Himeko already knew that Pei Guang had been cooperating with the Garden of Recollection.
Even the member of the Garden aboard the Express had never hidden her identity: because of Pei Guang's connection, she had even exchanged information with them.
From what Himeko understood, Pei Guang's cooperation with the Garden was… significant. So significant that, if Pei Guang ever asked for help, the members of the Garden would definitely agree.
For that reason, Black Swan, a member of the Garden of Recollection, was considered a reliable ally.
As for her identity? Himeko had already confirmed it earlier, when Black Swan had appeared and asked for help in locating Pei Guang and Stelle after losing contact with them. She'd even asked Dan Heng to double-check with the Garden member aboard the Express.
As for why that other member hadn't gone running across worlds with Pei Guang… it was simple. They still hadn't finished collecting all the memories from the previous Memory World, and following Pei Guang around on his adventures wasn't exactly their job.
Each Memokeeper had their own duties, after all. Unique memories had special collectors.
And if other Memokeepers wanted to collect rare dreamscapes, that came down to luck and skill: not anyone can steal fangs from a tiger's mouth.
Hearing Himeko's request, Black Swan smiled gracefully. "As you wish. I won't let you down."
Himeko turned to Stelle and March 7th. "Stelle, March: return to your rooms and get ready to dream. If everything goes smoothly, we'll meet in the lobby of the Reverie Hotel."
Welt spoke up. "I'll stay here in reality to ensure everyone's safety. If needed, I'll also negotiate with the families. That's fine, isn't it, Miss Black Swan?"
"Hmm?"
Black Swan only smiled mysteriously, saying nothing.
Himeko nodded. "Then I'll leave that to you, Welt. As for us—let's prepare to witness the true face of the dream."
The group was about to move when March 7th noticed something unusual in the shared storage space.
"Guys! Look! Ah Guang sent us something!"
Her words made everyone pause. They all knew what that meant, so they turned their attention to the shared storage.
Inside were eight four-leaf clovers. But these weren't sitting still: they were bouncing around, darting back and forth inside the storage space.
Everyone immediately understood: Pei Guang was sending them special tools to deal with that strange enemy—and also wishing them safety in his own way.
Meanwhile, in the deeper layer of the dreamscape, Pei Guang, who had arrived earlier with Black Swan's help, wasn't rushing to find Firefly just yet.
When he entered this place, he noticed something right away: the debuff from his previous dream was gone.
"Looks like that monster's eye buff only applies within the current instance. Once you leave and re-enter, the debuff disappears…"
He thought carefully, glancing at his minimap. On it, Firefly's marker was pacing around one area, while Something Unto Death was patrolling far from her.
"Seems like Firefly's safe for now. In that case, I should make some preparations first."
He didn't rush over: though he was worried about Firefly, he knew charging in recklessly might just hand that monster a double kill.
From his earlier fights, Something Unto Death had already dropped plenty of eyeballs.
Using those and some other materials, Pei Guang crafted several four-leaf clovers, placed most of them into the shared storage for the others, and then began heading toward Firefly's location.
This was completely uncharted territory, so he could only advance by following the directions on his minimap.
But as he went deeper, Pei Guang began to feel something was off.
"This place… looks familiar. Kind of like the hotel's layout? If that's the case, maybe I can head to the main lobby first—and from there, take the elevator to reach Firefly? No, never mind that right now. I need to hurry."
Pei Guang didn't care whether this was the dream version of the Reverie Hotel or not: Something Unto Death's buff had refreshed, so he dug a straight path toward Firefly's marker.
As he pressed forward, though, Pei Guang could feel something distinctly wrong about this place, different from the usual Dreamville atmosphere.
"This place… feels really unsettling."
If the "Golden Hour" was a feeling of drunken indulgence and blissful decay, then this place felt utterly different: it carried a sense of silence, withering, chaos, and the constant threat of collapse.
That unsettling atmosphere urged Pei Guang to move faster.
As he pushed forward and passed what looked like a grand lobby, he spotted a familiar figure: Acheron.
"Is there… no staff here?"
In front of Acheron stood two Dreamchaser Troupe monsters. But instead of attacking, they merely watched her warily.
Seeing a familiar face, Pei Guang waved. "Acheron? What are you doing here?"
Hearing his voice, Acheron turned her head slightly. "Hmm? You?"
"Did you get lost?"
Acheron gave a small glance his way. "I wouldn't put it like that. I just… don't know where I am."
"How's that any different from being lost?"
As he spoke, Pei Guang walked up beside her, looking at the enemies ahead. "Need a hand with these noisy things?"
"I'd be honored. Then I'll trouble you for the help."
Pei Guang didn't hesitate and the monsters were gone in an instant.
Once the enemies vanished, Acheron looked at him calmly. "Finally, some peace and quiet. Why are you here?"
"Firefly accidentally stayed behind in the dream. She might be in danger, so I came to help. What about you?"
Acheron replied, "There are rumors going around Penacony, about the Watchmaker, an inheritance, and nightmares. I was curious who was spreading them, so I decided to test the method mentioned in the rumors. And unexpectedly… I ended up here."
Hearing how casually she explained it, Pei Guang sighed. "Ah, I'm jealous. We had to go through so much trouble and effort just to get here."
"Then it's good timing. This dreamscape is filled with danger. Since our goals align, why not travel together? If we run into the Family, having another person might make things easier to explain."
"Sure thing! The more the merrier—and I could use the help. There's a troublesome enemy in this dream that needs to be dealt with. Though, uh, about 'explaining' things… I think if I run into the Family, I'll probably be public enemy number one."
"What exactly did you do in Penacony?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "Nothing much, really."
He was being completely honest. As far as he was concerned, he'd been following the rules of the dream pretty well.
He was treated like an illegal trespasser—so he fought back.
He rescued imprisoned members of the Genius Society—something a Trailblazer should naturally do.
He took a cute girl to touch the stars in the sky and set off fireworks for everyone to enjoy.
None of those were crimes in Penacony.
In fact, whether it was the Xianzhou Luofu, Belobog, or the Herta Space Station, none of those actions would've been forbidden anywhere.
Just as Pei Guang was about to keep grumbling, he noticed Firefly's marker on his minimap suddenly move. Her movement was slow, almost like she was searching for something.
Seeing that, Pei Guang's expression turned serious. "Sorry, can't keep chatting: my friend's moving. That might attract Something Unto Death's attention. I need to find her."
"Friend? Who?"
Acheron thought back to the girls she'd seen around Pei Guang.
Every time she met him, there was always a different one at his side—other than Stelle.
"Firefly. Cute silver hair, dressed kind of like an actual firefly… um, the one with the biggest chest?"
"Ah… I remember her. If she's in danger, then let's move."