"You're late, by exactly 4 minutes and 16 seconds. You'd better have used that time to unravel the mystery of Akivili's fall—if not, I'd advise you not to mess with the Nameless."
Dr. Ratio slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with disdain.
[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter.]
[My great Godfather, you're killing me.]
[Hahahaha, Godfather is so adorable.]
[Aventurine: If I had that kind of skill, I'd already be playing in the Genius Club.]
Aventurine shook his head helplessly, "Mess with them? Even you think that? Is there no one who believes I just want to be friends with them?"
"Noisy people don't make friends. A little trivia: the Adini peacock is one of the most unpleasant-sounding birds in the universe, and your outfit is exactly like a flamboyant peacock…"
Dr. Ratio paused, "It seems this peacock's feathers have been plucked clean—your luggage was confiscated by the Family?"
"Yeah, all taken by that guy in the gray suit, all the gifts, and the box holding the 'Cornerstone.'" Aventurine's tone was laced with grievance.
The next moment, Dr. Ratio silently walked toward the door.
"Hm? Where are you going?"
Dr. Ratio stopped in his tracks, "Heading back to report to the company that some fool botched everything."
"Just a few stones, why so pessimistic? What's the big deal if they're gone?"
Aventurine's nonchalant attitude seemed to ignite Dr. Ratio's emotions, "Without that 'Aventurine' stone, you're just a Zigonian slave sentenced to death by the company—or are you saying that 'product code' on your neck is a gift from the Amber Lord?"
Aventurine instinctively glanced toward the code, but he maintained his calm expression,
"Oh, nice one, humorous! Looks like our learned friend did his homework."
[Damn, Aventurine's defense is unreal.]
[Not even fazed by that?]
[Didn't expect Godfather's mouth to be so sharp.]
[These two are like a comedy duo.]
[Why aren't they a CP?]
—
Dr. Ratio said sternly,
"It's my job, or how else would a gambler like you reclaim Penacony for the company?"
Aventurine indicated everything was under control, that he had his own plans.
But Dr. Ratio never liked beating around the bush,
"Get to the point. What's the plan?"
Aventurine tilted his head slightly, "No need to spell it out now—it's not time to show my hand."
"Damn gambler, cooperation is built on mutual trust—didn't they teach that in Zigonian preschool?"
[Whoa, Godfather, why so aggressive?]
[As expected of a scholar, roasting without a single curse word.]
—
Aventurine spread his hands, "So, do you trust me?"
"That depends on your attitude."
"So you don't trust me either, there we go. Also, I never went to school, and my parents didn't teach me that…" A flicker of sadness passed through Aventurine's eyes, but only for a moment,
"Sadly, they didn't get the chance to teach me before they were gone."
Dr. Ratio softened the anger on his face, pausing to reflect,
"I didn't mean to offend."
[I'm such a jerk!]
[Godfather's gonna wake up tonight and slap himself.]
[How to make someone feel guilty for life.]
[No wonder his defense is so high—this is what they call a silent knife, huh? Stabbing you with casual words.]
Aventurine smiled and shook his head, signaling Dr. Ratio not to take it to heart.
The next moment, he turned and began analyzing on his own,
Mentioning the Garden of Recollection, the Astral Express, the Annihilation Gang, the Knights of Beauty, and the guys from "The Tavern"…
"Speaking of which, I just met a woman who said she was a Galaxy Ranger. Something felt off about her—can you look into her background for me?"
Aventurine turned back, only to find Godfather gone, "Where'd he go?"
[He's out slapping himself.]
[Hahaha, who posted that comment?!]
Aventurine sighed helplessly, "Does he really hate me that much? Ugh, looks like I'm on my own."
—
Meanwhile.
"This way! Can you see me? Over here!"
"Please come this way!"
Hearing the noisy voices, Caelus slowly opened his eyes,
"It sounds like a familiar voice… Is it coming from inside the frame?"
Touching the frame, Caelus was drawn by an irresistible force into the "World in the Painting"… or rather, still part of the dream, a long corridor.
The young bellhop he met at the hotel entrance was waiting here.
From him, Caelus learned this was the "Corridor of Thoughts," a transit point between reality and dreams.
Because the "Daydream Hotel" in the dream was currently under renovation, it looked a bit rough…
Misha pointed Caelus toward the direction of "The Golden Hour."
Caelus nodded and passed through the door.
…
The next moment, he opened his eyes to find himself plummeting rapidly.
Caelus felt like a bird soaring through the sky.
He spread his arms, savoring this rare experience.
After all, soaring through the skies is a desire etched in human DNA.
However.
His descent grew faster, the ground drawing closer,
And he began to panic.
Thud…
Caelus crashed, creating a masterpiece of a fall.
[Hahaha, Yamcha style!]
[Legendary crash king!]
[Hahaha, as expected, the protagonist's entrance is just that unique.]
[Right on target, ten rings!]
—
Caelus slowly sat up, and the camera panned to two familiar figures.
Robin asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
"Is this paradise?"
"Don't worry, you've safely arrived in the 'Dream'!"
After Sunday carefully observed Caelus, he said to Robin, "It seems our guest isn't used to the shift from reality to dream yet. Robin, please help our friend adjust to this beautiful dream."
With that, Robin used the power of "Harmony," enveloping Caelus in layers of dizziness.
But soon,
Caelus felt an unprecedented surge of energy; he was now brimming with vitality.
Sunday explained the mechanics, using the power of "Harmony" to help Caelus adapt to the dream faster.
The two then bid farewell to Caelus.
Caelus felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and checked to see a message from March 7th,
Aside from concern, she also recommended the "Dream Vendor Shop" for Caelus to check out.
Being in unfamiliar territory for the first time, Caelus decided to give it a try and arrived at a giant eyeball.
The eyeball introduced itself as Dr. Edward.
After some conversation, it gave Caelus a memory related to the fallen Aeon Akivili?
Upon touching the dream bubble, Caelus indeed found himself aboard the familiar Astral Express.
And,
Standing before him was none other than Pom-Pom.
"Trailblazer of the Astral Express, do you plead guilty, pa?"
Caelus tried to speak but couldn't make a sound.
"Why's there no sound?"
Dr. Edward: "My apologies. When I recorded this dream bubble, some of the audio tracks were already missing—perhaps even memoria can't capture that ineffable voice.
But to enhance the experience, I can adjust this dream bubble, meaning you can choose anyone's voice to dub it—as long as you're familiar enough, I can perfectly recreate it from your subconscious!"
"Any voice?"
"No, it must be someone you're familiar with—unless you don't care about the accuracy of the voice.
Now, please make your choice! I'll do my best to meet your needs."
Caelus rubbed his chin, thinking, and finally gave his answer,
"Of course, the other gender version of myself!"