### Chapter 14: Differences
The Dream Narrator stared at Night Star Lan for a moment before sighing thoughtfully, then asked, “You seem a little different from before. Is it my imagination?”
“Hmm? How did you know I was different? Didn’t we say it’s been a long time since we met?” Night Star Lan appeared somewhat perplexed.
The Dream Narrator chuckled lightly and explained, “In dreams, I can easily see through the true nature of any dreamer. Even if you’re special, I can still pick up on things. You look quite weak now—overusing your power, I believe?”
“Shocking! You actually saw through me!”
“To me, that’s a piece of cake.”
“Oh, really?”
Night Star Lan hugged the Dream Pursuer Yin in her arms and fell into silence, feeling a bit uneasy.
Without being able to use the Wish Princess, she was undoubtedly at her weakest.
Moreover, the Wish Princess was also in a deep sleep, making it impossible for her to be summoned for backup. All she could rely on now was her other abilities to protect herself.
But who knew how effective those abilities would be?
Minor crises could still be dodged with ease.
But if things went beyond her abilities, it would simply be a matter of letting it ride.
Like with Supernova.
Throughout it all, Night Star Lan maintained a distant yet not-too-distant attitude towards the Dream Narrator.
Typically, she had the confidence to face him thanks to the Wish Princess’s support.
What if this guy took advantage of the Wish Princess’s slumber to bully her?
Just like he did in the past.
For instance, constructing bizarre dream scenarios, making her play out her life in a dream.
Night Star Lan didn’t want to be an exhibitionist for a bunch of spectators like some monkey.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but hold the Dream Pursuer Yin tighter, anxiety creeping in.
This actually made the usually expressionless Dream Pursuer Yin show a hint of confusion.
This felt a bit more normal.
They’d had far more stimulating encounters in the past.
Was it because the Dream Narrator was present?
“Are you worried I’ll take advantage of you? I’m not that malicious.”
The Dream Narrator seemed to catch on to Night Star Lan’s thinking.
“Uh… I guess I’m just overthinking because of my anxiety. You don’t have to pay it any mind.” Night Star Lan quickly became embarrassed.
Being seen through was too uncomfortable!
“I can tell you rely a lot on your powers.”
“It seems like it just happened without me realizing.”
Who could blame her? The Wish Princess was so capable!
Originally, Night Star Lan didn’t want to depend too much on the Extraordinary Star.
But alas, it turned into a little loli.
Once a star turns into a cute little loli, Night Star Lan couldn’t help but want to snuggle up to her.
It was impossible to distance herself or ignore her.
In that case, the more she liked the Wish Princess, the more dependent she became.
In other words…
It wasn’t necessarily the Wish Princess’s formidable power that made her dependent; it was her cuteness that drew Night Star Lan in.
The feelings spawned from snuggling were the main thing.
With the Wish Princess now in deep sleep, Night Star Lan was struggling to adjust.
Calling it dependence was barely scratching the surface.
Right now, Night Star Lan felt like two little lolis: soft, helpless, and radiating a need for protection.
If those theater group folks saw her like this, they’d probably camp out beside her 24/7.
Three years ago, the audience performers were chilling in fan mode, but after three years, they had become even scarier.
They possessed a rather unsettling determination to exist for the audience performers.
A bit like the First Generation Star Eclipses.
Apart from their own obsessions, they added another layer of attachment.
Those added attachments were, more or less, related to the audience performers.
She was so deeply guilty, even Star Eclipses couldn’t escape it.
“If I were to do something right now, it might be to take the Dream Pursuer Yin away to sever our connection, so you can no longer summon her.”
Night Star Lan’s eyes widened, clutching the Dream Pursuer Yin even tighter, as if fearing the Dream Narrator would snatch her away.
“That’s too cruel! How could you do this? The Dream Pursuer Yin is mine! You can’t just take her!”
No matter what.
As long as the Dream Pursuer Yin was in her arms, she belonged to Night Star Lan.
Even if the Dream Narrator was her creator, he couldn’t take her away.
It was a rare opportunity to have a little loli who could cuddle freely even in sleep.
If the Dream Narrator snatched her away, it would be the end!
The Dream Narrator couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ha ha~ You really know how to joke. What I said just now was simply a joke, no need to take it seriously.”
“Um… that’s not funny at all.”
Night Star Lan felt relieved inside.
The Dream Narrator conjured a chair in the dream and prepared for a heart-to-heart with Night Star Lan.
“So, would you mind telling me what’s going on with your current state?”
Night Star Lan pondered for a moment and decided to spill the beans.
“As you mentioned earlier, I just overused the star powers.”
“What event made you reach this state?”
“Looking for the Source of White.”
“I remember that was your idea three years ago. It seems you haven’t found it yet.”
“Because I just started looking…”
By the order of things, three years ago was when Night Star Lan had first told the Dream Narrator about searching for the Source of White.
Apparently, she hadn’t made contact since then.
The Wish Machine’s interference in the past, present, and future was quite bizarre.
It couldn’t be explained by conventional scientific theories, not even close.
Perhaps it wasn’t about time but about the world.
Where Night Star Lan was now, she might just be in a parallel world called “The Future.”
Some things differed from the original world in significant ways.
“Because the Source of White exists only in the future, I came here.”
“I see, so your current self is from the past, or perhaps from a world called ‘The Past’.”
“Pretty much.”
“Impressive.”
The Dream Narrator sighed in amazement.
“Who would’ve thought the Source of White would show up at this point in time, yet I have found absolutely no clues all these years. I must be failing as the First Generation Star Eclipse.”
“Don’t worry; there are probably other First Generation Star Eclipses keeping you company.”
Night Star Lan offered a consolation.
“Your way of comforting someone needs a bit of work.”
“You’re not a little loli, so of course, I have to be more casual. Being sincere is just too taxing.”
“That’s quite the double standard.”
“After all, I’m a loli enthusiast.”
After chatting with the Dream Narrator for a bit, Night Star Lan’s mood gradually lightened.
Then an idea suddenly popped into her mind.
“By the way, have you seen Kuro?”
“Nope.”
“Ah…”
Night Star Lan was dumbfounded.
The Dream Narrator noticed her expression.
“Could it be that in the world you’re in, I’ve already come across the origin of Star Eclipses?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
Night Star Lan pondered for a moment.
“Could it be with the Uncrowned Wanderer?”
After all, Kuro was first found by the Uncrowned Wanderer, after which the Dream Narrator wished to be by Kuro’s side.
However, the Dream Narrator shook his head slightly.
“I once ventured to Gaul and met with the Uncrowned Wanderer through an illusion, but he didn’t find the origin either.”
“Pfft! What about your wish? I must have granted your wish before!”
“Failed.”
“How absurd! Just how different is this future from what I imagined? Even if it’s a parallel world, it’s way too exaggerated!”
At this moment, Night Star Lan had ceased all forms of contemplation.
