Chapter 200

Welt: "I still feel like something's not quite right."

Brother Dan Heng: "There's a sense of incongruity I can't quite put into words......"

Brother Dan Heng: "This Mr. Gallagher... seems...."

Herta: "Hey, what kind of slapdash patchwork master."

Stelle: "What do you mean?"

Herta: "The literal meaning."

Stelle: "I don't get it, translate it for me?"

Herta: "If you don't get it, then you don't need to."

Stelle: "Hmph, what a cheapskate! (angry. jpg)"

The video continues.

The scene shifts,

arriving at Huang Quan and Welt.

【Even after such a sensational tragedy, this Dream continues to operate in perfect order......】

【Apart from the Family of Harmony, it's hard to imagine any other force in the universe capable of maintaining such a colossal structure.】

Walking down the street,

Welt couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

【The Family itself is also a great, perfect structure, like..... a living divine statue.】

【Every member of the Family sees themselves as a piece of the divine body's puzzle, revolving around the sole core and shared ideal, loyally fulfilling their duties under Its command, devoting themselves, while in turn being nourished by It......】

Huang Quan shares some of her insights on the Family.

【An interesting metaphor—perhaps this is the fundamental reason Penacony's Dream has endured so long.】

Welt finds Huang Quan's take quite interesting.

【But the human body has its time, and so does the divine form.】

Huang Quan adds a remark out of nowhere.

【......】

【This doesn't sound like something a member of the Xia Society would say.】

Welt crosses his arms,

thinking such words are not the sort of ideology a believer of the Hunt would espouse.

【I'm merely stating facts—Mr. Welt must understand the nuances far better than I do.】

Huang Quan shakes her head,

her words seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

【What makes you say that, Young Lady Huang Quan?】

Welt counters.

【The Dream is collapsing, but not because of any single Aeon, any faction, or any particular visitor.】

【Its collapse stems from a certain inevitability of human nature. The Family refuses to acknowledge this, yet unwittingly becomes the catalyst........】

【When people let their spirits indulge in a dream of no cost, no pain, only comfort and pleasure, the distance between them and necrosis grows ever shorter.】

【No matter what bliss they believe themselves to be living in, death remains an unchangeable end.】

【Moreover, this necrosis will spread and diffuse—a single piece of the puzzle mutating will ultimately cause the entire structure to shake, shatter..... collapse.】

Huang Quan's tone is somber,

expounding on the true nature of Penacony's Dream today.

【In the end, the Dream built for freedom will in turn become a cage imprisoning the self.】

【I imagine Young Lady Huang Quan has gained quite a bit from this trip—would you be willing to share with me?】

Huang Quan being able to speak such words

has piqued Welt's interest as well.

【Of course..... on the condition that I still remember.】

Huang Quan nods,

then grips the hilt of her blade.

But after only a moment,

she lets her hand drop again.

【.......?】

Welt notices this,

a puzzled expression surfacing on his face.

【Don't mind it, just a habit.】

【Because of certain past events, I've become very prone to..... forgetting. Only when this blade is drawn do those hazy images gradually become clear.】

Huang Quan knows Welt will be puzzled,

so she explains.

【Mm.... feel free.】

Welt indicates his understanding.

【That's enough—what happened in Penacony, I remember very clearly.】

【Please, go ahead.】

Huang Quan signals that she is ready.

【Alright...】

【First question—did you discover anything about the Hour of Dawn?】

【I heard there's a Morning Glow Factory there that processes the substrate of dreamscapes.】

Welt didn't hold back either,

and asked right away.

【Behind the dreamscape's revelry and excess, there stands factory after factory of imagination.】

【Day after day, the workers create all manner of wondrous, fanciful goods within dreams, then return to reality to rest on beds that are a far cry from luxurious suites.】

【They say it's enough—that the bizarre, dazzling dreamscape is already the best reward.】

【I met a young woman there. She had just come of age, at the very years when one should freely indulge in sweet dreams.】

【Her greatest wish was that one day she could move to the Hour of Gold, to see the splendid garments woven by her own two hands......】

【For certain reasons, her wish was very hard to fulfill.】

【Still, I found a way to bring her a piece of clothing......】

Huang Quan spoke of what she had seen and heard in the Hour of Dawn.

Furina: "I suddenly realized...."

Furina: "Penacony's Dreamscape World... is it truly a sweet dream?"

Furina: "If it truly is a sweet dream, why would there still be people who cannot have their wishes fulfilled?"

Paimon: "If even your wishes can't be fulfilled, Paimon thinks this just isn't a sweet dream at all."

Paimon: "Because when Paimon dreams, she can always fulfill the wish of eating whatever she wants!"

Paimon: "But that young woman couldn't even fulfill such a tiny wish....."

Paimon: "It even sounds a little bit pitiful, honestly."

Collei: "A sweet dream should make a person happy, right?"

Collei: "But the feeling that young woman gave me was that her life probably wasn't a happy one."

Collei: "Because her wish was forever out of her reach."

Stelle: "You still have to slave away as a wage-worker even inside a dream, and your family actually calls that a sweet dream?"

Stelle: "Let me ask you all—does anyone here still clock in for work when they're dreaming?"

Stelle: "Isn't that just nonsense?"

March 7th: "Also, from Young Lady Huang Quan's description, it sounds like the worker benefits aren't that great either?"

Aventurine: "Heh, I said it long ago—the so-called sweet dreams of Penacony are only designed for the upper crust."

Aventurine: "As for ordinary people......"

Aventurine: "The Family declares!"