The Engine of Creations were basically industrial machines, relics of Belobog's heavy-duty construction bots.
From a galactic perspective, they weren't exactly high-tech. On many technologically advanced planets, they were about as impressive as dump trucks or steamrollers.
But the same rule always applied: no matter how advanced your world's technology is, if you're not wearing armor or blessed by a Path's power, getting hit by a dump truck will still send you straight to the afterlife.
And sure enough, the moment his platform was complete and the engines started running, Pei Guang experienced, for the first time in this world, what true efficient farming felt like.
Penacony was about to hold the Charmony Festival, and countless visitors from across the universe had come to enjoy the event. The Golden Hour was one of the most famous and alluring dreamscapes in existence.
Not all visitors arrived by falling from the sky, just a small portion did. But since the Golden Hour itself was enormous, even a tiny fraction of arrivals happening to land near Pei Guang was still a considerable number.
And even that small number was faster than any resource-gathering method he'd ever used before.
After calculating for a bit, Pei Guang estimated that his platform could see hundreds of Dreamchasers appearing every minute. As soon as they entered the dream, the first thing they met were the spinning arms of his Engine of Creations.
Those who entered the dream world got to experience what it truly meant to "hit the jackpot." Compared to the Dreamchasers who had been blown up by fireworks earlier, these people didn't even feel a thing: just blacked out and woke up back in the real world.
Inside one of the rooms, a Dreamchaser who had just been kicked out of the dream blinked in confusion as he climbed out of the Dream Pool.
"What just happened?"
He remembered walking through a long corridor, entering the dream world and he had even been gliding high in the sky. Then everything went dark, and suddenly he was awake again?
"Maybe… try again?"
He attempted to enter the dream again, following the same procedure. A few seconds after reentering the Golden Hour, he woke up once more in the real world.
"What the hell? Attendant! Hey, attendant! Is there something wrong with your Dream Pool?!"
Many Dreamchasers were just like him: completely confused. The situation had escalated so quickly that even the Family hadn't figured out what was going on yet.
While Dreamchasers were demanding answers and the Family was baffled, thinking their Dream Pools had glitched, Pei Guang stood proudly on his makeshift monster-farming platform, arms spread wide beneath the central Engine of Creation.
A hundred people dropping gold coins every minute—this was pure bliss.
For the first time, Pei Guang experienced the satisfaction of watching materials rain from the sky like a downpour. Most of it was credits and basic Path materials, but it was still exhilarating.
As a player, Pei Guang's favorite pastime was mass-producing useful and useless items alike. Just watching his inventory fill up gave him indescribable joy.
Meanwhile, Firefly, who had suggested this in the first place, was left staring, mouth agape at the scene before her.
She had guessed what Pei Guang was planning to do to the Dreamchasers entering the dream, but actually seeing one after another "hit the jackpot" and explode into coins left her stunned by his efficiency.
Of course, efficiency wasn't even the most shocking part: the real shock was that those Dreamchasers were actually dropping credits.
Pei Guang happily farmed for half an hour, but just as he was about to continue a bit longer, his phone buzzed again: it was a group message from Himeko.
Himeko: "Everyone, having fun?"
Pei Guang: "Yeah, I'm happily farming materials. The drop rate is insane."
Stelle: "Same here! Clearing maps like crazy. The drop rate is insane."
March 7th: "Having fun, yeah… but something feels off. Like, really weird. I can't put my finger on it."
That uneasy feeling wasn't just about the dreamworld.
Even while shopping or browsing auctions, March couldn't shake off that strange discomfort, though she just assumed it was because this world was weird.
Pei Guang: "Well, it is a dream, after all."
Stelle: "Exactly! Ah Guang and I have also run into all sorts of weird stuff."
Welt: "Same here."
Himeko: "Me too. Looks like it's time for us to head back to reality for a bit. Everyone, gather in my room. Oh, and Stelle, Ah Guang: be careful out there. I've heard rumors that something's gone wrong with the Golden Hour. A lot of Dreamchasers can't enter the dream properly."
Stelle: "That bad?"
Pei Guang: "I knew there was something off about this dream! Didn't think it'd be this serious though. I'll head back right away."
Putting his phone away, Pei Guang prepared to return to reality and regroup with the others to discuss what was happening.
He first packed up the Engine of Creations, then cleaned up the materials scattered around before walking over to Firefly. "Time to go~ My friends in reality called me back for a quick meeting."
Firefly had been smiling when he approached, but the moment she heard he was leaving, the happiness faded from her face.
Seeing her expression change, Pei Guang gently comforted her. "You don't want to go back to reality, huh? It's fine, just wait for me here in the Golden Hour. Once I'm done, we'll keep exploring, keep searching for the Clockmaker's treasure.
I'm sure that treasure can cure your illness. And even if it doesn't, it's fine: I know a genius in the field of biology. I've built up a bit of rapport with her before, so I'm sure she'll help if I ask."
Firefly: "I believe you!"
Pei Guang: "Haha~ I won't let you down. Anyway, time for me to go. Oh, right—be careful while you stay here in the Golden Hour. My teammates said something's wrong with this dream. A lot of people can't enter it anymore."
Firefly: "Oh… huh?"
At first, Firefly hadn't felt anything strange, but after hearing what Pei Guang said, she suddenly realized something wasn't right.
Thinking back to everything Pei Guang had done… wasn't he the very culprit behind those people being unable to enter the dream?
In truth, Pei Guang didn't see himself that way at all.
Himeko had said people couldn't get into the dream, and in his mind that just meant there was some kind of "bug."
But in reality, all those who "couldn't get in" were the unlucky ones Pei Guang had accidentally sent straight back to reality with his Engine of Creations at the spawn point.