Looking at the picture on her phone, Firefly couldn't help but smile in a slightly silly, happy way.
It was the first proper photo she'd ever taken—and to have taken it with Pei Guang made her feel genuinely glad.
"It's so pretty~" she murmured.
Pei Guang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're really photogenic. With your hair tied like that, you almost look like you've got twin tails: it suits you."
Firefly lifted her head and smiled shyly. "Thank you."
Pei Guang smiled back, but then, as if remembering something, he suddenly looked inspired and turned to her with an invitation.
"You once said that here, you can touch the sky. But this height isn't enough, right? How about it: want to reach for an even higher sky with me? See those meteors up close? Wait…"
Pei Guang's tone had been lighthearted, but then his expression suddenly shifted as if something serious crossed his mind.
Seeing that change, Firefly's heart tightened. "What's wrong? Is it because of me… that you haven't found the key to the deeper dream?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "The key doesn't matter. I just remembered something. Tell me—don't these meteors look beautiful to you?"
"They do," Firefly answered earnestly. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."
Pei Guang nodded. "Yeah, they really are. But something's missing, isn't it? A sky full of meteors looks amazing, but it still lacks a bit of joy. Luckily, I've got just the thing to make up for it. By the way… those meteors aren't real meteors, are they? They're the people falling into Penacony one by one, right?"
The smile on Firefly's face froze instantly.
She took a deep breath, thinking carefully. "…You might be right."
It had been such a beautiful sight, but once she thought about what those "meteors" truly represented, the feeling turned oddly absurd.
Looking at the dazzling sky filled with falling lights, and realizing each one was a person… it gave her a strange, indescribable feeling.
Pei Guang, however, seemed more intrigued than disturbed.
He grinned and said, "Haha, don't make that face. Sure, it's a little weird when you think about it, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun! Come on, let's climb as high as we can, touch Penacony's sky, and I'll show you a different kind of beauty that's real in its own way."
Firefly smiled faintly. "Alright. Together!"
Once again, Pei Guang took out his building materials, but instead of constructing right where they stood, he and Firefly moved a bit farther away so they wouldn't spoil the view.
There, he began to build a path leading upward into the sky.
Since there were no stairs, they had to climb up each layer by hand, helping each other up as they went.
Their progress was slow, but step by step they ascended higher and higher. At a certain height, Firefly finally saw the "meteors" clearly.
They were people from Penacony: some looked frightened, others excited. No matter their expressions, their eyes all carried a kind of longing and anticipation for this place.
But Pei Guang and Firefly didn't stop climbing.
They continued upward until they reached a height beyond what ordinary people could ever reach—only then did Pei Guang realize he was running low on materials. He wouldn't be able to go much farther.
So, at that altitude, high enough to see where the people appeared in Penacony, he built a small platform.
Once it was finished, Pei Guang turned to Firefly.
"Wait here for a moment—and don't peek, okay?"
"Alright!"
Firefly didn't know what Pei Guang was planning to show her, but she closed her eyes with a look of eager anticipation.
At the edge of the platform, Pei Guang began setting up a pile of fireworks and firecrackers.
He had brought them all the way from the Xianzhou Luofu, scavenged from a cargo container. The platform wasn't very big, but it was just large enough for several big fireworks.
After neatly arranging several large fireworks, Pei Guang took out a few boxes of sparklers. Once everything was set up, he lit the fireworks and returned to Firefly's side, holding the sparklers.
At that moment, Firefly could already hear the sound of fireworks being launched. Along with that sound came Pei Guang's voice by her ear: "Open your eyes!"
The moment he said those words, Firefly opened her eyes, and at the same time, the fireworks burst into the sky.
In an instant, countless flowers seemed to bloom in the heavens. With the explosion of colorful bursts came an earth-shaking rumble that echoed through the air.
Firefly was completely entranced. She stared blankly at the sky filled with fireworks, unable to put her feelings into words.
"So beautiful…"
She had seen fireworks before, but this was the first time she was experiencing them so closely: hearing the sharp hiss as they rose, seeing their radiant bloom at the peak, and feeling the deafening thunder of their bursts.
Even though everyone within the Golden Hour dreamscape could see this sight, Firefly knew that these fireworks were meant for her alone.
Beside her, Pei Guang lit the sparklers and handed one to her. The fireworks were so loud that she couldn't hear what he was saying, but when she saw him holding out the sparkler, she instinctively reached out and took it.
With a sparkler in each hand, Firefly ran forward a few steps, standing at the very center of the makeshift platform.
She waved the sparklers joyfully, closed her eyes, spread her arms, and showed a smile that would make anyone's heart lift.
For Firefly, this was her happiest moment, without a doubt.
Watching the girl twirling happily under the fireworks, Pei Guang lifted his camera and captured the moment, sending the photo to her.
While Pei Guang and Firefly were enjoying themselves, those newly entering the Golden Hour dream were… not having such a great time.
For one Dreamchaser who had just arrived in Penacony, today was supposed to be a joyous occasion: finally, he could experience the legendary dream.
When he entered, he found himself high above the ground. It was frightening, yes, but thrilling, too.
However, before he could even enjoy the moment, a sharp whistling sound split the air—and he was struck by a firework.
In that instant, the Dreamchaser became part of the fireworks, launched and exploded in the sky.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The Dreamchaser screamed.
He hadn't expected to be hit in the face by fireworks the moment he entered the dream world. Though the fireworks didn't cause real harm, and since he hadn't yet fully adapted to the dream, he barely felt pain, he still shouted in shock.
And this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
One after another, Dreamchasers entering the dream were caught up as "fireworks," becoming part of the grand display and part of Pei Guang and Firefly's beautiful scene.
Those who were turned into fireworks wouldn't be traumatized by it. In fact, before long, it would become one of their proudest bragging rights.
There were countless tourists entering the dream every day, but only this group could say they had become fireworks filling the sky.
They'd brag about it for the rest of their lives!
"Did you know? That day, in Penacony, I became a firework! Boom! The whole city was watching me!"
As the fireworks bloomed, meteors streaked across the sky. The sight was breathtaking—even in Penacony, such a spectacle was rare.
There were fireworks in Penacony, of course, but for the sake of the tourists' experience, the Dreamscape administration never set them off where visitors could normally go.
Now, under the night sky, the meteors falling from above, actually the people descending into the dream, mingled with the bursting fireworks, making the Golden Hour even more fantastical and mesmerizing.
The scene was captured and quickly spread to other dreamscapes.
Just then, as Pei Guang was taking photos of Firefly's radiant smile, his phone vibrated. He picked it up after saving the shot.
It was a message from March 7th.
March 7th: "Hey hey hey! Where are you? What are you doing? Still in the Golden Hour? I saw fireworks—take a few pictures for me!"
Pei Guang: "No problem. But these fireworks? I'm the one who set them off!"
March 7th: "Huh? You set them off? Wait, what? You set them off!?"
Detective March immediately sensed something suspicious. Pei Guang looked at Firefly in front of him and answered honestly, "Doing a mission: one that really, really boosts affection points."
March 7th: "Phew! A mission, huh? That's fine then. As long as Stelle's with you, nothing bad will happen. Oh, oh! When you're done, can you set off some fireworks for me too?"
Pei Guang: "Of course. I've mastered the art of photographing cute girls now—I'll make sure to capture your most beautiful side."
March 7th: "Yay~! I can't wait!"
Pei Guang: "By the way, how's it going on your end?"
March 7th: "I'm at an auction. There are so many people! Oh, and I saw someone I know here."
Pei Guang: "Someone you know?"
March 7th: "Yup yup! I'll tell you all about it when we meet up."
Pei Guang: "Alright, we'll talk later then."
Just after he put his phone away, he noticed Firefly staring at him, blinking her eyes and holding the sparklers.
Pei Guang rubbed his chin, thinking.
For some reason, under her gaze, he felt a subtle, indescribable sensation. He couldn't quite put it into words: it was just… strange, in a good way.
But Pei Guang wasn't one to overthink things.
It was just a feeling: surely nothing to worry about!