[I’ve climbed the wall, feeling just fine.]
Having just descended from the wall, Xiaoguizi couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
"This ga is really keeping up with the tis—now we even have fully 3D maps!"
The current space they were in was a grand, luxurious hall, sowhat resembling a hotel lobby.
And in every seating area, familiar faces could be seen.
Huangquan explained, "These voices... are rely shadows of the dream. Pay them no mind."
But Guinaifen didn’t agree!
Because right in front of her were the Stellaron Hunters—Silver Wolf and Sam!
She imdiately rushed over to them.
Silver Wolf was already an old acquaintance, having appeared many tis before.
But this was the first ti Sam had appeared in the ga.
"Finally, we get to see Sam’s in-ga model!"
"Just look at that tallic texture, the intricate armor detailing, the explosive sense of power!"
"Silver Wolf standing next to him looks like a tiny figurine in comparison, lol..."
But these "shadows" weren’t just static presences.
They even had dialogue between them.
Silver Wolf asked Sam, "How do you plan to drag them into this?"
Sam replied, "Show them the truth in full, and they’ll co willingly."
Once the conversation ended, the two figures vanished instantly.
This only reinforced Guinaifen’s suspicions.
"These dream shadows must be so kind of foreshadowing! They’re definitely connected to the real motives of the factions coming to Penacony!"
Near the central moria stood Sunday and Robin.
Sunday said, "The stage of the ’Harmony Festival’ belongs to you alone, little sister."
"But if I cannot sing... what aning does the stage hold?"
Guinaifen was startled.
"Cannot sing?"
"Is that literal? Or is there so force at the ’Harmony Festival’ preventing Miss Robin from singing?"
"Ugh, too bad they disappear after the dialogue ends..."
Nearby were Aventurine and Ratio.
Ratio asked mockingly, "What makes you think you can win, you damned gambler?"
"Three ’chips’ are enough. All... or nothing."
When this scene appeared, Xiaoguizi froze for a mont.
...
anwhile, the chat exploded with excitent!
"Daddy Ratio!"
"And Aventurine too!"
"As expected, Aventurine’s also part of the Penacony storyline..."
"Aventurine teaming up with Ratio? That’s an instant win!"
"Ratio’s gonna solo everything!"
"The IPC’s desire to reclaim Penacony is an open secret."
"Oh no, now every ti I see Aventurine, that song automatically plays in my head—’Outside the window, this night~’"
...
Among the Family, Sunday watched this scene with a thoughtful expression.
The IPC’s intention to retake Penacony was practically an open declaration at this point.
And yet, their envoy—Aventurine—claid to possess three chips.
"This must be a taphor..."
"It can’t refer to physical objects, but rather... different factions."
"The Astral Express group is likely one of them..."
"The mokeeper from the Garden of Recollection is another."
"But who is the third? The Stellaron Hunters... or the Masked Fools?"
"Hmm... If this man truly can manipulate all three forces at once, he could pose a major threat to the ’Dream of Taiji’ plan."
"Indeed, he cannot be underestimated."
...
Hotel Lobby
Aventurine had no idea that Sunday had already marked him as a formidable adversary.
Hearing his own line at the very start of the story—
"Three ’chips’ are enough. All... or nothing."
His heart imdiately sank.
"Damn it, Yuling... Is this how you handle things?!"
"The plot hasn’t even started, and you’re already exposing my sches?!"
Still, Aventurine was Aventurine.
After a quiet exhale, he maintained his usual composed deanor.
No matter the reality, appearances had to be kept up.
Besides, this was just one line.
It could easily be misinterpreted—perhaps even misleading his opponents.
Aventurine silently prayed:
"Please, let there be less of my storyline from now on!"
"If all my ’cards’ get revealed like this... this trip to Penacony will really just be a vacation!"
"When I get back, the higher-ups will demote , cut my bonuses, dock my pay..."
"Just thinking about it gives a headache!"
"Everyone else gets to shine in the ga—hell, Topaz even got a whole promotional event!"
"But when it’s my turn, my plans get exposed at the most critical mont?"
"Feels like I’m being singled out..."
Aventurine rubbed his nose.
"Seems like my usual luck doesn’t apply in-ga, huh?"
...
Back to the Story!
The last group was Black Swan and Sparkle.
Black Swan had already appeared in the previous PV.
Players’ biggest impression of her?
"This mokeeper’s got insane presence—she dares to predict the actions of Aeons?!"
As for the Masked Fool—Sparkle—not much was known yet.
Here, Sparkle taunted Black Swan:
"mokeeper... Do you really think you can leave unscathed?"
Black Swan responded calmly:
"Apologies. I’ve already chosen my dance partner."
After circling around and confirming no more hidden dialogues, Guinaifen finally approached the main door.
But the mont she got close...
The door suddenly moved away on its own, revealing a long corridor!
"This dream is getting weirder by the minute..."
Following Huangquan, she finally caught up to the door.
Huangquan said, "We’re here."
Guinaifen tensed up slightly.
"If Huangquan’s the final boss, now’s the ti for the big reveal, right?"
She selected [Open the Door].
With a bang, the door swung open.
A blue-haired bellhop stood on the other side, bowing politely.
"Welco to the Reverie Hotel! May your stay be unforgettable. For check-in, please proceed to the front desk."
After speaking, the bellhop also vanished.
Guinaifen rubbed her arms.
"If I had to experience this dream myself, I’d be scared to death!"
"Feels like this hotel’s full of ghosts!"
She even glanced around nervously.
"I used to think this hotel suite was cozy and comfy..."
"But after this quest, it’s starting to feel wrong!"
...
Chat Reactions:
"Hey strear, the cabinet behind you just moved!"
"My favorite Xiaoguizi quote: ’The imrsion this ti is off the charts!’"
"Penacony’s ghosts: ’Why isn’t this person asleep yet?’"
"What happened to ’relaxing, sunny vacation’?!"
Huangquan stood by the door.
"Leave this place. Wake as you usually do, forget this chance encounter, and return to where you ca from."
"But before we part... I have a request."
"It may sound strange, even rude... but I must ask—"
"Have we t before?"
The mont this line appeared, Guinaifen froze.
Because—
This text was different from all previous dialogue—it was bright red.
Guinaifen stared at it, puzzled.
"Holy crap... I’ve never seen text like this in the ga before!"
"The tension just skyrocketed."
But with just one line, it was hard to guess the aning.
She selected an option to proceed.
[What do you an?]
Huangquan explained:
"You remind of soone. In my fading mories, she stood beside ... much like this surreal dream—so close, yet untouchable."
This line was also red.
"May I ask you a few more questions? I... often forget things. So rather than mories, I rely on ’feelings’ to grasp at fragnts. The answers don’t matter—only your imdiate reaction does."
"This dialogue feels super important!"
"Getting chills!"
"Scared half to death in the middle of the night."
"Sis Huangquan, your symptoms... sound a lot like Mara-struck."
"Did the protagonist know Huangquan before losing their mories?"
...
Aboard the Astral Express
Welt’s hand trembled slightly.
If Huangquan revealing her na had initially eased his suspicions...
Now, with the story’s progression, that familiar feeling was back.
"If her identity can be faked... then perhaps her na isn’t real either."
"Hmm... The more I think about it, the more she resembles her."
His gaze lingered on Huangquan in the story, emotions swirling.
If he could cross the Star Gate and travel the cosmos...
Then i... why couldn’t she?
And surely, she had experienced far more unimaginable things along the way.
To be continued...
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