Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

"Firefly isn't a guest at the hotel. She's also a bit resistant to waking up, so she's most likely still in the Dream Hotel."

Caelus voiced his guess. While he couldn't be a hundred percent sure, he was about eighty percent confident.

"How is it that as soon as I take on this mission, something troublesome comes up? Then hurry up and go."

Black Swan was also a bit speechless. She felt that any normal person would scream and run for their lives after experiencing such a dream. Why would anyone not want to wake up?

"You're right."

Caelus immediately got up from Black Swan, operated the Dream Pool console, and then lay down inside. The sensation of entering the dream was the same as before. He quickly fell asleep, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in a dimly lit hotel room within the dream.

"Come here, darling."

Black Swan stood by the door, beckoning to Caelus. Hearing her address him made him want to laugh. This wicked woman was already trying to seduce him, but he couldn't laugh yet, at least not until he found Firefly.

"Don't worry, your companions are also safe. Before entering the dream, I took a small piece of jewelry from each of them. This will allow me to sense their presence in the Memory Zone."

Black Swan spoke. She chose to act with Caelus because of his uniqueness. As for others, they didn't receive special service with a Memory User accompanying them personally.

After the two of them walked out of the room, the familiar corridor appeared before them. Black Swan led the way, but along the path, they saw many monster corpses.

"There seems to be someone else's aura here. Who could it be?"

Black Swan said, looking at the corpses on the ground. These corpses were very fresh, as if they had just been killed. They had lost their life force and died peacefully, as if they had passed away without pain before they could even react.

Caelus felt like he knew who did it. He accelerated and ran forward. After leaving the corridor, he arrived at a public lounge area of the hotel. It was very spacious. Caelus stood at the top of the stairs and looked down. He saw a white shadow flashing around. The public lounge area was originally occupied by monsters, but with each flash of the white shadow, a monster would fall, losing its life. Soon, the area was cleared, and the ground was covered with monster corpses.

Acheron appeared in the open space, her hand resting on the katana sheath on her back, slowly sheathing her katana with her right hand.

Chapter 78: Do Not Harm My Wife

"Wuwu."

When Black Swan saw Acheron, her psychological trauma resurfaced. She screamed and hid behind Caelus. This sound also attracted Acheron's attention.

"Ah Quan, you're here too."

Caelus felt relieved when he saw Acheron. In fact, this was only natural. They had entered through the same Dream Pool. After entering the password, she was also pulled in. This was also part of Caelus's plan.

"I got lost and ended up here. I didn't expect you to be here too."

Acheron appeared very calm about her situation. She wasn't unfamiliar with dangerous places. She didn't even bother to think about why there were monsters in the dream.

"Huh, is that you?"

Acheron saw Black Swan hiding behind Caelus. Her single eye, not covered by her hair, showed a different color than usual.

"It's not me."

Black Swan shook her head. At this moment, she really wished Acheron would forget everything about her, especially the incident where she plucked her feathers. As a woman, it was too undignified.

"You know her, right?"

Caelus said with a smile. Although it was impolite, thinking about what Black Swan had gone through, he really couldn't control himself.

"Yes, she's the Memory User I mentioned to you," Acheron said.

"Mhm, I remember. I heard you two had some pleasant interactions."

Caelus had accidentally met Acheron in the dream when she was being investigated by the Family. That was when she mentioned encountering a Memory User. He hadn't expected it, but it turned out to have laid the groundwork. Hearing Caelus describe it as "pleasant," Black Swan became displeased and poked his back with her finger.

"Yes, I look forward to dancing with her again."

Acheron said with a smile, seemingly pleased with the memory of their dance. Black Swan shivered, wishing she could leave this place immediately.

"Alright, let's keep moving forward."

Caelus saw Acheron mercilessly adding fuel to Black Swan's psychological trauma and could only quickly change the subject. They still needed Black Swan to lead the way, and it wouldn't be good if she got scared away.

Acheron nodded. She was already used to acting with Caelus. Even though this was a strange dream, she could still carve a path with her katana, so she appeared very calm.

"Although this Memory Zone isn't small, it's like a playground for Memory Users. Follow me."

Black Swan quickly got into character. The best way to overcome fear was to face it. So, she decided to face Acheron properly. After all, with Caelus here, she wasn't worried about what Acheron might do to her.

"Based on my observation of the Memory Matter, Himeko and March 7th should have already met up. However, there are traces of a third person here. She's... the young girl who's acting with you."

Black Swan closed her eyes and sensed for a moment. Caelus didn't know the extent of what Memory Users could do in dreams, but this should be like fighting on home turf, especially since she was working for an Aeon of Harmony.

"This way."

Black Swan pointed in a direction and then walked straight ahead. They encountered a wall blocking their path, but with the help of Golden Dream Bubbles, Caelus and the others could completely change their gravity to advance. After passing through several doors, they arrived at the lobby of the Dream Hotel.

The lobby was empty. As they walked towards the front desk, Caelus finally spotted the slender, light green figure not far away.

"Firefly!"

Caelus shouted happily. Hearing his voice, Firefly immediately turned around, her expression changing from serious to joyful. She also ran towards Caelus.

Just as the two were about to touch, a pale purple vortex appeared behind Firefly. A scorpion-like monster, a Memory Zone Meme, emerged from the vortex, its sharp arm blades stabbing towards Firefly's back.

Caelus's eyes widened. He sensed danger but didn't know how to save Firefly in this situation. His baseball bat couldn't do it, nor could his spear. In that instant, Caelus made a decision. He condensed a phantom of a Stellaron in his hand and detonated it before it could fully form.

The impact of the explosion hit Caelus, propelling him rapidly towards Firefly. He forcefully pushed her aside, causing the arm blades that were aimed at her to directly hit Caelus's chest, piercing him through.

"Caelus!"

Firefly and Acheron shouted simultaneously. After shouting, Acheron instantly drew her katana. Her body was quickly covered in crimson patterns, and her hair turned completely white in an instant. With a single slash, the space itself seemed to crack.

"Ouch!"

The Memory Zone Meme let out a scream. Its arm blade was completely severed, and a third of its body had been cut off. Before Acheron could deliver a second blow, it immediately retreated into the vortex and vanished.

At the same time, in a peculiar room, a black cat suddenly opened its eyes. It scratched its cheek with a paw, its feline eyes gazing sharply into the void.

"Aelio?"

Kafka's voice chimed in. Sipping red wine by the window, she noticed her boss's unusual behavior, something that rarely happened.

"It's nothing, my script just encountered a slight issue."

The black cat spoke, its expression unperturbed. For it, such matters weren't worth getting flustered over.

"This is the first time I've heard you say something like that."

Kafka looked at the black cat in surprise. Aelio's scripts had never gone wrong before, not even with the slightest hiccup, as even minor issues could affect subsequent developments.

"It's all because of your 'good son.' Ever since he met that woman on the Space Station, he's gained the ability to alter the future. This isn't a good thing."

The black cat raised its right paw to its mouth, licking it as it spoke. It didn't seem angry that Caelus was an uncontrollable variable; in fact, there was a hint of praise in its tone.

Kafka couldn't help but chuckle. As a mother, she was naturally pleased to hear her son was so capable, even if it disrupted her boss's plans. Didn't this just prove how skilled he was?

"Fortunately, the deviation from the script isn't too significant. Tell Silver Wolf to stop playing games and help fix things," the black cat said after finishing licking its paw.

"Alas, poor little Silver Wolf."

Kafka could only offer two seconds of silent mourning for Silver Wolf. Penacony wasn't supposed to have Silver Wolf involved, or at least very little. She had already finished her tasks and started playing games, only to be called out of retirement by Aelio for overtime. Kafka could already imagine her grumbling.

PS, please collect, recommend, and vote monthly.

PS, although there are some plot deviations, it's fanfiction. If I can't save my wife, what's the point of writing it?

PS, I chatted a lot about adult comics with people in the group today, and accidentally updated late (:∠)

Chapter 79: The Afterlife?

Caelus was barely clinging to life. Three women surrounded him, each with a different expression. Acheron remained silent, not shedding tears for Caelus, but she clenched her fists, a palpable aura of low pressure emanating from her. Black Swan appeared completely taken aback, yet she still grasped Caelus's hand.

"Caelus, Caelus!"

Firefly was in tears, her face streaked with them. She held Caelus's body tightly in her arms. She knew Caelus had been injured saving her. If she hadn't been so foolish, if she hadn't hidden her abilities, he wouldn't be like this. Firefly was filled with regret. She should have accepted Caelus sooner, should have been with him. What was there to hesitate about with a man who would risk his life for her?

"I'm not going to make it. Don't worry about me. Even if I die and go to hell, I'll crawl back out for you. Believe me."

Caelus forced out this last sentence, casting a gentle look at Acheron. He raised his hand and stroked her bangs before his body slowly dissolved into bubbles and disappeared.

"Caelus!!!"

Firefly's hands gradually lost their support and fell to the ground. She stared in disbelief at the scene before her. Caelus had just vanished, leaving nothing behind. He had died in the dream.

Firefly's eyes gradually lost their luster, her beautiful, multi-colored pupils turning completely black. In her right hand, an object had appeared at some point. This object had two pairs of wings on each side, one large and one small. The semi-transparent cyan wings, usually shimmering with flowing light, now blazed with a fiery hue.

"I want everyone here to pay for Caelus's death!"

Firefly roared through gritted teeth. Acheron and Black Swan looked at the girl engulfed in flames in astonishment. When the flames receded, a tall, silver mecha appeared before them.

"The Family, Penacony, all of you will die!"

A hoarse male voice emanated from within the silver mecha. Firefly blamed the Family for Caelus's death. If it weren't for the Family's schemes, if they hadn't released such a monster, Caelus wouldn't have ended up like this. How could she face Kafka now? How could she explain to Kafka? Firefly had nothing left to lose; she would simply cause chaos.

"Stop!"

Seeing the mecha emitting flames potent enough to burn through the dream, Acheron immediately drew her sword and moved to intervene. Although Acheron felt anger in her heart, she believed Caelus wouldn't die so easily. He might still be saved. Until then, she couldn't let Firefly destroy Penacony.

At this moment, Caelus's consciousness was in chaos. He felt as if someone was singing by his ear. It was Robin's voice, a voice imbued with the power of Harmony. Robin was one of Harmony's most favored candidates, known as the Child of Harmony. Her voice was truly magical, and it was this voice that awakened Caelus.

Opening his eyes, Caelus found himself in a dreamscape at night. The sky was pitch black, with only faint light illuminating the surroundings. He surveyed his situation and realized he was lying on a bench, likely moved there by someone.

"You're awake."

Robin's voice reached him. Caelus realized he wasn't dreaming. He sat up and looked around, seeing Robin sitting gracefully on the bench not far from him.

"Little Bird, I didn't expect to meet you here. We really are destined to meet."

Caelus's face immediately broke into a surprised smile. Although he didn't know where he was, meeting Robin here felt like a clear sign of fate.

"But speaking of which, when you save someone unconscious, you should put them on your lap. That way, my head would be protected and wouldn't suffer secondary injuries."

Caelus sternly lectured Robin. Her failure to place his head on her lap as she sat beside him deeply offended him, causing Caelus great sorrow.

"You're such an idiot."

Robin glanced at Caelus and spoke. Was a lap pillow something that could be used by Caelus? He shouldn't forget they had only known each other for a short time. They had only gone on one date, and now he was already asking for a lap pillow. He was truly audacious in his desires.

"Where is this place?"

Caelus asked the crucial question. Robin had arrived earlier than him, and she already had her own personal guide.

"The people here call this place Dreamflow Reef," Robin replied.

"Huh? But I remember being stabbed by a monster and coming here. Were you stabbed too?"

Caelus scratched his head, very confused. He initially thought the monster was going to kill him, but now it seemed like a special way to travel within a dream?

"Yes. After we separated, I started investigating the various ancient texts left by the Family, hoping to find clues about the anomaly in Penacony. I experimented according to the methods described in the books and unexpectedly summoned the monster you mentioned. It brought me here."

Robin explained how she ended up here. It was truly a bizarre encounter. She, a weak woman with no strength to even tie a chicken, had encountered a Memory Zone Meme and was naturally unable to resist.

"You're acting very calmly."

Caelus wasn't sure how to describe it. Was Robin bold, or just oblivious? She didn't seem to take life and death too seriously. That wasn't a good habit. Caelus hoped his future wife would cherish herself more.

"Because this is Harmony's territory, I have nothing to fear. The people who live here are also very friendly."

Robin said with a smile. She had been panicked at first, but quickly got used to this town. For her, staying here was even more comfortable than being in a beautiful dream.

"You aren't part of the Harmony Family, so you don't know what's happening in Penacony. Ever since I returned to Penacony, I've felt discomfort in my throat. I thought it was just adjusting to a new environment from traveling too much."

"But after we parted, I gradually realized something was wrong. My voice is having problems. It's possible the Family has turned away from Harmony."

Robin's expression grew serious. These were things that shouldn't be leaked, but she felt an innate sense of trust towards Caelus. And given the current situation, Caelus was the only one she could confide in.

"No, I asked you to find the mole, and you said everyone except you is a mole? Have you considered changing your stage name? You could call yourself Gin."

Caelus said to Robin with a suppressed smile. He didn't care about the situation in Penacony, only about Robin and the Family's affairs. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?

"Oh, stop teasing me."

Robin shot Caelus a glare. He made a very serious matter sound so strange, but it did help relax her tense mood.

Chapter 80: Thanks, Mianmian Bro

"Heh heh, do you think we're fated? You died, I died, and we meet in the afterlife. Even death couldn't keep us apart. This is bound to become a beautiful story."

Caelus reached out his hand to Robin, wanting to hold her hand. Robin naturally dodged Caelus's touch. This guy was always trying to take advantage of her. Robin would never indulge him, only letting him take advantage with his words.

"A fated disaster, perhaps. But it's truly unexpected to see you in such a strange place."

Robin responded. She really hadn't expected Caelus to come to this peculiar dreamscape. They hadn't been separated for long before meeting again. Such a one-in-ten-million chance, and Robin was starting to believe it was fate.

"So, how do we leave?" Caelus asked.

"Leaving here isn't difficult. When the residents here encounter danger, they leave the dream and return to their bodies. Their bodies then live in other parts of Penacony."

Robin explained the situation to Caelus. In reality, the residents in this dream weren't from the Daydream Hotel. They were other people living in various parts of Penacony. Penacony was vast, and it wasn't just the Daydream Hotel. The hotel required many things, and the supply of consumables naturally fell to these commoners.

The commoners of Penacony didn't have the right to enter the beautiful dreams, but they had their own ways of entering dreams. And their final destination after entering dreams was this Dreamflow Reef. Simply put, this place was like a simplified version of a beautiful dream, allowing people to experience the joy of dreaming without spending money, though it was far from beautiful.