At this moment, Lucian was holding Robin's hand as they walked down the streets of Dreamflux Reef.
Compared to Penacony's sweet dream, known to the masses as the Twelve Hours, this place undoubtedly fell far behind, but thankfully, it at least still resembled a city, with clusters of buildings scattered throughout the area.
In the original story, to enter the Primordial Dreamscape known as Dreamflux Reef, one had to undergo a second dream entry from the sweet dream of Penacony's Twelve Hours, or be 'killed' by a special memetic entity known as 'Dormancy.'
Ordinary people could hardly achieve a second dream within a dream, so those who managed to reach Dreamflux Reef were all special individuals.
"Hmm, this place doesn't feel like Penacony at all..."
Robin spoke softly, her finger absentmindedly tracing across Lucian's palm.
"So, you prefer the Penacony under my rule?" Lucian asked with a faint smile.
"Mm." Robin nodded. "Can you make Penacony return to how it was in that dream? I like the Dreamscape you created."
Even before meeting Lucian and living a second life within that dream-like world, she had long felt that something was wrong with Penacony, especially as she gradually realized that people were falling deeper and deeper into the Dreamscape, abandoning reality, which had never been the original intent of Penacony's Dreamscape.
In her second life, Lucian had suppressed The Family and restrained their greed, resulting in everyone working diligently together to build the ideal Dreamscape.
In her eyes, dreams were meant to give people the courage to face reality, not to make them drown within it, endlessly drowning in self-indulgence.
"Alright. As compensation for breaking my promise, I'll grant your wish."
Coincidentally, Lucian had already been thinking of bringing Penacony into his alliance anyway. When the right time came, he would probably relocate Jarilo-VI, Koolur, and the Xianzhou Cangcheng here so they could develop together.
Robin reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch, taking out a piece of glittering candied fruit and slipping it into Lucian's mouth.
"Here, your reward."
Right after she said this, Robin smiled adorably and popped one into her own mouth as well.
Today, she wore a white blouse and a brown skirt, with a satchel slung over her shoulder and a hat perched on her head, looking every bit like a traveler.
Beautiful and well-built, she looked stunning in anything she wore.
Lucian, on the other hand, wore a black coat over a white turtleneck shirt, along with black pants and golden-rimmed aviator sunglasses, looking charming and elegant.
He chewed the candied fruit Robin gave him while admiring her radiant beauty, watching her small lips puff slightly as she ate, until his gaze lingered on the corner of her lips, where he noticed a small, shiny piece of candied fruit stuck there.
"You've got something here."
Lucian casually lifted his hand and wiped the corner of Robin's lips with the pad of his thumb, which caused her to let out a little giggle in response while glancing at the finger that had just brushed against her lips, her cheeks flushing faintly.
"Sweet?"
Robin asked without thinking, making Lucian's eyes lift from her lips to her shimmering eyes.
In the next second, his lips curved faintly.
"Didn't quite taste it."
Lucian shrugged, replying innocently.
"Hmm, then... try again?"
Robin held out another candied fruit in her hand, her heartbeat quickening.
Lucian, however, didn't look at the candied fruit and instead leaned down, kissing her lips directly, making the dull scenery of Dreamflux Reef seem to blur away.
Just as his arm circled her waist, drawing Robin closer—
*Clang!*
A loud crash exploded nearby, like a metal pipe being violently kicked over.
In an instant, the two of them sprang apart.
Robin, with her face red enough to drip blood, covered her cheeks, too embarrassed to look toward the sound.
Lucian clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his head toward the source of the sound.
Over there stood a brown-haired young woman, frozen on the spot, her face beet red, a rusted iron pipe lying at her feet.
Seeing her, Lucian recognized her instantly—it was none other than Razalina.
"S-Sorry! Lucian! Robin!" Razalina exclaimed flusteredly, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. "A-Ahahaha, I was just passing by! Really! Th-This stupid pipe just fell on its own! You two... You two go on! I didn't see anything!"
With that, she turned around, covering her eyes with both hands, already ready to flee.
"Come here."
Lucian rolled his eyes and ordered calmly.
"...Y-Yes."
Razalina stumbled forward, her eyes still covered, walking toward him step by step.
'Of all times to meet my savior again... it had to be now, ruining his moment...'
As she walked, her thoughts couldn't help but wander.
'I'm doomed. He's totally going to make me pay for that ruined kiss...'
'Wait, will he order me to kiss him as punishment?'
'B-But I don't even have kissing experience—can I still learn now?'
Finally, when Razalina stood before him, Lucian looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze and asked her directly.
"How long have you been resurrected?"
"Not long..." Razalina replied sheepishly. "I'm still getting used to the place, and... well... I interrupted your thing, didn't I? So, how do I make it up to you? Just saying, I've got no experience—you'll have to teach me..."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Lucian frowned, blinking his eyes in clear confusion.
"No! I mean, I just came back to life and don't know how to live in Dreamflux Reef yet!" Razalina waved her hands frantically as she realized her blunder. "S-So, what I meant was you'll have to teach me the survival stuff!"
"For a second, I thought you wanted to learn kissing from me..."
Lucian sighed with a helpless expression, though a small smile tugged at his lips.
Hearing his teasing remark, Robin stiffened instantly before pinching his waist from behind, looking slightly jealous.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes." Lucian said while grabbing Robin's hand, calming her down. "Take me to Mikhail. You know where he is, right?"
"Got it!" Razalina said with relief, as if she had been granted amnesty. "Follow me! Mikhail is... uh, talking to his younger self right now."
With that, she led Lucian and Robin at a brisk pace into the deeper parts of Dreamflux Reef, stopping before an old workshop whose center held a glowing apparatus, surrounded by many floating, colorful bubbles.
As soon as Lucian entered, he saw a familiar old man standing with his back to the entrance, talking animatedly to a pretty boy wearing a hotel bellboy uniform.
Micah was off to the side, sipping beer and watching the show.
"Got it, Misha?!" Mikhail slapped the boy's shoulder hard. "If you run into someone named Lucian, remember what I said!"
"Got it!"
Misha stood straight, his little face serious.
"Alright, what do you do?"
Mikhail pressed, his expression solemn.
"Act useless!" Misha said loudly. "Drop boxes on my foot! Blow up machines! Fill reports with typos!"
Hearing this, Micah burst out laughing and nearly choked on his drink.
"Exactly!" Mikhail nodded approvingly. "Lucian will work capable people to death! If you don't act uselessly, he'll dump a mountain of work on you and then go enjoy afternoon tea while you slave away! You're the younger me—you haven't yet tasted life's sweetness. I won't let you become a corporate slave! Never!"
Seeing this scene, Razalina couldn't hold it in anymore and coughed loudly.
*Cough!*
Mikhail, Misha, and Micah all turned around at once.
As soon as Mikhail saw the handsome man wearing sunglasses beside Razalina, the 'righteous indignation' on his face froze, then shattered completely, leaving only blank panic, while his knees went weak.
"..."
Silence instantly fell over the workshop.
"So that's how you see me, my dear friend."
Lucian put his arms behind his back and walked toward the stiff old man unhurriedly, stopping right in front of him.
"Lu-Lucian, what brings you here...?"
Mikhail asked while trembling all over, nearly dropping to his knees.
"Well, the moment I thought of my favorite helper—the brilliant man who once helped me govern Penacony—I couldn't wait to resurrect you and continue building our beautiful home together, and make it great again..."
Lucian spoke evenly, a faint, calm smile adorning his face.
"But you—"
"Lucian, you know me—I love working for you!" Mikhail quickly interrupted, forcing a wobbly smile. "Don't look at me like that. I may be old, but I can still work like a horse!"
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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