Chapter 500: with translation of chapter title

""So, are you ready?""

—

Harry Potter.

""Nothing……no one survives? This, this how could it be……"" Hermione murmured, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, ""If this is true, then what's going on with all this happening now?""

""If I had to say, I'm afraid it's all fake."" Harry leaned in closer, ""Do you still remember the company and the Genius Club, and Professor Laatio's strange attitude? I'm afraid this is what Xingqiri aims to achieve——that everyone falls into a beautiful dream, even if the dream is somewhat distorted, but overall it's good.""

""But this is too absurd……""

Hermione took a deep breath, and her whole body began to tremble slightly.

""What Miss Black Swan said about no one surviving probably refers to the train crew——including the company, everyone has been controlled by Xingqiri, and in the dream they fulfilled their wishes. In the train crew's eyes, Xingqiri will be defeated, and the company also decided to put aside past grudges with the family——this is a beautiful dream born from following the train crew's 'peace' concept.""

Harry furrowed his brow: ""As for the company side……I'm afraid it's a completely different beautiful dream——probably they smoothly reclaimed Pinokangni.""

""No wonder it seems like a lot of things haven't been explained, whether it's the star core in the grand theater or Miss Liuying."" Hermione nodded thoughtfully, ""Wouldn't that mean Miss Liuying has directly entered a third death? And it's the worst ending——everyone is sinking into a beautiful dream.""

—

""Miss Black Swan first recounted Star's tumultuous, dreamlike journey to Pinokangni along the way, and also pointed out a fatal contradiction with known information that appears in this part of the story——that is……Misha.""

""As a memory of the dream bubble, he is ultimately nothing more than a special meme of the recollection realm. No matter how vast his powers become through pioneering, there is one thing he can never do——life born in the recollection realm cannot possibly appear in reality. So why did he meet Star in the real world's daydream hotel?""

""He is exactly that fatal contradiction with known information. And what that means for you, who firmly believes in this memory……right now, you are still within the dream.""

""'Wake up, Star. Escape from this endless dream, return to the waking world——we will all find answers there.'"

""With the sound of Pam's prompt for a leap, countless past images flashed through Star's mind, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the original daydream hotel.""

""It's quiet here, as if nothing had ever happened.""

""Star followed Black Swan's voice down the hallway, only to see another person there……Huangquan.""

""'Another one……great. Thank you so much, Miss Black Swan.'"

""'This scene feels strangely familiar……' Star looked around, only to feel that the nearby scenery was inexplicably familiar."

""'I know you're completely confused now, and we'll do our best to explain. But before we lay out the full story, you must understand one thing……this place is the gap between dream and reality, belonging to those who have awakened from the Primordial Dream.'"

""Black Swan: ""Do you still remember that Xingqiri's ambition? He plans to use the star core, the will of over a hundred thousand from the Oak family, and the wishes of all beings in Pinokangni, to seize the authority of Harmony and bring order back to the world.""

""Huangquan nodded: ""Unfortunately, the truth is not just that. Even from the moment we entered Aster, we had already been affected by the star core. Looking back, the strange dreamscape where we met might have been the omen that our thoughts began to wander.""

—

War of the Twin Cities.

""The Primordial Dream……"

Silco stared blankly up at the ceiling, the light from outside stretching his shadow long and casting it upon the mottled wall like a twisted monster.

He lowered his gaze to his hand—a document that had just been delivered to him by a special envoy of the Upper City Council not long ago, a document symbolizing Zaun's independence and autonomy, now lying peacefully in his palm.

""Could I also be in the Primordial Dream?""

He let out a low, hoarse laugh. At first, when the nobles of the Upper City handed him the document, he thought it was the effect of his years of ruthless tactics in the Lower City, beginning to make those high-and-mighty folks see sense, to feel pain. But even so, he still found it unbelievable how quickly Zaun's independence was progressing.

Everything felt like a dream, too good to be true——but he never imagined the outcome would actually be a dream.

""Powder said her sister came to the Lower City looking for her, and since this morning there's been no trace. I also sent more people to look for Vi, but to no avail——it seems……the sister she sees is an illusion created by the Primordial Dream.""

It seems everyone sees different things in the Primordial Dream; he felt he was being toyed with……a hard-to-describe anger welled up in his chest, he gritted his teeth, crumpled the paper in his hand into pieces, and threw it into the sewage ditch.

""Damn it, damn it……!!"

He angrily tried to shove the door open, but then an old record's tune began to play from somewhere nearby.

Silco's whole body froze.

He gently pushed open the door, discovering he was not in the Sparkworks but rather in a dimly lit underground tavern. The wooden bar was bathed in a soft hue by the yellowish light, the glasses refracted amber glints, and the air floated with the mixed scent of cheap alcohol and tobacco.

Young Vander sat at the bar, his muscular arms resting on the counter, his eyes still lacking the later weariness and compromise, only familiar cheerfulness.

""Yo, finally here?"" Vander expertly pulled three cups from behind him, ""If we wait any longer, we'll have drunk all the liquor.""

Not only was Vander there, but also her.

Powder and Vi's mother, also someone they once cherished most——though this woman had long been dead by the riverbank, she now smiled at him, shaking the glass in her hand.

""What are you still staring at?"" she laughed heartily, her voice as clear as that night long ago, ""Blockhead number two, won't you join me for a drink?""

Silco's breath caught for a moment.

""This is an illusion…illusion……the Primordial Dream. They've been dead long ago, never to return……"

Silco constantly reminded himself of this in his heart, yet his steps moved forward uncontrollably.

Fake.

All of it is fake.

Yet he still sat down.

The wooden chair creaked familiarly as Vander pushed over a cup of liquor—cheap spirits, the kind they used to drink most when they were young.

""Do you still remember our original oath?"" the woman placed her hand on Silco's shoulder, a familiar smile tugging at her lips, ""Let's drink together for your two endeavors! For the riverbed and the bubbles!""

—

""'Star: "Am I asleep on the train?"'"

""'I think……the purpose of Order is not to make everyone fall asleep. Quite the opposite, they use the star core to catalyze the infiltration of Aster's recollection substance into the material world, blending dream and reality.'"

""'It's also likely mixed with many memories from the Extraterrestrial Chorus……over a long time, dreams become indistinguishable from reality, and reality begins to produce hallucinations. People think they're awake, but their minds have already entered Order's hall.'"

""Black Swan nodded: ""This is also exactly why the Primordial Dream is terrifying. In the paradise governed by Order, everyone can obtain their own satisfying dream, living happily ever after.""

""'I think, aside from that single rupture, what you experience in the beautiful dream is still what truly happened. Only then can he let you reach the ideal endpoint: rescuing Pinokangni from its crisis and embarking on the next pioneering journey.'"