Gallagher wasn't just a Bloodhound Family security officer—he was also a renowned mixologist.
And in a dreamscape like Penacony...
A mixologist's identity was never that simple.
According to Gallagher's Notes—
During work hours, he was a seasoned officer: calm, reliable, and impossible to shake.
But his glorious days were long behind him. His edge had dulled, and the ambitions and dreams he once held had gradually worn away alongside shattered fantasies.
After work, he'd spend long nights at old taverns.
Mixing drinks for himself and old friends.
As glasses clinked together, words rose like bubbles—
Only to burst moments later.
No one knew where he came from.
No one knew his true identity.
And in truth, Evan had never exposed it either.
The true founder of Dreamflux Reef.
The Watchmaker's right-hand man.
A Fictionologist—
Gallagher.
A "security officer" whose name couldn't even be found in the Bloodhound Family records.
Fictionologists.
Followers of the Enigmata.
Just as mentioned before—
Where there is Erudition, there is Enigmata.
Its fog obscures wisdom itself.
Turning certainty into mystery.
Among all the Paths in the universe, there existed one Aeon that even Herta found troublesome.
No one knew Their true appearance.
People only knew that They resembled a shattered jellyfish—
Their countless tendrils stained with paints of every color,
Wrapped around a spiraling staircase that twisted endlessly upward.
That's right.
The eternal rival of Nous.
The "beloved child" of Fuli—
The Aeon of Enigmata:
Mythus.
...
Golden Hour — Clockie Restaurant
At the entrance—
The moment Evan's group arrived—
Boothill immediately spotted the person pretending to be him.
"Son of a nice lady—! Finally found you! You fake Galaxy Ranger!"
Without another word, Boothill pulled out his revolver—
And aimed it straight at Acheron.
Acheron herself barely reacted.
But standing beside her—
Evan instantly broke into a cold sweat.
No, seriously—
Brother Boothill, are you that fearless?!
That's Acheron!
An Emanator of Nihility!
A monster who reached the very end of the Path of Nihility without receiving an Aeon's blessing!
How in the world do you dare point a gun at her?!
You—you—you—
Where exactly does this kind of courage even come from?!
Fortunately, Acheron didn't move.
Instead, she simply began explaining.
Several minutes later—
Boothill finally seemed to understand and lowered his gun.
"Son of a nice lady meow, this Dreammaster sure is one adorable little thing."
"I seriously wanna love that guy with a bullet."
He picked up a bottle of SoulGlad from the table and took a swig.
Damn it all.
He originally came chasing Acheron because someone had impersonated a Galaxy Ranger.
And that—
Was absolutely unacceptable.
Not just to Boothill.
To all Galaxy Rangers.
Damage their reputation—
And even if you're an Emanator, they'll still hunt you down.
Just look at Oswaldo.
Look at Dr. Primitive.
One person may lose.
A whole army of Galaxy Rangers?
Different story.
"So."
"What are we doing next?"
"The first step is using the power of Remembrance. Black Swan will awaken those with stronger wills from the dream."
"The awakened will become dissonance within Ena's Dream."
"But a few dozen people are nothing in a dream this vast."
"We need a way to awaken hundreds of thousands—even millions—of independent wills in a short amount of time."
Dan Heng stood up and looked toward Evan.
"The Asdana Star System is rich in memoria and possesses a unique phenomenon known as synesthesia dreams."
"People can appear in each other's thoughts and share the same dream."
"And right now..."
As Acheron finished speaking—
Everyone understood immediately.
Dan Heng instantly picked up where she left off.
"You mean... if enough interstellar travelers warp into the Asdana system, their free will can merge into the dream and shake its foundation."
"In that case... only the Alliance Signal Beacon can do it."
The Alliance Signal Beacon could summon the Xianzhou Alliance from countless star systems away.
Whichever Xianzhou vessel was closest would immediately rush toward the coordinates.
"No."
"There's another way."
Evan spoke calmly.
"Miss Acheron."
"Take out that bullet."
Very quickly—
Acheron pulled out the bullet.
Everyone else remained calm.
Except Boothill.
The moment he saw it—
His eyes widened instantly.
Because this bullet—
Was known as the Shooting Star of the Hunt.
And also—
A relic of the Galaxy Rangers.
A person would only ever have one in their lifetime.
As for how they were created—
No one knew.
"This..."
Acheron spoke softly:
"A relic left behind by the legendary Nameless, Penacony's founder, and Galaxy Ranger—Tiernan."
"Tiernan..."
"He once said that after his friend passed away..."
"This bullet should be returned to the Galaxy Rangers."
Acheron's tone remained calm.
"Hahahahaha!"
Boothill took the bullet and glanced toward Dan Heng.
Then suddenly laughed.
"Now this changes things!"
"No need to drag the whole Xianzhou Alliance into this!"
"This kind of treasure can only be used once in a lifetime."
"You keep that Alliance beacon for later!"
"Hundreds of thousands of free wills?"
"Easy."
"Leave it to the Galaxy Rangers!"
To outsiders—
Galaxy Rangers looked like they came and went without warning.
Like they had no organization at all.
And honestly?
That was true.
But there was still an unwritten rule.
"Acheron."
"You know what this is, right?"
"The relic I returned to you."
Acheron answered quietly.
For her—
Tiernan had merely been another traveler passing through her endless life.
They met on a world swallowed by Nihility.
And before parting—
She accepted his final wish.
To come to Penacony.
Now—
Penacony's dream had become trapped beneath Ena's Dream.
And she too—
Could draw her blade against it.
"That's right."
"The owner definitely told you."
"To outsiders, this thing is worthless."
"Only when returned to its rightful owners can it reveal its purpose."
"Because this..."
"...is a funerary item."
"Only heroes who achieved extraordinary deeds for the Galaxy Rangers deserve one."
"When its light appears in the universe..."
"It means a great star has fallen."
"And in the direction where it falls—"
"Countless meteors will streak across the heavens."
"That..."
"...is the signal fire of the Galaxy Rangers' gathering."
"They'll come from every corner of the galaxy."
"No questions asked."
"No cost considered."
"Because we all follow one shared principle."
"The Shooting Star of the Hunt..."
"...only falls during the longest night."
"And behind it—"
"Comes dawn."
"We've stayed silent for too long."
"It's time for the cowards, parasites, and oppressors across the universe..."
"...to remember the name Galaxy Rangers once again!"
"And I'll fire the first shot!"
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