Gathering Place of Consciousness: Zigui's Bold Declaration

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The Principle of Dimensional Trade – No Ads
Chapter 143: The Bold Claims of the Collective Consciousness Subordinate
“The collective consciousness is the manifestation of the will of countless desires.” This was the first time Wood had heard such a term. For a moment, he stood there dumbfounded, unable to grasp its meaning.
Crystal, striving to recall the master’s explanation, said, “When people believe in the existence of a certain world, that world materializes within time and space, becoming one of the countless micro-worlds. In these worlds, characters, skills, equipment, and items all manifest in detail, along with their own histories.”
“However, not everything people imagine manifests as a micro-world. It requires the concentrated willpower of many minds. Only this collective will can create a micro-world… Hmm, my master once said that among the three planes, only a very few beings possess imagination and can create fantasy worlds on certain carriers that are accepted by people. Then, the will of these people can gather, creating a micro-world.”
Hearing this, Wood suddenly understood. No wonder there are such incredible worlds like ‘Dragon Ball’ and ‘Saint Seiya.’ He remembered that when he was in elementary school, these comics were immensely popular, with countless fans worldwide. The anime and games adapted from these franchises were innumerable.
“I recall my master once said that those capable of creating micro-worlds are called ‘Fantasy Makers’!” Crystal pondered. “I suppose, sir, you come from a world of fantasy.”
Wood sighed, “I never imagined that the collective will could create worlds. It seems the so-called gods of creation might not possess divine powers at all. Perhaps they could be ordinary people whose stories, written or drawn, were accepted by the majority.”
Crystal smiled, “Mortal faith can bestow divine power. How could the power of desire not create worlds?”
As Wood processed this revelation about desire creating worlds, the scenery before him suddenly shifted. The voices of Subordinate Valley Wind, Baldy, and Rudao Xuan echoed in his ears alongside Crystal’s words:
“Mr. Wood, remember your promise. I’ll ask you to enter the Dragon Ball world at the right time.”
“You arrived before us, but your appearance was slower than ours…”
Just as Wood steadied his mind, Rudao Xuan said, “It must have been that spirit who left you behind alone, right?”
Knowing Rudao Xuan wouldn’t be fooled, Wood relayed Crystal’s request and her explanation of this world.
“A world shaped by the power of desire. How fascinating!” Rudao Xuan paused, then said, “The Dragon Ball world actually contains such a formidable force?”
Wood nodded, “The world of Saint Seiya has gods. In comparison, the Dragon Ball world’s Dragon Balls aren’t that unreasonable.”
“Hey, Wood, since you requested entry into this world, do you know where we are?”
As the light curtain vanished, Wood and the others found themselves on a bustling street, yet the crowded people seemed oblivious to their sudden appearance.
“This should be Tokyo. I’m not sure what stage the time flow of the King of Fighters world has reached,” Wood said. He then approached a newsstand and picked up a newspaper to check the date.
Thanks to a universal language recognition pill, he could even read Japanese. It seemed languages from various worlds wouldn’t be a problem.
Just as Wood was feeling relieved, a huge headline caught his eye: KOF ’97 Tournament…

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Wood glanced over the paper. It roughly stated that although KOF ’96 ended amid unforeseen events, it was a tremendous commercial success. It sparked a global fighting frenzy, with enthusiasts worldwide clamoring for another tournament. Now, major international corporations had pledged support for the KOF ’97 tournament. Fighters had gathered at the venue, eager to compete. The excitement was immense.
“1997… Oh no, that’s when Orochi appeared!” Wood groaned to the group. “Orochi is probably the strongest in this world. I can’t gauge his exact power level. Best if we avoid him.”
“Sir, you haven’t paid yet!” The newsstand owner called out as Wood picked up the paper and started chatting, then turned to leave.
Wood smiled awkwardly and reached for his wallet, only to realize he had no yen. He had no Japanese currency at all. Frustrated, he put the paper down and sighed, “In a material world like this, no matter how powerful you are, without money you can’t get anywhere.”
“No worries, I have this…” Baldy pulled out a gold bar and tossed it over. “I remember you said this is hard currency on Earth. It should work here too!”
Wood slapped his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that!”
Rudao Xuan said calmly, “Baldy, go exchange some local currency. Wood, let’s find a place to sit. You can fill us in on this world’s situation, then we can plan our next move.”
Valley Wind nodded, “Yeah, none of us are familiar with this world. We don’t even know who Orochi really is!”
Wood suddenly recalled that although he knew the King of Fighters game well, Subordinate Valley Wind, Baldy, and Rudao Xuan did not. They looked around and found a café to settle in. Baldy went off to a jewelry shop to exchange the gold bar for yen.
Crystal, rather irresponsibly, hadn’t told Wood where exactly they appeared. Judging by the crowd, it seemed to be a busy part of Tokyo. Asking a waiter casually, they confirmed it was Ginza, the city center.
After half an hour, Baldy returned with a small box, placing it before them. “Ten thousand yen exchanged. That should be enough, right?”
Wood said, “I don’t know Tokyo’s gold prices, but judging by your size, no one dares to rip you off… Let’s talk about this world’s situation…” He then summarized what he knew. “In short, all these fighters possess extraordinary skills. Especially Kusanagi, Yagami, and Kagura, the three greatest masters of the era. Each holds one of the three sacred treasures: the Kusanagi Sword, the Yata Mirror, and the Yasakani Jewel. These artifacts can seal Orochi. But I can’t gauge Orochi’s strength. We should avoid confronting him directly.”
Subordinate said confidently, “If a few mortals can handle him, surely we can take him down too!”
Wood frowned, “We don’t know Kusanagi, Yagami, or Kagura’s true power. But they don’t seal Orochi through their own strength alone—it’s the artifacts. So don’t underestimate Orochi!”
Rudao Xuan suddenly asked, “What exactly is Orochi?”
Wood paused, recalling game lore. Slowly, he explained, “Orochi, also called Yamata no Orochi, is a creature from Japanese mythology slain by Susanoo. In the game, Orochi is portrayed as a willful entity that feeds on human negative emotions—hatred, jealousy, resentment—to grow stronger, sowing chaos. Its ultimate goal is annihilation, to bring everything to nothing.”
Rudao Xuan furrowed his brows, urging Wood to continue.

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Wood thought for a moment and said, “Orochi doesn’t have a fixed physical form. It exists like a ‘spirit.’ When it materializes, it must possess a human body. For example, in King of Fighters ’97, which is the era we’re currently in, Orochi was revived through Chris, one of the Orochi’s Eight Heads. Eventually, Kusanagi, Yagami, and Kagura sealed it using the power of the three sacred treasures.”
“Oh… so that’s the story!” After Wood finished, Rudao Xuan sat quietly, sipping coffee. After over half an hour, he said, “Then let’s do this… we’ll form a team and enter the King of Fighters tournament.”
Before Rudao Xuan finished, Subordinate interrupted, “Let me make it clear: I refuse to be involved in any crude, pointless fighting. Besides, you all know my strength. If you need someone to sacrifice their pride and gather intel, then I’m your man!”
“A three-person team: Wood, Baldy, and Valley Wind will sign up,” Rudao Xuan said coolly. “Next, let’s go meet Kagura.”
Wood blinked, “Why not meet Kusanagi and Yagami first?”
Rudao Xuan replied, “You said those two are reclusive and focused on training. Kagura should be easier to approach.” He paused, then added, “Wood, I don’t think you’ve clearly decided what you want from this world—skills? Artifacts?”
Wood nodded, “Heh, I did think about what benefits to gain here… but this world doesn’t seem to have much of value, except those three sacred treasures. But those are essential for sealing Orochi.”
“Taking them would mean this world’s destruction by Orochi, right?”
“You can’t take world-rooted items, of course. But this world still has its advantages… skills! Orochi’s skills should be top-tier.”
Wood was stunned. He hadn’t expected Rudao Xuan to set his sights on Orochi. But then he recalled something: “Speaking of skills, Orochi has a move called ‘Return to Nothingness,’ which is almost identical to Baldy’s ‘Divine Punishment Light.’ He also has a move called ‘Soul Extraction,’ just like Baldy’s. That’s… strange.”
“Not strange at all!” Rudao Xuan pushed up his glasses. “This world was originally a mission world. Many skill cards in the Dimensional Trade Space come from here. And I’ve been here before!”
“Ah?…” Wood was puzzled. “If you’ve been here, why ask so many questions?”
“Many have come here. Not only does the Great Dimensional Trade Space connect here, but other planes do too. However, no one knew this world was shaped by collective will… And it’s one of the main sources of skill cards in the trade space. Baldy’s two major skills originally came from skill cards dropped by Orochi.”
“Ah! Orochi was defeated and dropped them? Who could be so strong? But Orochi’s skills can’t be that weak!” Wood wanted to say Baldy’s skills didn’t seem very powerful.
“I know why!” Baldy took over. “The person who sold me the skill cards said these skills require a certain bloodline to unleash their full power.”
Rudao Xuan nodded, “Exactly. Without Orochi’s bloodline, ‘Divine Punishment Light’ and ‘Soul Extraction’ are at best below A-rank. But with Orochi’s blood, they could reach at least S-rank, maybe even SS-rank!”
“SS-rank…” Subordinate suddenly stood up. “Damn it, let’s take him down. Strip him, drain his blood… Hey, brothers, you ready?”