Professor Harley, the seasoned mage, was greatly fascinated by the construction of this mental space. He began excitedly describing his observations to General Manager Litt.
"This place feels like a dream, but it's not. It's a unique mental world where everyone enters in a fully conscious state, perfectly avoiding the domains of the gods who govern dreams."
There was no need to endure bizarre dreamscapes, no risk of falling into an endless void, and no confrontation with one's deepest fears.
The gods who ruled over dreams wouldn't be able to extract any dream value from those gathered here.
"I've already checked my mental state. Transformation magic is truly remarkable. Even in sleep, I can access my mind. And guess what? I'm in the same state as I would be during regular sleep. Do you know what that means?"
"It means I could stay here all day and return to the real world just as refreshed."
"This could be revolutionary for insomniacs. Imagine being able to rest without actually losing any sleep."
As for whether the dream gods would be upset about this? Probably not. After all, the number of people entering this space was insignificant compared to the vast number of dreamers across the Allworlds.
There were plenty of insomniacs, and the dream gods had never made a fuss over them.
And Harley wasn't the only one intrigued. Clerics from various churches were already analyzing the structure of this mental space, noting how different it was from the usual mental traps created through spells.
Suddenly, a burst of light on the stage drew gasps from the crowd, capturing everyone's attention, including Litt and Harley.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Morning Wind Metropolis, esteemed colleagues from various churches, hardworking factory workers, and honored patrons of the taverns. Welcome."
Maya stood on the empty stage, and whispers spread through the audience.
"That light... W-Was it from a God?"
"Maybe it was..."
"What other explanation do you have?"
The beautiful vampire maiden always left an impression. Vampires were a rare race in this world, having originated from the Earth. The Gray World had no native vampires.
Not to mention that Maya was a mutant, a rarity even among her own kind.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope to take a bit of your time tonight to speak about our Lord and Savior—the God of Fiction."
As Maya's opening statement concluded, a heavy darkness enveloped the stage. Then, like a spotlight being turned on, a circular beam of light illuminated the center, where a "God" materialized.
Wearing a tall top hat, draped in a white feathered cloak, with colorful jellybeans orbiting him, the figure appeared like a sketched-out character, his movements comical and distorted.
"Nice to meet you everyone..."
"I.Am.God of Fiction..."
"From a distant dream and imagination of your fantasies..."
"The resonance of this mental space brings us together, and the sacred connection of F2 binds us all."
"This connection won't impact anyone's mind in any harmful way because everything here is 'fictional.'"
Even the dream itself is a secondary creation based on surface-level dreaming—though we dwell in a realm of dreams, it was still a fictional world, teetering on the edge between waking and sleeping.
The sacred connection, F2?
No one in the audience had a clue what that meant, but they didn't ask. They figured it would be explained during the presentation.
Many businesspeople introduced odd terms and concepts before showcasing their products, all to grab the attention of investors and the public.
"Gods can indeed do incredible things, but this... this looks a lot like transformation magic," Litt muttered to himself.
Harley, however, laughed.
"Transformation magic is endlessly versatile. In our Falling Star World, even mages who only know how to cast fireballs are working as manual laborers in magical workshops."
"But while this seems similar to transformation magic, it's not quite the same."
At that moment, the God of Fiction nodded toward Maya, and with a wave of her hand, various advertisements began to appear. They materialized like holograms, surrounding each audience member but remaining distinct, never chaotic.
They looked like products brought to life by transformation magic.
Litt recognized many of the items—those were the sponsors' products.
"Is this a variant of the transfiguration spell?"
This particular spell, often used during one-day promotions, transformed illustrations and text into interactive, real-world objects.
However, Professor Harley's expression suddenly changed drastically.
He stared at one of the products in his hands in shock, turning it over and over before finally taking it apart entirely.
"The texture... the realism... the level of interaction… This isn't transfiguration."
Transfiguration magic created temporary interactive objects with clear limitations. When dismantled, these objects would reveal themselves to be nothing more than lumps of magical energy, wrapped in a bit of colored illusion. They were merely magical simulations of real objects, designed for basic interaction.
'But these products? They are beyond what transfiguration can do.'
They weren't imitations of matter made from magical energy. Nor were they mental projections. They were practically indistinguishable from real-world items! As long as they remained in this space, they were as real as reality itself.
Professor Harley immediately recalled the time he entered the arcade machine.
In the pixelated world inside, everything was also real and tangible.
'f a true creator exists in this universe, then the God of Fiction could very well be called the Creator of Fictional Creations,' thought Harley. And in the same moment, another thought struck him—'This is the pinnacle of transformation magic.'
General Manager Litt also realized what a huge selling point this was.
When it comes to selling a product, a few key factors are critical.
The company's promotion of the product, the customers' perception of the product, and most importantly, the quality of the product itself.
Often, when customers are strapped for cash, they will compare several products, but in the end, they will still be unsure which one best suits their needs or whether the product is of good quality.
They would waste time and energy in the process, while businesses invested more money into marketing to attract them.
Traditional product or service design often excluded the customer from the process, treating them merely as passive recipients. Companies decided how the product would be designed or improved without considering the customer's input.
Litt was restless inside by extrapolating all the complications this idea can bring.