In less than a minute, only Stelle and March 7th remained in the plaza. The latter let out a deep sigh. "Stelle, this time, I won't be sticking with you."
Stelle asked, surprised, "What do you want to do?"
March 7th smiled slightly and winked. "It's a secret. I'll reveal the answer in three system hours, okay?"
Stelle paused, then instinctively replied, "…Sure, see you then."
"Bye-bye~"
As her companions left one by one, Stelle stood in the plaza, feeling a bit lost. Everyone had something they wanted to do, but what should she do?
Honestly, boarding the Astral Express and adventuring across worlds she'd never experienced was already like a dream. Now that she was in Penacony, she didn't feel much desire.
Change her outfit? No, no, no—what outfit could be better than the Galactic Baseballer?
Get a mount? Could these mounts go on sidewalks?
Eat something? Nah, she had to save room for the dinner with Mikhail later.
Buy something? But this is a dreamscape—anything she bought couldn't be taken out.
…
"Hey, have you heard? Dr. Edward's released new dream bubbles! 8+, 12+, 18+—they're super thrilling!"
"What?! For real? I gotta grab a few to taste the flavor. Even though we're in a dream, it still feels off. Dream bubbles are way more fun!"
"No kidding! Last time, I tried a dream bubble called GTA 5 at his shop. You can't imagine how thrilling it was, hehe~"
"Let's go, let's go! If we're late, they'll sell out!"
"…"
As Stelle mulled over her options, she overheard two passing tourists. Her eyes lit up: Right, Dr. Edward's place is a local specialty. By all logic, she should go there to collect an "Akivili's Memory."
Alright, let's go!
Following the signs, Stelle soon arrived at Dr. Edward's "Dreamscape Shop."
Tourist A: "Give me a 'Dragon King Son-in-Law' dream bubble! The deluxe version, with a progress bar I can control!"
Tourist B: "Bro, what's wrong with you, buying that? You love being a simp that much?"
Tourist A: "Hey, watch your mouth! It's a classic!"
Tourist B: "Hmph, look at your taste. Dr. Edward, give me a 'Reborn as the Preservation Aeon.' That's the good stuff!"
Tourist A: "What? You're not afraid of the IPC suing you for copyright?"
Tourist B: "Who cares? Enjoy it first! Even if the IPC finds out, their revered Qlipoth's already taken my shape, haha!"
"…"
Unlike in the game, Dr. Edward's "Dreamscape Shop" was surrounded by a massive crowd. These tourists seemed unsatisfied with the current dreamscape world, craving an even deeper thrill.
A sea of people crowded around a giant eyeball… No matter how you looked at it, the scene was a bit eerie.
"So many people… How long will I have to wait in line…?" Stelle muttered, holding her head helplessly. Maybe she should just forget it. It's just a side event—skipping it wouldn't matter much.
—"Everyone, quiet down! I'm buying all the new dream bubbles today!"
At that moment, a figure rudely pushed through the crowd, declaring boldly.
"…"
"Who the heck are you? Don't you know first come, first served?"
"You're buying them all? Who do you think you are, competing with me?"
"Get lost, you broke nobody. I'm the king of XXX Star—you can't possibly be richer than me!"
"Scram!"
"…"
A slender figure was roughly pushed out by the crowd. As she stepped back, she accidentally caught her dress, losing her balance and falling backward—
Snap.
Stelle, quick on her feet, caught her. "Hey, you okay?"
But when she saw the woman's outfit, she was momentarily stunned.
The attire was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Familiar because the woman was wearing a plaster headpiece—a signature of a certain someone. But the soft sensation under Stelle's hands told her this was definitely a woman.
Having spent so much time with March 7th, Stelle could tell a man from a woman with a single touch.
"I… I'm fine. Thanks," the woman said, nodding slightly to Stelle. She glanced at the crowded mob ahead, murmuring, "Looks like I have no choice but to act…"
With that, she snapped her fingers with a snap. Everyone in the crowd, except Stelle, froze in place, their expressions blank, as if they didn't know what was happening.
A few seconds later, they all looked around in confusion, muttering to themselves:
"Hm? Did I drink too much soda? Wasn't I resting in my room?"
"Wait, no. I should be at the amusement park, right?"
"No way, I was just cleaning a second ago!"
"…"
Puzzled by their presence here, the crowd gave the woman an opening. She pushed back into the mob and said, "Quick, the latest batch of dream bubbles—I want them all."
Dr. Edward: "Alright, miss, here are your dream bubbles. Your total is 65 million credits. Card or…?"
Before he could finish, Dr. Edward froze. Moments later, he turned back to the woman, his tone gentle. "Hello, what would you like?"
The woman tucked away the dream bubbles. "Nothing. Goodbye."
Dr. Edward: "Very well, come back next time."
Stelle watched, dumbfounded.
What kind of skill was that? Memory deletion? And she's using it to shop for free?
No, no, she was overthinking it. If the woman had just used "memory deletion," then if Stelle's guess was right, this woman was likely Black Swan in this world.
That would explain it. "Memory deletion" isn't "time deletion." Using it to shop for free would eventually raise suspicions when someone checked the surveillance. It wouldn't take long for the Family's "Hounds" to notice something was off.
No wonder she was wearing the "Godfather" headpiece.
"Here, for you."
The plaster-headpiece woman casually tossed a dream bubble to Stelle. "Thanks for catching me earlier. This is the most expensive one in the batch—consider it my gratitude."
"See you around, darling."
The plaster woman waved at Stelle and quickly vanished from sight.
Stelle silently stared at the dream bubble in her hand, a question slowly forming in her mind: If I keep this, am I an accomplice?
Maybe she should return it?
But… she remembered the Dreamscape Shop had a first-time buyer discount, didn't it?
She kinda wanted to try it.