"Firefly, Silver Wolf, Elio says the script needs to be changed this time."
Chewing bubblegum as she typed away at a virtual screen, Silver Wolf looked up at Kafka, who sat on a nearby armchair, gently swirling a glass of red wine.
"Why change the script so suddenly? The show is about to begin. Changing the script right before the curtain rises is a huge hassle."
"There's no other choice. Unless we deal with the external factor, this play cannot continue."
"External factor... Oh, I see. No way. Are we going to fight that guy who crawled out of Nihility?"
Silver Wolf stopped chewing her bubblegum, her face filled with shock. A ruthless person who could crawl out of Nihility, someone completely beyond the laws of destiny, and even someone Elio could not predict. Could they really defeat him?
"He has indeed become the external factor, but he has not yet chosen to join the opposing side. We must ensure that he either refrains from interfering with this script or does not make that terrible choice. Once he chooses to stand against us, I'm afraid we will have no chance of winning."
"Is it really that serious?"
"It may be even more serious than we imagine. After all, the Final Boss personally appeared to prevent that possibility from becoming reality."
"But aside from you, none of us seems particularly good at persuading people, and I don't think Firefly can convince him."
"No. Words alone cannot persuade him. We all know that in this vast galaxy, everyone is the kind of person who, upon running into a wall, would refuse to turn back and instead smash it to pieces. Therefore, we must make the philosophy of the mastermind behind this play conflict with his own. Only then will he firmly choose to oppose them."
"Whatever. I'll leave that sort of thing to you."
...
Caelus looked at the grinning Qingque standing before him and asked, "Why are you in Penacony? What about your work? Won't the Master Diviner catch you..."
"Oh! Don't start talking about work the moment we meet!"
Qingque wore a cheerful smile and spoke to him familiarly. "I'm working right now. I didn't come to Penacony for fun. I'm here on a business trip! This is an official assignment personally given to me by the General and the Master Diviner, all so I could wait for you here in Penacony."
"Me? Oh, is this about the mara-struck? Hmm, I can prepare some dishes for you later. You can take them back to the Xianzhou Alliance when you return. Just pay me some credits as compensation."
"Really? That's great! I can even give you a few extra credits. Just make some pastries for me while you're at it. Hmm! Wait, no, this isn't about food!"
Qingque hurriedly shook her head and steered the conversation back on track. "Do you remember that child named Xiaotian?"
"Xiaotian? Did that child cause trouble for you, or did something happen to him?"
"Uh, he didn't exactly cause trouble, but this certainly counts as a major incident. Did you really create that child?"
"What's wrong? Could the Vidyadhara be particularly concerned about it, believing it violates the natural order and wanting to cause trouble for me?"
"No, not at all. On the contrary, I think the Dragon Masters of the Vidyadhara are about ready to start calling you 'Daddy.'"
"Hmm?"
"Perhaps you don't fully understand the situation. In short, ever since the Permanence disappeared, the Vidyadhara, as the descendants of dragons, have been unable to produce any newborns. Over the years, the Vidyadhara have naturally tried countless methods, whether through technology or the power of an Aeon, but no newborn has ever been successfully born. At least, not publicly."
"Although the Vidyadhara can undergo hatching rebirth and are therefore nearly immortal, some inevitably suffer accidents before they can be reborn. As a result, over the long passage of time, their population has continued to decline. How could they not be anxious?"
"And under such circumstances, you suddenly appeared and created a completely new Vidyadhara. Do you think those old fellows wouldn't be excited? Right now, the child you created, Xiaotian, is even more important to them than their own High Elder."
"I see. It seems the Vidyadhara's situation is even more serious than I imagined. I thought that with the support of the Xianzhou Alliance, which has been blessed by the Abundance, there would be some way to solve it."
"...You're not trying to insult us indirectly, are you?"
Qingque narrowed her eyes at the gray-haired young man before her.
"But isn't that the truth?"
"All right, let's not argue about this any further. The main reason they sent me this time is that I interacted with you more than most people during your time on the Xianzhou, and they thought we had a fairly good relationship. So, they wanted me to invite you back for a visit. As it happens, after Penacony's Grand Festivity concludes, the Luofu will be holding the Wardance, and two other Generals will be attending. You can join in the festivities then."
"Hmm. Once matters here are settled, I'll visit the Xianzhou Alliance if I have enough time."
"All right, official business is over. Now it's personal time. I plan to visit Aideen Park later. Do you want to come along?"
"No. I'm going to Dr. Edward's shop in Oti Mall to buy some Dream Bubbles."
Penacony was a world of dreams, yet Caelus had never dreamed before. Without the System's help, he likely would not even have been able to set foot in this dreamscape. Now that he had the System's assistance, he wondered whether experiencing Dream Bubbles containing different lives might grant him new insights.
"All right. After the Grand Festivity ends, we'll keep in touch through the jade abacus."
Qingque walked away with a smile.
Caelus watched her retreating figure. She believed their meeting had occurred by chance, but in truth, it was mainly because she had been chanting his name incessantly within the dream. Caelus had found it so persistent that he came over to investigate.
In most places, merely repeating his name or constantly thinking about him would not be enough to attract Caelus's attention.
However, in Penacony, or rather, throughout the entire Asdana star system, the enormous concentration of memoria allowed Caelus to notice anyone who longed intensely for him and constantly held him in their thoughts.
It was precisely because of this vast quantity of memoria that Penacony had been able to establish such an immense dreamscape here, the Planet of Festivities that everyone yearned for and a colossal source of wealth for the Family.
As Caelus walked along the street, he suddenly heard someone singing softly.
The voice was extremely faint. Although the song was beautiful, that alone would not have been enough to make him stop. What caught his attention was the suppressed emotion within the singing.
Confusion, resentment, regret, hesitation. Many intense emotions were restrained within that quiet song.
Caelus thought for a moment. Since he was in no hurry, he changed direction and walked toward the source of the singing.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)