『 After showing the Duke's death, the screen returned to Acheron and Sam.
"...I still see them in my dreams." Acheron sheathed her blade and looked at Sam. "Stop. Your time has not yet come." 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: Stop, Sam, the place is crawling with Express crew.
....
『 Sam's flames dissipated upon hearing this.
"…My time?"
"I've seen many clever disguises. They can mask the appearance, but they cannot hide the heart. You are no exception." Acheron said calmly. "You didn't want to kill her. You only struck to drive me away, and that Memokeeper… Why?"
Sam fell silent.
"Did the Slave of Destiny make you do this?"
"You know Elio."
"I assumed this would be written in your Script."
"My Script has always only had a few lines. Anything beyond that is unnecessary and not needed."
"He knows my personality: there is only one fate, and no one can bypass it—but before that, I have the right to choose."
"But you don't seem to know, so it is my turn to ask: who exactly are you?"
"Perhaps not your enemy," Acheron replied.
"You didn't answer the question."
"I am not worth such curiosity. Those who walk the galaxy alone always have some secrets. I have been wanted by the IPC as well, so it is not strange that I know something about the Stellaron Hunters… and that is all." 』
『 ....』
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: Luocha! Still saying you aren't Otto!
〘Luocha〙: ? How did you drag me into this? I really am just a traveling merchant.
〘March 7th〙: Uncle Yang, just how much hate do you have?
....
『 "Perhaps I can help you."
"What reason do you have to do so?" Sam asked.
"I often forget things, so compared to memories, I am more accustomed to using feelings to capture things. So—"
"—I know who is inside that cold armor."
"How about it? Are you willing to take off the armor and talk?" 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Oh my god, doxxed!
〘Silver Wolf〙: Oh my god, doxxed!
....
『 "It is not yet the time." After saying this, Sam shook his head: "I do not need help, but I can give you a suggestion. It will be better for both of us."
"If your goal is the Watchmaker's Legacy, go investigate The Family. They not only covered up the existence of Death, but also buried the past and truth of the dreamscape."
"I am already doing that," Acheron replied, crossing her arms.
"—And, the Astral Express is not your enemy."
"I know that too… just didn't expect to hear it from you."
"What next? Stelle was taken away by Black Swan. Are you going to find her?"
Sam shook his head: "There is no need for that…"
"It doesn't hurt to tell you. Elio gave me only one instruction—Let the Astral Express pursue the Grand Legacy together."
"I tried to use a simpler and more direct way to understand this, but as you can see, I am standing here confronting you—I failed. The Script cannot be defied."
"'The so-called impossible is merely something that has yet to happen'" 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: My god, the Duke is still outputting!
〘Stelle〙: He's still putting in effort!
〘Belle〙: Has he ever rested?
....
『 After finishing the Duke's words, Acheron shook her head: "…Enough. Before we part, may I ask you one more question?"
"Is there any part about me in your Script? I want to know, in the future that fate sees, what kind of footnote did I leave behind?"
"Regrettably, not a word mentioned." Sam shook his head.
Acheron sighed. "Not unexpected."
She turned to leave, but was called out by Sam before she got far.
"Wait—"
Acheron stopped and waited for Sam's follow-up.
"I won't."
"What?" Acheron asked, confused, turning back.
"Your initial question—Do you still dream, dream of those who died because of you?"
"I won't. Never have." Sam said firmly, then paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to express the next part.
"I was born without the function to dream. I live for the cold reality, for a glimmer of light, burning… continuously burning, until I turn to ash."
"So, I envy you."
Hearing this, Acheron turned her head back, speaking softly with her back to Sam: "Is that so…"
"Then you're already living in the waking world."
Having said this, under Sam's gaze, she gradually walked away. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Now I know why Hotaru's script only has a few lines.
〘Belle〙: Acheron just mentioned Elio, and Hotaru basically told her everything she knew…
〘Stelle〙: Even without Acheron leading her on…
〘Silver Wolf〙: Used to it. Didn't she send Blade's script to you before? @Stelle
〘Stelle〙: Too bad, can't click it.
〘Silver Wolf〙: Of course, if you clicked it, Elio would hiss at me.
....
『 After she walked far away, the screen faded to black, and when it lit up again, it had arrived at the Golden Hour, where Stelle and the three members of the Express crew reunited.
March 7th looked at Stelle: "We heard about Hotaru from Black Swan…, but we didn't expect that even Robin…"
"Sorry… I couldn't be by your side at that time," Himeko said softly.
"Calm in reality, but undercurrents in the dreamscape. It really matches what that Memokeeper said…" Welt sighed.
"Everyone, it is not the time to be dejected. We can still do what we can for them, for example… find the culprit."
"Let's organize the current situation. What Stelle said reminded me of some things."
After finishing, Himeko looked at March 7th and asked: "Little March, do you remember what the Family representative who negotiated with us said?"
"Hmm… Indeed, we believe the Nameless are unrelated to this matter, and we earnestly request you all to assist The Family in identifying the deceased. That's what he said… referring to Hotaru." March 7th said intermittently. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Not bad, you remembered such a long sentence.
〘March 7th〙: Hmph, don't underestimate this young lady.
....
『 "Thinking back now, his expression was a bit evasive, and he didn't mention the other incident that should have happened earlier," Himeko recalled the previous experience.
"The Family intends to hide the news of Robin's death, right? If this spreads, Penacony will truly flow with blood…·" March 7th speculated.
"But the second incident that followed clearly exceeded their expectations, forcing The Family to go with the flow and ask for help from outsiders. With the Charmony Festival imminent, they must be stretched thin." Welt said.
"It could also be because there were many witnesses to the Hotaru incident, making it inconvenient to cover up. It's better to go with the flow and let more people enter to control the situation." Himeko shared her view.
"After all, the nature of the two cases is fundamentally different… The Family's primary precaution is against those ill-intentioned guests, like that IPC envoy."
"And Aventurine is guarding against Acheron," Stelle said.
Welt nodded: "Indeed, he is particularly focused on that Galaxy Ranger."
"What kind of 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' is this…" March 7th complained, "But I always feel that Aventurine's reason for accusing Acheron is very subtle. Should we believe what he says?"
"At this point, I'm afraid the only people we can trust are ourselves." Himeko shook her head.
"In any case, let's try to collect information and list as many possibilities as possible. Then, exclude the contradictions one by one. The fewer facts remaining, the more likely it is the truth." Welt summarized, "But I have a premonition… even after so many things have happened, we are still spinning in the vortex concerning the Legacy…"
"This time we are really going to play the role of great detectives… but before the investigation begins, how should we reply to The Family and Aventurine?" March 7th asked.
"In my view, The Family has no malice towards us—if they didn't trust the character of the Express crew, they wouldn't easily entrust outsiders to investigate a case that could be called a scandal." Himeko replied, "Moreover, this is The Family's territory. Cooperating with them should make things easier later on."
"As for Aventurine's side… Welt, I want to hear your thoughts."
"This person is not simple. He deliberately lowered his posture during the negotiation with Stelle, but his words were constantly boxing her in…"
"Reasonably and emotionally, he gave a convincing explanation. He said he wouldn't force it, but the intention was already very obvious."
Welt changed the subject, "However, in the current situation where things are not yet clear, establishing more connections is not a bad thing. Aventurine showed his skills in just a few words. As long as the interests are aligned, he can also be a reliable ally."
"We also need to handle our distance from The Family carefully, and must not get too close. Cooperating with the IPC is a way of checks and balances. Once either side has other plans, we will have a chance to withdraw."
"So you suggest accepting Aventurine's cooperation proposal first." Himeko looked at Welt.
"Yes. The hidden dangers certainly exist…, but we can only wait until everyone's intentions are clear before making further judgments." Welt nodded.
"Sigh, I understand the logic, but there are too many bad women and bad men here. I'm really worried about being backstabbed. She's already been bullied a few times, I really can't stand it…" March 7th glanced at Stelle on the side and sighed, holding her head.
"It's fine, he pays a lot…" Stelle smiled.
"Ah, you…" March 7th was speechless for a moment by Stelle.
"No way! This young lady cannot accept such a reason!"
"Forget it, I'll just keep a close eye on him! If it really comes to it, we'll turn the tables and use him!" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: You, you, you deserve to be bullied.
〘Stelle〙: But he really pays a lot. Look, he sent me friend fees again today.
〘Aventurine〙: Don't be polite, my friend.
....