For the people in this layer of the dream, the arrival of the three knights of the Beauty was really a little too sudden, and their way of appearing was also rather strange.
But this could not be helped, because this was not Argenti's fault.
When Argenti was piloting the Argenti's ship, carrying Noe and Tiriandes toward this layer of the dream, it happened to be when the all-quadrant reset event of this layer of the dream was taking place.
The manifestation of the Observer's Eye inevitably affected the paths between dreams, and Argenti had no choice but to crash under this influence.
Speaking of which, both of Argenti's crashes had a considerable connection with Nero. There was no need to mention this time, when he was affected by the Observer's Eye.
Last time, he had also gone to Jarilo-VI, where Nero was, under Idrila's guidance, and then crashed under the influence of the Stellaron.
Back to the present. A normal crash would have been fine, but after arriving, the three knights began talking to themselves as if no one else were around. Their various actions and behavior made them look like anything but normal people.
Of course, this was what the knights were like. They were the kind of people who, even while saving you, would ask you to repay them by "proclaiming aloud that the Beauty, Goddess Idrila, is unparalleled in beauty" or something equally inexplicable.
Of course, to the members of the Astral Express, the knights' behavior was actually fine. They were simply used to it.
With someone like Nero on the train, who was currently regarded as the incarnation of the Beauty and might actually be one, the Express inevitably had to deal with the knights fairly often.
So, after Argenti and the others walked out of the spaceship, March, Acheron, and Nero had already begun greeting them. As for Dan Heng, Teacher Dan Heng was rather quiet, so he merely nodded slightly in response.
The others, who were not yet accustomed to interacting with the knights, fell silent...
The silence lasted for about two seconds. During those two seconds, the three knights finished talking to themselves and came before everyone.
"As expected, even the Knights of the Beauty with their passionate ideals would awaken from Ena's Dream." Robin thought for a moment and opened by praising them.
Although she had a good relationship with Nero, she did not know much about the knights. Most of what she knew came from stories, history, and explanations from others.
But in any case, the knights were definitely people with firm wills and great strength. Having such people on the same side meant there was a greater hope of breaking Ena's Dream.
After hearing Robin's words, Argenti immediately smiled and said, "Awakened from Ena's Dream... Heh... As expected, with your wise and intelligent minds, I believe you have already seen through the situation in Penacony. All of us have been placed inside a dream as magnificent as a kaleidoscope, yet without any sense of reality."
"Since Miss Robin has already brought up this matter, my companions and I no longer need to think about how we should tell everyone the whole truth."
"To be frank, our purpose in coming here is precisely to awaken those who have fallen into slumber. Although we do not object to Mr. Sunday's ideals, forcibly bringing people into this place is truly unfair."
"The situation is urgent now. I wonder if you have already come up with a plan?"
The others then explained to the three knights the plan they had already formulated.
"Forcing those who have fallen into slumber to awaken, thereby shaking the foundation of Ena's Dream... This is the same idea as our plan." Tiriandes said after listening.
"But, if I may be frank, I must tell you all that if the plan is carried out in this manner, its effects will be limited to the current layer of the dream. This cannot break Ena's Dream."
"Under the influence of Order, Ena's Dream responds to the expectations of those who enter the dream, leading them toward 'happiness' and 'joy.'"
"Let's set that aside for now and talk about the current situation. According to Argenti's and my investigation and observation, Penacony's dreams are currently divided into four layers."
As Tiriandes spoke, images were simultaneously projected from his eyes, presenting a virtual three-dimensional model before everyone.
The model was shaped like the Philosophical Embryo as a whole, with Penacony held in its arms. Overall, it looked like an image painted by Ena. Then, Tiriandes enlarged the image. Inside Penacony, four parallel planes appeared.
"I call these four parallel dreams Dawn, Sky, Descent, and Abyss. Of course, you don't need to pay attention to this. They are only code names."
"What I want to say is that each of us who entered the dream was separately placed into one of these four different layers of the dream. For example, suppose I am the real me, but Argenti is not."
"Then the Argenti here would be a reflection projected from another parallel dream. This is the authority of the Beauty, and it is also why I said that simply carrying out the plan cannot break Ena's Dream."
"We are currently in the Dawn layer of the dream. If we carry out the plan directly, we will only be carrying it out in this layer of the dream."
"In other words, this means that we still have not awakened from Ena's Dream. Even if the dream eventually collapses, only this layer of the dream will be affected."
"The whole of Ena's Dream will not suffer any damage because of this. Under the guidance of Order, the authority of the Beauty will immediately project us, once we escape from this layer of the dream, into a new parallel dream."
"You may be curious about why I have mentioned the authority of the Beauty so many times. That is because, during the process of gathering evidence, what helps us travel between the various parallel dreams is this."
Without the slightest hesitation, Tiriandes opened his own chest and then took out the fragment of the Beauty that had been beating inside his chest like a heart.
"A fragment of the Beauty. It allows us to escape the restrictions of the reflections of the Beauty and travel between parallel dreams. Everything I have said is true."
"With your eyesight, I believe you should be able to tell... Unless something unexpected has happened, it may not appear to you in the form of a fragment."
"In short, what I want to say is that using the power of Nihility to awaken everyone is feasible. But we cannot do this in only a single layer of the dream. We have to carry out this action simultaneously in all four layers of the dream and awaken everyone who entered the dream."
Tiriandes explained everything in great detail. When it came to determining whether the fragment of the Beauty was genuine, everyone indeed had no good way to do so.
However, things were exactly as Tiriandes had said. In their eyes, the object in Tiriandes's hand was not a fragment.
However, there was an even better way to verify it: ask Nero. As the incarnation of the Beauty, this child would certainly be better able to confirm it than they were. After observing it, Nero also gave an affirmative answer.
But...
Acheron looked at Tiriandes, expressionless, her tone calm.
"But there is still one problem. If, as you say, we are still under the influence of Ena's Dream, then how can we determine that you standing before us right now are the real Knights of the Beauty, and that what is happening right now isn't a 'happy ending' created by Ena's Dream in response to the expectations of those who entered the dream?"
Tiriandes's eyes flickered. He did not hide the fact that he had failed to consider this carefully enough. "Hm... That is indeed a good question. If there is another operation like this next time, I should also think about how to explain this."
This mechanical knight was clearly very concerned with the smoothness of executing a plan. Encountering such a snag now made him feel as though something were stuck in his throat.
Tiriandes fell into deep thought.