Oddly enough, before Aventurine's words even fully landed, the musical note sprites simultaneously released their grip and knelt down. Stelle, who had been hoisted up, was promptly dropped to the ground, banging the back of her head and curling up in pain like a shrimp.
Musical Note Sprite: "Esteemed V10 guest, how may we assist you?"
Aventurine pointed at Stelle: "This… what's going on?"
Musical Note Sprite: "Illegal entry into Dreamflux Reef, requiring a fine of eight hundred million credits."
Aventurine: "Oh…"
He looked at Stelle and asked, "Miss Stelle… I can help you out, but could you… write me an IOU?"
Stelle nodded frantically. "No problem, no problem!"
At this point, she wasn't worried about whether she could pay it back later. Stelle knew full well that in a place like Penacony or the IPC, steeped in capitalism, the power of a contract was even more terrifying than any "Cornerstone."
In the original story, Miss Note, the most outstanding artist of the Iris Family, Mikhail's collaborator, and one of Penacony's former elders, ended up like this. No matter how high her status or how dazzling her aura, her ultimate fate was to become a pitiful figure without even a name.
If Stelle signed a contract here, she'd likely become the fourth Nameless to disembark in Penacony and be bound to lifelong labor!
After swiftly signing her name on the IOU, Aventurine carefully tucked it away, then pulled out his phone. "I'll cover the fine. Let her go."
Musical Note Sprite: "Very well. As you are a distinguished V10 guest, we offer you a massive 0.1% discount. Please scan the QR code here to transfer the payment."
Two minutes later, the musical note sprites solemnly extended their sincere apologies to Stelle and informed her that from now on, she held the right to move freely in Dreamflux Reef.
"Aventurine, adoptive father, you're my savior!"
Stelle clung to Aventurine's leg, nearly crying with gratitude.
Suddenly, she felt someone grab her by the collar again, lifting her up. "…Tch, don't act foolish in the middle of the street. It's annoying."
Stelle turned and hugged Ratio's arm. "Thank you too, big sister~"
Ratio: …So clingy.
Ratio was probably the person Stelle had met who could be described as both the most changed and completely unchanged.
Though her adoptive father had turned into an adoptive mother, that sharp-tongued, soft-hearted nature hadn't changed a bit. Heh, but since she'd become a beautiful girl, Stelle kinda wanted to get close.
Not that Stelle was a creep or anything—it was probably just an innate instinct. She just wanted to call Ratio "Mommy."
Inside Ratio's mind at that moment:
What's with this girl? Why is she looking at me with that… disgusting gaze? Whatever, nobody's perfect, she'll correct herself… Tch, but I really want to throw her out… Never mind, if she gets hurt, it'll be even more trouble.
"Miss Stelle, this is my friend Ratio, a highly knowledgeable professor," Aventurine introduced.
"Correction: This money-loser is not my friend," the professor stated.
"…Anyway, while I'm glad to meet you, Professor Ratio and I have business to attend to. Regarding the IOU, I trust in the credibility of our friend Numby. A dedicated representative will contact you later; you just need to make monthly payments."
Stelle nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Aventurine. Thank you, Professor."
…
Watching the two walk away, Stelle let out a sigh of relief, then quickly pulled out her phone and opened the "One Big Happy Family" group chat. When she saw the 99+ unread messages, her expression changed instantly.
From the chat logs, it was clear that her "incident" had caused everyone significant worry.
She needed to report she was safe first.
Stelle: Everyone, I know you'll be shocked to see this message, but please believe me, I'm fine now. After being pierced by Capitalist Bird in the hotel, I ended up in a private server called Dreamflux Reef. Just now, I… (omitting 2,000 words of explanation)
She stood by the roadside, typing for a while, then let out a long breath and hit "Send," thinking gratefully: Now they won't have to worry for a while.
But then…
After all that typing, a red exclamation mark appeared next to her message, with a note below: "Your message failed to send. Please subscribe to VIP to gain messaging rights in this service area."
Stelle: ???
What the heck? Even sending a message costs money?
Then why could she receive messages from outside? So this place operates like a mythical beast, only taking in and never giving out, huh?
Stelle clicked "Subscribe to VIP," and a page popped up on her phone: "New User Offer: Black Gold VIP, first month only 100,000 credits with continuous subscription."
A hundred thousand?!
Fine, she'd just borrow someone else's phone!
Stelle decisively closed the page, only for another pop-up to appear: "Limited-time offer: 20,000 credits off."
She hit the close button again, and yet another pop-up appeared: "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
After closing four or five windows, Stelle finally got rid of them. But when she looked up to find Aventurine and Ratio, the street was left with nothing but bizarre skins and mounts.
A cold breeze blew by, making Stelle shiver involuntarily.
Great, now she couldn't contact anyone. How was this any different from being dead?
…
Some time ago, at The Reverie hotel.
"Little lady, still thinking it over? My price is already quite generous."
Black Swan, wearing a plaster headpiece, floated in the air, yawning lazily. "Most people have a few hundred thousand in savings, right? I'm not asking for much—just 800,000 credits to take you to your friend."
March 7th's face was frosty. "…You're sure Stelle will be okay?"
"Of course. In the Dreamscape, no one has more authority than a Memokeeper," Black Swan said.
March 7th hesitated, which was rare for her. "…I don't have enough money. I need to wait for my companions."
"Oh, that's no problem, but there's something you should note: That cute little friend of yours didn't end up in an ordinary place. One misstep… heh, she might face something far worse than death~"
Hearing this, March 7th clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, causing a stinging pain.
—"Passenger March 7th!"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out. A blonde man with elegant movements and a warm smile approached from nearby, holding an unfinished glass of red wine.
"My apologies for arriving a bit late, Passenger March 7th," the man, who bore a striking resemblance to a certain someone, smiled faintly. "I've grasped the situation. I'll handle the money issue."
March 7th looked him up and down, surprised. "Shush?"
"It's me, Miss March 7th."
"Where's Dan Heng?"
Shush gave a wry smile. "Well… that's a long story."