Alice misA--白色城堡桌

Chapter 11, The Sleepwalker★Part ４

Part 4. Dream Studies Analysis

In what seems like an inconspicuous corner of Maslow's Bookstore is a hidden repository belonging to the top sage, Wisdom Caterpillar. Seated within the repository are three ignorant youths, Amisa, Jasky, and Toosb, gaining a fresh understanding of this unknown collective dream world.

Wisdom Caterpillar earnestly opens a book and asks, 'Let's start with the basics. Have you heard of the Iceberg Theory?'

Jasky replies, 'I have.'

'Explain.'

'Everyone's mind has an iceberg. The sharp tip is the conscious mind, while the vast majority is the huge triangular base beneath the iceberg. It silently influences human behavior and is called the subconscious. Dreams are reflections of the subconscious.'

'How do you know all this?' Amisa is slightly surprised.

'Just happened to read some books.'

'Well explained,' nods Wisdom Caterpillar, satisfied.

'Over 100 points!' The atmosphere is disrupted by Toosb, and Amisa accidentally lets out a chuckle.

Given an angry stare by Jasky, Toosb lightly sticks out her tongue to apologize. Wisdom Caterpillar awkwardly coughs twice and uses his hookah to flip the book. On the page is an image of an iceberg floating on the sea, with only a tiny tip showing above the sea level. The pipe points to a large inverted corner hidden beneath the sea.

He explains, 'As Jasky said, the subconscious occupies the vast majority of the inverted corner, which is also where dreams exist. However, what we want to talk about today is not individual subconscious but this.' He turns the page, changing the image of the iceberg into three smaller versions, surrounded by a deep and bottomless sea.

Wisdom Caterpillar gestures towards the deep-sea area with the pipe, 'Where you are is a vast deep sea connecting the bottom of the iceberg. It gathers the collective subconscious of humans for over a millennium, known as the Collective Subconscious.'

'"Collective Subconscious?"' Amisa and Toosb tilt their heads in confusion, and Jasky naturally asks, 'I've read relevant books, so is this why we can gather even if we're half a world apart?'

'Correct understanding. The collective subconscious is not restricted by geographical limits in the real world. Even if you're on the moon or Mars, you can meet in dreams.'

'So convenient,' Amisa exclaims.

Toosb suddenly understands something and raises her hand excitedly, 'I get it! So, a collective dream is a collective subconscious!'

'That's right,' says Amisa, and Jasky agrees with a nod. However, Wisdom Caterpillar reveals a meaningful smile, 'No.'

'"No?"' The three show expressions of both surprise and confusion.

'I can understand your expressions. Let me explain why.' Wisdom Caterpillar flips the book to a page entirely black, 'The collective subconscious is a vague and chaotic domain. Ordinary people wouldn't realize it, but as Black Feather said, once you accidentally enter, you can't get out.'

'So, in the end, isn't it just a collective dream...' Amisa says with a hint of frustration, touching her ear. Wisdom Caterpillar lightly flicks Toosb's forehead with the hookah, 'Amisa, jumping to conclusions hastily is not a good idea.'

After scolding, Wisdom Caterpillar turns the pages again. The previously black screen now displays countless colorful small dots, resembling a nebula. 'Do you have an impression of this scene?'