"Before we begin, let me introduce myself again."
"The founder of Dreamville, the Clockmaker's right-hand man, and the one who sent those invitations..."
"Gallagher, a Fictional Historian. A pleasure to meet you all."
"Wow, some Fictional Historian you are!" March 7th's pink-and-blue eyes widened. "Was anything you told us true?"
Gallagher smiled faintly.
"I can guarantee that every story I told you before was true."
"Uh... I do like to tell little lies, but most of it was true. Except the part about The Family taking me back."
Himeko nodded slightly and turned to the others.
"I checked with Mr. Mika. Everything about The Family, the Clockmaker, and Mikhail has been verified."
Gallagher gave a faint smile.
"Thank goodness you understand."
"Now we can speak openly."
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I went to such lengths to stage a fight over an inheritance, invite so many factions, and throw Penacony into chaos..."
"The answer is simple, and it's something you all know very well. The root of it all..."
"Is the Stellaron."
"...?" Yan Huan's eyes widened.
"What?"
"You're saying Penacony has a Stellaron too?!"
"It does. Didn't see that coming, did you?" Gallagher smiled.
"Then why haven't we seen any Crack Realm creatures?" Yan Huan looked up at the Twelve Dreams above, puzzled.
"There isn't even a trace of the Crack Realm."
Welt raised a question of his own.
"Travel to and from Penacony is unimpeded. It's an interstellar hub connected in every direction, and there's no apparent sign of Stellaron contamination..."
Gallagher looked at them both.
"You're both right."
"So why not take a guess at what that means?"
"..."
After a moment of silence, Yan Huan reached a conclusion.
"You mean something has already taken control of Penacony's Stellaron?"
"Heh. Sharp as ever." Gallagher smiled.
"What