"Ah... so even theater troupe members can fall into an existential crisis..." Firefly sighed. "Don't worry, young lady, I've pinpointed the missing part!" said the Clockie's voice, appearing out of nowhere.
In an instant, three coordinates were imprinted in the three men's minds in some unknown way: "This way, friends! Let's unleash the speed of the Hamster Ball Knight!" "To save time, let's split into three groups and set off." Hanxing said briefly, and the three immediately dispersed, each locking onto a coordinate.
After walking only a few steps, Yan Bai saw the part he needed. "This must be the missing part of the Dream Ticker, great!" The Clockie's voice came from Yan Bai's mind. Hanxing then said to Hanxing and the other person who continued forward, "I'll wait for you in front of the Dream Ticker!" Hanxing nodded and continued forward.
They hadn't gone far when a huge chasm blocked their path. "We've arrived! The missing part is on the other side... but how do we get across?" Hanxing didn't answer, but simply took Firefly's hand, blue stars appearing in her eyes, and in an instant they appeared on the other side. The two began to run again.
"Help, help! I'm going to turn into a roasted bird! Help! Help! This guy's body is burning hot! Is anyone there? I can't hold on any longer!" Hanxing followed the cries and saw a red dinosaur. "What's this?"
"Oh my god, it's a Origami Bird! How did it get into its tail that's Seventeen Times Cooked?" Clockie's voice was a little urgent. "It's Clockie, chirp? Help me, chirp, I'm going to become a whole roasted bird, chirp!"
"Roast a whole bird! This is terrible—we need to get it out of here right now!" As soon as Clockie finished speaking, Hanxing's Blade of Ending was drawn half an inch from its sheath, and a blade of light that could cleave through space appeared instantly, severing the Seventeen Times Cooked head in a flash. The massive body slowly lost its life.
"Wow... that was fast." Firefly was a little surprised, while Yan Bai reached for the Seventeen Times Cooked tail and pulled the Origami Bird out. "Phew... thank you, chirp, I feel like I'm about seven-tenths cooked now, chirp." "Thank goodness you're alright! But how did you end up in that guy's tail?" Clockie asked with some concern.
"It's because some guy stole Dream Ticker's parts! I tried to get them back, but I accidentally put myself in the oven... You can have them, but be careful not to burn yourself!" With that, the bird left the parts behind and flew away.
"We got the heart fragment of the Dreamweaver Troupe... This is too dreamlike." Firefly exclaimed, and the two walked towards the location of the last piece again. However, unexpectedly, the piece was on another roof, but the solution was still the same. Hanxing gently grasped Firefly's hand and rushed forward again.
"We've collected all the parts... Let's go back quickly, don't keep that Dream Ticker waiting." Firefly picked up the last part, Hanxing nodded, and the Embroidered Spring Blade was instantly drawn, slashing twice to create a spatial portal and arriving in front of Dream Ticker.
"Pretty fast." Yan Bai waved to the three approaching people, then took out a part and turned it towards the Dream Ticker. Hanxing and Firefly Ying also took out parts and held them in front of them. "We're back! With these, you'll definitely be able to open your heart, tick-tock!" As the Clockie finished speaking, the three of them pushed the parts into the notch on the side of the clock together.
"Oh! This sudden feeling of exhilaration..." the Dream Ticker exclaimed. "It worked! Tick-tock! Next, all we need to do is enter its mental space and connect the pathways, and we'll be all set!" The Clockie was greatly encouraged, Yan Bai established a mental link again, the three of them peering into the Dream Ticker's mind.
A maze-like place appeared before the three of them. Hanxing scratched his head: "I don't know how to do this, you guys take care of it." "Leave it to me." Yan Bai smiled and quickly connected the passageways, but in an instant, the entire space began to change violently.
"Good heavens... what's going on? Your mind is in complete turmoil!" Clockie was somewhat flustered. Blue-purple borders appeared in Hanxing's eyes, and a strange tone slowly emerged. "Don't panic, friend, we can definitely help you solve the problem."
After Hanxing finished speaking, the turbulent emotions in the Dream Ticker suddenly came to a standstill. " Yan Bai, it's up to you now." Yan Bai operated the clock for a while, finally completing the clock's thoughts.
"Thank you, Clockie... If it weren't for you, I would never have been able to communicate with people so well—you helped me rediscover myself!" Dream Ticker said gratefully. "You're welcome. As the guardian of Dreamville, it's what I should do!" Clockie replied.
"My three friends, you still have important things to do, right?" The Dream Ticker voice paused, then encouraged them, "Go on, friends—when that time comes, I and all the Dream Ticker will be cheering you on!"
"Everything's done... Victory is in sight, let's head to the final checkpoint." Firefly looked at the pinball appearing ahead and said to the two behind her.
"Congratulations to both players! You've overcome numerous challenges and proven your abilities. However, it's unfortunate that only one can become Penacony's next Planet of Festivities." The guide appeared beside the pinball as scheduled. "In the final round, you will face a player who has held the title until now. If you fail, you will miss out on the crown of the event's superstar!"
"Welcome to the third round of the 20th Scorchsand Festival, 33rd event, sponsored by SoulGlad Co., Ltd.. – ' Superstar Showdown '!" The three of them once again plunged into the pinball and instantly arrived at the final stage.
"Who invented this mode of transportation?" Hanxing was a little dizzy. "I hope I never have to experience this again." "Next, it's the final arena. Let's go." Yan Bai turned to look at the two of them, giving them an encouraging look.
As they ascended the first step, a red-haired knight clad in silver armor appeared before them. Slightly puzzled, the three stepped onto the arena nonetheless.
"Wait a moment, handsome sir, beautiful lady—" the knight spoke first, "By the grace of ' Beauty,' though we are meeting for the first time, your warm faces in this restless moment are like a spring breeze, soothing my heart like warm sand!"
"You are... the Beauty Knights?" Firefly seemed to recognize the person. "Before I introduce myself, my name is Argenti, from the ' Knights of Beauty.' May I ask your esteemed names?"
" Astral Express, Hanxing." " Astral Express, Firefly." " Fansha Star, Yan Bai." The three introduced themselves one after another, simply to avoid revealing their identities by saying they were from the Astral Express.
"Upon learning that the celebration was imminent, I ordered the ' The Rarely Seen ' to run at full speed to take me to Penacony. However, without the protection of ' Beauty,' the Milky Way was murky and chaotic, and my journey there, spent many hours rescuing the wounded and dying..."
"Fortunately, the dwarf rabbit mecha pilot, the stray cat duelist, the galactic ninja, the four-wheel Intellitron, and all thirty-two others who were stranded have overcome their difficulties and are safe and sound... So I brought them all here to share Harmony with thousands of beautiful creatures."
"You're quite the savior..." Hanxing teased. "I wouldn't dare! It's just a pity that the company ambassador, as beautiful and dazzling as a peacock, is still in poor condition... I wish he could join us for this grand event." Argenti paused, then spoke again, "Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Since we've gathered here, I presume you two are here to compete for the championship, right?"
"Although upon arrival I was initially mistaken for a tall, silver-armored, fiery-red wanted criminal due to my poor communication skills... it doesn't matter, all of this comes from the ' Beauty ' experience of the land of dreams."
Argenti's gaze suddenly turned serious. "The important thing is that I now stand here—in this narrow encounter, I, Argenti of the ' Knights of Beauty,' humbly request to engage in a contest of chivalry with you two!"