『 "I presume the Family just happens to possess the knowledge of how to seal a Stellaron?" Himeko voiced her deduction.
"More than just that!" Gallagher said in a heavy tone. "Their understanding of the Stellaron exceeds that of ordinary people. They helped Mikhail swiftly quell the civil unrest and played a part in building Penacony, under the disguise of the Harmony."
"Those three eras were known as the Age of Dreaming. The Watchmaker, who had been left in the dark, sent out invitations across the universe, spreading the hype around the land of the dreams."
Hearing this, March 7th asked curiously, "Then how did they… turn against each other later?" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: I know this one! It was all because of that damn… trick of fate.
〘March 7th〙: I feel like Something Unto Death is about to show up around us…
....
『 "Remember the metaphor of 'reclaiming land from the sea'? The truth is, the Stellaron was never sealed; it just existed in the dream in another form. Think about it carefully: what is the price to construct and maintain such a massive 'Sweet Dream'?"
The moment after Gallagher asked, he answered his own question: "It's lives, young lady."
"The magnificent Sweet Dream is built upon mental death. The poisonous wine named 'happiness' flows through the dreamscape, making people indulge in it. Their minds slowly drift toward the same end, eventually becoming the placenta of the Sweet Dream." Gallagher's voice carried a hint of desolation and helplessness.
"Confusion, sloth, cowardice… these weaknesses commonly found in human nature are amplified and nourished by the Family, turning Penacony into another kind of prison, one far more indestructible than the one in the past."
With that, Gallagher let out a heavy sigh. "By the time we realized it, it was already too late. The Family had already covered the sky with one hand, and opponents were quickly controlled and expelled."
"With nowhere else to go, I had to use the power of 'The Enigmata' to hide in this chaotic Memory Zone, and spent several years 'fictionalizing' a Meme in the dream for our use—"
"'Dormancy,' that's its real name. We exploited a loophole — you see, regular people can't fall asleep again while they are inside the Dreamscape."
"So that is the true meaning of 'The Impossible'." Himeko nodded in realization, then looked at Gallagher and asked, "So, you sent out the invitation letters in the name of the 'Watchmaker' to find factions capable of resolving the Stellaron crisis, attracting them to Penacony to uncover the truth?"
"Not only that. What I wanted to see even more was the various factions constantly fighting over the legacy. Coupled with the first voice from the 'Watchmaker' after more than a decade of disappearance, the traitors within the Family would definitely reveal their cloven hooves."
"So, the 'legacy' really was just a cover…" March 7th murmured in disappointment.
Hearing this, Gallagher spread his hands helplessly and smiled, "If you want to treat the Stellaron as the legacy, I have no objection." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: But it seems like not many factions actually came for the legacy…
〘March 7th〙: Um… we are here for tourism and to find our predecessor; the Stellaron Hunters are here for their script, the IPC is here to reclaim Penacony, Acheron is here to deliver relics, Duke Inferno was here to destroy Penacony, uh…
〘Qingque〙: How is this even a battle for the legacy anymore? Everyone has their own little schemes.
〘Hanabi〙: Did you leave someone out?
〘March 7th〙: Did I?
〘Hanabi〙: Of course! The lovely Hanabi-sama, you didn't mention her at all. Who knows, maybe I really came for the legacy?
〘Stelle〙: Well, did you?
〘Hanabi〙: No… hehe(Smile.jpg)
....
『 "In that case, where is that Stellaron now?" Himeko inquired.
Gallagher shrugged, "You should ask that wing-headed boy. The Stellaron has always been under the Family's control, and since he is the figurehead of the Oak Family, he must know perfectly well."
"Everyone's expressions are so serious… is there anything I can help with?" Misha spoke up to ask, but he seemed to be completely ignored by Gallagher. Seeing this scene, Himeko became even more certain of the suspicion in her heart.
Gallagher led everyone to Sunday and Robin. With a serious expression, he said, "You two are about done talking, right? Well, are you willing to tell us where that 'Stellaron' is now?" 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: If I were the chicken-wing boy, I would definitely say: 'Here, the one on your left is.' Just to get revenge for Gallagher saying Hotaru was Robin last time~
〘Stelle〙: Uh, can you consider the feelings of the Stellaron essence? Am I not human? Am I really not human?!
〘March 7th〙: Uh, it seems you really aren't…
〘Stelle〙: Shut up, I want some quiet.
〘Shut Up〙: Who is Quiet?
〘Stelle〙: Oh my god…
....
『 Sunday took a deep breath and said slowly, "It… is the Penacony Grand Theater itself."
"As expected. The incarnation of the Family, the earliest building to appear in the Sweet Dream… it is the culprit behind Penacony becoming like this." Robin's tone was filled with sorrow.
Sunday gently patted Robin's shoulder to comfort her, hoping his sister wouldn't be too sad.
Then, he continued, "And the one who used the Stellaron to accomplish all this… is likely Mr. Gopher Wood, who is now the 'Dreammaster'."
"Oh? This is going smoother than I thought. You've locked onto a suspect so quickly. Or did you do quite a bit of prior investigation?" Gallagher raised an eyebrow and asked.
Sunday nodded, "You are right. While investigating the 'murderer' who killed my sister, besides you… he was the next person I suspected."
Gallagher couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, "It seems your decision to confront me first was quite correct."
Sunday shook his head, "I had no other choice. The Dreammaster has always been elusive, and even the heads of the various Families find it hard to meet him."
"And… Gopher Wood was kind to my sister and me. I really did not want to face such a result." Sunday closed his eyes, a trace of sadness in his tone.
"What do you mean by that?" Himeko pressed.
Robin, who was standing aside, took over the question and answered, "To tell you the truth, my brother and I are also victims of the Cancer of All Worlds. We were orphans from a young age and were adopted and raised by the Family who came to provide relief. Seeing our potential, Mr. Gopher Wood brought my brother and me to Penacony."
At this point, Robin turned to look at Sunday. Sunday slowly nodded, and Robin said firmly, "But we cannot stand by and watch Mr. Gopher Wood go to the opposite side of 'The Harmony'. And I absolutely cannot use my singing to praise an evil cause—"
"No matter who the traitor of the Family is, no matter what orders he gives me, I will not perform on stage. We must absolutely not let the Charmony Festival turn into a ceremony that destroys 'The Harmony'…"
"For the paradise in our dreams."
Sunday averted his gaze from Robin and slowly nodded, but there was a hint of struggle and pain in his expression, "Indeed... for the paradise in our dreams." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Do you guys feel like Sunday's expression wasn't quite right when he said that? Does he know something?
〘Gallagher〙: As the head of the Oak Family, and someone personally raised by the Dreammaster, how much of his previous words do you think are true? Especially the part about the Dreammaster being hard to find. Ha, other people might find it hard to see him, but for Sunday, isn't it a daily routine?
〘Stelle〙: There's a problem, a big problem.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: But he cares so much about his sister; surely he can't be a bad guy?
〘·HI3· Himeko Murata〙: Kiana, have you ever seen a bad guy with the words 'bad guy' written on their face?
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: I have, and more than one.
....
(Here, it hints at the fact that the Family has a deep connection to the Stellaron...)