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Part 6. Time Stopped at Six O'clock

"So... Wisdom Caterpillar, you also know about the real-world dream-like Wonderland novels?" Jasky asked in confusion.

"Of course, I am a top-notch sage. Just now, you mentioned the March Hare saying that the tea party is about to disappear, and the Mad Hatter stating that the tea party stopped at six o'clock, right? Do you remember how it was written in the original novel?"

"I know!" Toosb, familiar with the story, quoted from Alice's novel, "Ever since the argument with Time, the clock has remained stuck at six o'clock, and thus, the tea party can never end!"

"Well done! And the key number is that '6'," the wisdom caterpillar said. He separated the sun into two parts, creating a line as a boundary, and then exhaled a spiral of smoke rings rotating clockwisdom around the sunset.

"Let's assume... no, it's probably not an assumption, this world is divided into two realms: the reality and the dream realm. The order is maintained in the Dream Caverns, which keeps a delicate balance between the two. However, at a certain time, the Dream Caverns weaken, causing the boundary between them to blur. It's a time neither day nor night, and we call it..."

"The Devil's hour!" Amisa eagerly raised her hand to answer. The wisdom caterpillar looked surprised, "Oh? I'm amazed that Amisa knows. Can you explain it?"

"Sure! The Devil's hour refers to the time before the sun sets, when the light blurs the outlines of the world, making it easier for people to encounter things that don't exist in the real world. Some people believe they are... malevolent entities, but others see it as an entrance to the dream realm."

"Really?" Toosb exclaimed.

"Hehe~ You understand quite well. It's surprising," the wisdom caterpillar said, making the two suns rise and set separately. The line between them gradually faded, and when they merged into a circle at the center, the spiral smoke rings appeared and disappeared.

"In ancient times, people regarded the rising and setting of the sun as reference points for their day. Daytime was for reality and hard work, while nighttime was for rest and entering the dream realm. This concept has accumulated in the collective subconscious of people over thousands of years, and the overlapping Bewitching Hour has become a blurry time when the Dream Caverns are difficult to distinguish between reality and dreams. This period is very short, probably less than half an hour, which leads to the stories of the tea party quickly disappearing and time stopping. It's also the reason why you fell into the collective dream during twilight."

Whoosh~~ At this point, the wisdom caterpillar placed the second mirror on the horizon, forcing the two separated suns to be forcefully pulled together.

"Hearing it from wisdom caterpillar, it doesn't sound so scary," Amisa couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

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"I feel like I understood and didn't understand at the same time," Toosb said, tilting his head with a confused look.

Jasky remained calm and raised another question, "I understand. So, for some reason, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare are trapped in the Bewitching Hour, and we mistakenly entered during that time. But if that's the case, won't there be a bunch of people entering every twilight?"

"Jasky, that's a very good question. In fact, even during the Bewitching Hour, it's not easy to disturb the order of the Dream Caverns. If there were such a possibility, it would be something that happened in your world around 150 years from now. In theory, it's almost impossible for you to come in, unless someone deliberately opens the entrance using some kind of item or ability."

"Wait a minute..." Amisa seemed to understand something. "Are you saying that someone deliberately orchestrated our entrance?"

"Correct, it was done by an organization," the wisdom caterpillar replied without beating around the bush. He transformed the sun, which had been pulled underground, into a silhouette, and handed the third "cell phone" to that silhouette – the silhouette of a caterpillar. Everyone paused for 10 seconds, and Jasky asked quietly, "So, it was you who did it?"

The wisdom caterpillar gave an apologetic smile and took out the lost item from the time of the fall into the bottomless pit. Amisa received it with bewilderment, saying, "My... cell phone..."

"Wow! So, the Heart Dream app is a game you created!" Toosb exclaimed, showing surprise.

"Hehehe~~~ I can't exactly say that it's created by us," the wisdom caterpillar chuckled wryly. He didn't intend to hide anything when faced with their questions. "However, this was indeed my idea to summon all of you in such a reckless manner. Please allow me to apologize for that, as this world is in great need of your assistance."

"In great need of our assistance?" Jasky narrowed his eyes cautiously.

"What do you need our help with? I was doing just fine making movies, and suddenly I fell into this place, encountering all kinds of dangers and even losing my voice," Amisa kept complaining.

But in the next moment, she changed her tone, "However, it's also thanks to the Heart Dream app that I had the opportunity to become popular..."

"I'm glad it could help you, Amisa," the wisdom caterpillar replied.

"But..." Jasky asked curiously, "How did you use a spell to open the Dream Caverns? It doesn't make much sense."

"Before explaining that, let me introduce this to you so that you can understand," the wisdom caterpillar combined the water pipes of the three characters, forming a piece of text.

"Hoelex?"

"This is a secret joint organization with two founders," the wisdom caterpillar said with a nostalgic expression. "One is Time, and the other is Alice."

"Wow! It's Alice!" Toosb exclaimed excitedly. "So, who is Time?"

"Hehehe~~~" The wisdom caterpillar seemed to be energized by Jasky's question and exhaled a water pipe with a tall man wearing a top hat and holding a pocket watch. "Hoelex's leader, a remarkable man skilled in Time Dreamforce."

"Time Dreamforce?" they all asked in unison.

"That's right!" The wisdom caterpillar made all the water pipes disperse, leaving only the cell phone, which he enlarged. The wallpaper displayed the same Alice pattern as the Heart Dream app.

"Time used Alice's extraordinary experience at the age of seven to combine Condensation, Replacement, Figuration, and Refinement to create the Heart Dream app, which allows virtual and reality to intermingle. Only those who successfully pass the second trial – the HeartDream Storybook – will find the location of that incantation."

"The 'Hazy Twilight Moment' refers to the Enchanted Hour, and 'Connecting Heart Dream Chakras' refers to the collective dream world. Time set this incantation as the key to open the portal connecting the collective dream world. When chosen, the person only needs to recite the incantation to open the Dream Caverns, being summoned to the collective dream world and receiving Heart Dream tasks to assist us."

"Heart Dream tasks..." Jasky rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, Time used Time Dreamforce to input the incantation command to the Dream Caverns, causing them to automatically open?"

"No," the wisdom caterpillar smiled slightly. "The Dream Caverns were created separately."

"Created?" Looking at the three people with disbelief, the wisdom caterpillar explained, "Regarding 'creation,' I will explain it to you later."

Toosb put his hands behind his head. "Anyway, we were the chosen ones~ I remember when we played the app, it eventually gave us a hint about 'Exploring Love.' What were we supposed to do?"

The wisdom caterpillar sighed, "Unfortunately, the HeartDream Storybook was written by Time using Time Dreamforce to foresee future possibilities. Its true purpose is still under my investigation."

"Could it be..." Amisa looked at the cell phone water pipes. "The events in the Heart Dream Storybook are the key to our 'Exploring Love' mission?"

"You understand correctly, Amisa!" The wisdom caterpillar nodded approvingly.

"Wow, Amisa, you're amazing!" Toosb excitedly hugged her.

Jasky lowered his hand from his chin. "So, Wisdom Caterpillar, you need to tell us the true history of this world to help us complete the mission, right?"

The wisdom caterpillar nodded. "You understand correctly. Please, have a seat, and let me tell you the story!"