Asking for directions to a place you don't know the name of might be considered mere ignorance. But Lü Heng was now asking about someone he had just named, which seemed like deliberately stirring up trouble.
Ignoring Lü Heng, the passerby walked away without looking back.
Left with no choice, Lü Heng approached another person. Judging by the previous person's reaction, it seemed everyone here knew Robin. He rephrased his question:
"Excuse me, young man, I'd like to know more about Robin. Could you tell me about her?"
"Robin? The Cosmic Songstress, famous throughout the universe? How can you not know her?" The new passerby, a Pepeshi, looked genuinely astonished, as if being unaware of Robin in Penacony was utterly incomprehensible.
Of course, even the most famous person couldn't be universally known. But to be in Penacony and not know Robin? That was truly bizarre.
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, the Pepeshi replied, "All the songs playing around here are hers. Just listen to them—trust me, you'll fall in love with her!"
Although Robin was being held in custody awaiting trial within the "setting" of this Dream Realm, it didn't mean she was entirely silenced. The people of Penacony were still listening to her songs, and most hoped for a lenient outcome in her judgment.
"Ah, it's such a shame," the Pepeshi sighed. "I hope her sentence isn't too harsh. I can't imagine a world without new songs from Robin..."
Essentially, both Lü Heng and the Pepeshi were Robin fans. It didn't take long for them to bond, chatting for a while before Lü Heng returned to Zhong Wanhong and Yu Lin to share the information he had gathered.
"We still don't know why we're here, but based on our past experiences with Illusionary Realms, this place is likely Robin's past—her own Illusionary Realm," Lü Heng explained.
"The Martyr's ability allows a person to return to the time they most yearn for. I asked that passerby earlier, and he said Robin's brother committed some terrible crime, which implicated her as well..."
At first glance, this Illusionary Realm seemed far from idyllic. But shifting perspectives, like Bai Yuanju preventing her sister from going to work in her own Illusionary Realm to save her life, perhaps this situation was similar.
In the upcoming Judgment, Robin and her brother might face severe charges and harsh punishments. Robin, desperate to change this outcome, might have created this Illusionary Realm as a result.
Zhong Wanhong and the others had escaped the Illusionary Realm through Robin's ability. Theoretically, she should have been able to leave even more easily, yet she chose not to. Did this past hold extraordinary significance for her?
Listening to Zhong Wanhong and Lü Heng's alternating explanations, Yu Lin finally grasped the "setting" of this place. With a nod of understanding, she asked, "So, do we need to help Bird Sister?"
"No, there's no need," Zhong Wanhong replied, shaking his head. This wasn't heartlessness, but a simple truth: everything here was fake.
Nothing done here had any real meaning.
Although they had pieced together the situation, it didn't fundamentally change their circumstances. Zhong Wanhong pondered for a moment before saying, "In any case, let's continue exploring and get a better sense of this place."
After all, for the three of them, this was Robin's past, the Outsiders' homeland, and an entirely new and unfamiliar world.
However, before Zhong Wanhong and his companions could move, a man and a woman appeared in their line of sight, walking slowly toward them in single file. It was Sunday and Robin.
Rewinding slightly, after hearing Robin's words of "forgiveness," Sunday visibly regained his vitality and spirit.
"You really... don't blame me?"
"Mmm," Robin replied, pursing her lips and turning her head to avoid his gaze. She felt a pang of guilt for her deception, but she insisted, "Aren't we family? No matter what happens, I'll never blame you!"
Just as Sunday was about to respond, he frowned slightly. "Someone else has entered this place..."
In a way, Zhong Wanhong and his companions, along with the Martyr, had inadvertently helped Robin. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known what to say next as the conversation continued.
Now, Sunday walked ahead, with Robin silently following behind. They arrived at Golden Hour Plaza, where Zhong Wanhong and his group were waiting.
"Robin?!" Naturally, Zhong Wanhong's gaze immediately fell upon her before shifting to the man walking in front of her.
The identical Halos and the wings behind their ears made their relationship instantly clear. This must be Robin's brother—the one who had committed that terrible crime and dragged his sister into it.
Did Robin do something within this Illusionary Realm to rescue her brother? Is this the past she most desperately wants to change?
But then, Zhong Wanhong realized something strange. Logically, shouldn't these siblings be fugitives? Weren't the passersby just expressing hope for leniency in Robin's judgment? Yet here they were, brazenly strolling through the plaza.
Is this even remotely plausible?
Then, something even more bewildering happened to Zhong Wanhong. After briefly sizing up the trio, Sunday spoke directly: "So, you're Robin's friends in the real world?"
Zhong Wanhong: "???"
Lü Heng: "Huh?"
What kind of situation is this? Entering someone else's dream, only to have a character within that dream greet you and start discussing real-world matters? Could anything be more absurd?
Inevitably, Zhong Wanhong and Lü Heng's brains short-circuited instantly. Their eyes glazed over as they stared blankly at Sunday, then glanced at Robin behind him, their minds flooded with questions they couldn't even articulate. Their shock was so profound that even forming coherent sentences seemed impossible.
Only Yu Lin, ever slow to catch on, seemed oblivious to the implications of Sunday's words. She simply nodded and replied, "I'm Yu Lin. It's nice to meet you!"