It Had to Be Caelus / Why Not Become Stellaron Hunters? ...

Misha shook his head and said that he had mentioned before that he grew up here. Mikhail would never grow up, so he was not Mikhail.

Chapter 113: It Had to Be Caelus

"At the end of my journey through life, I left this precious spark deep within the deepest dream, hoping to pass it on to the Nameless of later generations."

"As for the Clock Keeper's legacy, there are only two things I can give you: my pocket watch, and my hat. The person who guided me placed it upon my head, and from then on, an unrealistic dream took root within me—the Trailblaze journey would never end."

That was the end of Misha's words. A person's life would eventually reach its end, but the will of Trailblaze would be passed down through generation after generation. The thing he most wanted to see had already happened: the descendants of Trailblaze had come here and taken up what he had left behind.

"I will wait for all of you at the end of this corridor of time."

As Misha spoke to the people before him, his body slowly vanished from sight alongside Clock Boy.

"Penacony really is too bizarre."

March 7th only spoke after Misha had disappeared. She could rack her brains all she wanted and still never imagine that something like this existed in the world. Every time she arrived somewhere new, she felt like a complete novice. Even the locals could not figure these things out, so how could an outsider like her possibly understand them? Her intelligence just was not enough for Trailblaze.

"Caelus, why haven't you said anything?"

March 7th suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Caelus had been terrifyingly quiet today. He had not even made a single snarky remark about Misha.

"Because I have nothing to say. Who could have imagined things would turn out like this?"

Caelus replied with a calm expression. For one thing, he truly had nothing to say. For another, he respected the Nameless who came before him. Even at a moment like that, Mikhail had not given up on leaving his will to those who came after.

"Then why didn't you ask?" March 7th asked in confusion.

"Because if I don't ask, you won't know that I don't know. That makes me an expert."

"So you were pretending to be an expert by staying quiet? You're driving me crazy!"

March 7th was so angry that smoke practically rose from her head. She had thought she was the only idiot, but Caelus was an idiot too. Except he was a smart idiot, and what he said actually made sense. That made her even angrier.

"Hehe, stop fooling around. Let's go see our predecessor."

Himeko laughed as she watched March 7th act spoiled toward Caelus. March 7th shot him a glare before following Himeko out of the dream bubble. After witnessing Mikhail's lifetime of memories within it, they returned to the graveyard at Dreamflow Reef.

Inside the viewing pavilion, Mikhail was still seated in his chair, cradling his dream bubble. Unlike before, the hat on his head had fallen to the floor, while Clock Boy held the pocket watch in its hands.

"Clock Boy, what do you want to do?"

Himeko looked at Clock Boy as she spoke. It had no concept of lifespan. Misha had left, and leaving Clock Boy alone here would be terribly lonely.

"Misha told me to find my next stop, but I don't know where that should be. I've always followed Misha."

Clock Boy's cartoon eyes had turned into crying shapes. It knew that Misha would never return, and Himeko's group fell silent as well.

"Now that Misha is gone, we'll take care of you instead. Why don't you choose someone to follow?"

Himeko made the suggestion. As Mikhail's final witness, Clock Boy knew they were trustworthy. After thinking for a moment, it raised a hand and pointed at Caelus.

"Then him."

"Me?"

Caelus pointed at himself, never expecting Clock Boy to choose him. But then again, it must have seen the aura of a king upon him and wanted to submit to—

"Yeah, because you're the only man."

Clock Boy interrupted Caelus's fantasy. His expression stiffened. Clock Boy seemed to prefer spending time with men, so all that inner monologue had been for nothing.

"You really know how to pick."

Caelus accepted the fact that he now had a little follower. Besides, he had already received help from Clock Boy. The Clockwork Trick ability it gave him was proof enough.

"Hehe, some things are destined to happen. Since Clock Boy has said so, you should take Mikhail's hat as well. May your Trailblaze journey never end."

Himeko was very pleased with this outcome. Caelus might be unserious, but he truly had the greatest potential for Trailblaze. Everyone recognized that. Compared to him, March 7th was too innocent and Dan Heng was too steady. Only Caelus's wild, unconstrained way of thinking was suited to inheriting Mikhail's will. Without enough imagination, how could one become a dream tycoon?

Caelus nodded, knelt on one knee, and picked up Mikhail's hat. He pressed it to his chest and bowed to the old man before him. Though they had never met, Mikhail's will was truly admirable.

Caelus put the hat on his head, then looked toward Firefly beside him. It was his first time wearing something like this. He could not tell whether it suited him or not, so he had to see what the others thought.

"So, how do I look? Handsome?"

The hat on Caelus's head was clearly of excellent quality: black with blue trim, with a blue feather ornament on the left. It added a touch of steadiness to his otherwise unserious demeanor.

"Mm, very handsome. It suits you very well."

Firefly nodded with certainty. Caelus had already been very good-looking before, but with the hat on, the whole outfit had an incredible sense of harmony. Firefly felt that no matter who else wore it, it would not look as good as it did on him.

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Chapter 114: Why Not Become Stellaron Hunters?

"The next thing we need to do is sabotage the Grand Gala. Welt is important too, but in order to ensure the Grand Gala proceeds smoothly, the Dream Master will definitely put him somewhere else to distract us. We can't let ourselves be misled."

Himeko looked approvingly at Caelus, who had inherited the will of Trailblaze, before explaining what they needed to do next.

"That's true, but the Grand Theater is definitely heavily guarded by now, right? Are we just going to fight our way in?"

Firefly spoke up. By now, everyone could guess the Dream Master's plan. Naturally, the Grand Theater would be surrounded layer upon layer.

"Can we do that?"

Caelus felt that his girlfriend was becoming a little violent. Perhaps she had grown more comfortable after no longer hiding her identity. Sam was not exactly a good person on the wanted posters, but he liked bad women too.

"Yes."

Firefly answered bluntly. March 7th looked at her as if she had seen a ghost. Just imagining that situation made it seem impossible to solve, yet Firefly showed nothing but confidence. She was pretty and powerful—Caelus had really lucked out again.

"We can't do that. We represent the Star Rail Express. If we attack the Grand Theater without cause, our reputation will be ruined once the news spreads. The powers across the galaxy will no longer place their trust in us."

Himeko shook her head. Violence was the last resort. They could explain their actions afterward, but the effort required to spread rumors and dispel them was completely unequal—especially when the rumors had spread throughout the entire galaxy.

"Then why don't we wear masks? We can have Sam lead us in and say we're Stellaron Hunters. Our reputation is already at rock bottom anyway, so no matter which way we go, it's only uphill."

Caelus thought for a moment before speaking. Since the Star Rail Express needed to maintain a good reputation, they could only be flexible with their moral standards.

"Genius!"

March 7th gave Caelus a thumbs-up. How had she never thought of such a wicked idea?

"I don't think I'm suited to doing something like that."

Himeko helplessly covered her forehead. Although Caelus's method was not a bad one, there were too many uncontrollable factors, so Himeko still rejected it.

"Since none of you can think of a good idea, leave it to Little March."

March 7th suddenly patted her chest. Little March, who had always just been an accessory, actually had an idea. Caelus had better listen carefully.

"What good idea do you have?"

"It's like this. I heard that before the Grand Gala begins, there'll be a talent show to warm up the festival. It's called the Sodapop Festival Auditions, and it's being held at the Hour of the Great Hot Sands."

"As long as we take first place, we can earn the title of Festival Superstar and receive a personal audience with Miss Robin. But that isn't important. What matters is that we'll be able to enter the Grand Theater earlier than regular audience members."

"Can we participate?"

Firefly asked curiously. She knew about the event, but ordinary people seemed unable to get in. There were too many people, and it involved meeting Robin, so it was surely an event people would fight tooth and nail to attend.

"I have special invitation tickets. To be honest, I've been preparing to join this talent show all along. But looking at things now, even if I stand out, I probably won't get the chance to shake hands with Miss Robin."

March 7th stood with her hands on her hips, looking proud. When she said she was Robin's fan before, she had not been joking. It was just that so much happened afterward that she forgot about it.

"It's fine, Little March. Once Robin becomes my wife, I'll even let you sleep in the same bed as her."

Caelus patted March 7th on the shoulder to comfort her. Was it not just a handshake? What was the big deal? This time, he would either save Robin and have her offer herself to him, or die in the dreamscape. There were no other choices, so Caelus was very open-minded about it.

"Pah! Scumbag—no, core scum."

March 7th's expression gradually twisted. The thought of her idol falling into Caelus's clutches made her liver tremble with anger.

"We may be close, but I'll still sue you for slander if you say that."

"Isn't it true? Look at what your brothers are all doing. They either destroy worlds or commit murder and arson. You're the only useless one who thinks about women every day. When you meet up at the end of the year, will you even have the nerve to face them?"

"I think your butt is itching. Stop right there! This time, I'm definitely lifting your skirt and spanking you."

March 7th's words left Caelus embarrassed and angry. He raised a hand to grab her, while Little March ran around everywhere, giving him no chance to catch her.

After the two messed around for a while, Himeko decided to follow March 7th's plan. They left Dreamflow Reef and entered the sweet dream, arriving at the dreamscape of the Hour of the Great Hot Sands, a place entirely unlike the Moment of Gold.

This place was actually directly beneath the Grand Theater. They said that after winning the championship, the victor could ride the circular platform in the plaza straight into the sky and enter the Grand Theater directly.

With March 7th's invitation, the four of them quickly completed the registration process. Since each group consisted of two people, Himeko very consciously took March 7th with her, leaving Caelus and Firefly the chance to be alone.

"There are dramatic performances and combat performances here too. Firefly, which do you think is better?"

Caelus looked over the competition rules. The competition was actually simple. After the dramatic or combat performance, the directors would give scores. If there was no rigging involved, they should be able to win.

"Can we do a dramatic performance?"

Firefly asked somewhat shyly. She was powerful in battle, but she was still a girl, and she wanted to perform a romantic love story with Caelus. Her previous identity had been as a performer for the Family, so she had some foundation in acting.

"Sure, we'll sign up for dramatic performance."

Caelus agreed immediately. He registered with Firefly for the dramatic category, and they were assigned a rehearsal room to prepare a script that would make them famous in one stroke.

"Caelus, this Romeo and Juliet..."

Firefly held up the classic romantic script, wanting to perform it with Caelus. But at that moment, she saw him writing rapidly across a script with his pen. He quickly finished a section of dialogue for a dramatic performance. For some reason, Firefly remembered the little video she had filmed with Caelus before, and panic rose in her heart.

"Firefly, we'll perform this one. I guarantee it'll be a sensation!"

Caelus handed his finished script to Firefly. After taking it and giving it a look, her eyes gradually turned hollow. It looked somewhat romantic, but it was completely different from the romance she had imagined.

The competition was in full swing, leaving Caelus and Firefly little time to rehearse. The director soon hurried them to the performance venue. The place was surrounded by audience members, and their performance would be recorded and broadcast throughout the entire sweet dream. Just thinking about it made Firefly want to die of embarrassment. She decided that afterward, she had to turn into Sam and steal the footage back.

"Start, start!"

The director shouted impatiently, and the lights shone down on Caelus and Firefly. Caelus took a deep breath and began his performance.

Chapter 115: Watching Another Episode

"I'm here to leave the Super Break team."

Caelus spoke in a flat tone, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. To the audience, it sounded as though he had come to break up with someone.

"Why? Did something happen? Didn't you say we would do Super Break together for the rest of our lives?"

Firefly looked shocked and deeply confused. She asked gently, as though she were trying to bring Caelus back from this state to the way he had been before.

"I never said that."

"Is that so..."

"This is my final warning. Don't have anything to do with me again."

Caelus spoke heartlessly, then walked toward Firefly. Only after he brushed past her and went some distance away did the stunned Firefly come back to her senses.

"Wait! Don't go!"

"This isn't right. I really value you. I really like you."

When Firefly said those words, her expression was already completely immersed in the role. It was as though this was not a performance, but Caelus was truly about to leave her. As she spoke, she immediately caught up to him.

"Don't... please. Without the Trailblazer, watashi...!"

Firefly suddenly grabbed Caelus's palm and wrist with both hands, speaking in a mournful voice. When a cute girl showed such an expression, the hearts of many audience members clenched. Their emotions had been successfully drawn in.

"HA☆NA☆SE!"

Caelus shook his hand, showing no sign of softening because of Firefly's cries. A wave of furious teeth-gritting sounds rose from the audience, and some people were already cursing Caelus for being inhuman. He had actually made a girl this heartbroken.

"What do I have to do for you to come back? As long as I can do it, I'm willing to do anything."

Crying, Firefly's knees gave out and she fell to the ground. At once, gasps rang out both inside and outside the venue. The audience had not expected a girl to go this far just to beg a man. Though they did not know what Super Break was, it had to be very important to her.

Because Firefly had knelt, Caelus stopped walking as well. He looked down at the crying Firefly, still speaking in that flat tone.

"How much resolve do you think it takes to say something like that? You're just someone who plays Super Break. Can you beat a Weakness Lock mechanic? You're willing to do anything... If Weakness gets locked, neither of us can do anything."

"Don't casually say things you can't do."

"But I really..."

Firefly wanted to say more, but Caelus had already forcefully pulled his hand back and left behind a cold remark.

"You're the kind of person who only ever thinks about yourself."

Caelus left the performance venue. Under the stage lights, only Firefly remained, kneeling on the ground and covering her face as she cried. As the director called for the end, everyone finally realized that it had been a short performance rather than a real story.

Clap clap clap!

Thunderous applause erupted, along with colorful streamers falling from above. The directors all gave perfect scores, and the audience erupted in praise. Though they did not know exactly what kind of story it was, they had felt its desperate atmosphere.

Caelus returned to the venue and helped Firefly up from the ground. She had gotten a little too immersed in the role and still looked aggrieved, so Caelus hurriedly held her and began comforting her.