"Huh? Didn't I just see a person fall?"
"Right? How'd it suddenly turn into a cat?"
"Must be some glass toy cat. Shattered to pieces..."
Passersby clustered a short distance away, murmuring and whispering among themselves.
"Hey, buddy!"
A man in a flashy, sequin-covered outfit sidled up to Caelus like they were old friends, poking the still-glinting pile of cat shards with a rhinestone-studded fingernail. "Is this some kind of model of yours?" he asked curiously.
"No."
Caelus's expression didn't shift. He even pulled out his phone and snapped a close-up of the pile of cat fragments.
"She's my pet cat."
"Your... pet cat?"
The man's face twisted into a strange expression.
Never mind that the material looked like top-grade bone china, shattered to smithereens — how could the owner show not the slightest hint of sorrow? And here he was taking photos, like he was gathering evidence at a crime scene.
Before the man could voice his complaint, the gray-haired, gold-eyed young man crossed his arms and let out a sharp, piercing whistle.
Then, in a tone of exaggerated surprise so obviously fake even an idiot could tell he was bluffing, he shouted, "Whoa~ Look! The ground is covered in shining gold treasure chests!"
The instant the words left his mouth, the scattered pile of cat fragments looked like someone had hit a super-rewind button.
They shot upward at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, snapping together with perfect precision.
In under a second, a blue-gray shorthaired cat, standing upright on two legs with eyes bulging like brass bells, was hopping around, very much alive.
The restored cat didn't even bother checking whether all her parts were intact — she reflexively shaded her eyes with a paw, craned her neck in a panic, and swiveled her little head side to side like a radar dish.
She was terrified that one second's delay would let Caelus-cub snatch up every last one of those "shining gold treasure chests."
In her frantic haste, twisting only in one direction, her slender cat neck creaked and groaned, wringing itself into a full three-and-a-half twists right before everyone's horrified eyes.
"Holy crap!"
"It's alive! Really alive!"
"What the meow is this — some kind of black-tech bionic cat?! Or a new species of dream creature?"
The crowd erupted. Camera flashes lit up in a chorus, and social media notification chimes rang out one after another — the hashtag "#Miraculous Dream Creature Spotted in Golden Hour#" was probably already skyrocketing up the trending charts.
Standing in the middle of a neon-lit, surreal city avenue, there wasn't a single glimmering treasure chest in sight — only dazzling billboards and a bustling crowd.
Stelle-Tom realized she'd been fooled again.
She abruptly stopped her spinning-top head, planted her paws on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and glared at the culprit with an expression of pure, dopey fury.
"Pfft~"
Faced with that accusing stare, Caelus burst out laughing without a shred of guilt, grinning as he pointed at her twisted, pretzel-like neck. "Doesn't that hurt?"
"...Meow?"
Stelle-Tom blinked, dazed, and instinctively tried to look down — though the motion was rather difficult given her current neck configuration.
Her gaze struggled downward until she finally caught sight of her own art-piece-worthy pretzel neck.
The instant realization hit, the laws of physics — belatedly — kicked in.
"Hgh... hhk..."
Stelle-Tom's whole face visibly flushed red, her beady eyes rolled back, and her little paws clawed uselessly at the air as waves of suffocation crashed over her.
"Watch closely, I'll show you again."
Caelus grabbed Stelle-Tom's head steadily, like palming a basketball. "Instant Refinement: Stellaron Gu."
He gave his wrist a casual flick and twist.
Stelle-Tom's body unwound like a rope coming loose, spinning rapidly in place under centrifugal force with a whoosh, snapping itself back into shape.
A few seconds later, Stelle-Tom — neck restored, though her eyes were still spinning — stood back up on wobbly legs, dazedly patting her now perfectly intact neck with a paw.
The onlookers' jaws had collectively hit the pavement.
"Let's go."
Caelus couldn't be bothered with the noisy crowd behind him anymore. He scooped up the still-dazed Stelle-Tom and, with practiced ease, wound her limp, liquid-soft body around his own neck. And just like that, a living, temperature-regulated cat scarf, complete with a built-in dopey-face sticker pack, was born.
He strode off, pushing through the ring of onlookers.
Behind him, a man in a crisp white suit doggedly chased after him.
"Hey! 'Scuse me, buddy, you sellin' that cat there?"
Huh, a genuine Tianjin accent!
Caelus didn't stop walking, but he couldn't resist glancing back.
Seeing this, the man in the suit's face lit up with hope, thinking he had a shot.
The next second, he felt something heavy drop into his palm and looked down.
A flyer bearing a chibi headshot of Stelle-Tom had appeared in his hand. On it, the blue cat grinned widely, flashing eight teeth in a dazzling, professional-looking smile, as if advertising herself.
The man in the suit stared at the flyer, his eyes drifting instinctively to the price tag.
A string of uncountable zeros crowded together like an astronomical figure — so many that his tongue tripped over itself trying to read the number aloud.
"This is highway robbery?! You outta your mind or what."
Once they'd fully left the landing spot, Stelle popped back into human form with a soft sound, landing steadily on her feet.
She put her hands on her hips and scoffed toward the direction the man had vanished. "Can't even scrape together a few Crystals and you want to buy this precious baby? Bear cutting its own claws — as if you've got the nerve!"
Caelus glanced sideways at the girl beside him, looking utterly pleased with herself.
Was she actually a genius?
The two walked side by side down the street, while nearby, a few billboards that had sprouted legs trotted after tourists, blaring ad audio, refusing to give up until their target had listened to the whole pitch.
Skyscrapers lined both sides of the street, home to countless storefronts. Beautiful hostesses in various uniforms wore beaming smiles, warmly ushering customers in to spend.
Gilded shops and a city glittering with lights — from start to finish, it all boiled down to two words.
Spend money!
Live large!
Lose yourself in luxury!
Golden Hour was, quite literally, a den where fortunes melted away like gold.
"Stelle, where are you headed next?" Caelus asked, holding a sundae that was absurd in both shape and size.
The thing was easily twice the size of a KFC family bucket, and comically stuck into the top was a plastic cartoon sign that read, in flashy lettering, two big words: "Zero Calories."
Earlier, the eager server, noticing they were first-time visitors to Penacony, had gone out of her way to hand them a "Dreamscape Cuisine Guide."
She'd rattled on nonstop, throwing around specialized terms like "Memoria Resonance" and "emotional metabolism," trying to convince them that no food consumed within a dream could ever pose a threat to a diner's real-world health or weight.
Caelus felt like he'd achieved enlightenment.
He finally understood why people craved sweet dreams so much!
In this illusory realm, you could completely cast aside all worries about blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, stomach trouble, or ballooning weight, and gorge on delicious food without restraint. This place was a foodie's paradise!
The food hit the taste buds just as hard as anything in the real world. The only catch was that you still ended up feeling full...
On top of that, there was another guest perk.
Guests who entered their dreams through the Dreampool didn't need to eat in reality to maintain their bodily functions — as long as they stayed within the pool, they could go decades without food or water.
Of course, soaking in a dream for decades at a time wasn't entirely without cost.
While advanced technology could prevent severe muscle atrophy, it still affected an ordinary person's motor skills and coordination — which was probably why every luxury suite came equipped with a surprisingly professional-looking gym.
"Nom nom."
Stelle, head down and tackling her own equally enormous sundae, cheeks stuffed full, answered thickly, "Looking for treasure chests, obviously! And I'll swing by that trendy dream-goods shop for Ah Qi while I'm at it... nom."
"We finally get to go on a trip and all you can think about is digging up Crystals?"
Caelus looked at her, exasperated. "Take a break. Go spend some money, why don't you? Big brother's covering your expenses."
He was trying to bribe the Stellaron spirit's treasure-hunting radar with cold hard cash.
"Burp~ Sure, thanks, little bro~ Such a good boy~"
Stelle let out a resounding belch, instantly switching into doting-mother mode, and reached over to ruffle Caelus's hair with maternal affection.
"..."
If calling him "little bro" was the price of luring the Stellaron spirit off to have some fun, he'd swallow it.
"But me spending money doesn't equal me not digging for Crystals."
Stelle licked the last bit of cream off her lips, a sly glint flashing in her big eyes.
"Guess I underestimated how fast you're evolving. Who'd you learn this from?"
Caelus pinched Stelle's soft, pretty cheek — she'd somehow mastered a heaven-tier combat technique like the Tang Niu Inequality without him noticing.
Stelle just stared straight at him without a word.
"Even if I'm one percent responsible, aren't you the other ninety-nine?" Caelus glared right back.
Stelle stopped in her tracks, head snapping toward the display window of Vail's Coat and Hat Shop on the street, eyes sharpening.
"Treasure chest!"
"Where?"
Caelus followed her gaze.
The shop's interior was tastefully arranged — sharp suits and formalwear lined the walls, while the central display held exquisite shirts, vests, and ties.
But scanning the room, he saw no treasure chest anywhere. Of course — how could he possibly spot one faster than a Stellaron spirit?
Stelle darted into a corner like a nimble weasel and dragged out a dusty, decrepit-looking box from behind a rack hung with ornate canes, one that looked like it had been forgotten for decades.
She flipped open the lid to reveal a plain, undecorated wooden cane lying quietly inside.
"A cane... an actual item drop."
Caelus's expression went flat as a dead fish.
The fact that Stelle's personal treasure chests could yield Stellar Jade at a one-to-one exchange rate with Crystals was undoubtedly Aha's doing.
But that guy also liked to toss in random junk sometimes.
This particular type of chest usually had one telltale feature.
[This looks like it might be a failed product, abandoned before it could even be decorated.]
[But is that really so?]
[Will you accept that being different from convention makes something a failure?]
"I don't accept that."
Stelle's reply rang out loud and firm, drawing a startled glance from the clerk who was straightening ties nearby.
[That's right! Exactly!]
[Take it with you on your journey. Let your future experiences be the chisel, your future achievements the adornment, and carve it into the most brilliant gem of all.]
Stelle's expression turned instantly solemn. She cradled the utterly unremarkable cane in both hands as if crowning a holy relic.
"I hereby name you the Dull Blade!"
Under the clerk's conflicted gaze — half "is this girl okay in the head?" and half "whatever, the customer's always right" — Stelle paid for the Dull Blade.
Technically, anything pulled from a treasure chest should belong outright to the great Trailblazer — money? What money?
But the clerk looked so put-upon, and the amount wasn't much anyway, so Stelle just paid up.
[Ohh~ this is exactly what travel is all about. Maybe you should dye your hair blond next~!]
Yep, a "setting-off" dialogue event was another telltale sign of this type of chest.
Walking out of the shop, Stelle stared at the cane, lost in thought.
"What are you scheming now?"
"I think I need to get myself a jeep to go with it."
Stelle looked thoughtful.
"True enough."
Caelus immediately understood what she meant and nodded.
"But there aren't any cheap jeeps around here. All Golden Hour has are sleek, luxury hover-shuttles."
Caelus's words landed like a hammer blow, shattering Stelle's fantasy.
Stelle's shoulders slumped instantly, her face etched with the grief of a shattered dream. "Damn it! What kind of world doesn't give a Cane Alien like me its own signature jeep-monster?"
"No way! I'm going to find a jeep!"
Standing dead center in the crowded streets of Golden Hour, Stelle thrust the Dull Blade high into the air, pointing it at the sky, her voice rising with a tragic, over-the-top fervor:
"My lance has been worn dull by the rain."
"My warhorse has rusted too."
She rapped the cane against Caelus, indicating that he was her rusted warhorse.
"But my charge — it is a Don Quixote's charge!"
"O windmill named Life!"
"I will battle you for three hundred rounds!"
"Three hundred rounds!"
Under the varied stares of countless passersby, including a few members of the Bloodhound Family, Stelle — Dull Blade raised high — charged forward like a knight rushing a windmill.
With an air that looked more than a little unwell, she howled her way deeper into Penacony's dazzling, dreamlike streets.
Caelus watched the Bloodhound Family members chasing after her and shook his head.
While the Stellaron spirit was in the zone, it was the perfect time to start sweeping up treasure chests!
"Activate Super Mode."
Caelus did a somersault and turned into Jerry.
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