Fu Zhu hovered beside Xing, watching her order the other "him" around, running him ragged. After just a few minutes, he started to feel annoyed.
Of course, this annoyance didn't stem from seeing Xing make "him" fetch tea and water. It was the irritation of seeing someone who looked exactly like him running around.
After a few more minutes, Fu Zhu couldn't take it anymore. He dispelled Observer Mode right in front of Xing.
Xing was happily playing her game when she suddenly saw her older brother appear before her. The shock nearly sent the controller in her hands flying. She stared intently at Fu Zhu for a few moments before it finally sank in.
"Bro? What are you doing here?"
Fu Zhu was about to explain the situation and tell her she was trapped in a dream, but her words immediately made him realize something was off. It seemed Xing already knew this was a fake dreamscape.
"You know this isn't real?"
Xing nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She reached out, pulled Fu Zhu down to sit on the sofa, and then flopped down, resting her head in his lap and grinning up at him.
"Of course! This place is way too fake. How could you possibly support my gacha spending unconditionally, bro? Or drop everything you're doing just to stay by my side and take care of my meals? It's obviously fake!"
That was why, from beginning to end, she had never once called that imposter "brother."
Although this dream was wonderful, and in a sense, it was exactly what her heart desired, precious things were precious in part because they were rare. In this dream, the memories she treasured in her heart had become mundane, everyday occurrences. It made her lose her appreciation for them, and after a while, it all started to feel rather bland.
For a moment, Fu Zhu wasn't sure whether to praise Xing for being so sharp or scold her for playing along. He could only cup her face and help her sit up straight on his lap before standing up himself and offering her his hand.
"Time to go."
But Xing suddenly flashed a mischievous grin and started rolling around on the sofa like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Ehhh~ But I want to play a little longer! It's your fault, bro, you're always busy with your own stuff and never play games with me!"
"One night."
"Hmm?"
Fu Zhu shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Pick any night you want. I'll pull an all-nighter with you."
Xing's eyes instantly lit up. With a powerful push from her long legs, she launched herself off the sofa and into Fu Zhu's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Her long, slender legs circled his waist, and she clung to him like a sloth on a tree.
"Yay! Let's go then, bro!"
Fu Zhu shook his head with a helpless smile. He bent down to pick up her shoes from beside the sofa with one hand, while his other supported her as he walked toward the door.
Just then, the other "Fu Zhu" came out of the kitchen. Seeing that Xing was about to leave, he immediately called out, "Sister, where are you going? And who is this man?!"
Xing, still clinging to Fu Zhu's back, looked over her shoulder and said with a grin, "He's my brother. Goodbye, fake."
The imposter wanted to rush forward and stop them, but he wasn't as fast as Fu Zhu pushing open the door. He could only watch helplessly as Fu Zhu, carrying Xing on his back, stepped through the doorway, which now shone with a brilliant white light.
The moment they stepped through the door, Fu Zhu and Xing immediately felt a sense of weightlessness. He quickly stuffed her shoes into his inventory, freeing up a hand to place a block beneath his feet, arresting their fall.
Clinging to Fu Zhu's back, Xing looked around at the dim, surrounding space and nervously tightened her grip around his neck.
"Bro, where are we? I feel a little dizzy."
Fu Zhu glanced around. In the distance, he could see the other dreamscapes he had spotted earlier.
"This should be the Sea of Memoria Substance that supports the dreams. It's rich with Memoria here, so someone as sensitive to it as you would naturally feel unwell. Drink some milk."
Fu Zhu took a Milk Bucket from his inventory and handed it to Xing, who obediently drank it while still on his back.
After Xing finished the milk, Fu Zhu expanded their foothold with more blocks. He then set her down, took her fair, flawless foot in his hands, and began to put her shoes on for her. Just as he picked up her other foot, Xing mischievously lifted it a little higher.
"Look good, bro? These are the feet of a beautiful girl~"
Fu Zhu wordlessly reached out and tickled the sole of her foot, causing the girl to collapse in a fit of giggles, a blush creeping across her face. Only then did he manage to slip her other shoe on.
"Alright, you can walk on your own now, can't you?"
"What gives!" Xing pouted as she stood up. "Just a moment ago I was 'little sweetie,' and now you're calling me 'ma'am'? Don't they say a sister is a brother's lover from a past life? How could you bear to make your lover walk by herself?"
Fu Zhu flicked her on the forehead good-naturedly.
"I feel like you're my enemy from a past life."
"Oh!"
Xing then looked towards the large and small dreamscapes floating in the distance and couldn't help but ask her brother, "Bro, so are those Himeko and the others in those dreams?"
"Mm, they should be."
"So what do we do now?"
Fu Zhu thought for a moment. The safest option would be for the two of them to wake everyone else up together, but that would be too slow. Besides, the largest dreamscape was clearly the collective dream of everyone else in Penacony.
According to Herta's earlier clue, the Sunday of this moment likely possessed the power of an Emanator, or perhaps even greater. Otherwise, it would be impossible to make everyone fall into a dream without them even realizing it.
Fu Zhu was confident he could defeat Sunday in a fight, but he couldn't guarantee that his companions wouldn't get hurt in the process. Even with the Totems of Undying he'd given them, he didn't want to see his friends get into any more trouble.
Therefore, it was essential to weaken Sunday's power, which meant he had to wake up everyone who was asleep.
How to do that?
Fu Zhu immediately thought of the World Devourer he had commissioned Chadwick to design for Firefly's third "death." Since everyone was trapped in a dream, why not just blow the entire dreamscape sky-high?
If the dream itself is gone, where can they go to dream?
Having settled on a plan, Fu Zhu turned to Xing and said, "We'll split up. You go wake up Himeko and the others, sis. I'm going to prepare something big."
With that, Fu Zhu waved his hand, creating several paths made of blocks leading to the other dreamscapes.
Although Xing was reluctant to part with him, she knew this was important business, so she could only nod in agreement.
"You be careful then, bro."
"Don't worry, I won't be in trouble. The only thing that'll be in trouble is this world."