"Holy mother of...! Watching that really got my blood boiling!"
A man whose body had been almost entirely replaced by cybernetics, and who was dressed like an interstellar cowboy, took a sip of the dream-world wine and spoke.
"Sigh! We basically got beaten up the entire fight. I was the first to wake up, but it was completely useless. What happened to the invincible phase the protagonist is supposed to get after obtaining new powers? Why did the second boss one-shot me right after I finished the first one? Is the newbie protection period really that short?"
Stelle slumped her face against the bar counter, radiating an aura of total dejection.
"Count yourself lucky, damn it. At least you got to trade blows with that powerhouse. I couldn't move a muscle. I was stuck in that ice block like a statue from start to finish."
The interstellar cowboy said.
"I'd rather we had just stayed in the ice blocks. Because of the phantom's interference earlier, Dan Heng accidentally injured Himeko, and now he's completely withdrawn into himself."
"Welt also seems deeply affected. I don't know what he saw in the illusion, but his mood is incredibly heavy, and he keeps staring blankly at the phantom of that guy outside Penacony."
"March 7th never woke up at all from start to finish. She was sleeping the whole time, and by the time she woke up, the battle was already over, so she has no idea what happened."
"Although Himeko was the second to wake up, she was bound by branches and had her stamina drained throughout the fight, so she needs to recover for a while now. It would have been better if this fight had never happened at all."
"The Eternal Dream has been created. While it can't be called a good thing, it acts as a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all evildoers, which is indeed a good thing. At least it will make those vermin behave themselves."
After saying this, the interstellar cowboy named Boothill looked curiously at the listless Stelle slumped on the bar counter and asked, "Hey! Little girl, are you really not related to him? I see that your clothing and even your physical features are very similar. You two wouldn't happen to be siblings, would you?"
"In a sense, he should be another version of me."
"What! Damn it! Is it really that absurd?"
"I don't really understand the specific reasons, but that seems to be the case."
...
Inside the IPC board meeting.
"Don't even think about it. We have new intelligence. If we use physical means to blockade the route to Penacony, that guy will come to Pier Point and stage what he did on Penacony for us, only this time it won't be creation, but destruction."
"Or does anyone here have the ability to contend with the two, or even three, entities similar to Aeons that he can summon? If so, pretend I didn't say anything."
As soon as these words were spoken, the heated discussion fell into dead silence. Then, a senior executive spoke.
"Then let's change the subject. How should we improve the treatment of frontline employees and increase their rest time? By the way, we should also adjust the welfare benefits between stationed employees and the indigenous people in various planetary regions. The funding and expenditure for this should be drawn from the Strategic Investment Department."
"Why should it start with us?"
"Oswaldo, the methods you used to forcibly colonize planets previously did indeed bring huge profits to the IPC with no obvious cost, other than a few insignificant characters who meant nothing to the company. But now, are you sure that the things you've done in the past won't come back to haunt you in the future?"
A senior executive looked at the speaker, their eyes filled with mockery as they spoke.
"I don't care either way. I have a clear conscience. After all, I'm in charge of personnel matters and have never engaged in any corruption or extortion. I'm just an office worker who gets paid for the work I do. Even if there is a price to pay, it has nothing to do with me."
"Seconded. The methods of the Strategic Investment Department have become increasingly radical over the years, and there are always some unnecessary expenditures involved. I agree to impose certain sanctions on the Strategic Investment Department."
"Seconded."
Just like that, the IPC quickly made a decision. The original funding for the Strategic Investment Department was cut in half, and Oswaldo, the head of the Strategic Investment Department, was immediately suspended pending investigation.
"Additionally, notify Aventurine and Jade to find a way to contact that gentleman. After all, the Eternal Dream isn't something that can't be used for business. Perhaps we can even incorporate this into employee benefits."
Caelus, who had been in a deep slumber, opened his eyes. He seemed to have had a bizarre and surreal dream, dreaming that he had become a snake and then enticed a man and a woman to eat an apple. The reason for the temptation was very simple. The apples were too sour, so he wanted to trick others into eating them.
"I can dream? But why did I dream that I became the snake that tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit? And it was just because the apples were too sour, so I wanted others to be soured by them too, which is why I tricked them into eating."
After sighing at the surreal nature of the dream, Caelus realized he seemed to be resting his head on someone's shoulder. He sat up and saw Cyrene leaning beside him.
"Partner, you succeeded! Now your name is spreading throughout the entire galaxy!"
Cyrene said this with a smile.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Counting from when you fell asleep, 70 system hours have passed, which is nearly three days. In these three days, many people have wanted to see you, especially the IPC. They seem to be trying to incorporate your Eternal Dream into their employee benefits and, by the way, want to do some business related to this."
"...Truly worthy of being capitalists."
Caelus shook his head and glanced at the apple tree behind him. Seeing that it was growing vigorously and functioning without any issues, and that the balance between dreams and nightmares had been perfected, he stepped out of the apple tree's range, left the gap between illusion and reality, and arrived in the real world.
Meanwhile, many starships of various styles had been parked outside this illusory realm. Upon seeing Caelus emerge from that illusory state that felt as if it did not exist, they began broadcasting various messages and communications.
"If you have something to discuss, come inside Penacony and talk to me. This isn't a place for a conversation."
After saying this, Caelus took a step and left the place, entering directly into Penacony's dreamscape.
Sunday was sitting in his room. Because of the dream of Order he had created earlier, he was temporarily suspended from duty pending investigation. He could only wait in his room, idle, for the follow-up handling of the matter. As for his person, there were no restrictions or shackles. Even the door to the room was not locked. He could leave whenever he wanted.
The reason for this situation was that people outside knew that the person who had created the Eternal Dream and could even summon two or three entities on the level of Aeons seemed to have a connection with Sunday.
Consequently, even the Family dared not overly harass Sunday, to avoid trouble if there really was a connection between the two of them.
While Sunday was flipping through a book, he suddenly heard a sound and then discovered Caelus's figure appearing on the sofa opposite him. He smiled, closed the book, took out some tea leaves from a nearby cabinet, and asked.
"Is black tea alright?"
"No problem."
(To be continued.)