Finding a breakthrough was one thing, but the best course of action now was to win the Dreamweavers over to their side.
At the very least, they couldn't let those people remain on the Family's side, continuing to add bricks and tiles to the Family's grand enterprise.
[Freedom is the recognition of necessity. "Necessity is blind only in so far as it is not understood." Freedom does not consist in some dreamt-of independence from natural laws, but in the knowledge of these laws, and in the possibility this gives of systematically making them work towards definite ends.]
[This holds true for the laws of external nature as well as for those that govern the physical and mental existence of man himself.]
'Brother, did you come up with all this yourself?'
[No. It was all written by the natives of a planet I manage.]
'Then your planet must be a very advanced one, right?'
[Unfortunately, it wasn't like that before I arrived. It wasn't even significant enough to be ranked among the civilizations of the universe. But from this day forward, things will be different. I've already started to reconsider how the universe's civilizations should be ranked.]
[They can be simply categorized based on the forms of existence and modes of action of the Aeons.]
[For example, the Aeons who explore the relationship between humanity and nature, the Aeons who explore the relationship between humanity and gods, the Aeons who explore the relationships between people, the Aeons who explore the relationships within nature itself... for example, and many, many more...]
Stelle felt a unique kind of admiration for Noldrei. It wasn't so much for his accomplishments, but for his ability to unscrupulously define the world as he saw fit.
In her eyes, Noldrei wasn't necessarily a "pioneer," but he had absolutely reached a certain level of "freedom" that far surpassed the average person's pursuit of the concept.
[The Family seems to have many methods for dealing with its guests, most of which are designed to maintain the perception of order in their eyes.]
[For instance, they categorize people based on their cognition, their background, and their patterns of behavior. They can even create distinctions based on how a person acts at different times, fabricating non-existent 'groups' out of thin air.]
[Their methods of control are so vile and dirty that even someone like me, who has grown accustomed to seeing such things throughout history, can barely stand to watch.]
"Really? I feel like I can't quite see it..."
From Stelle's perspective, while the Family's rule couldn't be called exceptionally benevolent, it was worlds better than the situation on Jarilo-VI. It had even achieved a level of prosperity she could never have imagined.
And compared to the schisms of faith that had appeared on the Xianzhou, Penacony's overall unity was quite excellent; at least, she couldn't see any signs of internal decay.
If it weren't for their mission to find the Clockmaker's Legacy—which had forced them to capture Robin—Stelle wouldn't have thought Penacony needed to change at all.
You could say there were just so many bastards out there in the galaxy that even Penacony's third-rate governance was elevated to an excellent standard by comparison.
[Don't grade on a curve. Just look at the state of the repairs up ahead and you'll understand.]
---||---
Dreamscape Frontier
This was also the area most frequented by Penacony's Dreamweavers. One could find the greatest number of them and their tools here.
"It's actually here. I never thought we'd have to come to a place like this to find the Dreamweavers," Firefly said, surprised. She had never even considered this location before; in her mind, it was a sparsely populated 'construction site.'
"This is the place. If we can find the Dreamweavers, we might learn how to expend Memoria more quickly," Robin said, looking around. It was a place immersed in beautiful silence. Some people, mostly couples, even came to this area specifically to seek out that quiet.
"I didn't expect to see so many people. I thought this place would be mostly deserted." Robin was quite surprised. She'd never been here before, so her understanding of it wasn't very deep.
"Let's go. We'll see if we can get inside."
Robin led the way to the edge of the construction area, where members of the Hound Family stood guard. She had no idea what in this place was worth guarding. She'd also never taken a close look at the dreamscapes beyond these boundaries.
Theoretically, no one should know more about Penacony than the Dreamweavers.
Acheron glanced from side to side. In her eyes, certain parts of the world seemed to have lost their sense of space and time. The content of that part of the dreamscape was illusory and chaotic, and the entire area felt as if it were in a state of inverted cognition.
Through the guidance and reconstruction by Dreamweavers, a dreamscape could be given this psychedelic quality, altering the perception of space and time. This ability should have belonged to all dream-makers, but now...
"Which Family branch are the Dreamweavers a part of?" Stelle asked, voicing the question on her mind.
"The Nightingales. The Nightingale Family is in charge of this area... and..." Firefly clearly knew some secrets. She glanced at Robin, who was busy talking to the guards, and whispered, "And the Dreamweavers from the Nightingale Family never meet a good end."
Firefly's words piqued Stelle's interest. She hadn't realized the work of a Dreamweaver came with such risks.
After a brief exchange with the guards, Robin was given permission for them to enter.
As Robin walked back toward them, Stelle quietly said to Firefly, "Hold on, don't say anything yet. I'm going to use this information to test Robin."
"Okay." Firefly nodded with a serious expression.
"Alright, I've spoken with the Hound Family. We can go in, we just might need to return a bit early," Robin announced, beckoning the three of them deeper into the Dreamscape Frontier.
Acheron tactfully remained silent. She knew Stelle had more ways to probe Robin than she did, and with someone else handling the thinking, Acheron could better focus on drawing her blade.
As Robin led the way, Stelle deliberately spoke up. "You said you were investigating the Family's internal affairs, but have you looked deeply into the people of the Nightingale Family? I heard an interesting saying."
"It goes, 'Whatever man can create, man can control.' Theoretically, if someone wanted to manipulate the Family and make them betray the Harmony you speak of, bribing the Dreamweavers would be an essential first step. After all, they're the ones who know Penacony best."
"Have you ever thought about trying to win them over?"
Robin's expression grew strained. She bit her lower lip, her face etched with sorrow as she said, "The Nightingale Family... they... so many of them have been murdered."