: MiHoYo, damn you! Such fine details and emotions, I really can't handle it anymore!
: I held out for one second in the "try not to cry" challenge, you guys try it too, sob.
: My heart is as solid as a rock (puts on sunglasses).
: "Why can't it be me" — seriously, this line hits way too hard.
: I feel like I finally understand a bit of the meaning of Trailblazing! But why does it have to hurt while telling me, sob sob sob, old Mikhail, can't you just tell me directly?
-----------------------------------
The audience could not understand.
It was obviously just a simple two-dimensional scene, even the music was very minimalistic.
Combined with those silhouettes and sounds, it could make them cry like children. What kind of magic is this?
And they didn't realize that, along with these simple sounds and narration, what emerged in their minds were scenes interwoven with various pieces of information.
For example, when Old Mikhail said, "Why couldn't it be me," accompanying him with that gesture of soberness.
In the audience's minds, they naturally thought of a dangerous oceanic planet, and for the sake of the survival of the race, or to eliminate the crisis, Old Mikhail resolutely embarked on the path of Trailblazing.
Or when Mikhail Char Legwork experienced two generations of Express Navigators and finally, with the blessings and care of the Express, took root in Penacony.
The audience only knew the names of Falcon Amundsen and Granholm, and their stories were only briefly mentioned, but through the conversation with Clockie, the audience still imagined the stories of how these two Navigators and Mikhail met and became close during that time.
Everyone's imagination and point of emotion were slightly different.
Some were saddened by Mikhail's repeated farewells to his guides: Mikhail, Falcon Amundsen.
Some were moved by Mikhail's journey forward, and by the sacrifices he made when recalling the past.
But no matter how they thought of it, in the end, Mihoyo deeply presented the essence through this two-dimensional scene and plot.
That is, instead of direct narration, using this story to answer Sunday's question, telling Sunday what choices the Nameless would make.
This is a very sophisticated technique.
The audience, through fragmented past stories and Clockie's experiences, their self-constructed feelings would always be more touching and shocking than seeing someone else express it directly.
And ultimately, they would understand the meaning and answer of Trailblazing themselves....
The two-dimensional scene formed by memories had reached its conclusion.
"Old man, where are you going?" Gallagher's familiar voice rang out.
"Oh, so you're here." Mikhail smiled and answered, "Don't worry, Gallagher, I just thought of a brilliant idea, do you want to hear it?"
"Come on, old man, which of your ideas has ever been reliable."
Gallagher sighed deeply and said, "Don't blame me for being harsh, but of all the heroes of Penacony back then, only you are left now."
"If you die, then the secret of the Stellaron will never see the light of day again." His tone was particularly urgent and confused.
"Haha, yes, in Penacony, we have nowhere left to go."
Mikhail was quite relaxed, his old voice still optimistic: "So we can only turn our eyes toward Asdana."
"We will hold a grand event, using the legacy of The Watchmaker as the reason, sending invitations across the galaxy, gathering everyone here in Penacony."
Mikhail was optimistic.
But the audience had already realized.
At this point, The Watchmaker was facing his greatest pressure.
He was no longer the leader of Penacony, but an old man hiding in Dreamflux Reef.
Yet he still wanted to save Penacony, to fulfill his once sworn oath to guard Penacony's true appearance.
"Old man, are you planning to completely break with The Family?"
Gallagher asked in confusion.
"Isn't there still you?"
"This will be very difficult, but along the way, have we ever done anything that wasn't difficult? Oh right, no matter what method you use, remember..."
"You must deliver the invitation into the hands of the Astral Express."
At the moment the words fell, countless people shed tears.
...
: He believed in the Astral Express until his death, in the back of the Trailblazing!
: I am completely defenseless now! Sob sob sob sob, Mikhail! Senior! Sob sob sob sob.
: Mikhail Char Legwork is definitely not just a former "Nameless," he is the Nameless! People who share the same belief are comrades, are partners!
: This is inheritance. I'm really about to burst my tear ducts, damn it, it's too romantic. Transcending time, transcending races, just because of a shared belief, people from different planets can trust each other like lifelong friends!
: What moves me most is that the juniors didn't let down Mikhail's trust. They came, they are here, standing here facing Sunday! Facing The Family!
...
The knife that had been brewing for so long finally fell.
It pierced straight into the softest part of the audience's hearts.
No matter young or old, man or woman, all could directly feel this emotion.
"Misha, where do you want to go?" Clockie appeared again.
"Yes, Clockie, take me to Dreamflux Reef."
Mikhail's voice was even older, even losing some vitality, he said slowly: "Last night, I had a very long dream, dreaming of the day we met. I want to record it."
"Record it? For what?" Clockie asked innocently.
At this moment, the figure on the pointer below the screen raised his cane.
"So that I won't forget some things. Clockie, do you know the origin of your name?"
Mikhail's answer made Clockie even more puzzled.
Clockie is Clockie, wasn't that the name Misha gave himself?
"Hehe, actually I wanted to tell you that your name is a wonderful misunderstanding."
Mikhail said slowly: "When I was a child, I greatly admired my father's pocket watch. I thought and thought, and then came up with you."
"Yes!"
Clockie said happily: "Since then, we would board the Compass every day and set sail together."
"But do you know?"
"Until the day my father handed it to me, I suddenly realized that it wasn't a pocket watch."
"It was a compass."
"So your name should be Compass."
At this point, Mikhail's old voice finally paused, then continued: "And The Watchmaker is the Nameless."
All questions were answered at this moment.
This started from Mikhail's childhood, all the way until now, across an extremely long span of time and space.
Just as Mikhail himself said.
This misunderstanding is quite wonderful.
The romance of Trailblazing vividly blossomed in the hearts of the audience at this moment.
The bullet comments exploded directly.
...
: I'm really crying like crazy right now! I will always believe in the Astral Express! I will always be Nameless! Sob sob sob sob sob!
: When all the foreshadowing was recovered, it was really shocking. I don't even know why I'm crying, but the tears just suddenly poured out.
: The pocket watch of time, the compass of space, the will of Trailblazing, the destined conclusion.
: So Clockie is actually the compass that guides the way during the voyage… No wonder, no wonder Clockie connected with Stelle from the very beginning, because it knew that the person in front of it, who is very beautiful, extremely caring, and somewhat annoying, is a member of the Astral Express and a follower of the Trailblaze! It wants to point the way for them, so that no confusion remains.
: Wuwuwu, Trailblazing is so romantic! Promise me, you all must ride the Astral Express for a lifetime, okay?
: Ah ah ah ah! I want to be a Nameless for life!
...
While the audience was crying their hearts out, the two-dimensional scene had already ended.
In a dazzling blue, Misha and Clockie had arrived at that seat.
Himeko, Stelle, and March 7th silently followed behind.
They seemed to have already sensed what was about to happen.
"Misha, wait for me, where are you going?!"
Clockie finally squeezed out of the memory matter, only to see Misha already walking ahead, and hurriedly chased after him.
"Clockie, I… won't be going anywhere anymore."
Misha's innocent voice carried a bit of relief and exhaustion, calmly explaining.
The moment he stepped onto the staircase, a trumpet sound that made everyone get goosebumps finally played.
The trumpet, gentle yet with a hint of farewell, as if one could see the beautiful sunset and dusk.
All the earlier simple background music seemed to be paving the way for this moment.
A hero.
A Nameless.
Finally, under the witness of his juniors, was about to enter eternal rest.
When he reached the chair, the aged corpse of Mikhail that had been lying there had disappeared without a trace.
"I've gone far enough; it's time to rest a little…"
There was only a peaceful smile on Misha's face.
"Oh?"
"Then when you're rested, shall we set out again?"
Clockie put its hands on its hips, and the eyes on its dial turned into crescent moons.
"No, I think I'll stay here, and this will be the end."
Misha turned back, looking gently at Clockie.
Hearing this, the smile on Clockie's dial disappeared, its brows furrowed, and it said sadly: "But you said, the Trailblazing journey would never end."
"Yes, I did say that."
Misha shook his head and said seriously, "So now, it's your turn to decide your next destination."
"Misha! You're unhappy, aren't you?"
"I can perform the clockwork trick for you, like before."
Clockie anxiously tried to keep Misha from leaving him.
"It's useless. In dreams, the clockwork trick can solve everything."
Misha looked up at the sky that carried the beautiful dreams of countless people and said, "But the clockwork trick was never meant for this."
"Huh? Then, what is it?"
Clockie was completely confused.
"Everyone has moments of hesitation and confusion."
"These things exist both in dreams and outside of dreams."
As Mikhail spoke, the scene slowly shifted to the azure sky.
"But there's no need to be afraid. Just as people feel confused, at a certain moment, they will also make up their minds, making a brave and firm decision."
"Whether it's out of calm, joy, anger, or sadness, all they need is a little push, and then they can take a step forward, towards their own future."
"…I leave this small power to you, hoping you will pass it on to more people."
As he said this, Misha walked up to Clockie, his eyes filled with affection and memory.
This was what he had spent his life summarizing and wanted to pass on to others.
"This is the clockwork trick, named the Will of Trailblazing!"
After speaking, Misha let out a small laugh, then walked toward the chair without any attachment.
All sounds stopped at that moment.
Clockie lowered its head in sadness, letting out a pitiful whimper.
In the background, the ticking of the clock hands grew from faint to clear.
"The clock hands move in cycles, just like people's confusion and worries sway endlessly. But in the end, people still have to move forward."
Misha sat on the chair, holding the hat that suddenly appeared in his arms, smiling, resting his head on the hat.
Stelle widened her eyes, unable to suppress her emotions, wanting to step forward.
But the moment she stood before the chair, Misha's head had already fallen.
Stelle froze in place.
The camera turned from behind Stelle from right to left.
On the right, it was still the child Misha.
But after passing Stelle's body, on the left, he had once again become the peacefully sleeping old-aged Mikhail.
The sorrowful violin played at this moment, bidding farewell to this legendary Nameless.
And Mikhail's aged voice floated in the air along with the music.
"Just like your clock hands, always pointing forward."
"My journey ends here. From now on…"
"It's your road."
Stelle took the hat from the old man's hand, receiving the legacy from her predecessor's hand.
The hat inherited from the late conductor of the Astral Express, Falcon Amundsen, was passed into Mikhail's hands through Granholm.
And now, it had once again reached Stelle through Mikhail.
...
: Tribute to one of the Trailblazers of the Frontier Prison, the great Watchmaker! Mikhail Char Legwork!
: Damn, from this part on, I just couldn't stop crying, ah ah ah ah, I will never forget Mikhail in my life, and I will remember this forever!
: Salute to every Trailblazer! Salute to all Nameless!
: Except for little Misha asking his grandpa, every other time, it was others asking Mikhail where he was going! Wuwuwu, now he can finally rest…
: For the first time, I feel a sense of closeness and familiarity with a character in the show. Watching him die feels like watching a beloved elder pass away, so painful ahhh!
: Wuwuwu, this is the greatest legacy in the world! I will not allow anyone to deny this!
: No wealth, but a heritage far more precious than wealth: the heritage of the Astral Express, the heritage of the Nameless!
: The spirit of Trailblazing is just too thrilling!
...
Before experiencing what happened with Mikhail, the audience, as well as the people in the show, they all felt confused about how to answer Sunday's question.
They might not have fully understood the Will of Trailblazing.
But after this experience, everyone could clearly and intuitively understand it.
Because Mikhail had used his entire life, with his own existence, to tell everyone.
Trailblazing means moving forward and defending the right of others to choose whether to move forward.
Others may choose not to move forward, but that is their own choice. This right must never be taken away by anyone.
This is Trailblazing, and yet not the entirety of the Will of Trailblazing.
The Path of Trailblazing is more like answering one of the three great philosophical questions: Where am I going?
And Mikhail had found his own answer.
Where was he going?
Ha was going to defend the right of the people of Penacony to freely choose whether to move forward or stay where they are.
And this spirit has already been passed down to the new Nameless!
And this!
Is the Astral Express crew's answer to Sunday! And to the audience!