Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

Firefly didn't seem to care about her status as a temporary worker. The Family's influence was so vast; not everyone could become a member. Caelus, on the other hand, thought the Family was blind. How could such a beautiful girl like Firefly only be a temporary worker? Even if she wasn't on par with Robin, she had her own unique charm. Caelus decided he wanted both.

"Let's not talk about that. I'll take you on a tour. This way."

Firefly waved at Caelus and led the way onto the main street. She suddenly seemed much livelier. As Caelus watched her back, he noticed a flower-shaped lantern hanging from her lower back. Inside the lantern was a glowing object. Now he understood why she was called Firefly.

"You introduced yourself, why didn't you ask my name?"

Caelus caught up to Firefly and walked beside her, asking. He currently only had the identity of a Nameless, but Firefly didn't ask for specific details.

"This, this is because..."

Firefly's expression became flustered. She looked at Caelus, wanting to explain, but unsure how to find a reasonable excuse. She could only look at him with a troubled expression.

"You already know my name, don't you?" Caelus continued.

"Yes, yes, I actually know you."

Firefly felt it was better to be direct than to force an explanation. She nodded, agreeing with Caelus's statement, but didn't say where she knew him from.

"Although my question might be a bit rude, will you later tell me that you admire the Star Rail Express and want to join, but can't find a way, so you become my dependent, then fall in love with me because I'm handsome, and after getting intimate, you become my wife? Then, when things go wrong in Penacony, you suddenly betray me, tell me you're actually an imposter, that the real Firefly isn't you, and after scamming me for money and affection, you run away."

Caelus blurted out his thoughts. Firefly just stared at him blankly. Even with her experience, she found it hard to understand why Caelus would have such an outrageous guess.

"No, no, no, why do you have such an elaborate theory? Do I look like a bad person?"

Firefly came to her senses and repeatedly shook her head. Setting aside whether she was a bad person or not, at most she'd be capable of theft or even murder, but why would she do something so excessive?

"You don't know, I've been tricked by bad women too many times."

Caelus sighed. Firefly felt a pang of sympathy for him. If this was Caelus's personal experience, it was truly unfortunate.

"Uh, is that so? Although what I say might not be very credible, I swear I will never intentionally harm you."

Firefly raised her right hand to her chest. Seeing that she was willing to make such a promise, Caelus felt his doubts ease. He couldn't be overly cautious after one bad experience, could he? If he was, he'd never find love. So, he accepted the advances of this stranger, Firefly.

"Speaking of the first stop for most people after entering a dream, it's naturally the Audi Shopping Center. The dream merchandise stores here are super famous."

Firefly led Caelus back to the plaza he had passed earlier. Doctor Edward was still embedded in the wall. Firefly didn't know if it was her imagination, but it seemed like the large eye immediately averted its gaze when it saw her.

"Besides that, there are all sorts of luxury goods, clothing, trendy toy stores, and even car dealerships. As long as you have enough Mallow Coins, you can buy anything you want."

Firefly didn't pay much attention to Doctor Edward's reaction. She pointed to the shops surrounding the plaza, introducing the concept of Mallow Coins. Caelus didn't know what they were; he had been using Credits to buy things before.

"These items can not only be circulated within the dreamscape but can also be brought back to reality through additional services. However, the sales windows at the car dealerships are temporarily closed... we'll have to wait for another opportunity to buy a car."

Firefly pointed to the luxury cars displayed near the plaza. These cars could all fly and had cool designs, making them the perfect choice for showing off wealth.

"They can be brought back to reality?"

Caelus asked in surprise. He had wondered why there were so many shops in the dreamscape. At first, he didn't think much of it, assuming they were just for saving progress, as many games he played had plenty of shops.

"Eh, you didn't know? It's explained in the Dream Handbook."

Firefly looked at Caelus in surprise. She thought he would have known all this. It was just a casual mention, but it had an unexpected effect.

"Mmm, I didn't know. If I had known, wouldn't a great guide like you have said nothing?" Caelus said with a smile.

"Heh, you're still as amusing when you talk."

Firefly smiled upon hearing Caelus's words. She had many secrets, and she knew Caelus knew she knew him beforehand, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Outside the shopping center is the plaza. Come here, I'll treat you to something delicious~"

After showing Caelus around the plaza, Firefly led him to another street. When she mentioned food, her expression brightened. She looked like an ordinary girl with a strong interest in delicious food.

"This is it! This place has most of Penacony's specialty dishes, like Clockwork Pizza, Oak Cake Rolls, Mallow Salad... and the classic Surlest! Pick whatever you like, it's on me!"

Firefly stopped at the entrance of a restaurant. She introduced the menu to Caelus like she was reciting a list, her tone gradually becoming cheerful. Caelus felt as if he were truly on a date with a beautiful girl, and his mood was excellent.

Chapter 43: A Date

"My spending level is a bit high," Caelus said truthfully.

"It, it should be fine, I still have some savings, here."

Firefly's expression was a little uncertain, but she still took out two purple Credits from her wallet and handed them to him, one worth ten thousand, for a total of twenty thousand.

To be honest, Caelus usually found these Credits too little even to polish his shoes. But the purchasing power of money was given by people, and people could also give it other value, such as emotion. These two Credits were saved by Firefly, and now she was using them to treat Caelus to delicious food. The meaning of money began to change.

"Champagne, fries, burgers, pizza, ice cream cones, oak cake rolls, I'll buy them all."

To Firefly's complete surprise, Caelus ordered twenty thousand Credits worth of food. Her savings were instantly gone. Firefly's eyes showed a hint of reluctance, but she didn't say Caelus had bought too much.

"Also, pack ten portions of all the food your store has for me. Use this to pay."

Caelus said his subsequent request to the waiter, then handed over a black card. The waiter took it, smiled, nodded, and went to the kitchen to prepare.

"Hey, didn't we agree that I was treating?"

Firefly asked in confusion when she saw Caelus paying with a credit card.

"You are treating. The items I ordered earlier were paid for with your money, and I won't give that back to you. It's just more convenient to pay by card."

Caelus folded the Credits Firefly gave him and put them in his pocket. This was Firefly's goodwill, and he certainly wouldn't refuse it.

"Is that so?"

"You treated me with your allowance, and the interpersonal relationship between us has already been established. As the saying goes, 'Courtesy demands reciprocity.' I must treat you in return, whether it's for food or for going out together, don't you agree?"

Caelus said he extended his right hand to Firefly. Firefly looked at him for a moment, then smiled and extended her hand as well. As their palms touched, a warm feeling was exchanged between them. Dreams were truly this real.

"Mhm, that's right."

Firefly agreed with what Caelus had said. She was actually looking forward to establishing this kind of connection with him, but she was a bit clumsy and didn't know how to go about it. Fortunately, Caelus was very emotionally intelligent and could guide her.

"Which one do you like?"

Caelus quickly received the food he had ordered. His hands were full of take-out boxes, which could be stored in his Dream Passport. It was like a magical little space where he could retrieve them whenever he wanted.

"Oak cake roll, my favorite! I have to eat one every day."

Firefly said without hesitation. It was clear she really loved the cake roll, otherwise, she wouldn't have added two more words of affirmation.

"Here, this is for you. I think the pizza is good."

Caelus nodded and handed the cake roll he bought to Firefly, then took a slice of pizza for himself. It tasted really good, and eating in dreams didn't make you gain weight.

"Then let's eat as we walk, hehe."

Firefly held up the cake roll in her hands, took a bite, and then said with a smile. Caelus followed her pace, and they continued to eat and chat. By the time they reached a square with a statue, they had finished their food.

"This way, this way, look."

Firefly led Caelus to the base of the statue and looked up at the black statue, which was over ten meters tall. She introduced it to him grandly.

"This statue is Penacony's most famous cartoon character—Clock Boy!"

Caelus looked up at the statue before him. He found the thing rather abstract. It had thin arms and legs but a disproportionately flat head. Its plain face was a clock dial, with the hour and minute hands on either side of its nose, which was why it was called Clock Boy.

"From Penacony's longest-running and most famous cartoon animation, it tells the adventure story of the protagonist Clock Boy and his companions living in Dream Town. It has been serialized for over ten thousand episodes!"

"But did you know? It's said that the prototype for Clock Boy was the renowned Clock Keeper."

Firefly was diligently fulfilling her role as a guide, sharing what she knew. Caelus heard the word "Clock Keeper" but had no recollection of it.

"No, I haven't heard of him."

"Just as I thought, you really don't care about Penacony at all. He was a legendary tycoon in Penacony's history, the founder of the dream world, the one who turned dreams into reality!"

Firefly explained with a smile. She wasn't belittling Caelus's knowledge but teasing him. Their relationship was gradually moving towards friendship, which was a good sign.

"Ah, now I understand. So it was him."

Caelus nodded. He only knew that a genius had transformed a prison into the Penacony of today, but he didn't know the genius's name. Now he did.

"There are many theories about the Clock Keeper's identity. Some say he never existed, while others have many speculations. But I believe he was a Nameless, your predecessor."

"Oh? Your intuition is quite good. The Star Rail Express did have a passenger who ended their journey here."

Caelus praised Firefly with a smile. He still remembered Pom-Pom's request. Even if someone told him that the Clock Keeper was a Nameless, he wouldn't care. These were the destinies the train crew would encounter, just like his and Firefly's.

"Well, because pioneering dreams sounds like pioneering, doesn't it?"

Firefly said, cupping the statue in her hands, her tone filled with longing. Caelus could tell that this girl yearned for pioneering and for free and easy travel.

"It really does. Ah-Firefly, you're truly a genius," Caelus praised again.

"What's Ah-Firefly? That nickname sounds strange."

Firefly couldn't help but smile, her eyes curving upwards upon hearing the nickname Caelus gave her. She didn't find it impolite because she had already secretly familiarized herself with Caelus's character behind his back.

"It's a nickname. You can call me Ah-Caelus too."

"I won't! It's too intimate."

Firefly raised an eyebrow slightly and stuck out her tongue playfully at Caelus, making a cute face. Although she seemed a bit clumsy, she wouldn't be easily fooled. As for what the future held, that was hard to say.

PS: Please collect, recommend, and vote for monthly tickets.

Chapter 44: I Like Harmony!

"It's a rare opportunity, why don't we take a photo with Clock Boy? Everyone else does."

Firefly pulled out a camera from somewhere and asked for Caelus's opinion. Since she had suggested it, Caelus naturally wouldn't refuse. He stood below Clock Boy and struck a peace sign with his hand.

Firefly pressed the shutter, and the photo of Caelus and Clock Boy was completed. She took out the photo and gave it to Caelus, but secretly kept a negative for herself as a souvenir.

Caelus observed the photo and noticed that it was slightly different from the real object, as if it were a spot-the-difference game. He looked up at the Clock Boy statue and found that its eyelashes could move, but they weren't in the photo. So, Caelus jumped on the spot and pulled out the moving eyelashes.

Caelus looked at the thing in his hand. It was actually a piece of paper. This paper had been stuck in the statue's joint, and now it seemed to inflate like a balloon, turning into a small bird.

"Origami Bird, thank you, chirp, come to the big tree, thank you, chirp."

The Origami Bird flapped its wings at Caelus as a thank you, then flew away flapping its wings. Caelus looked at the disappearing bird with a strange expression, unable to understand what it was.

"What's wrong? I saw you jump just now."

Firefly moved closer to Caelus, asking curiously. At this distance, Caelus could smell her faint fragrance, so he took a deep breath, memorizing the scent completely.

"You didn't see?"

"See what?"

Firefly's eyes widened curiously. Her colorful irises looked even more beautiful now. Caelus continued to explain.

"Just now, something called an Origami Bird was stuck on the statue."

"No, I didn't see anything," Firefly shook her head.

"Is this just my imagination?"

"No, this is a dream, after all. Everyone's tolerance for Memory Matter is different. Perhaps some things can only be seen by special individuals. In dreams, many things are inexplicable."

Firefly pointed to Caelus's head and explained. Caelus also thought it made sense. He wasn't an ordinary person; he was a Stellaron Hunter. Seeing strange things was normal, wasn't it?

"That's true. Instead of thinking about this, let's go shopping."

Caelus quickly forgot about the Origami Bird. Since it hadn't harmed him, it didn't matter.

Firefly smiled and led Caelus to the next viewpoint, a suspension bridge connecting two streets. Standing on the bridge and looking ahead, he could see a magnificent building floating in mid-air. From a distance, it looked familiar to Caelus; it seemed to be the same halo floating above Robin's head.

Robin wasn't human but belonged to an alien race called the Ring-Bearers. Although her appearance resembled the angels from many stories, she had nothing to do with them.

"Do you see that building in the distance? That's the famous Grand Theater, another important landmark of Penacony!"

As Caelus's guide, Firefly naturally had the obligation to introduce all the landmarks here. She pointed to the building floating in the sky and spoke of its past and present.

"Don't you think its silhouette is unique? Because in reality, it was once the central prison of Asdana. The Family renovated it in the dreamscape, transforming it into the magnificent Penacony Grand Theater it is today."

"From the moment it was built, the Grand Theater has continuously played the symphony of Harmony for the entire dream world."

"No wonder there's background music everywhere. I was wondering where it was coming from."

Caelus said, stroking his chin. Hearing his strange remark, Firefly chuckled softly and continued.

"During the once-per-epoch Grand Gala, Family members gather in the theater to welcome the arrival of the Choir of Harmony and bestow everlasting peace blessings upon Penacony."

"Choir of Harmony?" Caelus asked curiously.

"Yes, they are the embodiment of [Harmony]. I haven't seen what they look like myself, but I've heard it might be an orchestra."

"Oh, right. Robin follows the Path of Harmony. I like Harmony."

Caelus nodded. He really liked girls who followed Harmony. Girls on the Path of Harmony were never unattractive, especially Robin.

Hearing Caelus's words, Firefly secretly pouted. She didn't follow the Path of Harmony, and hearing Caelus say he liked Robin made her feel a bit sour. Was she that bad?

"Let's go. We should go see Eden Park."