"Mr. Ranger, are you leaving?"
As Leon was heading back the way he came, thinking about whether he should find a place to jump off the ship, he happened to run into Robin.
Perhaps she realized it wasn't his real name, or perhaps she was simply a bit shy about calling him by the nickname "Miracle God."
The universe-renowned singer had switched to a different form of address.
"Yo, all better now, little bird?"
Leon's way of addressing her, however, remained the same as he raised a hand in greeting.
"Thanks to you."
Robin nodded gently.
"That's great. I always say supports hold their value. Looks like you won't be falling out of the meta anytime soon," Leon said with a smile.
In his eyes, being injured was equivalent to being nerfed by the meta and falling from god-tier status, while recovering meant reclaiming one's noble throne.
The tide turns, and I have returned!
"Um... why does the conversation always turn in a direction I can't understand?"
Robin said, sounding a little helpless.
She really wanted to continue the conversation along his lines, but she just couldn't.
If one day she could keep up, she felt she might have become a very different person by then.
"In any case, you're happy I'm safe, right? Thank you."
Robin did her best to translate his words through the lens of a normal person's logic.
"It was nothing."
"When you have time in the future, please come to Penacony."
"The children of Kasbelindat have a wish to sing for Miss Robin, and I told them that this wish will definitely come true."
Robin's eyes curved into a gentle smile, and she radiated a maternal glow.
"So, I want to invite my savior, Mr. Ranger, to be there for their concert as well."
Her voice had recovered its usual gentleness; it was ethereal and pleasant, making one subconsciously want to agree.
But Leon was no ordinary person.
Logically speaking, a character of your cup size has no right to make demands of me...
A flurry of thoughts went through Leon's mind.
"I don't know where Penacony is."
But what came out of his mouth was something else entirely.
"If Penacony needs me, then I will definitely go."
As he said this, Leon's right hand subconsciously came to rest on the bow slung over his shoulder.
"If I'm not needed, then I'll have to leave it to fate."
Sigh, a place name casually mentioned by a galactic big shot is a whole lifetime away for a country bumpkin like me.
As a veteran player who had been born into "Earth Online," if Leon were familiar with the interstellar maps of another world, he'd be ridiculously awesome.
His destinations were determined entirely by the guidance of his bow, which heeded calls for help; he was just following its navigation.
Just like this trip to Kasbelindat.
"But it's best if you don't need me."
If the bow received a call, it meant that place was in deep trouble.
"Mr. Ranger, you don't know of the Planet of Festivities?"
This came as a surprise to Robin.
Penacony was just that famous—a dreamscape where all dreams could come true.
Countless people would kill to get in, and it was common for them to spend fortunes just for an invitation.
"Never heard of it, but it sounds pretty boring."
In any case, after hearing about it, Leon had absolutely no desire to go.
"No matter how you dress it up, a dream is still just a dream."
How can stats glitched out with a temporary bug be real?
Once the dream ends, I will die.
"Looking for a sense of reality in a virtual world? Sounds like they have too much time on their hands."
Leon wasn't so idle as to seek validation in a dream like those people.
Seemed more practical to just kill a few more Denizens of Abundance.
"Mr. Ranger, do you feel that way too?"
Hearing this, Robin wasn't offended at all. Instead, she looked as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"I feel that way too."
Robin rarely met anyone who spoke ill of Penacony.
The unfortunate longed to go to the land of dreams.
And as for the people of "The Family," they were the ones who had built up the reputation of the Planet of Festivities in the first place.
"No matter how beautiful a dream is, no matter how realistically immersive it's simulated to be, it is ultimately still just a dream."
Robin had never spoken of such feelings to an outsider.
This was the first time, and Leon was the first person.
Her nature was one where actions spoke louder than words.
Barring any surprises, he would probably forever remain the first.
"You can savor its flavor, and you can be reluctant to let it go, but all of us must eventually wake up from the dream."
Robin's expression was quite serious.
If anyone other than Leon and her brother heard these words, they would probably just think she was ungrateful for her blessings.
A more cynical take would be to call it the baseless whining of a privileged lady.
But she wasn't born in Penacony.
Her home world was destroyed by the turmoil of a "Stellaron," and like many others, she had been crushed by suffering.
But she picked herself up and decided to pass on the songs her mother once sang to others.
She had also witnessed the splendor of the dreamscape and had been lost in it.
But the fact that she was standing here now meant that she had finally woken from the dream.
Therefore, she believed she was someone qualified to say these things.
"A false dream cannot fill the void."
"Only the traces you leave behind in reality are the real, tangible things that can fill that emptiness."
After speaking, Robin let out a long sigh, simultaneously observing his reaction cautiously.
She saw that not only did he have a serious expression, but he was also nodding in approval from time to time.
A small, inexplicable sense of secret joy welled up in her heart.
A great champion like Mr. Ranger, who fights for the people, surely thinks the same way I do.
Robin thought to herself.
"Not bad."
Leon nodded repeatedly with small movements.
What was all that mumbo-jumbo? I didn't hear a single word.
However, seeing as she's a D-cup or higher, I'll just go along with what she's saying.
If she were some mediocre C-cup, I would've shut her down with an "It's none of my business, just worry about yourself."
And an A-cup? Go play somewhere else, don't waste your big bro Leon's time.
"Mr. Ranger, let's exchange contact information!"
Robin suggested, "It's okay that you don't know about Penacony."
"When you have some free time, just send me a message. I'll be your guide. Please, you must be there!"
"Uh, we'll see."
Leon said, taking the Jade Abacus from his pocket.
To be fair, this phone is really durable.
The starskiff was brought down, but this thing didn't get a single crack despite the violent crash. It's like some kind of black magic.
If only the Boss had been this tough back then.
"I'll go if I have time."
Leon had no enthusiasm for places that didn't contribute to his goal of becoming a Celestial Emperor.
"Are you heading back to Penacony now?"
"Yes. I'll go back to report that I'm safe, and then I'll head out again."
Robin added him as a friend and nodded.
"Perhaps we'll meet again somewhere else, Mr. Ranger."
There was a hint of anticipation in her tone.
"When we meet again, you have to tell me your real name, okay?"
"When I'm out..."
Before Leon could finish, a slender index finger gently touched his lips, stopping him.
"Shh, please leave this mysterious little gift for the future me."
Robin said softly with a light laugh.
She was happy, but Leon couldn't hold back his thoughts.
What a narcissistic little bird. This is so lame.
Who wants to tell her his real name? He was obviously going to say that she should use his alias when they're in public and not blow his cover.
____
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