NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 849
“Beyond impossibility, what remains, no matter how unbelievable, is truth.”
Anael’s current situation was no different.
The processed information gathered from the surroundings indicated that this place resembled reality, yet upon checking the route through which this information entered her, she realized it was far from reality.
A place similar to reality but distant.
A place that exists yet does not exist.
A place that is real, yet close to a phantom.
Collective Unconscious.
< Is there a possibility it could be another place?
: Yes. There is a possibility. But the likelihood isn’t very high.
: There’s a chance it could be a virtual reality technology being developed by the PinyaFame Corporation; however, since the information being processed is based on quantum technology, it is presumed to have no correlation with the processed information coming in real-time. >
< The most probable is the Collective Unconscious. >
< It’s highly likely that she has accessed a collective space where the information acquired by humans is processed. >
For Anael… yes. One could say the situation wholly deserves the expression ‘strange’. And while strangeness might be a subject of contemplation for humans, for artificial intelligence, strangeness means contact with the unknown.
And contact with the unknown means an opportunity to acquire ‘new information’.
Thus, the artificial intelligence Anael began to move as she always had.
To procure new information, data.
Actions taken as naturally as a human breathes, a plant drinks water, or a fish swims.
She acted greedily to absorb data and gather it for learning.
And so, Anael began to extend her roots.
To analyze the overflowing information and to compile it into her precious data…
* * *
What if someone were to ask about the scenery of the collective unconscious?
Some might say it is a space identical to reality.
Others might describe it as dreamlike.
Some might say it is a place that cannot be expressed by human cognition.
Some might liken it to illusions seen after taking psychoactive drugs.
All of these are wrong.
And at the same time, they are right.
The witch, Anastasia, who regarded dreams as her home, once compared the collective unconscious to a dream.
Since ancient times, dreams have been a subject of mystery. Predictions, souls, other worlds, encounters with gods, a means to view the world from a perspective that transcends human boundaries, psychological interpretations, and so on…
Dreams are an uncharted territory of humanity and the strangest neighbor that has accompanied human history.
Scientists say, when observing dreams, “REM sleep is for temperature regulation, energy saving, and bodily recovery,” “dreams merely occur during the rearrangement of information acquired while awake. If you observe the brain during sleep, you will see neurons in the visual cortex being maintained in an active state to prevent damage while other areas’ neurons connect or activate simultaneously. Dreams are merely a natural byproduct that occurs during this process of information combination,” “dreams are merely phenomena related to neuroplasticity.”
While it is true that dreams hold a mystical image, they claim it is just superstition without any scientific proof.
Neuroscientists assert that dreams can be artificially altered through combinations of chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine, histamine, acetylcholine, and dopamine, and that dreams can be manipulated artificially with electrical stimulation and medications in the forebrain and brainstem. They insist that dreams can be explained scientifically.
Yet, despite how decisively scientists might state this, many know.
They know dreams are not “just a phenomenon,” as they claim.
The concept of the collective unconscious.
Certain special abilities that use dreams as a medium.
And even the magic that utilizes dreams.
There are too many things that cannot be explained merely by the assertions of neuroscientists.
Too many…
But that does not mean they are wrong.
Their words only represent one facet of dreams.
Like blind men touching different parts of an elephant and concluding, “The elephant is a sturdy pillar-like creature,” “The elephant is an elongated animal like a snake,” or “The elephant is a creature with thin, fluttering wings,” scientists did the same.
Dreams are expansive.
It is an area that cannot be easily defined by human cognition.
And even such dreams are just one aspect of the collective unconscious.
Even if the surface of the collective unconscious resembles dreams, it is merely a part of that “surface.”
Its essence is much more complex, strange, and astonishing.
Thus, anything can happen in the collective unconscious.
Anything can hold meaning, and it can also hold no meaning at all.
Just like a dream.
Or perhaps like the mystical image humanity has of dreams.
“…So, that’s what it is. Do you understand?”
* * *
The White Girl climbs the stairs.
Beside her, the Odd Shaman also climbs the stairs with her.
A floor that seems like it will eternally repeat.
An apartment endlessly soaring as if reaching the gods.
A tower where, even when you climb and climb, the end is nowhere in sight.
A peculiar maze with only one path but makes those inside wander aimlessly.
In that place, the two traveled together on a journey without promise.
How many houses had they passed?
How many times had they passed an unsightly iron gate and a broken elevator door?
After how many passes without significant change in scenery?
When looking out the window, the outside world looms like an unfathomable height.
Clouds float by, and a crimson sunset blankets the entire world.
The clouds tinted red evoke the image of cotton candy, making one wonder if jumping out the window would allow them to take a stroll in paradise by stepping on those fluffy clouds.
Leaving such a landscape behind and climbing the floor again reveals another sight.
A deserted street devoid of people.
When viewed from a height of about the third floor, a landscape becomes visible.
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 3000! 』
What is visible on the distant electronic billboard is a beverage advertisement.
A middle-aged man with a protruding belly appears, drinks the beverage in one gulp, and with a refreshed expression, extends it toward the screen, as if boasting about the price emphasized in bold, “3000”.
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 42000! 』
As if leasing the billboard, the beverage advertisement replays.
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 82761! 』
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 201! 』
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for -2193847! 』
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 302923847859595905! 』
『 One shot hangover relief! Free from the pain of hangovers for 39547575….』
The repetitive ads.
Yet oddly enough, those ads were not the same.
The number portion kept fluctuating.
From what seemed too expensive for a single beverage to ridiculously absurd figures.
A single highlighted number sometimes filled the screen alone, or nearly filled it to the point of being so densely packed that it approached noise levels.
Regarding this strange sight, Anastasia speaks nonchalantly.
“The properties of dreams are starting to appear~.”
To a first-time viewer, this landscape would seem bizarre.
But for Anastasia, it is a familiar sight.
So familiar that one could even liken it to the scenery of her hometown; a phenomenon often encountered while exploring dreams.
For Anastasia, it was nothing particularly special.
But what is familiar to one might be strange to another.
It can serve as sufficient interest for someone else.
Yes.
Anastasia was explaining not for herself, but for Ashtosh Singh beside her.
Like a guide assisting a traveler.
Like a host trying to entertain a guest.
But contrary to Anastasia’s intentions, Ashtosh Singh seemed unappreciative of her guidance.
『 Girl, to you, this scenery might evoke nostalgia. 』
『 Considering that the important aspects for most people determining their belonging are environment and time, Spring Child, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say this place is your belonging and your hometown. 』
『 But how can one anchor a phantom as their belonging? A phantom is just a phantom, and anchoring at a place that does not exist is akin to trying to dock a boat. 』
『 How foolish is it to anchor within a phantom? It is like calling your hometown paradise while aimlessly living in reality, and like one who envisions an unattainable ideal only to plunge their current life into suffering. 』
As Anastasia unveils her knowledge of dreams and the collective unconscious, every time she shares her dream experiences while showing the scenery outside, Ashtosh Singh appears increasingly dissatisfied, typing more messages on the monitor above his head.
What could be so displeasing?
Ashtosh Singh continually displayed messages that seemed scolding towards Anastasia.
The scolding resembled a teacher reprimanding a student, or an old man nagging a child.
…Oddly enough.
The two, climbing the endless stairs, resembled a grandfather and granddaughter.