Chapter 209: Run for your lives! This Penacony is nothing but "knives"!
"For example, when you woke up in the guest room, you murmured a few names. Are they your companions? Family? Enemies? You seem to have established unbreakable bonds with many people and many things…"
"Tell me, would you feel fear at losing these bonds?"
Acheron's first question was heavy and sharp.
Five options appeared simultaneously.
Guinaifen was deliberating.
The viewers in the livestream were flooding the chat.
…
"This opening in Penacony really feels like it's going to be a big deal…"
""Wholesome, Happy, and Upbeat Options""
""College Student Mental Health Survey Option""
"Be careful, Little Gui, these options might affect the subsequent plot!"
"Starting with such high pressure right off the bat, I'm sweating buckets."
…
After a long while.
Guinaifen chose: [If this means they are leaving, I would.]
Acheron nodded slightly.
She asked the second question.
"Hmm… then, what if there were a vast dream, one realistic enough to be indistinguishable from reality? In it, there are no partings or deaths, everyone can reap the fulfillment and happiness they deserve, and live happily forever."
"Tell me, would you be willing to dwell within it?"
The question was still red.
Guinaifen's emotions were completely stirred.
She began to think seriously.
And within the Family.
Sunday's gaze tightened!
For other players, these questions might seem baffling or even incomprehensible, but for him, they struck a chord almost instantly!
He couldn't help but look upward.
"Yuling…"
"Are you… hinting at me with this?"
He looked back at the plot.
Sunday suddenly felt.
This… actually didn't seem so bad.
Is he using this as a probe to see how all players feel about the Dream of Ena?
On second thought.
Yuling… seems to be paving the way for him, doesn't he?
Sunday opened his mouth slightly.
As if he had instantly understood Yuling's painstaking efforts.
Right then.
He began to read the barrage in the livestream seriously.
These were important indicators for executing his plan!
…
"Isn't life just a big dream…"
"If it's truly as realistic as reality, then it could be called another reality!"
"Sounds great, but if it's always this kind of dream, happiness would gradually become numbing."
"Please, let me be numb! Working seven days a week makes me want to die!"
"What's wrong with a world of beautiful dreams!"
"Online: I would never sink into a fake dream. Reality: Please! Let me sleep a little longer…"
…
Seeing the barrage of comments.
Sunday smiled lightly.
Indeed.
Just as he had witnessed everything.
This world is filled with too much tragedy and injustice.
The beautiful dream of Penacony can only be saved by the Order that enforces the weak to submit to the strong!
The seven-day holiday is the most ideal social system; every day should be a Sunday where people can live in peace!
Sunday stroked his chest.
He felt his conviction had grown even firmer!
At this moment.
In the livestream.
Little Gui had also finished her choice.
She chose: [No matter what, I would not want to live in a dream.]
Guinaifen rarely put aside her entertaining persona during the stream.
A hint of solemnity flowed in her eyes.
She thought of her childhood experiences.
If her homeland hadn't been destroyed by the Antimatter Legion, and she was still the young daughter of the Duke of Camelot, living a life of luxury…
But there is no turning back in life.
If that were just a dream, Guinaifen would absolutely not want to sink into it!
Her current life might be busy, but it is not dull.
She has also met many friends on the Xianzhou.
And now, she has even come to Penacony in person…
The future holds infinite possibilities.
Life… has no "best."
Therefore.
When Guinaifen made this decision, she was very serious, treating it as a real choice in reality.
After easing her emotions slightly.
She continued the plot.
Acheron asked again: "Then… what if this beautiful dream is destined to fall apart, and everything is bound to leave: friends, family, strangers; then the light breeze, the flying birds, the stars… and finally, yourself."
"Everyone, everyone in their memories, those smiles and tears, the promises kept and unkept… will all eventually head toward the predetermined end. If, at the very beginning of the journey, you already knew the destination of this trip…"
"Tell me, would you still embark on this journey?"
The first three options were all about giving up.
The last two options.
Were [I don't know.] and [I will forge ahead with the Trailblaze without hesitation.]
After a brief pause.
Guinaifen chose: [I will forge ahead with the Trailblaze without hesitation.]
"We are Trailblazers, after all!"
"We must reach the end by our own will!"
…
"Little Gui is getting into character!"
"It's really great to see such an energetic Little Gui every day…"
"Me too! Just like life, although we will all die, I want to live through this journey myself."
"It feels more and more like a questionnaire…"
"Could it be that Yuling is actually the Aeon of Finality? He's already collecting our intentions as players through this game…"
"Such an awesome theory…"
…
After answering.
Acheron still said coldly: "I know this is difficult, no need to rush to make a decision. I said… the answer is not important."
"Listen, touch, think, and from that, you will gain feelings—cherish them, and based on these feelings, we make our choices. So, back to the initial question…"
"Tell me… do you remember me?"
[I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…]
Acheron nodded slightly: "I understand."
"How interesting. Just a moment ago, it was as if millions of similar yet different versions of you gave completely different answers."
"This is indeed the last question, thank you. We both have our own paths to follow, let's part ways here."
Just as they were about to separate.
Acheron suddenly spoke another riddle—
"The golden dream is about to stir. In the coming long night, you will likely encounter many setbacks, witness numerous tragedies, and in the end… see only black and white."
"But please believe that in that black and white world, there will be a flash of red, fleeting, but when you make your choice, it will surely appear again…"
As she spoke.
Acheron walked past Stelle.
Her left hand gripped her blade tightly.
"And you, must chew on its meaning carefully—"
"—Then,"
At the same time as she finished these words.
Acheron opened her eyes.
A line of bloody tears fell from her right eye.
And Stelle's abdomen felt as if it had suddenly suffered a heavy blow.
Her whole body arched.
Subsequently.
The background "whooshed" and turned dark red.
A large amount of color spilled out around Stelle.
Like blood bursting forth!
Acheron's final voice remained.
"Return to the waking world."
"We will all find the answer there....."
The moment Stelle closed her eyes and collapsed.
She sat up abruptly from the sofa on the Astral Express!
Woken from a dream.
And at the corner of her eye, unexplained tears had fallen.
Dropping onto the back of her hand.
After watching this segment.
Guinaifen was completely stunned!
In the livestream.
All the viewers were also shocked speechless by this scene!
A long while passed.
Before they gradually came to their senses!
…
"???"
"What is going on?"
"I am confusion*."
"Me: My life is over!"
"It scared the hell out of me!"
"Too scary, I don't dare to go to Penacony anymore…"
"When did this Acheron draw her blade? I couldn't see it at all?"
"Investigate Acheron thoroughly!"
…
Guinaifen licked her lips.
She couldn't help but complain: "So much for a timely relaxation! So much for a pleasant holiday!"
"Coming right out of the gate, it's practically written on her face that [the subsequent plot is all knives]!"
"Is it too late for me to go back to the Xianzhou Luofu?"
"The Luofu is safer after all…"
Guinaifen picked up her phone, ready to book a ticket back.
But suddenly realized.
She had already reached a cooperation with the representative of the Iris Family.
She had to stay in Penacony for at least a week.
She put down her phone dejectedly.
"It's okay, I, Little Gui, am a naturally holy body of Yang energy, there shouldn't be anything bad happening to me…"
However.
What Guinaifen didn't know was.
At this moment.
On the other side of her floor.
It was exactly Acheron's room!
Inside the room.
After watching this part of the plot.
Black Swan looked at Acheron, who was sitting there lost in thought.
She said: "You are truly interesting…"
"I admit, I'm already a bit impatient."
"How about… let's start right now."
"Finish that dance we agreed upon."
Acheron came back to her senses.
She nodded slightly.
"Let me prepare."
She walked into the bathroom.
Black Swan smiled beautifully.
Presumably.
She also realized that this dance wasn't just a dance in form.
It was also a crossing of memories…
The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
At this time.
Black Swan's expression moved slightly.
She took out her phone.
Just now.
Yuling had posted a message.
Black Swan hadn't cared much initially.
She didn't plan to watch other content at this time.
The person in front of her, Acheron, was the object she was most interested in.
The other party's memories… even if made into a Light Cone, would be a unique existence.
This opportunity was rare.
Black Swan didn't want any mishaps.
Just as she was about to put her phone away.
Her gaze swept across it.
She saw the video posted by Yuling.
Titled… "Animated Short: Rondo Across Countless Kalpas".
It was a short clip of a few minutes.
And what surprised Black Swan…
Was the cover of this short clip.
The character image on it.
Was none other than Acheron with a blank expression!
"A short clip about her…?"
Black Swan smiled slightly.
She was already prepared to personally pry into the other party's memories.
The timing of this short clip's release was truly unfortunate.
"However, watching it wouldn't hurt."
"Just as she seems to need a little time to prepare."
"Let's just treat it as… an appetizer before the main feast."
....
Note: "Knives" basically means "Feels", like cutting knives to the heart or something.