After circling back around, Gallagher led the Astral Express crew and Firefly back to the graveyard.
He crouched before the blank tombstone and spoke slowly, "Old friend, sometimes I forget you're already gone. It feels like you still have so much to say, so many paths left to walk.
Now, I'm keeping my promise, bringing the successors you thought about your whole life. I don't know why you could never forget that train, but I still remember the last words you said before you left this world…
Don't let us down, old man."
The next moment, the entire platform began to shake.
The structure was rising rapidly.
Soon, a garden appeared before everyone's eyes.
Gallagher looked ahead. "Go forward. His endpoint… lies in the garden ahead. Penacony's first and last Nameless—'Watchmaker, Mikhail Char Legwork.'"
[Huh? It really is him!]
[I've got goosebumps.]
[Honestly, I already guessed it. There were three of them, and with Tiernan and Razalina accounted for, the middle one was obvious.]
[This whole segment has been subtly depicting the Nameless. I think compared to Trailblazer, the title of Nameless carries so much more weight.]
— —
Beneath the sea of the Dreamscape, in a garden closest to the full moon in the water, an old man reclined silently in an easy chair.
The Watchmaker—Mikhail Char Legwork—had already embarked on that endless long dream, with no sound capable of waking him.
The four gazed at the slumbering Mikhail.
March 7th: "As expected… the Watchmaker is the third Nameless. Even I figured that out."
Gallagher explained that the dream bubble was the Watchmaker's legacy. "His legacy is a dream bubble. I suspect it holds something meaningful only to the Nameless. When I checked it, I found nothing inside… probably some cryptic Trailblaze code, more mysterious than even me."
[Haha, endorsed by the Fictionologist himself!]
Caelus tried to accept the gift.
But…
The dream bubble was empty?!
"Huh? What's going on…" March 7th scratched her head. "This dream bubble… it's really empty?! How could this be?"
Gallagher let out a cold chuckle. "Hmph, or rather, just as expected. He always had this inexplicable faith in the Nameless. In his plans, Trailblaze always had a place. I don't know where that confidence came from… When he was alive, he never successfully contacted the Express.
I never understood what that old man was thinking, but this empty dream bubble is so very him. Full of absurd fantasies… and incomprehensible romanticism.
Old trickster… I never expected him to leave any real backup plan anyway."
Himeko interrupted, "No, Mr. Gallagher. I believe Mikhail would have left us something most precious."
Gallagher gave an awkward smile. "Heh, you're not about to start preaching some grand lesson, are you?"
Himeko shook her head, her gaze resolute. "Just as Mikhail believed in the future Nameless, we unconditionally believe in the Nameless of the past. They devoted their lives to the land they loved—how could they leave for the future with regrets?
This dream bubble must have contents; we just haven't deciphered it yet. Mr. Gallagher, when it comes to believing in the Watchmaker, you feel the same, don't you?"
[That's our Nameless!]
[Damn, that got me fired up. A single sentence really brought the Nameless to life.]
[So romantic!]
[Honestly, this is the first time I've felt this way. No matter what web series I watch, I never get immersed—I might empathize at most. But now, I have this intense urge to become a Nameless. My goal is the sea of stars!]
[Same here!]
— —
Gallagher expressed understanding but said he couldn't help further; it was up to the Express Crew now.
Himeko made a request—to borrow his pet.
— —
Boothill and Dan Heng reached a consensus. Now, they needed a way to infiltrate the Dreamscape and rescue their companions…
A receptionist, Ally, approached them.
"Welcome to the Reverie Hotel. How may I assist you?"
Dan Heng responded politely, "Hello, we're Nameless from the Astral Express, here to check in."
"The Astral Express? But earlier…" Ally vividly recalled the commotion caused by the Express Crew not long ago.
"Yes, my companions checked in earlier. My name is Dan Heng; my information should be in the hotel's system."
"I see. But your companions mentioned you had a change in plans and couldn't check in."
"Ha! Plans changed again, didn't they?" Boothill interrupted their conversation.
Ally glanced at Boothill, cautiously asking, "And you are…?"
"I'm a new Nameless who just boarded the Astral Express. Name's Pom-Pom." Boothill said it with a straight face, not missing a beat.
face, not missing a beat.
[Hahahaha, sorry, I couldn't hold it in.]
[Pom-Pom: Achoo! For crying out loud!]
[Hahahaha, why did it have to be Pom-Pom?]
[Yeah, there's another fluffy Trailblaze ranger on the Express.]
— —
Ally understood the situation and prepared to contact Caelus and the others.
However, she couldn't get through.
Ally explained that without confirming Dan Heng and Boothill's identities with Caelus's group, they weren't allowed to enter the hotel.
[So what's this?]
[Classic problem: proving who I am.]
Boothill, sorting out his thoughts, got instantly annoyed. "Fudge it, don't give me this bureaucratic runaround! Little lady, I'm not targeting you, but if you can handle this, help us out. If you can't, get someone who can, alright?"
Ally bowed in apology. "Please calm down, esteemed guests! I recall that Mr. Sunday, head of the Oak Family, personally handled this matter. Please wait a moment; I'll contact him."
While the receptionist contacted the Family, Dan Heng planned to take care of some lingering concerns during the downtime.
[Dan Heng may seem unflappable, but he's genuinely anxious now that he can't reach them.]
[Probably went to grab the Jade Abacus.]
The story then continued from Boothill's perspective.
After wandering the lobby, all they heard were tourists' excitement for the Charmony Festival.
Soon, Dan Heng returned.
The two found a quiet corner to exchange information.
Boothill felt the Dreamscape's situation was dire, yet the hotel remained a picture of harmony.
Everything pointed to something being very wrong.
But as someone who'd roamed the cosmos for years, he wasn't unprepared.
"I left a 'backup plan' with that Memokeeper. If we really can't enter the Dreamscape, she'll leave a bottle of wine for me in the hotel's VIP room."