Seeing that the Dreammaster had also been knocked flying by a single punch, Kallen's mood immediately brightened.
Judging from how this had gone, he was not nearly as outrageous as she had imagined.
Before coming to Penacony, Kallen had actually been a little wary of the two "birds," large and small.
After all, in the original story, once the two of them completed their plan, they really did possess considerable power.
But as things stood now, even the Dreammaster, who claimed to be "omniscient and omnipotent" within Penacony, did not seem particularly hard to deal with.
The Dreammaster slowly got back to his feet.
Yet he showed no sign of anger. He merely asked calmly,
"...Miss Kallen, by your own words, I have survived your blow. In that case, may we speak now?"
Kallen withdrew her fist and tilted her head at him.
"Oh? You are not angry?"
"Why should I be?" the Dreammaster replied.
"The strong have their own way of doing things. That, I understand better than anyone."
"Besides, your willingness to test us means that, at the very least, Penacony still holds some interest for you."
"If there is interest, then there is room for negotiation. Is that not so?"
Kallen raised a brow.
This old turtle was far more tolerant than she had expected.
"All right, then. What is it you want to discuss?"
At that, the Dreammaster made a welcoming gesture.
"This is hardly the proper place for a conversation. If Miss Kallen does not mind—"
"I mind very much. We talk here," Kallen cut him off.
Then she glanced at Sunday beside him.
"Besides, you already cleared the room, did you not?"
The Dreammaster fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"Very well."
He stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sunday.
Placed side by side, the contrast between the two became even clearer. Sunday was like a carefully manicured garden under the sun, while the Dreammaster resembled an ancient mirror veiled in dust.
"Has Miss Kallen come here for the Charmony Festival?" the Dreammaster asked.
"Yes and no," Kallen answered casually. "I heard Penacony has been lively lately, so I came to watch the excitement."
"And nothing more?"
"Nothing more."
The Dreammaster studied her eyes for several seconds, then smiled.
"Miss Kallen jests."
"A Preservation Emanator choosing to arrive precisely on the eve of the Charmony Festival, only to claim she has come to sightsee?"
"I suspect even you would find that explanation difficult to believe."
Kallen merely shrugged.
"Believe it or not."
"Then..." the Dreammaster shifted gears. "What does Miss Kallen think of Harmony?"
The question came abruptly, but it struck straight at the heart of the matter.
A faint flicker passed through Kallen's eyes.
Naturally, she knew exactly what he was probing for.
Preservation and Harmony were not directly opposed, but neither were they natural allies.
For a Preservation Emanator to suddenly appear at a grand celebration of Harmony—anyone would read something into that.
For the Dreammaster, if Kallen had come on behalf of Harmony, that was one matter.
But if she had come for Order, then he could not help but take it seriously.
Though he had little confidence when facing a Preservation Emanator, this was still Penacony. If she truly threatened his plan, then even if it cost him dearly, he might still be able to bring her down.
"Harmony?" Kallen repeated, her tone airy and unconcerned.
"It is fine, I suppose. Everyone getting along, singing and dancing together. Sounds lively enough."
She paused, then curved her lips into a meaningful smile.
"Though, personally, I find Order rather more interesting."
The moment those words fell, both the Dreammaster's and Sunday's expressions changed sharply.
Ordinarily, Penacony did not treat Order as a forbidden topic.
But for Kallen to bring it up now was all but equivalent to laying her cards on the table.
The two of them were stunned.
They had believed their plan flawless, perfectly hidden, disclosed to no one outside themselves.
So how had this sudden Preservation Emanator learned of it?
Had Preservation already infiltrated Penacony without their knowledge?
The Dreammaster decided to probe a little further.
"Order?"
"Miss Kallen jokes. The Aeon of Order has long since fallen, and that Path has already been subsumed by Harmony."
"In the present universe, what Order remains?"
Kallen paid him no mind. Instead, she idly played with the chains of Judah, as though she had not heard him at all.
Then she lifted her eyes and let her gaze pass over the Dreammaster and Sunday alike.
"Is that so? Then perhaps I simply remembered wrong."
"After all, Penacony does look rather... orderly lately. It would not be strange for me to make that mistake, would it?"
The Dreammaster said nothing.
This time, Sunday took over.
"So what exactly are you trying to say, Miss Kallen?"
"Order may already have merged into Harmony, but surely it is not strange for traces of Order to remain within Penacony."
"Nothing much," Kallen replied lightly.
"I just find the way Penacony is run rather interesting. Harmony here, Order there—almost as if two different households are trying to live under one roof."
She paused, then leaned slightly closer.
"The two of you are not secretly up to something, are you?"
Both men fell silent again.
They exchanged a look, clearly communicating something unspoken between them.
Kallen did not need to guess. They were obviously weighing whether or not they should strike here and now.
After all, with her words laid out so openly, any further probing would just be a waste of time.
But unexpectedly, Sunday's answer made Kallen pause.
He took a step forward and began explaining again.
"You are overthinking things, Miss Kallen."
"Everything in Penacony remains under the Family's control. Whether Harmony or Order, they are simply different paths toward the same beautiful ideal."
That made Kallen laugh—though from annoyance more than amusement.
So even now, at a moment like this, these two still wanted to keep up the act?
It was just one Emanator. Did they really need to be this timid? No ambition at all.
"I doubt that very much, Mr. Sunday."
"From what I can sense, Penacony is not merely noisy with Order. There is also the scent of Destruction here. It feels very much like a Stellaron."
"What do you think, Dreammaster?"
The Dreammaster, Gopher Wood, remained silent.
The Stellaron was the Family's deepest secret within the dreamscape—the cornerstone of Penacony's grand dream, and also its greatest hidden danger.
If he knew Kallen was equally aware of his plans involving Propagation, he might truly lose his composure.
"Your senses are indeed... sharp," Gopher Wood finally said.
This time, he dropped the honorific. Clearly, he was finally done pretending.
"The Stellaron exists to maintain Penacony's stability."
"Without it, this dream would have collapsed long ago. Everything we have done has been for the prosperity of the Family, for the beautiful dreams of every guest."
"So I ask for your understanding."
"And your discretion."
Yet Kallen remained entirely unmoved by his final explanation.
"The Stellaron exists to maintain Penacony's stability?" she repeated, dripping with undisguised mockery.
"For the prosperity of the Family? For the beautiful dreams of every guest?"
She looked down at the tense Dreammaster.
"From where I stand, your real goal is clearly to resurrect the dead Path of Order."
Gopher Wood's expression darkened completely.
"Mind your words. Even an Emanator must bear the consequences of speaking recklessly. In Penacony, not even you may act entirely as you please."
"Oh? So now you finally stop pretending?" Kallen gave a small laugh, utterly heedless of the danger swelling around him.
"I have to admit, your ambitions are impressive."
"Too bad your strength falls short."
At those words, the last trace of false warmth vanished from Gopher Wood's eyes.
"Since you insist on tearing away the veil, then you leave us no choice."
Hum—
The entire lobby twisted at once, reality sinking into a deeper layer of dream.
This was the Dreammaster's domain. Here, he was the maker of rules.
Sunday stepped back, pale golden halos appearing around him as well. Clearly, he was preparing to assist the Dreammaster in completely eliminating this unwelcome guest.
Yet in the face of a joint attack from the two foremost powers of the Family, Kallen merely shook her head.
She extended a finger, and from it flowed an exceedingly pure breath of Nihility, slipping silently toward the two men ahead of her.
The Dreammaster was struck first.
A faint gray thread, almost too subtle to detect, passed through that avatar of his and seeped directly into his true consciousness.
Then she turned to Sunday and pointed again.
The whole exchange took no more than an instant.
Just as Gopher Wood was about to invoke the rules of dream and crush his opponent, he suddenly felt an indescribable emptiness and cold spread from the depths of his soul.
He gave a muffled groan. All color drained from his face, his eyes filling with disbelief and alarm.
Sunday fared little better. His internal power lurched into disorder, and the meticulously marshaled force of Harmony seemed to slip beyond his control.
The killing field the two had built together collapsed under Kallen's casual gesture.
Meanwhile, Kallen remained where she was, looking at the shock and pain on their faces as she spoke in a calm voice:
"I told you already."
"Your strength is still far from enough."
Join here to read ahead.
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Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
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Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
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The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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