Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

Aventurine frantically scratched his head, pulling at his hair. Seeing him on the verge of madness, Caelus relented a little.

"Who killed Robin?"

Caelus asked the universe's golden question, and Aventurine was so moved that he almost cried seeing Caelus finally get on track.

"Let me state upfront, this has nothing to do with me. I'm just an unlucky soul who stumbled upon the scene. The Family can vouch for me. If you don't believe me, find someone from the Hound Family Line and ask them. They hate me, they hate the Company, so they'll never lie."

Aventurine explained earnestly. He wouldn't take the blame for this, and whether it was an illusion or not, ever since he met Caelus, he felt like Caelus was leading him by the nose. Many things felt controlled, yet not entirely so, as if they were held in the palm of his hand.

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Chapter 85: Baseball Bat Twitches

"At this point, do you still think that Pathstrider is an outsider?"

Aventurine said. Caelus looked at him speechlessly. Now he understood. Aventurine was going to blame Robin's death on Acheron, and Caelus couldn't refute it.

"Penacony solemnly promised that in the beautiful dream woven by the Family, every guest's safety would be guaranteed. Those in danger would be forcibly awakened and safely returned to reality."

"What gives them the confidence to make such bold claims? Because behind this promise is the protection of the Harmony. The Family's Dream Weavers connect their thoughts as one, building an unbreakable defense line."

"To breach this defense line and create death within the dream, without the Family's permission, even an Obituary can't do it."

"Who can do it? My friend, only her. That woman who calls herself a Pathstrider, an uninvited guest impersonating someone else, an Envoy who concealed her true identity."

Aventurine skillfully used the death of the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether. From a normal person's perspective, if an Envoy could silently kill the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether, it would be normal for them to kill someone in a dream, right? That was the power of an Envoy.

Caelus was also fortunate that he had blocked a blow for Firefly. If not for that, he wouldn't have met Robin. Seeing the little bird harmed now, his mind would have been overwhelmed. Under this intelligence-draining aura, coupled with Aventurine's persuasion, he might not have doubted Acheron, but he could have become cannon fodder.

However, Aventurine never dreamed that Acheron, such a powerful female Envoy, would fall for someone as improper and even abnormal as Caelus. Caelus's current advantage stemmed from the fact that he knew something Aventurine didn't: Acheron was his beloved woman, and Robin wasn't dead, but had been taken to the depths of the dream. With these two points, no matter what facts Aventurine threw at Caelus to scare him, he wouldn't lose his composure.

"It's fine. You can make your own judgment. Cultivating trust always takes time, and I'm willing to wait."

"I just hope you don't stand on the wrong side. If I were you, I'd keep my distance from Acheron. After all, no matter what, calculated schemes laid out in the open are far better than monsters lurking in the shadows... aren't they?"

Aventurine's words were fine in themselves, as he didn't know about Caelus and Acheron's relationship. But for Caelus, Aventurine was essentially telling him to stay away from his wife, and that his wife was a monster lurking in the shadows.

Caelus's fists clenched. He reached for his baseball bat, intending to see if the ten cornerstones of the Company could withstand the Destruction's baseball bat today.

Black Swan suddenly appeared, drawing Aventurine's attention. She didn't see Caelus pull out the baseball bat. Black Swan was an Obituary with a conscience. After all, Aventurine was her previous collaborator. She had received the final payment, but she couldn't just watch him get beaten to death.

"But who says there aren't deeper conspiracies behind the schemes in plain sight?"

Black Swan said with a smile. Although she hadn't seen Caelus and Acheron's memories, she had seen countless people and naturally understood that Acheron and Caelus were each other's everything, willing to throw their lives away for each other.

Aventurine was also inexperienced in love. If he had gotten to know more different women, he wouldn't have failed to see the relationship between Acheron and Caelus.

"Obituary, I believe our transaction concluded long ago."

Aventurine frowned as he looked at Black Swan. Black Swan felt wronged but couldn't say it. She had come out to save Aventurine. If Acheron had heard those words just now, the ten cornerstones of the Company would have become nine today, and that was no joke.

"What Aventurine said is the truth. This memory is real, with no distortion or grafting."

Black Swan said to Caelus, ignoring Aventurine, who didn't appreciate good intentions. Black Swan felt that Caelus seemed to know something, otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted so abstractly to Robin's death.

"What do you want me to do?"

Caelus asked Aventurine, putting his baseball bat away. If he had any other choice now, he wouldn't listen to Aventurine's nonsense. Not a single word from this guy was true, but Caelus didn't mind; he intended to use Aventurine as well.

"I told you long ago, I'm not interested in the inheritance dispute. I came to Penacony purely for work. I need to recover some lost assets for the Company, which is the ownership of the Prison of the Frontier."

Aventurine said with a smile, finally revealing his objective after so much groundwork. He had gained Caelus's trust, although he didn't know how much of it was genuine. At least, it was easier to deal with than the Family.

"How can I help you?" Caelus asked.

"I don't want much. I have only one goal. The Family's gate is a high wall. To push it down, I need to chip away at it first. Once there's a crack, the Company will have plenty of means."

"Now, the opportunity has arrived. As long as we can uncover the truth behind Robin's death, we can bring justice to the deceased and simultaneously gain leverage for negotiations, bringing the Family to the table."

"This bad news is extremely unfavorable to the Family, so they will undoubtedly spare no effort to obstruct outsiders, especially the Company."

"But I believe there are a minority factions that are exceptions. This is why I need all of you. The Star Rail Express is well-known, and the Harmony will give you the fairest evaluation."

"You can investigate the truth and uphold justice, and I can complete the Company's mission through this... this is called a win-win."

Aventurine always spoke like this, a barrage of words that didn't give Caelus much time to think, but the general meaning was clear enough for even someone with low intelligence to understand.

Aventurine himself was being desperately guarded against by the Family, so he had to rely on the Nameless of the Star Rail Express to secretly investigate the cause of Robin's death. Then, establishing the secret that people could die in the dream world would become leverage for the Company's attack. If it were an ordinary person who died, it would be fine, but Robin was a Cosmic Superstar. The Family couldn't ignore it. If they didn't want this secret exposed, it would be much easier for the Company to regain ownership of Penacony.

"I'll go back and ask my companions before I give you an answer."

Caelus couldn't decide this matter himself, as it involved going against the Family. If he truly became the Company's lackey, he would have to see what the higher-ups had to say.

"Of course, my friend, this is my contact information."

Aventurine left his contact details and departed, leaving Caelus and Black Swan alone in the room. She walked up and hugged Caelus. Compared to their previous intimate contact, this hug seemed very subdued.

"What Aventurine said is very manipulative. Don't be led by him."

Black Swan said in a gentle tone. She was confident that her words would be more believable to Caelus than Aventurine's. Although they hadn't known each other long, he just preferred to believe women.

"I know, but I'm entrusted by others to investigate the Family's hidden secrets. It's truly a win-win."

Caelus nodded. Black Swan proved with her actions that she was on the Star Rail Express's side. After all, their previous cooperation had been settled, and cooperating with Aventurine was, at best, earning some extra money.

Chapter 86: Girlfriend +1

"I didn't expect you to be quite wicked too. I misjudged you."

Black Swan smiled and said that she knew Caelus wouldn't be easily fooled. Aventurine had said so much, but it would have been easier to just cooperate from the start. It was tough on him.

"Wouldn't it be bad if I couldn't trick you into being my wife?"

Caelus said, putting his arm around Black Swan's slender waist. Black Swan let him, displaying the composure of an older sister, not resisting Caelus's advances at all.

"I never agreed to that."

Black Swan said with a smile. She reached behind Caelus's ear and pulled out a Tarot card, numbered zero. It depicted Black Swan's own back, as if looking towards something in the distance.

"This is a souvenir for you. I have my own things to do and can't stay with you forever."

Black Swan placed the Tarot card into Caelus's hand. The words "token of love" immediately appeared in Caelus's mind, and his gaze towards Black Swan became even gentler.

"This isn't a token of love, don't misunderstand. Don't touch me like that!"

Black Swan quickly tried to correct Caelus when she realized he had misunderstood her. However, Caelus had already started touching her all over, making her feel both embarrassed and amused.

"Go back to the normal dream world."

Black Swan gave Caelus a firm slap. As her soft hand made contact, Caelus felt as if he were floating out of the water. With a sense of weightlessness, he found himself back in the dream of Golden Hour.

"Waking up repeatedly in the dream pool isn't good for your body. Your companions have also returned to this dream. Talk to them properly."

Black Swan's voice echoed, but she was nowhere to be seen. Caelus felt a pang of regret. He had finally gotten along with such a gentle and beautiful older sister, and he didn't know when he would see her again.

Caelus took out his phone and found many messages in the group chat, as well as a greeting from Firefly. She seemed very anxious.

So, Caelus sent messages to everyone and they agreed to meet under the statue of Clock Boy. It was a famous landmark, making it easy to identify.

A moment later, Caelus arrived at the statue. Himeko, Welt, March 7th, and Firefly were all there. Firefly had even brought Acheron. Caelus had been wondering if Acheron could arrive safely, as her terrible sense of direction was more frightening than any monster.

"Ah Caelus, are you okay!"

The moment Firefly saw Caelus, she was so moved that she almost cried. She rushed into Caelus's arms like a firefly, hugging him tightly and saying.

This made March 7th, who was already worried about Caelus, freeze. She had intended to hug Caelus herself, but this woman had gotten there first.

"Firefly, where were you earlier? I couldn't find you."

Caelus patted Firefly's soft back as he asked. Seeing her here put him at ease. At the same time, Caelus wondered what would have happened if he hadn't saved her. Dreamflow Reef wasn't dangerous at all. After Firefly was sent there, she should have returned to the normal dream immediately, as if she were on vacation.

"I... actually, I was hiding."

Firefly didn't know how to explain for a moment. She wanted to tell Caelus that she was Sam, but then she thought about what Sam had done. Because Sam mistakenly believed Caelus was dead, she wanted to burn down Penacony as a funeral pyre for him. How could the girl say such a thing? She'd just stall for now.

"That's true. Acheron and Sam fought so fiercely, it wouldn't have been good if you were caught in the crossfire."

Caelus nodded, not suspecting Firefly's words. When he returned to the Dream Hotel, he was kidnapped by Black Swan before he could say much, and only now had the time to come back.

"Right, what did that woman do to you? She took you away, she must be a bad person."

Firefly also remembered Black Swan taking Caelus. She was very annoyed. If Black Swan hadn't been absent, she might have lost her temper and acted right then and there.

"Don't say that. She took me to talk business."

Caelus comforted Firefly by patting her back. Seeing her unhappy, he rubbed her head, which made Firefly a little happier.

"Ah Caelus, I'm sorry. It's all my fault you got hurt. I'm so glad you're okay. I'll never leave you again."

Firefly experienced the feeling of regaining something lost and had no more hesitation. Whatever the script was, it didn't matter to her anymore. She just wanted to be with Caelus.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Caelus asked with a smile.

"Yes, if you don't mind, I'll treat you well."

Firefly nodded firmly. A man willing to risk his life to save her, his actions spoke louder than a thousand sweet words. Caelus didn't know at the time that he could be killed and resurrected, so he truly exchanged his life for a girlfriend.

"Heh heh, you could say that stab was worth it. I'm fine, but I gained a wife."

Caelus playfully lifted Firefly's bangs and kissed her forehead, very happy. Firefly blushed shyly but still held tightly onto his clothes.

"I-I'm not your wife."

"Cough cough, we're still here."

March 7th couldn't take it anymore. Watching Caelus being so intimate with the newcomer, she felt like a pebble on the side of the road. How long had this guy been in Penacony, and he'd already hooked up with another woman? March 7th was filled with resentment. He had clearly said before that he cared about her.

"March 7th, Himeko, Uncle Yang, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Firefly."

Caelus introduced them, holding Firefly's hand. His new girlfriend was still warm. For some reason, when he held Firefly, she felt very hot, as if she had returned from somewhere without cooling down. But there was no need to worry about things in a dream.

"Hello, Miss Firefly."

As the parental figure on the train, Himeko naturally showed acceptance. Although Caelus always attracted different women, he never approached them with a playful attitude. What reason did she have to object?

"Hello."

Firefly leaned shyly against Caelus. She hadn't expected to meet his family, but thinking that she might be acting with the Station Master from now on, she became bolder. Since she had decided to be with Caelus, these things were unavoidable.

"Himeko, what happened at the Dream Hotel?"

Caelus asked curiously. His experiences at the Dream Hotel had been incredibly eventful, almost too many to count. In comparison, March 7th and Himeko's group seemed rather uneventful.

"Sigh, it makes me angry just thinking about it. We encountered monsters halfway there, which is not worth mentioning. We were also caught by the Family's Yin Ling VII% Ba Si Qi Shi Yu, and after discussing some matters, we were sent away."

March 7th said indignantly. From her brief words, Caelus understood that the two of them hadn't done anything, almost as if they had gone for nothing. It would have been worth the ticket price just to see Acheron and Samo fight, right? They didn't even see that, so it was no wonder little March was so angry.

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Chapter 87: Stirring Up a Storm

"Members of the Family informed us that a guest died in their dream. They were vague about the victim, but due to the Star Rail's reputation, the Family wishes to request our assistance in uncovering the truth and the culprit behind the incident."

Himeko explained the details of her negotiation with the Family. Caelus was quite surprised to hear this, not expecting the Family to seek cooperation from the Star Rail.

"That's quite a coincidence."

"Do you know who the deceased is?"

Seeing Caelus's unusual reaction, Himeko guessed he might have experienced something during his disappearance and followed up with a question.

"Yes, it was Robin."

Caelus answered honestly. This wasn't a secret; if the Star Rail truly investigated, they would find out sooner or later.

"W-what? Caelus, say that again, the superstar?"

March 7th was utterly stunned. She grabbed Caelus's arm and asked for confirmation, unable to believe she had been listening to Robin's music just yesterday, only for her to be dead today.

"No wonder the Family was so vague. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't need to be so cautious."

Himeko showed a look of understanding. Although she had also heard Robin sing, this was not the time for personal feelings; she had to consider the interests of the Star Rail.

"Actually, Black Swan took me to meet Aventurine earlier."

Caelus held March 7th's hand and explained his experience to Himeko. Upon hearing that Aventurine was the source of the information, Welt had no reason to doubt it.

"Robin's situation clearly exceeded their expectations, forcing the Family to adapt and seek outside help. With the Grand Gala approaching, they must be overwhelmed. The Family's primary concern is likely those unwelcome guests, such as the envoy from the Company."

Welt spoke up.

"Aventurine, however, is wary of Acheron."

Caelus added. This triangular relationship was quite peculiar. To the Family, Aventurine was like a monstrous flood, while to Aventurine, the mysterious Acheron was far more terrifying than the Family.

"What's there to say about that scoundrel? His reason for suspecting Acheron is also quite abstract. Why blame Acheron just because the Destruction faction was wiped out? She was with us the entire time; how could she have had the opportunity to commit the crime?"

March 7th said indignantly. In her opinion, Aventurine was just looking for an excuse to pin the murder on Acheron and smear the Star Rail in the process. Since Acheron was now a member of the Star Rail, Aventurine couldn't possibly not know that. However, he probably suspected Acheron boarded the train with certain intentions, much like how the Pathstrider concealed their identity.