In just a few seconds, the aggressive Family members had all taken on entirely different states of mind. Some collapsed on the ground and wailed loudly, some sat cross-legged in calm meditation, while others laughed so hard they could barely straighten their backs. It was practically a circus.
Firefly stared at the scene in surprise. She was no fool; of course she understood that Caelus had done something to them. She had also been paying attention to his muttering earlier. It seemed he had accidentally gained some kind of power, which was how he had acquired this ability.
"Let me take a look at Ah Ying."
Caelus was having the time of his life now. He walked up to Firefly and lightly touched her arm, discovering that her current emotion could probably be called melancholy. She did not seem very happy and was forcing a smile. Caelus wanted to adjust her mood to happiness, but when he thought of how those happy people looked as if they were high, he gave up.
"Don't overthink it. Unhappy things will pass eventually."
Caelus spoke to Firefly. She could sense his concern for her, and the emotional color on the illusory clock face warmed somewhat. She looked at Caelus and nodded. Caelus also realized that his words seemed more effective than the power of Clockwork Trick. That meant Firefly truly cared about him. Seeing a beautiful girl care about him with his own eyes made him feel a little lightheaded.
PS: Please bookmark, vote, and send monthly tickets.
Ask and You Shall Win
"Thank you. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."
Acheron spoke to Caelus. Though the two had already become very close, she was still used to saying thank you after receiving help. Caelus was more than happy to hear it.
"Hey, why are we thanking each other? I found you here again, which means our fate is already inseparable."
Caelus stepped forward and took Acheron's hand. This really was fate. They had agreed to do their own thing, yet they had run into each other again so soon. Penacony had twelve dream worlds, after all. The significance of that did not need explaining. Acheron would definitely marry him someday.
"We meet again, Guest! Did you help us resolve the crisis?"
Misha was among those rescued. Caelus had just been about to reply when Clock Boy beside him interrupted him as if on purpose.
"Misha, what is it? Do you know this gray friend?"
"She is an honored guest. We became friends not long ago. I told you about her, remember?"
Misha spoke to Clock Boy. The scene made Caelus think. Misha could see Clock Boy, which meant he was also Clock Boy's friend. Ordinary people seemingly could not see those friends, so could Acheron and Firefly see Misha?
"Anyway, thank you! If you hadn't arrived in time, this place would have become a complete mess."
Misha bowed to Caelus in thanks. Caelus was just about to respond when Acheron spoke up at the perfect moment.
"The chaos just now... I heard that a group of Masked Fools had been causing trouble in the streets and disrupting order. I happened to pass through this place and was questioned. A misunderstanding occurred during the process."
"I say they were just after your beauty. How do you look anything like a Masked Fool?"
Caelus immediately took Acheron's side. In any case, it was all these people's fault. How could his Acheron possibly be wrong? Her attitude had already been very good. Otherwise, she would have drawn her blade and started cutting people down long ago.
"And this beautiful young lady is?"
Acheron looked at Firefly and asked. She knew there was never any shortage of pretty girls around Caelus, but he had hooked up with another one so soon after entering the dreamscape. His efficiency was truly astounding.
Firefly had been studying Acheron with a complicated expression. When she heard Acheron call her a beautiful young lady, she immediately felt more favorable toward her.
"Her name is Firefly. She's the local guide I found. We're out sightseeing."
Caelus spoke.
"Then I hope you have fun."
Acheron showed no particular interest in Firefly. She was like that with everyone. After saying those polite words, she looked back at Caelus.
"By the way, the emotional changes in those people just now were very unusual. How did you do it?"
"On my way here, I ran into someone called Clock Boy. He gave me the ability to regulate emotions."
Caelus naturally had nothing to hide at the moment. Anyone else might have thought he was drunk, but Acheron was willing to believe anything he said.
"I'm not a someone!" Clock Boy shouted in protest.
"Clock Boy? Where?"
Acheron looked around and asked. She did not doubt Caelus's words, because she could genuinely sense that something was nearby, though she could not see it.
"Although I haven't fully figured out the situation either... Caelus said that apparently only straightforward, innocent children with a childlike heart can see him."
Firefly helped explain for Caelus. After she said that, Acheron's gaze visibly became less friendly, as if she had recalled something from her own past.
"It seems I'm past that age too."
Acheron sighed.
"Well, that can't be helped. I'm only one year old, after all. Now I've officially been certified as still a child."
Caelus happily scratched his hair. Acheron and Firefly both looked at him with equally complicated expressions and said nothing.
"I can sense certain things of uncertain nature accompanying you. Unfortunately, I cannot communicate with them as you do."
Acheron shared her experience with Caelus. In truth, she could sense something unusual following him. If necessary, she could certainly eliminate it, though the affected area might be rather large.
"I initially believed that elegant Memokeeper had left something in your mind. But now it seems there are quite a few beings in this dream that are as peculiar as she is."
"What Memokeeper?"
Caelus heard another strange term. He looked at Acheron curiously. It seemed that, aside from himself, she had also experienced some unusual things.
"Not long after we parted, I accidentally entered a ball. A lady draped in black gauze invited me to dance with her. It was my first time dancing, and it was an unforgettable experience."
Acheron smiled as she spoke. Caelus was surprised that she could dance, and hearing the words first time made him feel a little jealous. Luckily, her partner had been a woman. If it had been a man, he would have really lost out. Still, women had to be watched out for too. The galaxy was vast, and there were races whose inner nature was male despite having female appearances. Acheron was so beautiful that she would naturally attract plenty of bad people.
"Unfortunately, I forgot to ask her name. I only know that she came from the Garden of Recollection."
"The Garden of Recollection... are they the people who serve the Aeon of Memory?"
Since Caelus did not know much, Firefly began speaking with Acheron instead. Hearing this, she understood that Memokeepers were servants of an Aeon, perhaps something like the Genius Society.
"Yes. They can travel between worlds in the form of Memes and appear only before certain people. Don't you think that sounds a lot like the Clock Boy you mentioned?"
Acheron spoke.
"The Family invited all kinds of distinguished guests from across the universe this time, so that is quite normal."
Caelus nodded and glanced down at Clock Boy again. Since he meant no harm, Caelus decided not to worry about him.
"Then I'll continue enjoying myself. I won't interrupt you two on your date."
Acheron was surprisingly perceptive for once, giving Caelus a huge assist. It left him a little dazed. He had not expected her to be so good with words.
"Oh, Acheron, why are you saying such obvious truths? Do we really look that good together?"
Caelus smiled as he clapped his hands, wearing a shy expression. He said everything Firefly had been about to say. Firefly had originally been embarrassed, but now she was left speechless.
"She's gone. Shall we go too?"
After Acheron left, Firefly sought Caelus's opinion. If Acheron had joined them, she would not have objected, but this Pathstrider clearly knew how to read the room and had deliberately given Firefly some space.
Caelus lowered his head and looked at Clock Boy, finding him waving goodbye to indicate that the matter had been settled. The reward was the invincible Clockwork Trick, and Caelus was naturally happy to accept it. He followed Firefly away from the area.
"Just don't get led away by invisible friends again."
Firefly complained softly, so quietly that it sounded like a girlfriend acting cute. Caelus felt deeply satisfied when he heard her. Would a girl like Firefly act that way if she did not like him? Having a girl like Firefly fall in love with him at first sight was something he would not even dare dream about—though this really was a dream.
PS: It's bad, brothers. I tested positive. The virus ambushed me and I didn't dodge. There will probably only be one update a day for the next two days. I'll return to two updates after I recover. Sorry. (:∠)
People Need Dreams
In Penacony's fantastical dream world, people could even turn themselves into balls and launch themselves. Firefly had brought Caelus to the Pinball Plaza, where a large green sphere stood before them. It looked like a one-man spaceship used by some warrior race, and its operation was obvious at a glance.
"Caelus, this is pretty fun. I play it whenever I pass by."
Firefly smiled beside the pinball machine. Caelus nodded, stepped forward, and opened the hatch. A suction force immediately pulled him in, transforming his body into a green ball.
Although he had no idea where his limbs or head had gone, Caelus could feel that he had become a ball. The experience was quite novel. Inside the pinball machine, he could choose the directions of the bumpers. After selecting several, Caelus launched himself. In his spherical form, he streaked through the air in a trail of green light before crashing into a bumper. The impact and rebound force hit him at once. Unlike reality, it did not hurt here, so all he felt was the marvelous force of the collision. No wonder Firefly said it was fun.
After several launches, Caelus rolled out of the pinball machine on the opposite shore. It had been a novel experience. If March 7th came here, she would probably play for ages. Caelus mentally noted down this interesting place.
"Come on, it's not far now."
Firefly emerged from the pinball machine behind him and smiled at Caelus. The two walked forward together until they arrived at an utterly ordinary coffee shop.
"Here?"
Caelus asked doubtfully. A coffee shop in the middle of the street did not seem like it could have anything to do with a secret base.
"No, over there."
Firefly shook her head and raised a hand, pointing down at a manhole cover beside the coffee shop. It seemed to have been moved often, and one corner had already been lifted.
"Although I thought your life might be a little difficult, I didn't expect you to be living in the sewers. Why don't you come to my place? I'll support you."
Caelus fell silent for a moment, then raised a hand and patted Firefly's shoulder. This was truly the first time he had seen such a pitiable girl. Thinking of her living in the sewers among garbage made his heart ache.
"No, no, no, it's not like that! It's a passage. I don't live in the sewers."
Firefly waved her hands with a helpless laugh. Her circumstances were not exactly great, but she was not so badly off that she lived in the sewers. Caelus's train of thought jumped so quickly that she could barely keep up.
"A passage... to another dimension?"
"More like the very edge of the dreamscape. It's a bit far from here."
"I see. Still, sewers and manhole covers really are embedded in my DNA."
Caelus stroked his chin and nodded. It was good that she did not live in the sewers, but as he looked at the manhole cover before him, he felt he could use this setting to make something happen.
"Ah Ying, help me act out a scene. First this, then that."
Caelus spoke to Firefly. He took out a phone stand, set up his phone, started recording, then whispered with Firefly.
"I can do that, but why are we recording this?"
Firefly was somewhat confused after hearing his request. She would not refuse out of politeness, but the idea was rather strange.
"You know Robin, right? She's a huge star and very good at performing."
Caelus's eyes brightened when he mentioned Robin. Seeing that expression, Firefly felt a tiny bit unhappy. Without realizing it, she lifted her foot and rubbed the sole of her shoe against the ground.
"Of course I know her, but what does that have to do with Miss Robin?"
"I'll record a short video with myself as the lead and keep it saved. It might come in handy someday. If she sees my exquisite acting, maybe she'll fall for me and want to be my wife."
Caelus gave Firefly a thumbs-up. His words made Firefly feel that he was truly an optimistic person—so optimistic that it was a little funny.
"I think that possibility... is very small."
Firefly teased him, but for Caelus's future pursuit of Robin, she was still willing to put in some effort. So she moved aside the manhole cover, climbed into the opening, and then pulled it back into place.
"Urgh, urgh!"
Naturally, Caelus began showing off his acting skills. He clutched his chest with both hands and let out a miserable cry, then collapsed near the manhole cover and dragged himself forward with his elbows.
"That place... as long as I can reach that place... argh!"
Caelus crawled step by step to the manhole cover, then struggled to lift his hand and pry it open. Beneath it was not an escape route, but Firefly's pretty face.
"There's no room left here!"
Firefly gave a sharp cry and raised her hand, slapping Caelus across the face. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Caelus felt that the slap carried a bit of personal resentment. Still, he was sent flying backward by that weak slap.
"Buga!"
Caelus's body crashed into the phone stand. The phone fell with it, and he caught it as the short video recording came to an abrupt end. He did not perform the entire scene because he had to leave a cliffhanger. That was the only way to hook the audience's curiosity.
"Thank you, Firefly. Your acting was amazing."
Caelus got up from the ground and dusted off his clothes. Firefly gave him a sweet smile, then lowered herself into the manhole. Caelus followed her down. His feet suddenly found nothing beneath them, and when he appeared again, he had been transported to a desolate area far from the bustling town.
Skillful Use of Cheats
Caelus saw buildings in front of him, but unlike Golden Hour, there were no lights and no pedestrians. It was like an abandoned city.
"This is the edge of Golden Hour's dreamscape. The Family is still constructing and renovating the dreamscape farther out."
Firefly explained the situation. Caelus also roughly understood what the dream world was like. It seemed boundless; as long as it was built properly, it could accommodate more people. Naturally, construction was controlled by the Family.
"My secret base is in there, but ordinary tourists are forbidden from entering the construction zone. So let's sneak in."
Firefly winked playfully at Caelus. After exposing some of her secrets, she seemed less concerned with following rules. Earlier, she had been upset over the Family's misunderstanding during their inspection, but now she was directly challenging their rules. Caelus was briefly speechless, though he also felt that this was the more genuine side of her.
Firefly led the way with practiced ease to a necessary passage, but a member of the Hound Family Line was standing guard there, clearly serving as both gatekeeper and protector.
"Construction site. Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering. Dream Weaver teams only."
The Hound Family Line member glanced at Caelus and Firefly, immediately taking them for an idle young couple wandering around. Since the people who came to Penacony were all honored guests, the Family did not dare act too arrogantly. Appearances could be deceiving; they might accidentally offend some king or other.
"Oh dear, we got caught."
Firefly scratched her head, then looked at Caelus. Rather than this being unexpected, it was more like she had deliberately left the problem for him to solve. After all, when she came here alone before, she had also needed to get past the Family.
"Hey, brother, don't look so serious. How about taking a smoke and resting for a while?"
Caelus walked up to the Hound Family Line member, already holding a cigarette and lighter in his hand. He appeared to be trying to make small talk, but when the man reached out to politely decline, Caelus's goal had already been achieved. The more skillfully one used cheats, the better.
An illusory clock appeared before him. Caelus casually turned its hand, not knowing what setting he had adjusted it to, and then saw the Hound Family Line member's expression change drastically.
The Hound Family Line member suddenly dropped to his knees and burst into heartbroken sobs, tears and snot streaming down his face as though some terrible misfortune had befallen him, the sort of calamity that wiped out an entire family.
"Mia! Mia, aaah!"
Caelus and Firefly looked at each other. Though this was the effect of Clockwork Trick, seeing the man cry as if his heart were breaking made it difficult for them to simply leave.
Before you continue