March 7th couldn't shake the feeling that sothing wasn't right.
But when she thought about Pei Guang's personality, instead of worrying about herself, she began to worry about him—and the girl nad Firefly.
"Then doesn't that an Ah Guang's in danger too? We have to go help him!"
March 7th stood up, ready to rush out, but Hiko stopped her before she could take a step.
"March, calm down. If Ah Guang told Stelle to co back first, that ans he's confident he can handle things on his own. Besides," Hiko's eyes turned toward Stelle, "you probably found sothing big, didn't you?"
If Pei Guang had chosen to send Stelle back rather than have her stay and help, it could only an one of two things: either he was sure he could deal with it himself, or they had discovered sothing extrely important, so crucial that Stelle had to deliver the information even if it ant leaving Pei Guang alone.
Either way, rushing over now might not help at all: it might actually make things worse.
Stelle nodded in agreent. "Yeah, I know you're worried, March, but we need to stay calm. Ah Guang asked to co back so I could tell everyone what we found. Inside the Family's dreamscape… we found Death."
She began recounting everything that had happened in the dream with Pei Guang.
As she spoke, everyone's expressions began to change, especially when she ntioned the trash can becoming real.
March 7th couldn't help but blurt out, "I knew sothing was off that ti! Everyone started acting so weird: I thought maybe it was just you guys ssing around! Turns out it actually was you!"
Thanks to Pei Guang's influence, a lot of people inside the dream had beco "Q-bouncy," and this ridiculous "Q" state was so absurd that even March 7th had tried it out herself once she saw it.
It didn't really do anything, but bouncing around all squishy and rubbery through the world had its own kind of fun.
Stelle waved her hand. "That's not the main point. The main point is that sothing's wrong with Penacony itself. According to Ah Guang's analysis, the dream we entered might've been just the shallowest layer. The deeper layers are the true Penacony. When Ah Guang, Firefly, and I tried to go deeper, we encountered sothing terrifying…"
She went on to describe Sothing Unto Death: its form, its presence, and its dreadful abilities. As she spoke, everyone's expressions grew grim.
After finishing her explanation about the creature, Stelle continued, "And in Penacony, we found several beings that normal people can't see. One of them was the Clockie Boy of Penacony.
He asked Ah Guang to gather materials and told him how to reach the deeper dream. I think he wants Ah Guang to help him save Penacony. And… we also heard so things down there."
Even without Pei Guang present, he had already shared all his theories with them along the way: about the legacy of the Watchmaker possibly being a Stellaron, and about Penacony itself facing an existential crisis.
Hiko crossed her arms. "So you're saying Ah Guang's current goal is to find the Watchmaker, obtain his legacy, and help the Clockie Boy save this city of dreams?"
Welt nodded thoughtfully. "Knowing his temperant, once he learned Penacony was in danger, he'd never just stand by and watch. He's got all the hallmark traits of a classic 'hero' RPG player."
Having known Pei Guang for so ti, and having designed gas and animation himself, Welt understood that player mindset almost perfectly.
To him, Pei Guang was like a traditional RPG protagonist: soone who treats saving the world as the ultimate quest.
Sure, gas let players do whatever they want, but many still choose to chase the impossible, to complete the grand deeds that most people never could.
That's why so many people can't quit gaming, even as they grow older. Gas may be "just gas," but they carry the purest of dreams.
Pei Guang was like the embodint of that dream, standing before them in real life. And for soone with such earnest values, his motives were easy to guess for anyone who'd ever played a ga:
See a character you like? Protect her. See innocent people suffer? Help them.
The world may be full of grey areas, but for a player, if soone wants to destroy the world, that person is the enemy.
It's a simple truth, one that's hard to achieve in real gas, often twisted by the whims of cruel or capitalistic writers, but Welt believed that players like Pei Guang could always find a way.
Mods, cheats, exploits, private servers… players always had ways, honorable or otherwise, to make their vision real.
The only real problem would be if soone like Pei Guang got access to a save file and started a new ga anew.
That might be… complicated. But if that ever happened, Welt could only hope the "next run" version of himself, March 7th, and Stelle would handle it well.
Hearing Welt's words, March 7th clenched her fists in excitent. "Then what are we waiting for? What should we do?"
Just as she said that, the Express's family group chat suddenly pinged. When they opened it, they saw a ssage from Silver Wolf.
Silver Wolf: "Ahem~ Long ti no see, everyone~ I've got a mission with the Stellaron Hunters right now, so I can't co hang out this ti~ But I heard you're investigating the weird stuff in Penacony? I've got so fresh data for you. Sharing it now."
Attached was a data package.
Silver Wolf: "Input this code into your Dream Pool, that's the machine you use to dive into dreams. It'll unlock a hidden map. I've packed the coordinates for you, too. Oh—and don't use the trash can to enter. The code won't work there. It only works with the Dream Pool device.
Right! You've all heard about Sam, haven't you? Don't worry, that guy prefers a fair and square fight: you'll get along just fine. Oh, and he asked to pass on a ssage: In the unreachable dream, the play is about to begin.
Anyway, good luck! All the major factions are starting to move now. This is about all the help I can offer you. But with Ah Guang around, your progress won't slow down much even without . Still, Ah Guang probably wants a powerful NPC to appear during the adventure and give a key hint, so this ti, let play that NPC role~
See you, everyone~"
After reading the ssage, March 7th grew even more excited. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's dive into the dream already!"
Hiko shook her head. "No rush. This ti, we might need a guide."
As she said this, she looked to the side, where Black Swan was slowly approaching. "Oh? Were you all waiting for ?"
Hiko nodded. "Miss Black Swan, the Astral Express would like to work with you. In the realm of mories, we'll need a guide."
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