Though March 7th appeared to be a young girl just past adulthood, her true age was a mystery to all, so she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with certain… related films.
So, what was this scene called again?
But the point was, she was standing right there, a whole person! How could they both pretend not to see her and carry on with this weird, awful conversation so nonchalantly?!
Crack—
With a sound neither loud nor soft, Stelle's eyes suddenly widened, tears brimming as her cheeks flushed red from intense pain. She collapsed limply.
"Stelle? Are you okay? Sorry… take a break for now."
Himeko lifted Stelle onto the bed, shaking her head helplessly. "Such a fragile body. What'll you do if you face danger in the future?"
"I'll go prepare lunch for you."
With that, Himeko turned and walked toward the door, passing March 7th as if she weren't there.
"Wait… wait! Himeko!"
March 7th froze, her unease growing stronger. She called out loudly, but got no response.
What… what's going on?
March 7th unconsciously clenched her fists. She rushed out of Stelle's room and found Dan Heng, still engrossed in his work. "Dan Heng! Hold on, I need to ask you something!"
"… "
Her call went unanswered.
At that moment, March 7th came to an unbelievable conclusion: on the entire train, no one could see or hear her.
This wasn't like a cartoon where her soul left her body—it was an infinite reduction of her presence.
She could touch physical objects, but no entity could perceive her.
Welt hadn't ignored her greeting because he was lost in his own world. Dan Heng wasn't too focused on his creation to notice her. Stelle and Himeko did have a pink-haired beauty in their field of vision, but…
No one cared anymore.
It was as if an invisible force had erased March 7th's existence.
For her, this was an unacceptable reality.
…
Bailu's nightmare.
Perhaps for Phantylia, the nightmares it wove were meant to instill deep fear in those trapped within, but for Bailu, this was just her daily routine.
After all, someone already living in hell wouldn't fear entering it again.
4:30 AM.
Ring ring ring—
The sky was pitch black, and while everyone else was deep in slumber, Bailu's alarm blared with a piercing ring.
As the current Dragon Lady of the Vidyadhara on the Luofu, Bailu's stamina and physical condition were among the best on the Xianzhou. For others, three hours of sleep a day might be a death sentence, but for Bailu, it just made her a bit sleepy.
A young Dragon Lady with a strong body could handle anything.
Bailu walked to the bathroom with her eyes closed, brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed clothes, grabbed her phone and charger, put on her shoes, and left.
From her home to the martial arts dojo, she kept her eyes closed the entire time, her movements so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.
6:30 AM.
After cleaning the dojo, Bailu squinted and headed out, buying two fried dough sticks and a bowl of soy milk at a nearby breakfast stall. She ate in five minutes, returned to the dojo, and began the first batch of classes for the day.
12:30 PM.
After four morning classes, Bailu dragged her tired body to a nearby diner, ordered a boxed meal with two vegetables and one meat, wolfed it down in nine minutes, then returned to the dojo to scroll through her phone, preparing for the 1:00 PM class.
1:00 AM the next day.
The day's work finally done, Bailu tossed out two large bags of dojo trash, walked home with her eyes closed, reversed her morning routine, and lay on her bed scrolling through her phone.
2:30 AM.
Bailu fell asleep.
Two hours later, the alarm rang again, signaling the start of another day's work.
…
Compared to the others, Bailu's expression during her "nightmare" was the calmest. Perhaps her only regret upon waking would be that this nightmare didn't feel like one.
But there was no helping it. The weaver of the dream was Phantylia, and even as cruel as it was, it couldn't imagine Bailu's daily life.
Even an Emanator of Destruction specializing in mental domains couldn't fathom that there were people in this world more adept at mental destruction than itself.
…
Dan Heng's nightmare.
This was, without a doubt, the most terrifying nightmare Dan Heng had ever experienced.
Compared to this, even the dream of being chased by Blade before Pom-Pom sent him to the Luofu was nothing.
—"Hahahahaha—Finally, I've waited for this day, Imbibitor Lunae!"
A voice so familiar, lines so familiar.
He had already prepared to face his fate head-on!
But… why?! Why was he facing such a despairing scene?
—"Of five people, three must be wed, and you're one of them!"
Blade, with a sinister expression and a wicked grin, pinned Dan Heng down, forcibly dressing him in a pristine white wedding gown. "Imbibitor Lunae, you're not young anymore. It's time to find a good match, hahahahaha (laughter expressing joy)—"
"Damn it, don't put this thing on me!!"
Dan Heng roared, unable to bear it. "What the hell are you trying to do? I'm a damn man!"
Jing Yuan, sipping tea leisurely nearby, said unhurriedly, "So what if you're a man? Can't men get married?"
"You know, someone like you—who can be a delicate boy or a cool, stoic guy—is a hot commodity!"
"Don't worry, Dan Heng. I've settled the dowry with the groom's side: eight hundred eighty-eight thousand credits, a house and car in your name. Others offer three pieces of jewelry—this family's giving you five!"
"And the getting-in-the-car fee, getting-out-of-the-car fee, name-changing fee, meeting fee, crossing-the-threshold fee, tea-serving fee, bed-entering fee, overnight fee… all settled. We'll split it fifty-fifty. As your bestie, I won't screw you over."
"Damn it… Help—mmph!"
Under Blade and Jing Yuan's combined efforts, Dan Heng was forced into the wedding gown, his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged, and then carried and tossed onto the bridal bed.
Dan Heng was a fairly strong Pathstrider, but unfortunately, Jing Yuan, a former Emanator of the Hunt, and Yingxing, bearing the flesh of an Emanator of Abundance, left him with no chance to resist.
Damn it… Just wait. When I get back to the Express, I'll write ten chapters a day!
"Well, that should do it. Let's go, Yingxing. Time to drink. Jingliu and Baiheng are waiting."
"Yeah, sounds good."
"… "
After an unknown amount of time, the door was pushed open. Dan Heng hurriedly glanced over—could someone be here to save him?
But clearly, his hopes were a luxury. The person who entered wore a sharp suit, standing tall, their identity obvious.
This was, without a doubt, the "generous groom" Jing Yuan had mentioned.
But why did the groom's gray hair seem… oddly familiar?