Galaxy Youth: On my way.
Ice Girl: You lied to me again :(
Ice Girl: I just got in touch with Himeko and Uncle Yang. Everyone ended up in different dreamscapes.
Ice Girl: I'm in the Moment of Gold! I'm getting ready to check out the auction.
Galaxy Youth: Do you have money? Don't end up getting yourself pawned off there.
Ice Girl: Can't I look around even if I don't have money? Meeting up again would be a hassle too. We might as well split up.
Ice Girl: Are you in the Moment of Gold? I heard the dream shop there is famous. Check in for me, okay? If it's fun, I'll head your way next!
Caelus closed his chat window with March 7th and opened the one with Acheron. He had learned a little about the characteristics of the dreamscapes. There were twelve different dreamscapes in total, and guests were randomly sent into one upon entering. The place he had arrived in seemed to be the liveliest one. He had no idea where Acheron had been sent.
Galaxy Youth: Acheron, which dreamscape are you in?
Acheron: I don't know.
Galaxy Youth: Is there a signpost near you?
Acheron: I don't know.
Galaxy Youth: Then let's do our own thing for now. We'll meet up if we run into trouble.
Acheron: Okay.
Galaxy Youth: Without me around, make sure you actually have fun. I'm worried you won't even know how to have fun. You're just that worrying.
Acheron: Mm.
Caelus put away his phone helplessly. Talking to her felt like talking to a robot; he almost wanted to transfer to a human agent. Still, he knew Acheron was simply cold on the outside and warm on the inside. At the very least, when he held her while sleeping, she was soft, warm, and smelled nice.
Since his companions had all gone off to have fun on their own, Caelus began his own dreamscape journey. This was the most luxurious shopping district in the dreamscape. Some might ask: what was the point of buying things in a dream?
Of course there was a point. The luxury cars and mansions in the dream belonged to individuals. Anything purchased could still be inherited the next time they came here. Gamers would be very familiar with the concept—it was a save file. Buying things here was basically like topping up in a game. Credits were still hard currency, and aside from being more expensive, everything in the dreamscape functioned exactly like it did in reality.
Naturally, Caelus had brought along the credit card Asta had given him. While wandering the streets, he encountered many advertising billboards hawking merchandise—the kind with legs that ran over to pitch products themselves. Caelus had found them strange at first, but then he remembered he was already dreaming. Wasn't it perfectly normal for bizarre things like this to exist?
So Caelus gave those billboards plenty of face. Whenever one came to him, he went into the store and bought something. One for himself, one for Acheron, one for March 7th, one for Himeko, one for Welt, Dan Heng, Pom-Pom, and everyone else he knew—wives, girlfriends, crushes, future marriage partners. He prepared one for everyone, then bought another ten to take home and collect.
Caelus's behavior perfectly embodied the image of a nouveau riche. The shops here had seen rich people buy things before, but someone buying so many copies at once was rare. After all, none of these dream items could be taken outside.
Caelus could not be bothered to care whether they could be taken out or not. Buying meant he did not lose out; not buying was what counted as a loss. As he walked, he arrived at a plaza. A giant eyeball was embedded in one of its walls. Curious on his first visit here, Caelus went over to take a look. It was labeled the Dreamscape Shop, apparently the place March 7th had mentioned.
"Welcome to the Dreamscape Shop, Trailblazer of the Star Rail Express!"
The giant eyeball rotated downward and spoke to Caelus, who was tiny compared to its main body.
"You know me?"
Caelus asked doubtfully. This was his first time meeting the giant eyeball, yet it had accurately identified him. That surprised him.
"I know everyone who enters the dreamscape. Otherwise, I would be unable to select dream bubbles you enjoy. You may call me Doctor Edward. I am delighted to be of service!"
Doctor Edward replied evenly. As a doctor, it possessed excellent psychological resilience. It usually brought joy to dreamscape guests and enjoyed their gratitude.
"You can experience all sorts of novel and fascinating dreamscapes here, from productions by Clock Studios to private donations. We have everything!"
"If I am not mistaken, this is your first visit to Penacony, correct?"
"Rest assured. Doctor Edward will offer you the most attentive assistance, helping you choose your first dreamscape so you can fully enjoy an audio-visual feast available only in dreams—"
Doctor Edward spoke eloquently, but before it could finish, Caelus had already made his request.
"I want to have~ children with Robin."
"?"
A tiny trace of confusion appeared in Doctor Edward's huge eyeball. If it had hands, it would probably have been scratching its head right then.
"Didn't you say you have everything? I want to experience having children with Robin," Caelus said seriously.
"No, dear guest, please calm down..."
"I. Want. Robin!"
Caelus grabbed both sides of the eyeball and forced it to look at him, shouting each word distinctly.
"I... we aren't that kind of shop."
Doctor Edward spun its eyeball repeatedly, conveying a shake of the head. It truly could not fulfill such a filthy request.
"Then why did you say you have everything?" Caelus demanded unhappily.
"But I..."
Doctor Edward hesitated.
"So you're bullying customers because you're a big store, huh?"
"But you yourself..."
"I'm going to post a video exposing you."
"Don't, please don't. Let me think of something."
Seeing Caelus take out his phone and prepare to expose it, Doctor Edward immediately begged in a low voice. It was sweating profusely now. It was not afraid of being exposed—it was afraid Caelus would drag it down with him. Caelus's request had been repeatedly dancing along the line of morality. If he threw this dirty water at Doctor Edward, people would inevitably think it could fulfill such requests. Whether it was true or not, its reputation would be ruined. Most people only wanted to see Doctor Edward suffer; they did not care about the truth.
"Three seconds. I'll let you experience three seconds of a dream bubble with Miss Robin."
Doctor Edward's tone was no longer as proud as before. It looked as though it had swallowed a fly and just wanted to get Caelus out of there as quickly as possible.
"That's not even enough time to take off clothes. Who are you looking down on?"
Caelus said arrogantly with his hands on his hips. If Doctor Edward had hands and feet, it would definitely have jumped up and punched him. This person was truly awful.
"We really aren't that kind of shop. We run a respectable business, and making something like this for you is already crossing the line. If Mr. Sunday finds out, I'm afraid I won't even leave a corpse behind."
Doctor Edward was sweating buckets now. If it had been any woman other than Robin, Doctor Edward could have closed its eyes and pretended not to see. But it had to be Robin—Sunday's precious treasure. Even creating an illusion of her in a dream would probably get Doctor Edward hacked from Penacony all the way to Amphoreus by Sunday.
Firefly
"What a bore. Fine, three seconds it is."
Caelus reluctantly accepted Doctor Edward's terms. The giant eyeball secretly swore that it would never again claim to have everything. Heaven knew what sins it had committed to encounter such a Nameless One.
A round bubble emerged from Doctor Edward's eyeball. Caelus raised a hand and touched it. His vision immediately blurred, as if he were experiencing a dream. Dreaming within a dream—how could he dream something like this?
A lovely Robin stood before Caelus. If he had not known beforehand, he definitely would not have been able to tell this was a fake illusion. So he stepped forward. At two seconds on the countdown, he hugged Robin. At one and a half seconds, he lowered his head and kissed her. The moment Robin's lips were kissed, her eyes widened. The two wings beneath her ears instinctively spread and fluttered twice. Though the instant felt long to his senses, Caelus exited the dreamscape after one and a half seconds.
"Didn't get a taste."
Caelus licked his lips. Sweet and fragrant—those were his only impressions. Though it was a dream, Penacony's special nature made every sensation in it real. It was completely unlike the hazy, muddled feeling of dreaming in the outside world.
"Please keep this matter confidential. Otherwise, neither of us will survive."
Doctor Edward closed its eye, looking as though it did not want to see Caelus at all. So this was what Nameless Ones were like. It would not greet them again in the future.
"No problem. Next time, I'll bring Robin here to experience it with me."
Caelus spoke blissfully. Even though the kiss had happened in a dream, Robin's first kiss was undoubtedly his now. Who else in this world could kiss Robin right under Uncle's nose?
"Please get lost."
Doctor Edward said irritably. Caelus obediently got lost, then sent March 7th a review saying the store bullied its customers.
Caelus walked farther down the road. By chance, he glanced toward the roadside and saw a beautiful girl being surrounded and harassed. She wore a white-and-green dress, with black coverings over her legs and chest. Her slightly curled hair faded from silver into green, becoming greener lower down until the tips were entirely green.
"What a beautiful girl."
Caelus voiced his evaluation. He was still deciding whether to play the hero and save the beauty when the girl glanced his way. After their eyes met, a friendly smile appeared on her face. She bypassed the man and woman harassing her and ran straight toward Caelus.
"Excuse me, please help me."
The silver-haired girl looked at Caelus with pitiful eyes. Her eyes were as beautiful as a starry sky, adorned with tiny glimmers of brilliance. Under that gaze, Caelus practically forgot his own name.
"Protecting a beautiful girl is my duty!"
Caelus felt strength fill his entire body. He immediately drew his lance and rushed forward, sending a man in a black suit flying. The black-suited woman beside him was dumbfounded. This was the first time they had seen someone pull out a weapon and start fighting without a word. Ordinary people should at least ask what was going on before deciding whether to make trouble. This was Penacony—his actions showed absolutely no respect for the Family.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
Just as Caelus was about to commit violence in the street, a steady voice rang out. He saw a middle-aged man approach from ahead, and he stopped attacking.
"What kind of job are you doing? Is this young lady really the stowaway we're looking for?"
The newcomer immediately reprimanded the two Family members. They looked at each other. The man who had been attacked by Caelus hurriedly began apologizing.
"This must be the security officer the Family sent to oversee the Grand Gala. We're very sorry."
The male member's words enlightened the female member beside him, and she immediately explained the situation.
"Reporting, sir! We are apprehending a stowaway—this little girl here. She's extremely suspicious. It has to be her!"
The female member pointed at the silver-haired girl beside Caelus. Caelus shielded her behind him, and his lance had already begun to blaze. He had no idea how the weapon had gotten in, but that was not something he needed to care about right now.
"Bullshit! The eyewitness report said it was someone silver-colored, and you found me a silver-haired girl? Could such a cute girl be a stowaway?"
The security officer roared. The two Family members immediately shut up, not daring to speak, because they did not know who they were supposed to capture. They could only grab every target that fit the criteria.
"Enough. Get lost. I'll handle this."
The security officer waved a hand. The two Family members fled in relief, while he turned to Caelus and the silver-haired girl.
"My apologies. I am Gallagher of the Hound Family Line. Those fools are puppies under my care."
Gallagher gave a brief introduction. Caelus did not understand anything about the Hound Family Line. He was merely here for tourism and had no interest in learning about the local factions.
"On behalf of the Hound Family Line, I offer my sincere apologies to you both."
Gallagher apologized to Caelus, and the matter was considered settled. Caelus had suffered no loss, while the Family members had gotten beaten up instead. This was already a very good outcome.
"What is a stowaway?" Caelus asked curiously.
"Someone who enters the dreamscape through special means. As you know, a ticket to Penacony is not cheap."
Gallagher did not elaborate. Caelus roughly understood what he meant. Perhaps dream pools were not found only in hotels, but he had no interest in it.
"I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving. If you need anything, contact me through a nearby puppy. I hope you enjoy this beautiful dream."
Gallagher left after saying that, even leaving behind his contact information. Caelus found that somewhat interesting. He had just arrived in the dreamscape and already met someone who could offer help. If he encountered trouble later, he would have someone to call.
"Thank you for helping me just now! Otherwise, I might really have been... taken away."
Once she was alone with Caelus, the silver-haired girl looked at him with kind eyes and spoke. Her voice was lovely, and she was adorable too—completely comparable to Caelus's wives.
"Saving a beauty is cliché, but it never gets old. Did you fall for me?"
Caelus put away his lance with a smile and extended his right hand toward the silver-haired girl. She smiled and shook his hand. There was no awkwardness in their contact, as though she had long known what kind of person Caelus was.
"Hehe, you're really interesting. Just as expected of a Nameless One."
The silver-haired girl's next words surprised Caelus. Since arriving in the dreamscape, two people had already recognized him as a Nameless One.
"How did you know I was a Nameless One?" Caelus asked doubtfully.
"Because I admire the stories of the Nameless Ones a little, I suppose. Actually, I recognized the ticket on your clothes."
The silver-haired girl pointed to the ticket on Caelus's collar. Only then did he remember that every Nameless One carried such a thing. No wonder he had been recognized.
"I forgot about that identity marker."
"You were invited by the Family, right? I can be your guide."
The silver-haired girl seemed to know some things about the Nameless Ones. She was certain Caelus had come by invitation and proactively offered to accompany him.
"Huh, so proactive?"
Caelus had imagined how the hero-saving-the-beauty script might unfold, but when things really developed exactly as he imagined, he began to feel a little PTSD. The script felt so familiar. Hadn't this happened when he first arrived at the Xianzhou too?
"Though I was mistaken for a stowaway, I'm actually a local. I'm Firefly, an artist of the Iris Family Line—at your service."
Firefly said with a smile. Looking at the lively smile on her face, Caelus felt that his luck was finally turning around. He had met such a cute girl to be his guide right away. Coming to Penacony for a vacation had truly been the right choice.
PS: Please bookmark, recommend, and send monthly tickets.
Scared of Being Set Up by Bad Women
"When I don't have performances, I also take on reception work around Glaraux Avenue. If you don't mind, I can show you all kinds of fun things! If I work hard enough, maybe I won't be investigated..."
Firefly said proactively. Caelus felt this was probably her job. Though she called herself an artist, she seemed more like a temporary worker.
"You're a member of the Family?" Caelus asked curiously.
"Me? No, I'm not... I'm not a member of the Family yet. I only work for them."
Before you continue