Chapter 71: The Opening of Dream Werewolf
[As a Memokeeper, Black Swan effortlessly dominated this dreamscape environment, forcibly controlling the monsters while casually summoning a spatial portal to send Stelle and Firefly out.
Upon returning to reality, the first thing Stelle saw upon opening her eyes was Black Swan. Black Swan informed her that the dream they had just been in was the "Primordial Dream."
Knowing Stelle must have many questions, she advised her to first reassure her companions.
When Stelle arrived at the hotel lobby, she overheard the Astral Express crew discussing that Memokeeper before she even approached. After reuniting with the Express crew alongside Black Swan, Stelle first confirmed her safety before recounting her experience in meticulous detail. Black Swan then shared what she knew with the group— The so-called "Land of Dreams"... was actually a carefully maintained illusion crafted by the Family through unknown means—a designed fantasy. The place Stelle had just visited was Penacony's truest, most primordial form. Penacony's beautiful dream was now "sinking," reverting to its original state... plunging into the depths of the sea (the Memory Zone). Black Swan sought cooperation with the Astral Express because she wished to witness those crystalline, radiant, and precious memories.]
[Kiana]: "Black Swan's reason for cooperating sounds so similar to that person from the future who wanted my memories!"
[Black Swan]: "Naturally. We're both envoys from the Garden of Recollection—colleagues, you could say."
[Robin]: "Penacony is facing such a massive crisis—why didn't you tell me, brother!?"
[Sunday]: "I..."
[Vill-V]: "The IPC, the Family, the Stellaron Hunters, the Trailblazers, the Fools, the Memokeepers, plus whoever secretly sent those invitations... Are we playing Dream Werewolf now?"
[Vill-V]: "This kind of mystery sounds fun. We should host a Werewolf game in the Elysian Realm too."
[Elysia]: "I think that sounds delightful! The lovely Miss Pink Elf approves this proposal~"
[March 7th]: "Let's not actually turn it into another Penacony situation~"
[The two reliable adults of the Express crew analyzed the available information, leaving March utterly baffled about how they reached their conclusions.
Welt forwarded a message he received to Stelle—opening it revealed a voice recording from the Stellaron Hunters. Silver Wolf kindly shared their intel with the Nameless: "Input this code into your Dream Pool—y'know, that device you use to enter dreams—and check out the hidden map! The coordinates are all bundled here. Just copy and paste."
"Oh, and—you've probably heard about Sam by now. Get ready. That guy's straightforward, loves fair fights, and will totally 'click' with you all. Hope you can handle his enthusiasm!""Oh yeah, he asked me to pass this along: 'The unattainable dream. The performance is about to begin—hurry up, all factions are making their moves. Nameless, don't fall too far behind!'"
After this analysis, the Astral Express decided to cooperate with Black Swan.]
[March 7th]: "Huh? That chibi Silver Wolf avatar is so cute~"
[HSR·Himeko]: "Herta Space Station, the Xianzhou, now Penacony—wherever we go, you Stellaron Hunters follow. What exactly are you after?"
[Kafka]: "Don't worry, Miss Himeko. At least for now, we have no reason to act against you."
[Stelle]: "Sam really is enthusiastic!"
[Silver Wolf]: "The 'enthusiasm' I mentioned and what he shows you are two completely different things!"
[Stelle]: "Firefly! When we meet in reality, can you show me Sam? Please!"
[Firefly]: "Mhm, of course!"
[Silver Wolf]: "You just agreed?!"
Never had Silver Wolf felt so speechless watching Firefly like this.
[After finalizing their plans, Himeko led the exploration team while Welt remained in reality to ensure everyone's safety and negotiate with the Family if needed.
Upon inputting Silver Wolf's code, they returned to that Primordial Dream. Stelle intended to regroup with her companions, but the dream's architecture didn't perfectly mirror reality—her friends weren't there. To reunite with them, Stelle and Black Swan headed toward the agreed meeting point: the hotel lobby. Instead of finding the Express crew, they encountered a lost Acheron—who had single-handedly surrounded the nearby monsters.
After teaming up to eliminate them, Acheron suggested traveling together, which Stelle gladly accepted. Moving through another corridor, they arrived at an upside-down house. Strangely, though Acheron had initially taught Stelle how to walk on walls, she now seemed utterly fascinated watching Stelle traverse the ceiling.]
[March 7th]: "Weird—didn't Miss Acheron teach Stelle how to wall-walk earlier? Does she have memory issues too?"
[Kiana]: "This other Mei has so many mysteries~"
[Kiana]: "Heheh~ A lost-and-confused Mei is adorable too!"
[Mobius]: "Perhaps it's related to Nihility. While I'm no expert on Paths, Acheron's past footage makes it obvious, no?"
[Hi3rd·Welt]: "Could she be... a self-annihilator?"
[Herta]: "Most likely. Meeting the Aeon of Nihility and not getting fully assimilated is already a miracle."
[March 7th]: "Why does everyone who shows up lately have secrets?
At this point, if you told me even that Gallagher guy who appeared once is hiding something huge, I wouldn't be surprised."
[Ellio]: "Want me to hand over my 'Seer' title to you?"
[Gallagher]: "..."
[They scaled numerous walls, yet in this peculiar dreamscape, no exit could be found—even when spotting what seemed like one, the strange door wouldn't budge.
Having grown tired of leading, Black Swan refused to continue and prepared to brute-force their way out. Stelle watched as the Memokeeper began probing the dream through perception. Closing her eyes softly, Black Swan murmured: "I can see this dream's core... and Family members... Several figures groping forward—seems your friends aren't faring well either. One... two... three..."
"Wait—three? A third person searching for the lobby? Hold on... Is that... the girl who was with you earlier?""Firefly? Why is she here?"
To Stelle, Firefly was just a fragile girl—being in such a bizarre place filled her with overwhelming concern. Through her senses, Black Swan detected Firefly being pursued by some creature. To rescue her, Stelle's group accelerated their advance.]
[Stelle]: "! Firefly!!"
[Silver Wolf]: "Relax—you already know who she really is, right? She could wipe the floor with you!"
[Stelle]: "That has nothing to do with it!"
[Kevin]: "Correct!"
[Otto]: "Indeed!"
[Siegfried]: "Agreed!"