"I suppose it's time to get to the story of [ Mikhail ] now."
"You're very perceptive. The Astral Express also received that music box, didn't it? Do you know what secret it holds?"
A message: [To witness the impossible in dreams, to find the legacy of Father of Penacony, the " Clockmaker," and then to answer: Why does life slumber?]
Hearing Himeko's reply, Gallagher smiled faintly, "Exactly the same."
March 7th was surprised by Gallagher's reaction; are all the sheriffs in Penacony this cultured?
"Hey, what are you laughing at... Did you write this? Your writing is quite good."
"As the sheriff in charge of the investigation, how could I not know... I bet you've also realized that this message didn't come from the Family —or even that the two families aren't that close?"
"This is just speculation at the moment; it's hard for us to believe that the Father of Penacony and its actual managers are so at odds."
" The Family has long regarded the Clockmaker as an enemy, but the latter is elusive, existing only in the business myth he created, and the hounds have been unable to catch him."
"So, I would like to ask you all a further question: have you ever considered why the Family would tolerate the [ Clockmaker ] sending out such a ridiculous message to the outside world, allowing you to come here by invitation and make such a mess of things?"
Himeko replied, "You want to use this opportunity to expose the [ Clockmaker ]?"
"Now you can understand why the Oak Family authorized the Nameless to assist in the investigation, yet kept things from you at every turn."
"... because the [ Clockmaker ] is not a legend of the Land of the Dreams at all, but rather the most unspeakable stain in the history of the Penacony branch; he is the instigator of all the dream anomalies."
Xing didn't understand; what did this have to do with Mikhail?
"Still haven't you realized? I mean..."
" Mikhail, the traitor of the Family —he is none other than the infamous [ Clockmaker ]."
Clock Studios, Penacony's most popular film and entertainment center.
After experiencing the Dream's Edge and the Dreamjolt Bar, Gallagher brought the Astral Express Crew here again. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were on a tour led by a guide.
"Weren't we supposed to be talking about the Clockmaker? I thought we'd be in the archives or something, but here we are..."
" In March 7th, there's no time to lose. Let's appoint Gallagher as Penacony's best guide now."
Xing suggested from the side, but after being glared at by March 7th, she retreated to Ye Yan's side and whispered something to him.
"Tell me honestly, why did you hide the Firefly?"
"Ha?"
Ye Yan was completely bewildered. What did this have to do with him? While Xing and his group were passionately exploring the Dream-[ The Reverie ] Hotel, he was slacking off at a milk tea shop.
"It's none of my business."
Ye Yan helplessly spread his hands, "Don't ask, it was the Masked Fools who did it. Remember that guy named Sparkle?"
"Having dealt with Jarilo-VI, Sampo, and Giovanni, you know more or less how these Masked Fools find amusement..."
"Among them, this girl named Sparkle is the most outrageous and unscrupulous. If you see anything outrageous in Penacony... don't doubt it, it was her doing."
Ye Yan cleverly shifted the blame to the Masked Fools.
Gallagher is introducing the history of Penacony to Himeko and March 7th:
"The culture of a city is the truest footnote to its history. What you see as a place for fun, I see as a prison, used to imprison the past of this planet."
"You all surely know that Penacony used to be the company's prison planet, right? The prisoners were brought here to help the Garden of Recollection salvage the leaked Memoria from the Great Eddying..."
"The long-term exposure to high concentrations of Memoria in prisons has produced a peculiar phenomenon. The dreams of countless individuals intertwine and overlap, and people begin to meet in their dreams, living a life that seems almost real."
"But everything comes at a price, and dreams are no exception. In the end, even dreams cannot erase people's suffering in reality. Led by a prisoner, the Frontier Prison smashed the shackles of the company and began to fight for freedom..."
At the Morning Dew Mansion on Sunday, the woman stood with her arms crossed, watching the two 'uninvited guests' who had barged in.
"Unauthorized trespassing in forbidden territory is hardly proper etiquette for a guest, is it? Mr. Welt, and also..."
"... Galaxy Ranger, Lady Acheron?"
Welt explained calmly, "I apologize, Mr. Sunday. We couldn't find anyone to contact, so we entered your residence without permission. Please forgive us."
"Even if no one greets you, shouldn't you two wait patiently for the master to arrive?"
"Leaving aside this Galaxy Ranger... as far as I know, the Astral Express has already accepted the Family's commission in a formal setting, so there's probably no need for them to make a special trip."
"We came here specifically to discuss the case with Mr. Sunday, in order to avoid any mishaps during the investigation."
On Sunday, after some thought, he realized that the Nameless on the Astral Express was traveling with this ' Galaxy Ranger,' which suggested that they had reached some kind of 'cooperation.'
"... Very well, since you two have come with goodwill, I have no reason to ask you to leave."
Acheron turned on the team voice chat and whispered to Welt, "Don't worry... he didn't notice we looked through those documents."
"The truth has not yet come to light, but I am not far from it. I assure you all, the traitor will soon pay the price."
"May justice be served soon, but I have a question for Mr. Sunday: how did the Family determine that the murderer was hiding within?"
Welt looked at Sunday, feeling that at times like this, both sides should share information; otherwise, keeping things to themselves would be too uncomfortable.
"Excuse my bluntness, but someone is trying to create chaos on the eve of the Charmony Festival, which is exactly in the company's interest... The Family should have reason to suspect that the company is behind this."
Sunday responded calmly to Welt's question:
"The other family heads have raised the same concerns as you. But in my opinion, the real murderer would never flaunt his identity like that envoy... Besides, I have already personally put him in chains."
"However, I must convey Mr. Welt's concerns to you both. In my opinion, you are the ones who should be more wary of the Aventurine... The wicked may not be able to move high walls, but they can plunge a sharp knife into the heart of the righteous."
"He's a businessman, not a philanthropist, yet he's currently scattering money around the streets and heading alone towards the Clock Studios Paradise. I wonder what he's up to..."
Sunday's implication was clear: Astral Express should not accept the cooperation invitation from Aventurine. The people in the company are shrewd; they might betray you if things go wrong.
Therefore, it is wise not to cooperate with that envoy.
" The Family remains committed to protecting our guests, but you may wish to exercise caution."
"To avoid... unforeseen troubles."