Chapter 442: with translation of chapter title

Harry adjusted his glasses, curious: "…Without that invitation, there would be no arrival of Huangquan, Shajin would fail, and everything would stall. But strangely, Airiou did all that—could it be because Pinokangni has an ally worth courting like the Luofu Immortal Vessel?"

"Of course, Huangquan is exactly that, right?" Ron interjected from the side.

Can't say she isn't, but just as that Dream Master said… Miss Huangquan is a self-destructor, like the legion leader we met during the universal locust plague; her ending… might be oblivion. Moreover, someone like Miss Huangquan who brings her surroundings into extinction with her is unlikely to follow the train crew forward, so whether we'll meet her again is uncertain.

Could it be the company? In this matter, the Strategic Investment Department and the train crew are in the same boat.

That's just the Strategic Investment Department, right? Never mind the doubtful attitude of the department head 【Diamond】; the company has many other departments. Moreover, the company's internal factions are divided, so we're not a monolith." Hermione pursed her lips, pulling the blanket draped over her tighter, "It would be better to focus on the company's board of directors than to pour effort into the Strategic Investment Department."

The board of directors? They're probably even higher than that 【Diamond】 emissary, right? Feels like a bunch of old monsters……

——

Wait for Xing to wake up again, and just then see Mr. Walter standing before them.

"Mr. Walter, you're here too?"

Liuying looked at Xing: "【Close your eyes】… This is the answer. Isn't it unbelievable? The monster we've always regarded as 【Death】 is actually the guardian of the exile land. It follows a certain specific pattern, abducting people in their beautiful dreams and bringing them here."

Walter: "Our previous confusion about whether true death exists in dreams is actually a mental trap set by the behind-the-scenes mastermind, to conceal the truth of people's disappearances, and… the stronghold named Thus we have: Liúmèng Jiāo."

Considering that every appearance of the meme is related to the 【Watchmaker】, Walter also hopes to gain some inspiration here regarding the problems troubling them.

Thus we have: Liúmèng Jiāo has no managerial family like that, so people's lives are extremely loose. But Liuying still caught a familiar name from people's fragmentary words… Galahad.

Walter furrowed his brow slightly: "This man again, always showing up at just the right moment in every key place… It also saves us the trouble of searching for a person."

Jizi and March 7 had already gone ahead, but before setting off, Xing was still somewhat worried about the impact of Huangquan's blade.

"No wonder Miss Huangquan never wants to draw her sword… It's hard to imagine that such a plain scabbard contains such terrifying power. If it weren't for Shajin's power deriving from 【Preservation】, the whole dreamscape would likely be affected."

——

Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero

Hurry up and say thanks to Shajin?

Huh? 486, whose side are you really on? They wouldn't hear us even if we said it.

Betty let out a soft hum, then lowered her head to focus on feeding Pak, carefully holding the little spirit in her arms and feeding it cream soup with a spoon.

I didn't expect that kid to finally choose 'Protection'… It seems the 【Void】 only affected us for a dozen or so seconds, and he contributed to that as well.

After drinking his fill, Pak let out a belch, flew to Betty's shoulder, slumped down, and stretched: "Back when he talked to Topa on the phone, I still thought he was a conspirator who had abandoned his principles, but I never imagined his principles were higher than anyone's."

So he lives up to the name 【Preservation】. Emilia clasped her hands on her knees, her violet‑dark eyes reflecting the gloomy stronghold in the sky, "Still, I hope we can find him here soon—this place really is…… unsettling."

The sky of Thus we have: Liúmèng Jiāo looked as if a layer of murky gray slurry had been splashed on it, forever fixed in that drizzling‑but‑not‑quite‑rain gloom, somewhat resembling the original dreamscape where Xing once was.

Whenever a memory-domain meme sprang out from any corner, Emilia didn't find it strange.

"If we go by what Mr. Walter said, are all the inhabitants of this stronghold really people killed by memory-domain memes and then brought here?" 486 narrowed his eyes; he had already seen a drunkard in the corner of the stronghold vomiting nonstop, and combined with the piles of garbage bags everywhere… Even without being there in person, 486 couldn't help but pinch his nose and lean back.

"Oh~yah~" Roswaal held the tea Ram had brewed, narrowed his heterochromatic eyes, "This~not~is the most interesting situation, right?"

"Mmm~~" He drew out the ending with an eerie tone, just like a song from a musical: "If those who are killed come to this~place~, then the esteemed Mr. Xingqiri and Miss Zhigengniao are also here, right? I look forward to their meeting—ahha~how wonderfully dramatic~"

"Look~look~Seeing this dirty and backward dreamscape, I wonder how the lord of the Oak household will express his feelings~?"

——

In the process of delving into Thus we have: Liúmèng Jiāo, the way was full of dazed Wanderers; after taking the elevator, the three quickly reached the center of this stronghold.

"Unbelievable, outside the family's view… there's still a settlement of this scale in the dreamscape." Walter looked around; the billboard for the Clock Kid in the distance was pitch‑dark, as if no one had tended to it for ages, "The atmosphere of this stronghold… is nothing like a beautiful dream."

"When I first saw it, I was also surprised. The sky here is like… a reflection of the twelve dreamscapes. Even stranger, this place is divided into a trade zone and a residential zone; though simple, it's quite complete. It seems a considerable number of people live here."

Considering that the Astral Express needed some internal discussion space, Liuying split from the two here and went alone to look for Galahad.

Although Xing was a bit uneasy, he still let her go ahead at Walter's urging—not only did the two need to observe, but he also wanted to find someone to talk to.

He glanced over at Misha not far away: "There, right over there…"

Not far off, Misha was staying together with the smiling Clock Kid.

"The bellboy of the Daydream Hotel—how could he show up here, and just shortly after Miss Huangquan severed the beautiful dream? To be safe, we should still check."

Misha saw the two and warmly greeted them; Walter also responded politely, but upon seeing the Clock Kid at his feet, he couldn't help but freeze: "…Huh? Who is this beside you…"

"Tick‑tock! Old friends and new friends, come give me a high‑five!"