Then, Robin began to soothe the crowd rattled by the massive incident, even gifting each person a button.
With the boost of Robin's fame and the gifts, many acted as if nothing had happened.
But there were always a few troublemakers.
"But… was that really an accident? We all saw chips falling like raindrops and a red light slashing through the sky. Calling it special effects feels way too realistic, doesn't it?"
A guest rambled on, "I also met that generous gentleman. He seemed off, muttering to himself the whole time. Was that part of the script's setup too?"
Robin patiently explained, "Please, everyone, don't panic. Trust that the Family will provide a satisfactory answer."
"But even if Miss Robin says that… it's hard to believe…"
Robin pressed a hand to her forehead. "Ugh, there are always people who won't listen no matter what. Endless… I get tired too, you know."
"Miss… Robin?"
"But I'll see it through to the end. No choice—after all, I'm known for being kind and generous!"
The next moment, the guest seemed to fall into a brief daze.
The guest shook their head, coming to. "Huh, what was I doing just now? And you are…"
Robin had vanished, replaced by Sparkle standing before the guest. "Take this gift, little guest. This is something the Family specially prepared for you.
Hold onto it tightly, and when the Harmony Festival opens—then, at the climax of the performance, press this button with everyone around you…
Who knows? Something very interesting might happen!"
[So, Jailbird is Sparkle in disguise?]
[This guy is totally Asaba!]
[Way too extra, lol.]
[So all the buttons before were from Sparkle? Haha, this is gonna be fun—pure chaos!]
[These buttons keep giving me 'about to explode' vibes.]
[How can Sparkle turn into Robin?]
[Did you skip Black Swan's companion quest? Sparkle's got that kind of power. It's Joy, after all—when it comes to fun, abilities are just a small detail.]
---
The perspective then shifted again.
Caelus stood before Firefly.
At this moment, the barrage finally went wild.
[It's Firefly!!]
[Finally, you're here! Thank goodness I didn't give up!]
[For real, especially after playing Glamoth Iron Cavalry, I feel so bad for Firefly's backstory!]
[Too freaking tragic!]
[Yingbao!!]
[Firefly my wife! Man, whoever gets to marry Firefly is living the dream, right?]
[Damn it, Trailblazer, just go for it! If you don't pick Firefly up and spin her three and a half times, this ain't gonna end well!]
---
Firefly looked gently at Caelus. "Everything's come full circle. You once stepped into 'The Golden Hour' from here, and now you'll step into the true 'Penacony' from here.
I'm so glad to travel with you again. At this point, I can finally reveal the whole truth to you. As you can see… my other name is 'Stellaron Hunter' Sam."
Caelus blinked, ignoring other questions for the moment, and softly asked, "Are… you okay?"
Firefly paused, caught off guard. "I'm fine… Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you earlier.
I know you have a lot of questions… Do you remember when we encountered 'Death' in that unfamiliar dream? Back then, I was gripped by the meme…
At the moment it was about to strike, I saw a reflection of 'another dream' in that terrifying pupil.
Based on hints from the 'script,' I had some guesses about that meme. So I had Silver Wolf send out an invitation, guiding everyone to the hotel in the dream…
I originally planned to summon 'Death' in front of you all, using a more direct method to reveal the truth and invite you into the game. But things didn't go as planned—I couldn't defy the 'script,' and I didn't even have time to explain to you.
As you saw, I was pierced by the wings of 'Death.' The crushing weight of thick memoria… it exploded in my mind, as if it were real.
But after a fleeting moment of paralysis, I found my body completely unharmed. As I expected—I was still alive and had arrived, as I thought, in a place entirely different from the 'Sweet Dream.' Beneath Penacony's dream lies another, more primal, more chaotic memoria domain. Its name is… 'The Land of Exile.'
So I returned to the hotel in the dream, wanting to tell you about its existence. But I couldn't reveal my identity yet, so I had to find ways to distract your companions and pull you away from the battlefield.
All my attempts ended in failure. Until recently, when a blood-red blade of light shattered the high walls of the dream, causing you all to fall into this deeper dream, I was finally able to wake you and your companions one by one… That's everything that happened before."
[What's Firefly talking about? I didn't understand a single word.]
[Think of it this way: Dormancy's slash wasn't to kill but to bring people into a deeper layer of the dream. That's the gist.]
[Got it.]
[So we've been cyberbullying Dormancy for a month and a half for nothing?]
[Pretty much.]
---
Caelus nodded. "I totally get it!"
Firefly gave a captivating smile and led Caelus into the deeper layers of the dream.
---
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
Firefly appeared on top of a car, sitting in the passenger seat, with Blade driving.
She stared out the window as if nothing was amiss, her hand tightly gripping the seatbelt symbolizing life.
"I never knew you'd do something like this."
Blade didn't respond immediately.
"Do you even have a driver's license?"
"I do."
Firefly let out an awkward laugh. "That's… surprising."
"Why, because this is the sinful city of Japella?"
"Well, no… it's nothing. I just thought, you haven't slept in twenty system hours… You okay?"
"No problem. Won't die. Same as you."
[Haha, I'm dying laughing.]
['Won't die.' Uncle Blade's still got it.]
[No surprise, same school as Dan Heng—always straight to the point.]
[Are they both in suits? What's Japella?]
[A short drama, Japella Rebellion.]
---
Firefly fell silent for a few seconds. "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe drive slower?"
Blade glanced at Firefly. "The infiltration's over. You can activate 'Sam' anytime."
"There's still some time before the next act of the 'script.' Let me stay in this body a bit longer."