Selena gasped for breath, unable to understand why her emotions were growing increasingly turbulent. Just a simple sentence from the other party had thrown her mind into utter turmoil.
She soon realized how foolish her behavior was.
If she angered the other party, there were ten thousand ways they could torment her within the dreamscape.
Yet the black-haired, green-eyed girl still watched her with calm composure.
It was as if she had anticipated Selena's reaction and found nothing amiss with it.
"You asked three questions in total: what is happiness, what is misfortune, and what have you experienced in your past."
The Poet of Great Love spoke smoothly, without the slightest hint of impatience.
"Regarding the first two questions, do you truly want to know the answers?"
She looked intently at Selena and asked.
"Huh?!"
Selena could not understand why this person had actually listened to her words in earnest and was genuinely discussing them with her.
"If I were to tell you a 'suitable answer' here—one you might readily accept—I have many ways to satisfy you,"
the Poet of Great Love continued, speaking in patient, soft tones.
"However, if you truly wish to arrive at the answer, you must have an in-depth conversation with me. This is not a question with a clear-cut answer like one plus one equals two."
This motherly gentleness made Selena stare wide-eyed, not daring to utter a sound in response.
"..."
Gradually, Selena shrank back slightly, at a loss for how to respond to the topic laid before her.
"In truth, ignorance is a sin; when you discover the reality of things, you will despise yourself. But please, do not be afraid, for everyone must go through such a process,"
the Poet of Great Love said.
"...So what if I figure it out? Will it change anything? If you want to prove that my life is filled with misfortune and that I'm a worthless person, just destroy me. There's no need to go to all this trouble."
Selena lowered her voice, speaking through gritted teeth.
"Would that truly be fine? I believe the questions you posed... are of great value. I like them very much,"
the Poet of Great Love replied unhurriedly.
"..."
Selena eyed the Poet of Great Love sidelong, shadows beneath her hair casting over her face, save for her gaze, which was remarkably focused.
Like a wild beast, fearful yet curious.
"Clearly, you have erected a wall before me. Why are you glaring at me?"
the Poet of Great Love asked again. Even though she wore a mask, a smile could be seen in her eyes, brimming with reason and intellect.
"..."
Selena still did not say a word.
The Poet of Great Love simply waited for her.
Subjection to that constant gaze finally proved too much for Selena.
"So annoying! What does any of this have to do with you?!"
Selena shouted.
"You have finally spoken."
The Poet of Great Love's smiling eyes showed considerable satisfaction.
"Different people can be divided into somatic, auditory, and visual types. You are a visual type—you only believe the facts you see with your own eyes. You even insist on seeing other people's dreams in person, unable to set your mind at ease without witnessing them firsthand. You harbored strong wariness toward me, but now you should be able to see that I pose no threat to you."
"You...!"
Selena was just about to retort when the reminder brought the person's dreamscape back to mind.
For someone who harbored such a wonderful vision, their words and deeds truly showed not the slightest discrepancy.
Because the phantasm materialized by [Gentle Land of the Fallen] could never lie.
"..."
She was rendered speechless.
Seeing Selena's agitated state calm down a bit once more,
the Poet of Great Love continued:
"Generally, someone who wants to help you would first ask about your troubles, your family circumstances, or your past. That is how communication usually works, and it is indeed a valid approach... But I will not pry into your past, your experiences, or your background. I only wish to know what you are thinking right now. Because right now, there is only the present you. And the present you is seriously pondering what true happiness is."
"..."
Selena could not answer the question posed by the black-haired, green-eyed girl before her.
No matter how hard she thought, she could arrive at no conclusion.
Yet now, she found herself yearning to know the answer, unwilling to continue being a self-deceiving wretch.
Cowering in fear at the edge of the floor tiles, not daring to step onto any other, she was the very picture of someone whose scars had been laid completely bare.
"Your posture has leaned forward a bit; you're more relaxed than you were just now,"
the Poet of Great Love said suddenly while Selena was deep in thought.
"You seem to be protecting yourself. Were you actually afraid of me?"
"..."
Selena wanted to speak, yet had no idea how to express herself, or whether the other person would believe someone like her who had been full of malice from the very beginning.
"An impulse to hurt others without reason is, in truth, also a protective mechanism,"
the Poet of Great Love nodded with deep understanding.
"Yet, do you think I would subject you to violence?"
"..."
Selena looked at the girl. Her snow-white skin and bright eyes felt like the only light in this deep-level prison.
She felt incapable of looking straight into such radiance.
"Look at that, your head is down again, just like a child throwing a tantrum on purpose,"
the Poet of Great Love said with a chuckle in her voice.
"Even so, you are still able to listen to what I have to say. Wonderful,"
she encouraged.
"I..."
Selena drew in a breath. She could not comprehend why a strange warmth welled up in her chest. She wanted to speak with this person, wanted to ask questions, to understand the roots of the dilemmas that had troubled her for so long. She wanted to hear her speak, to continue being treated with such tenderness.
And yet.
"Pardon me, our time is up. I must attend to my work."
The Poet of Great Love raised her hand and gracefully pressed down against the floor, rising to her feet.
"Wait..."
Selena reached out a hand, not daring to actually touch the Poet of Great Love. She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
The other party had not exploited the Gentle Land of the Fallen to harm or conquer her. Instead, she had chosen to engage in a conversation that tore down the old to build the new—rejecting the Selena of the past while validating the Selena of the present.
For reasons she could not explain, Selena wanted to go on listening and expressing herself; perhaps only in this way could she feel a sense of purpose in her life.
"Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from two to five in the afternoon, I am at the Redmond Building in the Protos Royal Magic Academy, open to conversation with any member of the academy staff. If you still wish to speak with me, please make an appointment in advance,"
the black-haired, green-eyed figure said to Selena.
"Will you truly wait for me?"
Selena asked, her voice hoarse.
"If you are willing to come teach at the academy, perhaps you could converse with me at many other times,"
the Poet of Great Love replied with a faint smile.
Her eyes seemed to say: *I believe that with your qualifications, the academy would never refuse you, for you possess irreplaceable talent and worth.*
"Be careful when you go to Basement Level 5. Do not activate the Great Demon Trial, or you will encounter a Tier 8 enemy."
Selena hesitated for a while before finally rising from the floor. Having delivered those concise words, she turned and left, preparing to return to her office to begin her work.
As for her evaluation of these few prison guards, there was no longer any suspense.
Selena pressed her lips together and gave no reply regarding the teaching offer.
Yet she could not shake the feeling that only at the Protos Royal Magic Academy would she be able to see this person's true face.
Chapter 407