["Once, someone also warned me like this… 'Show no mercy to enemies—that is cruelty to yourself. But you must recognize who the real enemy is…' And, you must understand the meaning and cost of swinging that blade."]
["This is the only advice a person burdened with countless blood debts can give you."]
[While the two were talking, Black Swan had already returned and brought messages from Himeko and Miss March 7th—some bad news, some good.]
[She handed a Memoscape bubble to Stelle. Soon, Stelle saw the images of the group.]
[Himeko and March 7th had been blocked by people from the Family. Black Swan was right beside them, but the Family members did not notice her.]
[Himeko: "I understand the situation. Please make sure to bring Stelle to a safe location. If there's spare capacity, you can also investigate Firefly's matter first. We'll meet later at the 'Clockie' statue."]
——
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
"Phew…"
Seeing Himeko and Miss March 7th safe and sound, Bell also let out a long sigh of relief. After experiencing Firefly's tragic death, his nerves were stretched tight like a violin string, afraid that the blade called "Meme" would point toward Stelle's other companions.
"Miss Firefly completely turned into a puddle of water…" Lili Luca lowered her head in thought. "If Miss Firefly died in the dream, what about her physical body in reality? Can she re-enter the dream from the dream pool?"
"Miss March 7th mentioned earlier that after entering the Primitive Dream, they couldn't find Stelle in reality or the dream. I'm afraid… Firefly's physical body has also disappeared by now."
Hestia couldn't help but shiver. At first she thought Penacony was just a vacation spot, but now it seemed Penacony might be even more dangerous than the dungeon. At least adventurers exploring the dungeon knew the dangers of their destination and prepared in advance, but in the dream… who knew if a Meme would suddenly pop out and stab you?
The key issue was that after killing, it would escape immediately. It came and went as it pleased, and they couldn't even team up to defeat it.
Bell shook his head: "I still think it's unlikely for the physical body to disappear. Perhaps the Family did something to hide the person. After all, once someone reaches the Primitive Dream, they've learned the Family's truth. The Family couldn't possibly let her go."
——
[The group planned to find a safe place to talk further.]
["Miss Black Swan, aren't you going to open a… portal or something?"]
["Hmm… I don't recommend that. Her mental state is still unstable, so we should avoid that kind of 'rough' movement from earlier as much as possible. Also—while evacuating, we can still do more for Miss Firefly, right? There are still some traces she left nearby. Before they completely disappear, let them become your 'memory.'"]
["…If we can investigate along the way, that works too." Acheron looked at the puddle of water Firefly left on the ground, her gaze trembling slightly. "Sorry, can you give me a few more minutes?"]
[Perhaps due to the dream's effect, these traces were gradually disappearing.]
[They watched Acheron turn and walk away. Stelle remembered that was where she had turned into bubbles.]
[The group saw her stop, only pursing her lips and lowering her eyes. After a long while, she bent down, as if scooping something up with her hands, then stood up again.]
["May death end your long dream… and guide you back… to the waking world."]
[In Acheron's palm, those specks of water turned into dream bubbles. Tiny sparkling light points floated up like fireflies from between her fingers, flying toward the invisible distance in the dream.]
[On the ground, a half-dissipated phone lay there, with an unsent message remaining… a group photo where the two people in it were smiling happily.]
[After Stelle sent the photo to her own phone, Firefly's last trace completely dissipated, turning into dream bubbles and vanishing.]
——
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King.
True Lord Taiyi, with his big belly, waddled back to the Golden Light Cave. From afar, he could already hear Nezha's thunderous roar inside.
"This Young Master will definitely skin that monster alive! Gouge out its eyeballs one by one and use them as marbles!"
Then came Ao Bing's voice: "Nezha, calm down first…"
"Calm down my ass!" Another series of clattering sounds came from inside the cave. "How can I calm down when she's already turned into water! We should kill this monster first, then throw it in front of that winged guy and see what he says, how he explains it!"
Hearing his disciple's furious outburst, True Lord Taiyi only sighed softly. He pretended to stroke his two small mustaches, about to put on a master's air and enter, when suddenly a fruit plate flew out the door—
"Smack!"
Cold watermelon pulp covered his entire face. A few grapes and jujubes rolled down his belly. Ao Bing saw the True Lord get hit and cried out in alarm, rushing out to help. Meanwhile, Nezha was still barefoot on the stone table, looking like his anger hadn't subsided.
"Ouch…" True Lord Taiyi wiped his face clean of the pulp and looked at Nezha seriously. "If you keep acting like this, you'll cause trouble sooner or later. You must stay calm before acting and know how to analyze—"
"Can analysis save lives?! Penacony's dream was created by the Family. This monster must be related to the winged guy too! We should go find him. No need for explanations—just rip off both his wings!"
"Anyway, as long as it's someone from the Family… none of them can escape responsibility!"
——
[In the dream, Black Swan detected a trace of abnormality: "…What's going on? There's suddenly some… heat in the Memoria?"]
[Acheron said vigilantly: "You noticed it too. It feels like something is burning…"]
[The three arrived at a hall and found charred remains of Dreamjolt Troupe members everywhere. Even on their corpses, there were still faint sparks, proving the culprit hadn't gone far.]
[Some of the monsters' remains had been pierced by some kind of thermal weapon. The tissue under their shells seemed to have explosively evaporated in a short time due to high heat.]
["From the memories of these remains… that person is tall and much more robust than an adult male. His methods are clean and decisive, all one-hit kills—perhaps a mercenary, or an assassin."]
["He entered from the door on that side of the lobby and advanced deeper into the hotel. If so… he should have seen everything that happened earlier…" Black Swan's expression turned serious. "…I take back my previous words. We need to hurry to the Memoscape imprinted with Miss Firefly's figure. With this friend's way of doing things…"]
["If his destination is also there—the scene won't leave any clues behind."]