With Aventurine acting as guarantor, the check-in process suddenly became… smooth.
This—
Was the power of money.
On top of that, he had even invoked the IPC's authority.
What could the front desk possibly say?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Miss Robin has returned! Miss Robin is back!"
Just as they finished checking in, an excited voice rang out nearby.
Moments later—
A winged young man in gloves stood at the entrance, visibly waiting.
The entire lobby grew lively.
"Chirp! Chirp! Paper birds! Little chirp chirp!"
"Miss Robin! The goddess has descended!"
"Miss Robin! The universe's number one songstress!"
"Miss Robin! Penacony's superstar!"
"Miss Robin! Concert tickets sell out instantly!"
"Miss Robin! Sing—let the world hear your name!"
"…What is going on?"
Even Evan frowned slightly.
Soon—
A starship descended from space and stopped before the hotel.
"Is Robin really that popular?" Stelle asked curiously.
"Of course!" March replied immediately.
"She's the top singer in the universe! A Halovian!"
"Her album sales are always number one!"
"And apparently she has a mysterious top supporter who buys tens of thousands of copies every time!"
"Sure, that's not much on a cosmic scale—but that's just one person!"
"Heh. A whale, huh…"
Evan smirked.
Watching the scene—
He couldn't help but feel it was a bit surreal.
"Did you know?"
Evan suddenly spoke.
"The Aeon of Elation has been attached to Robin's feet all along—and the Xianzhou were the first to discover it."
"…Huh?"
March, Stelle—even Dan Heng leaned in.
"Because on the Xianzhou, Aha is called the 'Eternal Joy Deity.'"
"And 'contentment brings joy.'"
"..."
"PFFT—HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Evan… that was so bad!"
Meanwhile—
In the lobby—
Sunday's stern expression softened.
Robin stepped down from the ship, escorted by guards.
The crowd erupted.
She greeted her fans politely before walking to Sunday.
"Brother~"
"Welcome back," Sunday said gently. "Was your journey safe?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"But brother… isn't the Harmony Festival about to begin?"
"Why did you come here to greet me personally?"
After a brief exchange, the siblings ended their conversation.
In public—
They couldn't speak too freely.
Sunday then stepped forward to the center of the lobby.
His voice was calm and composed.
"Welcome, honored guests, to Penacony—the land of dreams."
"I am Sunday, head of the Oak Family."
"And the current representative of the Family."
"We have prepared the finest accommodations for all of you."
"Please proceed with check-in."
"The Harmony Festival is about to begin."
"Until then—enjoy your journey within the dream."
With that—
Sunday left with Robin.
There was still much to prepare.
After they departed—
Evan and the others headed deeper into the hotel.
"…Finally."
"Let's settle in first."
Himeko smiled as the staff guided them inside.
"Got it!"
"Let's go!"
Once Evan and the others left—
Himeko and Welt exchanged a glance.
Then sat near the bar.
"Two SoulGlad," Himeko said.
"Let's try Penacony's signature drink."
"As long as it's not coffee," Welt replied dryly.
"Pfft—"
They took their drinks and sat in a quiet corner.
"Mmm… not bad."
Himeko took a sip.
Welt nodded.
"But…"
"Have you noticed?"
"This Harmony Festival… isn't normal."
"…Yes."
Himeko nodded.
"We noticed the same thing."
She took another sip, frowning slightly.
"This drink… tastes similar to something from home."
"But still not as good as my coffee."
"…That invitation."
"It's unusual, isn't it?"
Welt said.
"'To our honored guests of the Family…'"
Himeko nodded.
"That music box—"
"When it plays, it resonates perfectly with the Express."
"And hidden within that melody—"
"'Why does life sleep…'"
Silence.
Welt frowned, thinking deeply.
"So…"
"This invitation wasn't sent by the Family."
"It was sent by the owner of that music box."
"And the melody… is tied to the Express."
"…Which means—"
Himeko finished calmly:
"It's a message."
"From the Nameless who once stayed on Penacony."
"I see…"
Welt narrowed his eyes.
Which Nameless?
Why leave a message?
"I think… it has something to do with Mikhail."
A familiar voice sounded behind them.
Welt turned.
Evan, Dan Heng, March, and Stelle had arrived.
"You figured that out already?" Welt asked.
"Hunter's intuition," Evan replied with a grin.
Honestly—
Something about the Reverie Hotel felt… off.
Even now—
His system hadn't detected a single treasure chest.
Unusual.
"If the invitation really came from Mikhail…"
Welt said slowly,
"Then it's a message meant for us."
"But what exactly is the Watchmaker's legacy?"
"…Whatever it is,"
He continued,
"This festival… won't be simple."
And he was right.
Penacony had once been an IPC prison—
Used to exile criminals and harvest memoria.
Now—
It had broken free from IPC control.
But the IPC still needed it.
Needed its memoria resources.
The Family wouldn't agree.
So—
Aventurine had come.
As for Black Swan?
Her goal was simple—
Memories.
Aventurine's.
Acheron's.
Everyone's.
And others—
Acheron.
Sparkle.
The Stellaron Hunters.
All had their own objectives.
And all of them—
Were here for one thing.
The Watchmaker's legacy.
A dream—
Called Trailblaze.
"Don't worry, Mr. Yang!"
March patted her chest confidently.
"We've got this!"
"That's right! The Galactic Baseballer is here too!"
Welt chuckled, patting Stelle's head.
"Still… we should be careful."
"Penacony is far more complicated than it seems."
On the surface—
There were five great Families:
Oak Family → Led by Sunday; overall coordination
Alfalfa Family → Economic system
Hound Family → Security
Iris Family → Culture
Nightbird Family → Dream construction
Together—
They formed Penacony.
And Penacony itself—
Was built upon twelve dreamscapes.
The discussion ended.
Everyone returned to their rooms.
A purple shadow flickered past Evan's door—
Then vanished.
Unnoticed.
Moments later—
Another shadow passed.
And disappeared.
Inside his room—
Evan walked toward the bathtub.
A mass of memoria floated before him—
Engulfing the entire tub.
It looked like water.
But when touched—
It felt completely different.
A substance—
That did not mix with reality.
Memoria.
A mysterious force.
A soft voice echoed—
[Dear guest…]
[Welcome to the Reverie Hotel.]
[Please relax your body… your mind… your consciousness…]
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito