"H-hello."
Firefly looked at Caelus, who had suddenly appeared in front of her, her speech stuttering slightly.
Although the person in front of her was not the person in her memory, both his temperament and his indifferent look toward everything were very similar to that person from before.
"What does Elio want to pass on to me?"
While setting the fixed anchor point in the Golden Hour, Caelus heard someone persistently murmuring his name. Looking over, he found that it was a member of the Stellaron Hunters.
He knew that during the execution of his plan, he had likely caught that person's attention, and now they were beginning to influence him. He simply did not know what method they intended to use.
Firefly took a card out of her pocket. Although the exact logic connecting reality and dreams was unclear, her task was simply to deliver the card that had appeared in her pocket after entering the dream to the person before her.
Caelus took the card Firefly handed him, but he did not immediately check the information inside it. Instead, he looked at her and said, "There is essentially no connection between you and me. There is no need to search for any possibly familiar shadow in me. The person you are truly waiting for has already arrived. You should go find her."
Hearing that the person she was waiting for had come, Firefly could not help showing a slightly happy smile on her face. She quickly restrained her expression, nodded somewhat timidly to the person before her, and then hurried away.
"Partner, if you had revealed even a hint of resemblance to the person that little girl is thinking of, do you think she would have immediately clung to you?"
Cyrene had appeared behind Caelus at some unknown time, her hands clasped behind her back as she leaned forward and asked.
"Finding a similar shadow in someone else, then investing feelings in them and confessing your heart to them, isn't that just seeking an emotional substitute? The person that girl is waiting for isn't dead, so why should she search for a shadow of the past in a transient wanderer like me?"
Caelus shook his head, then turned and patted Cyrene's head, saying, "I've said it before. In the long future ahead, we only have each other. There is no need to worry. I am not one of those harem-building male protagonists from novels. In fact, if you had not been born alongside me, on this journey, I probably would not have had any companion other than the system."
"Do you not believe the promise I made?"
"No, Partner, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this."
Cyrene lowered her head in embarrassment, somewhat awkwardly tracing patterns on the ground with the tip of her right foot.
"I know you might care about me too much, so it is natural to feel some worry and fear. I understand."
Caelus reached out and pulled Cyrene into his embrace, patting her back.
"Even the system will leave me after completing its graduation mission and embark on its own journey. Only you and I will continue walking together. We will be together forever, even merging into one. I think this goes beyond the love many people pursue."
"Caelus... I really like you."
"Mm."
"I said, I love you."
"Mm, me too."
"Partner, have you already understood what love is?"
"Not really, but I only know that my future life needs your presence. It must be you, and it can only be you."
"Wah!"
Hearing this, Cyrene's entire body went limp, her face flushed crimson, and her eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.
"Alright, enough talk. We have work to do. The protagonist has already stepped onto the stage of fate. No one knows when the mastermind behind the scenes will make their move. If we act too late, things will become troublesome later."
Caelus, whose understanding of romance was limited to theoretical knowledge, completely missed the emotional state of the person in his arms. He simply released the embrace and, in a calm tone, poured cold water over Cyrene's head.
Cyrene was stunned for a moment, her cheeks puffing up in frustration, before she finally deflated, shaking her head with a helpless smile and getting busy alongside Caelus.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Firefly found herself in a difficult situation after being targeted by the Family's Bloodhounds. At this critical moment, our Galactic Baseballer naturally rushed forward without hesitation, standing firmly before the young girl and righteously declaring that she would protect the fair maiden.
The Family employees were also taken aback, explaining that they were merely conducting routine inquiries and identity checks. Recently, there had been significant disturbances in the dreamscape, and stowaways had been sneaking in, so they were simply doing their jobs and not bullying anyone.
Just as the situation was becoming somewhat awkward and tense, a weathered-looking middle-aged man stepped forward and broke the deadlock. He stated that they were pursuing someone entirely silver-colored, and questioned why they should suspect a young lady just because she had silver hair.
A Family Bloodhound employee looked at the suddenly appearing security officer in confusion. He did not recall this person in his memory.
His companion quickly reminded him that this was the legendary Gallagher. That legendary security officer was practically at their supervisor's level. If he said there was no problem, then there was no problem. They should leave quickly and not offend a superior.
After watching the two walk away, Gallagher softly apologized to Firefly and Stelle, wishing them a pleasant stay in Penacony with good food, drinks, and enjoyment.
And so, Firefly and Stelle began their wonderful date in Penacony. This date would surely become an unforgettable memory for both of them.
After watching the two walk away, Gallagher was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a young man standing not far away. His attire, demeanor, and even his features resembled those of the young girl. The young man stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a wall and calmly observing him.
"Hello. This is my first time meeting someone walking the Path of Enigmata. No, I should say, a creation born from someone on this Path. Out of curiosity, would you be willing to answer some of my questions about the Path of Enigmata? I can offer payment."
Shortly after setting the anchor point, Caelus had intended to find the Astral Express Crew and see what information they had gathered when he spotted a strange individual, someone who seemed pieced together from various scattered fragments.
Faced with this existence, which resembled something conjured by a History Fictionologist, Caelus felt a rare surge of curiosity. After all, in this universe, Pathstriders of Enigmata were truly uncommon.
So, he quickly stepped forward to ask. After all, the Path of Enigmata was quite closely related to memory, as both seemed to involve manipulating memories.
As for that suspected Enigmata power hidden within March 7th earlier...
That did not count. Even if it could be considered, there was no way to meet and chat with it, as it was not exactly easy to awaken.
The Path of Enigmata, including its corresponding Aeon, Mythus, truly lived up to its Path's symbol, exceptionally mysterious. Even with the data from Herta Space Station and the archives of the Xianzhou Alliance, records about this Aeon and the Pathstriders walking this Path were extremely scarce, consisting mostly of general descriptions.
In the vast universe, encountering one was rare. Although this was not the original person, it was at least a created individual, possibly infused with some of the original's thoughts and consciousness.
Gallagher looked at Caelus before him and, after a long silence, sighed helplessly. "It seems a truly remarkable figure has arrived. I know a place that's quite nice for a chat. Shall we go?"
"Alright. But how did you see that I'm different?"
"No, I can't see anything unusual about you at all. But this is a dream. You do not have even a trace of the subtle distortion characteristic of dreams, just like ordinary people in reality. Nothing special stands out. That alone tells me you are definitely no small fry."
"I see. In dreams, I need to add that layer of disguise."
Then Gallagher watched as a layer of subtle distortion, identical to that of ordinary Dreamchasers in the dreamscape, appeared over the other person.
Truly... extraordinary.
(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.)