『 "Sigh, talk about a series of twists and turns. Since that Mr. Sun… Sunday gave his word, we should finally be able to check in normally, right?" March 7th's tongue slipped at first, almost saying "Sun-day" out of habit, but she caught herself immediately and enunciated the name "Sunday" syllable by syllable.
Watching March 7th save herself from the blunder, Stelle teased, "Are all names in the Family this strange?"
"It's probably just a stage name… right?" March 7th replied uncertainly.
"I think so too. It's likely some kind of rule in Penacony or within the Family," Himeko said.
"Alright, there's no one in line at the lobby now. Let's go find Miss Alley…"
Stelle and March nodded, following Himeko and Welt Yang back to the hotel reception.
"Honored guests of the Astral Express, your check-in procedures are complete. We apologize immensely for the many inconveniences caused earlier."
Alley bowed to the four of them, then handed each their own Dreamscape Passport.
"These are your Dreamscape Passports—they serve as your hotel room keys, and they also integrate all the functions and information you'll need at the Reverie Hotel, providing intelligent assistance. At the same time, it is a unique Penacony souvenir, one-of-a-kind and belonging only to you!"
"You can utilize the Check-in function provided by the Dreamscape Passport to record every bit of your time in the beautiful dream, collecting all sorts of joy and creating your very own Dreamscape Handbook. As for the specific usage, the Dreamscape Passport will provide you with full guidance."
"May you all enjoy the sweet dream in Penacony to your heart's content. You can reach the guest rooms by taking the elevator over there."
After speaking, Ally pointed to an elevator not far away.
"Heck yeah—let's head out now!" March 7th looked at Stelle excitedly.
The four then took the elevator to the lounge area below the guest rooms.
"We're finally here. Everyone, go to your rooms and drop off your luggage first," Himeko said, stretching.
March and Stelle nodded and headed toward their respective rooms.
Meanwhile, Himeko and Welt stayed behind to chat.
"Welt, shall we have a drink first? Penacony's SoulGlad is very famous," Himeko smiled.
"…Go ahead. We might be thinking about the same thing." Welt looked at Himeko, signaling that she didn't need to hide it and should just speak plainly.
"Do you remember the Invitation the Express received?" Himeko asked.
"'We cordially invite the honored guests of the Family to visit Penacony and, together with other guests, attend a grand banquet.'—It is precisely because of this invitation that we are here," Welt recalled the text of the invitation from his memory.
"You remember well—but there was more to that invitation."
Welt waited for Himeko to continue.
Himeko looked back at the magnificent decorations of the lobby and calmly spoke the rest of the invitation.
"'…Witness the impossible in the dream, find the legacy of the Father of Penacony, the [Watchmaker], and then answer: Why does life slumber?'" 』
『 ....』
〘Dr. Ratio〙: Setting aside the philosophical aspect, life slumbers to stay alive.
〘Aventurine〙: But Professor, this is clearly a philosophical question.
〘Yae Rin〙: The Watchmaker's legacy? I'm a bit curious about what it is now.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: It must be endless snacks and the latest version of the Homu game!
〘Stelle〙: So all those factions at the beginning couldn't possibly be here for the legacy, right?
....
『 Welt shook his head and looked at Himeko. "I don't recall the invitation having such a passage… Are you saying there was a hidden message?"
"That's the intriguing part. The Invitation sent by the Family was a music box; turning the crank would produce sound accompanied by the Harmony."
Himeko turned, resting her chin on her hand as she recalled the music box. "But the one delivered to us was a bit strange… the background of the music it played was mixed with some dissonance."
"I transcribed that noise. It perfectly matched the gravitational wave frequencies during the Express's warp. Using the Express's spatial curvature as the key—I obtained the words I just mentioned."
"…It's a distress signal commonly used by Nameless," Welt replied, crossing his arms. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Is it the three Nameless the Conductor mentioned?
〘March 7th〙: If it's really them, how old would they be by now?
....
『 Himeko shook her head after hearing this.
"We can't jump to conclusions yet. It could also be the work of the Masked Fools. Judging by the method alone, a Riddler or the Mourning Actors could do it too."
"When did you find out?" Welt asked.
"While you were dealing with the Luofu's Stellaron, I told Pam immediately," Himeko explained.
"No wonder you requested to step forward just now. That IPC envoy also mentioned the name Watchmaker. I suspect the invitation he received also contained a similar hidden message—and was likewise deciphered."
After saying this, Welt brought up his own discovery.
"…There's one more thing that concerns me. When the invitation was mentioned, that Family spokesperson responded like this: 'As the actual managers of Penacony, the Family should naturally resolve all concerns for our guests'. Hearing it now, those words carry quite a bit of subtext. And that Miss Robin beside him… I may not understand singing, but even I could hear the strangeness in her voice—how could a singer about to perform on stage have a hint of strangeness in her voice?"
"You suspect the Family isn't the sender of the invitation, and—they're hiding something from us?"
"It's not impossible. The Family inviting other factions is an unusual event in itself. Your discovery also confirms that a third party might be involved…"
At this point, Welt sighed deeply. "I take back what I said earlier. This Grand Celebration is not simple."
"Why didn't you tell the kids?" Welt looked at Himeko, puzzled.
"If this were just an internal matter of Penacony or the Family, we shouldn't interfere recklessly," Himeko replied.
Stelle and March 7th walked down the stairs at that moment. Seeing Himeko still chatting below, March realized something and told Stelle about the invitation.
"But you also said this might be related to Trailblaze."
"I did say that, so…"
Stelle and March 7th stepped forward. Welt looked at the two of them.
"…So before we set out, I already told little March and Dan Heng," Himeko said with a smile.
March 7th scratched her head awkwardly, while Stelle looked at March with a face full of mockery. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: You forgot to tell me because you were too excited, right?
〘March 7th〙: Haha, that… how could that be?
〘Dan Heng〙: Very much her style.
....
『 Welt smiled helplessly. "So I was the only one kept in the dark."
"I only just found out about the invitation too," Stelle said, scratching her head to comfort Welt.
"Because you were sleeping like a log the whole way, I didn't have a chance to tell you," March 7th teased Stelle.
"Which faction exactly sent the invitation, what the purpose of gathering all these factions in Penacony is, and why the Family is keeping quiet despite knowing… there are many suspicious points on this trip. Before the facts are cleared up, we must not act rashly," Himeko told the three.
"For now, let's focus on the Conductor's request. While gathering information, enjoy this 'wonderful vacation'—after all, Penacony is a vacation resort famous throughout the universe. Many people might not get to come here in their entire lives." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: See! It wasn't that this young lady forgot! It's because you were sleeping too soundly!
〘Hook〙: But Big Sis, that's not what you said just now?
〘Dan Heng〙: That's because she really thought she would forget.
〘Stelle〙: I'm used to it.
〘March 7th〙: Hey! Don't make it sound like I'm really stupid!
....