Chapter 380

"Hey, everyone from the Stellar Train, you're all here?" Accompanied by a familiar voice, a blond, flamboyantly dressed figure appeared before them. "I came over immediately after receiving the report from my subordinates... Ah, Mr. Ai Yue, you're here too?"

In the entire Penacony, it would be hard to find another person as dazzlingly golden as Aventurine. The moment this flamboyant fellow saw Ai Yue, he immediately became reserved, clearly not expecting Ai Yue to be there.

"Don't be so nervous, it'll cause misunderstandings," Ai Yue glanced at Shu's surprised expression and sighed helplessly, "Just perform normally, as you usually do."

"Oh, oh... well, I just came over to say hello," Aventurine paused for a moment before starting to talk about himself, but it was clear that he couldn't really maintain his playboy persona in front of Ai Yue. "And to share a little bit of information."

"Then you two can chat anytime, I have some things to take care of." Shu considerately stepped aside, patting Xing on the shoulder at the same time, "Help yourself at the bar, consider it my treat."

Upon hearing this, Xing's attention, which had been focused on Aventurine, immediately shifted to the bar. A strange yet familiar light gradually appeared in her eyes, indicating that she had many creative ideas she wanted to try out.

If the nameless guests were to delve deeper into that familiar gaze, they would realize that Himeko also displays a similar gleam when meticulously preparing her coffee.

Fortunately, this is a dream, so no matter what, it won't kill anyone... probably.

Unfortunately, no one noticed this at the time, because they were all focused on what Aventurine was saying.

"The Clover family met with the company?" Upon hearing this, Himeko couldn't help but show a knowing look. "That's not hard to understand. After all, Penacony is currently besieged on all sides. If they can't invite other forces to cooperate, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for them to survive on their own."

"No wonder they asked the train to be a witness," Dan Heng said thoughtfully. "This is indeed important intelligence. But shouldn't Mr. Aventurine, as the company's representative, be on the Huichangshi right now? Why is he here?"

"I was merely a nail driven into Penacony, and now that the task is complete, someone more suitable will naturally take over," Aventurine raised an eyebrow. "You all know that person; it's Lady Jade."

"Dealing with that lady, I can only hope for good luck," Himeko shook her head slightly. "Anyway, thank you for the information, Mr. Aventurine."

This news may seem unimportant, but it was timely information for the people on the train who needed to mediate, determining their attitude on the Huichangshi.

"It's just a matter of reciprocity. Without everyone's help, I'm afraid I would have had a hard time completing the task," Aventurine chuckled. "As for the outcome of the talks, I can only say that the Clover family is no pushover either. Luckily, I don't have to worry about it myself, haha."

At this point, Xing suddenly and casually pushed a mixed drink towards him. Aventurine didn't look at it closely before picking it up and downing it in one gulp. "Thanks, friend. I was a little thirsty... Pfft! Cough, cough cough! What is this!?"

The moment the liquid entered his mouth, Aventurine leaped up from his chair, threw the cup far away, and clutched his throat tightly with both hands, as if afraid that a single drop of liquid would flow down his throat and into his body.

Judging from his reaction, it was as if he hadn't just held a cocktail, but a cup of potent poison made from a mixture of all sorts of insidious substances.

Everyone couldn't help but turn their attention to the culprit. Faced with everyone's gaze, Xing blinked and tried her best to appear innocent and pure.

"What are you pretending for!" March 7th went up and slapped the girl with a chop to the neck. "Don't ruin the bar that Shu worked so hard to build by mixing up these weird things. Apologize to me right now!"

In the end, it was Ai Yue who saved Aventurine. He simply snapped his fingers, and Aventurine felt the discomfort in his body instantly disappear, as if the poisonous liquid had never flowed into his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Aventurine." Under March 7th's pressure, Hoshino obediently bowed her head to Aventurine and admitted her mistake, while pushing a new cocktail towards him. "I just suddenly had a... strange idea. This is to make up for it."

"It is indeed quite strange, but it's best to avoid a next time," Aventurine, befitting a man who climbed his way up from slavery to a high position in the company, quickly regained his composure after overcoming his discomfort. "As for an apology, I think we can skip it—it's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. Goodbye."

After saying that, he didn't even glance at the cocktail in front of him again before hurriedly leaving the bar.

"His figure just now... did he seem a little flustered?" March 7th silently watched Aventurine disappear from sight before slowly turning to the gray-haired girl. "A Xing, what exactly did you give him to drink?"

"It's nothing," Xing said, putting her hands behind her back and widening her eyes. "Really, it's just a normal ratio."

"I don't believe you for a second!" March 7th sighed, finally deciding to stay away from the things this guy had set up. "Anyway, what should we do next?"

"Now that we know the family and the company have started negotiations, we have to find a way to make a choice," Dan Heng said, looking at the two adults present. "Miss Himeko, Mr. Ai Yue, which side do you think we should stand on?"

"Well, I have some doubts about whether 'Tongxie' is purely a victim in this matter," Himeko pondered for a moment, then said, "In any case, they also have a strong desire to settle things peacefully and clearly do not intend to pursue the matter further, which is rather intriguing."

"Because this isn't just the result of the Oak Family's actions; other families aren't entirely clean either." Ai Yue, who had a clearer understanding of the situation from an outsider's perspective, revealed a slightly cold smile. "If we continue investigating, it might uncover something that wouldn't be good."

"So, we should support the company?" March 7th asked. "Under Brother Yue's influence, the company seems to have improved a lot. Handing over Penacony to them seems like a good choice?"

"That's hard to say. The most crucial point is that completely expelling the family from Penacony might not be so easy." Ai Yue shook his head. "They've been operating here for so many years, their influence is already deeply entrenched. If they're determined to cheat people, the company can easily stumble here."

"Companies are ultimately profit-driven. If they invest too much, they need to think it over carefully, unless Mr. Ai Yue intervenes in his own capacity. But I guess you wouldn't do that, right?" Himeko continued, "So, the best outcome is still cooperation."

"Each side will occupy a portion, which will not only complement each other but also keep each other in check. In this way, we can prevent Penacony from repeating its mistakes and reverting to that decadent and frivolous dream."

"As long as the Clover family and Jade aren't fools, they'll eventually reach a similar conclusion." Ai Yue picked up his cup, took a sip, then frowned. "So we..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, then looked at the gray-haired girl beside him who was wearing a fake smile, and snapped his fingers.

Then everyone watched as Xing suddenly grabbed his own throat and began to thrash about on the ground like a fish out of water.

Realizing what had happened, March 7th could only shake his head helplessly and offer the other party a single word.

"Should!"

Chapter Seventy-Five Penacony Changes His Surname to Ai

Although she was completely ruined by the things she had created, Xing, having recovered, had no intention of giving up.

"I want to create a special drink to commemorate those noble souls." Faced with her companion's questioning, Xing scratched her head a little embarrassedly. "It should be solemn, dignified, and unique... but I'll have to try a few more times."

"Let me help you," Shu had returned to the bar, said upon hearing this. "We really need a special drink to commemorate those heroes, like the nameless ones who have fallen into the underworld... and Gallagher."

Upon hearing this, everyone on the Stellar Train fell silent.

"Gallagher... to be honest, when I first met that guy, I thought he was some kind of bad guy." March 7th forced a smile, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, but ultimately failed. "And then... sigh."

Penacony is a grand, beautiful dream, in which no one is truly harmed. But there are always exceptions, Gallagher is one of them.

As an Imaginary Historians, he is not a real person, but a special being whose origins are fabricated by some force, thus enabling him to materialize in Penacony.

When he laid bare everything without reservation, even deconstructing his own existence, the person "Gallagher" ceased to exist along with the revelation of the secret.

And perhaps he is the only casualty of this crisis...?

"What happened in the end?"

As a slightly weathered voice rang out, everyone's attention immediately turned to the entrance of the bar—where a middle-aged man with disheveled hair, a stubble beard, a wistful look in his eyes, and unkempt clothes had appeared out of nowhere.

"Gallagher?!"

After confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, March 7th and the others immediately stood up. Xing even tried to climb over the bar and rush over, but was stopped by Shu —the table was covered with all sorts of bottles and jars, and if she went through them, it would take her a long time to clean up.

"It's me, your loyal friend Gallagher." Seeing everyone's excited expressions, Gallagher couldn't help but smile. "Didn't expect that, did you? Actually, I didn't expect it either."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Ai Yue, who was standing silently to the side. "If I'm not mistaken, the person who saved me should be this gentleman, right?"

"It's not a question of whether to save you or not. If you don't want to live at all, there's nothing I can do to bring you back." Ai Yue smiled. "Go catch up with your old friends. You'll probably be busy in a few days."

"Brother Yue saved Gallagher?" March 7th finally realized, scratching his head belatedly. "Strange, this should have been a pretty shocking thing, but why am I not surprised at all after being involved with Brother Yue?"

"It's really not surprising," Himeko said with a smile, raising her glass. "After all, among everyone here, probably no one is more enthusiastic about a happy ending than him."

"After all, it was Mr. Ai Yue. I was thinking that if Mr. Ai Yue had been there, he might have been able to change Gallagher's fate," Dan Heng said, making no attempt to hide his surprise. "Now it seems that even outside the dream, Mr. Ai Yue was still able to intervene in internal affairs."

"Strictly speaking, that's not the case, but there's nothing wrong with understanding it that way," Ai Yue naturally didn't intend to explain too much, after all, there was really no need to tell others those things. "In short, Mr. Gallagher, I'm afraid I have something else to ask of you later, and I hope you can be mentally prepared—this is probably a job that only you can do."

"That sounds like a lot of trouble," Gallagher said, already seated at the bar enjoying his favorite specialty cocktail. Hearing Ai Yue's words, he turned and smiled at Ai Yue. "But since it's Mr. Ai Yue's request, I won't refuse, both morally and logically."

"Believe me, you can't refuse," Ai Yue smiled. "As for the specifics, let's talk about it after everything is over."

He wasn't deliberately keeping us in suspense; he just wanted to be on the safe side and give a more reliable answer after everything had settled down.

After all, if the family is sensible enough, Gallagher might just take on a supervisory role. But if these guys still don't behave, Ai Yue wouldn't mind giving Penacony a complete overhaul.

As for where to start...

Just as everyone was raising their glasses to celebrate Gallagher's resurrection, Himeko's phone suddenly rang. She took out her phone, glanced at it, and then stood up to look at everyone. "We've received news from the company that we can prepare to head to the Chōshoku."

"Alright, alright," Xing immediately put down her cup. "I will lead the charge!"

"Just shut up for a bit!" March 7th complained as she pressed the Star back down, glancing at Gallagher at the same time, "Mr. Gallagher, do you want us to come along?"

"I won't go. Those places where high-society people congregate, I'll just feel suffocated there." Gallagher raised his glass. "But I wish you all the best."

"Take this with you." Shu pushed over several cocktails. "This is the last special drink. I made extra so that you'll remember the taste of Penacony."

"Thank you." Himeko accepted the drink, smiling as she said, "I think it will be an unforgettable taste."

"Aren't you going to leave me a cup?" Gallagher sighed softly as he watched the cocktail cups being emptied. "I quite like the taste."

"Since you survived, you'll have plenty of opportunities to drink in the future," Shu glanced at him, then urged, "Alright everyone, you still have important business to discuss, so don't linger here any longer. If you get too hung up on parting, the atmosphere will become awkward."

"Perhaps that was how it would have been, but I don't think it would be now," Xing shrugged. "After all, the ending this time was quite satisfactory, wasn't it?"

"Indeed." Shu paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Then I wish us all the best for tomorrow."

After leaving the Dreamy Bar, the group of people on the train quickly arrived at the Huestone, a huge and luxurious spaceship that was extremely rare even in dreams. The person who could own it was the head of the Clover family and the richest merchant in all of Penacony, Odie Everfa.

And this spaceship did not disappoint the praise it was rumored to have. Its extremely luxurious decorations and rich features made it a symbol of Penacony's elite. Countless people were willing to spend a lot of money just to have the chance to board it.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with the nameless passengers of the Stellar Train. After all, their presence here would only become an opportunity for others.

Unfortunately, the family has already glossed over this huge crisis as a minor accident, thus completely covering up the achievements of the Stellar Train. Otherwise, they would probably have become the center of attention as soon as they appeared.

However, the nameless guests clearly didn't care about such things. As soon as Himeko boarded the airship, she was invited to the meeting hall, while the others took the opportunity to look around and chat with their friends who were also there.

"Speaking of which, it would be perfect to introduce Brother Yue to Acheron and the others!" March 7th said, imagining the scene that would unfold. "I wonder if Brother Yue could help Acheron... Hey, where's Brother Yue?"

On March 7th, Xing and I looked back and found that Ai Yue had also disappeared sometime during the day.

"Mr. Ai Yue just left with Himeko, didn't you notice?" Dan Heng shook his head slightly, a subtle expression on his face. "I feel that the outcome of this meeting will probably... exceed all of our expectations."

March 7th and Xing looked at each other, wondering what Dan Heng was thinking.

Meanwhile, Himeko and Ai Yue, led by Topaz, had arrived at the meeting place, in the lounge of the airship's middle cabin.

"We've arrived. Ms. Jade and Mr. Odie are here." Topaz led the two to the VIP lounge in the front cabin, which boasted the best environment and view on the entire airship and was accessible to only a select few. "Old Odie is a formidable opponent. Even Ms. Jade found it somewhat difficult to deal with him. However, now that Mr. Ai Yue is here, everything should be resolved."

"That's hard to say." In response to Topaz's sigh, Ai Yue shook his head. "From a certain perspective, I might just be causing trouble."

Ai Yue is not a businessman; he dislikes haggling and is naturally not good at dealing with cunning businessmen. Therefore, if he were to participate in the talks, the company's original objectives would likely be thwarted.

"Your meaning is the company's meaning. If it conflicts with your ideas, then it is only the company that has made a mistake," Topaz already knew Ai Yue's personality well. He was not surprised by what Ai Yue said, but instead smiled. "So please don't feel any pressure, Mr. Ai Yue."

"Since you've all put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony." Ai Yue paused for a moment, then nodded and walked towards his target.

The two who were still chatting naturally saw Himeko and Ai Yue, who had been brought by Topaz. After Jade introduced them, the three of them exchanged a few polite words before sitting down again.

"How far have things progressed?" Ai Yue asked, turning to Jade beside him as soon as he sat down. "I hope you two haven't reached an agreement yet, or I might have to flip the table."

"It's alright, I'll leave it to you." Jade wasn't surprised to hear this. She was more experienced than Topaz and naturally understood that if Ai Yue came along, he must have his own ideas. So she immediately said, "Nothing is settled yet, so it can be changed at any time."

Jade's attitude made Old Odie's eyes widen. He actually had information that Stellar Train and the company were currently in a cooperative relationship, but he did not expect that Ai Yue, who had very little information, would be able to put on such an attitude in front of Jade. What was even more outrageous was that Jade took the initiative to lower her attitude, as if she was going to hand over all the control of the talks to someone else.

Are you kidding me? Isn't Jade's boss "Diamond," the head of the strategic investment department? Who is this guy?

As a top businessman who has stood the test of time since the Penacony, Old Odie almost instantly sensed danger—he couldn't detect any businessman's aura in this man named Ai Yue. With such a person leading the talks, it was hard to say that the goal was a "win-win" situation.

As expected, after Jade expressed his opinion, Ai Yue turned his attention back to Old Odie: "Speaking of which, I still don't know what conditions Mr. Odie has proposed."

Old Odie considered himself to have seen countless storms, having struggled his way up from the days when Penacony was still a prison planet until he built what could be called a business empire. Yet, he had never met anyone like this before, leaving him speechless in a rare moment of disbelief.

"Our conditions are simple: Penacony will go public independently throughout the universe, offering shares to everyone." After a moment, Old Odie regained his composure and began to describe his initial proposal to Ai Yue. "At that time, anyone in the galaxy with ambition can become a shareholder of Penacony."

Unlike when he first faced Jade and Topaz, this time Old Odie no longer had the confidence he had at the beginning. Even his signature fake smile was gone. All that remained was a pair of eyes fixed on Ai Yue. Clearly, the reason he brought up this plan again was to test Ai Yue's reaction.

"That's a good idea, I actually support you." Ai Yue raised an eyebrow, then said, "However, there's something I need to tell you in advance, Mr. Odie."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and the surroundings dimmed.

Then, the "Philosophical Fetus" appeared unexpectedly before everyone, along with the nameless passengers of the Stellar Train.

Ai Yue then replayed the battle that determined Penacony's fate in front of everyone.

"Simply put, I possess all the details regarding the Great One's Dream, and I will use the company to reveal the truth about Penacony to the entire universe." Looking at Old Odie's bewildered expression, Ai Yue said calmly, "By the way, no matter what the family's final plans are, this matter will not change."

"Why? Why did you do this?" Old Odie's eyes widened. "What benefit could the company possibly gain from such an action? This will only cause Penacony to completely break ties with the company!"

"That won't happen, because I haven't finished speaking." Ai Yue lowered his hand, and the scene around him returned to the Huichangshi. "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Ai Yue, and I am the guest who suddenly appeared in the Oak Family a few days ago."

"A guest?" Old Odie was still reeling from Ai Yue's mysterious fighting style and didn't immediately grasp the meaning of his words. But he quickly realized something, and his expression turned even more grim. "Could it be that it's you...?"

"That's not the point. The point is, has your family recently noticed that interfering with dreams has become more difficult?" Ai Yue looked at Old Odie with a half-smile. "Simply put, this dream realm is no longer under Tong Xie's control."

Chapter 76 I Made the Cake Too Big

Penacony is no longer classified under harmonic systems.

Upon hearing this, not only Old Odie, but also Jade and Topaz from the company, as well as Himeko from the Stellar Train, all showed blank expressions.

Old Odie looked at Ai Yue as if he had seen a ghost, pointing at him in a daze, but unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Just as Himeko had guessed, it would be utter nonsense to say that this conspiracy was entirely the work of the Oak Family, with the other families completely unaware of it. The influence of "Order" had already existed the moment "Harmony" swallowed it up, and Penacony's long-planned conspiracy was proof of that.

In other words, not only is the Oak Family problematic, but other families, and even the influence of these families in other star systems, also harbor hidden dangers to order.

Under such circumstances, it would be impossible to say that old Odie was completely unaware of the Oak Family's actions. In fact, it could be said that as an immortal with a transcendent status, old Odie was actually very well-informed.

Therefore, as early as the first day that Ai Yue appeared in Penacony and was intercepted on Sunday, he already knew that there was a problem with the Oak Family. However, since nothing unusual happened at the time, the matter was suppressed and no one continued to investigate.

But now it seems that the ending of the story was already decided from that moment.

Once the truth of the matter is fully revealed, Penacony's business will almost immediately suffer the most severe blow. No one will trust a star of the event with such a huge hidden danger. For their own safety, those powerful and wealthy people will probably leave Penacony without looking back.

In this way, the family's hard-earned legacy in Asdener, built over ten Amber Era, would be destroyed in an instant.