—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Whoa, what the hell?"
Stelle: "Misha and Mikhail's voices… they just overlapped?"
March 7th: "Geez… that scene gave me goosebumps."
March 7th: "It feels like we're actually being taught by a Nameless from back in the day again!"
Hu Tao: "Misha's posture has changed, too."
Hu Tao: "Even though he's still in the form of a child, he carries the aura of a kind old man."
Pam: "Waaaah… you promised you'd return to the Express after finishing your business, Pam!"
Pam: "BUT LOOK HOW IT TURNED OUT!!"
Pam: "And the other two, they… they aren't making it easy for the Conductor either, waaaaah…"
Paimon: "Th-the Conductor is suddenly so sad."
Himeko: "Been holding it in for a long time, haven't you?"
Himeko: "Cry if you want to. Keeping it bottled up isn't the answer."
March 7th: "Oh… so that explains why the Conductor's been all teary-eyed lately."
March 7th: "But when I asked, it just said it had some sand in its eyes and felt a bit uncomfortable."
Stelle: "Are you dense? The Express floor is polished like a mirror. Where would sand come from?"
Stelle: "The Conductor was just sad after hearing the news about the three Nameless seniors."
Pam: "I… I was not!"
Pam: "I wasn't sad at all… sniffle…"
Lumine: "Companions who were with you day and night… now gone from this world."
Lumine: "If it were me… I'd want to cry too…"
Stelle: "It's okay, Conductor, let it all out!"
Stelle: "Once you're done crying, we'll keep looking forward!"
Pam: "Waaaaaaah!"
Welt Yang: "Let Pam have a good cry. It needs to release its emotions."
....
『 [ Because he was born to Trailblaze, wasn't he? ]
[ I don't think little Misha ever forgot his mission as a guide, which is why he mistakenly thought of himself as a hotel bellboy when Stelle first entered the dream… ]
[ It must have been him who brought the unconscious Stelle here. ]
[ Looking at it this way, didn't we brush past the Watchmaker's legacy right from the start? ]
Regarding Mikhail's words, Himeko smiles and says.
[ Heh. ]
[ I have a difficult friend who always says my life is full of twists and turns, only to end up back at the start… ]
[ Perhaps this is a stage every Nameless must go through. ]
[ But in the end, you found me. ]
[ Getting back to business, since you've made it here, I'm sure you're curious about what the Watchmaker's legacy truly is. ]
[ My hounds might have mentioned a Stellaron, and the tycoon's wealth… ]
[ I must apologize; the Stellaron is real, but Mikhail's wealth is nothing more than street gossip and rumors. ]
[ I bid farewell to my hometown in childhood, embarked on the journey of the Trailblaze, passed station after station, and finally stopped at Asdana. ]
[ My friends and I built the original Penacony, and have fought for its future ever since… ]
[ My life has been one of moving forward, doing everything in my power to break through the obstacles in my path. ]
[ But in the end, my road has come to an end, my body like a battered locomotive, leaving behind no fortune worth entrusting to anyone… ]
[ So, if you ask what's left in this dilapidated engine that can be called a legacy… ]
[ I think it's only those things that are still burning in the engine's furnace. ]
[ You already know the current state of Penacony. ]
[ Of course, I hope someone will help this world get back on track. ]
[ But this decision must be made by you, because the path of the Trailblaze is never paved by others. ]
[ Therefore, I leave you with a story, and two gifts— ]
[ I want to give this to you: my pocket watch. ]
[ It accompanied me on a long journey, guiding that ignorant, foolish child to keep moving forward, and I've been fortunate enough to make it this far with so many great people. ]
[ And my hat. ]
[ The one who charted the course for me placed it on my head, planting an unrealistic thought: that the journey of the Trailblaze will never end. ]
[ Now, it is your turn to make a choice. ]
[ If you have made up your mind, push open that door and step into an old man's long dream. ]
[ I will be waiting for you at the end of this corridor of time. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Paimon: "Hmm… no infinite wealth, just a pocket watch… and a… hat?"
Paimon: "Sounds a bit… disappointing?"
Welt Yang: "As expected… he is a veteran among the Nameless, only leaving the most precious things to his juniors."
Lumine: "The… most precious things?"
Himeko: "That's right, the most precious things!"
Dan Heng: "Perhaps to you, these are just two old items that followed an old Nameless his whole life."
Dan Heng: "But to us, as fellow Nameless, these two items represent a legacy!"
Stelle: "They don't just represent a legacy; they represent a spirit, a hope."
March 7th: "He hopes we can take up his path and continue to Trailblaze for him."
March 7th: "So… as fellow Nameless, surely everyone's choice will be the same, right?"
Stelle: "That goes without saying. As Nameless, carrying out the path of the Trailblaze forever is our eternal conviction!"
Stelle: "Therefore, we have no reason not to accept Senior Mikhail's legacy!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Wow… so this is the Watchmaker's legacy!"
Furina de Fontaine: "A legacy that belongs only to the Nameless!"
Furina de Fontaine: "The meaning it holds far exceeds any wealth!"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "It is not without reason that the Astral Express has earned endless renown throughout the cosmos."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "With so many noble-minded Nameless following in each other's footsteps, passing on the spirit of the Trailblaze…"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "For this alone, the Astral Express surpasses the vast majority of factions in the universe!"
Qingque: "The path of the Trailblaze, tsk tsk, it's really dazzling and brilliant!"
Qingque: "Watching this makes me kinda want to be a Nameless."
Fu Xuan: "What, want to run off?"
Fu Xuan: "If you leave, who's going to take over your job?"
Qingque: "Huh????"
Qingque: "Don't say that, Master Diviner, I don't want to take over anything!!"
Qingque: "I'm just a slacker without dreams… please, have mercy on me!! (Crying.jpg)"
....
『 [ Alright, everyone. ]
[ Let's make a decision. ]
[ But I don't think anyone has any objections, right? ]
Watching the figures of Mikhail and Clockie disappear at the end of the corridor, Himeko asks the two.
[ I have an objection! ]
Himeko shouldn't have said that last sentence.
As soon as she did, Stelle's rebellious streak kicked in again. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Here we go again…"
March 7th: "You, are you naturally contrarian or something?"
March 7th: "Whatever we say, you have to go against it?"
March 7th: "Can't we be on the same side for once?"
Stelle: "Sorry, I'm going through puberty, my rebellious phase is pretty strong, you know."
Qingque: "But aren't you only one year old?"
Qingque: "How do you have puberty at one year old?"
Stelle: "Oh, I grow up fast, I'm sixteen now."
Silver Wolf: "What kind of custom age is that?"
Silver Wolf: "Do you think you're playing a game?"
Stelle: "Believe it or not, just look at me, don't I look like a beautiful girl of that age?"
Hotaru: "Mhm, I believe you!!"
Stelle: "Ah, my Hotaru-chan is the best!"
Silver Wolf: "...."
Silver Wolf: "As long as you're happy…"
....
『 [ You... don't mess around at a time like this. We've come this far; is there any option other than moving forward? ]
March 7th, retorted at Stelle.
[ In that case, the vote is two to one. ]
[ Let's head to the end of this dream… and tell Mikhail our choice. ]
Himeko finishes speaking and leads the two toward the depths of the corridor.
Then, the scene changes, entering a story sequence.
A child's figure runs on the scale of time; the first act of the story takes place during Misha's childhood, when he was Mikhail.
[ Mikhail! Where are you going... ]
Watching the back of the navigator, Mikhail, as he is about to leave, Misha reveals a panicked and reluctant expression.
[ Someone has to step up and save Lushaka. So, why can't it be me, Misha? ]
Navigator Mikhail's voice sounds a bit old, but very firm.
[ Don't go, please? Or take me with you, I beg you, don't leave... ]
Misha pleads bitterly for Mikhail not to go.
[ Even without me, you know how to move forward. ]
[ Brave Captain Misha, the Compass is waiting for you. Haven't you always wanted to be a greater adventurer than me? ]
[ Go now, board that train, and then… begin your journey. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Hu Tao: "Is this scene a conversation between child-Misha and the navigator Mikhail?"
Hu Tao: "After this conversation, did Misha embark on the journey of the Trailblaze and become a Nameless?"
Zhongli: "Judging from the video, that would appear to be the case."
Zhongli: "And back then, he was just a tender child."
Furina de Fontaine: "Come to think of it, is there no age limit to becoming a Nameless?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Can you become a Nameless when you're so young?"
Stelle: "I don't think so?"
Stelle: "Because the Astral Express has always welcomed all passengers."
Stelle: "As long as you can board the train, you should have the qualifications to become a Nameless."
Stelle: "Just like me, I'm only one year old, and I've already become a veteran Nameless, right?"
Silver Wolf: "One year old again?"
Silver Wolf: "Weren't you sixteen just a moment ago?"
Silver Wolf: "You really know how to flexibly control your own age."
Klee: "Wow, does that mean Klee has a chance to become a Nameless, too?"
Klee: "So excited, so excited!"
Klee: "Klee wants to board the train right now and explore the universe!!"
Paimon: "Uh… if little Klee gets on the Astral Express, won't she blow up the train?"
March 7th: "Bl-blow up the train?!"
March 7th: "Shh!! Don't let the Conductor hear that!"
Stelle: "What do you mean?"
Stelle: "Little sister Klee can explode?"
Klee: "Klee doesn't explode, but Jumpty Dumpty does!"
Li Sushang: "Jumpty Dumpty?"
Li Sushang: "What's that?"
Lumine: "Ahem… Jumpty Dumpty is the name of Klee's bomb."
Stelle: "A bomb?"
Stelle: "Nice!"
Stelle: "Playing with bombs at such a young age?"
Stelle: "That's talent!!"
Stelle: "DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD, OUR ASTRAL EXPRESS NEEDS THIS KIND OF TALENT!!"
Paimon: "Actually… don't let little Klee's size fool you, she's Mondstadt's most famous Spark Knight!"
Paimon: "Her bombs can easily blow up all the fish in Cider Lake!"
Klee: "Da-da-da, Klee loves blowing up fish the most!"
March 7th: "Th-that sounds pretty dangerous...."
Klee: "It's okay, Klee won't blow people up randomly!"
Klee: "Honorary Knight sister can vouch for me!"
Lumine: "I guess that's true… in my memory, I've never seen Klee blow up a person."
Lumine: "Of course, Hilichurls don't count as people."
Stelle: "Say no more, sister, bring little sister Klee to the train when you come."
Stelle: "Our Express crew needs this kind of high-firepower demolition expert!"
Lumine: "This… I'll have to ask her mother for permission first..."
Klee: "Hehe, Honorary Knight sister, don't worry, Mommy will definitely agree!"
Albedo: "...…"
....
『 The scale of time continues to move; the second act of the story takes place during Mikhail's youth.
[ Mikhail, where are you going? ]
The train navigator's voice rings out.
[ I, I'm going to the parlor car to mop the floor! ]
[ I promised the Conductor... ]
Mikhail answers timidly.
[ Stop. ]
[ Tell me first, did you fix this watch? ]
The navigator holds a watch, asking Mikhail.
[ Uh… y-yes. ]
Mikhail nods, stammering.
[ I know what it looked like originally. The chain was broken, the back casing damaged, the markings almost worn off.... how did you do it? ]
The navigator examines the watch repeatedly, feeling more surprised the longer he looks.
[ How I did it.... It's hard to explain, but I knew it could be fixed..... ]
[ It's the hands, Mr. Amundsen. The hands were still good; they could still point in the right direction, so everything else had a solution. ]
After thinking for a while, Mikhail points to the moving hands on the watch and says.
[ ... ]
[ I see, you'll work with me from now on. Haven't you always wanted to tinker with this train? You're its mechanic now. As for the conductor, I'll do the talking. ]
After a moment of silence, the navigator gives Mikhail a new identity.
[ B-but I only know how to fix watches..... ]
Mikhail lacks confidence.
[ Don't worry, if you understand one thing, you understand them all. Where something is missing, you fill it in. I'll teach you. ] 』
『 ....』