy of Winter, this is a very serious form of "family law" punishment.

If someone is stripped of their family name, it legally severs all their blood relations. It isn’t a matter of simply removing the surname clandestinely; it has to be reported to the local Winter Church, and then announced nationally every year.

For instance, rights like bail by relatives, home surveillance, inheritance rights, or being a beneficiary are all cancelled out and cannot be restored. It’s as if the person’s identity is reduced to that of an orphan with "no father, no mother, no relatives."

"Abandoned children" who are disowned by their family are also usually seen by other people of Winter as those who "disrespect traditions," "have committed serious errors," or are "heretics."

And if a name is stripped away, it equates to directly removing all rights as a human being.

If you kill a "nameless person," you wouldn’t even be charged with murder. Instead, it would be considered "destruction of someone else’s property" or "destruction of public property."

Generally, serious criminals who deserve more than twenty years of imprisonment but are not sentenced to death—if they still have sufficient value—will be sentenced by the Duchy of Winter to "the punishment of name removal."

Not just removal from legal records.

But by using spellcraft to erase the name from the mystical fabric of the world. All contracts they signed are invalidated, rituals associated with their name are erased, and even others cannot recall their name.

That is, one forgotten by the world.

In the Duchy of Winter, where you are not considered born until you "have received a name," a name is one of the [components of a human being].

"And your name ’Annan,’ was chosen by yourself,"

As Dmitry spoke, his hand instinctively reached into his coat towards the cigar box.

But he quickly stiffened his right hand, as if a thought struck him, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

As if hiding something, he immediately raised his voice slightly, "The one we knew right from the start was you.

"You have already lost many mystical memories. You might forget... that in this world, visitors from Otherworlds are not especially rare. This is even more so in the Winter Principality—"

Near the Storm Tower, occasionally, living creatures from The Void World would seep out from the nearby breaches.

Creatures from The Void World, upon entering the Mist Realm—namely the continent engulfed in the mist, cannot directly acquire a corporeal body. That’s because The Void World is a place where "phenomena" outweigh "existence," which is why it’s called "The Void World."

The core power system of the Mist Continent is curses and oaths.

Whereas "Elemental Power" and its primal form "Philosopher’s Stone" belong to the miraculous powers from The Void World.

—Annan was already aware that the Fire Thief was indeed Prometheus.

The Philosopher’s Stone of The Void World is equivalent to the curse ability of the Mist Realm. It’s the root power of the world... It was after Prometheus stole the Philosopher’s Stone from The Void World that this world came to have "Elemental Power."

"And ’Elemental Power,’ a force shaped by will and born from the soul and mind... is a distinctive feature of The Void World,"

Dmitry explained, "In other words, creatures from The Void World, upon entering this world, must parasitize within a human body to survive. It has to be a creature with will, with thoughts at the very least.

"And ’thoughtforms’ can also be understood as consciousness born within the Phantom Dream. The Phantom Dream is even more a link between the many worlds—the volume of the Phantom Dream is the largest among the known worlds. It has no concept of time and its farthest reaches border other worlds.

"As a principle, it’s not that only nightmares themed around ’our world’s history’ are born. It’s just that no one possesses ’memories of other worlds.’

"I’ve heard of an ancient profession called Dreamwalkers, who could venture into the dreams of other worlds... but this ’secret’ was later buried by the Mystical Lady.

"It’s not entirely impossible that a soul could fall into this world from the far side of the Phantom Dream. A powerful Dreamwalker might forcibly capture the soul of a creature from Anotherworld into this world; and if it’s an unknown creature native to the Phantom Dream, it is said to be able to enter other worlds without losing its memories. You have said before that you should be the second kind.

"As far as I know, among the gods, the Red Knight and the Bell Ringer were born into this world from different worlds through the Phantom Dream. Miss Haoyun had even traversed the Phantom Dream in the flesh, coming from some unknown world into our world... This is no secret in The Holy Nation.

"A soul that can traverse the Phantom Dream signifies a natural ability to remain completely lucid in nightmares. This ensures that every soul descending from the far side of the Phantom Dream can certainly become a Transcendent.

"...In fact, this is already the second time we’ve discussed this topic,"

I even mocked the Four Dark Decks Traveling Fairyland Record before.

Could another story be the Annan Traveling Fairyland Record?

A world adjacent to the Phantom Dream?

Annan fell into contemplation.

In that case, his original world could also be one adjacent to the Phantom Dream.

If Dreamwalkers could enter the dreams of other worlds... then maybe Earth also has its awareness of the Phantom Dream.

It’s just that it’s definitely not referred to as "Phantom Dream" over there. Just like how "Mist Realm" does not call itself "Mist Realm."

...Could it be the Phantom Dreamland shit?

Forget it then. In that case, could my previous boss be...?

Annan felt a complex mix of emotions.

He shook his head, dispelling the random thoughts that cluttered his mind.

He suddenly noticed another detail:

"Wait, you said... natural Transcendents?"

—If that’s the case, why would I choose the path of ritual?

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