"Ena's Dream has collapsed, and the people of Penacony are gradually waking from their dreams."
Having just returned to reality, the nearly galaxy-spanning Ena's Dream instantly crumbled, and those trapped within it began to awaken.
When a barrier collapses instantaneously—whether a small one covering a room or a massive one enveloping an entire galaxy—there's only one possible explanation:
The barrier's creator, for some reason, stopped supplying energy to sustain it.
Given what had just transpired in the dream, Sunday must have been severely injured, rendering him unable to maintain Ena's Dream any longer.
"What did you just do? Did you one-shot him?" Herta asked Lumina, abandoning her lingering irritation over Lumina's earlier "idiot" remark.
"Nah, I just pulled off a simple flex," Lumina replied, feeling a strange sense of relief now that Herta had moved on.
"I helped them withstand the damage from the Work of Creation and then granted them a small blessing."
"I knew the Astral Express Crew and Robin would defeat Sunday, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. They're truly remarkable."
The blessing Lumina bestowed was purely defensive, focused on survival, defense, and recovery, with no offensive enhancements whatsoever. For them to defeat Sunday—who hadn't held back in the slightest—at such a rapid pace was somewhat surprising, even to Lumina herself.
Upon reflection, she realized Sunday must have seen her intervention, recognized that no strategy could breach her blessing, and simply surrendered, allowing the Astral Express Crew and Robin to defeat him.
"I see..." Herta nodded slightly, lowering her head and resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
"Lumina," Herta said after a moment, slowly lifting her gaze. "You've met the Aeon of Abundance. Comparing yourself to THEM in terms of raw energy level alone, who do you think is higher?"
"Hmm... let me think," Lumina murmured, pondering the question for a moment before giving her answer: "I don't know."
She shrugged, offering an honest reply.
How could Lumina possibly know whether her energy level was higher or lower than that of the Aeon of Abundance? She didn't carry around some high-tech gadget capable of measuring the energy fluctuations of Aeons, so how could she determine whose was stronger?
Besides, such advanced technology likely didn't even exist in the cosmos. The most advanced measurement devices currently available would instantly max out when an Aeon drew near, completely failing to capture the Aeon's true energy values.
"Hmm, as expected," Herta nodded, unsurprised by Lumina's answer.
After all, accurately quantifying an Aeon's energy level was notoriously difficult. If Lumina could provide a definitive answer, it would only mean that she had already surpassed the realm of Aeons in some fundamental way.
However, Herta had noticed the peculiar energy fluctuations emanating from Lumina's intervention in the Work of Creation. If Lumina weren't still by her side, Herta would have already rushed off to conduct a series of experiments elsewhere.
Herta had already decided that after the Penacony Charmony Festival ended, she would conduct her experiments and finally activate the Audience Device she had prepared for so long, to ask the Droid Head one thing...
These were all future matters, things to be done after the Charmony Festival concluded and they left Penacony. For now, she would simply stay by Lumina's side... After all, she still needed to go record experimental data in the Divergent Universe.
Herta glanced at Lumina beside her, thinking these thoughts to herself.
"Let's go. After Ena's Dream collapses, the dreamers will awaken soon, and the Charmony Festival will commence shortly." Unaware of Herta's thoughts, Lumina naturally took Herta's small hand, leading her toward her room like a mother guiding her daughter.
"After the Charmony Festival ends, I'll be leaving Penacony."
"Don't forget about Amphoreus," Herta reminded her.
"Don't worry, I won't forget," Lumina replied with a smile, assuring her that she could trust her to handle things perfectly.
"The Luofu's Wardance Ceremony is about to begin. After leaving Penacony, I'll head to the Xianzhou Luofu to observe the ceremony and lend a hand with a small matter."
"You're such a softie," Herta said with a hint of exasperation.
"Hmm?" Lumina hummed softly, then offered, "Why don't you come with me to the Luofu? After the Wardance Ceremony, we could travel to Amphoreus together."
"Hmm... I'll pass. I still have some things I need to verify," Herta replied, her voice tinged with regret but firm.
Herta needed to understand Lumina's current level of power. If Lumina encountered any problems later, Herta wouldn't be able to do anything but watch helplessly.
"Alright then," Lumina said, noticing the faint hesitation in Herta's expression but choosing not to press further.
This matter wasn't particularly urgent, and Lumina didn't want to delay Herta with trivial concerns.