When Aventurine asked about the machine, the expressions of the Astral Express crew members turned odd. They simply stared at him without saying a word.
Their staring made Aventurine feel a bit confused, and he couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"
Himeko sighed, then spoke faintly, "Actually, that was a machine created by Fu Zhu, specifically designed to destroy the Dream of the Great One and wake everyone up. It's just unfortunate, Mr. Aventurine, that you were also included in that 'everyone'."
Xing nodded repeatedly from the side, staring at Aventurine with vigilant eyes. "Right, right. You were just collateral damage. If you had met my Old Bro, he definitely would have used another method to fish you out. So you absolutely cannot use this point to claim damages!"
"Claim damages?"
Aventurine was somewhat caught between laughter and tears. He only wanted to know about the machine. As for damages, the thought hadn't crossed his mind from start to finish—leaving aside whether he dared to ask Fu Zhu for compensation, how much money could he even get by asking the Astral Express?
However, what Xing had just said revealed another point to him.
"Mr. Fu Zhu has other methods to wake people from the Dream of the Great One?"
Before Xing had arrived, Himeko had already explained the situation regarding the Dream of the Great One to him and Topaz. With the endorsement of Himeko, the Astral Express Navigator, they had already believed most of it. Later, with the confirmation from Acheron, an Emanator of Nihility, they completely believed in the existence of the Dream of the Great One and that Sunday's current strength far exceeded that of an Emanator.
But now, Xing was saying that Fu Zhu had at least two methods to sober people up from the Dream of the Great One, which had been painstakingly woven by Sunday, whose strength far surpassed an Emanator. Did this not imply that Fu Zhu's strength was on par with Sunday's?
This inevitably made Aventurine and Topaz's minds become active. If they could obtain Fu Zhu's assistance, the day the Strategic Investment Department could crush the other departments was just around the corner!
Just as Aventurine wanted to press for more details, Welt, standing to the side, coughed appropriately a few times, shifting everyone's attention to himself. Welt spoke to Aventurine with a hint of helplessness, "Aventurine, I'm afraid now is not the time for idle chat. Although everyone has woken up from the Dream of the Great One, the Dream of the Great One itself still exists. Who can guarantee we won't fall into a 'Dream of the Great Two'?"
Aventurine reacted upon hearing this.
Indeed, they had only woken up from the Dream of the Great One thanks to Fu Zhu, but the culprit behind the creation of the Dream of the Great One was still there. Without the Dream of the Great One, there could still be a Dream of the Great Two, or a Dream of the Great Three.
If the culprit wasn't dealt with, obtaining those two technologies from Fu Zhu would be nothing but a pipe dream.
"Then, does Mr. Welt have any suggestions? The Company will do its utmost to assist everyone."
Now that he knew everything, the Company and the Astral Express were in the same boat. The Astral Express wanted to resolve the Stellaron disaster in Penacony, while the Company wanted to reclaim Penacony's equity.
Only people with abnormal brains would choose to fight amongst themselves right now.
Welt thought for a moment, combining the characteristics of the Dream of the Great One that Fu Zhu and Acheron had explained earlier, and said to Aventurine, "Sunday must still be in the Grand Theater of the sweet dream world. That is where the Stellaron is located. He will definitely be there waiting for us. However, if everyone enters the sweet dream world, there is a risk. So, I hope the people from the Company can stay outside to guard. If we fall into the Dream of the Great One again, you can wake us up."
"How can we determine whether you have fallen into the Dream of the Great One?" Topaz voiced her suspicion. When they fell into the Dream of the Great One previously, they hadn't noticed a thing. If Fu Zhu hadn't given them a hand, they would likely still be immersed in it.
"We will send messages to the two of you at set times. If we haven't sent a message past the scheduled time, that means we have fallen into the Dream of the Great One again. As for whether the message can be sent out smoothly, you don't need to worry. Fu Zhu has a curio in his hand called a [Redstone Repeater], which is capable of signaling through the Stellaron's blockade. We already verified this point back on Jarilo-VI."
"No problem."
Aventurine and Topaz immediately agreed to Welt's arrangement. Then, Welt looked toward Acheron and Black Swan.
Seeing him look over, Acheron spoke up immediately, "Rest assured, I will go in with you."
But who would have guessed that Welt shook his head? "No, I hope that Ms. Acheron and Ms. Black Swan can remain outside to assist. If Sunday's strength has truly reached the level of an Emanator, I worry that just Aventurine and Topaz guarding reality won't be enough."
Acheron thought about it and felt this was true, but without her, how would Welt and the others fight Sunday?
Welt seemed to spot the worry in Acheron's eyes. He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, the corners of his mouth curling up with a hint of pride.
"The Astral Express is always together. Fu Zhu is in there too. We believe in him."
Acheron nodded after listening. "Very well, I will guard you all from reality."
"Many thanks."
After finalizing the plan with everyone, the Astral Express crew returned to their respective rooms to dream once more.
Upon entering the sweet dream world, the group met up under the Clockie Statue in Golden Hour. In the past, there should have been countless tourists taking photos here, but now, only their few figures stood in the massive plaza.
March 7th looked at the empty and desolate scene around her, clutching her arms in discomfort. "Suddenly, this sweet dream world feels a bit creepy..."
Xing placed a hand on her shoulder and said half-jokingly, "Then how about we call Old Bro over and have him use that whatchamacallit [World Devourer] to liven up this sweet dream world a bit?"
"Don't!" March 7th immediately shook her head and denied Xing's suggestion, retorting grumpily, "If the Dream of the Great One blows up, it blows up. But if Fu Zhu blows this place up too, what if the rest of The Family comes to claim damages from us? The Old Fu family fortune that you're always thinking about would have to be paid out as compensation!"
Xing became unhappy the moment she heard this. "Forget that then! Brother's money can only belong to his sister!"
After saying this, she glanced at March 7th beside her and added a sentence, "And you."
March 7th instantly blushed a deep red, slapping Xing on the back. "What do you mean 'and me'! You make it sound like I'm your sister-in-law..."
"Hehe."
Welt watched the two of them bantering. The atmosphere, which had been somewhat tense, relaxed quite a bit. Himeko also spoke up at the right time to interrupt the girls' playfulness.
"Alright, it's time for us to go to the Grand Theater and meet the mastermind who dragged everyone into the dream."