Penacony.
Golden Hour.
"Damn it, where did they get such a huge statue? Just how many Dream Weavers were turned?"
Having just lifted the immensely heavy statue, the burly man from the Nightingale Family quickly withdrew his hands and set it back down. Then he stood up and repeatedly rubbed his arms.
"Phew, it's heavy as hell. What a bunch of bastards."
"If the Emperor hadn't protected our minds, I probably would've turned into one of those lunatics too..."
"Quit complaining." The short-haired girl walked up to the burly man. "The Emperor has gone to the primordial dreamscape. The cleanup here is up to us now."
"Sounds, images, objects, even just the words 'Sleepy Banana Monkey' can cause reinfection."
"We have to clear all of this out as soon as possible."
"Yeah, yeah, I know..."
The burly man smiled and looked over the empty yet once-prosperous street, finding it all somewhat unreal.
"My god, this street used to be the liveliest place around, since it was closest to the Daydream Hotel."
"Never thought there'd only be the two of us left..."
"Hey, tell me." The burly man nudged the short-haired girl's arm. "We just got rid of the Stellaron, and now this happened. Does that mean Penacony's doomed?"
"What are you talking about?!" the short-haired girl snapped.
"If the chairman hears that, both our paychecks will get docked."
"The chairman? Give me a break... They'd never come to a place like this." The burly man spread his hands helplessly.
"Those guys are just staying outside Morning Dew Mansion, 'ready to respond at any moment.' Whenever the Emperor has a task, they call down the chain one level at a time, making themselves look busy."
"And in the end, aren't low-level trash like us still the ones doing all the grunt