As she was lost in thought, Firefly suddenly heard a strange noise.
She turned her head to speak, but Pei Guang made a "shh" gesture and crouched, signaling for her to follow.
The three of them crept quietly into a lobby. From a large potted plant came the source of the sound.
"Uuuh, so scary!"
"Quiet! That killer's back again. You saw him: he's got people with him, killing everyone he sees. If he finds us, we're dead!"
"W-w-why is he even here?"
"Who cares! Just don't let him spot us. His methods are brutal: one strike and that's it! Sure, those people were already totally insane, but what if he mistakes us for crazed ones too?"
Hiding in the plant were two members of the Dreamjolt Troupe.
Not to mention that one of them had a tail sticking out while the other had a dice showing: these two weren't exactly hiding well.
And with how loudly they were whispering, there was no way Pei Guang could miss them.
As for evading his search? Impossible. When Pei Guang played games, his motto was loot everything, kill everything, buy everything. If there was a place to hide an item, he would find it.
The only things he missed were places he hadn't been to yet.
Seeing the two trembling figures, Pei Guang didn't rush in. Instead, he quietly crawled closer and slipped into the plant with them.
The mechanical dog of the Dreamjolt Troupe, named Commander, whispered, "Spade! Listen—the sound's gone. That scary guy must've left."
The mechanical croupier perched on the dice, named Spade, let out a laugh. "Keh keh keh! Told you, luck's still on our side."
Pei Guang: "That's right."
Hearing that voice say "that's right," both Commander and Spade chuckled.
"Yeah, exactly! Great minds think alike!"
"Right! Once that scary guy and his crew are far away, we'll be safe. Heh, bet that fool'll never guess we're hiding here."
Pei Guang nodded in agreement. "True, if it were me, I'd never guess either: after all, this spot can't even hide anyone."
They had been smiling—until that line sank in.
The two of them turned around instinctively. And when they saw Pei Guang right behind them, they screamed in unison—
"G-G-GHOST!!!"
"Ghost!!!"
They jumped up to run, but too late—flames rose up before them, blocking their path.
Staring at the sudden fire, both Commander and Spade froze.
Spade stammered, "G-g-great hero, spare us! We haven't done anything evil!"
Commander echoed, "Y-yes! Exactly!!!"
Pei Guang smiled. "Oh, really? Well, since you say so, I'll believe you."
"Eh???"
Pei Guang so easily believing them caught the two of them off guard. They didn't know why he chose to spare them, but they knew: they had survived!
Spade: "That's great! We're alive!"
Commander: "I can't believe we actually survived that psychopathic killer! What a miracle!"
Spade: "You idiot! That guy is still right next to us!"
Commander: "What? Waaaah! Don't kill us!!"
Looking at the pair of fools trembling before him, Pei Guang put away the flames and comforted them, "Relax, I only kill those who attack me first. People who know how to beg for mercy like you—I won't hurt."
Ever since arriving in this world, though killing didn't bother him much, Pei Guang's principle was simple: if he could avoid it, he wouldn't kill.
After all, this was the first playthrough: he wanted to stay on the peaceful route as much as possible.
So far, he had only killed the Antimatter Legion, the Abominations of Abundance, or the mindless members of the Dreamjolt Troupe. As for the sentient ones, he only fought those that were outright hostile.
If anyone had some tragic backstory, Pei Guang was more than happy to hear them out and even complete their quest for a reward.
Of course, if anyone tried to trick him or harm his companions, he had no problem giving them a nice big "data deletion" package.
Seeing that the two before him were behaving obediently, Pei Guang asked kindly, "Are there many more like you here? Why are you hiding?"
Commander and Spade exchanged a look, unsure of how to answer.
Seeing their hesitation, Pei Guang silently drew his weapon, drove it into the ground, twisted it once, and rested the blade lightly against Spade's head.
"My dear Mr. Spade, will you talk, or not?"
"Talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Facing a threat to his life, Spade immediately spilled everything he knew.
They were members of the Dreamjolt Troupe, but to escape human enslavement, they had fled into this Reverie Hotel Hotel.
Now that the Reverie Hotel Hotel was about to sink, the Family had no time or interest to manage it.
So beings like them, who refused to keep being slaves and longed for freedom, hid here.
But under the influence of the dream, they had begun to grow increasingly unstable. According to them, it was a sign they were turning back into Dreamjolt Troupe monsters.
After hearing their story, March 7th crossed her arms and looked toward Pei Guang. "Ah Guang, they're… so pitiful…"
Firefly didn't know what to say.
In the past, she'd never had time to worry about others: she could barely manage herself.
But now, whether it was because her heart had found someone to hold onto or because she had a purpose again, she wanted to try reaching out to others in need… just like Pei Guang had reached out to her.
Pei Guang looked at the two trembling figures, thought for a moment, and shared his idea with the two girls beside him.
"If you ask me, this is probably a side quest to help us better understand the darker side of the Family's territory. I bet we've got two choices: first, completely suppress their unexpected sense of self and turn them back into tools."
The moment he said that, both March and Firefly shook their heads. Seeing them do so, Pei Guang immediately continued with the second option.
"Then the second option's simple: let's raise the banner of rebellion against the Family!"
March 7th: "Huh? Rebel against the Family? But this is the land of Harmony! Getting them to rebel here is basically sending them to die!"
Firefly, however, caught onto something different: what she was thinking about was how to destroy the Family's enemies as efficiently as possible.
Pei Guang: "Exactly! It's because this is Harmony's land that we'll lead them. We'll use the power of Harmony to fight back against the Family! Don't tell me Harmony's ideals can't include the Dreamjolt Troupe: I don't buy that."
Pei Guang's fighting spirit ignited instantly. As a player, this was exactly the kind of thing he loved doing most.
Just as people said "fight fire with fire," he figured: on the land of Harmony, it only made sense to use Harmony to defeat the Family.
Could these Dreamjolt Troupe members even use such power? Pei Guang reasoned that since these self-aware creations were born in Harmony's domain, they naturally belonged to its faction.
Being able to use the power of their own path made perfect sense, right?
Besides, if the Harmony singer Robin could lose her voice, that meant there was something wrong inside Harmony itself.
In other words: something was wrong with the Family.
Today, Pei Guang decided: he would lead the Dreamjolt Troupe to cleanse the corruption from within!
With that thought, he turned to Spade and Commander. "You two! Come, let's shout Harmony's slogan together! As members of Harmony, let those Family fools who make noise know—you're part of Harmony too! You have freedom! You have dignity!"
"Come, repeat after me: Universal Harmony, the stars shine together. All beings are kin, all things share one root. Now, become one with Harmony, and show the Family members the will of your freedom!"
After running around Penacony so much, Pei Guang had realized that although Harmony seemed frivolous on the surface, its followers all retained their individuality—just… a bit extreme when it came to their god.
Spade and Commander didn't really believe Pei Guang's words. Everything he said sounded like nonsense to them: until he spoke that slogan.
The moment he did, they felt something deep inside stir, and without even realizing it, they began chanting along.
And as they did: the power of Harmony truly began to manifest upon them.
March 7th only smiled faintly at the sight. She'd seen plenty of unbelievable things along the way; this was nothing new.
Think about it: Seele gaining the Hunt's blessing, a bunch of people with helmets of Abundance beasts summoning the Hunt's support, a bit of memory-trading leading to a god creating a world for Pei Guang to play in, a trash can blessed by the Amber Lord, and that flaming spear that stabbed the Amber Lord himself.
After all that ridiculousness, creations of Harmony chanting a few lines and getting Harmony's power?
Honestly, that felt pretty normal to her.
Firefly, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered.
All Pei Guang did was make them shout a slogan, and Harmony actually responded?
As expected of the person she liked: he really was amazing~!