Penacony, The Reverie Hotel.
This was the first gateway into Penacony, the borderland between reality and dreams.
And in just a few more days, another Charmony Festival would begin.
At this very moment, Kallen stood in the grand lobby, her gaze drifting calmly across the scene around her.
Hmm... everyone here looked rather busy.
With the Charmony Festival drawing near, all of Penacony was preparing for the great occasion.
And she, Kallen, was about to check into this famed city of dreams under the identity of an ordinary tourist.
"Hello there, miss!"
Just as Kallen was looking around, a receptionist approached her.
She was a young woman with a professional smile on her face, though there was a trace of fatigue hidden in her eyes.
"Excuse me, miss, are you here to attend the Charmony Festival?"
Kallen gave a slight nod and answered without hesitation, "Yes."
The receptionist's smile froze for an instant, then grew even warmer, though beneath that warmth lingered a certain awkwardness.
"Ah, well... I'm terribly sorry, miss, but it seems you've arrived a little early."
"I'm early?" Kallen sounded mildly surprised.
What was with the Family?
Could it be that just because someone arrived a bit ahead of time, they had not even finished their preparations?
"Yes," the receptionist said, lowering her voice slightly.
"The official reception process for the Charmony Festival won't begin until three days from now. At present, most areas of the hotel are still undergoing final preparations."
"Of course, it's not as if we would turn you away."
"If you don't mind, we can arrange a temporary stay for you first, but we may not be able to provide our full range of services..."
Her voice gradually trailed off, as though even she found it a little embarrassing.
But Kallen naturally had no intention of making things difficult for her over such a trivial matter.
"That's fine. Then I'll have to trouble you."
Hearing that, the receptionist let out a small breath of relief and quickly continued.
"In that case, may I have your identification details? I'll register you right away."
"My name is Kallen. I'm a righteous Galaxy Ranger."
Kallen's answer was brief and straightforward.
The receptionist returned to her terminal with a smile and began operating it with practiced efficiency.
Then, less than half a minute later, her smile froze.
She blinked, refreshed the system once, then again, but nothing on the screen changed.
There was still no registered guest under the name Kallen.
Apparently, if the woman in front of her wasn't using a false name, then she simply wasn't on the invitation list.
Still, even so, the receptionist had no intention of treating Kallen as some troublemaker and throwing her out.
After all, this was Penacony, Family territory, not some place where just anyone would dare to come and cause trouble.
For her to walk in so boldly, she must already have had some kind of preparation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have shown up so openly in The Reverie Hotel.
And besides, after working here for so long, the receptionist had seen her fair share of important figures.
Someone with Kallen's bearing looked, at a glance, like a major player.
As for why the terminal couldn't find any record of her information?
There were only two possibilities.
Either she had acquired her invitation slot from somewhere else at a steep price—
Or she had taken it by force.
A Galaxy Ranger... honestly, that was exactly the sort of thing one of them might do.
So the receptionist walked back over with an apologetic expression and spoke carefully.
"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Kallen. It seems our terminal has had some kind of fault and couldn't locate your registration information."
"How about this? If you could show me your invitation, I'll re-register you manually."
Unfortunately, Kallen's reply was destined to disappoint her.
"An invitation? I don't have one."
That was right. This time, Kallen had never intended to enter Penacony through normal channels.
With the connections she had now, whether through the IPC, the Xianzhou, or Herta Space Station, she certainly had ways to obtain an invitation.
But doing so would inevitably tie her to one of her other identities, and that would be inconvenient for her later plans.
So Kallen had decided on a freeloading approach.
"What, the Family is so overbearing that just because I don't have an invitation, you intend to bar me from the door?"
Instantly, the receptionist's smile froze again.
No invitation?
Then wasn't this just someone openly coming to make trouble?!
She instinctively took half a step back, her mind racing through possibilities.
Was this woman here to stir up trouble? Or had she somehow gained entry through some highly irregular means, to the point that she didn't even possess an invitation?
But Kallen's expression was far too calm—so calm that not having an invitation seemed like a complete non-issue to her.
The receptionist chose her words with care.
"Miss... then what exactly are you here for?"
"I'm here to pick a fight."
At that point, Kallen did not even bother pretending anymore.
The receptionist fell silent.
She had worked here for many years and had seen all kinds of guests.
Nobles carrying gilded invitations. Distinguished figures personally escorted by the Family. Wealthy merchants who had acquired invitations by one means or another.
But this was her first time seeing someone who had come here specifically to start trouble.
At that moment, in the receptionist's eyes, Kallen's aura, which had initially seemed like that of some major power, abruptly shrank into something more like a petty thug.
Still, seeing how young the woman looked, the receptionist decided to give her one chance to leave.
"Miss," she said in a lower voice, her expression serious, "the invitations for the Charmony Festival are strictly issued. Without one, I truly can't arrange accommodation for you. How about..."
She hesitated.
"How about you come back after the official opening and try your luck then?"
She had already put it as tactfully as possible.
But Kallen merely looked at her, her eyes perfectly still.
"Do you know what a Galaxy Ranger is?"
The receptionist was momentarily taken aback.
"I do. They're those chivalrous wanderers of the cosmos who—"
"No. We Galaxy Rangers are professionals," Kallen cut in.
"So Galaxy Rangers do not need invitations."
Her tone was flat, yet for some reason it sent a chill down the spine.
"We go wherever we want to go."
The receptionist opened her mouth to say something, only to find that her throat had gone dry.
Just then, a warm male voice came from nearby.
"What seems to be the matter?"
The newcomer was dressed in an impeccably tailored dark suit, his hair meticulously combed, his face wearing a perfectly measured smile.
A finely crafted Family insignia was pinned to his chest, clearly marking him as someone of importance within the Family.
And Kallen naturally recognized him.
Sunday—the future one of the masterminds behind Penacony.
"Mr. Sunday!"
The receptionist looked as if she had been granted salvation.
"This lady said she's here for the Charmony Festival, but..."
"But she doesn't have an invitation, correct?" Sunday took over the sentence with a smile, his gaze settling on Kallen.
He sized her up.
Simple clothing, no adornments that proclaimed status, yet the innate poise she carried was not something any ordinary tourist could possess.
"Greetings. I am Sunday, head of the Oak Family of Penacony."
He inclined his head slightly.
"Forgive my boldness, but may I ask what relationship you have with the Xianzhou Alliance?"
"A Galaxy Ranger is a Galaxy Ranger. I have no connection whatsoever to the Xianzhou Alliance."
At that, Sunday's eyes flickered faintly.
"Galaxy Ranger," he repeated, his tone carrying some subtle implication.
"To my knowledge, Galaxy Rangers are indeed unrestrained and free-spirited in their conduct. However—"
He paused, his gaze lingering on Kallen's face.
"The Charmony Festival is a grand event carefully prepared by the Family, and invitations are distributed through strict procedures."
"If anyone could simply claim to be a Galaxy Ranger and enter as they pleased, then I fear our rules would mean nothing at all."
Kallen responded with a slight upward curve of her lips.
"So what now? You plan to throw me out?"
At this point, Kallen was fully prepared.
As long as Sunday dared nod, she would immediately smash his skull in.
"Certainly not," Sunday replied, still as gentle as ever.
"Penacony welcomes every guest who comes in goodwill. It's simply that, since you lack an invitation and insist on checking in as a Galaxy Ranger, then..."
He extended a hand in invitation.
"Would you be willing to come to the VIP lounge so we can speak in more detail? If your identity proves genuine, the Family will naturally receive you with all due courtesy."
The receptionist at the side showed a flash of surprise in her eyes upon hearing this.
The VIP lounge was a place reserved only for truly important figures.
And Sunday himself was inviting this woman—who didn't even have an invitation—there?
Could it be that Mr. Sunday planned to quietly have her eliminated?
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
But in truth, that was not what Sunday had in mind at all.
In Sunday's vision, he would one day create a perfect paradise to shelter all people.
And existences such as Galaxy Rangers were, in a way, the kind of kindred spirits most aligned with his ideals.
So if her identity was genuine, he truly did not mind extending her a bit of protection before the coming of the new world.
"That won't be necessary."
Yet Kallen's answer was somewhat unexpected. She stood where she was without budging an inch.
"You want to verify my identity? You can do it right here."
Sunday's brows rose slightly.
"Right here?"
"Right here."
In the next instant, Kallen lifted a hand, and Judah materialized in her grasp.
A surge of power belonging to Preservation immediately enveloped the entirety of The Reverie Hotel.
Sunday's expression changed dramatically.
What was this supposed to mean? He had already been prepared to show a little goodwill, so why did she still look like she was about to start a fight?
And Kallen did not disappoint him.
She raised Judah—
And smashed it straight at Sunday's head.
Just kidding.
Even if he hadn't nodded, I was still going to cave his skull in.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin