Chapter 314: Pinokangni Chapter (3)

"At this very moment, you and I have happened to share the same dream, appearing in each other's thoughts; this is Dreamland's initial greeting to us," the violet‑haired woman said, "Don't worry, you'll soon wake from this dream, forget everything that happened here, and only retain a faint sense of melancholy."

The woman slowly turned around: "... so, come with me. I'll take you home."

Xing followed the woman out of the room and found the dream's layout and décor identical to a hotel, while the woman waited for her at the gate at the end of the road: "Patrol Sea Ranger, Huang Quan… that's how they call me; feel free to use it."

Xing followed Huang Quan through the final gate, and a sudden burst of dazzling light made her squint. As her pupils adjusted, an unimaginably luxurious grand hall unfolded before her eyes.

Crystal chandeliers poured golden light, illuminating the dome's murals. The hall's surrounding drapes were studded with multicolored gems, casting wavering reflections on the floor, while the air was scented with rose and champagne… yet there was no sign of any living person.

It was precisely this dissonance that made Xing realize once again that this was merely a dream.

Xing kept following Huang Quan, but her figure vanished as she went, and accompanied by a "After you" she saw an arched bridge appear on the wall before her.

Just as she wondered whether to step onto it, the sole of her boot brushed it unintentionally, and in an instant the whole world tilted sharply—

The wall beneath her flipped like a canvas suddenly lifted by an invisible hand. The ceiling crashed toward her side, and the crystal chandelier, now like a fountain, retained its original form.

(It can actually do that?!)

Huang Quan said lightly, "What's wrong with that?"

(Can she hear what I'm thinking?)

Huang Quan's voice seemed to carry a faint, almost imperceptible chuckle: "... what's wrong with that?"

——

The Battle of Twin Cities.

"I see..." Jies lifted his head, gazing at the enchanting dreamscape beneath Xing's feet; he stared blankly for a moment before finally grasping what made Pinokangni so alluring.

It was a dream.

"So the entire Pinokangni is an artificially created dream? That's just… insane."

Viktor took a long time to pull his gaze away from the gilded grand hall; as a poor kid from the lower strata, he had never seen such splendor. He had never even dreamed of anything like this—rather than a "beautiful dream," it was more accurately a "paradise."

"No wonder people flock here, for in the dream they can shed their physical shackles and exist purely as spiritual beings. Thus, all illness, poverty, and suffering vanish, leaving only endless revelry..."

When the word "illness" was mentioned, Viktor subconsciously glanced down at his staff, his envy nearly spilling out of his pupils.

"Listen, Viktor, though Pinokangni looks wonderful, it is still just a dream… it cannot alter the essence of reality."

Jies recalled that a few years ago he had read in a newspaper about the Alchemist Baron of Zuan who had developed a hallucinogenic drug that could briefly plunge a person into a phantom dream—this drug was intercepted during its distribution to the upper districts, and there has been no further news. Although the drug's effects differ vastly from Pinokangni's beautiful dream, they share one commonality—their essence is false.

"But—"

"A perfectly beautiful dream does not exist, Viktor."

Heimo Dingge suddenly appeared outside the laboratory door, carrying a thick stack of documents, and hopped onto a chair with effort, "All the beauty in this world is derived by comparison; without misfortune as a backdrop, one cannot appreciate happiness's wonder. Moreover, even the most beautiful things become hollow and tedious after repeated experience… Trust me, Viktor, even in a dream, misfortune will linger like a shadow."

——

"We're almost there. Can you still keep moving?" Huang Quan glanced back at Xing.

"I've gotten onto the wall, feeling good," Xing gave a thumbs‑up.

"How amusing, then I consider you fine. Don't stop, don't look back, don't look down, and don't look up either." After the warning, Huang Quan ran forward into the dream without turning his head.

However, Xing's hallmark is rebellion; when told not to look, she insists on looking. She was quickly drawn to the two people beside her: Yin Lang and an ultra‑ultra‑ultra—super‑cool mech chat.

Seeing the mech, Xing's eyes lit up with a "swish".

Yin Lang looked up at the mech, "Why are you dragging them into this?"

"Present the truth in full, and they will naturally keep the appointment."

With that said, the two figures' images vanished.

——

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.

"Puhahaha—!!"

Misda's laugh burst like a blown‑out revolver, suddenly exploding in the villa.

"How can Yin Lang be less than half Sam's height? So short!" he pointed at the scene in the sky where Yin Lang and Sam stood together, their heights forming a stark contrast, as if a parent brought their daughter to a parent‑teacher meeting, and he laughed until he doubled over.

"Sam's legs are two lengths taller than her whole body, haha! Are they really colleagues?"

"Hey! You bastard—"

Teli Xiu's high‑heel heel slammed onto Misda's foot, instantly turning his laugh into a wail.

"How can anyone mock a girl's puberty? Yin Lang looks only in his teens, right? What's wrong with being a bit short?" She glanced at her star‑blue nail polish, glared disdainfully at Misda, "... No wonder you can only spend your life with a pistol; go shoot your pistol!"

Jiao Luno ignored the two's bickering and looked at Fu Ge: "Star Core Hunters don't appear without cause; they came to Pinokangni, and I can think of only two reasons."

Fu Ge understood immediately, raised two fingers, and took up Jiao Luno's words: "First, Pinokangni has manifested a Star Core. Second, the two of them came to protect Xing." After all, Xing is a key figure in the Eliot Project, not to be jeopardized; with the Grand Duke of Nether Fire as a threat, assigning a combatant of Sam's caliber for protection is reasonable.

Moreover, from Sam's words it was clear that the man also possessed crucial intelligence.

Fu Ge looked up at the sky dome and saw Xing heading toward a pair of men and women whose occiputs bore circular rings and who had two wings sprouting beside their heads.

——

"The young man was handsome and elegant, his bearing noble, and he quietly looked at the girl before him: \"The stage of the Harmony Grand Festival belongs only to you, sister. \""

"The girl lowered her gaze, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes: \"But if I cannot sing… what meaning does the stage have? \""