Just then, a cool voice suddenly came from the doorway, "Hey."

Aventurine and Stella both turned their heads towards the door, where they saw a tall, purple-haired woman with a cold and alluring aura standing there. It was Acheron. Her gaze was cold and sharp, instilling a sense of awe in those who saw her.

"What are you doing in my room?" Acheron's tone was icy, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction and confusion.

"Your room?" Aventurine was clearly surprised. He paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "Impressive, my friend. You've only been in Penacony for a few days, and you're already inviting people to join you."

"Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to remind you — this place is full of all sorts of people, and there are too many with ill intentions. Remember to be more cautious, for example... remember to close the door."

"I'll take my leave then. I wish you both an enjoyable time." With that, Aventurine left.

Acheron just silently looked at Stella without saying a word. Stella finally couldn't help but speak first, her tone carrying a hint of confusion: "Have we met somewhere before?"

She seemed surprised at the question but didn't answer Stella's query. Instead, she furrowed her brow and asked in return: "...Why haven't you left yet?"

"Huh?" Stella clearly hadn't expected such an answer and was momentarily stunned.

Seeing this, Acheron thought she hadn't expressed herself clearly, so she repeated:

"I said, why haven't you left yet?"

Acheron also seemed to find the situation a bit strange. She raised her hand to her mouth, muttering to herself: "...Could it be that I came to the wrong room? That shouldn't be possible, I triple-checked the room number before interrupting you..."

Stella furrowed her brow tightly, pondering to herself: "Huh...?" She looked around, her gaze falling on Acheron, and suddenly a flash of doubt crossed her mind.

Acheron softly muttered to herself: "Could it be that I got the wrong section... no, even the floor number wrong? I'm sorry, this hotel is too big, and the corridor layouts are very similar. It's easy to lose direction if you're not careful."

Stella nodded, showing understanding. However, that strange feeling grew stronger, as if something important had been forgotten in some corner of her mind. She tried hard to remember, but the scene before her eyes felt utterly unfamiliar.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. I should return to my own room now," Acheron said:

"But before I go, may I ask you one more question? It might sound strange to you, even impolite, but I want to know..."

"Have we met somewhere before?"

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Stella frowned and said, "Hmm, I do feel like you're somewhat familiar."

"...Oh, right, it was a 'dream'. On the way here, I had a dream, and I think your figure was in it... It's like some thought flashed through my mind..."

[March 7th: What an amazing dream! How could they possibly dream about each other?]

[Welt: I remember, the Astraean System is filled with "mnemonic essence". Perhaps it's because of this that they were able to meet in the dream.]

[Silver Wolf: Dreaming like playing an online game sounds quite interesting. I must try it sometime if I get the chance.]

"Stella — that's your name, right? Nice to meet you."

"You remember me?" Stella asked, somewhat puzzled.

Acheron looked at the person in front of her expressionlessly and calmly replied: "You've forgotten, but that gentleman mentioned it before he left. My memory isn't great, but I haven't forgotten something that happened just a few minutes ago."

She paused, then continued, "Sea-faring Ranger, Acheron, that's what they call me. Feel free to use it. We'll probably meet again." She seemed to recall some past events, sighed lightly, and then gave a solemn piece of advice:

"Lastly, just a bit of shallow advice... There's a type of person who possesses an unwavering will and belief, but doesn't intend to use it for righteous purposes. And on that gentleman's face, I saw a familiar expression."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly, her tone becoming increasingly heavy: "If one carries a blade, they'll always want to use it to cut something down. And a gambler, before losing everything, will always burn their boats and make one last desperate attempt... That's all I can say."

With that, Acheron turned and left, leaving behind a lonely silhouette. After walking out of the room, she stopped again and said without looking back: "You should know these things before making a choice. Farewell."

[Qingque: Wow, that's an impressive way of reading people. Just a few words of conversation and she's judged someone almost perfectly.]

[Guinaifen: Family, do you want to team up with little Guinai? Little Guinai has been thinking about doing some ghost-hunting livestreams recently, and I'm just short of helpers!]

Stella frowned, deep in thought.

Acheron had left, but why did she still have this strange feeling? Stella muttered to herself, that indescribable subtle feeling had been lingering in her heart the whole time.

Never mind, no need to think too much about it. After all this fuss, it's time for a good sleep...

Just as Stella was about to lie down and enter the dream world, suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps reached her ears. Huh? Stella turned her head in confusion, only to be surprised to find that Acheron had returned and was now standing quietly at the room's doorway, looking somewhat uneasy.

"That was a quick reunion," Stella couldn't help but quip softly.

"Umm..." Acheron was silent for a moment, then asked, "I'm sorry, but could you tell me how to get back to the lobby? The corridors around here look so similar."

Stella looked at Acheron's innocent expression and showed a trace of helplessness on her face. However, she still kindly pointed out the correct direction to Acheron and described in detail how to reach the lobby.

Acheron nodded repeatedly after hearing this, indicating that she understood. After thanking Stella again, she turned and walked towards the direction of the lobby. Watching Acheron's receding figure, Stella couldn't help but shake her head.

Finally, it's over. Stella let out a long sigh of relief, closed the door, and tried to free herself from the emotions of the previous encounters. She took out her dream passport and prepared to enter the dream pool according to the instructions.

As she slowly approached the dream pool, a soft, sweet female voice suddenly came from all around the room, as if the entire space was filled with this beautiful sound. At the same time, a rich fragrance permeated the air, wrapping around her like a thin veil. This scent was fresh and fragrant, with both the sweetness of ripe fruit and the profound mystery of the distant sea's sunset glow.

Stella took a deep breath of this enchanting aroma, feeling the pleasure and relaxation it brought. This unique fragrance reminded her of many beautiful things and gradually relaxed her previously tense nerves. Perhaps now it was truly time to enter the dream...