"Have you ever thought that it would be easier to just participate in the competition directly?" Qiong was somewhat speechless. "Going through this whole process, we might have succeeded already."
"That's not a bad alternative..." Himeko considered. "However, I still prefer to obtain the tickets through fair and square means. By the way, what's the name of this competition again?"
"What? The SoulGlad Scorchsand Audition Round' is held at ' The Scorchsand Hour '," Yan Bai described for a while. "If we win first place, we can win the title of Planet of Festivities and receive a personal audience with Miss Robin... But that's not important. Hanxing has already told us the important thing," March 7th added.
"So, how can I participate in this ' Scorchsand Audition '?" Firefly asked curiously. "Hehe, actually I got a few special invitation tickets from Miss Robin's fan group," March 7th chuckled. "To be honest, I've been preparing to participate in this audition. But now it seems that even if I stand out, I probably won't have the chance to shake hands with Miss Robin..."
"So this thing is still running... It was originally just a gimmick that Mikhail created to attract attention. It's worth a try," Gallagher remarked.
"Let's do as they say. Mr. Gallagher, will you come with us?" Himeko looked at Gallagher, as if realizing something. "... I'm afraid I don't have that time. As a 'fictional character'... I have completed my last task. Whether Penacony can wake up from the dream depends entirely on you."
"If we ever meet again... please come sit on the train." For some reason, the atmosphere of farewell grew increasingly heavy. "Alright, I'll add a few more entries to your train think tank." Just as the silence deepened, Hanxing's gaze suddenly fell on Gallagher:
"You... do you really want to become a human?" "What do you mean?" Gallagher was a little confused by this question, but he still answered, "Of course I do, but even if I really become a human, there are still many things at Dreamflux Reef that Mikhail and I need to solve together, I can't get away..."
"I want to... give you this chance." Hanxing smiled, his right eye turning golden, revealing the hour hand within: "Relax." "Okay..." Gallagher felt a glimmer of hope upon hearing that there was a way to continue. After all, he had always dreamed of seeing the Astral Express set sail again.
Suddenly, Hanxing moved, but his actions surprised everyone: a dagger appeared in his hand from nowhere and stabbed straight into Gallagher's body. " Hanxing, what are you doing?" Qiong asked urgently, and the Astral Express Crew all pointed their weapons at the murderer, Hanxing.
"Don't rush..." As Gallagher's body completely dissipated into Memoria, the pointer in Hanxing's right eye turned, and his right hand stretched out. A body completely identical to Gallagher appeared from where his fingers passed. Then came the final step: Gallagher's soul floated out from the dagger and rushed straight towards the new body.
After a while, Gallagher slowly opened his eyes. "This feeling... is quite strange?" Seeing Gallagher awake again, everyone lowered their guard. "We apologize for our distrust, but thank you for saving Gallagher for us, Hanxing." Himeko's voice was somewhat apologetic, but Hanxing simply waved her hand. "It's alright, it's only right to be wary of wanted criminals."
"Speaking of which, am I already on the wanted list?" Hanxing asked somewhat jokingly. "Not yet. The only other person who knows about this right now is probably Sparkle," Qiong replied. "Then you don't need to worry about not being able to show your face," Hanxing said with a smile.
"Mr. Hanxing, Ms. Firefly, thank you for your previous help. With a formidable enemy at hand, as long as the Stellaron Hunters and the Astral Express share the same goal, we are willing to cooperate with you." Himeko said with a smile.
"We've come this far, let's walk the Penacony journey together. I'm so glad we can stand side by side in the end; it truly is the best ending," Firefly replied.
"This is precisely the meaning of the ' Trailblaze ' journey. Let's set off then, everyone," Himeko agreed. "No need to trouble Dormancy any longer, leave it to me." Hanxing smiled, then tore open the air with both hands, and a red spatial portal appeared before everyone. "Goodbye, I'll be waiting for you here," Gallagher waved to everyone.
"Let's go." Hanxing demonstrated for everyone present, entering the spatial portal first, followed by Firefly and Yan Bai. The Astral Express Crew exchanged glances and then entered the portal as well...
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Hot Sands venue! This is a feast for challengers, a grand celebration for Dream Chaser, the center of attention for the entire universe! As long as you have ambition, dreams, and the will to strive—dear friends, the next Penacony extravaganza star could be you!" The broadcast echoed in every corner of the venue, and the spotlight shone on the six members of Hanxing who had just entered.
"Wow, this looks really impressive! I'm getting excited!" March 7th's voice couldn't hide his excitement. "Look, here come six spirited friends! Do you want to be the stars of this grand event?"
"Huh... are you talking about us?" March 7th's voice hesitated slightly. "Yes, don't doubt it, I see superstar potential in you!" the broadcast continued, and reporters began to gather around.
"Six contestants, what are you here hoping to achieve?" "As the last group of participants, how confident are you in passing all the challenges?" "Can you grant us a personal interview? Just for a moment!" "The road ahead is long and arduous, banners blot out the sky as we vie for the crown!" "Sword and rose! Protecting Beauty! Pure beauty, Beauty Beauty! Mighty and wondrous!" "Knight's head is hard! Brother Lan is single-minded! We don't have to win the competition! The fun can't stop!" Various voices surrounded the group from all directions.
"There are so many people! It feels like all sorts of monsters and demons have appeared. Let's hurry up and get into the competition!" March 7th was a little scared by the situation, but then a voice broke the chaos. "Ladies and gentlemen, please make way, make way."
"Now approaching us is Mr. Aetherium, one of Penacony's top ten richest men and the creator of the SoulGlad business empire!" the broadcast announced.