Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

The disguised Sampo's gaze fell upon Firefly. She had previously warned Caelus that Firefly had her own agenda in approaching him, but Caelus wouldn't listen to her advice and didn't believe Firefly was there to help.

"Of course, have you seen our current relationship?"

Caelus directly raised his hand and slung an arm around Firefly's soft shoulders. He felt that hesitating any further would make him look like a fool. Since he had chosen to trust Firefly, he would see it through to the end. Firefly felt a little embarrassed being held by him, so she pretended to struggle a bit before letting him have his way.

"You're truly too blind, too disappointing,"

The disguised Sampo continued speaking. Caelus tilted his head, feeling that she wasn't there to pick a fight, but rather like a rigid parent trying to break up a happy couple.

"Hey, hey, hey, who do you think you are? We're a perfect match, destined for each other. Is it your place to object, you… hermaphrodite?"

Caelus wasn't one to suffer in silence. Seeing the disguised Sampo object to him being with Firefly, he wouldn't stay quiet but retaliated.

"Hermaphrodite..."

The disguised Sampo had a look as if she had eaten a fly. While she enjoyed impersonating others, being called a hermaphrodite struck a blow to her feminine pride.

"You're a woman, but you insist on pretending to be a man. What else would you be called but a hermaphrodite? Don't tell me you're someone who identifies as male despite being biologically female. That trick might work in small towns, but it won't get you the right buffs in the entire galaxy. If you encounter some hot-tempered aliens, they'll probably tear you to shreds."

Caelus, employing his smooth interpersonal skills, advised the disguised Sampo to mend her ways, suggesting that what she was doing was not something a normal person would do.

"You, you, you scoundrel!"

The disguised Sampo was completely broken at this point. She glared at Caelus and waved her hand, summoning several large, red goldfish. These fish swam through the air, and Caelus and Firefly suddenly felt very sleepy, collapsing to the ground as if about to fall asleep.

Before Caelus completely lost consciousness, he only saw the disguised Sampo's body rapidly shrink. A beautiful girl with black twin-tails and two red cinnabar marks beneath her eyes appeared before him. She was barely wearing anything from the waist down, revealing her long, slender legs and a pair of wooden clogs. The red nail polish on her toes was very noticeable.

The twin-tailed girl walked slowly towards Caelus. Under his gaze, she lifted her foot and forcefully stepped on his face. At this point, he had completely lost consciousness.

"Why are you rewarding me!"

Caelus exclaimed in surprise from his sleep, instinctively crying out. He felt as if his face had been stepped on by a beautiful jade foot before he fell asleep, which felt as comfortable as a massage. However, when he woke up, there was nothing on his face.

Caelus looked at the scene before him, somewhat stunned. He had encountered the Masked Fool on the street, but now he had been teleported to a guest room in the Daydream Hotel. He recognized the iconic keyhole doorframe, but it wasn't the same guest room as when he had fallen asleep, as there was no dream pool and Acheron was nowhere to be seen.

"Dream within a dream? Playing Inception with me, are you?"

Caelus muttered to himself as he began searching the room for clues. He found an office desk piled high with documents and many books. Several clock faces were hanging in the room, but the time on all of them was distorted; none showed a normal time. This seemed to suggest that the flow of time in this place had stagnated.

After looking for a while, Caelus felt there was nothing worth investigating in the room, so he walked to the door and pushed it open. The corridor outside had a similar color scheme to the room, a somber purple and white. The corridor was unlit, with the light source coming from Memory Matter floating in mid-air. They resembled fish, suspended in mid-air to provide illumination.

"Firefly?"

Caelus saw someone standing not far away. Judging by her attire, it was Firefly. Hearing him call her name, Firefly turned around, looking at Caelus with surprise.

"Great, you're here too,"

Firefly said happily. Arriving in an unfamiliar place tested one's stress tolerance, but having someone familiar nearby significantly reduced the pressure.

"You're here too, but what's that by your feet?"

Caelus was also happy to encounter someone familiar, but he looked down and saw a small, ugly, pitch-black thing lying by Firefly's feet. It looked like a monkey doll, and he asked in confusion.

"That's a monster's corpse," Firefly said with a smile.

"How did it die?"

"I don't know. It was already dead when I got here."

Firefly's smile remained unchanged, but Caelus didn't dare to ask further. This was because a whole row of monster corpses lay scattered in the corridor behind Firefly. Caelus was a sensible person; he knew some things were better left unasked, lest he become the next one lying there.

Ignoring the miserable state of the monsters, Caelus and Firefly conferred and decided to head towards the hotel lobby. Although the place was strange, the hotel's structure was consistent with a real hotel. It was best to head towards familiar places first.

PS, please collect, recommend, and vote monthly.

Chapter 70: Strange Dream

"By the way, what exactly is this place?"

Caelus and Firefly exchanged questions as they walked. Initially, Caelus thought the Masked Fool was retaliating against him and had sent him to prison, but it didn't seem like it now.

"I don't know. I can confirm that this is still a dream. See, are my limbs intact?"

Firefly shook her head. Her understanding of dreams was limited to Golden Hour; she knew nothing else. As she spoke, she showed off her limbs.

"Don't tell dark jokes at a time like this."

Caelus felt both heartbroken and helpless. He was starting to wonder if Firefly was missing limbs in reality, but at least she was still as beautiful as ever. Caelus took her hand, preventing her from saying anything more unhappy.

A faint smile appeared on Firefly's face. Once holding hands had happened, countless more times would follow, and she no longer felt shy. Being led by Caelus felt wonderful, and she didn't want to let go.

Caelus and Firefly walked through the strange corridor, witnessing many peculiar scenes. Fish swam in the sky, the floor jumped, and words appeared on the walls.

These white words sometimes appeared on the walls and sometimes floated in the air in front of them, as if a transparent person were writing. If one wasn't brave, seeing this haunted scene might cause them to faint.

The content of the words seemed to be in a diary format, describing someone searching for a person named Mikhail. This person appeared to be the diary owner's elder, and the words conveyed a sense of deep dependence.

"This is such a strange place. I feel like this is... like someone's dream,"

Firefly voiced her guess. When it came to dreams, she was an experienced veteran far ahead of Caelus, able to discern details at a glance.

"The Masked Fool's dream?"

Caelus thought of the jade foot that had sent him into this dream. What a beautiful foot it was! If only he could hold it in his hands and play with it... And although it was just a fleeting glimpse, the Masked Fool's true form was also a beautiful girl. If their positions hadn't been so antagonistic, Caelus would definitely have pursued her.

"I don't think so. She doesn't seem like someone who would depend on anyone. Besides, for such a vast dream, the Family must know of its existence."

Firefly shook her head. A personal dream and the dreams of Penacony were definitely different. She had experience in this regard. Firefly meant that this place was like the other side of a dream, like an image reflected in water.

"The Family was hiding something, weren't they?"

Caelus followed Firefly's words, and Firefly offered no comment. They hadn't intended to get involved in the Family's schemes, but they'd been dragged in. It seemed some things were unavoidable.

"Right, you were looking for me on the street earlier. Was it a chance encounter?"

Caelus and Firefly continued walking, bringing up lighter topics. In a place as vast as Golden Hour, it was quite a coincidence that Firefly could always find him.

"No, I sensed a sense of disharmony in the dream world, so I specifically came to find you."

Firefly answered honestly. She had promised to be open with Caelus about everything except for a few secrets, and there was nothing to hide at this moment.

"You say that... my companions have said the same thing."

Caelus thought about the conversations he'd had with his friends in their group chat. He pulled out his phone to check, and as expected, there was no signal at all.

"Everyone on the Star Rail must have discovered something. I wonder if it's related to this place."

"A-Caelus, you said earlier that a Masked Fool impersonated me to get close to you. Did she do anything strange?"

Firefly's topic shifted quickly. Girls tended to care about such things, and her curiosity couldn't be contained.

"Here, hold this with both hands."

Caelus offered his arms to Firefly. Without thinking much, Firefly wrapped her arms around his, a gesture that made her smile shyly, like a couple would.

"Mhm, and then?"

"Press it against your chest."

"N-no way."

Firefly was about to do as he said, but then she realized something was wrong. She immediately glared at Caelus reproachfully and let go of his arm.

"That's exactly how she did it. She said she liked me a lot and that I could do anything I wanted."

Caelus spread his hands, indicating that he had already experienced Firefly's hugs and embraces. Hearing this, Firefly's pupils seemed to blaze with anger.

"I'm going to set her on fire..."

Firefly said through gritted teeth. She cherished the time she spent with Caelus. Those experiences should have been hers, but if an imposter had them, it was like stealing her experiences. She wished she could grab that Masked Fool right now and grind her to dust.

"Whoa, there's no path ahead."

Caelus stopped walking. A wall stood before him and Firefly. They had already explored all the other paths around them. They had even seen a large fountain earlier, which was beautiful but blocked their way.

Firefly looked around and noticed a stand in the corner of the wall. On the stand was a rather large glass plate, inside which a golden liquid churned, looking magnificent.

"What is this plate of golden water?"

Caelus also saw the liquid. He led Firefly to the edge of the plate and looked inside, noticing that the liquid was very viscous, like glue.

"This looks like... a dream bubble."

Firefly boldly reached out to touch it. Caelus didn't have time to stop her before he saw her pull a round, golden bubble out of the water. This thing seemed to turn solid after leaving the plate, giving off a peculiar sensation.

"There's another dream bubble of the same color under the wall in that corner. Are we supposed to stick it on, like playing with clay?"

Firefly pointed to a puddle of golden, viscous substance at the bottom of the wall ahead. Caelus thought she had a good idea, so they fiddled with it for a while. After collecting enough golden dream bubbles, they stuck them onto the wall, merging with the golden substance that was already there.

A strange feeling arose, as if the direction of gravity had changed. Caelus and Firefly walked forward along the direction of gravity. When their feet touched the wall, they were pushed by the golden substance and then stood steadily.

"The direction of gravity has changed. In dreams, only members of the Family can alter these settings."

Firefly said in surprise, standing on the wall. However, for her and Caelus at this moment, what was under their feet was the ground, not the wall.

"No, there's someone else who can do it – the creator of dreams, the Clock Keeper."

Firefly quickly thought of a legendary figure with god-like abilities, and then she excitedly grasped Caelus's hand.

"A-Caelus, do you remember the clock faces we saw along the way? This might be a place the Clock Keeper stayed."

"A-Firefly, you're so smart. You're such a bright and intelligent girl. Being with you makes me not have to think at all."

Caelus looked at Firefly, her eyes shining. He raised his hand and ruffled her silver hair. Although Firefly hadn't said these things just to be praised by Caelus, she felt warm and happy when he complimented her.

Chapter 71: What's More Attractive Than Long Legs?

"Heh heh, I'm not that good."

Firefly bashfully rested her head against Caelus's chest. This was even more intimate than holding hands, but the girl could only do this to hide her shy expression.

Caelus simply wrapped his arms around Firefly's slender waist, holding her tightly in his embrace. With such a good opportunity, he had to "take advantage" of it to deepen their relationship.

"Let's go."

After staying close to Caelus for a while, Firefly left his embrace with a blush. She couldn't keep experiencing things like this, or she wouldn't be able to control herself from falling for him. She had to keep her personal feelings hidden until the mission was complete.

After learning how to use the golden dream bubbles, Caelus and Firefly were no longer blocked by the wall. They charged straight in their predetermined direction and finally arrived at a large door that looked like an exit.

Caelus and Firefly held hands. There might be unknown dangers behind the door, but with each other by their side, they weren't afraid. Instead, they felt that this adventurous experience was quite good. After going through crises and mysteries together, their feelings rapidly warmed up – that was the benefit.

After pushing open the large door, they were faced with a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was an identical door. Both Caelus and Firefly were a bit confused, but since they had come this far, they could only grit their teeth and see it through to the end. They walked forward, pushed the door, and found the exact same scene, but they could no longer turn back.

After who knows how many times of pushing doors, the two finally reached the end of the corridor. This was a bizarre place. In front of them were all square televisions. Dozens of televisions were embedded in the wall, and more than ten were piled on the ground.

"A screening room?"

Firefly didn't know how to explain the strangeness of the place, so she could only guess. There was no path ahead, giving the feeling that they had come for nothing.

As Firefly was surveying her surroundings, all the televisions flickered to life simultaneously, displaying static like screens with lost signals. The white light nearly enveloped the entire space.

"The flashing from the TVs is so blinding... Careful, it feels like something's coming."

Through her own perception of dreams, Firefly sensed something within the televisions. Just as she issued her warning, a narrow, purple eye appeared on the static screens. Caelus took one look and knew it wasn't a human eye, but that of some kind of monster.

A lance wreathed in flame materialized in Caelus's hand. The moment all the televisions shut off, a chaotic darkness erupted overhead. A monster, entirely purple and black, poked its head out. Its eyes were positioned at the very top of its head, and its entire face was composed of sharp fangs. It had short limbs and a thin tail, and its body was covered in eyes. Its left arm bore a blade, which was also made up of eyes.

"What a worthless thing."

Caelus shielded Firefly behind him, unable to resist a jab. He had faced all sorts of monsters – Voidrangers, Doomsday Beasts, Great Extinguishers – but at least they looked somewhat human. The Great Extinguishers, in particular, were like plump, juicy peaches... But now wasn't the time to think about that. In short, this monster made him feel utterly disgusted, especially being stared at by its dozens of eyes. Caelus felt his sanity rapidly draining.

"Don't be scared, Firefly. I'll protect you."

Without looking back at Firefly's expression, Caelus spoke these words before charging at the monster. Despite feeling disgusted, a hero couldn't falter in the face of battle.

Caelus swiftly reached the monster and thrust his Flame Spear. The creature blocked the attack with its thick arm blade. The flames from the spear didn't harm it in the slightest. Meanwhile, a phantom image of a Stellaron began to coalesce in Caelus's left hand.

"Stellaron Meteor Crash!"

Caelus slammed the powerful Stellaron phantom into the monster's largest eye. Intense golden light rippled outwards, shattering all the television screens. Firefly had already been enveloped in a fiery shield; the power of The Preservation was no mere decoration. Only Caelus could wield the powers of The Preservation and Destruction simultaneously against an enemy.

"Aaoo!"

The monster's eye, directly hit by the Stellaron Meteor Crash, let out a shriek. Its long body coiled, and it used its tail to send Caelus flying. The creature instantly vanished into the dark mist behind it.

Caelus planted his Flame Spear on the ground, halting his retreat. He scanned the surroundings for the invisible enemy, only to see it suddenly appear behind Firefly. Its four-fingered clawed hand grasped Firefly's slender body, lifting her into the air.

"Firefly!"

Caelus's heart sank to the bottom. He didn't fear the monster coming for him, but he feared its target not being him. His premonition had come true; this monster was after Firefly. He couldn't understand why.

Held by the monster and floating in mid-air, Firefly glanced at Caelus. There was no fear in her eyes, even facing a creature that could crush her at any moment. What concerned her was still Caelus. As Firefly clenched her fist, it seemed she could break free at any moment, but she quickly sensed an outsider approaching. She relaxed her clenched fist.

A magic circle suddenly appeared on the ground beneath the monster. Five crystalline arms emerged from the formation, pinning the monster's massive body and pushing it towards the ceiling. Firefly was released as a result and floated down. Caelus stepped forward and caught her, holding her tightly in a princess carry.

"Firefly, thank goodness. I thought I was going to lose you."

Caelus held Firefly, resting his forehead against hers. Firefly's expression softened instantly. She raised her hand to wrap around his neck, pressing her body tightly against his, her eyes filled only with him.