Penacony, Dreamjolt Bar
Even in reality, cocktails are not just a mixture of drinks and ingredients. Bartenders capture the atmosphere at the bar, emphasizing the combination of technique and story, and adding a touch of mystery and anticipation...
"Only then can we work with our customers to create the flavor of each person's life."
"In other words—what you drink is all up to fate. So don't overthink it; hesitation is the biggest no-no for enjoying yourself," Gallagher said as he walked behind the bar.
"Actually, making drinks is not as complicated as you think. Just pick your favorite ingredients, throw them all into a cup, and mix them up. It's that simple."
Xing and March 7th excitedly ran off to find the ingredients for making drinks.
"What are your thoughts on Gallagher...?" Himeko sat down in the rest area and looked at Ye Yan.
"Don't underestimate the bartenders at Penacony, especially this Mr. Gallagher. He probably has some magic... No matter how demanding the customer's request, he can always make it taste just right."
Ye Yan skillfully avoided the topic.
"Each beverage has a unique flavor, and the base flavor usually determines the first impression and the lingering aftertaste—which ingredient would you like to choose as the base?"
"Hey, will this bar of soap be okay?"
Xing suddenly had a whim and took out the soap that Fulisina had given her from her backpack.
You overestimate me.
Since soap won't work, and this bar doesn't welcome SoulGlad or milk tea, the only options left are white grape soda and dream syrup.
"No matter how I think about it, I would never choose soap or dream syrup. The packaging date says 'half Amber Era '! If someone drinks this, they'll definitely get sick..."
"What's there to be afraid of? [ The Emanator ] was imprisoned for half of the Amber Era. It doesn't matter if the syrup's production date is a little late. Besides, didn't you say you can drink anything in your dreams?"
Xing really wanted to taste what this syrup from half of the Amber Era tasted like; anyway, they were in a dream, so they wouldn't get an upset stomach or die.
"Ah... that's true." March 7th thought about it carefully, "Too much sugar is bad for your health, let's choose soda instead."
"They're even."
Respecting March 7th's choice, Xingju put away the old bottle of Dream Syrup and handed the white grape soda to Gallagher.
"It's said that this was Hanunu's favorite drink, referring, of course, to its original form. This stuff is both sour and bitter, with bubbles bursting in your throat like swallowing rusty chains, making you think of prisons and cells."
After some preparation, a light green, non-alcoholic beverage appeared on the bar.
"Mission accomplished. I offer this toast [ to the Ticket to the Graveyard ] in respect, Nameless— "
He and Ye Yan clinked glasses.
"--To those who are dead and those who are dying."
"Not bad, Gallagher, you're still got it." Siobhan gave a positive review.
"Everyone, are you satisfied?"
"This taste... is much more complex than SoulGlad and milk tea." He didn't taste anything at first, but took a few more sips on March 7th.
"The texture is rich and layered, truly a masterpiece. Especially the handling of the seasonings; I can taste a unique flavor—spicy, sour, yet with a hint of sweetness..."
"I don't know what this means. Perhaps Mr. Gallagher would be willing to explain his ingenious idea?"
Listening to Himeko's remarks, Hoshi couldn't help but admire the beverage experts present, one of whom was the navigator of the Astral Express, brewing coffee with a unique and unforgettable flavor every day.
One is the famous " Eternity " Aeon, but he always has milk tea in his hand and wishes that there were milk tea shops of his all over the universe.
Two others are the top bartenders at this [ Dreamjolt Bar ], one of whom also serves as a sheriff, so she doesn't need to introduce them further.
Wow... so many experts here!
"Unfortunately, if you're expecting a profound answer, you'll be disappointed. The imagery it contains is very simple... it's nothing more than the true taste of Dreamscape Paradise."
Himeko grasped the key point. "This real taste... is it related to that Mikhail?"
"Yes, I was wondering where I'd heard that name before... When Xing was drugged by that Masked Fools girl, I think I heard someone muttering that name, didn't I?"
"Heh... you know quite a lot. I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Now I have no reason not to be honest with you all."
"Then let's begin with the case, and of course... we'll also include the story of that Mikhail."
Gallagher led everyone to the rest area and began to get down to business:
"Let's get to the conclusion first: based on the clues the Family has, this Firefly is indeed not a local, nor is she an invited guest. In other words... she's a genuine illegal immigrant."
"I was fooled by that girl too. She's really getting old. But in Planet of Festivities, illegal immigration isn't uncommon, and it's not hard to track down. After the incident, the hounds immediately took action, tracking her down from both the dream and reality ends."
"But the result... was only bad news, and the most troublesome news."
Gallagher revealed a terrible truth to everyone.
"This little girl vanished into thin air, leaving no trace in my dreams, and her body is nowhere to be found in reality, as if she had never been to Penacony."
"Huh? Doesn't that mean..."
Xing frowned. The last place she saw Firefly was the [ The Reverie ] Hotel in her dream, and besides [Death], only Fulisina disappeared with Firefly.
Vanished without a trace, as if she had never existed, completely untraceable... The [ Eternity ] Emanator disappeared with her...
Hmm... why does that sound familiar?
Xing looked at Ye Yan, who was 'attentively' listening to Gallagher's explanation, and seemed to understand something.
The case is solved! It was that move, [ Veil of Eternal Night ]!
"Let me be blunt, this girl's situation... not to mention you, even the Hound Family has never seen anything like it before."
"[For the first time]... So in Penacony, [death] really does happen, doesn't it?"
Himeko was unaware of Ye Yan's skills and was simply speculating that March 7th hadn't considered that possibility.
Sigh~ In the end, it was Galactic Baseballer who discovered the anomaly and drove the plot forward!
This explains why the Firefly vanished in reality; they were given an invisibility buff. This is incredibly powerful; those below the [ Emanator ] level wouldn't even notice.
However... the fact that Firefly could get help from a [ Emanator ] makes her true identity quite suspicious.
"You've all seen it, so what's there to hide? Every city with a glamorous surface has a dark side; I don't need to elaborate on adult matters."
"To question the Family based solely on this is incredibly naive. Even in dreams, there are unexpected deaths, so what? Such extremely rare events... will only affect a very small number of people."
"If you really want to get to the bottom of this case, you need to figure out the Family's true [difficulties] first."