“NOOOOOOOOOOOO! TRASH CAN!”

I shout in enragement, I quickly charge forward past the fallen trash cans and I jump past the hills and my palm emits a bright yellow glow as my body turns into a huge trashcan man with muscles as I throw a punch against the big Sampo. I feel so much divine in this form as I throw said punch, it feels like I'm about to exterminate evil.

Wait... how did I get here?

———

Caelus scoffs as Sampo offers him to taste the adult world.

"I am not in the slightest curious about the adult world, I do not give a single care for that. Honestly why am I still here..."

"Wow, harsh! You're going to break dear Sampo Koski's heart! Anyways, don't worry! This isn't going to involve anything illegal! We're just going to have some fun!"

"That sounds concerning. By that I mean the fun part, not your heart breaking."

"Yeowch! Anyways, it takes a long time to reach the other side on foot. How about we just bounce over there using the pinball machine!"

Sampo talks as he quickly set aside his hurt feelings. Caelus raise one of his eyebrows as he look at Sampo.

"You talk as if I'm going to go with you to explore this 'adult world' even when I clearly don't want to."

Caelus gives Sampo a deadpan look as Sampo waves his hand next to his face.

"Meh, I know you probably don't want to, but. What if I tell you that, Miss Firefly just now is not so innocent of a lady. Hm? I might know a few things about her, and I can explain to you along the way."

Caelus' eyebrow furrows as he look at Sampo, he's about to say something but stops. Sampo may be right. After all, he and Firefly just met, and she was accused of being a stowaway. But... really, does being a stowaway that bad? Can't be that bad if it's just illegally joining a ride to get in Penacony. But still... what Sampo said... piqued his interest.

"Oh? That face, did I hit a spot? Are you curious now?"

His voice strikes Caelus like a snake striking its prey, and Caelus seems to have taken effect from the poison of the snake.

"...Let's walk for now."

Caelus responds as Sampo smiles.

"Oh, but I did say going to the other side will take a long time on foot, let's just take the pinball machine."

"But you did say you will explain things along the way. So let's use up all the time available to reach your destination by walking and explaining what you have in mind to enlighten me."

Caelus argued, looking dead right on Sampo's eyes. A pair of deceitful eyes.

"Sure then! Everything for my dearest loyal customer."

Both Caelus and Sampo walk through the busy street as Sampo hums along the way. Caelus kept quiet as they both walk, honestly, Caelus isn't really all that interested in hearing whether or not Firefly is a stowaway. First of all, how does Sampo know a thing or two about Firefly? Who actually is Sampo to know these kind of things?

"Do you know about Watchmaker's Legacy?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I'm just asking."

Sampo smiles before continuing his sentence.

"As you may already know, there are a lot of factions going for the Watchmaker's Legacy. Different people from all around the universe wanting to attain said Legacy."

"...I've heard so."

"Yes, and just so you know. There are people that you may have met that is currently going after the Watchmaker's Legacy. People you very much know. Well, not really know but met."

"So like, you? Sampo, you're here for the Watchmaker's Legacy?"

"Oho! No I am not here for that fortunately for the both of us and your friends. I am here just for a vacation! I mean, because you opened the outside world for us from Jarilo-VI. We're able to experience a whole new stage lockable from us before."

"...I see... so, were you talking about Firefly then?"

"Maybe? Maybe not. I did say people that you've met."

"People that I've met..."

Caelus begin thinking about people he had met... from Xianzhou, Belobog, Herta's Space Station...

"Stellaron Hunters?"

"Bingo! We're here!"

Sampo suddenly exclaimed as he snaps his fingers. Causing Caelus to look at him.

"What?"

"Welcome to the lower level of the Commercial District! Our destination is... right there— Peppy Pepeshi's Salon!"

"...Really? You want to introduce me to a Salon?"

"Hoho! This is no ordinary salon dear Caelus. The only guests allowed to enter are the Pepeshi people— or those with VIP cards. But then again, nothing is too difficult for Sampo."

"What are you talking about—"

"Here we are again, pal!"

Sampo ignores Caelus as he greets a Pepeshi Bodyguard.

"Eh? Oh... it's you. You here to relax?"

"Right. I have a friend here who want to come with me. Any seats left inside?"

"Huh... you're already acquainted with the bodyguard?"

"Of course! An actor always got to have some connections to perform in a stage!"

"Since when do you talk like that?"

"How many of you?"

The Pepeshi Bodyguard suddenly cuts them off as he look up at the both of them.

"Oh. Just Two."

"Show me your VIP card."

"No problem! Here it is!"

"I'm talking about your friend. I've already seen yours."

"Um, well, how can my friends have VIP cards when they've only just arrived, haha. So can you make an exception and let them in? I'll provide my VIP card as guarantee that they won't cause any trouble, okay?"

"No, I can't break the rules. Please go home if you don't have the card."

"...You've got connections you say."

Caelus teases Sampo as he snorts while looking at Sampo.

"Well, seems like we can't go in. Forget it."

Caelus says turning around about to leave, but Sampo quickly talks his way around.

"Just stay cool! Let me think of something... Got it! Okay, so, we aren't going in anymore. But could you help me pick up something I left inside?"

"The Moment of Betrayal," "The Cloud of Doubt," and "Conflict." Just mention the "Clown's items" to Miss Thunderbolt— she'll understand what I mean."

"Sure thing, I'll deliver your message to her. Please wait here."

The Pepeshi Bodyguard assures Sampo as Sampo smiles, while Caelus raises one of his eyebrows.

"What? What are those things? Also, are we here just to collect some items you left behind?"

"Those are just a few... intense emotions. As far as how we'll use them, you just wait and see!"

After waiting for a while, the Pepeshi Bodyguard came back to the both of them.

"Here's the items you asked for. Miss Thunderbolt said these alone wouldn't be enough. She wanted you to have these Broken Dreams— she said do with them as you see fit."

"Miss Thunderbolt is such a thoughtful person! Thank you so much. Now, we're only short of one item, which we might be able to find in an arcade machine... Coincidentally, there's one at the salon entrance. Let's get moving. I want to show you something fun."

Sampo walks to the sideroad and there's a stranded TV right on the side of the road.

"Why is there a TV dumped on the side of the road?"

"Haha, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Caelus! This is an arcade! This fine machine has a sense of aesthetics worthy of the Dreamscape— it's nothing like the techy junk you see around Punklorde. How about you try touching it and see what happens?"

"Why don't you try it yourself first?"

"I want to let you enjoy this firsthand experience, hee-hee. But of course, it's just a suggestion..."

Sampo looks at Caelus like a cat begging for something from its owner. Caelus, a bit annoyed, sighs.

"You won't leave me alone if I don't touch it, huh?"

"Ehh, no, I won't. Chill out Caelus! But... by doing so, it might help you get even more closer to knowing more about this world and about..."

"Miss Firefly."

Caelus looks at Sampo before sighing, and sure enough he fell for the advance.

"No other option, huh? Fine."

Caelus touches the TV as a wave of black shrouds his eyes. Before suddenly, after opening his eyes, everything looks bigger. No, more like he becomes...

"What the? Why am I a small tiny man in a suit?"

"You got swag now Pal!"

"...Hng."

'What the? Why did I grunt?'

Caelus asks to himself as Sampo laughs at him. Oh, this is so going to be annoying for Caelus.

In a summarize, Caelus is turned into a figure named Hanu that protects Dreamville. The objective is to find Boss Stone's Treasure, the treasure is called "Freedom of Choice."

After finding said treasure, Caelus quickly goes out of the game by pressing on the TV as he went back outside and back to his normal body size.

"...Do you have ANYTHING to say, Sampo?"

Caelus asks, looking right at Sampo while holding the treasure on his hand.

"Look at that, you did great! This is the proverbial freedom of choice! You've earned it. Now that we've got everything we need, we just need to go into a dream. Just follow me— you're about to experience the real fun!"

And so, Sampo began walking ahead as Caelus sighs, looking at his back before following him.

After a while, though Sampo has not said where they are headed, Caelus is confident that the route they're taking leads to the "Dreamscape Sales Store."

He was right, they eventually reach the Dreamscape Sales Store and Caelus meets Dr. Edward back.

"Welcome to Dreamscape Sales Store! Dr. Edward at your service! Trailblazer of the Astral Express, here we are again! Haha, I see you've brought a friend with you! He seems like fun people!"

"Why of course, I am. And hello, Edward. I'd like my friends to try something... fun, if you know what I mean."

"Be my guest! Dr. Edward welcomes anyone who's ready for some excitement! How about we use your Dreamscape, sir?"

"A superb idea, sir— let's do it. The one from last night would be perfect."

Caelus raises his eyebrow once more.

"Oh, you've been here before Sampo?"

"Why yes of course, I've tried practically everything around this dreamscape."

Caelus switch his gaze to Dr. Edward and asks him.

"What is this service you're going to give to us, Dr. Edward?"

"This is a service we offer to our long-time customers. You can submit dreams you've recently had to me. With the relevant emotion prototypes, I'll be able to turn them into customized dream bubbles that can be experienced repeatedly."

"Any dreams we want?"

Sampo claps his palm as he chimes in the conversation.

"Exactly! Looks like you've got the picture. You've probably woken up from a dream one time, and wished you could just go back to dreaming it, right?"

"...A dream I wished I could have continued after waking up..."

Caelus mumbles as he begin thinking, honestly. There's quite a lot of dreams that he wished to go back to finish said dreams. So this piqued Caelus' interest by a lot as he looks back at Dr. Edward.

"I trust you have prepared all the necessary materials. Please hand them over to me."

"Oh... so those things were what this is for huh? Sampo."

Caelus says as he then submits all of the things that he had gotten from Sampo.

"Your donation is appreciated! The retrieval is complete. Now, I will calibrate the memoria and generate the dream bubble..."

"It's ready! Please close your eyes and rest your forehead against the dream bubble."

"Jump on in, Caelus. I wish you a pleasant time."

Sampo says, smiling at Caelus as the latter gaze at him suspiciously before resting his forehead against the dream bubble. Emerging himself in the dream.

———

It appears that I'm in Belobog? I think this is... Natasha's clinic..!

Was the first thing I thought of after opening my eyes from immersing myself in the dream.

I look around and finds a note on a table that says the belonging.

Sampo's Advice?
Become the Garbage King
Though the trash bags have long been broken

"What do you mean by this?"

(I have no idea. I didn't come here when I had this dream.)

Sampo replied through my mind as I nods to myself. I then walk towards the windows and peek through it. My eyes widened as I see the view in front of me. Why are there trash cans all over the place roaming around...

I quickly walk to the door and open it, soon, I'm introduced with a trash can just outside the door.

"You're finally here... Nice to meet you, dream diver..."

"Uh... nice to meet you too...?"

"My name is Shatana, and I have a deal to offer you."

"Your name sounds and rhymes awfully similar like someone I know... but nevermind that. Deal? What deal?"

"Have you heard of... Tatalov the Garbage King?"

"He's our king, a successor of the previous Garbage King, as well as the manager of all the waste in this world. Perched on his throne, he uplifts trashcans that are humble and suppresses those that are violent. He's the cornerstone of Belobog, the lid that secures us, the barrel that reinforces us."

"However, since the thing from beyond the sky arrived here, Tatalov's eyes have been blinded. He stopped listening to our calls, leaving the impoverished to be bullied and his loyal servants to be degraded..."

"The humiliation was too much for us. I intended to help Garbage King mend his ways under the banner of the Skyfire... But I was no match for the sinister king, who spread vicious rumors among the trashcans to divide us against each other. As a result, we could no longer communicate with one another using trash bags..."

"...I implore your help to restore peace to the trash bags, so that the trashcans here may be united once more. Then, we'll be able to launch a counterattack against that undeserving king."

"Are you saying you want me to rally you all together?"

"Well, that seals the deal."

Shatana said with a smile as I blink a few times.

"Huh? Deal? What deal? What do I even need to do? Also, I haven't agreed to anything!"

(Dr. Edward said he didn't have the time to make any alternative storylines. Just accept it.)

Shampo chimes in to reassure me that I'm fine. I sigh as I shake my head.

"You have one mission— help the trashcans with their troubles and collect three Proofs of Trust."

"Once you've accomplished that, you'll become our new king and lead our fight against the evil king. Off you go, dream diver... Your mission is calling for you."

And... so I go.

———

After gaining three Proofs of Trust from helping the trashcans with their troubles, I go back to Shatana who is waiting for me.

"Excellent. Looks like you've held up your side of the deal..."

Shatana says as she smiles, looking at the Proofs of Trust on my hand.

"I've waited so long for this day. Here, I'll escort you to your throne, the Pillars of Creation, where you'll witness the future of my people..."

"I wish you success. Dream Diver."

———

Shatana escorts me towards the Pillars of Creation where my throne supposedly is. The place where I'll witness the future of her people.

I walk through the battlefield, the stench of battlefield strikes my nose as I see many fallen trash cans. Such a pity for their fallen souls.

Fear not, for I am here to avenge everyone that has fallen to the hands of Tatalov.

I walk past the fallen trash cans and look around, seeing no signs of Tatalov. Where exactly is he? Was I set up?

*BOOM

A loud explosion exploded in front of me as I saw the black ball of explosion thrown right at me. A pair of fingers picks me up and moves me right close to the owner…

“Sampo?!”

And there he is, Sampo. A giant sampo laughing and holding me like he is a crane. He laughs before throwing me down a hill as I crash against a trashcan. Somehow, the trashcan manage to soften my landing as it gives me a thumbs up.

I nod to it and stand up, before watching said trashcan march forward and die from a bomb that Sampo just threw.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO! TRASH CAN!”

I shout in enragement, I quickly charge forward past the fallen trash cans and I jump past the hills and my palm emits a bright yellow glow as my body turns into a huge trashcan man with muscles as I throw a punch against the big Sampo. I feel so much divine in this form as I throw said punch, it feels like I'm about to exterminate evil.

“RAHHH!!!”

I punched the big bad Sampo down, but Sampo managed to punch me in the face as the impact between our punches threw us away from each other.

I get launched into a nearby hill and pass out, as the dream then ends there.

Soon enough, a wave of water drowns my body and I feel like I'm in the ocean. Before finally resurfacing back to the land.

I open my eyes, rubbing it before looking around and not finding Sampo anywhere. He is nowhere to be seen, and there's only a paper on the ground that has something written on it.

“Be wary of who your enemies are.”

… Be wary of who my enemies are… huh? Sampo… just what was that dream and the meaning of it? Also… how do you know these and what do you want me to do with this information…?