—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "We've all awakened in reality; the matter is clearly concluded."
March 7th: "Mm, the fact that we could wake up from the dream means we must have succeeded!"
March 7th: "There's no doubt about it!"
Welt Yang: "It does appear that everything is in order. Perhaps we were indeed overthinking the situation."
Furina de Fontaine: "Is the Trailblaze journey through Penacony simply coming to an end like this?"
Furina de Fontaine: "While the first half was exquisitely thrilling…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Wasn't the final confrontation a bit… abrupt?"
Hu Tao: "Indeed, I share that sentiment."
Hu Tao: "Sunday spent so much effort painting himself as this omnipotent figure."
Hu Tao: "Yet, before he could even begin his grand performance, he was flattened."
Hu Tao: "The entire process happened in the blink of an eye."
Hu Tao: "It left Sunday looking remarkably fragile."
Lumine: "It does feel somewhat anticlimactic."
Lumine: "But I suspect Sunday never imagined the Astral Express crew—and the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath—could secure the assistance of the Xianzhou General."
Lumine: "He was simply caught completely off guard."
Boothill: "Muddle-fudger! Does that mean I was just a bystander?"
Boothill: "In this final great battle, there wasn't even a glimpse of me."
Nilou: "It wasn't just Mr. Boothill; Miss Acheron and Miss Black Swan vanished as well."
Stelle: "My sister Acheron probably felt that three Emanators ganging up on Sunday would be far too cruel, so she sat this one out."
Acheron: "…It was too seamless."
Acheron: "It almost invites suspicion."
Black Swan: "It seems you noticed as well."
Stelle: "Isn't a seamless victory a good thing?"
Stelle: "Given our current lineup, a smooth win is only natural!"
Jing Yuan: "At times… that which is seen is not necessarily the truth."
March 7th: "Eh? Even you say so, General?"
March 7th: "Is there actually something fishy going on?"
....
『 [ Won't you come and chat with me… Stelle? ]
Stelle and March 7th were preparing to head out to report their safety, but they were halted by a voice.
[ That voice… is it Black Swan? ]
Stelle paused, then stepped out of the room, following the direction of the voice.
[ Hey, where are you going? ]
March 7th, trailing behind Stelle, asked in confusion.
Shortly thereafter, the two of them arrived before Black Swan.
[ Hello. We meet again, little sleepyhead. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Ugh… could you please stop calling me a sleepyhead?"
Stelle: "In what way do I even resemble a sleepyhead?"
March 7th: "You're always the last one to wake up. If you aren't a sleepyhead, then who is?"
Stelle: "Ah, well…"
Stelle: "That's just my constitution! You can't blame me for that!"
Paimon: "Hehe, Miss Black Swan's tone is always so gentle."
Paimon: "Being called a 'little sleepyhead' in such a sweet voice… Paimon thinks that must actually be quite blissful!"
Lumine: "Miss Black Swan would certainly be wonderful at telling children bedtime stories."
Lumine: "With a voice that tender, any child would fall fast asleep."
Furina de Fontaine: "Forget children; even adults would be lulled to sleep by that tone, wouldn't they?"
....
『 [ Mi—Miss Black Swan, what are you doing here? ]
Upon seeing Black Swan, March 7th appeared greatly surprised.
[ It is nothing, Miss March 7th. ]
[ I simply saw that Stelle had awakened and wished to see how her recovery was progressing. ]
[ Although the General's strike was timely, its destructive power was immense. ]
[ When the powers of Emanators collide, ordinary people inevitably suffer the fallout. ]
[ Fortunately, the dreamscape is, in a sense, my home turf… I was able to usher you all out before the Harmonious Choir collapsed. ]
Black Swan explained.
[ Oh, I see! ]
[ Thank you, Miss Black Swan. ]
March 7th realized the situation and expressed her gratitude.
[ You are most welcome. After all, I would hate to see such precious memories vanish. ]
[ You are heading to meet your companions, I presume. Would you mind if I accompanied you for a short while? ]』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "No wonder I didn't see my sister Swan; she was busy fishing people out of the wreckage."
Boothill: "Muddle-fudger! Everyone has a job to do. Am I really the only one who did absolutely nothing?"
Hu Tao: "Don't lose heart, Mr. Boothill. The others possess innate advantages; it is not your fault."
Boothill: "Meow!"
Boothill: "You're making me sound like some commoner!"
March 7th: "Uh… aren't we just commoners?"
March 7th: "Coasting along is fine, but for a grand stage like this, we have to leave it to the professionals."
Stelle: "I don't want to coast; I want to show off too."
Stelle: "Dammit, when will I ever possess the power of an Emanator?"
Silver Wolf: "Just go to sleep. You can have everything in your dreams."
Stelle: "Crap, I'm not interested in daydreaming!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Come to think of it, the Black Swan in the video didn't perceive any anomalies."
Furina de Fontaine: "If she, as an expert on dreams, says so…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Then, can we consider the matter closed?"
Guinaifen: "If you ask me, the buildup was simply too brilliant, which is why everyone feels a bit unsettled by this abrupt ending."
Guinaifen: "But this is, after all, a recording of events that would happen in the future, not a directed film."
Guinaifen: "Isn't it normal for it to have an ending like this?"
Qingque: "When our General acts, success is a foregone conclusion."
Qingque: "I find this ending perfectly reasonable."
Qingque: "The only thing to blame is that the General is simply too strong!"
Stelle: "It's also Sunday's fault for being too weak. All flash and no substance!"
Stelle: "He acted so arrogantly, I thought he'd be at least on par with Phantylia."
Stelle: "In the end, he couldn't even withstand one of Dan Heng's water dragons."
March 7th: "Speaking of which, where is Sunday? Why has he stopped talking?"
Li Sushang: "He's probably gone into a shell."
Li Sushang: "That strike in the video didn't just flatten the Dominicus; it shattered Sunday's pride outside the video as well."
Robin: "If this can make my brother more lucid, then I believe it is a good thing."
Madam Herta: "Lucid?"
Madam Herta: "Tsk tsk tsk…"
Asta: "What does Miss Madam Herta mean by that?"
Madam Herta: "Nothing. I just find it amusing."
Madam Herta: "This play titled 'Penacony' is far more than I imagined."
....
『 [ I suppose you can… but you aren't planning some ulterior motive again, are you? ]
March 7th asked with a hint of hesitation.
[ How could I? I have never harbored any ulterior motives… at least, not in front of you. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "You did in front of me!"
Stelle: "I just remembered! You sold me to Aventurine!"
Stelle: "Waaaah, you wicked woman!"
Black Swan: "Oh my, it's rare that you actually remember."
Stelle: "Of course I remember!"
Stelle: "Wait…"
Stelle: "Didn't you compensate me with some kind of item?"
March 7th: "I believe it was a mysterious card?"
March 7th: "She said it could guide you if you ever became lost within the Memory Zone."
Acheron: "I see… it seems you were aware long ago."
Black Swan: "It is my home turf, after all. How could such things be entirely hidden from me?"
Furina de Fontaine: "???"
Furina de Fontaine: "What does that mean?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Why have they started speaking in riddles again?"
Hu Tao: "I'm getting lost too."
Hu Tao: "Have you all noticed something else?"
Black Swan: "Hehe, do not be impatient."
Black Swan: "In the end, it is merely a deduction. It may not necessarily be accurate."
....
『 [ Himeko-jie and Uncle Yang are likely still busy… let's find Dan Heng first. ]
After a moment's thought, March 7th led Stelle and Black Swan to search for Dan Heng.
A short while later, they located Dan Heng near the bar, with Boothill standing beside him.
[ You're awake, Stelle. ]
[ How do you feel? ]
Dan Heng asked with concern.
[ Well fork me! You must be that Stellaron they were talkin' about. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Meow!"
Stelle: "How does even a guy like Boothill know I'm a Stellaron?"
Stelle: "Who told him?"
Stelle: "Has my great name spread that far already??"
March 7th: "We're doomed. I feel like after the trip to Penacony, the entire universe probably knows you're a walking Stellaron."
Stelle: "I don't care. Maybe this will actually add a bit of intimidation factor!"
Stelle: "From now on, if anyone annoys me, I'll just explode on them!"
Paimon: "Uh… Paimon thinks ordinary people might actually be fooled by that…"
....
『 [ Fork, huh? I myself prefer spooning. ]
Listening to Boothill's flirtatious words, Stelle couldn't help but cross her arms and knit her brows.
[ Allow me to introduce him. ]
[ This is Boothill, a Galaxy Ranger. ]
[ We met by chance while pursuing a certain individual, and it so happened that we discovered Mr. Sunday was brewing a celestial conspiracy… ]
[ Thus, we sought you out to assist the Astral Express crew in saving the world. ]
Black Swan, who had been hidden, suddenly appeared and explained Boothill's identity to Stelle and March 7th.
[ Don't mention it! ]
[ We Galaxy Rangers are all about righting wrongs wherever we find them—Brother Dan Heng, that's how you folks on the Xianzhou say it, right? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "We still don't actually know what 'wrong' Boothill righted."
March 7th: "Uh… maybe he helped Miss Black Swan rescue people?"
Boothill: "Muddle-fudging leg! Am I really reduced to doing this kind of grunt work?"
Boothill: "My bullets didn't even touch that Dominicus fellow!"
Boothill: "Meow! A battle against an Emanator!!"
Boothill: "That was the perfect opportunity for a Galaxy Ranger to make a name for himself, and I missed it??"
Boothill: "I simply cannot accept this!"
Paimon: "Paimon thinks… for an ordinary person, not fighting an Emanator is actually a very good thing, right?"
Lumine: "With that kind of power, an ordinary person would probably lose half their life just by grazing it."
Lumine: "Keeping a distance was undoubtedly the correct choice."
....
『 [ That is the gist of it. ]
Dan Heng nodded toward Boothill.
[ Wait a second. This 'pursuing a certain individual' part is news to me… who could you possibly be chasing that would lead you onto the Express? ]
March 7th scratched her head, asking with a face full of curiosity.
[ Haha, great question! ]
[ That would, of course, be… ]
[ It was… ]
[ Who was it again? ]
[ Uh, Brother Dan Heng, do you remember? ]
Boothill attempted to answer, only to find that he could not recall. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "What's happening?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Did Mr. Boothill forget Miss Acheron?"
Stelle: "Uh… did Acheron do something to Boothill?"
Stelle: "Or is this the influence of Nihility?"
Acheron: "I naturally would not have tampered with him."
Acheron: "As for… the influence of Nihility…"
Acheron: "Indeed, as one stained by Nihility, I do cause people to gradually forget."
Acheron: "But it should not be this abrupt."
March 7th: "Is it possible that Boothill and Miss Acheron hadn't known each other for long, which is why he forgot so quickly?"
Boothill: "While it's possible, given my mental capacity, it shouldn't be this bad…"
....
『 [ How suspicious… ]
Stelle watched Boothill struggle for a long time, unable to provide an answer, and her eyes filled with suspicion.
[ No, wait, I really can't remember. ]
[ Strange. My brain-chip isn't malfunctioning… ]
Boothill was utterly perplexed.
[ …I don't seem to remember either. ]
Dan Heng frowned, equally unable to recall who the person they were pursuing was.
[ Wait… what's going on? ]
March 7th was bewildered by the scene. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Acheron: "Sigh… this scene makes me even more certain of a few things."
Black Swan: "The power of Nihility is not interfered with by any Path…"
Black Swan: "Not even Order."
Black Swan: "It seems that in this scene, the one who truly erased the memory of Miss Acheron is someone else."
March 7th: "You… why are you making this sound more and more mysterious?"
Zhongli: "After everything concluded, it should have been as peaceful as the video portrays."
Zhongli: "But beneath this tranquility, there is a faint sense of a gathering storm."
Zhongli: "This should not be an illusion."
Zhongli: "The matter is far from over."
Furina de Fontaine: "No way."
Furina de Fontaine: "Does Sunday still have a trump card?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Or rather, was Sunday not the final boss?"
Hu Tao: "Do you all remember the Dreammaster who died inexplicably?"
Hu Tao: "Could it be… that he's about to make a comeback?"
Stelle: "What is this, one loop after another?"
Stelle: "Is it even possible for someone to get some rest?"
Qingque: "What's there to fear? If the sky falls, the tall folks will hold it up."
Qingque: "With our General here, Penacony won't fall into chaos."
Stelle: "True. Anyone who disagrees can just take a blade from the General!"
Stelle: "They'll behave instantly."
Jing Yuan: "Ha, I thank you all for the praise."
Jing Yuan: "Unfortunately, I might not actually be present…"
....