The white-robed woman looked at him. Her eyes were as deep and mesmerizing as deep space, but they carried an air of serenity even as she replied, “None of your business.”
Zu An was speechless. Considering the woman's nature and that they weren’t on close terms, her answer wasn’t surprising, but being rejected by someone who resembled Yan Xuehen still felt terrible.
The white-robed woman turned around to look out the window, seemingly deep in thought.
The atmosphere became awkward. Zu An didn’t think it was appropriate for him to continue lingering in the room, so he bade his farewell and took his leave. The woman didn’t say anything else, as if nothing piqued her interest.
While Zu An was returning to his room with a melancholic heart, he stumbled upon a beautiful, red figure leaning against the wall along the corridor. Firework looked at him with an unreadable smile as she asked, “She didn’t let you in?”
Zu An harrumphed. “I got into her room.”
“And yet you’re out so quickly. You must have failed to satisfy her,” Firework teased.
“...” That’s an innuendo, right? Zu An opened his room door as he asked, “Do you need something from me?”
“Can’t I spend time with you?” Firework naturally followed him into the room. She continued with a dissatisfied pout, “Don’t you think it’s too much to forget about your old lover as soon as you find someone new? Just a while ago, I was still your little sister, but look at how distant you are now.”
Zu An was speechless. “When did I call you little sister?”
“I called you big brother. Doesn’t that make me your little sister?” Firework replied matter-of-factly.
Zu An was speechless.
“Fine, I’ll stop teasing you.” Firework took a seat on a chair behind him and massaged his back with her little hands. “Did you manage to gather any information about the white-robed woman?”
“You’re interested in her?” Zu An closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage. He knew that Firework harbored an ulterior motive, but it was hard to turn down an understanding little sister like her.
“Of course. Someone as beautiful as her ought to worship our great Deity of Love and Beauty,.” Firework’s eyes gleamed with excitement. She was already imagining the immense contribution she would accrue by leading the beauty into the universal deity’s embrace.
“You’re going to be disappointed. Tingxue is a Nebula worshiper,” Zu An replied with a sigh.
“You’ve gotten her name, too? You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?” Firework whistled before sighing as well. “I expected as much. Her cold attitude reeks too much of Nebula. What a pity I failed to get to her before Nebula.”
Zu An asked, “Is there no way to lead a Nebula worshiper onto another path?”
Based on the intelligence he had gathered thus far, most universal deity worshipers had a chance to switch their faith after paying a price.
Firework shook her head. “It’s impossible. All Nebula worshipers are doomed to lose their emotions and forget everything, until they return to Nebula’s embrace.”
Zu An was stunned. Tingxue’s fate sounded like an omen of Yan Xuehen’s future, and that left him with a heavy heart.
“Did you find out why she’s heading to Dreamland?” Firework asked.
Zu An shook his head. “I don’t know.” He still felt a little stifled thinking about Tingxue’s cold tone.
Firework burst into laughter. “Heh. Looks like she doesn’t like you that much either. You should know who's a true friend, who's been through thick and thin with you.”
“Oh? But I don’t know why you’re heading to Dreamland either.”
“I’ll tell you my reason if you tell me yours.”
Zu An didn’t mind revealing his reason. “I heard Dreamland can fulfill all wishes. I’m looking for some special materials and ways to save my friends.”
“I bet they're all women,” Firework scoffed. “Despite your honest front, you’re quite the philanderer.”
Zu An just responded, “...I’ve told you my reason. What about you?”
Firework replied, “Well, I think it’ll be fun there.”
Zu An’s resulting stare left her embarrassed, so she quickly added, “Eesh, I knew you wouldn’t believe me. Fine, fine, I’m heading there to uncover Dreamland’s secrets.”
“Secrets? What secrets?” Zu An was perplexed.
“Have you wondered what kind of entity has the power to fulfill all wishes?” Firework asked.
“Universal deities?”
“Not even universal deities possess such power.”
Zu An took that information to mind. I guess even universal deities have limits. “Does this mean the rumor that Dreamland is capable of fulfilling all wishes is a lie?” He had been skeptical about this, but he was still disappointed by the news, as there were questions he needed answers to.
“It’s not necessarily a lie. Dreamland opens once every thousand years, but no one has ever accused its wish-granting ability of being a lie before,” Firework said. “That’s what bewilders me. On top of that, no one returned from the last entry. Everyone is curious about what happened. I’m not the only one who wants to investigate the matter.”
“Wouldn’t it be wiser for Dreamland to lie low if it did something unforgivable to the previous batch of invitees?” Zu An was intrigued.
“Perhaps they're simply confident, or there's a compelling reason why they have to do it. We’ll know once we get there,” Firework said. “Once you get there, don’t trust anyone’s words.”
“Not even yours?”
“You’re terrible~”
The spaceship arrived at the galaxy where Dreamland was located. Even Tingxue couldn’t resist the urge to head to the front of the spaceship to take a look at the famous Dreamland. However, the galaxy was enveloped in iridescent lights, making it impossible to see within.
“This is why Dreamland remains a mystery despite having opened many times in the past,” Firework explained.
“Since guests have to be transported to Dreamland each time it opens, the major powers should already know Dreamland’s location and attempt to investigate it, no?”
“Did you think that Dreamland stays in one place? The Universal Conglomerate once tried recording Dreamland’s coordinates, but when they returned later, the area was empty. Many theorize that Dreamland doesn’t stay in a single location; it’s constantly moving, and it only reveals its coordinates whenever it opens.”
Zu An frowned. “But Dreamland has opened many times before. Can’t we calculate the trajectory of its movements by recording its coordinates each time it opens?”
“Major powers have tried that, but they can’t find a pattern in the trajectory of its movements. They eventually concluded that Dreamland is no ordinary planet. The movements of planets and even entire galaxies can be calculated, but somehow, they couldn’t do the calculation for Dreamland.” Firework looked at the iridescent lights in excitement. I can finally get to the bottom of this.
“It truly is a mysterious place!” Zu An recalled Qi Yaoguang’s divination, and his heart clenched up.