"Oh, forget it. Even if it's my treat this time, remember to bring money next time you come."
Seeing that neither of them could come up with the funds, Miss Siobhan finally decided not to make things difficult for them.
One was an unknown visitor claiming to be from another world, and the other was a member of the infamous Stellaron Hunters.
Either way, the Iris Family needed to maintain good relations with the forces behind both of them.
"Thank you so much, Miss Siobhan. You're incredibly kind!"
Victor gave her a thumbs up, shamelessly handing out a good person card.
Firefly blushed and bowed repeatedly to express her gratitude.
This was the first time she'd experienced such an embarrassing situation, going out to eat without money. She had no idea how to handle it.
Unlike Victor, whose skin was practically as thick as a city wall, she felt mortified.
"Then let's say goodbye here." After leaving the tavern, Victor and Firefly walked to an intersection where their paths diverged.
The girl nodded slightly, her voice soft. "Yes. I hope we'll have the opportunity to meet again in the future."
"We will."
After waving goodbye to each other, the two turned and left in different directions.
But after just a few steps, Victor suddenly thought of something and turned back to Firefly. "If you want to understand the meaning of life, you can find me on the Astral Express after returning to reality. If I'm not there, find Stelle and ask her to notify me."
Firefly stopped abruptly, spinning around to see Victor's gentle smile.
"Could it be that you know about my situation?"
Victor nodded. "Of course I know. Glamoth Iron Cavalry AR-26710, subjected to high-intensity genetic modification, resulting in Entropy Loss Syndrome. Your body is on the verge of collapse."
"If you want to survive, then come to me. To me, entropy loss isn't an incurable disease."
"Really?" Firefly looked at Victor with barely contained excitement.
Her greatest wish in this life was to live, to truly live for herself!
But Entropy Loss Syndrome made such a simple wish feel like a distant dream.
To that end, she'd joined the Stellaron Hunters, trying to feel the meaning of life while searching for a cure.
"Of course it's true." Victor nodded with certainty. "If you don't believe it, come find me and you'll see for yourself."
Firefly nodded vigorously. "Yes, I understand. After this mission is over, I'll go to the Astral Express to find you!"
"Looking forward to seeing you again."
With that, Victor disappeared in a flash.
Firefly stood where she was, gazing up at the dreamy sky.
For the first time, she felt that the night view was truly beautiful.
On the other side, after saying goodbye to Firefly, Victor arrived where Stelle and the others were, the floating airship Radiant Feldspar!
"Chirp~Chirp~! Origami bird, little Chirp, hey hey hey, don't be afraid, come to your sister quickly."
As soon as he arrived at the bow, Victor saw Stelle going completely crazy.
She was squatting at the bow, trying to coax the origami bird perched on the flagpole.
Markh 7th, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch anymore.
"Hey! Come down from there already! Everyone's watching us! Aren't you ashamed?"
"Huh? Victor, you're here!"
"Victor?"
Hearing that her man had arrived, Stelle immediately forgot about the origami bird and rushed back to Markh 7th's side.
"Why are you two here? How did the negotiations go?"
Victor rubbed their heads affectionately as he asked.
"Don't always treat me like a child." Although she said this, Markh 7th made no move to remove the hand from her head.
"The negotiations just concluded and went very smoothly overall. Now, our Astral Express has acquired five percent of Penacony's shares."
"Himeko and Mr. Yang decided to put the five percent stake in Stelle's name."
"Hehehe, now I'm finally a big boss!" Stelle put her hands on her hips, looking extraordinarily proud. "Not only that, but that old Oti even gave me this airship as a gift to please me!"
"What 'old Oti'? His name is Oti! Oti Alfalfa!"
Markh 7th held her forehead, exasperated. "After all, he gave you such a luxurious gift, can't you at least remember his name?"
Stelle scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "Oh, it's all the same. Don't worry about the details."
"You guys are here. Oh? Mr. Victor is back too."
At that moment, Himeko and Welt also came over.
"Is everything settled?" Victor asked.
Welt nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Yes, it's basically finished, though there are still some details that need to be discussed. But those can wait for later."
"Oh, by the way, here's a share transfer agreement. It's from Stelle. I think it's better to put it in your hands."
Himeko handed a transfer agreement to Victor.
"After all, Stelle is always a bit forgetful. You're her husband, so you should help her manage it."
"Alright." Victor thought about it and didn't refuse.
Himeko continued, "Now that everything here is settled, we should head back."
"Of course, if you want to stay here for a while longer, that's fine. Our Astral Express won't be departing anytime soon anyway."
"Victor, let's go shopping!"
Stelle wrapped her arm around Victor's and made a suggestion.
"I want to go too!"
Markh 7th also extended her hand to Victor.
"I've been so focused on the mission these past few days that I haven't really explored Penacony properly. This time, I must fully experience this fantastical world!"
"Alright, let's go then!"
Victor put his arms around their waists and prepared to leave.
But at that moment, he suddenly noticed a hidden gaze watching them.
When he looked in that direction, he only caught a flash of a red figure with twin ponytails.
Victor's lips curved into a slight smile as he spoke toward the disappearing figure. "Say hello to Aha for me."
The girl hiding in the crowd was slightly startled when she heard the voice that suddenly rang in her mind, but then she smiled.
"The little black one is interesting, just as interesting as the little gray one. Hehe."
"What's wrong?" Markh 7th looked up at Victor with curiosity in her eyes.
"Nothing. It's nothing."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them vanished in a flash.
When they reappeared, they were back at the Golden Hour.
At this point, the place had returned to its former prosperity.
The dream chasers who had disappeared earlier had returned at some point.
"Where do you want to go?"
Markh 7th was the first to raise her hand. "Of course, I want to experience the delicious food in the dream world first!"
Stelle's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she immediately agreed. "Right, right, right! We must eat before we play!"
"Then let's go to the most luxurious hotel here for a meal!"
"Anyway, I have money now, so I don't have to worry about not being able to pay the bill."