Note: Hi Archivist here!
Massive, massive apology for the late update! Now that I think about it, I should have made my updates on 'schedule' from now. Scratch what I said before, I feel like it's much better for all of us if I did that. As for surprise updates, I will still do that once in a while of course... Anyway, here's my massive update! Happy reading folks!
Also, I am updating 50 chapters on 4 different sites so i might take a few hours break since posting massive updates hurt my wrist and it can took a lot of time. Do not worry tho, ill post all of it today. But of course, if I can manage, then ill post it all.
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Chapter 336: The ingenious utility of the Single-Drop Dream! Black Swan launches a livestream!
Acheron and Black Swan began explaining the situation to everyone.
"I know you are utterly confused right now, and we will do our best to explain. But before we clarify the ins and outs of everything, you must understand one thing…"
"This is the rift between dream and reality, belonging to those who have awakened from the Dream of Ena."
"Do you still remember Sunday's ambition? He planned to use the Stellaron, the collective will of over a hundred thousand people from the Oak Family, and the wishes of all living beings in Penacony to usurp the authority of the Harmony, allowing Order to descend upon the world once more."
"Regrettably, the truth is even more than that. As early as when we first entered Asdana, we had already been influenced by the Stellaron. Looking back, that unfamiliar dreamscape where you and I met was perhaps the omen of our thoughts beginning to drift."
…
"???"
"I knew it!"
"So it was already a dream from the very beginning of Version 2.0 when we arrived in Penacony…!"
"We're cooked!!"
"I think the universe itself is just one giant dream."
"Now Sunday really has become the ruler of the heavens!"
"Looking at this dialogue, I gave myself a hard slap. It really hurt. I should be in reality, right?"
"Summary: Sunday actually succeeded right from the very start."
…
"I think… the purpose of Order is not to plunge everyone into a deep slumber. On the contrary, they used the Stellaron to catalyze the seepage of Asdana's Memoria into the material world, blending dream and reality together."
"I'm afraid quite a few memories of the Beyond the Sky Choir were mixed in as well… Over a long period of time, the dream became indistinguishable from reality, and hallucinations began to appear in reality. People believed themselves to be awake, yet their spirits had already stepped into the halls of Order."
"This is precisely the terrifying aspect of the Dream of Ena. In this paradise ruled by Order, everyone can obtain their own beautiful, perfect dream and live happily ever after."
Outside the Asdana star system.
This was originally an insignificant, barren region in the universe.
But at this moment.
This sector of space was packed with all kinds of spaceships!
Among them, the two main factions were the Xianzhou fleet and the IPC fleet.
There were also various other galactic factions mixed in.
Almost everyone was doing only one thing—
Watching the plot!
No one dared to rashly venture deep into the Asdana star system.
Because,
Through the game's plot and actual verifications,
Once anyone entered that region, they would be affected by the Dream of Ena!
Although Sunday had openly given people the right to stay or leave Penacony at the very beginning,
The actual impact of the Dream of Ena seemed to exceed all expectations!
For those who did not wish to live in a dream,
It was equivalent to turning this star system into an uncontrollable forbidden zone!
Furthermore,
According to the IPC's monitoring,
The influence of the Dream of Ena was still expanding outward at a speed of several light-years per system hour!
On the IPC's main flagship.
Topaz and Aventurine watched this plot twist unfold on screen.
The expressions on both their faces were highly entertaining!
"I was wondering why our IPC people behaved so strangely in the plot. It turns out everything was just a false dream. Sure enough."
Topaz rolled her eyes at Aventurine and teased, "The shocked look on your face earlier didn't look fake at all."
"Likewise, likewise."
Beside them, Jade wore an intriguing smile.
She murmured to herself, "To think Sunday actually managed to pull it off."
"Hmm…"
A faint light flashed through her eyes.
She was thinking.
This event could be considered one of the occurrences with the greatest impact on the universe in this Amber Era.
It would inevitably have a massive impact on the future cosmic market.
No,
Now was not the time to consider market profits.
Based on the current situation,
If the IPC wanted to take back what belonged to them,
This Dream of Ena was a colossal obstacle!
The primary goal had to be bringing Sunday down!
And afterward…
This Dream of Ena wasn't necessarily a scourge.
With appropriate modifications,
It could become a controllable technology.
Perhaps… it could become a major business opportunity that would influence the universe!
Thinking of this,
The corners of Jade's mouth curled up slightly.
The ambition in her heart was gradually fermenting.
"Director Topaz, Director Aventurine, please come over for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."
…
In Guinaifen's livestream room.
Black Swan said, "I think, apart from that single flaw, what you experienced in the sweet dream still actually happened. Only in this way could he allow you to reach your ideal destination: resolving Penacony's crisis and embarking on your next Trailblaze journey."
"If not for Miss Acheron laying the groundwork beforehand, we might have been lost in this dream forever."
"Fortunately, though the Path of Order governs all things, it cannot affect Nihility itself. I also became aware of this when the Dream Master expelled me at all costs."
Acheron's expression remained indifferent, keeping her achievements hidden.
Black Swan agreed, "This is also the reason why you felt a sense of anomaly when you traveled with her before."
"But I wasn't so lucky. Even as a Memokeeper, I was still affected by Order and fell into hallucinations."
"However, thanks to your memories, we still have a chance to find life in this desperate situation."
…
"My Acheron is still carrying!"
"Acheron is so awesome!"
"The value of Nihility is still rising!"
"Nihility truly is the opposite of all Paths, it's just like a bug."
"So… the red text during the previous conversations with Acheron was her trying to lead us out?"
"Holy crap!?"
"The plot that felt so baffling back then now has a perfectly reasonable explanation."
…
In the rift between dream and reality.
Black Swan and Acheron were also watching the game's plot.
Black Swan smiled faintly and sighed with emotion, "Sure enough."
"Feathered Spirit's plot has always existed by clinging to reality."
"Now, the progress of the plot has overlapped with what the two of us have experienced."
Acheron nodded.
Indeed.
Except,
In the game's plot,
It was the Trailblazer who woke up and found the two of them.
But in reality,
After the Astral Express learned about the Dream of Ena in advance,
They chose to leave the Asdana star system before the dream descended.
Therefore,
Naturally, there wouldn't be a Galactic Baseballer walking out of the room here to ask them what exactly happened.
This
Was part of the butterfly effect brought about by Honkai: Star Rail.
Black Swan naturally understood this as well.
The plot continued.
Acheron: "Even if mortals possess the mighty power of a Path, they cannot create a flawless world like a god."
"That is why flaws appeared in your dream. In other words, as long as one can perceive the anomalies of the world, their consciousness has a chance to break free from the dream."
Black Swan: "And the flaw in your dream was precisely Misha, who should not have appeared in reality. It was also upon flipping to this page of memory that I became certain I was in a hallucination as well."
[ So, we lost… ]
"Now, Sunday has usurped the authority of the Harmonious Choir [ the manifestation of the Harmony's shared wishes ] through the Charmony Festival. Asdana has thus fallen into the Dream of Ena, equally turning everyone into His notes [ puppets ]."
"But failure does not mean your strength is weaker. On the contrary, only the strong can stand on the opposite side of a sweet dream and break the constraints of Order."
"Now, we still have a glimmer of hope. And to turn it into reality… Miss Black Swan, take us to meet those who are equally strong."
Watching this scene in the plot,
Both Acheron and Black Swan showed thoughtful expressions.
According to the pacing of the plot,
What they needed to do next
Was to gather other equally strong-willed people.
Using everyone's collective strength to break the Dream of Ena!
However,
In reality,
Because Sunday had announced the activation of the Dream of Ena in advance, those who were unwilling to slumber in the dream had already left Penacony ahead of time!
The two of them could no longer replicate the actions in the plot to take the next step.
"This is a bit troublesome,"
Black Swan revealed a helpless expression.
"Sunday's act of publicizing the Dream of Ena was bold, and also very wise."
"It indeed made this plan much more perfect to a certain extent."
"However, while he has his methods, I naturally have my countermeasures."
Acheron showed a puzzled look.
"Miss Black Swan wants to…?"
Black Swan gently pointed at the screen in front of her.
Then, she gave it a light flick.
An interface resembling a livestream camera feed appeared,
Recording all the surrounding scenes.
"I want to livestream the current state of Penacony."
"To let players across the entire universe witness the state of those who have fallen into the dream."
"I believe the Astral Express crew will see it too."
"That way, those with strong wills will gather in Penacony once more."
As she spoke,
Black Swan's livestream channel
Had already opened.