---o---
High in the sky, Fu Zhu equipped his Elytra, gliding as he surveyed the scenery below.
Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from his upper right.
"—Old Bro, save me!"
After a single shout, Xing zipped past Fu Zhu and plummeted straight to the ground.
Fu Zhu looked to his right with a puzzled expression. "What the hell just flew past me?"
He checked his minimap and saw that the object that had just flown by seemed to be Xing, but it was too late to do anything now.
A soft thud echoed from the ground. Fu Zhu looked down to see Xing wobbling to her feet.
"Little Sis, you're okay?"
Fu Zhu was a bit surprised. His eyesight was excellent, and he could clearly see that Xing, who had just hit the ground, not only had no visible injuries but hadn't even triggered the Totem of Undying he had given her. She was clearly unharmed.
It seemed this dream world was rather special.
But on second thought, it made sense. In a dream, anything could happen—except for death. When a person is about to experience "death" in a dream, their body's protective mechanism kicks in, causing them to wake up immediately. It's commonly known as a nightmare.
Seeing that his little sister had already tested some of the world's rules for him, Fu Zhu decided to simply unequip his Elytra. After all, Elytra durability was precious. Since falling wouldn't kill him, just jumping down was much faster.
On the ground, Xing clutched her head and staggered to her feet. A voice filled with concern came from beside her.
"Miss Nameless, are you alright?"
Xing opened her dazed eyes to see Robin and Sunday standing nearby. Robin was extending a hand to help her up, a worried look on her face.
Supported by Robin, Xing got to her feet and couldn't help but mutter, "To fall from that high and not die... I was almost scared to death though!"
Robin smiled gently and helped brush off the dust Xing had collected from her fall. "Don't worry, this is a dream. You can't be hurt or die here. You won't even get scared. At most, you'll just wake up from the dream. After all, this is the most important part of Penacony. We can't let our guests have any accidents in their beautiful dreams."
"You can't die in a dream? That's awesome!"
The moment Xing heard she couldn't die, her mind immediately filled with several death-defying stunts she'd never dared to try before.
However, in the next second, a figure crashed to the ground right beside her with a thump. Xing, Robin, and Sunday turned to look, just in time to see Fu Zhu, glowing red, lying askew on the ground before completely vanishing.
[Player Fu Zhu fell from a high place]
Having been with Fu Zhu for so long, Xing naturally recognized this as the visual effect that appeared when her big bro died. Even though she knew he could respawn, he had definitely experienced a death. She immediately whirled around to face Robin, who had just claimed that no one could die in the dream.
Xing's eyes darted around, and she suddenly threw herself onto the spot where Fu Zhu had died, wailing dramatically.
"Old Bro! Old Bro, what happened to you? You can't die! We've been through so much together, thick and thin for all these years! I never thought I, the gray-haired one, would be sending off the black-haired one today!"
As Xing wailed, she frantically pawed at the ground, as if trying to gather the fragments of her brother.
Robin and Sunday stood aside, watching this over-the-top performance with twitching mouths.
As the Planet of Festivities, Penacony had hosted countless species and personalities, but this was the first time they had ever seen a Nameless who could act with such shameless gusto.
Robin couldn't take it anymore. She knelt and placed a gentle hand on Xing's shoulder, comforting her softly. "Don't worry, your brother must have been woken up by the dream pool's protective mechanism due to excessive shock. He isn't really dead."
"I don't believe you!"
Robin looked helplessly at her brother beside her. Sunday gave her a nod and then took out his phone to make a call.
"Have a few Hounds check Mr. Fu Zhu's room immediately. Confirm that he is safely in his room. Remember to take a photo."
After giving the order to his subordinate, Sunday gave Robin another reassuring look.
Seeing Sunday's arrangements, Robin relaxed. She and Sunday knew very well that even if Fu Zhu woke up and re-entered the dream world, his physical body would remain by the Dream Pool. As long as the Hound family members took a photo, Xing would understand.
However, a few moments later, Sunday's phone rang. He answered it, expecting good news, but the Hound family member on the other end delivered a massive, unprecedented "joke."
"It's not good, Mr. Sunday! Mr. Fu Zhu is not in his room at all! And according to the surveillance, Mr. Fu Zhu hasn't left his room since he entered!"
The Hound member on the other end was so frantic that his voice was exceptionally loud. Even though Sunday didn't have it on speaker, Xing and Robin vaguely heard the conversation.
Xing, who had just been acting, immediately grew tense.
She was just trying to pull a prank on the celebrity, Robin! How could her old bro really be in trouble?
Sunday reacted instantly, ordering the Hound member on the phone, "Find Mr. Fu Zhu immediately! Confirm his safety!"
It didn't matter if the missing person was Fu Zhu or not. If news of someone disappearing in the Reverie Hotel got out, it would inevitably damage Penacony's reputation. Who would dare to stay at the Reverie Hotel in the future? Especially with the Charmony Festival approaching, there could be no problems.
After giving his orders, Sunday immediately turned to the panicked Xing and assured her, "Miss Xing, please don't worry. The Family will definitely bring you good news. It has only been a few minutes since Mr. Fu Zhu disappeared. He is certainly not in any danger. I give you my word as the head of the Oak family."
Though Sunday offered his guarantee, Xing was still not at ease. Just as she was about to say something, Fu Zhu's voice suddenly came from directly above them.
"Did I just hear someone mention me?"
Fu Zhu took off his Elytra and landed steadily beside Xing. He turned to the three of them. "What's wrong?"
Fu Zhu's sudden appearance left Sunday and Robin looking astonished. Xing, on the other hand, was overjoyed and threw her arms around him.
"Thank goodness, Old Bro, you're not dead!"
"No, I did die once..." Fu Zhu patted the head of the girl in his arms, then turned to the slightly agape Sunday and Robin. "So, you were just talking about me? What happened?"
Sunday immediately composed himself and took out his phone to call the Hound family member again.
"Go back to the room and check the situation now!"
The phone wasn't hung up, and the Hound family member quickly replied.
"Mr. Fu Zhu is still not in the room!"
Sunday's brow furrowed tightly. He just hummed a soft "I see," before saying, "There's no need to search anymore. Return to your posts."
After hanging up, Sunday looked at Fu Zhu, who was also eyeing him with narrowed eyes.
"Mr. Sunday, right? Based on your conversation just now, it seems that the 'me' in the real world is having some sort of problem?"
"Yes." Sunday nodded and got straight to the point. "Mr. Fu Zhu, I'd like to know which room's Dream Pool you used to enter the dream?"
Just as Fu Zhu was about to answer, he noticed a new, unfamiliar buff in his status bar.
[Harmony's Chord I: 00:30]
Why did he suddenly have this buff? There could only be one reason.
Fu Zhu's tone grew cold. He took a protective step in front of Xing, then pulled out a bucket of milk and drank it. "Mr. Sunday, let me ask you first: is this a simple inquiry or an interrogation? Is it necessary for you to use the power of Harmony?"
Hearing this, Robin immediately realized what Sunday had done. She frowned slightly and turned to him. "Brother!"
Sunday silently withdrew the power of Harmony. He was a bit perplexed. He had clearly felt the power of Harmony taking effect on Fu Zhu. Fu Zhu should have answered his question honestly instead of throwing another one back at him. Did the power of Harmony not work on him? Or was it because of that bucket of milky white liquid?
But now was not the time to investigate such matters.
Sunday knew his actions had been too aggressive. He quickly bowed in apology. "My apologies, Mr. Fu Zhu. I was too agitated. Your situation is unprecedented in Penacony. I acted rashly. I am truly sorry."
Seeing his sincere attitude and that he had immediately withdrawn the power of Harmony, Fu Zhu did not press the matter further.
"It's fine, but I don't want a repeat of this."
"Of course."
The two sisters beside them didn't understand what their brothers were talking about. Xing tugged on Fu Zhu's sleeve. "Old Bro, what are you guys talking about? What do you mean the 'you' in reality has a problem?"
"I'm afraid Mr. Sunday would be better equipped to answer that. He should know more."
Fu Zhu had a few guesses. It seemed that unlike Xing and the others, he didn't enter the dream world in a non-physical form, but had instead entered with his actual body. There were two pieces of evidence to support this theory: one, he still took fall damage; and two, the sensation of entering this world was just like entering the Nether.
Sunday pondered for a moment before speaking to Fu Zhu again. "Mr. Fu Zhu, would you allow me to examine your body?"
"You may."
Fu Zhu also wanted to confirm if he had truly entered the dream world with his physical body, so he readily extended his right hand to Sunday.
"Thank you for your trust."
After thanking him, Sunday placed his fingers on Fu Zhu's wrist, as if taking his pulse.
He didn't know what he was looking for, but what he found was a shock. He could clearly sense multiple Paths within Fu Zhu's body: Elation, Trailblaze, Erudition, Preservation, Abundance... and the most potent of all, Finality!
This made Sunday look at Fu Zhu in astonishment. "Mr. Fu Zhu... are you really just a Nameless?"
"Of course." Fu Zhu smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm sure you've noticed that although I possess multiple Paths, I am still just a Nameless. Besides, that's not what we're discussing right now, is it?"
"My apologies." Sunday took a deep breath, pushing his shock back down. He meticulously examined Fu Zhu's body and finally got the answer he was looking for.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, you are different from everyone else right now. You have entered the dream world with your physical body. I have never seen a situation like this before."
"I knew it."
Sunday's words confirmed his guess and also gave him a deeper understanding of his own "uniqueness." Even in a dream world, he remained singular.
Hearing Sunday's words, Xing and Robin both looked at Fu Zhu with astonishment. This was the first time they had ever heard of someone being physically present in a dream.
Robin suddenly thought of something and gasped, covering her mouth. "So that means, Mr. Fu Zhu, you really... died once just now?"
Before Fu Zhu could answer, Xing waved her hand dismissively, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "How is that possible! I was just kidding earlier. My brother just teleported away."
The secret of her brother's ability to resurrect was for their inner circle only; there was no need to reveal it to others.
Seeing Xing's explanation, Fu Zhu nodded in agreement.
Robin breathed a sigh of relief, but still reminded him with some concern, "Mr. Fu Zhu, your situation is quite special. You must be extremely careful in the dream world."
"Yes, I know. Thank you for the reminder."
Robin nodded, then turned to Sunday, who was still staring at Fu Zhu. She gently tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, The Family has matters waiting for us to handle."
Only then did Sunday snap out of it. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from Fu Zhu. "Then we must take our leave. Mr. Fu Zhu, I hope we'll have time to chat again later."
"As you wish."
After watching the Sunday siblings leave, Fu Zhu turned to Xing beside him.
"Where are Himeko and the others?"
Xing shook her head. The only companion she had seen since entering the dream world was Fu Zhu.
"No idea. Let's not worry about them for now. Old Bro, why don't you show me around?"
"Alright."
This was Fu Zhu's first time in such a dream world. It looked very prosperous, and it would be a waste not to explore it.
The two siblings walked side-by-side down the street, chatting about the surrounding scenery. They hadn't gone far before a vaguely familiar figure emerged from the next corner.
"Yo, if it isn't you two! What a coincidence to see you here, family!"
Sampo spotted Fu Zhu and Xing walking together and immediately waved his arm excitedly as he approached.
"Sampo?"
Xing was quite surprised to see him. Didn't Jarilo-VI just get internet access? How did Sampo get to Penacony so quickly?
Fu Zhu was also puzzled. He opened his minimap to check.
[Sampo (Sparkle)]
Fu Zhu immediately turned to the approaching Sampo, a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes on his face.
"Sampo, you'd better tell me your nickname is Sparkle, or else you can wait for another spanking."