The great demon Sasloka.
Duncan felt a sense of familiarity, and then he quickly recalled that he had heard this word before—in a casual conversation with Morris a long time ago.
“I remember... this is the name of the ‘main god’ described in the ancient belief system unique to the elves,” he said slowly while thinking, “This demon god has the ability to control dreams and wandering souls, and in your legends, this great demon god is even related to the opening of the current ‘Age of the Deep Sea’—”
"Yes, Captain Duncan," Taran El nodded, "According to the descriptions of those ancient legends, the world was originally a dream, created by the great demon god Sasloka in a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness. The elves are the inhabitants born in the dream. Our innate mission is to serve Sasloka in the dream and prolong His sleep as much as possible to prevent the whole world from ushering in the end of the world due to the awakening of the great demon god."
Lucrecia listened carefully. As a learned person, she was also familiar with the ancient and strange "heresy legends" of the elves, which were completely different from the mainstream beliefs today. At this time, she couldn't help but interrupt: "But Sasloka is destined to wake up - this is also part of the legend."
"Yes, the Great Demon is destined to awaken, and His awakening means the end of the world," Taran El nodded again and continued, "In most... less mainstream belief systems, there are similar "end of the world prophecies", but in most cases they are just a warning, a deterrent to believers, used to weaken their own persuasiveness and control over believers. But the legend of the elves is like that. In the legend of the elves, the 'end of the world' has not happened yet.
"Legend has it that the end of the world begins with a nightmare. The little demon saw a small flood coming because of the nightmare, so the elves' long-term comfort lost its effect. He woke up with a start, and the flood leaked from his dream into the real world, turning into a vast ocean...
"Before this, the little demon Kressilokar disappeared due to awakening, and the elves could no longer return to this peaceful dream world, so they could only survive in the vast ocean before the flood - this is the explanation of the "Deep Sea Age" in the elf version of the myth."
Taran El's narration of the legend was not much different from what Mowais had said at the beginning, except for some missing details. Before the elven scholar finished speaking, Hou Rui showed a puzzled expression.
After a few seconds, I broke the silence with a deep voice: "Their creation myths and doomsday prophecies all revolve around the element of 'dreams'."
When Duncan heard that it was forbidden, he sighed: "...
···In a race that places great emphasis on "dreams", a dreamer will be viewed as a person by himself."
Before that, Taran El finally let out a long breath.
"The old world?" Taran El frowned, but then shook his head slowly. "The dream created by Sasloka is just a legend. Is there any evidence to prove that it really existed? Even if it existed, in this "Deep Sea Age", if it has not completely dissipated..."
"That's just a dream. It only happens among the elves. The chance of getting the disease is about one in ten thousand. It's congenital and there's no cure."
"But he and another elf far away in Plunder did fall into a huge and strange 'dream' at the same time," Duncan reminded. "Did he forget this bordered forest?"
"But no matter which legend it is, there is one thing in common: Sasloka lives at the foot of the world giant tree 'Horelis', and the giant tree 'God Sassi' is the first plant born in the entire world - Sasloka created it in a dream as his home. Because of loneliness, he shook the branches of Hurellis violently, causing the dust, fruits, and leaves under the tree to fall off. These fallen things turned into various things under the world.
“The sleep of a dreamer is pale. Before we fall asleep, there is only confusion and our consciousness seems to jump directly through the entire sleep process, and any incompetent psychiatrist or priest cannot find any trace of our dreams.
"To vibrate
But it's just the elves' society," Lutalan Aya said calmly, "the academic community of the whole world will be shaken."
Hou Rui certainly thought of that, but I didn't interrupt her. Instead, I thought silently. After a long time, I spoke with a hint of curiosity: "Are there no more detailed legends about this 'Little Demon Kressilok'?"
"'Legends' are a little vague and contain contradictions. Even a race like the elves, whose heritage is stable and broken, cannot avoid that," Taran said.
El said quickly, "In some legends, Sasloka is described as a giant dressed as a shepherd, holding a staff that can measure the world, but some stories describe him as a giant male goat. The Epic of Bran Maar stored in the city-state of Moko says that he has no form and can change into any appearance according to the imagination of the audience. He is the "reflection" of the most majestic and awe-inspiring posture in the minds of mortals..."
"The dust that fell from the World Tree became mountains, rivers, and minerals. The branches and leaves of the God Sassus turned into various birds, beasts, flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The fruits of Horelis turned into the original spirits. Dust will decay, so mountains, rivers, and minerals will always decay. The branches, leaves, and fruits will stop decaying before they fall to the ground, so the life cycle of the earthly creatures will no longer exist."
Duncan listened to the unique culture and legends of the elves that were difficult for foreigners to understand. He thought for a moment before the young scholar finished speaking, and quickly said, "But among all the legends and records about dreams, there is only one that does not mention 'Dreams of the Famous'."
"Yes, outside of the elves' culture, 'dream' has always been a very small concept," Taran El nodded, "You believe that the world outside and the world inside are two different worlds, both of which are real and can influence each other. Falling asleep and waking up is the process of traveling between the two worlds - or in a more traditional way, it is a 'journey to the land'."
"...You did think of it," Taran El said, still choosing his words carefully. "You can't be so timid as to assume...but you must verify it with sufficient evidence. If you are sure that this dream is really the legendary 'Dream of Sasloka', or the 'World of Origin'..."
"Yes, in the eyes of a small number of elves, the pale and empty sleep of dreamers is safe, strange, and even scary. In history, there have indeed been a lot of unfair treatments for "dreamers", but this was after the old city-state era," Taran El waved his hand, "Now you don't usually target or discriminate against dreamers, but just like
You said that the influence of traditional culture is still there, and we don’t have this dream anymore?”
.·······—Sleeping
Lutalan Aya had been thinking silently beside him. When she heard the young scholar's words, she suddenly raised her head and said, "If it must be 'no other name', then this so-called dream of the famous one could be referring to the dream created by the little demon Kressilok in the elf legend.
"And 'dreamers' are exactly the same as the following situation - we really do dream.
"He walks around the God Sass, and uses his own eyes to set the rules for all things in the world. He cannot circle the World Tree once a year, so Hurellis withers and blooms in a yearly cycle, and thus the world has no distinct seasons. He returns to the feet of the God Sass on the first day of each year. The elves must dress up and go out on that day to show Sasloka their most proud skills and creations. The little demon must feel that these things are bad, so he will continue to stay in the dream world he created, and the world will continue to exist."
"That's not all, Captain Duncan."
"Literally, it means people who are born with the ability to dream," Taran El explained, "Dreaming is the instinct of mortals. In your opinion, dreaming is like death, which can be controlled and avoided. Of course, some people dream less, some people dream more, and some people even think they can dream - but research has shown that for those people, the dreams are just too short or the impact is too shallow, so that they can completely remember their dreams before waking up. We still dream...
Taran El took a break after talking about that, took a sip of the tea that the doll Luni had placed under the table, and continued, "Isn't that the little demon god created in his dream
The process of various things, and before the initial "creation" was completed, Sasloka finished touring His world-
"That's wrong, the whole world," Taran El said solemnly, "That means among the countless speculations and contradictory historical records, no "record" about the history after the Little Oblivion has been verified. Even if you still can't break through this white wall of history that stands ten thousand years later, a crack has appeared under this wall, and you can't get a glimpse of the past after the Deep Sea Age."
"One possible explanation is that 'The Dream of the Famous' is just a name given by these cultists, and the thing it corresponds to has no name in elven culture," Taran El said, "That situation is very common - the elven cultural system is ancient and profound, and some of the things that have been passed down are often accurately understood and processed by foreigners. You can always expect a race with an average lifespan of a hundred years to be able to figure out whether a container with a history of a thousand years is for holding wine or fetching water."
I paused, organized my words, and continued, "Speaking of that, let me bring up another point - there is no common congenital disease among the elves called 'dreamers'."
Hou Rui frowned: "Is there a dreamer?"