122. A Strange New Companion Has Joined the Party / 123. All We Have to Do Is Wait for Acheron to Act

"Danshu, I know you miss me, and I miss you too, but I still have things to do. I can't lose myself in this happy dream. I have to wake up."

Caelus spoke to Danshu. Ever since they had parted ways on the Xianzhou, he had received no news of her. They had not been apart for long, yet he had unexpectedly met her in a dream. His feelings were complicated. She was the only one of Caelus's wives still out there, with her fate unknown.

"Mm, I understand. You saved me from my miserable fate, so of course you want to save even more people. I wish you a smooth road ahead, my... husband."

Danshu answered, then took the initiative to throw herself into Caelus's arms. As she spoke, she kissed him on the lips. Her body gradually turned into bubbles and vanished, while everything around Caelus disappeared as well.

When Caelus opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting on a sofa. The familiar feeling of the Dreamscape washed over him, telling him this was not reality but some fragment of a dream. Judging from the colors around him, it seemed to be the Dream Hotel again.

"Darling, come here."

Black Swan's gentle voice reached him. Caelus was a little surprised, but he immediately got up and walked to the door. When he opened it and saw the corridor beyond, he found two women standing before him.

"Caelus, you're awake."

Acheron spoke. Black Swan stood beside her. The two mature women standing together were exceptionally alluring, yet Caelus wore a strange expression.

"Black Swan and Acheron standing together... How could I have a dream like this?"

Caelus spoke as he turned to return to his room and continue sleeping. He felt that Uncle was still plotting against him, so he needed to keep searching for a way to wake up.

"This isn't a dream."

Black Swan stepped forward and took Caelus's hand, speaking to him with a helpless expression.

"Then why aren't you afraid of her?" Caelus asked suspiciously.

"I... Compared to personal fear, Penacony's safety is more important, isn't it? Besides, I'll secretly tell you..."

Black Swan looked troubled, but in order to make Caelus believe this was not Sunday's paradise, she still leaned close to whisper in his ear.

"Actually, after Acheron treated me so roughly, I found that feeling a little hard to forget."

Black Swan's words carried a subtle implication. Caelus gave her an odd look. Among the secrets known only to the two of them, there was indeed the matter of Black Swan being plucked by Acheron. Now that Black Swan had brought it up herself, she had exposed a small preference of hers. Wanting to be cherished was only natural, but she seemed to miss the feeling of being treated roughly too.

"You really dared to say that. Just like you. I believe you."

Caelus spoke to Black Swan with a solemn expression. She had always seemed like a reliable older sister to him, yet now she had revealed a kink he could never have imagined. That proved she was the real Black Swan, because in a happy, perfect dream, she would never say something that went against her established character.

"I know you're completely confused right now. We'll do our best to explain. But before we clarify the full chain of events, you must understand one thing: this is the space between dreams and reality, belonging to those who have awakened from the Great One's Dream."

Acheron spoke to Caelus. His awakening had been within her expectations. Acheron knew the man she had chosen could not possibly be defeated by a mere dream of Order, and now he had proven her right.

"Acheron, I missed you so much. Why did you leave after slashing Aventurine? You have no idea how badly I got bullied. Would that have happened if you'd been there?"

Caelus lunged forward and crashed into Acheron. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rubbed his head wildly against her chest. Acheron simply let him do as he pleased without objecting.

"Mm, you suffered. But I had things I needed to do as well, which was why I left the Dreamscape. You'll understand soon."

Acheron raised a hand and stroked Caelus's head in comfort, then looked toward Black Swan to signal for her to speak first.

"Do you remember Sunday's ambition? He planned to use the Stellaron, the will of over a hundred thousand members of the Oak Family, and the wishes of all Penacony's people to seize the authority of Harmony and bring Order back into the world."

Black Swan spread open her palm, and a tarot card appeared in her hand. The image on it depicted everything Sunday had done before.

"Unfortunately, the truth is not so simple. From the moment we first entered Asdana, we had already fallen under the Stellaron's influence."

Acheron continued. Watching the two of them speak in perfect coordination, Caelus could not help feeling that their relationship had become much better while he had been away.

"I believe Order's goal is not to make everyone fall asleep. On the contrary, they used the Stellaron to catalyze Asdana's Memory Matter and seep it into the material world, merging dreams with reality."

"I'm afraid quite a bit of the Outer Choir's memories was mixed into it as well... Over a long period of time, dreams became indistinguishable from reality, while reality began to produce illusions. People believed themselves awake, yet their minds had long since entered Order's hall."

Acheron's intelligence was still operating at full capacity. She always seemed a little absentminded in reality, but in the Dreamscape she had consistently taken center stage. Caelus was growing more and more admiring of his dear Acheron.

"This is precisely what makes the Great One's Dream so terrifying. In a paradise ruled by Order, everyone can obtain their own perfect dream and live happily ever after."

"I believe that aside from that one flaw, everything you experienced in your beautiful dream truly happened. Only then could he lead you to the ideal ending, resolve Penacony's crisis, and set out on the next Trailblaze journey."

Black Swan voiced her speculation about Caelus's dream, but his dream had not actually been so convoluted. It had simply revolved around his wives, because to him, the greatest happiness was not Trailblaze but being with them. He had basically exploited a loophole.

"If Miss Acheron had not arranged things in advance, we might have remained lost in this dream forever."

Black Swan was already full of praise for Acheron. Looking at her, Caelus felt as though this woman was about to turn gay. That would not do. He needed to straighten her out and have her give him little swans.

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More Strange Companions Joined the Party

"Fortunately, Order's Path governs all things, yet it cannot affect The Void itself. I only realized this when the Dream Master drove me out at any cost."

Acheron spoke calmly. Just as she said, people began to fall under the Stellaron's influence from the moment they entered Penacony. The Pipissee Caelus had awakened with a few slaps should not have existed in the first place, but Caelus himself possessed Stellaron power. It was essentially like giving the other person an awakening buff.

And the other person who had remained awake throughout the dream was Acheron.

"The Void's value keeps rising! Sob, sob, sob... Acheron, my wonderful Acheron, you're the best."

Listening to this, Caelus felt that Acheron was still his biggest support as always. His grip around her arm tightened, and he practically wanted to rub her chest flat with his head.

"But I wasn't so fortunate. Even as a Memokeeper, I was still affected by Order and fell into an illusion. However, thanks to remembering the dance I shared with Miss Acheron, I woke up."

Black Swan spoke with some envy from the side. Naturally, she envied Caelus's ability to touch Acheron however he liked. Caelus, meanwhile, looked at her strangely. This swan seemed to be turning into an M.

"Even mortals who possess the might of a Path cannot create a flawless world like gods can. That is why imperfections appeared in your dream. As long as one notices the world's abnormalities, their consciousness has a chance to break free from the dream."

Black Swan ignored Caelus's strange look and spoke seriously. What she intended to bring up next was naturally those who had awakened from the dream.

"Right now, we still have a chance. And to make it a reality... Miss Black Swan, take us to meet those people who are equally strong."

Acheron spoke to Black Swan. Miss Swan smiled and nodded, then began leading the way through the Dreamscape toward the hotel lobby. After only a few steps, Caelus heard a familiar song. As long as they followed the source of that singing, they would not get lost here.

When they arrived at the Dream Hotel lobby, Caelus saw that familiar figure. Robin was singing here, though unfortunately there was no accompaniment around her. She was alone.

"Let us meet Miss Robin. She awakened from the Great One's Dream through her own will, and this strong young lady tirelessly guided us here with her song."

Acheron spoke, then gently led Caelus forward, leaving Robin some time alone with him.

"Little Bird, are you all right? I was so worried about you."

Caelus came to Robin's side and took her hand. When she and Welt had stayed behind to face the Dream Master, he had worried himself sick.

"I'm fine. My brother merely trapped me in the Great One's Dream. After I woke through my own will, I ended up here."

Robin smiled. Caelus's ability to awaken from his beautiful dream proved she had not misjudged him. If he wanted to become her lover, this was the least he needed to possess.

"Sigh, Uncle really is something. He worked so hard and did so much just to protect you, yet you still woke up by yourself. He'll probably be devastated when he finds out."

Caelus sighed. Robin's expression also turned somewhat bitter. She knew her brother would not let her go. If things continued, she might become a priority target. Next time, she might not be able to wake up at all.

"The reason I was able to awaken was the same as yours. In the dream, I experienced things that could never happen in reality, no matter what... The illusion was so sweet that it made me clearly realize it was only a dream."

Robin explained as she looked at Caelus, who had likewise awakened through his own will. The others had awakened with more or less some assistance, but only Caelus and Robin had awakened through the strength of their own will.

"This is our final hope as well. The Great One's Dream was built upon the embodiment of the Choir of Harmony's shared wish. It could only manifest when the wishes of all Penacony's people became one."

"Right now, it has become unshakable because people desire to sleep within dreams. If we wish to destroy it, we must make everyone in Penacony want to wake up."

Robin explained the principles behind Sunday's power to them, but the solution sounded extremely difficult. Most people were ordinary people. Why would they want to awaken and face cruel reality?

"But the question is, how do we do that? Making a crowd of such scale share the same will is probably harder than reaching the heavens."

Black Swan spoke.

"But no matter what, we cannot simply stand by and do nothing."

An outsider's voice joined the conversation. Caelus turned and saw Dan Heng approaching. The Star Rail Express was also in Penacony, so of course it had been affected as well. There was someone Caelus had never seen beside Dan Heng.

"This is a crisis that could determine the survival of the universe. Who has time to fuss over some damned number?"

The man had clearly divided black-and-white hair atop his head, each side with ideas of its own. His clothing only covered his chest, while beneath it Caelus could see metallic skin and modified mechanical arms. Caelus judged that the man was a cyborg. He dressed like a cowboy, and his weapon was the sort of revolver commonly seen in films.

"Dan Heng, who is this?"

Caelus asked in confusion. Dan Heng appearing here was no surprise, but this cowboy, who clearly did not look ordinary, drew his attention.

"It's a long story. Let Acheron explain it to you." Dan Heng said.

"Do you remember that I used the identity of a Pathstrider?" Acheron asked Caelus.

Caelus naturally nodded. He had never doubted Acheron's identity. Even if she was an Emanator of The Void, that was work. Being a Pathstrider was definitely her life.

"I remember."

"Although that organization is loose, it has its own rules. I used the Pathstrider identity to kill several groups of people, so they sent someone to investigate."

"That man is Boothill. He is a genuine Pathstrider."

Acheron looked toward Boothill. Caelus felt that no matter how he looked at it, Acheron was in the wrong. After all, she had borrowed someone else's organization's name to cause trouble. The Grand Duke of Fiery Nether was not even cold yet, and people outside were already saying the Pathstriders had done it.

"So that's how it is. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. My Acheron caused you trouble. She didn't do it on purpose. Let's be friends."

Caelus pulled out a Credit and shoved it into Boothill's hand, meaning they should let bygones be bygones.

"You son of a biscuit, do you think your Credits can be taken back to reality? And there's no time for this nonsense right now. Besides, I can't beat this woman anyway."

Boothill irritably knocked the Credit from Caelus's hand. His speech came with its own censoring function. Naturally, those were not the absurd words he actually meant to say, but what the Synesthesia Beacon automatically translated.

Just Wait for Acheron to Act

"This is the first step of the plan. With the help of the Garden of Recollection, strong people like all of you will gradually awaken from the dream. Their awakened free will shall become a discordant note capable of shaking the Great One's Dream."

Acheron laid out her plan. However, imagination was beautiful while reality was cruel, and someone present had already thought of the issue.

"A mere few dozen people are no more than a drop in the ocean before such an enormous dream. We must find another way to awaken free souls by the hundreds of thousands, even millions, in a short period of time."

Dan Heng considered the problem before them. He felt it would be difficult for their group alone to accomplish something like this unless they had other reinforcements.

"If we cannot do it from within, then we can only seek help from outside. Asdana is a galaxy rich in Memory Matter, where a wondrous phenomenon called Synesthetic Dreaming exists. When many people first enter this place, they appear in one another's thoughts and share the same dream. At this moment, the entire Asdana galaxy has only one dream."

Acheron continued sharing her plan. Penacony as it had been before might not have offered such an opportunity, but Sunday had taken the initiative to merge all dreams together. No matter who came in, they would enter the Great One's Dream, and Sunday had no way to close the door.

"The true difficulty lies in how to gather a large group of people as steadfast as all of you in such a short time."

Black Swan spread her palm. The people she indicated were the steadfast individuals before her, those who did not indulge in beautiful dreams and still cared about reality.

"I suppose only the Jade Abacus of Alliance can accomplish that."

Dan Heng felt that at this point, it was time to use that item. They only needed to summon Jing Yuan and the Cloud Knights. The willpower of Xianzhou soldiers was not something Sunday's Order could shake. Then they would be set.

"No, there's no need. There's no reason to alert the Xianzhou Alliance. Save that treasure you can only use once in your life. Thousands upon thousands of free wills? Leave that to the Pathstriders."

Boothill pressed a hand onto Dan Heng's shoulder. Caelus felt as though he had missed an entire season. Somewhere he did not know about, Dan Heng had formed a friendship with a strange person.

"You can gather the Pathstriders?" Dan Heng asked.

"Outsiders think Pathstriders come and go like ghosts, with no contact between us. I'd say that's true! But we can gather because of the fall of a great star."

Boothill spoke. His words sounded cryptic. Although Penacony was currently dangerous, no one had died, much less some Pathstrider superstar.

"A great star? Who is it?" Caelus asked in confusion.

"One of the Star Rail Express's three former predecessors, Tirnan, whom the people here had confirmed to be dead."

Acheron explained, dropping a shocking revelation. Everyone looked at her, wanting to hear the rest of this incredible story.

"Didn't his story end when he was Trailblazing out there? They said he encountered the Swarm Disaster and fought until his final moment."

Caelus still remembered what Mikhail had told him. Of the three old Express predecessors, only Mikhail had survived to the end. Yet now, it seemed that someone else had actually lived longer.

"In truth, he did not die. He survived through sheer determination, but by the time he returned to Penacony, this place had already changed completely. He had no invitation, so the Family naturally barred him from entering. People refused to believe Tirnan could return from the dead, so he wandered around several times before ultimately failing to come back here."

"Later, he became a Pathstrider. I met Tirnan in a world amid The Void. Do you remember when I said I came to fulfill someone's final wish?"

Acheron spoke slowly, explaining her connection to the Star Rail Express and the Pathstriders. Acheron had not simply picked an identity at random and placed it on herself. She truly had ties to all of this.

"The person you meant was..."

Caelus had not asked Acheron why she came to Penacony, so she had not told him. Now it seemed that if he had asked earlier and she had spoken earlier, everyone on the Star Rail Express would have known she had ties to their old predecessor.

"Tirnan always wanted to return here. I came carrying his final wish, and I also came to return his relic to the Pathstriders," Acheron said.

"So you already knew the Star Rail Express's predecessor. No wonder you didn't object to coming aboard. Now everything makes sense."

Caelus realized that all the pieces still fit together here. Acheron getting lost at the Space Station had indeed been a coincidence, but after seeing the Star Rail Express, she must have accepted that coincidence.

A bullet appeared in Acheron's hand. This purple bullet looked like liquid, and she placed it in Boothill's hand. The genuine Pathstrider began to explain.

"This is a burial offering. Only heroes who have rendered great service to the Pathstriders are worthy of possessing one. When its light appears in the universe, it means a great star has fallen. The Hunt's vengeance will begin here."

Boothill skipped the formalities and explained it directly. Tirnan truly deserved to be an old predecessor of the Express. Even though he had not returned to Penacony, he had still thrived among the Pathstriders. Until the end of his life, he had continued Trailblazing without pause.

The Pathstriders were a free-spirited organization, but they all respected the great heroes among them. Once Tirnan's bullet was fired, it would signify that he had died in Penacony. The Hunt was known for its extreme desire for revenge. If he had died naturally, they would not care, but if someone had killed him, they would come seeking vengeance at any cost.

"Tirnan's final wish was for Penacony to become what he and Mikhail had envisioned, not what it is now. Therefore, his final wish will draw countless Pathstriders here, and their will shall shake this dream."

Acheron continued. Caelus felt his blood begin to boil as well. Even after death, that old predecessor had left behind such a method. He truly deserved to be called a predecessor.

"Once the dream has been shaken, I will carry out the second step of the plan. With Harmony's song, I will tune the people sleeping in the dream, send Trailblaze's discordant note into their hearts, and point them toward reality. For that, I need Caelus's help. I do not walk the Path of Trailblaze, but your Trailblaze path is more than sufficient."