"We're finally here! So this is Penacony?"
March 7 gazed at the magnificent hotel, her eyes shining with excitement.
Walking behind her, [Stelle] casually added:
"Not exactly. This is just the surface of Penacony, the entrance. The real Penacony exists within a dream."
"I read about it on the way here, but actually building a city in a dream... it sounds so magical."
The process of entering Penacony was much smoother than they had imagined.
Of course, they also spotted a few familiar faces.
"...Aventurine?"
[Stelle] rested her chin on her hand, a little surprised to see the figure in the distance.
Hearing her voice, he looked over.
"Hmm? You're from the Astral Express, aren't you? ...And that emblem, are you a representative of Glamoth?"
When facing the Astral Express crew, Aventurine wore a professional smile. However, his expression turned serious the moment he noticed the insignia on [Stelle].
The real Stelle was clearly caught off guard by this, but seeing the other party's noticeably more enthusiastic attitude, she instantly activated her prankster mode, hands on her hips, with a smug look on her face:
"That's right, I'm from Glamoth!"
"Uh..."
Aventurine's expression immediately became a bit strange.
March 7 shot Stelle a dissatisfied glare, then clasped her hands together and corrected her: "Seriously, you need to stand your ground! Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this one here is our companion, a Nameless from the Astral Express. The one next to me is the real representative from Glamoth!"
"Haha, no matter..."
[Stelle] then asked, "Does the Corporation have business here?"
"Let's just say it's an old score to settle. You should know about Penacony's past."
"Did Diamond send you?" [Stelle] continued.
"You could say that."
"What are his arrangements?"
Faced with [Stelle]'s questioning, Aventurine looked a bit troubled:
"Well... about that... I'm sorry, it's not convenient to disclose."
"Never mind, I won't disturb your work," [Stelle] said. "By the way, how are the people of Sigonia-IV doing?"
"Thanks to Her Majesty the Empress, they are doing very well."
A smile touched his lips.
Aventurine's home planet, Sigonia-IV, was one of the many planets influenced by Glamoth. Because Oswaldo had been dealt with and the Corporation's business practices had been rectified by Glamoth, the IPC now followed Glamoth's standards when dealing with poor and struggling planets, providing as much assistance as possible.
Of course, this help was not free. It was framed as an advance debt signed with the planet's authorities. However, unlike the Corporation's previous exploitative methods that sucked the very marrow from their bones, this paid assistance was mainly to prevent the aided planets from losing the ability to correctly measure value and judge the universe.
But even so, the help from Glamoth and the Corporation was like a heaven-sent rain for Sigonia-IV.
After a preliminary planetary terraforming project, the barren land allowed the Avgins to escape hunger. Glamoth even permitted their conflict with the Katicans. After all, people couldn't always live in harmony; in the process of exploring the path forward, disagreements were bound to arise.
But even if it was unavoidable, Glamoth would hope for and restrain them, keeping such conflicts within as small a scope and magnitude as possible.
After all, whether it was victory or defeat, it was both sides that would be hurt in the end.
Under the promotion of this philosophy, the people of Sigonia-IV lived a life they couldn't have dared to imagine in the past. At the same time, their faith in Glamoth ran parallel to their original belief in the Mother Goddess, and even faintly surpassed it.
In the end, faith in the Mother Goddess was only to seek a little psychological comfort in a difficult life, while Glamoth would actually save them from dire straits, even willing to sacrifice lives to do so.
Aventurine, or Kakavasha, originally wanted to join the army and become a glorious Glamoth Iron Cavalry.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, he was not selected. At that time, he happened to meet people from the Corporation, so Glamoth suggested that Kakavasha might try his luck with them.
And it turned out that Kakavasha indeed had a very high aptitude for the Corporation. Although in some respects, the Corporation was still a bit far from the Glamoth he had initially hoped for, he still loved his job very much.
"Mr. Jiang Qiao."
After they registered their information at the front desk, they saw Robin rushing over. Unsurprisingly, the greeting immediately led to another mix-up, likely with the real Stelle trying to impersonate him.
"You're getting addicted to this, aren't you!" March 7 fiercely fuzzed up the mischievous Stellaron Hunter's hair, her hands on her hips in dissatisfaction.
Robin just covered her mouth and giggled.
"Everyone, allow me to show you around Penacony."
"Having the famous Miss Robin as our guide is naturally for the best," Himeko nodded.
Robin walked ahead, introducing Penacony to the Astral Express crew.
However, it was rather strange that Penacony seemed a bit desolate now.
"I've heard of Penacony's fame as the Planet of Festivities, but for some reason..." Himeko mused.
"Yes, the number of guests on the Planet of Festivities has decreased significantly compared to the past."
Robin didn't deny it, sighing and nodding.
[Stelle] asked, "Is it because of Glamoth?"
"...I suppose so."
Penacony had always been known as a city of debauchery and sweet dreams. "Living a life of luxury" was the most accurate description for most people who came here.
After all, dreams could satisfy people's desires in the cheapest way, giving them access to things and people they couldn't even dream of touching... But unfortunately, Glamoth's sudden appearance changed everything.
Although in most people's impression, the Skysplitter Empire was a militaristic, authoritarian regime, defined by the Glamoth Iron Cavalry who faced death with equanimity.
But in reality, Glamoth had been deeply cultivating various fields since its founding. They not only focused on the material but also paid special attention to the spiritual realm.
Similar to the interstellar art complex where the Luminary Wardance Ceremony was held, Glamoth had built smaller-scale entertainment industries in the star systems and planets under its rule.
And those entertainment industries were all-encompassing. It could be said that as long as it wasn't explicitly banned by Glamoth as an illegal industry, they dabbled in everything else—even building a dream city like Penacony.
The real Stelle's expression became a bit subtle at this.
How should she put it?
Probably because the people of Glamoth were just that driven. With limited recruitment for the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, they would flock to other industries. The main ones were entertainment, art, and scientific research.
For those in the universe who were used to being lazy, like Penacony, which was living off its past glory, when they ran into the ultimate workaholic kingdom of Glamoth, the result was predictable.
The worst part was that the remaining loyal customers of Penacony were either truly loyal or simply because they could find some services here that Glamoth didn't allow—Miss Robin obviously had a hard time saying anything about this.
"Uh... how should I put it?" Stelle began. "Although Penacony is really beautiful, compared to Glamoth, it feels like... something is missing..."
"Vibrancy."
Hearing Stelle's words, March 7 nodded in firm agreement, "Yes, that's it, vibrancy!"
"Some people there look really tired, but even though they look tired, their eyes are full of light..."
"That's not strange," [Stelle] explained.
"Sweet dreams are for comfort, for a brief rest when one is tired."
"It's just that sweet dreams are always tempting, making people unwilling to wake up and face the cruel reality."
"People instinctively loathe the cruelty of reality. Of course, there's nothing shameful about this. After all, wanting to rest when tired is a very normal part of life, an inertia engraved in our very being."
[Stelle] continued, "The difference between Glamoth and Penacony is that one chose to guide, while the other chose to tolerate and understand."
"This... is Harmony."
As he spoke, applause rang out.
Looking up, they saw a young man of the Halovian race in a suit.
"Brother."
Undoubtedly, it was Robin's brother, the one in charge of Penacony—Sunday.
"Yes, sister, thank you for your hard work."
"It was just being a guide, it's not hard work."
After some pleasantries, Sunday looked at [Stelle] with appreciation. [Stelle] didn't think much of it, but... Miss Stelle herself felt a sense of danger hovering over her head. What's with this guy? His gaze is so weird…
She subconsciously leaned closer to her own body, which [Stelle] was occupying.
Noticing this oddity, Sunday apologized:
"I'm sorry, I was being abrupt."
"But… everything is just as she said. This is the crisis that Penacony is facing now."
This Charmony Festival, besides celebrating the legends of the Family, was meant to re-announce Penacony's existence to the universe and win back some lost guests—at least on the surface.
"Tolerance, understanding, cooperation, these are the tenets of our Family."
Just as it sounds, the Family never lacks acceptance, but as the saying goes, "What brings a state to rise will also bring it to its end."
This advantage that the Family was proud of was undoubtedly becoming the reason for Penacony's decline.
"So, you want to change?" [Stelle] asked.
"As the person in charge of Penacony, I have a responsibility to make Penacony keep up with the times and not let it become a ripple submerged in the tide."
"Where do you think your actions will lead Penacony's future?" [Stelle] pressed.
"It will surely be the most suitable form, at least—more perfect than the present."
"It could also be worse," [Stelle] pointed out.
"Could it be worse than the current Penacony?" Sunday retorted, having caught the hidden meaning in her words.
"That ultimately depends on your own choice," [Stelle] replied. "I personally don't object to it. After all, a companion of mine once said that change is always a good thing."
"As for whether it gets better or worse, who can say for sure?"
"If I have the chance, I would like to meet this companion of yours."
Faced with Sunday's words, [Stelle] smiled:
"She probably doesn't like your type very much."
"I regret to hear that."
"Well... since you want to do that, then go ahead. After all, you're right, you are the one in charge of Penacony."
"However, I still think you should inform your sister. After all, she trusts you so much."
[Stelle] said faintly, raising a hand to pat Sunday's shoulder as he walked past: "There's still a long time before the Charmony Festival. You can take your time to think about this."