Pranks aside, Sylvia led Himeko and Welt to Micah without trouble. There, they also saw the three cenotaphs.
They'd expected as much, yet seeing those three names with their own eyes still left Himeko and Welt silent. Sylvia and Mei didn't take part in what followed.
After sharing a drink at Dreamflux Reef and exchanging a few words with Micah, they returned to the sweet dream and briefly explained the situation to March 7th and Stelle.
At the very least, they didn't want the two of them thinking Himeko and Welt had gone missing.
Not long after Sylvia and Mei left, two more guests arrived at Dreamflux Reef.
"Miss Himeko? Mr. Welt?"
"Director Topaz. I didn't expect to meet you here."
Topaz had appeared out of nowhere and now stood before Himeko and Welt. After her first flash of surprise, Himeko soon regained her composure.
Most people couldn't find a way into Dreamflux Reef. Without Sylvia guiding them, Himeko doubted she could've located it so quickly herself.
Yet Topaz had already found the way?
"Ahaha~ I was thinking the same thing. It's all thanks to the clues Sylvia gave me. I'd never have found this place otherwise."
Sylvia was a member of the Astral Express, so there was no need to hide that fact.
"Your insight is impressive, Miss Topaz."
"Oh, you flatter me."
After exchanging a few polite compliments, Topaz soon began fishing for information. Unfortunately, the Interastral Peace Corporation's name didn't carry much weight here. In fact, it did worse than that. Many residents became openly hostile the moment they saw the Corporation emblem on her uniform.
As a result, she'd walked around for some time without learning anything useful. Now that she'd run into Himeko and Welt, there was no chance she'd let the opportunity pass.
"May I ask what brought the Astral Express here?"
"There's no special purpose behind our visit. Three Nameless once came to rest here, so we've come on behalf of the Astral Express to pay our respects."
Himeko framed the entire matter as a memorial visit for their predecessors among the Nameless. With the three cenotaphs right before them, there wasn't a single flaw in her explanation.
That, however, was all she said. No matter how Topaz probed afterward, Himeko didn't reveal anything else. She smoothly sidestepped every question and offered no useful information at all.
Topaz couldn't help feeling frustrated. She could tell the people here held deep resentment toward both the Family and the Corporation. If she could gain their trust, she was sure she'd uncover far more information that could be used against the Family.
She just needed an opening.
She truly hadn't expected the residents to reject her Corporation identity so strongly. She'd assumed that since they hated the Family, they wouldn't be as wary of the IPC.
'Sigh. I should've changed clothes first.'
For now, she could only investigate the three Nameless. Perhaps the Corporation's intelligence division had records that might provide some clues.
After committing their names to memory, Topaz left.
As for Firefly, she and Topaz had split up soon after entering Dreamflux Reef. They'd only formed a temporary team, and now that they'd unlocked a new area, neither planned to keep exploring together.
--+--
Meanwhile, the Family was still basking in the vanity of its restored reputation, which had even begun to rise higher than before.
Far out in the silent depths of space, a man streaked toward Penacony like a meteor. He clicked his tongue in boredom.
"Penacony, the Planet of Festivities... I wonder if it'll make an even prettier glass ball once it burns."
It was Lord Ravager Zephyro.
Although he enjoyed burning enormous glass spheres, he was rather lazy and wasn't obsessed with the pastime. Most of the time, he remained in the rear, quietly honing his strength so the next large glass ball he burned would come out even more perfect.
So why had he bothered leaving his usual haunt to cause trouble on Penacony?
Because that deadweight Phantylia had somehow lost to a random passerby.
The thought alone infuriated Zephyro. He threw a punch at a planet along his path, and a scorching gale swallowed the unfortunate world in an instant. For one brief moment, it seemed to become a second star within its system.
"Tch. How can a Lord Ravager be that weak? What an embarrassment."
Zephyro didn't care if a colleague lost a battle. He didn't care if one died somewhere far away either. They were all Emanators of Destruction. Destroying one another was only natural.
But getting captured while left neither dead nor alive? That was disgraceful.
Worse, the culprit hadn't shown the slightest concern about exposing herself. She'd openly used Phantylia's power everywhere she went, almost as though she feared the other Lord Ravagers might not notice.
If the Lord Ravagers failed to respond to such blatant provocation, the Antimatter Legion would become the laughingstock of the universe.
Celenova had armies to command and no time to punish one person. Irontomb specialized in dismantling technological creations like the Corporation, so sending them into a personal duel wouldn't have suited their methods. The others all had their own reasons as well.
(T/N: Im repeating this, but the fic was written in 2.6, before Amphoreus's story(Zephyro's first(?) real appearance not counting that Lord Ravager PV) even really started… so the characterization might be a bit iffy.)
In the end, Zephyro—the powerful idler who spent every day lounging in the rear—was the only one with both the strength and the free time. The others unanimously chose him for the mission.
"Sylvia, Sylvia... You took Phantylia's power, so you'd better still be standing after I'm done burning Penacony."
Zephyro had no intention of wasting time on conversation. The Family, the Corporation, the Xianzhou, the Planet of Festivities—none of it meant a damn thing to him.
He'd burn it all.
Anyone who died simply wasn't worth speaking to. He'd talk to whoever survived.
Zephyro burned his way through space without making the slightest effort to conceal his movements. The moment he emerged from an uncharted world, countless factions detected his course.
--+--
On the day after the Astral Express crew arrived at Penacony, confirmed news swept across the cosmos like a hurricane.
"Lord Ravager Zephyro is heading straight for Penacony."
Word quickly spread throughout the entire planet. People had already heard rumors that a Lord Ravager would come for Sylvia, but when Zephyro truly appeared, many factions still lost their nerve.
This left those seeking the Emanator's mask in a painful bind. Should they remain on Penacony and wait for a chance to become an Emanator before retiring in glory, or should they flee while they still could?
When the Family received the news, its upper ranks remained remarkably calm. The commotion within the Family was even smaller than when the Grand Theater had been bombed.
That wasn't an exaggeration.
Every member of the Family believed that the strength born from unity could protect Penacony. A known Emanator was nowhere near as frightening as a traitor hiding within their own ranks.
When Sylvia heard the news, she was having a picnic with Firefly at Dream's Edge. They'd prepared the food together and now sat side by side at the edge of a rooftop, with a basket holding their lunch beside them.
The person calling Sylvia was Miss Yukong.
"Sylvia, Zephyro's course has been confirmed. He'll reach Penacony within the next few days. What do you plan to do?"
Yukong didn't sound too worried. After all, their delegation included an Arbiter-General.
Sylvia's situation, however, was different.
"Would you like to take shelter at the Xianzhou camp?"
"Sister Yukong, I appreciate the offer, but Zephyro's coming for me. I shouldn't bring that trouble to your doorstep."
"Don't say that. Phantylia came for the Luofu, and you helped the Xianzhou. I can't stand by and watch someone come after you."
Yukong's resolve touched Sylvia. The Xianzhou really was dependable. When it mattered, they didn't hesitate to stand behind their allies, even with Zephyro bearing down on them.
"Hmm... In that case, could I ask my friends to take shelter with you?"
"What about you?"
"I'll reason with Zephyro, of course. Sister Yukong, I'm not weaker than any Arbiter-General now."
Sylvia had no intention of hiding her strength. In fact, she looked forward to Zephyro's arrival. Only a sufficiently powerful opponent could test how strong she'd become.
Besides, she needed a grand enough stage to frighten anyone harboring crooked intentions.
"You?"
Yukong had been about to object, but Sylvia wasn't someone who bragged. The look on her face also made it clear that she was serious.
Yukong stared at her in shock.
Did those words truly mean what she thought they meant?
Just then, an elderly man's voice entered the call.
"Oh-ho-ho~ To think even this old man would misjudge someone. Young lady, why don't you come over for a chat when you're free?"
An ordinary-looking old man stood beside Yukong. That alone wouldn't have meant much, but Yukong's expression had turned openly respectful. There was even a trace of the restraint one showed before a superior.
Sylvia immediately began to suspect the old man's identity.
"Of course. May I ask who you are, sir?"
"Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming."
"Mr. Huaiyan, I'll pay you a visit later."
"Sounds good."
The call ended.
Sylvia still hadn't understood, but Firefly could tell she hadn't recognized the name. She tugged at Sylvia's sleeve while taking small bites of cake.
"Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming. The Flaming Heart."
The Seven Arbiter-Generals were famous throughout the cosmos. Many factions had never seen them in person, but almost everyone knew their titles.
"Oh, right. I remember now. Wait... Why's he here?"
As realization struck, Sylvia fell into thought.
What was the Xianzhou doing? Why had they come to Penacony, and why had the situation required an Arbiter-General?
Firefly shook her head. How would she know?
Still, there was something more important to discuss first: her chance meeting with Topaz yesterday and what she'd discovered at The Reverie in the Dreamscape.
"Yesterday, I went to The Reverie in the Dreamscape and ran into the Corporation's representative, Miss Topaz."
"How did the two of you end up meeting there?"
"We were both investigating the Family's secrets. And... I think I know what I need to do now."
Firefly's expression was strange. Beneath it lay the faint look of someone preparing to do something dangerous.
Sylvia frowned.
"Did you find something?"
"I'm not sure yet, but there's something in the deeper Dreamscape. It's twisting the abandoned Reverie."
The Reverie...
Sylvia hadn't explored the abandoned hotel in much detail. Judging by Firefly's words, though, had she and Topaz confirmed something there?
"And what does that have to do with what you need to do? You're not planning to descend even deeper into the Dreamscape, are you?"
The "deeper level" Firefly spoke of couldn't be somewhere as gentle as Dreamflux Reef. She meant leaving behind the constructed layers of the Dreamscape and descending farther into the depths of the Memory Zone.
Firefly nodded with complete seriousness.
"Actually, Miss Topaz and I found Dreamflux Reef yesterday..."
She calmly explained her goal.
Sylvia blinked, then froze.
They'd already found it? In the original story, Firefly had at least died once in front of everyone before reaching that point. This time, she'd managed it without causing the slightest commotion.
"I'd planned to shake her off, but Miss Topaz seemed to know something from the start. She searched with a clear destination in mind."
As Firefly spoke, she turned toward Sylvia. She clearly knew that Topaz's certainty came from something Sylvia had done earlier.
"Ahaha~ Then it probably was because of me."
Sylvia smiled awkwardly. After all, she'd let Sleepie impale her right in front of Topaz. She'd later returned perfectly healthy and even brought news of the Stellaron.
Even without Sylvia explaining anything, Topaz would've guessed at the possibility and tried to verify it herself.
Firefly smiled, took Sylvia's hand, and continued.
"Compared with the sweet dream, Dreamflux Reef does count as part of the deeper Dreamscape, but it's still not deep enough. Miss Topaz doesn't plan to take the risk, but I want to keep descending."
Firefly believed the depths of the Dreamscape concealed remnants of the Swarm. As a member of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry, killing the Swarm could be considered part of her duty.
"Are you insane? You want to go even deeper? Your goal's the Stellaron, so why would you keep going down?"
Firefly might've spoken calmly, but Sylvia couldn't remain calm herself. Entering the Dreamscape already caused Firefly enough pain, yet she still wanted to descend farther?
The deeper reaches of the sea of memoria would only become more chaotic and lawless. She could encounter anything down there. If something went wrong, she could truly die in those depths.
"I know, but you've already found a lead on the Stellaron, haven't you?"
When the two of them reached Dreamflux Reef yesterday, they hadn't left without asking questions. Firefly had learned about Sylvia's arrival and what she'd done with Miss Robin some time ago.
"That's true."
"And when the time comes, you'll have to approach that memoria accretion disk again, won't you?"
Worry surfaced on Firefly's face.
"Penacony's sweet dream is slowly collapsing, and the accretion disk is expanding. I think the deeper Dreamscape may hold the answer. At the very least, I could eliminate some of the unknown possibilities for you."
The closure of The Reverie in the Dreamscape couldn't have been the Family's deliberate choice. They'd repaired the bombed Grand Theater in almost no time. If the hotel's only problem were damaged dream constructs, there was no reason for the repairs to take this long.
The true cause couldn't be so simple.
That region of the Dreamscape might already be heading toward irreversible destruction.
Sylvia thought Firefly's plan was reckless, but didn't Firefly feel the same way about Sylvia's own decision?
The accretion disk had already expanded. Next time, Sylvia might not be able to reach the same depth she'd approached before.
Worse, what if the danger hidden within the Dreamscape came looking for them first?
That was why Firefly wanted to descend farther. At the very least, she needed to learn what kind of change had taken place within this dream.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL