"I don't know what faction you're from, but pretending to be my guide all this time must have been hard on you, Firefly."
"As a guide, you know too little about Penacony's history, yet you know too much about certain parts of it. People tend to become accustomed to what's familiar, to the point of unfamiliarity, and they often disregard things they take for granted."
"A local wouldn't normally go out of their way to promote the Clockie cartoon to me, nor would they promote those boring slot machines."
"And you know far too little about the history of the car dealership. You couldn't even explain the development and purpose of these cars. You were like a bad student who didn't pay attention in class. But you don't look like one."
"And this outsider only started trailing me after you appeared. Someone who was tailing me, yet he chose to expose his tailing only after you showed up."
"Aigh..."
Stelle scratched her head again after she finished speaking. She suddenly felt that this whole fishing business wasn't that hard to understand.
No wonder so many people liked to set traps. When the trap was for someone else, the feeling was even more refreshing than drinking a bottle of soda on a hot summer day.
Firefly never would have expected that her role as a guide would expose her unusual identity simply because of the inconsistencies in her knowledge of Penacony.
She opened her mouth to explain, but Stelle didn't care where Firefly came from. She raised a hand to stop her.
"You don't need to explain. From the very beginning, I knew this would happen when we came to Penacony, and that people would try to cozy up to us Nameless in all sorts of ways."
"Whether it's the guy who approached us at the hotel with nothing better to do, or you, who I met here in The Golden Hour, or even the person who impersonated Sampo to get close to me, they're all the same in essence," Stelle said nonchalantly. "It's all because we, the Astral Express crew, hold something they need. Whatever that thing is, it's bound to attract some people."
"But, it's not a bad idea..."
"Hmm, let's see. If someone new suddenly appears by my side, these people will surely worry that something might fall into the hands of another faction. That will naturally make more people antsy. Keeping you by my side for more people to see is indeed a very good method."
Stelle weighed the lance in her hand and looked at Firefly. "What? Are you going to avenge him? Or are you planning to tell The Family about this... Oh, right, I forgot. They even have to use the same methods as reality to manage the dream. Hahahaha!! This is hilarious!!!"
Stelle couldn't help but burst out laughing.
In her and Noldrei's minds, the management of Penacony's dreamscape should have at least been like the system management of a consciousness-diving game, or some kind of mysterious, heavenly law.
But after meeting Firefly, they were told that the management methods inside Penacony were similar to those of real-world factions, and even their surveillance methods weren't that advanced.
It was hard to say if this stark contrast had affected Stelle, but it had definitely affected Noldrei, making him want to laugh.
Firefly had no idea she had exposed so much. She thought she had been doing a good job with her disguise and might have even gained the other's trust.
But as it turned out, this Nameless didn't care who came to her; she only cared about who had the stronger hand.
Stelle was very satisfied with Firefly's current state.
As for what faction Firefly belonged to, Stelle no longer cared.
It wasn't important, was it?
The moment she confirmed Noldrei's theory—that to clear the game, she had to slaughter everyone in Penacony—her course of action was set.
"Firefly, I already know how to find the Clockmaker's Legacy. Want to give my big lance a try?"
Stelle held up her lance happily. From the look on her face, she seemed eager to try it out on Firefly as well.
Firefly did not want to be vaporized like that. At least, not yet. She didn't want to leave Penacony.
"You... you want to kill me too?" Firefly's expression was complicated. For a moment, she didn't know where her thoughts were coming from.
"You don't know?" Stelle looked at Firefly in surprise. "The impossible thing in the dreamscape is death. So, theoretically, the dead are the ones who can find the Clockmaker's Legacy. I'm not that interested in the Clockmaker's Legacy, but you outsiders are very concerned about it."
"So isn't it only natural for me to hunt you down in Penacony? It's all for your own good!"
Firefly was left speechless by Stelle's deadpan explanation.
"No, I..." She wanted to explain that she wasn't actually interested in the Clockmaker's Legacy, but her actions so far didn't look like it at all.
"Oh, I get it! You're afraid of dying, aren't you!" Stelle seemed to have a revelation. She pointed a finger at Firefly. "You must be worried that if you die in the dream, you'll become a vegetable in reality, right?"
Firefly shook her head vigorously. "No! No! It's definitely not because of that! I..."
I'm actually a Stellaron Hunter.
She really couldn't bring herself to say that to Stelle.
"Actually, I'm a stowaway," Firefly said in a low voice. "My main purpose is to tell you the truth about what's happening in Penacony."
"..."
This time, it was Stelle's turn to be speechless.
'*What does that mean? Does it mean that if I do nothing, someone will just deliver the answer to my doorstep?*'
Stelle seemed to realize something. Why did that sound a little off?
[That's right. This is, theoretically, the protagonist treatment.]
'*Then why didn't she say so earlier? Or just give me a note, or tell me directly? Why did she have to act as my guide?*'
[I don't know. Maybe she has some special hobbies.]
Stelle took a deep breath. "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Firefly quickly waved her hands. "No, no more! Also, there's a Stellaron hidden in Penacony. A lot of people should know about this. That Stellaron is the source of power that keeps the Penacony dreamscape constantly expanding."
Stelle was even more confused. For a moment, she really didn't know what to say.
'*Bro, did I mishear something?*'
[You heard her right. She said someone is using the power of a Stellaron, such a potent energy source, just to let more people dream.]
'*Isn't that idiotic?*'
[What a harsh assessment!]