These words immediately shocked everyone present.
"Sinking? You mean... the dream world is collapsing?"
Black Swan explained calmly, showing no sign of tension. "The encounter at the Dream Hotel was a premonition."
"... I see, that explains the incongruity in the Family language."
Welt understood. "If this news gets out, regardless of the guests' actual safety, the reputation of the Planet of Festivities will inevitably be affected."
" With the Charmony Festival approaching, they had no choice but to conceal the matter."
"The safety of the guests might not be guaranteed either... Isn't the monster she encountered the best proof? Should I remind you again? It's Memory Zone Meme..."
"How could a meme alluding to death and murder appear in a dream that the Family claims is 'absolutely safe'... In Penacony, everyone can lie—perhaps even the Family itself?"
Himeko looked at the Black Swan. [ Remembrance ] doesn't lie, but as the one Memokeeper... well, that's another story.
"Miss Black Swan, we are fully aware of the current situation. Let's return to your initial proposal..."
"What were Garden of Recollection's reasons for choosing to cooperate with the Astral Express?"
At this stage, there's only one faction you can trust on the Astral Express: the Church of Eternity. Why? Because even the Aeon has boarded the train; how could there be a crisis of trust?
"Um, please allow me to correct you... This is my personal request, not on behalf of Garden of Recollection. The answer is simple, Himeko, I just want to make an exchange... an exchange concerning [ Remembrance ]."
"Beyond my duties, I also have some... personal aesthetic pursuits." The Black Swan turned around. "I am Memokeeper and a collector, and I also want to witness those sparkling, dazzling, precious Remembrance —this idea is easy to understand, isn't it?"
"And you, the Nameless of the Astral Express, the practitioners of the [ Trailblaze ] path... I believe in your potential, and I believe you will shine with a unique brilliance on this stage."
"Furthermore, out of personal motives... I also want to collect some... Remembrance about [ Eternity ]."
The moment Black Swan uttered those words, she could sense the subtle changes in the expressions of the Astral Express Crew.
"Why not go to the Church? They certainly understand [ Eternity ] better than the Astral Express," March 7th asked bluntly.
"Regarding that... it seems the Memokeeper doesn't particularly like the Garden of Recollection doesn't quite like it."
Black Swan isn't confident it can uncover the Remembrance of the [ Eternity ] Emanator; it would be good enough if it didn't suffer a backlash.
Never enter someone's Remembrance lightly before you're fully prepared. After dancing with the purple-haired woman who claimed to be Galaxy Ranger, Black Swan learned this lesson.
But now... with this brand-new Light Cone, perhaps she can set her sights on the Church of Eternity, since she hasn't yet come into contact with anyone from [ Eternity ].
The contents of the Light Cone are simple: Fool's Mask and an ∞-shaped hourglass, separated by a theatrical clown hammer.
The former refers to the Masked Fools, the latter to the Church of Eternity. What is the significance of this hammer...?
Could it be... that, unbeknownst to her, the Church's Chair had given the Masked Fools a beating?
"This isn't the time to think about these things," the Black Swan said. "That's why I want to be friends with you all. The place where nightmares and dreams meet... it's the perfect cradle for [ Remembrance ]."
Himeko closed her eyes and thought for a moment, "... I understand. But before I can give you an answer, we need to discuss this further."
"Of course, please feel free."
Xing shook her head; the reunion with the Astral Express Crew was indeed not as harmonious as she had imagined.
The person Memokeeper came with conditions: in exchange for saving her life, she hoped to gain cooperation with the Astral Express Crew and even wanted to explore Ye Yan's Remembrance...
People say that the Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection is the most terrifying, and now Xing really believes it. Although the Black Swan doesn't know Ye Yan's true identity, if she wants to explore the Aeon's Remembrance, haha... she might as well find the Emanator.
The Black Swan quietly stepped aside, seemingly having no intention of eavesdropping.
"... Himeko, what do you think?"
"Her words cannot be entirely trusted; there's a significant element of deliberate manipulation. But I worry about the worst-case scenario: what if the anomalies in the dream do exist, and they didn't happen naturally, but were orchestrated by someone behind the scenes..."
"Then it's highly likely related to the [ Clockmaker's Invitation ]. Leaving aside extreme cases, the mastermind behind the dream's anomaly must be opposed to the Family, leaving only two possibilities."
Welt analyzed the current situation and further speculated. "Someone intends to introduce external forces to undermine the Family's control over Penacony; or the Family is forced to seek help from the outside world in order to protect itself."
"This means that the person who sent the Nameless message and the mastermind behind the dream anomaly are in the same camp... or even the same person."
After listening to them, it was March 7th's turn to be confused.
"But... that doesn't prove anything. Just talking about the method, the Fool and the Riddlers could do it too, and the company cracked it successfully, didn't they? While I trust Chair Blake's character, the Church isn't out of the question."
Xing nodded in agreement, and the Church of Eternity followed suit.
"Don't be Little March, it's just a possibility."
"But if this coded message isn't just a prank, but rather someone intentionally inviting [ Trailblaze ] to participate, then we have even less reason to stand idly by."
"Now, let me tell you my discovery—unfortunately, it's bad news." Welt casually pulled out his phone.
"According to reliable sources, some people have witnessed a tall man in silver armor in Penacony. I inquired with the Hound Family and also interviewed many guests who claimed to have seen this intruder."
"Then I received this," Welt clicked on a video, "Take a look."
Q-version Silver Wolf
"Ahem, can you hear me? Astral Express, long time no see—is Penacony fun?"
"This is... this is that hacker girl!"
Silver Wolf's pre-recorded spoilers were playing.
"Seriously, I know you're all investigating the Penacony visions everywhere. In fact, we're quite happy to see it, because the deeper you investigate, the more likely you are to uncover the truth behind the dream."
"Isn't the Family hiding something? We also have inside information."
"Now, I've decided to generously share this with everyone. It's just a pity... my wonderful vacation is coming to an end."
"Enter this code into your Dream Pool, the device used for dreaming. Go check out the hidden map! The location coordinates are all packaged for you; just copy it with one click."
"Wow, she's quite thoughtful."
Just as March 7th was about to applaud the Stellaron Hunters's professionalism, he heard Silver Wolf's next words.
"And—I'm sure you've already heard about Sam, so look forward to it!"
"That guy is simple-minded and likes fair competition; he'll definitely get along with you all. I hope you won't let his enthusiasm overwhelm you!"
"Oh, he also asked me to tell everyone: in the unreachable dream, the play is about to begin—keep going, all the forces are getting involved."
" Nameless, don't fall too far behind!"
Beep beep!
Just as the Astral Express Crew was about to discuss the matter after Silver Wolf finished his communication, Welt's phone beeped again.
"Is there more to this story?"
I opened a newly sent image link on my phone at March 7th, and saw familiar items in it.
"Milk tea?"
"Ahem... Just a quick aside: See this milk tea? If you want to find Ye Yan, come to this hidden map."
"No way, Teacher Ye Yan was actually kidnapped?!"