Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

"Don't you have me? You and Robin are so close, you should be able to get the Cornerstone back from Sunday for me."

After all the groundwork she'd laid, Topaz finally revealed her objective. She was afraid that what Caelus mentioned might actually happen, and even if the Corporation took Penacony by force with its fleet, it would be useless.

"You're quite good at using people, but I'm willing to be used by you."

Caelus blew a kiss at Topaz. He wasn't afraid of being used; he was only afraid of people drifting apart and becoming strangers. In any case, having any kind of connection was good.

"I'm just mentioning it. Sunday might not be that kind of person, but it's good to have a backup plan. If you can be of use, it would indeed be a great help."

Topaz said, not knowing Aventurine's true intentions. With Aventurine's calculating ability, he might not even need Caelus's help.

"Then I want a kiss," Caelus said, raising his index finger.

"Sure, Mr. Hu, go give him a kiss."

Topaz readily agreed. Caelus then saw Mr. Hu open its enormous abyss-like mouth and charge towards him. He quickly blocked Mr. Hu's attack.

"Wait, I meant you to kiss me."

"You didn't say who you wanted to kiss earlier. Mr. Hu and I are of one mind; it represents me. Go on, go on."

"Stop it, Hmph hmph hmph aaaaah!"

Caelus let out a man's scream, but ultimately didn't let Mr. Hu succeed. He collapsed onto the sofa, as if completely drained, turning ash-white.

"Aventurine is very lucky. He's a gambler, always betting everything on every mission. He either wins it all or loses it all. That's all I can tell you."

Topaz gave a reminder. Her words were like a riddle, and she didn't know what Aventurine was planning anyway. But just hearing it made one think of Aventurine as a man who went all out on his missions.

"You say you don't have me in your heart, but this is already strategic information! When are we getting married?"

Although Caelus didn't fully understand what Topaz was trying to convey, he understood her feelings. He got up, sat beside Topaz, and reached out to take her hand, which she naturally dodged. When facing Caelus, she had to stay alert, fearing he might take advantage of her, and her evasion skills were maxed out.

"What if I say after the Corporation reclaims Penacony?"

Topaz said with a smile. If Caelus truly had the ability to help the Corporation reclaim Penacony, she would admit defeat, but from a probability standpoint, it was practically impossible.

"That's too difficult. I'm afraid I can't do it. The Family is backed by an Aeon, after all. That's probably why the Corporation is hesitant to act rashly. Lord Clipper wouldn't strike down his hammer for such a trivial matter."

Caelus's expression froze, and then he said with a bitter look. He was still too weak, lacking power. Although he had been noticed by the Amber Lord, it was merely a fleeting glance. He didn't have the face to ask an Aeon to intervene.

"You're quite rational. So, keep up the good work. I'll be waiting for your good news outside the dream."

Topaz smiled and gave Caelus an encouraging nod. At this moment, Himeko and March 7th returned after their talk with the Family. Seeing Caelus and Topaz sitting together, little March pouted.

"How did things go on your end?"

Caelus asked Himeko.

"We heard Gallagher is busy investigating the murder case in the Dreaming Border. We need to find him in the dream."

The Gallagher Himeko mentioned was the uncle Caelus had met before. He seemed to be the leader of the Family's hounds and had the ability to retrieve some Family information to aid the investigation.

"Goodbye, Topaz."

Caelus waved goodbye to Topaz before leaving. Topaz also waved back. She felt that although this guy was not serious, he was quite diligent when it came to important matters. As long as he could keep his personal and professional lives separate, he was a good helper.

Caelus returned to Acheron's guest room. Lying down in the dream pool again, he successfully entered the dream. The location was still the Clock Boy Plaza. Firefly, Acheron, and Welt had already discussed many things about the dream and exchanged information. They had decided to go to the Family's fortress, Morning Dew Mansion, to search for clues.

"Little March, you and Himeko go find Gallagher. I can speak with Sunday, so I'll head to the Family's side."

Caelus prepared to follow Acheron and Welt, along with Firefly, who was ostensibly a Family performer. Firefly was delighted to see Caelus again so soon. Her expressive abilities were much more proactive than Acheron's, and she stepped forward to take Caelus's hand.

"Okay."

Himeko didn't object to Caelus's decision. The Astral Express crew was already splitting up. Himeko and the others were going to investigate the culprit, while Welt was investigating the Family's anomalies, effectively acting as a double agent.

"Even after such a sensational tragedy, this beautiful dream continues to operate in an orderly fashion."

Welt exclaimed as he walked towards Morning Dew Mansion. The prosperity he saw before him was unchanged, and no one had left this dream town due to the undercurrents.

"The beautiful dream is collapsing, but not because of any particular Aeon, faction, or guest. Its collapse stems from an inevitable human nature. The Family is unwilling to admit this, yet they have inadvertently become the catalyst."

Acheron chimed in. Caelus looked at Acheron in confusion, not understanding the reason for her statement, but he didn't deny it. Acheron's intuition had always been very accurate.

"Miss Acheron, why do you say that?"

Firefly asked curiously. She had a good feeling about the beautiful dream, as it allowed her to be a free and normal person, free from the suffering of Entropy Syndrome.

"When people indulge their minds in dreams that require no cost, no pain, only comfort and pleasure, they draw closer to necrosis. No matter how much they believe they are living in bliss, death is an unchangeable outcome. And this necrosis will spread and diffuse. The anomaly of one puzzle piece will eventually cause the entire structure to shake, shatter, and collapse."

Acheron looked at Firefly as she spoke. Her words seemed tailor-made for her. Firefly fell silent upon hearing this, her grip on Caelus's hand tightening. But she had to admit that Acheron was speaking the truth.

"I won't." Firefly suddenly said.

"What?"

Acheron looked confused by Firefly's strange response and asked.

"Your initial question: do you still dream, do you dream of those who died because of you."

"I don't, never."

"I was born without the ability to dream. I live for the cold reality, for a glimmer of light, burning... burning continuously until I turn to ashes."

Firefly's words were tinged with sadness. Caelus looked at her, beginning to understand the origin of her name, Firefly. It was no wonder she loved dreams so much; for someone who couldn't dream, such an experience was incredibly precious.

"That's why I envy you."

Firefly said calmly, she envied both Acheron's clarity in the dream and her relationship with Caelus. Acheron was a capable woman, and it wasn't just her combat prowess that showed it.

"Is that so? Then you are already living in a world of clarity."

Acheron gave Firefly her concluding remark. Firefly nodded, then looked at Caelus beside her. If she could be with him forever, the beautiful dream of Penacony wouldn't be worth clinging to.

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Chapter 93: Tricked Again

"Someone once told me that Penacony wasn't like this a long time ago, and it shouldn't be like this."

Acheron spoke. Caelus and Firefly listened carefully. This was likely Acheron's purpose for coming to Penacony; she was here to fulfill a dying wish, and the person who left it must have had some connection to Penacony.

"I've walked through the reality and dreams of the Festival Star, watching night rise and fall, time standing still for people, while spiritual wealth and poverty... always remained at their respective scales."

"Therefore, I believe the collapse of the beautiful dream is inevitable."

Acheron stated her reasoning. Caelus wasn't surprised by this. Acheron's intuition was sharp. The abnormalities of the Family and the dream had been mentioned by Robin. This place was probably doomed.

"Perhaps there's a way to change all of this."

Welt spoke. He didn't care about the beautiful dream, but he did care about the people currently asleep. He wanted to lend a hand before they fell into an irreversible slumber.

"Perhaps. But if this is the world people desire, if this is why life chooses to slumber, should we still force it to change?"

Acheron looked at Welt and said. Firefly's body trembled. She had asked Caelus a similar question: why does life slumber? Firefly's answer was the fear of waking up from the dream, precisely because they longed to live in such a world. Acheron was just a passerby, with no intention of forcing everyone to awaken.

"Acheron, you got smarter after sleeping. You don't usually talk this much, or this philosophically."

Caelus said happily, holding Acheron's hand. Firefly also didn't let go of Caelus's hand. He found his Acheron was becoming more and more intelligent. Ever since entering the dream, her insights had been unique, as if she were a different person. Caelus was very pleased.

"I was always smart."

Acheron corrected him. In reality, she didn't have anything that required deep thought; when she encountered enemies, she just fought them. However, things in the dream couldn't be dealt with by simply fighting. She was here to fulfill a dying wish, not to fight.

"Hahaha, smart people just can't remember the way."

Caelus teased with a laugh. Acheron raised her hand and tugged at his cheek. His skin was thick, so it didn't matter how much she pulled.

The atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed. Firefly raised her hand and rubbed Caelus's cheek, which had just been pulled, her eyes full of concern. If Acheron didn't care for him, she certainly would. Although she also longed for this kind of affectionate banter between lovers.

After the group traversed several dreamscapes, they arrived at the entrance of the Morning Dew Mansion. Since it was a structure within a dream, its construction was essentially unrestrained, built however the creators pleased. Thus, the mansion's structure could no longer be described as merely a castle.

"Wow, it's even grander than my Clipper Palace. Impressive."

Caelus exclaimed, gazing at the Morning Dew Mansion before him. The place was so vast that it could comfortably accommodate everyone in the dream. It was a testament to the Family's extravagance, their faces showing, "Even though I don't need such a large place, I'm going to build it this big anyway."

Caelus was being modest. The area of the Morning Dew Mansion was comparable to the entirety of Belobog. Who knew how long the dreamweavers worked to create this thing.

"Acheron, if the beautiful dream collapses, will the person who built this house cry for a long time?"

Caelus said, pointing at the Morning Dew Mansion before them, recalling Acheron's earlier words. Acheron seriously considered the question and then nodded.

"Yes."

Welt and Firefly were speechless. As visiting guests, cursing the house to collapse before they even entered seemed a bit much. Acheron hadn't meant it that way earlier; she had been led astray by Caelus again.

"Hello."

Welt called out from the entrance of the Morning Dew Mansion, but there was no answer from within. He curiously walked into the mansion through the wide-open main doors, finding himself in a magnificent corridor adorned with various artworks, but not a single living soul.

"See, I told you building houses too big is bad. The butler probably got lost."

Caelus said carelessly and continued walking forward. Welt wanted to stop him, but after thinking about it, instead of speculating, it was better to move forward. They were here to investigate, after all.

"Something's not right. Moving further in leads to the mansion's depths. Never mind the butler, where are the security personnel?"

Welt spoke as he neared the central area, stopping in his tracks. The butler could have an emergency, but if the bodyguards left their posts, it meant something truly serious had happened.

"Let's keep moving forward. The answer might be ahead."

Acheron said, placing her right hand on the hilt of her Katana. Simultaneously, her aura became imperceptible, almost blending into the air. To outsiders, she was as good as nonexistent.

"This is aura concealment. I'm currently a suspect in Aventurine's eyes, so it's not suitable for me to appear in a Family stronghold."

Acheron explained. This was why Caelus thought she got smarter while sleeping; she had already figured out how to conceal herself to investigate.

"Firefly, you can move closer to me and conceal your aura as well."

Acheron said to Firefly. In her opinion, Firefly was also someone who needed to be hidden. If the Family discovered that she was a Stellaron Hunter, it would undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble.

"Okay, thank you."

Firefly smiled and nodded, then moved to Acheron's side and concealed herself. Caelus watched the two women he cared about interacting so harmoniously, feeling very gratified. As long as his harem didn't erupt in flames, he would be at peace.

"Firefly, you're not nervous coming to a place like this as a stowaway. Is your identity as an artist useful here?"

Caelus said to Firefly. He still remembered how Firefly had looked when she was chased by several Family hounds and asked him for help. Firefly had been so cute back then.

"Ah, do you like girls who are a little scared? I'll try my best."

Firefly seemed to have realized something and promised Caelus with her hands clasped in front of her chest. As a woman who could fight her way through seven enemies at once on the battlefield, she was quite willing to act pitiful occasionally.

"?"

A large question mark appeared above Caelus's head. He felt like he had been tricked. Was Firefly always like this? Was her identity as an artist just an act for him?

Carrying this strange thought, Caelus walked deeper into the Morning Dew Mansion. To his surprise, there were still no people here. Not only were there no people, but monsters also appeared, wandering around. They all had purple shells, suggesting they were products of the same series.

"These are memes."

Welt, being well-traveled, recognized that these purple monsters were different from those of the Dreamy Troupe. He felt as if the mansion had somehow transformed into a monster's lair, giving him the sensation of watching a horror film, as if everyone inside had already been devoured.

"I'll handle this."

Acheron declared, placing her hand on her sword hilt and stepping forward. Her figure flickered like a slide projector a few times. By the time she reappeared, all the monsters had been slain and vanished without so much as a ripple.

Chapter 94: Aventurine's Gambit

"There are two sets of footprints here."

Welt, long accustomed to Acheron's abilities, bent down and pointed to the footprints on the carpet. This was perhaps the only clue they had.

"Mr. Welt, can you tell whose footprints these are?" Acheron inquired.

"Hmm... The pattern is unique and quite ostentatious. Judging by the size, they appear to be men's. I'd guess... it's highly likely the envoy from the Interastral Peace Corporation, Mr. Aventurine."

Welt deduced from the sole's pattern. Caelus scratched his head, wondering how brazen Aventurine's actions must be to be identified solely by the pattern on his shoe sole; it seemed too abstract.

"And the other set?"

"The two sets of footprints aren't one behind the other. Judging by their nearly parallel alignment, the companion was likely not his subordinate."

Welt wasn't a prophet; being able to identify Aventurine was already impressive. As for the other set, he couldn't even begin to guess.

"The Corporation desires to reclaim Penacony. Their presence here is within expectations."

Welt stood up and stated. This was good news; at least someone had visited before them and hadn't come up empty-handed. The doors that had been open all along might have been opened by Aventurine.

"With this bizarre situation, I hope Aventurine didn't get my brother-in-law killed."

Caelus said, looking at the empty hall. People couldn't die in dreams. At most, his brother-in-law would be sent to Dreamflow Reef to meet Robin. Thinking about it, it was quite a dark joke.

"What do you mean?" Welt asked, puzzled.

"Aventurine is gambling with the Family using the two keystones of the Ten Stonehearts. I believe he's here to reclaim the keystones this time. If Sunday refuses to hand them over, the conflict will surely escalate."

"Keystones... Let's pick up the pace."