Worth mentioning was that, compared to those concert posters, the photo of Robin and Sunday together was framed.
The solid wood frame was coated with a layer of pure pearl-white paint. Delicate golden patterns coiled and twined along the edges and corners of the frame, forming beautiful designs.
Moreover, in the lower right corner of the frame, there was a graceful handwritten note.
———[A Concert for Two]
"Robin… little sister…"
With trembling steps, he approached the Dream Pool in the center of the room. The girl who should have been lying there was now nowhere to be seen. All that remained in place were some lingering wisps of memetic matter that had yet to dissipate.
The purple memetic matter shimmered with iridescent colors under the light, sparkling brilliantly. Yet in Sunday's eyes, they held no color at all.
Standing before the Dream Pool and gazing at the photos of himself and Robin hanging on the wall, our Oak Family head, Sunday, remained silent for a long time—like a mute penitent.
"Amy, seal off all information. Do not let word of Robin's disappearance reach anyone's ears. Otherwise… you know the methods of the Oak Family."
Slightly turning his head, Sunday spoke in a low, grave voice to the female housekeeper behind him. His tone was filled with threat.
"Yes…! Master Sunday, I will handle this matter properly… I'll go take care of it right now!"
Feeling the oppressive aura radiating from Sunday, the female housekeeper named Amy immediately paled. She hurriedly bowed deeply and responded in fear and trepidation.
Miss Robin had vanished right under her watch—no matter how one looked at it, she bore responsibility. Even if Sunday chose this moment to take her life, she could only bare her neck and accept it.
Now, by sending her to seal off the news, he was probably, seemingly, apparently… planning to let her off the hook.
Thinking of this, Amy quickly stepped away and left Sunday's line of sight—as if afraid that if she lingered even one more second, the family head might change his mind.
After Amy left, Sunday extended his hand toward the Dream Pool in the center of the room.
Buzz—!
A gentle surge of Imaginary energy emanated from Sunday's hand, slowly enveloping the entire Dream Pool.
As the energy output increased, golden ripples converged toward the center of the pool water like reverse waves.
The purple memetic matter was drawn by the energy, continuously gathering and fusing. Moments later, a semi-transparent purple sphere of memetic matter formed and steadily landed in Sunday's hand.
"Little sister, I'll take you home…"
————————————
Dewlight Reef…
"Achoo—!"
The beautiful girl in deep slumber seemed to sense her brother's call. She suddenly sat up from the bed and let out a heavy sneeze.
"Unfamiliar ceiling… wait, no!"
Upon waking, the girl looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and instinctively uttered a classic line. But soon, our Miss Robin snapped out of her brief daze.
Cautiously surveying the environment around her, Robin first checked her own clothing. Upon confirming that her outfit was intact and undamaged, the girl let out a slight sigh of relief—but only for an instant. The next moment, her nerves tensed up again.
Even though several system hours had passed, her memory still lingered at the moment when her brother had put her to sleep.
Robin understood that Sunday would never harm her. But given the current situation… she seemed to no longer be in Penacony. The dilapidated-looking environment before her surely did not belong to any of Penacony's known dream worlds.
"So… where exactly am I right now?"
Creak—!
Just as Robin was pondering to herself, the door to the room she was in was suddenly pushed open a crack from the outside. Instantly, Robin reflexively wanted to activate the Path power imprinted on the back of her hand.
After she and Yun Fan had officially established their relationship, the young man had implanted a [Causality] mark on the back of Robin's hand.
Compared to the mark on Topaz's hand, the [Causality] imprint on Robin's hand could be used far fewer times. In exchange, however, the power of the mark was significantly greater.
Though this power was still far from rivaling that of an Emanator, it was more than enough for the girl to escape unscathed from the vast majority of dangers.
"Ah! Miss Robin, you're awake!"
As the door opened, a girl who appeared to be around twenty years old carefully carried in a basin of warm water from outside. Seeing Robin had regained consciousness and awakened from her coma, a delighted expression appeared on the girl's face.
She then placed the basin on a stand, took two quick steps, and came to Robin's bedside.
"Miss Robin, are you feeling unwell anywhere? You can tell me honestly—I'll go fetch a doctor for you."
"Uh… no need. I'm not feeling unwell anywhere. Thank you."
Facing this seemingly overly excited young girl before her, Robin gave a faint smile and temporarily set aside her wariness.
Though she did not recognize this girl, her intuition told her that the girl was not a bad person. Under the illumination of [Harmony]'s rhythm, the girl's soul shone as pure and flawless as a pearl.
"Miss…"
"Pei Xuan. Miss Robin, you can just call me Pei Xuan."
Seeing Robin looking at her with a hesitant expression, the young girl proactively introduced herself.
"Hello, Miss Pei Xuan."
Looking at Pei Xuan, whose face was full of excitement, Robin showed a gentle smile. Then, she extended her hand toward the girl, and the two shook hands warmly.
"Miss Pei Xuan, could you tell me where this place is?"
"This place is…"
"This is Dewlight Reef—a dreamscape world hidden in the dark underbelly of Penacony. Of course, you could also call it the 'Place of Exile.'"
Before our Miss Pei Xuan could answer, a voice filled with world-weary uncle vibes suddenly came from outside the door, followed immediately by the sound of footsteps.
Tap, tap, tap…
The heels of leather shoes scraped against the floor, producing a rhythmic clacking. A few seconds later, a very unkempt-looking middle-aged man appeared before Robin.