『 Gallagher looked at the playful Stelle, smiled, and sighed, "Heh, you're full of energy. Please send my regards to... the conductor, Pam. Please let them know that their friend has fond memories from his time aboard the Express, which he reminisces on every time he has a good drink."
Gallagher slowly raised his head to look at the sky, his tone calm, yet the three of them could hear the hint of nostalgia hidden within his words. "That last Nameless… he set off, stopped, set off again… went in a huge circle, and in the end, still returned to the starting point."
"On his deathbed, he made sure to instruct me to find the Astral Express and deliver that invitation into the hands of future Nameless. For this, he prepared a gift, a true 'legacy'… belonging solely to the descendants of the 'Trailblaze'." 』
『 ....』
〘Hotaru〙: Eh? Do I count too?
〘Silver Wolf〙: Since you're already here, just follow along.
....
『 "Come with me. Now… it is time for it to see the light of day again."
Gallagher's voice was low and firm as he turned and led everyone toward their destination.
The group followed closely behind, their minds filled with varying emotions as they watched Gallagher stop before three tombstones.
March 7th looked at the three tombstones and sighed, "We're back here again…"
Gallagher looked at the nameless tombstone in the middle, his eyes showing deep longing and emotion.
"Old friend, sometimes I forget that you're already dead. It feels like you still have so much to say, so many paths left unfinished."
Then, Gallagher took a deep breath and continued, "Now, I am keeping my promise. I've brought the descendants you worried about your entire life. I don't know why you could never forget that train, but I still remember the very last words you said before you left this world…"
Gallagher took a few steps toward the nameless tombstone and stopped, looking straight ahead with a light chuckle. "Don't let us down, old man."
As Gallagher's words fell, the sound of machinery operating suddenly echoed around them. The platform they were standing on began to move. Accompanied by the shaking of the ground, March 7th almost lost her balance. After forcing herself to steady, she asked in surprise, "What's happening!?"
As the platform beneath them rose, tall buildings emerged from beneath the Grand Theater, connected by staircases. At the end of the stairs was a garden situated directly underneath the Grand Theater.
The blue light emitted by the Grand Theater illuminated the garden like moonlight, adding a touch of mystery and a tranquil atmosphere to it.
Everyone was shocked by the wondrous sight before them. Gallagher looked at the garden at the end of the stairs, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and said.
"Go ahead. His resting place... lies in the garden up ahead."
"The first and last Nameless of Penacony—"
"Mikhail Char Legwork, the Watchmaker." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Phew… it feels a bit heavy all of a sudden.
〘Stelle〙: Yeah, after all, he's a predecessor.
....
『 Beneath the sea of the Memory Zone, in the garden closest to the full moon in the water, an old man leaned against a rocking chair, completely silent.
The Watchmaker, Mikhail Char Legwork, has passed into that endless, timeless dream, where no sound could ever awaken him.
Then, the screen showed an old man wearing a hat, peacefully lying on a rocking chair while holding a Dream Bubble in his hands. 』
『 ....』
〘Pam〙: Mikhail, so you've already grown this old… Over all these years, it must have been really hard on you, Pam. Have a good rest. May the engine of that train in your dreams continue to roar—may this journey lead us starward.
〘·HSR· Himeko〙: May this journey lead us starward.
〘·HSR· Welt Yang〙: May this journey lead us starward.
〘March 7th〙: May this journey lead us starward.
〘Stelle〙:May this journey lead us starward.
〘Aha〙:May this journey lead us starward.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: May this journey lead us starward.
....
『 "As expected… the Watchmaker is indeed the third Nameless. Even I guessed it," March 7th murmured softly as she looked at the old man ahead who looked as if he was just asleep.
"The legacy he left behind is a Dream Bubble. I guess inside it, something that only holds meaning for the Nameless is stored." Gallagher pointed to the colorful Dream Bubble in the old man's hands.
Then, he spread his hands helplessly and shrugged, complaining, "After all, when I checked the contents, I found there was nothing inside… It's probably some kind of 'Trailblaze' cipher again. Even more mysterious than me."
"Yes, let's take a look," Himeko said softly, nodding.
With that, Himeko gave Stelle a slight nod.
Stelle took a deep breath, composed herself, looked at the Watchmaker, and slowly reached out to touch that Dream Bubble.
The same sensation she felt when touching the Memory Bubble brought by Hanabi at the shop rushed over her again, but the memory illusion that should have accompanied the sensation did not appear. This time, Stelle saw nothing at all.
Stelle decided to try again. She took a deep breath, trying to concentrate and capture the memories within the Dream Bubble, but still came up empty.
Stelle thought that perhaps the method was wrong, so she held her breath, knelt on one knee, and pressed her forehead against the membrane wrapped in Memoria.
However, Stelle's vision remained pitch black. No red sun falling toward snowy mountains, no light laughter, no stars, no sounds of gunfire or clashing blades, and no Trailblaze…
…Nothing at all. Empty. Without a doubt, this was an empty Dream Bubble. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Ah?
〘Silver Wolf〙: And there it is, the segment that slows down the main party's progress.
....
『 "Huh? What's going on…" March 7th's puzzled voice came through. "There's really… nothing inside this Dream Bubble?!"
Himeko gave a soft "mm" in response and fell into thought.
"How could this be?" March 7th looked at the empty Dream Bubble, her eyes filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Gallagher spread his hands and smiled, "Hmph, or rather, as expected."
"He always had this inexplicable confidence in the Nameless. In his arrangements, the 'Trailblaze' would always have a place. I don't know where this confidence came from… When he was still alive, he never successfully contacted the Express."
"I could never understand what this old man was thinking, but this empty Dream Bubble really fits his style. Full of nonsensical fantasies… and hard-to-understand romanticism."
Gallagher smiled helplessly, "An old kid… I never expected him to leave behind any backup plans anyway."
"That's not true, Mr. Gallagher. I believe Mikhail would definitely leave the most precious thing to us." After finishing her thoughts, Himeko immediately countered upon hearing Gallagher's words.
Gallagher looked at Himeko, who suddenly spoke up, snorted, and said, "Heh, you're not about to start preaching some grand philosophy too, are you?"
"Just as Mikhail believed in the future Nameless, we will also unconditionally believe in the past Nameless. They were willing to dedicate their entire lives to the land they loved, so how could they depart in a hurry with regrets for the future?" Himeko smiled slightly and asked back.
"This Dream Bubble must have content; we just haven't figured it out yet. Mr. Gallagher, when it comes to believing in the Watchmaker, you are the same, aren't you?" 』
『 ....』
〘Gallagher〙: You Nameless really are all the same…
〘Pam〙: Mikhail definitely left something behind; I believe him, Pam!
....
『 "Well, I'm a follower of the Enigmata. My philosophy forbids me to have faith in anything." Gallagher said expressionlessly. Then, his tone shifted.
"...That's why I understand what 'faith' means in the Path of Trailblaze, and I also want to know what he left behind. Heh, I'll leave it to you guys then."
Himeko nodded gently. Then, to prove her hypothesis, she said to Gallagher, "Can I borrow your pet? I need to make a trip back to Golden Hour and check something at the Dreamscape Sales Store..."
"It's for Mikhail, and for the future of Penacony." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: After going in circles, it seems we've returned to where we started.
〘Silver Wolf〙: That's where you met Hotaru and started a series of thrilling adventures. In the end, you return there to solve the mystery.
〘Gallagher〙: That really is quite a big circle.
〘Elysia〙: Very romantic♪, isn't it? The starting point of everything, and at the same time, the end of everything♪
....