"Don't rush." Shiller lit another cigarette from his suit pocket, then offered one to Morpheus. Morpheus didn't take it with a stern look on his face, but Shiller didn't mind.
"He came to you looking for an answer, but not I, I don't need pleasant dreams." Shiller looked at Morpheus, his gaze sent a chill down Morpheus' spine. Soon, Morpheus realized this wasn't an illusion.
"You see, Constantine once told me about his encounter with you. From what I heard, you have followers, right?"
Morpheus grunted in annoyance, but he didn't refute it. Seeing Shiller staring at him, he could only say, "Managing dreams is challenging. Everyone has different quotas of good dreams and nightmares, with varying combinations of elements in their dreams. I need some help to manage these."
"Although humans aren't the most industrious, you understand dreams the best and are quite flexible in thinking. That's why I indeed have a few human followers. What are you getting at?"
"Morpheus, I deeply understand the extent of your divine power and authority. But a handful of human followers don't seem to match your exalted status."
"As far as I know, your siblings have a lot more followers than you do. I've heard from Constantine that human souls and faith have special significance for all gods…"
"I've been studying human consciousness space and dreams for many years. I'm fully aware of the vastness of the Dreamworld, an unknowable realm that has caught the curiosity of countless humans. I believe your great achievements should be better disseminated..."
Increasingly feeling something was off, Morpheus backed away warily and said to Shiller, "…What do you intend to do???"
"There's a specialization in every profession. To develop a faith, you need plenty of followers, and for that, you need missionaries. For the most effective propagation, you need someone to organize them... Perhaps… do you need a professional Pope?"
"I don't need…"
"Hear me out first. I suspect that you're thinking, as soon as we leave, you would hand this mess to some wretch, then you'd be free."
"But, when I last inquired about Fate and didn't receive an answer, I planned to find a doorbell to see if I could knock on the door of Fate after leaving here."
"Oh, by the way, after certain incidents, I've been deeply contemplating Death. It is a fascinating mystery to me, and I'm very much hoping to have a conversation with Death…"
Morpheus' expression darkened further. He looked at Shiller and asked, "Are you threatening me?"
"Of course not. I'm merely describing a situation that might occur."
"You might not realise then, what you humans are to us. You are as insignificant as dust. Your lives and deaths are but a fleeting thought to the Endless Family."
"Oh really? Then why don't you persuade Fate to list my name in his book?"
That left Morpheus speechless. Shiller dropped his smile and looked intently at Morpheus as he earnestly said, "I remember when we last met, you said every member of the Endless Family must pay the price for their great divinity."
"Death pays the price of witnessing every death, and perhaps your price is that you will never truly know if you truly exist or are just a dream."
"You want to renounce your divine authority as the god of dreams and hand over the Kingdom of Dreams to someone else. One day, if you find yourself not truly existing, or not needing to exist, then, like every dream that ends, you'll disappear completely."
Shiller's words were not a scare, because in the comic, Morpheus did commit suicide.
In the comic "Sandman," when Morpheus decided no longer to be the master of the Kingdom of Dreams, he allowed the three witches to slay him. Another member of the Endless Family, Death, took him away. When the god representing dreams chose death, it meant the dream had awoken.
Like all dreams, when the dream shattered and people awakened back to reality, that dream would disappear forever. There can never be the same dream twice in this world.
Perhaps, this is the price Morpheus had to pay for his power, all dreams eventually end.
However, Shiller has a way to make a dream never end because, in his consciousness space, the dreamer and manipulator of the real world are not the same personality. Meaning, he had countless endless dreams.
"I remember, when we first met, you said you had never seen that high tower in anyone's Dreamworld."
"Since you're planning to give up your job now, why not reserve a room with a beautiful view and excellent conditions for your retirement trip in advance?"
Morpheus opened his mouth in shock. He hadn't expected that Shiller came to discuss this, but he wasn't stupid, he asked: "… And who would be making me give up on my job now?"
Constantine kept his head down, busy examining the flowers and plants at his feet, while Shiller was looking up, counting the clouds in the sky.
Morpheus sighed. He had to admit that he wanted to let go of the Kingdom of Dreams and find a new master for this place. And it wasn't entirely because Shiller came here to cause trouble.
Of the Entire Family, he was a god with a strong representation of humanity. Since he was not entirely a conceptual rule, he was also susceptible to various influences. Due to managing diverse human dreams in the dream realm, he was inevitably affected more or less.
"Perhaps, I should tell you something. This should make you feel a bit more balanced." Morpheus said rather helplessly, "It's not only you two who don't have pleasant dreams, but also me."
"From the day I was born, I've been facing endless work. This long, endless lifestyle cannot be described as a pleasant dream. If this continues, I will be unable to give others pleasant dreams."
As the master of the Dreamworld, Morpheus had nearly infinite power. He was the dream, and the dream was him. However, if he had issues, the dreams of every creature in the cosmos would be affected.
Once he began to feel tired of the unending work, the source of pleasant dreams started to dry up. If this continued, all creatures would be left with only nightmares.
So, when he realized that he no longer had any passion for his work, he knew it was time to retire.
Shiller's act of ringing the doorbell and charging in with his ship only accelerated the pace of Morpheus' retirement. But even without him, Morpheus would eventually give up the Kingdom of Dreams and return to the embrace of death, just like in the comics.
When Morpheus seemed to waver, Shiller quickly sensed it and said:
"In fact, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision for me to be here and apply."
"I am an experienced Pope. If you don't believe me, I invite you to enter my dreams. The gods whom I worshipped, they will confirm what I say…"