130. A Beauty with a Hero / 131. Reward

At this point, Caelus had to mention that bitch Phantylia. She was the textbook example of an abnormal Emanator. Nanook had personally noticed him, yet she had come after him anyway. Still, the Destruction faction really was like that. Maybe it was something like a trial. The Preservation and Harmony factions should be more reasonable.

"The beautiful dream is on the verge of collapse now, and many ill-intentioned people have caught wind of it. No matter what, I have to protect this place and overcome every obstacle to build it into something better... My brother would surely want me to do that too."

Robin looked at Caelus as she spoke, her meaning clear. Of course, Caelus understood. They had worked well with the Corporation before, but now the Corporation had become one of those ill-intentioned parties. Naturally, he would stand by Robin's side.

"Speaking of my brother, although we only found this journal, I don't think it proves anything. My intuition tells me he must still be safe somewhere within the beautiful dream, searching for a new path toward the ideal we shared."

Robin looked up at the sky above Penacony's Grand Theater. Night had fallen again. Vehicles flowed along the roads as they always had, and the only difference was likely that the dream's administrator was about to change.

"You're a superstar. Don't push yourself too hard. It's a shame I don't have many capable people around me, so I can't find anyone to protect you for now."

Caelus could not help feeling sorry for Robin as he watched her. After becoming a star, she had stayed far from political struggles. Yet now she had to take up Sunday's burden and protect the beautiful dream. How could that be all right? She was still just a girl.

Caelus wanted to find a few helpers, but Jarilo-VI was already struggling to handle its own problems, and the Xianzhou was much the same. That left only the Corporation, but it was hostile to the Family. They were still too weak.

"I know. For now, we can only take things one step at a time. But... compared to all those things we don't yet know how to begin, I think the more important thing right now is teaching you how to sing."

Seeing that Caelus was still worrying about her, Robin finally smiled. She was indeed completely lost at the moment, but there were still things she could do.

"Sing? Why?" Caelus asked curiously.

"If you're going to be my boyfriend, you can't keep singing that badly."

Robin said it with a smile, and Caelus froze. He suspected he had heard wrong, or perhaps he had not yet awakened from the Great One's Dream. Otherwise, why would he be having such an illusion?

"Little Bird! Did you mean that?"

Caelus grabbed Robin's hand, afraid that she would turn into a dream and vanish the next second. That was the worst thing about Penacony. It made it difficult for him to tell what was real and what was a dream. Even slapping himself would hurt.

"Yes. You've already expressed your feelings through your actions. I still have many shortcomings, so from now on, teach me how to be your girlfriend."

Those words were practically a confession to Caelus. Once she set aside the halo of being a superstar, Robin was just an ordinary girl. After going through so much with Caelus, there was naturally no reason for her not to like him.

"Waaah... Finally, I finally won you over. Being able to become your boyfriend makes every hardship worthwhile."

Caelus was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He pulled Robin into his arms at last, finally wrapping his arms around her slender waist. It was Robin's first time being held like that by a man, so of course she felt embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed instantly, but she did not push Caelus away.

Caelus felt that he needed to thank Uncle for his sacrifice. If not for all the things he had done, how would Caelus have gotten the chance to enter the Path of Harmony and end up with Robin? Thinking it over carefully, Uncle deserved at least eighty percent of the credit for Caelus winning Robin over. He would remember this favor.

"Little Bird, let's leave this dream and meet again in reality. There's no special reason. You've been dreaming for too long, and I'm worried it might affect your body."

Caelus was still not fully convinced that Robin had truly become his girlfriend. He wanted to return to the real Penacony and let his companions see her.

"Okay."

Robin agreed immediately. She realized that she had never awakened after entering the dreamscape. In theory, it would not affect her body, but since Caelus had said so, she also felt that she should wake up and take a look.

As Caelus opened the Dream Manual and exited the beautiful dream, he returned to his body without the slightest obstruction. He looked around and found no sign of Acheron. She had probably awakened after that battle. She had finished everything she needed to do, and the beautiful dream held nothing worth lingering for her.

"Caelus, you're awake."

March 7th's voice rang out. Caelus looked toward the sofa in the room and found March 7th sitting there, playing on her phone. It surprised him greatly.

"Little March, why are you in my room?"

"You're one to talk. You're the only one from the whole Express crew still asleep, sleepyhead."

March 7th rolled her eyes at Caelus. She had thought he would leave the dreamscape after the battle, but he had slept until now. There was nothing fun outside, so she could only wait here for him to wake up.

"No one was stopping you from sleeping. Reality isn't nearly as fun as dreams."

Caelus smiled. He had been having a great time in the dream, not only going on dates and having fun with Firefly, but also winning over Robin. He could not say he had been happier than in reality, but it had certainly been enjoyable.

"That's easy for you to say. I don't even dare close my eyes now. I'm afraid I'll enter the Great One's Dream again."

March 7th glared at Caelus. She envied his thick nerves. Something so terrifying had happened, yet he could still sleep.

"That's probably trauma. But I'm curious, what did you experience in the Great One's Dream?"

"Of course there was lots of delicious food, fun things, and you, Uncle Yang, and the others. After we finished the battle at Penacony, we went on to the next destination to continue Trailblazing."

March 7th counted on her fingers as she spoke. Seeing how pure and uncomplicated she was, and how clear her dream had been, Caelus could not help sighing.

"Little March, you're a true Trailblazer."

"What's with the sudden compliment? It's not like I'm happy or anything."

March 7th said with a smile. She did not know why Caelus was praising her, but she still became happy. Caelus had only compared himself to Little March and realized that all he had thought about in his dream was women. He could not help feeling embarrassed. His spirit of Trailblaze had completely vanished.

The two talked as they left the hotel room and entered the hotel lounge below. There was a bar there, and as soon as Caelus came downstairs, he saw Acheron's back at the counter, with Black Swan beside her.

Looking at the graceful backs of the two women, Caelus stood still and thought for three seconds before his expression changed dramatically.

"Oh no, someone's stealing my home!"

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Caelus immediately stepped forward to the bar. Then he forcibly squeezed himself between the two women, wrapping his arms around their slender waists with both hands as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Acheron, it's wonderful to see you in reality."

Caelus leaned close to Acheron, pressing his cheek against hers as he spoke. That slightly cool sensation was Acheron's body temperature.

"You successfully stopped the Great One's Dream from spreading. You did well."

Acheron raised a hand and gently patted Caelus's head. During the confrontation with Sunday, she had not stepped in to help. She certainly could have cut down the Choir of Harmony with a single slash, but that would not have benefited Caelus's growth.

Acheron could now clearly see Caelus's path of growth. Calling it meteoric would not be an exaggeration. Caelus had descended as a Stellaron less than a year ago, yet he had already set foot on four Paths. Aside from Destruction, which was mostly for show, he had reached heights beyond ordinary people on Preservation, Harmony, and Trailblaze. Even the supposed protagonist of this era would be no more impressive.

"It's just that your singing is a little awful."

Black Swan teased him with a smile. She had heard Caelus's astonishing singing voice and had even considered recording it in her memories to give to her enemies. It would surely be effective.

"Say that again, and I'll sing to you every day."

Caelus shot Black Swan an unhappy look. This woman was trying to poach his woman while mocking him. If not for how pretty she was... there was nothing he could do to her anyway.

"Spare this little woman, then."

Black Swan said with a smile. Then she noticed that Caelus seemed distracted and wondered whether she had said something wrong.

"What is it?" Black Swan asked.

"Nothing. It's just that the way you refer to yourself reminds me of an old friend."

Caelus still could not forget that foxian girl who called herself this little woman. He had met her in the Great One's Dream, yet reality still bore no trace of her existence.

"By the way, I secured a place on the Star Rail Express. From now on, I'll be able to visit anytime."

Seeing that Caelus was in low spirits, Black Swan changed the subject.

"You're getting on the train too?"

Caelus looked at Black Swan strangely. She was undeniably on the Path of Remembrance, so how could she possibly walk the road of Trailblaze?

"Not exactly. It's different from becoming a Nameless. I've set up an area called Memories of Chaos on your train. It's a unique technology of the Garden of Recollection. There, you can fight powerful enemies from your memories again. Think of it as a training ground."

Black Swan explained. It was a convenient function she had brought to the Star Rail Express. If anyone wanted to train through combat, they would not need to spar with their companions and risk injury.

"I can appear on the train through that place whenever I want, so don't be surprised if you run into me sometimes."

"And if I visit the train often, I can drink with Miss Acheron too."

Black Swan finally revealed her true purpose. Caelus felt that this could not continue. He needed to find an opportunity to take care of Black Swan and let her know that Acheron was his, so she would stop harboring improper thoughts. Though her improper thoughts might simply be about getting beaten up.

"You wake up and immediately start chatting with women."

March 7th pouted angrily nearby. She had been the one waiting for Caelus in his room, yet he did not act close to her at all. Was it just because those older sisters had slightly better figures than her? Look how completely they had bewitched him.

While Little March was grumbling to herself, she saw a woman radiating brilliant splendor emerge from the hotel's Family passage, followed by several Family guards. Who else could it be but Robin?

"Great, Miss Robin woke up too."

Seeing Robin appear in the real world made March 7th feel much better. She had been worried that something had happened to Robin, since she had not seen her since the battle ended.

"Caelus."

Robin called out when she reached the bar. Caelus immediately stood and walked over to her. Robin threw herself into his arms, gently wrapping her arms around his back.

"What is it? You don't feel uncomfortable anywhere, do you?"

Caelus held Robin's slender waist as he asked. Holding Little Bird in reality made him feel that she was even softer, and her scent was sweeter too. Those were details the dreamscape had not simulated.

"No. I just wanted to see what it felt like to hug in reality."

Robin pulled back slightly, looking at Caelus with a gentle smile. She did not avoid showing affection toward him in front of everyone, because she had never considered herself someone extraordinary and had no idol baggage. If she wanted to date, then she would date.

"I think your body temperature feels warmer. Everything else is about the same."

Caelus raised a hand and lightly touched Robin's cheek. She was like a work of art, and he was afraid that applying too much force would damage her.

"Perhaps it's because the distance between our hearts has grown closer."

Robin placed her hand over the back of Caelus's hand, tilted her head slightly, and rested against his palm as she spoke softly. Caelus felt as though he were about to suffocate. No wonder she was a superstar. Even the way she spoke sounded so lovely, far too lovely.

"Miss Robin, you and Caelus are..."

March 7th finally recovered from her stunned state. She stared at the scene before her in complete disbelief. No matter how she looked at it, she felt as though she were living in a dream.

"Miss March 7th, I'm Caelus's girlfriend now. Please take care of me."

Robin stepped away from Caelus and smiled politely at March 7th. She was Caelus's good companion, which made her the friend of Robin's boyfriend. Their relationship would surely grow close in the future.

"No, no, that's not right. This has to still be the Great One's Dream. Robin and Caelus got together? How could I have a dream like this? This must be his beautiful dream."

March 7th held her head in despair. She still remembered Caelus saying that he would let her sleep with Robin if he got the chance. From the looks of things, it seemed as though it might really happen.

"What are you saying? Little Bird and I are in love with each other. Isn't it perfectly normal for us to be together?"

Caelus said to March 7th with some dissatisfaction. This kid was getting more and more unpleasant to listen to. He needed to find an opportunity to make things difficult for her.

"Why him?!"

"Because I saved Penacony."

"That really is impossible to refute. Damn it, I helped too. Why didn't an Aeon take a look at me?"

March 7th realized that she truly could not pick at Caelus this time. Everyone had contributed when facing Sunday, but the final move, the Star Rail Express's World-Cleansing, had indeed been power guided by Caelus. Even Himeko and Uncle Yang had praised him endlessly.

Beautiful women loved heroes, especially heroes who had saved their homeland. It made perfect sense for Robin to fall for him. March 7th recalled how, when she had heard on the Express broadcast that Robin was coming here, Caelus had boasted that he would pursue her. Who could have imagined that he would really succeed?

"Little Bird, I'll take you to visit the train."

Caelus stopped paying attention to the jealous March 7th and took Robin's hand, leading her toward the port where the train was docked. He knew what Robin liked. She would definitely be interested in the train.

"Sure. I've admired the Star Rail Express for a long time."

Robin readily agreed. She had just been thinking of finding a chance to ask Caelus about visiting the train. After all, she was now practically half the Express's daughter-in-law. Caelus was a Nameless on the train, and the train was his home, so Robin would sooner or later marry into the family as well.

A short while later, Caelus brought Robin to the train. She first gave its appearance an approving review. This sort of retro design was rare in the modern universe. Then they entered the cars for a tour.

"Hello, new passenger, pom."

When Pom-Pom saw a new passenger board, he ran over to Robin on his little legs. Robin had seen plenty of strange little animals, but she had never seen one like Pom-Pom. It was obvious that she wanted to hug the fluffy rabbit.

"This is our Station Master, Pom-Pom. For certain reasons, he can't leave the train."

Caelus introduced Pom-Pom to Robin. Upon hearing that he was a member of the Express crew rather than a pet, Robin became solemnly respectful and gave up on trying to hug Pom-Pom.

"Hello, I'm Robin, a member of the Oak Family."

Robin bent down with a smile and extended her right hand to Pom-Pom. Pom-Pom's eyes sparkled as he stretched out his round little paw.

"You're that superstar, pom! Our record player often plays your songs, pom. It would be even better if you could sign the record player, pom."

Pom-Pom remembered Robin clearly. He had spent the longest time aboard the train and often listened to music to pass the time. But to him, every era had songs like these. He had already witnessed countless changes of records.

"No problem, Mr. Pom-Pom. I may come by often in the future, so please take care of me."

Robin agreed to Pom-Pom's request without hesitation. Pom-Pom scratched his ear, not expecting Robin to have any connection with the train.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Robin."

Himeko was on the train at the moment. After leaving the dreamscape, she had never gone back in. She and Welt were resting aboard the train, and as the navigator, she came out to greet the guest.

Robin had watched the Express crew fight for Penacony before, and she had long considered them her companions. She immediately smiled and chatted with Himeko about all sorts of things aboard the train.

"Caelus, I have good news for you."

Pom-Pom tugged at the hem of Caelus's clothes with his round paw. Caelus crouched down and listened patiently.

"Mm, what is it?"

"Recently, more and more people have boarded because of you. On top of that, because of your outstanding contributions at Penacony, you perfectly fulfilled the unfulfilled wishes of the Nameless who were once here and further revived the power of Trailblaze. Therefore, this Station Master is going to reward you, pom."