With Su Mo and Stelle playing a game of good cop, good cop, the Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection was quickly squeezed dry.
"I suddenly feel really sorry for her," March 7th grumbled from behind them.
"Not at all. I consider her a friend!" Stelle said without batting an eye.
"Then what's that in your hand?" March 7th asked, half-lidded, looking at the colorful Stellar Jades that had appeared in Stelle's possession.
"A friendship fee!" Stelle declared righteously.
"You're hopeless!" March 7th said, exasperated.
Just then, Pom-Pom suddenly emerged from the conductor's compartment. After greeting Su Mo, they adjusted their hat and pattered to the center of the Express car.
"Attention, passengers. The warp jump is about to commence. Please be seated and hold on tight. Next stop, Penacony!"
As the Trailblaze Power was injected, the surface of the Astral Express bloomed with a dazzling white light. A cosmic-level warp jump initiated, and a dozen seconds later, the Astral Express appeared where the Star Rail had been laid before—Penacony.
As mentioned earlier, since the invitation was addressed to the Astral Express, the two leaders, Himeko and Welt, were naturally going. Inside the Express, only Dan Heng and Pom-Pom remained, while everyone else entered Penacony.
"Whoa! Is this the most prosperous place in the entire universe?" March 7th exclaimed in awe as they walked.
Most of the worlds she had been to before were primitive planets, mostly as simple as Belobog.
The Xianzhou was the most prosperous place she'd seen, but its aesthetic was ancient and traditional, with much of its high technology hidden beneath old-fashioned designs, making it difficult to appreciate at a glance.
But in terms of a place of neon lights and lavish indulgence, Penacony, where they now stood, took the cake.
At the very least, when it came to light pollution, the Xianzhou Luofu was far behind.
"I feel like it's not as good as... the Xianzhou," Stelle commented after looking around, a little disappointed.
After all, with all the hype, she had expected some exceptionally beautiful place. But in reality, the entire planet seemed to have only one large hotel worth looking at.
"Hee hee~ You just don't get it!" March 7th wasn't surprised by Stelle's assessment.
She clasped her hands behind her back, then spun lightly, facing Su Mo and Stelle while walking backward.
As she moved backward, she explained, "Penacony's real main attraction is the dreamscape hotel. Only in the dreamscape can you see its true form. That's the place that drives all the dream-chasers wild!"
"A dreamscape?" Stelle blinked, a little confused. "So, people come here on vacation just to dream?"
"You could say that." March 7th nodded. Slowing down to let Su Mo catch up, she spun gracefully again, turning back to face forward and walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "The most famous dreamscape here is the Golden Hour. Look, all these people here, almost all of them came to Penacony to experience the dreamscape."
"Whoa, I never thought I'd be getting a lesson from you!" Stelle was stunned. "Are you really March 7th? Not an impostor? Give me back my silly friend!"
"You're the silly one! I'm naturally intelligent and beautiful!" the pink-haired girl retorted, dissatisfied. "It's just some information from the databank. I practically memorized it all at once."
She had done her homework for this trip with Su Mo.
Hearing this, Welt Yang, standing to the side, was puzzled. It took her a whole day to memorize that little bit of information? Is Little March's memory not that good?
Himeko, on the other hand, sighed with emotion. The kids are growing up.
By now, the group had arrived at the hotel lobby. A long queue had formed at the front desk, with guests from all over lining up or resting in the lobby, all waiting to check in.
March 7th explained that one had to check in to enter the dreamscape with the help of the room's facilities; otherwise, it would be considered trespassing.
"Alright, you're good!" Stelle, not noticing these details, praised her, but still had a question. "But is just dreaming really that appealing?"
As a being born from a Stellaron, she could dream too, but she couldn't understand why someone would be so attracted to a dream that they would spend so much money on it.
To be honest, if it weren't for the invitation, with her frugal nature, she would never have come to such a money pit.
From the bustling crowd nearby, it seemed someone had overheard her, and a strange voice spoke up.
"Of course! Perhaps this young lady is unaware, but for many people, the chance to start a new life in a dream, to have a new experience—even if that experience is ordinary to others—is a goal worth giving everything to pursue!"
As he finished speaking, a young man in a white formal suit walked over.
He had a pair of distinct small white wings on his ears and a golden halo behind his back—the unmistakable signs of the Halovian race, giving him an angelic appearance.
After speaking, his gaze swept past Su Mo, March 7th, and Stelle, and fell upon Himeko and Welt Yang behind them. After a brief pause, he smiled apologetically.
"My apologies for suddenly interrupting. I meant no offense. I only wished to explain the most charming aspect of this planet. And rather than explaining with words, perhaps you will have a deeper understanding of what I've just said after experiencing Penacony's dreamscape for yourselves."
March 7th gave a polite nod and then asked in confusion, "And you are?"
Judging by his self-assured tone, he didn't seem like a mere passerby.
To care so much about Penacony's reputation, he was either extremely proud of The Family and had invested a lot of effort into Penacony, or he was a fanatic.
"I am Sunday, head of the Oak Family. I am responsible for managing and coordinating matters both inside and outside the dreamscape. I hope the members of the Astral Express will enjoy a pleasant vacation here." Sunday did not hide his identity and gave a slight bow. As the manager of the dreamscape, he naturally had enough confidence in his creation.
"No wonder... wait, you know who we are?" March 7th understood his reaction, then realized that their identities as the Astral Express Crew seemed to have been recognized.
"Miss Himeko of the Trailblaze faction has always been a prominent figure among the various factions of the galaxy. Here in Penacony, our creed is to serve our guests well and fulfill their wishes, so we would naturally not be ignorant of such a distinguished guest." Sunday smiled calmly.
In reality, the creed of fulfilling guests' wishes was, of course, a lie. Penacony had millions of guest rooms and a floating population of nearly a hundred million.
The vast majority of them were distinguished individuals—kings and queens were a dime a dozen. The reason he remembered Himeko had nothing to do with her status as a guest, but purely because of her influence within the Trailblaze faction.
For high-level members of factions like his, the power distribution of the galaxy was actually very simple. Above all were the Aeons. Below the Aeons were their factions. All other mortal factions were not even worth mentioning.
There were only a couple dozen Aeons.
Although there were more factions, the number was not outrageous. You could count the number of factions of this level. Memorizing the leaders of these factions was a required course for high-level members like him.
Among them, Himeko's restoration of the Astral Express had been reported numerous times by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Plus, she had been active for a long time and was considered an idol-level figure throughout the galaxy. For the various factions, she was someone they would know of even without deliberately trying to remember.
"You flatter me, Mr. Sunday," Himeko said politely, though her eyes held a hint of surprise.
It wasn't just her. After hearing what Sunday had to say, Welt Yang and March 7th also wore slightly puzzled expressions.
Sunday noticed their confusion but didn't know where it came from.
Until March 7th asked with a strange look in her eyes, "Eh? Don't tell me you only recognize Sister Himeko, Mr. Sunday?"
Hearing this, Sunday was taken aback for a moment, then apologized. "My apologies. I have heard of Mr. Welt and you rising stars as well. It's just that family affairs have been busy lately, and I haven't had time to keep up with the news. I may have missed your heroic deeds. My sincerest apologies!"
He thought March 7th was expressing dissatisfaction at not being famous enough.
"Uh, that's not what I meant... Oh, well, never mind." March 7th scratched her cheek and glanced at Su Mo. She wanted to say something, but seeing that he didn't seem to care, she decided to drop it.