『 "As the head of the Oak Family, for the future of Penacony, it is my duty. Robin and I will head to the Sweet Dream immediately to find a way to confront the Dreammaster. If the Family has truly strayed from the 'Harmony'…"
"I will stand on the same front as you all, halt the Charmony Festival, and personally repay the blood debt owed by Mr. Gopher Wood," Sunday said firmly.
Gallagher shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly, "The enemy you are about to face, or rather, enemies, aren't as easy to bully as an old dog like me who will fall apart on his own with just a little nudge…"
"Since you all share a common goal, why not work together? Perhaps there is still a slim chance of success."
"We followed the footsteps of our Nameless predecessor to this place, and there is no reason not to continue following his trail," Himeko agreed.
"Yeah, the Nameless aren't people who back down when they face difficulties! Stelle, right?" March 7th looked at Stelle beside her.
Stelle nodded and shouted loudly, "A hero can't run away on the eve of battle!" 』
『 ....』
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: Not bad, a very cool line.
〘Billy Kid〙: Ohhhhh, so cool, practically just like a Knight of Beauty.
....
『 March 7th nodded in agreement, "Well said, it's that time for our Astral Express to save the world again!"
"The Express Crew won't stand by and watch when it comes to this sort of thing. Mr. Sunday, Miss Robin, I am willing to represent the Astral Express and accompany you. With a third party present, the negotiations should go more smoothly. If there is danger… having one more person is always a good thing," Welt said, looking at the two.
Sunday nodded, "Then we shall trouble you, Mr. Welt."
"Thank you very much, everyone," Robin said excitedly.
"The Charmony Festival is about to begin, and time is already very tight. Everyone—we must set off," Sunday said.
Welt, however, pulled the Express Crew aside. He looked at everyone and said softly, "Although I took the initiative to accompany them, facing the Dreammaster on this trip… I'm afraid it bodes ill."
"Ah? Even Uncle Yang says so, just how powerful is this Dreammaster?" March 7th covered her mouth in surprise Σ(⊙▽⊙".
Himeko couldn't help but nod, analyzing, "As the leader of a branch of Penacony, the Dreammaster likely has the entire 'Harmony' faction behind him… Not to mention the Stellaron is also in his hands. We must prepare for the worst."
"Ugh, maybe Uncle Yang shouldn't go then…" Hearing Himeko's analysis, March 7th scratched her head and said, not wanting Yang to put himself in danger.
Welt shook his head and said firmly, "That won't do either. Leaving Miss Robin aside, I've felt that Mr. Sunday's attitude just now was a bit off, though I can't quite put my finger on why… At least this ensures he won't turn back at the last minute."
Then Welt looked at Stelle and said, "Stelle, you should have that token given to you by the IPC envoy on you, right? May I borrow it?"
Stelle handed the chip Aventurine had given her to Welt. Welt took it, examined it closely, and then laughed softly, "Heh… indeed."
Stelle scratched her head in confusion, "What do you want that for?"
March 7th also looked at Welt with a face full of confusion. Welt smiled and explained, "As I thought, this chip Aventurine gave Stelle… is a miniature transmitter."
"He probably intended to use this device to track your movements, or to contact you when necessary. I didn't expect it to be of such great help in this kind of situation."
"Aventurine? Is he really still alive… and what does negotiating with the Dreammaster have to do with him?" March 7th's brain was about to short-circuit.
"Do you still remember what I said? Cooperating with the IPC is a way to keep the Family in check."
"Once something goes wrong with the negotiations, it will be equivalent to confirming the Family's intention to meddle with the Stellaron. This is exactly the 'breakthrough' that envoy has been dreaming of. At that time, I will use this transmitter to send the message to the IPC," Welt stated his plan.
"The only gamble is whether Aventurine is safe and sound. However, the IPC lines have always been closely monitored by dedicated personnel, not to mention he is an important executive of the Strategic Investment Department. Simply transmitting information should be enough."
"…Good luck, Welt," Himeko advised.
"Yes, you all take care too. If anything goes wrong… don't worry about me; you must seal the Stellaron," Welt said seriously. 』
『 ....』
〘Frederica Nikola Tesla〙: As expected, no matter how much time passes, Joachim, you still haven't changed. Still like this…
〘Lieserl Albert Einstein〙: If he didn't do this, he wouldn't be himself, would he?
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: After all, a hero can't run away on the eve of battle.
〘Frederica Nikola Tesla〙: Honestly, every single time. You better come back safely this time too, or else I'll throw away all those figures in your Anti-Entropy dorm room!
〘·Honkai· Welt Yang〙: Don't! No! Yamero!
....
『 Gallagher looked at Welt's departing back as he walked away with Sunday and Robin, and sighed, "Going to his death without a second thought. That man is a true hero."
"Even if the Dreammaster is innocent, the corruption of the Family is already deeply rooted. I won't make the same mistake Mikhail made a second time. Wish him luck…"
"Mr. Gallagher, you should still have something to say to us, right?" Himeko asked.
"Why do you think so?" Gallagher asked back expressionlessly.
"Before we departed, the conductor asked us to inquire about the three Nameless in Penacony. We've already collected intel about Razalina and Tiernan, so the only one left is Legwork."
"If I'm not mistaken… we've already met him, right?"
As Himeko spoke, her eyes drifted toward Misha, who was watching from the side.
"Hmph… calling it 'met' is a bit of a stretch, but the answer is indeed easy to guess. My previous hint was obvious enough, wasn't it?" 』
『 ....』
〘Herta〙: Not bad, Himeko, you realized it.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: Realized what?
〘March 7th〙: Um… I don't know, but Himeko-jie is amazing, and that's all that matters!
〘Stelle〙: Himeko-jie is mighty!
....
『 "Since receiving the reply from the Astral Express, I have been following your news, including the immense efforts you've made to connect the worlds. And now, you've arrived here safe and sound, which already proves your strength."
Then, he asked seriously, "Miss Himeko, was it you who repaired the Express and set it sailing across the silver rail once more?"
"Yes," Himeko nodded slightly.
"And these two young Nameless… have extraordinary backgrounds and possess incredible skills," Gallagher looked at Stelle and March 7th and praised. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: More than just possessing incredible skills, I think they possess a Stellaron.
〘Stelle〙: What's wrong with a Stellaron? Did the Stellaron eat your family's rice?
....
『 "Ha, of course, my reputation precedes me. Believe in the Galactic Baseballer supremacy!" Stelle asked, putting one hand on her hip and tilting her head up.
Seeing this, March 7th put her hands on her hips and complained with a face full of helplessness, "What...? Hey, you can't just make up 'titles' like that!" 』
『 ....』