---o---
After seeing March 7th off, Fu Zhu returned to his room and checked his phone for the message Himeko had sent to the group chat earlier.
[Himeko: Once everyone is ready, let's meet at the Golden Hour in the dream.]
"Enter the dream?"
Fu Zhu looked around the room. He couldn't find anything resembling a bed. What was even stranger was the object placed awkwardly in the center of the room near the window—a "bathtub" shaped like a giant seashell.
This reminded him of what Sparkle had said earlier about a dream pool. Could this bathtub be the so-called dream-entering device?
Fu Zhu thought it was quite possible. Still, just to be safe, he took a bed out of his inventory, placed it to the side, and lay down on it.
[Respawn Point Set]
With his respawn point set, Fu Zhu felt much more at ease. Having just arrived in Penacony, he had no idea if any of the previous Nameless had set up Space Anchors here. If he happened to die, he didn't want to have to run all the way back.
Just as Fu Zhu was about to step into the Dream Pool, a knock on his securely locked door interrupted him.
With a sigh, Fu Zhu turned and walked to the door. The person standing outside was somewhat of a surprise.
"Hi, we meet again so soon, Mr. Fu Zhu."
Aventurine stood at the door, waving with a cheerful smile. He glanced left and right at the occasionally passing guests in the hallway before asking Fu Zhu, "Mr. Fu Zhu, might I be so fortunate as to come in and speak with you in detail?"
"Come in."
Fu Zhu stepped aside. He had wanted to talk with Aventurine anyway to learn a few things about the Company.
"Many thanks."
Aventurine smiled and nodded, following Fu Zhu into the room.
He followed quietly behind Fu Zhu, his eyes scanning the room until they finally rested on the single bed Fu Zhu had placed inside.
"Truly worthy of a room booked by the esteemed Mr. Screwllum. It even has a bed. It's completely different from my room. Or perhaps, is this your handiwork, Mr. Fu Zhu?"
Aventurine smiled as he stared at Fu Zhu. He had previously received quite a bit of intel on Fu Zhu from [Diamond], which included some of his personal habits. For example, he always seemed to carry a single bed with him, and he liked to place it down wherever he went. Was it a peculiar habit of needing a familiar bed to sleep on? Or was placing this special bed of great importance to Mr. Fu Zhu?
"Is your purpose here just to tour my guest room? If so, I'll have to ask you to leave, Mr. Aventurine."
Fu Zhu said, rather exasperated, as he sat on the sofa and gestured to the empty seat opposite him. "If you have something else to discuss, please sit down first. But if you're really just here to see my room, then I'll have to kindly show you the door."
Aventurine immediately walked over and sat down opposite Fu Zhu. He wouldn't miss a rare opportunity for a private conversation.
After sitting down, Aventurine studied Fu Zhu intently for a few moments.
Although they had only met twice, based on the Company's intel and his own judgment, he believed Fu Zhu was the type of person who valued efficiency and was not above using any means to achieve his goals. Communicating with such a person would be very easy; one just had to get straight to the point and state their demands.
If the other party was interested, a deal could be struck. However, there was another possibility with people like this: if they had no intention of cooperating, then no matter what benefits were offered, they would not be swayed.
A fifty-fifty chance, then?
After a moment of contemplation, Aventurine went straight to the point. "Mr. Fu Zhu, I am here in Penacony on behalf of the Strategic Investment Department for three reasons. First, to establish a closer relationship with you and your companions on behalf of the department. All expenses for you and your friends during your stay in Penacony will be covered by the Company."
"Second, to pursue the legacy of Penacony's father, the 'Watchmaker'... However, after meeting you, I've decided to slightly alter this objective. The Strategic Investment Department would be more than happy to help the Astral Express obtain the Watchmaker's Legacy. I believe that is why you are here, correct?"
"Third, the Strategic Investment Department intends to reclaim Penacony for the Company."
Fu Zhu was somewhat surprised by Aventurine's candor, but upon reflection, it was likely a gesture of sincerity from the Company, or at least from the Strategic Investment Department. They didn't want to provoke a troublesome entity like him again after the Jarilo-VI incident.
This aligned perfectly with Fu Zhu's own intentions. He wanted to continue his trailblazing journey peacefully with his companions. As long as the Company didn't cause trouble for him and continued its cooperation with the Astral Express, that was all he could ask for.
"Since Mr. Aventurine has been so forthright, I will, on behalf of the Astral Express, thank the esteemed members of the Strategic Investment Department for their kindness. As for the Company's third objective, however, I'm afraid I can only wish you luck."
The conflict between The Family and the Company was a struggle between two unfamiliar powers. Fu Zhu wouldn't get involved unless he was incredibly bored.
Although Fu Zhu's lack of interest in cooperating was a slight disappointment to Aventurine, sometimes, his inaction was the greatest help he could offer the Company.
Aventurine's biggest concern regarding the Company's plan to reclaim Penacony was Fu Zhu. If an unpredictable Envoy of Finality decided to pull some stunts, his plans would be greatly affected.
Not being able to win him over, ensuring his non-participation was the best possible outcome.
"In that case, I won't disturb you any longer, Mr. Fu Zhu. I imagine you need to go meet up with your companions now. I shall take my leave."
Aventurine stood up gracefully. Since Fu Zhu had no intention of cooperating, continuing to linger and force conversation would only lower Fu Zhu's opinion of him. It would be better to wait until they were in the dream world and find an opportunity to have a 'chance encounter' with Fu Zhu. That would be a more effective way to improve his standing.
"Take care."
After seeing Aventurine off, Fu Zhu finally had the chance to continue his study of the Dream Pool.
He walked to its edge and glanced at the bubbling, steaming liquid inside, feeling speechless. Could it be that when Sparkle was setting up her prank, she didn't know that Nameless who walk the Path of [Trailblaze] have extremely high resistance to extreme environments?
Not to mention, he had the physique of Steve. Forget hundred-degree boiling water, even if it were ten-thousand-degree water, as long as it was still water, it wouldn't cause him any harm!
Fu Zhu stepped into the Dream Pool. The next second, his figure vanished from within it.
When Fu Zhu's vision returned, he was surprised to find himself thousands of meters in the sky. Below him were several prosperous cities floating among the clouds.
"So this is the dream world?"