Sol Mercer was different from everyone else.
His mind and body were bound far too closely together. As a result, when he entered a dream, he possessed dual vision—experiencing both dream version and reality at the same time—while still retaining control over his physical body.
In the dream, he pressed a hand against Sparkle's shoulder, carefully recording the aura of Elation that lingered there.
In reality, his body rose from the dream pool, stepped over Silver Wolf who was lying beside him, and walked out of the room.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw a large crowd of guests clogging the first-floor counter, panicked as they reported problems and lodged complaints.
Clearly, these were guests who had been forcibly logged out from The Golden Hour, along with some who had fled other dreams out of fear.
A male Halovian dressed in a white suit was leading a group of staff members in urgent damage control.
Nearby, Aventurine—with his chest window daringly cut into a peach-heart shape—was tirelessly bombarding Sunday with questions. The smooth, flamboyant way he spoke made him look exactly like a strutting peacock.
The Interastral Peace Corporation, which dreamed day and night of seizing control of Penacony, would never let such a golden opportunity slip by.
Faced with the undeniable fact that something had gone wrong within the dreamscape, Sunday found himself unable to argue back, overwhelmed and stretched thin.
Sol shook his head slightly. It seemed his operation to capture Sparkle had caused quite an impact.
If the master of Penacony failed to resolve this properly, a massive loss of guests was inevitable.
The Interastral Peace Corporation's offensive toward Penacony's leadership would only intensify.
Some guests would also leave early, losing their chance to enter the Dream of Ena and experience a brief yet perfect lifetime.
Sol felt sorry for them for exactly one second, then decided he would later restore The Golden Hour to its original state and send along a small gift.
For example, forging part of the light into badges, planting seeds of hope.
First, it would serve as compensation for discourtesy. A mistake had to be acknowledged—he had wrecked such a massive venue and caused so much trouble just to capture a Pathstrider of Elation. He couldn't pretend it never happened.
Shamefully, my skin still isn't thick enough. I need more time to grow.
And this portion of the loss would naturally be reclaimed from Sparkle.
Second, it was an attempt to harvest the light of hope.
Without hope, Tiga could never transform into his Shining Form—at that point, what difference was there between him and a salted fish?
When Sunday transformed into the Harmonious Choir: Dominicus, dragging all of Penacony into an eternal dream, it became a paradise capable of fulfilling any desire—yet also a spiritual hell that abandoned reality.
When people realized that sleep was merely an escape, that their real circumstances had not changed, and that the reality they cared for was drifting further and further away—
They would yearn to awaken from the dream. And when they realized that their enemy was a Harmony Emanator, an existence nearly impossible to defeat, what kind of torment would that be?
If a ray of light were to offer guidance at such a moment, it would surely be met with support blooming with the full force of life.
In Sol's view, nothing better embodied hope than life's infinite expectations for the future.
At that very moment, Sunday seemed to sense a gaze filled with malice. He looked up toward the second floor and met a calm, tranquil face.
Sol gave Sunday a faint smile, then turned and left.
"What is he trying to do? Was it him?"
Sunday's heart sank.
He had noticed Sol long ago and paid close attention to this powerful individual who had captured a Stellaron Hunter.
Now that The Golden Hour had suffered an incident, this man carried significant suspicion. After all, members of the Bloodhound Family had seen Sol appear in The Golden Hour alongside the Stellaron Hunters—and even get toyed with by Silver Wolf.
"Mr. Sunday!"
Aventurine raised his voice, scolding sharply. "What has caused you to be so disrespectful toward me?!"
"When such a major incident occurs in The Golden Hour, with millions of guests encountering accidents of unknown cause within the dreamscape, their lives and property utterly unsecured—"
"As the head of the Oak Family and the leader of Penacony, how can you show such indifference when confronted by a guest's questioning?!"
He was determined to seize every opportunity to create a chance to reclaim Penacony.
"Mr. Aventurine, I apologize for my earlier discourtesy." Sunday regained his composure. His silver-gray eyes met Aventurine's directly as he spoke in a gentle voice. "I deeply regret that such a serious incident has occurred. However, may I ask—what position are you questioning me from?"
"To my knowledge, you were not present in The Golden Hour."
His irritation had already begun to surface. With the Charmony Festival approaching, this was already a sensitive period.
Having The Golden Hour suffer an incident was infuriating enough. Adding this ill-intentioned corporate envoy on top of it pushed him past his limit.
Aventurine replied without hesitation, righteous and indignant. "Out of the Interastral Peace Corporation's humanitarian principles, and as followers of the Amber Lord, we uphold the meaning of Preservation. For the safety of millions of tourists, I believe I have a duty to step forward."
"So that's how it is."
Sunday nodded slightly, then said calmly, "However, we discovered dangerous items in your personal luggage—items that should not appear in Penacony."
"I am not questioning the Interastral Peace Corporation's stance. I merely cannot rule out the possibility that someone with ulterior motives is exploiting your identity to create misunderstandings."
"Until this suspicion is clarified, may I invite you to stay as a guest with the Oak Family for a few days?"
To be honest, this individual was already on his priority watchlist.
That bag full of assorted gemstones—who knew how many fragments of Cornerstones were hidden inside? A single Cornerstone represented one-tenth of an Emanator's power.
Even one-tenth of an Emanator's power was a threat not to be underestimated.
"You suspect that this incident has something to do with me?"
Aventurine pointed at his own nose, speaking in shock.
He did want to stir things up, but he had only just arrived and hadn't even grasped the situation yet. Even the bag containing the Cornerstones was being handled by his family.
It was precisely because he was completely clean that he dared to step forward and join the commotion.
"I am not questioning the Interastral Peace Corporation's faith. But given the gravity of the matter, the Family cannot afford to overlook any possible clue."
Sunday shook his head slightly, his tone flat.
He knew this incident was unlikely to be related to the Corporation. If it truly were their handiwork, Penacony would have been reclaimed long ago.
Moreover, not a single death had occurred in this incident—this did not match the Corporation's usual style.
Those profit-driven zealots shouting their faith in the Amber Lord would never hesitate to sacrifice one or two lives to amplify the impact.
Still, he could not allow Aventurine to openly cause trouble. Better to detain him under this pretext and let things quiet down.
At the same time, it would help shift some responsibility outward, reducing guests' distrust toward Penacony.
"Mr. Sunday, you are making baseless accusations against a P45 employee of the Interastral Peace Corporation. Please correct your attitude!"
Seeing the suited enforcers closing in, Aventurine immediately shouted in anger.
By corporate standards, P15 already transcended planetary-level management and participated in interstellar governance. P45, meanwhile, was a figure of real prominence in the universe—someone who might even receive direct endowments from Diamond, head of the Strategic Investment Department, granting one-tenth of an Emanator's authority.
Such a status demanded respect from any faction. And after resolving Penacony, he was set to be promoted to P46.
This was the perfect chance to shake the Family's rule over Penacony—one that didn't even require him to wager a Cornerstone.
He loved high-stakes gambles, but he certainly didn't mind unexpected gains.
If the Corporation lost this windfall opportunity simply because he had brought Cornerstones along, the responsibility would be enormous.
It would far outweigh Topaz's previous failure on Jarilo-VI. A thousand frozen wasteland planets couldn't compare to a gala star of the cosmos. His punishment would be far more severe.
"Mr. Aventurine, there's no need to resist. Once the truth is revealed, we will offer you our most sincere apology."
Sunday's voice remained gentle, but he had already begun to invoke the power of Harmony.
Aventurine felt his head spin, his consciousness drifting.
His heart was filled with alarm. Even without a Cornerstone on him, Sunday's ability to manipulate him so effortlessly was far too powerful.
There's no way I'm waiting to be released after the truth comes out. By then, it'll be far too late!
Aventurine opened his mouth, forcing a carefree tone. "In that case, I ask the Family to return my innocence."
Professor!Ratio!Think of something!
He had a companion—a scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild.
Though arrogant and difficult to get along with—
Right now, he could only place his hopes on that man.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Sunday nodded slightly. Two suited young men then escorted Aventurine toward the Oak Family's residence.
Sunday, meanwhile, turned back to the other guests and began calming them once more.
He used the power of Harmony, allowing everyone to sense his sincerity.
Without Aventurine—the troublemaker—remaining, the rest of the guests were much easier to placate. The noise gradually subsided.
At that moment, within the shadows of the first floor of The Reverie—
A man wearing a plaster bust mask tucked a golden book under his arm and shook his head slightly. "Pathetic, Aventurine."
He turned and stepped into the elevator, murmuring with disdain, "Zero points. Next."
===BREAK===
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