"Hahaha, don't be so tense, brother. My name is Boothill. I'm just an ordinary 'Galaxy Ranger.'"
Toward Dan Heng's intimidation, Boothill laughed boldly once more and then lowered the revolver in his hand, seemingly unmoved by the person before him.
Seeing this, Dan Heng secretly nodded to himself. To remain unmoved in the face of the near-Emanator-level pressure he had released, the person before him was most likely a genuine "Galaxy Ranger." Even if not, he was still someone of note.
While Dan Heng was thinking this, Mr. Boothill had actually been sweating profusely the entire time, complaining wildly in his heart.
'Son of a gun! As expected of the Astral Express, huh? Even a random person left behind has near-Emanator-level strength. And that phantom's form… it's probably the Vidyadhara's former Dragon Lord, right?'
Seeing Boothill lower his weapon, Dan Heng no longer intended to keep confronting him. However, just to be safe, he only withdrew the Dragon Lord's aura while keeping Cloud-Piercer in his hands.
"Why did you board the Astral Express in such an extreme manner?"
Dan Heng continued to ask.
"Just as I said earlier, I have urgent business and need the Astral Express's help. That's why I had no choice but to resort to this."
"I'm asking what your business is."
Boothill: "…Cough cough. The situation is actually like this. I need to use the Nameless' identity to enter Penacony. More precisely, to enter Penacony's dream world."
"Use the Astral Express's identity to enter the dream world? If I remember correctly, you Galaxy Rangers should also be among the invitees to this festival, right?"
Dan Heng crossed his arms and looked at Boothill with scrutinizing eyes.
"Hah! You mean that? The Family did invite us Galaxy Rangers, it's just that…"
At this point, Boothill awkwardly rubbed his nose.
"Those Family guys have no idea where to find the real Galaxy Rangers, so those damn dogs sent the invitation letter to a planet full of monkeys. Son of a gun!"
'Pfft—!'
Upon hearing this, Conductor Pom-Pom, who had been looking nervous, could not help but burst into laughter. Even the usually icy-faced Dan Heng could not stop the corner of his mouth from curving up slightly.
As a member of the Astral Express crew, Pom-Pom was a veteran who had once traveled the universe with the Aeon of Trailblaze Akivili. He had also heard the rumors about the Galaxy Rangers.
According to galactic gossip, the Galaxy Rangers were said to be chasing the Primordial Doctor who had turned into a long-armed ape and was swinging from vines in some mountain gully.
"Tsk! This isn't funny, brother."
Looking at the furry creature and the Nameless who was suspected to be a Vidyadhara Dragon Lord before him, Boothill could not help but click his tongue in displeasure.
Even so, he was somewhat helpless. The strength the Vidyadhara before him had displayed was far beyond what he could match. If a conflict arose, he would not have a good outcome.
Moreover, Boothill currently needed the Astral Express's help and wanted to use their identity to enter Penacony.
"Cough cough. I understand your intention. You want to use the Nameless' identity to enter Penacony, correct?"
Dan Heng coughed lightly twice, subtly covering the faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Correct. I have something I must do in Penacony—more precisely, in the 'Dreamjolt Hostelry.' But I don't have an invitation. The Family won't even let me through the hotel door, so I can only borrow the Nameless' identity."
"After all, with your current fame, the entire galaxy knows you are the Family's honored guests."
Boothill put the revolver back into the holster at his waist, spread his hands, and answered honestly.
He had originally bypassed the Family's control and sneaked into Penacony's reality, but unfortunately, the Acheron he was looking for was currently in the Dreamjolt Hostelry. However, the security there…
"Your purpose? What is your goal in going to the Dreamjolt Hostelry? If you want to use our Nameless name, you must tell us your true purpose. After all, what you represent… is the reputation of the Nameless."
Dan Heng spoke calmly, his eyes staring fixedly at Boothill opposite him as if trying to burn two holes through him.
"Mm… This isn't really something worth hiding. It's fine to tell you. The Galaxy Rangers are hunting down an 'impostor'—a little cutie pretending to be one of us. She's in Penacony right now."
Hearing this, Dan Heng did not reply immediately. Instead, he glanced at Conductor Pom-Pom beside him, seemingly confirming the truth of Boothill's words with him.
"Explain in more detail."
"Tsk! So troublesome."
Boothill raised his eyebrows slightly and crossed his arms.
"The impostor's name is 'Acheron.' Based on what we know about her, she is very likely an Emanator—a Nihility Emanator."
"That's impossible."
After hearing the title "Nihility Emanator," Dan Heng subconsciously lowered his arms and voiced his denial.
"Hahaha, when I first heard this news, my reaction was exactly the same as yours right now." Boothill sneered, his expression saying 'look at this inexperienced kid.'
Dan Heng's face remained unchanged toward Boothill's veiled mockery.
"IX does not glance at anyone. That is only logical. What reason would They have to grant power to a mortal?"
"Heh heh, then you must also know that everyone has their own secrets. For example, aren't you hiding things yourself? The same goes for Emanators. We don't know how she became an Emissary of Nihility, but she does exist."
"The so-called Paths are ultimately concepts created by intelligent life. Therefore, there will always be things that exceed our understanding! Perhaps the reason we think Nihility has no Emanators is simply because we are not yet Nihil enough?"
Dan Heng fell silent, and so did Pom-Pom. Clearly, they had begun to somewhat agree with Boothill's words.
Yes, just as Boothill said—even the purest Hunt had both the light-side Xianzhou Alliance and the dark-side Galaxy Rangers, let alone the even older and more mysterious Nihility?
Looking at the silent man and furry creature, Boothill felt he had roughly convinced them and continued to strike while the iron was hot.