Upon hearing this word, Xing's tightly furrowed brows relaxed considerably. Stellaron... well, it's an old friend. She has one inside her body, and two more in her hourglass necklace.
" The Stellaron? Penacony is an unobstructed, interconnected interstellar hub, and it doesn't seem to show any signs of contamination. How could it be related to the Stellaron?"
"You're absolutely right, so why don't you guess what this means?"
Xing, who was most familiar with the Stellaron, immediately guessed the answer, "Someone is secretly manipulating the Stellaron!"
"Very perceptive, as expected of you." Gallagher looked at Xing with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Dreams don't just appear out of thin air. If we compare the Memory Zone to a vast ocean, building a Land of the Dreams is like filling in soil and constructing a house within that turbulent sea."
"To achieve this feat, the only option, if not for the intervention of a [ Remembrance ] or [Mystic] Emanator, is to use Stellaron."
"Moreover, this isn't something that can be accomplished simply by making a wish; it requires a considerable level of knowledge, along with a significant amount of time and manpower, to do it so flawlessly."
"Now that I've said all that, you should understand..."
Gallagher turned around and spoke calmly:
"The current ' Planet of Festivities ' is Stellaron Disaster' of Asdana."
" The Planet of Festivities... is the Cataclysm of the Stellaron?"
March 7th gasped in surprise, covering her mouth. Following her words, Gallagher then recounted the history of Penacony's construction to everyone.
"The story begins long ago. After the Clockmaker liberated the Frontier Prison, they were at a loss as to how to build Penacony from scratch, and internal and external troubles never stopped... That's when someone set their sights on the Stellaron."
"This Stellaron originally fell into Asdana during the war. At the time, thanks to the pleas of the Nameless, people abandoned the idea of being tainted by this power, but there have always been those with ulterior motives secretly plotting against it."
"The turning point came after Tiernan's death, followed by the deaths of his two Nameless companions, forcing the [ Clockmaker ] to venture to the frontier. This journey, however, provided his rivals with an opportunity."
"By the time the Family representatives of the Montor System responded to the [ Clockmaker's ] call and arrived, the Stellaron had already been activated and infiltrated into the primal synesthetic dream world."
Gallagher pursed his lips and looked down at the three tombstones.
"I suspect that the Family happens to possess the knowledge of sealing Stellaron?"
"More than that. Their understanding of the Stellaron far surpasses that of ordinary people. They quickly helped Mikhail quell the internal strife and then joined the construction of Penacony under the name of ' Harmony.'"
"That was the third century known as the 'Age of Dreams,' when the unsuspecting ' Clockmaker ' extended an invitation to the entire universe, igniting a craze called the Land of the Dreams."
"So how did they become enemies?" March 7th asked.
"Remember that metaphor of 'reclaiming land from the sea'? The truth is, the Stellaron was never sealed; it just exists in a different form within the dream."
"Think carefully about the price of building and maintaining such a grand 'dream'."
Before March 7th could give an answer, Gallagher said, "It's life, little girl."
"A magnificent dream is built upon the death of the spirit. A poisonous wine called 'pleasure' flows through the dream, causing people to become addicted, their minds slowly drifting towards the same destination, ultimately becoming the placenta of the dream."
"Confusion, laziness, cowardice... these weaknesses that are ubiquitous in human nature were amplified and nurtured by the Family, turning Penacony into another kind of prison, far more indestructible than the one before."
Gallagher had heard of the " Church of Eternity," and since its management style was similar to that of his the Family, why were they able to run it so successfully, turning it into a true " Paradise "?
Is it the difference between reality and dreams? He didn't think so. The Church of Eternity had its own goals, and whether they were priests or ordinary residents, their faith in the [ Eternity ] Aeon was incredibly pure.
Unwavering, united, sharing joys and sorrows... who exactly is the " The Family "...?
"We discovered it too late. By then, the Family had already established immense influence, and the opponents were quickly brought under control and expelled."
"With nowhere else to turn, I had no choice but to rely on [mysterious] power to hide in this chaotic Memory Zone, and spent several years [ Enigmata ] a meme in my dreams for our use--"
What Gallagher was referring to was none other than the Memory Zone Meme known as "Death," and the nickname " Mianmian " was also explained here.
"[ Dormancy ], that's its true name. Because ordinary people can no longer fall asleep in their dreams, we have the opportunity to exploit this loophole."
"So this is the true meaning of 'the impossible'." Himeko mused, as if she understood.
"So, you sent out invitations under the name of the ' Clockmaker ' in order to find the faction that can resolve the Stellaron crisis and lure them to Penacony to discover the truth?"
"Moreover, what I'd like to see even more is the constant fighting among the various factions over the inheritance. Coupled with the Clockmaker's first public statement after disappearing for over a decade, the 'traitor' within the Family is bound to be exposed."
"So, [heritage] is really just a facade..."
I thought March 7th was some kind of epic treasure hunt from a shonen manga, but the Clockmaker's dying words directly ushered in the Penacony treasure hunt era!
Gallagher spread his hands. "If you want to keep the Stellaron as an inheritance, I have no objection."
"So, where is that Stellaron now?"
"That's a question for that winged brat."
Gallagher turned his gaze to Sunday, who was still chatting with the Robin not far away.
" Stellaron has always been under the control of the Family, and as the face of the Oak Family, he must be fully aware of this."
The camera pans to Silver Wolf's side, Ye Yan walks towards her. "Is the game over?"
Silver Wolf nodded. "I'm tired, I'm just playing around with the main storyline for a while."
Before Ye Yan could reply, Silver Wolf confessed directly to him:
"Mainly... I heard some noise from the next room while playing games, and it reminded me of the widely circulated ' Penacony Midnight Rules' ghost story from The Masked Fools, so..."
"I've played quite a few supernatural games, so being scared is out of the question. I just want to see how far your [ Script ] has progressed."
Seeing that the conversation was about to die out, Silver Wolf recalled Gallagher's earlier words and changed the subject.
"[The faction that resolved the Stellaron crisis]... If I remember correctly, the Church of Eternity didn't receive an invitation, right? So how did the Chair get in?"
Ye Yan was understandable; she had already boarded the Astral Express back at the [ Herta ] Space Station. But what about Blake? Was he also a [smuggler]?
Is it possible that the Church doesn't need this meaningless invitation?
Silver Wolf realized what was happening, and his lips twitched slightly... Everyone knew that Blake was an [ Eternity ] Emanator.
If there's only one Emanator, it might not cause much trouble for the Family. But if they really push them too far, they can just summon [ The Great Septimus ], although they might not necessarily be able to defeat them.
But... it seems that an elven priest also came with Blake this time. With two Emanator the move, anyone who didn't know better would think they were here to cause trouble. Silver Wolf couldn't really comment on it.
"Wow... you mean you can do whatever you want just because you're a [ Emanator ]? Is there no law anymore?"
Even Silver Wolf from the Stellaron Hunters faction hacked into the system to create a legitimate identity for herself!
"Don't say that. The Church is just here for a vacation... and they even brought souvenirs, which shows their sincerity."