Meanwhile, on the other side.
Dan Heng felt uneasy all day, as if something bad was about to happen, though he couldn't pinpoint what.
At that moment, he had just finished producing an animated adaptation of a manga at Clock Studios Theme Park. Calculating the time, it was about time to head to the meeting point. He sent a copy to his long-time editor and started toward the rendezvous.
Buzz buzz—
Just then, his phone received a message. He thought it was from his editor, but upon closer inspection, it was a message from March 7th in the group chat:
March 7th: Sorry, everyone, Stelle and I stumbled onto something. Stelle… her life or death is unknown.
Welt: ? What happened?
Himeko: [Shared a location with you]
Himeko: I'm here. March, don't panic. Calm down and tell us what happened.
Immediately after, March 7th recounted everything that had just occurred, informing everyone that after returning to reality, she found Stelle had no physical injuries but couldn't be awakened no matter what.
When Dan Heng read "Stelle was attacked," his usually calm face finally showed a trace of gravity. He finally understood where his unease had come from.
Himeko: So, it seems there's no such thing as "absolute safety" in the Dreamscape.
Himeko: I've also gathered some strange intel recently: Rumor has it that the founder of the Penacony Group, the Trailblazer senior we're about to meet, Mr. Mikhail, passed away long ago, and the one in power now is merely a puppet.
Himeko: It's said that before his death, Mikhail left a will stating that whoever finds his legacy first can inherit fifty percent of the Penacony Group's shares.
Himeko: I thought it was just a street rumor, but now it seems Penacony might really have a problem.
Welt: Should I go directly to negotiate with the Family?
Himeko: …My plan is to split into three groups. I'll go meet Senior Mikhail's invitation, Welt, you handle negotiations with the Family about this incident, and Dan Heng and March, you need to ensure your own safety while searching for clues near where Stelle was attacked.
Himeko: To ensure safety, we must check in on this group chat every hour to confirm everyone's safety.
March 7th: Understood.
Welt: Understood.
Dan Heng: Understood.
…
When Stelle woke again, she was lying in a dark alley, the damp and foul stench filling her nostrils, instinctively making her nauseous.
"Hiss—After all my calculations, I never expected I'd be the one stabbed."
Stelle struggled to sit up, patting her body up and down. Hmm, no issues, no holes, and everything felt as it should.
So… this must be Dreamflux Reef?
"Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck…" Stelle sighed, rubbing her forehead. If she wasn't mistaken, she was probably the first among the various factions to arrive at Dreamflux Reef…
Wait.
Stelle suddenly remembered something. No, she wasn't the first. The real first was Sparkle, whom she had stabbed into this place earlier.
…Awesome, now she wouldn't be alone and helpless here. Sparkle, you're the best!
However, as Stelle staggered out of the alley, intending to use her information advantage to gain a foothold, the sight before her left her dumbfounded.
This is… Dreamflux Reef?
But why… is it so dazzling?
In stark contrast to the alley's harsh environment, the entirety of "Dreamflux Reef" was filled with skyscrapers far surpassing those of Golden Hour, exuding prosperity. Even the towering buildings were plastered with gold.
Unlike Golden Hour, here you could see crowds riding mounts modeled after Aeons like "Qlipoth," "Xipe," and "Aha," along with various copyrighted skins that couldn't be used outside.
Stelle even spotted a few big-eared rats shouting "Miska, Moska" on the streets.
—"Not the skin I like, delete it!"
—"What about this round-headed orange cat? It's super cute."
—"What?! You slept yesterday? I'm telling you, if you don't want to work, plenty of others do!"
—"You're on my level and using the same skin as me? Kneel!"
"…"
On the bustling streets, incomprehensible conversations unfolded one after another. Stelle stood frozen, hardly believing her eyes.
Where was Dreamflux Reef?
Where was this? Golden Hour? Why did it feel like this should be called Diamond Hour?
After standing there in a daze for a while, the calm was finally broken—a middle-aged man, dressed in a carefree, slightly disheveled yet oddly handsome manner, approached Stelle. With arms crossed, he said: "Miss, please refrain from doing anything illegal in Dreamflux Reef."
Stelle stiffly turned her head: ???
What had she done? …Wait, was this guy… Gallagher?
Wasn't he supposed to be in The Reverie hotel in the Dreamscape? Why was he here, acting like nothing was wrong?
With such doubts, Stelle spoke: "Are you Mr. Gallagher? The superstar singer renowned across the cosmos?"
"Huh? Pfft—"
To her surprise, her words made "Gallagher" burst out laughing. Pinching an orchid finger and speaking in a high-pitched voice, he said: "Where'd this country bumpkin come from? First time in Dreamflux Reef?"
Stelle: !!!
"Listen up, little girl, this isn't the 'Penacony' you know from the outside. This is Dreamflux Reef, the true sweet dream. This is the real Penacony."
This place was really Dreamflux Reef?
Stelle shook her head helplessly, forced to accept the reality. After all, stranger things had happened, so compared to that, Dreamflux Reef turning out like this seemed relatively normal.
"Then, uh… miss, you just said I did something illegal. What did I do wrong?" Stelle asked.
"Gallagher" sized her up: "No way, you don't even know that? How did you get in from the outside?"
"Whatever, since I've got nothing better to do, I'll explain. In Dreamflux Reef, there's an unwritten rule:"
"Here, money is the measure of everything. Everything has a price, and the rich are revered while the poor are despised."
"Because of this, everything here comes with a fee—like the right to view Dreamflux Reef, the right to breathe its air, the right to move around… I see you don't have any tags on you. That's a violation of Dreamflux Reef's viewing rights."
Stelle pointed at herself: "You mean I have to pay just to look at the buildings here?"
"Gallagher" nodded: "Mm-hmm."
Stelle asked again: "What if I don't pay?"
No sooner had she spoken than a group of musical note sprites descended from the sky, surrounding her:
"Illegal individual detected. Please immediately pay the fine for viewing Dreamflux Reef's buildings, or we will take 'punitive' measures against you."