『 "Well, you never know, right? Maybe on her world, birthdays only happen once an Amber Era?"
Boothill chimed in with a tease. Seeing that the atmosphere was relaxed enough, he asked his question.
"Anyway, let's forget about that. Have you heard about the... uh, unsettling things happening in the Dreamscape?"
The Pepeshi, who had just been smiling at Boothill's teasing, froze instantly. "Unsettling things? What could possibly go wrong? It better not ruin the Charmony Festival. I've been looking forward to it!" 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: So you didn't come here on purpose…
〘Sampo〙: Looking forward to it for so long…
〘Stelle〙: Lmao.
....
『 The lady from before shook her head at the Pepeshi's worried look. "Look at how anxious you are. You don't get it, do you? With such a grand event about to open, there's bound to be plenty of rumors. Don't worry, if anything really happens, the Family will definitely be more anxious than us."
Hearing this, Boothill nodded in agreement. "Oh! That's good then! I came all this way specifically to join the grand occasion. I was just worried something might go wrong with the festival!"
With that, Boothill turned and walked away.
(Well, looks like I won't get any fudgin' clues outta these two — they're clueless.)
Leaving the lounge area, Boothill scanned the room and spotted a suitable target for questioning: a Bloodhound. He walked up to him.
Seeing Boothill approach, the Bloodhound asked professionally, "Greetings, I'm Coty of the Bloodhound Family, Head of Security for the hotel. How may I assist you?"
Boothill nodded and lowered his voice, asking, "Hello! So, there's something I wanted to ask about... I've been hearing some unsettling rumors about certain incidents that might affect the Charmony Festival..."
"Do you think there's anything to be worried about? I've traveled all the way from the Hyai'i Federation, and I don't want my trip to be ruined!"
"Umm... what do you mean?" A look of bewilderment appeared on Cotti's face, which didn't seem faked. It appeared she truly knew nothing about what Boothill was talking about.
"Wait, you haven't heard?" Boothill frowned at her reaction. It seemed whatever happened this time was no small matter.
Coty straightened her posture and gave a firm, solemn response, "I'm not sure where you heard those rumors, but they're completely baseless. I can assure you, as a representative of the Bloodhound Family, that everything is going smoothly for the Charmony Festival."
"At present, all the Families are focused on making sure the festival starts on time. Even the Dreammaster himself has arrived. So don't worry. Your trip won't be in vain."
"Ha! With those words of yours, I can rest easy." Boothill nodded with a smile and left.
(She doesn't appear to be acting. So it seems that even the hotel staff are out of the loop.) 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: After all, it's a huge deal. Sunday and Robin are both 'dead.'
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: Even so, the Family is still pushing forward with the Charmony Festival. It's hard not to be suspicious.
〘March 7th〙: And the festival is still going to be held at that Grand Theater. That's a Stellaron over there. I have a really bad feeling about this…
〘Clara〙: I hope the big sisters have everything go smoothly (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
〘Hook〙: I believe in the Honorary Member. She will definitely save, uh…
〘Natasha〙: Penacony.
〘Hook〙: Ah, right, that's it!
....
『 Feeling that the people around him probably didn't have the information he wanted, Boothill returned to the reception desk. Alley hadn't returned yet, but Dan Heng, who had left a step after her, returned first.
"You're back?"
Dan Heng nodded, then glanced at the empty reception desk. "She hasn't returned yet?"
Boothill sighed helplessly, "Sigh, yeah. I'm starting to think letting her go contact Sunday wasn't such a great idea."
"Whether it's the staff or the guests, everyone is completely clueless about what's happening in the dream. Everywhere you look, it's a picture of peace and harmony… If you ask me, this is definitely not a good sign."
Dan Heng nodded, "I agree." He then shared his own findings, "There's also something strange. Among the Five Families governing Penacony, the Oak Family is the organizer of the assembly and the party responsible for all management and coordination inside and outside the dream. But strangely…"
"I walked around the entire hotel, and for such an important Family on such an important day, I didn't see a single one of their members."
After listening to Dan Heng, Boothill couldn't help but pat his forehead and sigh, "Son of a nice lady… If I remember correctly, isn't Sunday the head of the Oak Family?"
After analyzing the current situation, Dan Heng suggested, "This place isn't safe to stay for long. Let's return to the Express first."
Boothill shook his head, "Don't act rashly, brother. Ever robbed the IPC? If you tuck tail and run, you'll instantly become the most eye-catching kid on the block." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: If I remember correctly, Dan Heng seemed to have worked under the IPC before joining the Express…
〘Dan Heng〙: Yes, as a guard on a transport vessel.
〘Belle〙: There's still a pretty big difference between working and robbing…
....
『 "Are you telling us to just stay put?" Dan Heng looked at Boothill, asking in confusion.
Boothill shook his head, then began to analyze the situation, "We don't necessarily have to sit tight, but let's stay for now. Even if the Family has a conspiracy, they couldn't have predicted the two of us would show up. To them, we are the uncertain factors."
"They won't act rashly. We aren't the only ones worried about alerting the enemy; the Family must also be afraid of alarming outsiders… See that? There are still IPC dogs keeping an eye on things in this hotel."
Boothill nudged his chin in a certain direction. Dan Heng looked over and saw a suspicious figure. Sensing Dan Heng's gaze, the person immediately turned and walked away.
Seeing the person leave, Dan Heng turned to Boothill and said, "…If I were the Family, I would use procedures as a pretext to keep the uncertain factors stranded here. There's no need to walk into their trap on purpose."
"Of course we don't need to waste time with them. I left a backup plan with that Memokeeper. If there's really no way to enter the dream, she'll leave a bottle of wine for me in the VIP lounge of the reality hotel."
"A secret signal?" Dan Heng asked in surprise.
Boothill nodded noncommittally, "Exactly."
"An object indeed helps a Memokeeper establish a connection with you… But Mr. Boothill, I hope you will inform me of the existence of a backup plan in advance next time." Dan Heng's brow furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
Boothill lowered his head slightly and laughed it off, "My bad, just take it as a habit of mine. I have a few bad friends who, if I let them in on the plan, would definitely pull some crazy stunts. No amount of backups would ever be enough."
Hearing Boothill's explanation, although Dan Heng's dissatisfaction wasn't entirely gone, he accepted the reason. After all, he could somewhat relate to that kind of situation.
Thinking of the consequences brought about by the ridiculous actions of those two, Dan Heng couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose. But now that those two were missing, it was hard not to feel a bit worried.
Now was not the time to think about this. It was better to ask Boothill what he planned to do next. Clearing the cluttered thoughts from his mind, Dan Heng looked at Boothill and asked a crucial question.
"How are we going to get into the VIP lounge?" 』
『 ....』