Caught completely off guard, the audience simply sank into the cute ba na na na chant, never suspecting what these monkeys were really capable of...
---------------------------------
On the screen.
The auditory hallucination in Stelle's mind lasted only an instant.
By the time she regained her senses, the train's jump had already ended.
Welt and Himeko went off to handle serious business. Meanwhile, the three returned once more to that familiar hotel front desk.
It had to be said, the feeling of coming back again was different this time.
There were no annoying security guards at the hotel entrance.
When they revealed their identities while checking in, the respectful gaze of the receptionist deeply satisfied March and Stelle.
Their identity as major shareholders of Penacony had now gained substantial recognition in the planet of festivities.
"We heard the shareholders have returned to Penacony, so the hotel prepared six platinum suites in advance, available at any time."
The receptionist spoke respectfully.
Although this kind of attitude was quite enjoyable, March 7th scratched her head doubtfully and said: "Wait, six rooms? But there are only five of us?"
"Is that so?"
The receptionist froze for a moment, then double-checked the system data before replying:
"But here it shows, in addition to the three of you present, plus Miss Himeko and Mr. Welt, there's also someone who checked in three days ago, Pom-Pom?"
"Pom-Pom?" March and Stelle were both stunned.
Dan Heng immediately realized something.
He had March and Stelle step aside, then went forward himself to confirm.
As expected… It was Boothill.
That Galaxy Ranger had used Pom-Pom's name to book a room in the reverie hotel.
Although no one understood why Boothill did this, for the time being they couldn't find him, and it didn't really seem like a big issue.
The group kept it in mind, completed the check-in procedures, and then returned to their rooms to prepare for sleep.
The audience, however, was very curious.
Boothill was still in Penacony? Was it that he never left, or that something made him come back again?
And given his identity as an Galaxy Ranger, viewers' thoughts ran wild.
...
: Tch, I don't need to explain the significance of a Ranger still being here, right?
: Could it be that Penacony still hasn't been completely free of Order?
: That shouldn't be the case. When the IPC came for the final stock acquisition, they should have already conducted evaluations. Since even the IPC said there were no issues, there shouldn't be accidents.
: Besides, Boothill should have left for a while before voluntarily returning. That's suspicious.
: If I had to guess, maybe only those monkeys we just saw were strange?
....
The opening lullaby of Slumbernanas, coupled with Boothill's return, successfully piqued the audience's curiosity.
Everyone continued watching.
On the screen, Stelle had already reached the door of her room.
But the door was already open, and the interior seemed to be disturbed.
"Hurry it up! I heard the big shareholders have already arrived at the lobby. Whatever you do, don't alarm them!"
"I know, I know! But that guy clearly ran this way, how come they just disappeared?"
Several Bloodhounds whispered while they searched.
Stelle frowned and stepped forward. Hearing the sound, the Bloodhounds turned to him cautiously. One asked, "Who are you?"
"I should be asking you that!"
Stelle put her hands on her hips, lips curling into a smirk, eyes full of confidence.
With the status of a shareholder, she was bursting with self-assurance, and declared directly:"I'm the big shot you're talking about!"
Hearing that, the female Bloodhound rolled her eyes and said helplessly: "Yeah right, sister. Everyone who comes here claims they're some big shot. I'm tired of hearing it."
"Whoever you are, please take a detour… the Bloodhound family is conducting an investigation…"
Her face was full of impatience, her tone dismissive.
But before she could finish, she was suddenly interrupted by the male Bloodhound beside her.
Ever since Stelle entered, the other Bloodhound had been staring hard at her.
And now, he finally confirmed, this really was a shareholder, a true VIP!
He poked the female Bloodhound and hurriedly stopped her disrespectful words, whispering nervously: "Hey! Gray hair, yellow eyes, clothes with a bunch of straps, that's definitely the shareholder!"
The female Bloodhound, whose face just moments ago was brimming with impatience, suddenly widened her eyes.
She glanced at her partner stiffly.
Then, in the blink of an eye, all her impatience and stiffness melted into a smile as warm as spring.
"Ah, esteemed guest, I spoke a little too loudly just now, please forgive me! The Bloodhounds were only conducting a routine inspection. Everything in your suite is perfectly fine, so please rest easy!"
She rubbed her hands together, grinning nervously, carefully observing Stelle's reaction.
Afraid she might blow up in anger.
"But the suspect."
The male Bloodhound looked at his partner in shock.
They hadn't even caught the suspect yet, and she was saying the suite was fine?
Was this really okay?
But the female Bloodhound was furious inside. She just wanted to settle this quickly and avoid disaster.
She shot him a glare, cutting him off: "Ah, yes, yes! Suspects are indeed troublesome! But all of this procedure is for the guests' safety. The Bloodhounds never find it a bother. We'll leave right away, so you can rest well!"
Not only did she deftly shift the topic, she even managed to display loyalty and consideration to a shareholder!
Only then did the male Bloodhound realize, and he stammered to express his loyalty too: "Um… please be cautious in your dreams. Stay safe."
After that, the female Bloodhound pulled the male Bloodhound along, bowing repeatedly as they hastily left the room.
The audience couldn't hold back anymore.
The barrage was filled with laughter.
...
: Hahahaha, that face-change was too real.
: I liked you better when you were rebellious just now.
: As soon as she saw Stelle was a shareholder, she immediately changed her tune.
: Couldn't even keep a straight face when pledging loyalty.
: They're just too desperate to advance!
: So fun to watch! I love seeing our crew flex their new status as big shots!
...
On the screen.
After this little episode passed, Stelle scratched her head and wandered around the room.
This time, the room felt different, like something extra had been added.
A monkey plushie, and a large trunk.
Stelle tried to open the trunk, but no matter what, it wouldn't budge.
In the end, she gave up.
As for the monkey plushie, maybe the hotel staff put it there?
But none of this mattered much. After locking the door securely, Stelle returned to the familiar Dream Pool.
She stretched lazily, found a comfortable position, and gradually sank into sleep.
Not long after she had just entered her dream.
That box, the one that simply refused to be pried open, suddenly moved on its own!
Bang!
The moment the box opened, smoke burst out from within, rapidly spreading to fill the entire room.
The audience's hearts tightened, thinking that Stelle was about to be in danger.
But then, a figure walked out from the smoke.
Trendy, stylish clothing, and a hat on her head.
The audience recognized her at once.
It was Rappa!
She wore fully covering goggles, and as she stepped out of the smoke, she gave a shake of her head, making the goggles vanish.
On camera, Rappa revealed a dashing smile.
"The security of the Hotel truly is airtight."
"There's no other way."
"I'll just have to borrow it."
With that, Rappa stepped forward into the Dream Pool, and in Kuang's room, pushed her off the bed.
...
: It's actually Rappa!
: This woman's entrances are always so bizarre, hahaha!
: Too wild.
: But honestly, that smile just now, it made my heart skip a beat!
: Say what you will, Honkai: Star Rail's casting always delivers on looks!
: Wait, the fugitive those Bloodhounds were chasing earlier, could that have been her?
: Does that mean… this is part of a scripted plot twist?
: Hold on… I think I just remembered something. Didn't Boothill mention something about his companion?
: Hiss! That's right!
: Rappa is also a Galaxy Ranger?
...
Prompted by the comments, the audience all recalled Boothill previously mentioning his companion.
And combining that with Rappa's sudden appearance, plus Boothill's timing of returning to Penacony,
It really… makes a lot of sense!
Just as the live chat grew more heated with discussion, the screen went black.
Exactly the same as when entering Penacony for the first time.
A gentle female voice guided them into sleep from the darkness:
"Focus on your breathing… imagine a paradise… imagine… a vast…"
But this time, the voice was not as smooth.
Instead, it stuttered.
The further it went, the more sluggish it became.
As though the speaker had lost her memory, unable to recall what came next.
"A vast, a vast, a vast…"
The bizarre development left the audience completely bewildered.
"Ba na na na!"
Suddenly, a whole troop of monkeys burst through the darkness, appearing instantly on screen without warning, catching the viewers completely off guard.
And just like at the beginning, the Song of Banana Sleep rose again!
...
: ? Huh?
: Again?!
: What the heck, hearing this song in this situation feels kinda… draining.
: Quick, roll for a sanity check!
: This is so trippy, it feels like I've eaten too many mushrooms.
: I'm doomed, I'm completely brainwashed now!
: Forget brainwashing, I can't even write properly anymore!
: I'm losing it. Did the Astral Express warp some Fruit-Fruit Mountain?
: Whatever! Time to banana dance!
: An island full of bananas~
: Ba na na na!!
...
Two sudden plays of the Slumernanas song in a row.
Some of the viewers were beginning to feel something uncanny.
Not just strange, unsettling.
Sure, the song was cheerful and catchy.
But just like children's rhymes in horror stories, when it appears repeatedly, without reason or warning, it becomes unnervingly eerie.
Yet more people didn't care at all, happily joining in the banana-chanting frenzy.
On screen, after the Slumernanas song ended, the scene finally shifted.
Under the dawn light, Stelle stood on top of a tall building, clutching her head, lost in thought.
"So this is Paperfold University College?"
"Doesn't look like it. Who puts a university on a rooftop?"
"Could it be that something went wrong when entering the dream again?"
Holding her head, Stelle looked around.
The more she looked, the more question marks filled her mind.
"What the heck?"
"A monkey?" Not far away, an absurdly cute monkey was squatting in place.
Stelle thought for a moment, then stepped forward.
"Hello."
"Banana… Ba na na na!"
The strange monkey made a cheerful sound.
Stelle gasped: "Wait, where on earth has this Dream Pool thrown me now?"
"Banana!"
"Ba na na na!"
The strange monkey cried urgently.
Its peculiar cries reminded Stelle of the dream she'd just seen upon entering the dream.
That sound, it was so familiar.
Almost as if she'd heard it long ago.
Though she originally intended to investigate cautiously, Stelle quickly felt herself sinking into a subtle heaviness.
The monkey before her was full of energy.
But Stelle's gaze grew increasingly dazed, her pupils unfocused, her expression serene.
"Ba na na na!"
"Banana~ Ba na na na~"
The monkey began to sing a melody.
It was very familiar, the tune of an interstellar journey.
And suddenly, Stelle's eyes lit up, her spirit restored.
She directly continued the next part of the melody.
And she did it, in the language of bananas!
When Stelle finished singing her banana-song, blurry rainbows appeared at the edges of the screen.
Monkeys, one after another, emerged from all directions, surrounding her.
Some were solid. Some were half-transparent. Some even floated around in the sky like balloons.
Such a "carnival of chaos" was almost too tame a word, calling it an illusion barely did justice.
...
: ? Wait, who am I, where am I?
: Hey! Even you started singing?!
: Damn, what is this scene, man? It's messing with my head.
: This is insane. You'd need to eat like two tons of mushrooms to hallucinate something like this.
: Feels like I've joined a high-level Fruit-Fruit Mountain meeting!
: No way, these monkeys are cursed!
: This vibe is indescribably sanity-draining, wild, funny, but also unnerving!
: Look at Stelle, she's totally entranced! Did she already get taken over?!
: Oh no, folks… why do I kinda want to banana-chant too?
: ???
...
More and more monkeys appeared.
The chorus of "Ba na na na" cries echoed like a bewitching spell.
And shockingly, in the midst of it all, Stelle revealed a genuine, heartfelt smile!