As Caelus followed Gallagher to a place suitable for conversation, he casually took out the card Firefly had given him and checked the information recorded inside.
The information on the card was simple and direct: the entire script of the story concerning Penacony.
It clearly stated who the mastermind behind the scenes was, why they were doing this, where the power to carry it out came from, as well as their ideals, dreams, and past.
Caelus understood. This was Elio acknowledging that words alone could not persuade him, so he simply laid the story's script on the table and allowed Caelus to judge for himself whether this matter aligned with his own principles.
If this had been when he first arrived in Penacony, after learning the full situation, he might have chosen not to intervene. He would have smoothly followed the plot, collected the guaranteed 6,000 System Currency, purchased the Tiger Tally, and then laid the foundation for his own Path.
But not now.
He had encountered a woman named Cocona. Although he had helped her, people like her, those who had lost all hope in reality and stood on the verge of collapse, could be found everywhere in this vast Penacony, this so-called land of dreams.
This so-called land of dreams was also where so many people buried their aspirations.
If Caelus were merely an ordinary Traveler, a passerby without any mission, he might have only recorded the beginning and end of this event. Perhaps he would have helped one or two people he found agreeable before leaving. After all, he did not possess much mercy or compassion. He helped others simply because he saw the shadows of people he had met in the past within them, so he chose to lend a hand.
But not now. He had accepted a mission from the system.
Between these two factions, he had to choose one to help. This meant he had to involve himself and could no longer think as an outsider.
If he chose the side of the Sweet Dream, it would mean he agreed with the views of the man named Sunday, believing that all living beings should be confined within a stable birdcage so they could spend a happy and perfect life within its weave, never suffering any of reality's storms or trials.
And the price for that was that Sunday alone would remain in the cruel reality.
Weaving a cage of sweet dreams for all living beings, allowing them to give up everything and indulge in that perfect dream, sounded nice. If it had nothing to do with Caelus, he would have simply watched quietly to see how things developed. But since he had changed from an outsider to someone involved, it meant this matter had become a choice on his Path.
And since it was a choice on his Path, Caelus had to be true to his own heart. He could not act against his conscience in this matter.
So, whether it was Sunday ascending to godhood as Ena, becoming the Aeon of Order and creating a world of sweet dreams...
Or the Astral Express's Trailblazing future shattering the dream and forcing all living beings to face sober reality once more...
To Caelus, both were missing something.
He wanted to ask: why? Why not give ordinary people the right to choose?
You are heroes. You are saints. You are practitioners of the Path with firm wills. But what about ordinary people?
Where is the shelter for the weak?
Like Cocona before, when she faced reality, her parents' oppression, and the crushing pressure of her environment, she had to bend her back, seal away her true heart, abandon her dreams, and wear a false mask when talking with others, gradually collapsing under those disguises and pressures.
After experiencing a sweet dream, when these people who have lost hope and a future face cruel reality again, will they collapse even further?
Caelus remembered a poem he had once seen in the Fuyuki City library.
Had I not seen the Sun,
I might have borne the shade;
But Light a newer Wilderness
My Wilderness has made.
Giving hope to those in despair, only to tell them later that the vision was nothing but an illusory dream and that they must still face a reality so cruel it breeds hopelessness.
This is truly a painful and suffocating despair.
Therefore, Caelus would give all living beings the right to choose. If your heart grows weak, if you feel that within that sweet dream, you can no longer face real life...
If that cruel life has already bent or even broken your spine, and you no longer have the spirit you once had...
If your childhood dreams have rotted away or even been forgotten, and all that remains of life is the endless grind of daily necessities...
If your current life has even reached the point where you are exhausted just trying to survive...
If you want to escape, if you want a place that truly allows you to sleep peacefully, then Caelus will give you such a place.
When you have crossed two layers of dreams and still move forward without hesitation to enter the Sweet Dream, choosing to escape, choosing to leave...
Then as a loser completely crushed by reality, one should naturally have somewhere to go.
This was the final trace of warmth that Caelus, after much thought, decided to give all living beings.
Even if that place symbolized a final farewell to reality, a literal eternal sleep.
But for those people, this reality might just be a cruel dream, a nightmare they were desperately trying to wake up from.
The card in Caelus's hand dissipated into nothingness. He then sat down in front of the bar counter and watched Gallagher greet the bartender behind the counter with practiced ease. He said, "Since you're a regular, do you have any drink recommendations?"
"Can you handle alcohol?"
"I can."
"Good. Siobhan, please give this new friend a glass of Ice Palace."
Gallagher said this with a smile.
Hearing this, the bartender Siobhan sized up Caelus, who sat off to the side looking plain and unremarkable. She nodded knowingly, then turned to mix the drink.
"Does this drink have any special meaning?"
"Countless mysterious powers are hidden within the azure seawater. That's roughly what it means. As for the taste, it's very sweet, icy, and refreshing. It's also quite crisp. Personally, I think it tastes pretty good."
Caelus thought about it. From Gallagher's perspective, he looked extremely ordinary, but hidden beneath the surface were many unimaginable powers.
Hm, it really does suit me.
"Is it convenient here?"
Caelus was referring to Siobhan, who was mixing drinks.
"Don't mind me. I'm leaving as soon as I finish mixing this drink. I'll leave this place to you two."
After placing the two glasses of alcohol on the bar counter, Siobhan gave them a friendly greeting and left.
The two of them each took a sip of their drinks.
Mm, the taste of this drink really is good.
"Sir, although it's a bit embarrassing, I regret to say that I personally don't know much about the Enigmata. The answers I can give you are very limited. So, if you're unsatisfied, I can mix a few more drinks for you as an apology."
Seeing that Caelus showed no dissatisfaction after finishing his drink, Gallagher spoke with a smile.
Caelus put down his glass, then took out his notebook and picked up his quill, saying, "It's fine. Pathstriders of the Enigmata are too rare. Even a little information is enough. Thank you for being willing to answer. So, the first question is: do you have any clear impression of how you were created, or do you remember any techniques or powers?"
The two began discussing secrets in the quiet bar.
(To be continued.)