Episode 206: Who lost the title of 'Nameless' because it was too embarrassing ~
"The people here, whether staff or guests, are completely ignorant of what happens in the dream."
"There's an inexplicable harmony overflowing everywhere, but the way I see it, this isn't a good omen."
"I share the same feeling." Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "There is another strange matter."…
"Among the Five Great Families that rule Penacony, the Oak Family is the host of this conference, responsible for coordinating and managing all affairs both inside and outside the dreamscape."
"But the strange thing is…"
"I just took a big lap around the hotel. At such a crucial moment, I didn't bump into a single member of the Oak Family."
At this moment, Boothill suddenly remembered something of vital importance.
"What the mother-loving baby... If I remember correctly, the head of the Oak Family is that Sunday guy, right?" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Robin (Honkai: Star Rail): "Is there some misunderstanding here? Brother wouldn't possibly do something like that, right?" ]
[ Robin (Honkai: Star Rail): "During such a major festival, it should be normal for our Oak Family to be busy, right?" ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "That may be true, but in a hotel as large as yours, not seeing a single person is indeed abnormal." ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "Moreover, shouldn't the managers of the dreamscape appear before people's eyes even more frequently?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Could it be… that the same situation as that birthday party before is happening?" ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "On this point, we can trust in Penacony's integrity." ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "However…" ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "It seems there are many secrets within this. What kind of things will actually happen at Penacony's Charmony Festival?" ]
[ Robin (Honkai: Star Rail): "Brother…" ]
[ Boothill (Honkai: Star Rail): "Mother-loving baby, I'm stopping talking." ]
[ .....]
『 Hearing this, Dan Heng's eyes sharply scanned the surroundings.
"We cannot stay here long. Let's return to the Astral Express first, then make a plan."
"Don't act on impulse." Boothill laughed. "Brother, have you ever tried picking a lock and running for it? Do that, and you'll instantly become the talk of the town."…
"Are you suggesting we sit here and do nothing?" Dan Heng asked curiously.
Boothill, however, shook his head….
"Not entirely. We don't have to follow the rules too strictly, but staying here might be more advantageous."
"Even if the Family has a conspiracy, they definitely won't expect us to show up at their door so quickly."
"After all, in their eyes, we are the variables."
"They won't dare to act rashly, because we aren't the only ones worried about alerting the enemy."
"The people in the Family must also be afraid of disturbing outsiders."
Having said that, Boothill signaled a direction with his eyes….
"See that? There are still eyes from those IPC dogs watching us in the hotel."
"Assuming I was really someone from the Family, I would definitely find an excuse to stall those unstable factors. There's no need to jump into the trap they've set." Dan Heng analyzed thoughtfully.
"That goes without saying." Boothill nodded. "Why should we waste our time with them here?"
"I left a backup plan with that Memokeeper earlier. If we really have no way to enter the dreamscape, she will leave a bottle of wine for me in the VIP lounge of the hotel in reality."....
"This… counts as your secret signal?" Dan Heng's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed; having a new plan was always good.
Boothill confirmed: "Exactly."
"An object can indeed serve as a medium to establish a connection between you and the Memokeeper." Speaking of this, Dan Heng looked at Boothill with a burning gaze. "However, Mr. Boothill, if there is a backup plan in the future, I hope you can tell me in advance."
"Forgive me," Boothill explained with a smile. "Just treat it as a habit of mine."
"After all, those lousy friends around me… if they knew the full plan ahead of time, they would definitely cause me some trouble. No amount of preparation would be enough to fill the holes they dig."
With the plan clear, how to execute it became the hurdle before them…..
"How do we sneak into the VIP lounge?" Dan Heng asked suspiciously.
"That's easy. Just use some street smarts." Boothill said confidently.
Immediately after, Boothill led Dan Heng to find a staff member who looked like a leader.
"You're the lobby manager here, right?" Boothill stepped forward and asked directly.
"That's correct. How may I be of service to you two?" Dennis, the lobby manager of the Reverie Hotel, turned around quickly and responded politely and respectfully…..
Boothill looked the manager up and down and spoke bluntly: "The two of us are passengers from the Astral Express, here to check in, but we've been waiting for ages without a word."
"Especially that little girl at your front desk. She said she'd contact the person in charge for us, and then she vanished."
"The two of us have been staring at each other, waiting here dry for half the day. Thirsty with no water, hungry with no food. Hey, is this how your Family treats VIPs?"
Watching Boothill's barrage of questioning, Dan Heng turned his head away speechlessly.
"Your so-called street smarts are just picking a quarrel?"
"This is called fighting for our legitimate rights," Boothill responded softly. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Silver Wolf (Honkai: Star Rail): "Goddamn street smarts…" ]
[ Shizuka Hiratsuka (Oregairu): "Hahahaha! Legitimate rights should be fought for exactly like this." ]
[ Murata Himeko (Honkai: Impact Third): "That's right, that's right." ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Is that so?" ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "It seems a bit different from what is usually said." ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "Alright, stop teaching people weird things." ]
[ Kiana (Honkai: Impact Third): "Oh, oh." ]
[ .....]
『 Hearing this, Dan Heng maintained his professional smile and answered, "Please, calm down, you two. I understand the situation now."
"Our hotel does indeed need to communicate with Mr. Sunday first."
"How about this? I will prepare two VIP lounges for you, equipped with drinks. You can rest while you wait for news."
"See, problem solved." Boothill winked proudly at Dan Heng.
However, the response he got was a look of undisguised disdain from Dan Heng.
"Just... just don't call yourself a Nameless next time." Dan Heng said helplessly.
(You are too embarrassing. The Nameless can't afford to lose this much face.) 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Boothill (Honkai: Star Rail): "Mother-loving baby, am I that embarrassing? Why can't I call myself a Nameless?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Why don't you look at what you are actually saying?" ]
[ Sparkle (Honkai: Star Rail): "Oh my~ my~ getting rejected, are we?" ]
[ Boothill (Honkai: Star Rail): "Baby'd a leg, still better than you, you Masked Fool." ]
[ Sparkle (Honkai: Star Rail): "MwuHehehehe~" ]
[ .....]
『 Next, under the enthusiastic guidance of the lobby manager, the two entered the luxurious VIP lounge inside the hotel.
"Wow, truly a place of festivities that lives up to its reputation."
"Even bars in reality rarely have this kind of grandeur."
Chatting as they walked, they arrived at the bar area.
The bartender responsible for welcoming guests, Anderson, greeted them with a face full of smiles.
"Good evening, two handsome gentlemen!"
"Hey... I have an order for a bottle of Asdana's White Oak. Can you help us find it?" Boothill made his request directly to the bartender.
Hearing the name of this wine, both of them couldn't help but recall the phone call earlier.
It was exactly the request they had made to that Memokeeper named 'Black Swan.'
However, after hearing this, the bartender asked back with a face full of confusion:
"Asdana's White Oak? I'm afraid you two have remembered incorrectly. We don't have that wine here." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Boothill (Honkai: Star Rail): "Mother-loving baby, are you playing me?" ]
[ Black Swan (Honkai: Star Rail): "Be patient. Perhaps the time hasn't arrived yet." ]
[ .....]
『 Upon hearing this, Boothill obviously didn't believe the excuse.
"Impossible. Think about it again carefully?"
The bartender answered firmly:
"For such high-end wine, if someone really reserved it, I would definitely remember it clearly."
"You know, a single bottle is worth hundreds of thousands of credits. If I dropped it or lost it, I couldn't afford to pay for it." The bartender explained in a whisper.
Looking at his sincere and honest expression, Boothill also felt it was fishy.
"That's really weird. Could it be that the Memokeeper couldn't afford the wine?"
"Then what should we do now?" Dan Heng asked, puzzled.
"Don't rush. Let's order two other drinks first. Maybe we came too early, and she hasn't arrived yet." Boothill said, relaxedly.
So, they ordered two drinks from the bartender and found a place to stand and taste them.
"Hiss-ah!"…
"This flavor... Dynamite Barbecue with Rocket Fuel..."
"It really hits the spot! Truly the finest sherry cask-aged malt juice in the cosmos."
Boothill took a fierce swig of the malt juice and laughed heartily.
However, the taste he mentioned made Dan Heng feel baffled.
"'Dynamite Barbecue with Rocket Fuel'... Is that really something that humans enjoy?"
Facing Dan Heng's confusion, Boothill grinned.
"Hey, this guy doesn't know anything at all."
The bartender also smiled: "As long as you two are satisfied, please take your time enjoying it."
After saying that, the bartender went about his own business.
Once the bartender left, Boothill proposed a plan to Dan Heng.
"Let's wait here for that Memokeeper for half a system hour. If she still doesn't show up, we'll think of another way."
"In the meantime, it's just enough time for us to sort out our thoughts. Tell me, where did things go wrong this time?"
Dan Heng pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"The situation this time is indeed unclear."
"There must be something hidden in the festival, but the public knows nothing about it."
"Presumably, some big shot in the Family is covering everything up from behind the scenes, right?"
"Cooperation between different factions is rare to begin with, let alone with the IPC and Masked Fools mixing in."
"Add to that the Nihility Emanator you mentioned… if she's really here, the situation in Penacony is just too complicated." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "If we go by what is said on the screen, the future Penacony can be said to be a gathering place for Pathstriders from most of the universe." ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "In other words, this place is also a powder keg, a place where a crisis could erupt at any time." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Then should we maybe not go? It sounds so dangerous." ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "Hehe, we are the Astral Express. These are the times when we are needed, aren't they?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Hehehe, just joking to liven up the atmosphere…" ]
[ .....]
『 Boothill suddenly changed the subject: "Speaking of that Acheron, there's something I've been quite concerned about. As you know, the faction that follows the Path of the 『 Hunt 』 is some of the most dangerous folks in the Cosmos to mess with."
"I mean, who in their right mind would impersonate the Xianzhou Alliance or the Galaxy Rangers? It's like asking for a death wish..."
"Isn't there a saying among the Xianzhou people that 'the Reignbow sect lets their Lux Arrow do all the beating...'"
Before Boothill could finish, Dan Heng interrupted to correct him.
"Talking. Do all the talking."
"He baby'd a leg, that's close enough. As long as you know what I mean." Boothill waved his hand, appearing not to care. "Anyway, don't look at how we Galaxy Rangers have been keeping a low profile these years; actually, we've been closely watching this universe. Many hotheads would rather provoke those lunatics in the Annihilation Gang than offend us."
"…But that woman, Acheron…"
"At least judging from her style of action, she doesn't seem like a randomly crazy person."
"Quite the opposite. She is very organized, knowing when to stop and when to make a ruthless decision."
"When she needs to act decisively, she absolutely won't show mercy."
"So, you think this person is flying the banner of the Galaxy Rangers but has other intentions behind it?" Dan Heng was also completely confused.
Boothill just shook his head gently upon hearing this.
"I haven't concluded. I just vaguely feel something isn't right about this matter. Maybe she really has a friendship with the Galaxy Rangers, or perhaps she has some reason to draw us out. It's unknown."
"To sum it up in one sentence: I can't say for sure either."
Dan Heng listened, and his thoughts returned to the major event of the Family at hand.
"I'm more concerned about the Family's side. After all, that grand gathering…"
"Over a dozen Pathstriders have been invited to Penacony. This is no small matter."
"No matter how open the Family is, they wouldn't go so far as to do something this unreasonable."
"Unless those invitation letters weren't sent by the Family at all. But even so, the Family insists on holding the Charmony Festival. The meaning behind this is even more unfathomable."
Regarding this, Boothill appeared unusually open-minded.
"Maybe all of this is the instruction of The 『 Harmony 』, Xipe?"
"The things you think are unreasonable are because we humans couldn't do them."
"Humans will do foolish things out of irrational impulses."
"They will abandon their principles when their own interests are touched."
"They will also believe in things they know they shouldn't believe."
"Mother-loving baby, people will even directly break the rules they just set."
"But, Star Gods won't."
"Star Gods will only walk one path into the dark. THEY don't turn back until THEY hit the south wall. No, wait—even if THEY hit it, THEY won't turn back." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Huh? Why wouldn't THEY turn back even if THEY hit the south wall? Doesn't that hurt?" ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Here, it should just be a metaphor, explaining that once the Star Godshave set THEIR sights on something, THEY will not change THEIR minds." ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "That's right. So-called Star Gods are those who have reached the ultimate extreme in a certain area." ]
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "Wow, amazing. Always working hard in one place." ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "Reached the extreme in… a certain place?" ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Simply put, Star Gods are existences bound by THEIR Paths. THEY can only perform actions that align with THEIR own Path, so it counts as not turning back even after hitting the south wall." ]
[ Eriri Spencer Sawamura (Saekano): "But, why do THEY have to do that? What if THEY get it wrong?" ]
[ Fu Xuan (Honkai: Star Rail): "Being wrong is irrelevant to a Star God. Just like… in the past." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Is that so?" ]
[ Ganyu (Genshin Impact): "Then, can Rex Lapis also be considered the extreme of the Path of Contracts? Throughout the long years, he has always upheld the execution of contracts." ]
[ Neuvillette (Genshin Impact): "God of Contracts…" ]
[ Topaz (Honkai: Star Rail): "A Path of Contracts? There doesn't seem to be one, but hoping for one wouldn't be bad." ]
[ Topaz (Honkai: Star Rail): "For our Company, that is also quite necessary." ]
[ .....]
『 "Are you saying this matter is actually driven by Xipe's will?" Dan Heng asked Boothill.
Regrettably, Boothill couldn't be certain about this either.
"It may not necessarily be Xipe, but there's definitely some higher entity involved."
"I know it may sound pessimistic, but if human free will were reliable, why would we even need Galaxy Rangers?"
"It's much simpler when you boil it down to the Aeons and Paths; things become much simpler."
"Just like how Lan is forever on the path of The 『 Hunt 』, and although Akivili is missing, the Express still travels on the tracks of The 『 Trailblaze 』, never deviating."
But Dan Heng had a different perspective on this: "I feel that Akivili's fall was also a precious legacy left for the Nameless."
"Oh? I guess it's because after losing the absolutely correct navigator, the Nameless must take responsibility for their own choices?" Boothill laughed.
"That's right. I believe the meaning of travel is not to find an absolutely correct path," Dan Heng expressed his view concisely, "but to pick a suitable path to the best of one's ability amidst the boundless possibilities, based on one's own knowledge and judgment." 』
『 .....』