Boothill downed the malt fruit juice in his cup in one gulp, habitually reached down to touch the revolver in the holster at his waist, then stood up dashingly from his seat, preparing to leave with Dan Heng.
"Esteemed guest, please wait a moment."
"Hm?"
Hearing the voice, Boothill's figure paused. He turned around, a look of displeasure appearing on his handsome face as he frowned slightly.
What's going on? Could it be that because he drank too much malt fruit juice, these Family guys felt it was a loss and wanted to settle accounts afterward?
"Guest, you haven't taken your liquor with you. Would you like our hotel to provide temporary storage service for the bottle of 'Asdena White Oak' you ordered?" Bartender Anderson asked respectfully.
"Hm? When did I order… wait, Asdena White Oak? Hahaha, I remembered wrong. Then please bring the bottle over."
Upon hearing the name Asdena White Oak, Boothill was first stunned, then understood. He burst into hearty laughter.
"Looks like that Memokeeper has come looking for you." Dan Heng tilted his head, arms crossed over his chest.
"Correct, it should be her. Let me see… Mm, so it's… uh."
Boothill took the expensive bottle of Asdena White Oak from the bartender's hand, turned it over a few times, and finally fixed his gaze on a line of text on the liquor label.
"I'll wait for you on the Astral Express…"
Boothill: "???"
Dan Heng: "...…"
Looking at the words on the bottle, Boothill was left speechless. Hot damn! He had just returned from the Astral Express, and now she was telling him to go find her on the Astral Express!
What the hell? Was that Flowing Remembrance Court guy playing him?
"…This is the message she left for you. It seems she has been observing our movements the whole time. And in her view, whether in reality or the Dreamscape, Penacony is not a suitable place to talk."
Originally, Boothill and Black Swan had agreed to meet at the 'Golden Hour [Dreamscape]'.
Of course, as a precaution, if Boothill could not enter the Dreamscape, Black Swan would leave a bottle of 'Asdena White Oak' in the bar of the real hotel as their secret signal.
Now, even though she knew the two of them had the ability to enter the Dreamscape, Black Swan still chose the backup method. The implication behind this was worth pondering.
"Ugh! What kind of thing is this? After going in such a big circle, we're back at the Astral Express again. Sigh! Let's go, let's go. Time waits for no one!"
———————————
Three system hours ago… Penacony Grand Theater…
A purple enchanting figure stood before the massive stage curtain, her eyes flickering with flowing light as she pondered something unknown.
The woman wore a cool white-and-purple outfit, with hot shorts on her lower body and a long katana hanging at her waist.
It is worth mentioning that the katana at her waist was sheathed in a simple gradient-colored scabbard. The blade's sharpness was restrained by the sheath, yet even so, the sharp aura capable of splitting the heavens and earth was still hard to ignore.
Due to Yun Fan's intervention, Aventurine, who should have used the Cornerstone power to confront the Express crew at the Penacony Grand Theater, did not "step onto the stage" as in the original plot.
Therefore, the stage curtain before the woman had not been damaged by the power of Nihility. It remained completely intact.
"What is your purpose? Impostor Galaxy Ranger, Acheron."
Just as Acheron stared silently at the curtain in front of her, her jade hand gently resting on the hilt of her blade as she pondered, a voice suddenly came from behind her.
Hearing the voice, Acheron turned around and looked at the petite figure before her, shaking her head faintly.
"I do not intend to do anything."
"Hah! Self-Annihilator of Nihility, do you think I would believe those words?"
The Pippa person possessed by Dreammaster Gopher Wood let out a cold snort. The small body raised its head arrogantly, looking as if it would not be fooled.
"Whether you believe it or not, the fact remains the same. My purpose for coming to Penacony has nothing to do with the Family. I simply wish to use this grand festival to fulfill a promise."
Gopher Wood: "…You have no say in the matter. Your power is the greatest variable. We will not allow a threat to remain in Penacony. After all, no one can guarantee when the haze of Nihility will descend."
As Gopher Wood's words fell, more and more puppets controlled by Order approached their direction. Among them were the elderly, children, women, and young people.
Humans who should have been playing their respective roles in society advanced toward Acheron, all radiating the aura of Order.
"This festival has gathered too many uninvited guests. Even though the concept of Harmony embraces all things, we must still issue expulsion orders to those with ill intentions."
The men, women, old, and young present all spoke in aged voices. The voices containing the power of Order flowed from their vocal organs and echoed throughout the grand theater.
"Self-Annihilator of Nihility, Penacony cannot accommodate you. You, who live in darkness, should not appear at this festival!"
Acheron: "…Is this your expulsion order? Dreammaster of Penacony."
"You may interpret it that way. You should not be here."
The Pippa person possessed by Gopher Wood nodded slightly and repeated the previous words once more.
"Hmph…"
Acheron narrowed her eyes slightly. Her gaze swept across the puppets before her. A sharp bolt of purple lightning flashed in her beautiful eyes. At the same time, an almost tangible Emanator pressure followed.
Sensing the strong threat emanating from the person before him, warning bells rang loudly in Gopher Wood's heart. However, on the surface, he still maintained a calm and composed appearance.
"Are you going to take action against me? Self-Annihilator."
As the Dreammaster of Penacony and the secret supreme leader of the entire Oak Family, Gopher Wood's physical body had long been worn away by the long years. What remained here was only his tenacious soul.
Relying on the Stellaron, relying on the Dreamscape world, and relying on the 107,336 members of the Oak Family, Gopher Wood had achieved a different kind of immortality.
Therefore, unless the entire Oak Family was exterminated, or Acheron used some other special method, Gopher Wood was unkillable.