Chapter 240

Chapter 240

At this moment, within Ocrius City.

Ocrius City was currently one of the few major settlements of Awakeneds in the Dream World, an authentic city that was vaguely seen as the prototype of a kingdom. There was no king in name, only a democratic council, akin to the system of ancient Greece, albeit modeled after the council formed by the Old Gods back then.

Currently, the Council Speaker was discussing the recent unrest in the Dream World with numerous councilors.

"The Thanatos have been rather restless lately."

"Indeed, many small towns have suffered terrible losses. According to survivors' accounts, it's usually someone in the town who suddenly goes mad and slaughters many residents using the rules, or they reveal the truth, plunging an entire village into despair."

"Sigh, the world is becoming harder to live in."

The councilors couldn't help but sigh during the meeting. Ocrius City was much larger than those small Awakened settlements, so its leaders knew more about the situation in the Dream World than those in other towns. They even knew some secrets from the age of the Old Gods.

However, this also made it difficult for them to have hope for the future of this world. Or rather, they could not find a direction in which hope could be found.

"Knock, knock."

The man with long hair, seated at the highest position, tapped his finger on the table, interrupting their increasingly despairing discussion. He said helplessly, "Enough, we're here to discuss countermeasures, not to complain. Think about the other Perfect Ones who are waiting for us to come up with a solution."

"The only option now is to enforce stricter censorship and severely limit the number of people entering Orkris City..."

As the council was still deliberating, one of the members sitting near the window suddenly heard lively music drifting in from outside. This unheard-of sound in the Dream World piqued his curiosity, and he couldn't help but lean closer to listen.

"Hey, did you guys hear that noise outside?"

The other council members were taken aback. The meeting room fell silent, and an indistinct rhythmic beat slipped into their ears. This unfamiliar melody seemed to resonate with their hearts.

"What is that? How loud it is. Even if there are no rules about sound in the city, it's still inappropriate to be so noisy during the day," grumbled an old council member, unimpressed by the sound. "Who on earth is causing this disturbance?"

"Let's go see for ourselves," the long-haired council member decided.

Not only the council members in the meeting, but also the curious Perfect Ones in areas where the sound had grown louder, began converging towards the square.

In the center of it all, a massive stage had somehow been erected without notice.

A player with the username Jaster Band took a deep breath and looked at another player who was adjusting the equipment. "How's the setup going?"

The drummer, with the username "Drummer," gave a thumbs up and said, "Alright, I was actually worried that electronic devices might behave differently in this world, but it seems that's not the case."

"The NPCs in this game are the most intelligent ones I've encountered in any game," said Gast, as the player named Aron, who had been in contact with them, opened the live stream.

"Good evening everyone! Tonight, we're going to have some fun. A friend asked me to broadcast their performance, and I found it interesting, so here we are. Guess what? This might be the first ever concert in Dream World, featuring a musical arrangement from the players' forum discussions!"

"Wow, your teaser during the day was actually for this!"

"Well, why not, hahaha?"

"Why wouldn't it work? The entertainment options in Dream World are quite limited. The mighty God on Earth encourages us to promote the new myths in any way possible. Who would've thought that Aron and this band would take the lead in this endeavor?"

"Go for it, miss! If your music is good, I'll buy tickets for the offline concert!"

Gast took a deep breath and stepped closer to the microphone under the curious gazes of the onlooking Dream World inhabitants.

"By chance, an apple fell and struck someone's head,

From this, we ponder the laws of our world.

We lack the gift of magic, nor possess bodies of great strength.

In the grand scheme of nature, we are but insignificant beings.

Yet, our wisdom towers above all else."

The entertainments in the Dream World were quite rudimentary, akin to medieval circuses and minstrels. When the God on Earth previously promoted the New World Plan, they resorted to the most primitive form of oration. Although it achieved decent efficiency with the 'advanced' method of recruiting followers, the impact of mere speeches was mediocre at best, for players with eloquence were scarce.

Thus, this time, the God on Earth learned from their past mistake. Why restrict the creativity (pranks) of players when promotional methods weren't limited to speeches? As long as attention could be captured, and the new mythology could spread rapidly across the Dream World, the players were free to use any means they desired.

And so, the players began their antics.

The first was a concert, an idea conceived by a player who organized bands in reality. Her thoughts were straightforward: with the game's soaring popularity, perhaps it could divert some traffic to their band, capitalizing on the hype.

"We lacked wings of birds, hence we invented airplanes.

Unable to reach the ocean depths like fish, thus we crafted submarines."

"Celebrate! Let's cheer! NPCs down below, what are you waiting for?!"

"NPCs, show us your raised hands!"

"I'm hyped up! Damn, who would've thought we could experience a concert in a game?"

"Folks down here, I say hey, you say—"

"HEYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

The Perfect Human standing beside the players was startled, staring wide-eyed as the previously calm gamers suddenly started jumping around. "Y-You guys... what are you doing?"

"Cheering, why are you still standing there? Come on, join me!" The player forcefully handed a glow stick to the NPC.

"?????"

Confused, the Perfect Human was reluctantly pulled into the action by the player, dancing along to the beat of the music and, surprisingly, began to enjoy it...

So when the Senate Speaker arrived, they were greeted with a scene of chaos – the once tranquil and apathetic residents were now wildly singing and dancing.

Senators and Senate Leader: ???

"A-Are they serious?!" An elder senator, trembling with agitation, felt his heart falter under the vibrant rhythm. "Stop them at once! This commotion is intolerable!"

"O-Okay, I'll... I'll do it right away," a patrolling officer reluctantly dropped the glowing sticks from the players and was about to sternly order them to cease.

But then, the Senate Leader, who had been attentively listening to the lyrics, held out a hand to halt him. "Wait a moment."

Amidst the din, the lyrics, in sync with the music, gradually penetrated his ears.

"Of course, there are moments of despair and helplessness,

When earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis strike, snuffing out life effortlessly.

We lack divine protection, yet we're not entirely powerless,

For our science and magic are one, enabling us to forge every tool to weather strife.

Even the moon, we can conquer."

"This is a myth without gods, a saga crafted by humanity itself!"

At that moment, both the senator and the Senate Speaker had recognized the force behind this spectacle as the recently emerged Investigator organization. Clearly, this was another one of their publicity stunts, albeit on a grander scale than before.

"Treasonous, utterly treasonous..." The elder senator's lips quivered. "They dare to claim it's a myth without gods... Do they even know what they're propagating? The rituals of mythology... They actually dare to invoke them."

"Relax," the Senate Speaker said calmly. "Listen carefully. They haven't mentioned any deity's name in the myth they've fabricated. It won't offend any gods, just as they say – it's a myth without deities."

"But even if it doesn't! That doesn't justify their activation of the long-forbidden rituals! And listen to their absurd words, all concocted nonsense," the elder senator scoffed. "How can humans possibly surpass the gods?"

"Is that so?" the Senate Speaker replied, sidestepping the perilous topic of mythical rituals. "But if it's all fabrication, how can they invent so many details about 'cars,' 'airplanes,' and this new world, not to mention the proud expressions on their faces?"

Upon hearing this, the senators couldn't help but glance into the square, momentarily taken aback.

Indeed, the investigators were all laughing, their joyous and proud laughter resonating, their eyes sparkling with excitement and pride.

This wasn't a smile that could be easily faked, unless each of them was a master actor.

Not only the investigators, but even some of the Perfect Humans seemed to have been swept up in the festive atmosphere, their faces involuntarily curling into smiles.

It had been almost forgotten when they last heard a genuine laugh.

The Councils were solely responsible for the safety of the Satisfied within the city, tirelessly seeking loopholes in the rules. They had no inclination, let alone the spare time, to arrange any amusement for the Satisfied.

Somewhere along the way, the atmosphere within the city had become so oppressive that it was suffocating, but everyone had grown accustomed to it, and no one felt it necessary to change anything.

It had indeed been a very, very long time since laughter had echoed through the streets.

Not only because of the excitement of the concert, but perhaps also due to the hope embedded in the lyrics.

The Council Head reflected.

He was aware of the Investigators' organization and had turned a blind eye to their promotional activities within the city. He didn't harbor any particular anticipation for this new world; he knew that most of the Satisfied felt similarly. They sought the 'hope' spoken of by the Investigators, but without a clear understanding of what it entailed.

But now, they knew.

This was the kind of world it was, where people could live in that manner.

Without relying on deities, they relied solely on themselves, using wisdom to overcome every life challenge.

It was a sensation so alien yet alluring to the Perfects.

The leader of this organization was indeed a genius, to devise such an inspiring spectacle to disclose news of this new world, using enthusiasm to temper the Perfects' fear of the unknown.

Rationality dictated the Senator's thoughts, but emotionally, the corners of their mouth involuntarily curled upward.

Their heart seemed to be submerged in a warm current, their chest glowing with warmth.