Penacony, the Planet of Festivities.
As always, the Golden Hour was bustling and vibrant, with joy visible everywhere, reflecting the beautiful essence of the dreamscape.
In stark contrast to this lively atmosphere was the lonely figure wandering the streets.
Firefly.
From the moment she made up her mind, the girl had come here.
She wanted to find traces of that young man, to confirm her hypothesis.
But so far, the results had been less than satisfying.
Drifting through the dream, Firefly first came here.
This place was home to schools of fish swimming against the current of memories, each one representing a unique fragment of the past.
During those two dreamlike months, she and Bai Heng had spent a considerable sum to purchase one of these fish. They entrusted it with the memories of their time together and even gave the fish a name.
Bai Ying.
A simple, straightforward name.
If she could just find this fish, Firefly's hypothesis would be confirmed.
But fate had other plans. From the staff, Firefly received this news:
"There are hundreds of millions of fish swimming against the memory currents. Each fish released into the flow is like returning it to the ocean. With our current technology, it's impossible to pinpoint and retrieve a specific one."
It wasn't just here.
Aideen Park.
It boasted the most comprehensive entertainment facilities in all of Penacony, along with the super prize countless Clockie fans dreamed of—the limited-edition Clockie badge.
Every winner of the super prize would have their record kept there.
In that story of uncertain truth, Firefly was one of the few who had won the prize.
Finding this record would also verify the authenticity of those experiences.
However...
"Sorry, due to the recent flood of counterfeit limited-edition Clockie badges on the market, we had no choice but to change the grand prize. As a result, all previous winning records were not preserved."
Once again, Firefly failed to get her answer.
But she didn't give up.
Guided by those memories, Firefly visited every place she and that young man had set foot in during those two months.
A Child's Dream, the Dreamjolt Bar, the Grand Theater, the Moment of Scorchsand, the Moment of Dusk, the Moment of Stars...
With each location, Firefly could feel the beautiful memories deep within her heart—so vivid, so unforgettable.
Yet the results she obtained were similar to the first two times.
Yes, it wasn't a clear "no," but due to various reasons—glitches, temporary maintenance, and so on—the records were either lost or unavailable.
This gave Firefly a very strange feeling.
It was as if an invisible hand was deliberately hiding something. Although it was indeed hidden, the traces of concealment were all too obvious.
With a weary body, Firefly made her way to the observation deck—the secret base she shared with him in that story.
A familiar breeze brushed past her as she gazed at the skyline, her thoughts drifting far away.
"Honestly, don't you think it's about time you gave up?"
A phantom-like blue pop-up window appeared, and Silver Wolf, chewing bubble gum, showed up on the screen.
"Even if you prove that those two months really happened, so what? He's gone. What you're doing is pointless."
Silver Wolf was puzzled by Firefly's actions.
Why confirm something so painful? Even if you learn it truly happened, what then?
What's done is done, and the one who left is already gone.
All you'll get is grief.
"It's not pointless..." Firefly softly refuted. "A person experiences three deaths in their lifetime. The first is biological death—when breathing and heartbeat stop."
"The second death is social—when friends and family bid farewell at the funeral, and the person's existence is erased from the social fabric, meaning the deceased no longer has direct ties to this world."
"The third... is when the last person who remembers the deceased passes away or forgets them completely..."
"That marks the person's complete disappearance from history."
"So, I have to find him..."
"Even if he's truly gone, I'll be the one to remember him, and then..."
"Fulfill our promise."
Tick.
The moment the girl's words fell, in a clock tower somewhere, the second hand completed its final circle, and the hour hand moved forward one step.
It was exactly midnight.
The next second.
To the girl's astonishment, a meteor streaked across the night sky.
This was clearly unusual.
To ensure guests' dream experiences, Penacony's dazzling meteor show was turned off after 10 p.m.
But now...
Before Firefly could find an answer, an even more spectacular scene unfolded.
The moment the girl fixed her gaze on that meteor, faint green fireflies began to glow softly around her.
First one, then two, three...
In just a few moments, the entire observation deck had transformed into a sea of fireflies!
And not just the observation deck!
The Golden Hour, the Clockie Plaza, the Oti Mall, Aideen Park...
In that instant, all of Penacony seemed to be immersed in a sea of soft green light!
As if responding to the dazzling glow, across the dark canvas of the sky—at a time when the meteor system should have been shut down—countless meteors began to fall like gentle rain!
Stunned by the breathtaking spectacle, Firefly remembered.
On that May 13th, the young man who had stopped the Dreamweavers from fighting had left behind an easter egg for this dream:
"At the lonely hour of midnight, when a single firefly in the garden gazes upon a meteor streaking across the sky, the heavens will respond with a brilliant meteor shower, and all the dormant fireflies of Penacony will awaken, lighting up for a sleepless night."
In that moment, as if a reset button had been pressed,
The chaotic images in the girl's mind began to flash in an orderly sequence, returning to their proper places and perfectly piecing together every detail of those two months.
Plip.
A tear fell silently. A smile spread across the girl's face as she watched the endless meteors streaking across the sky, and she whispered:
"Finally... I found you."
The sound of a communication line connecting buzzed in her ear, and Silver Wolf's voice came through once more:
"Alright, no time for sentimentality."
"Probably because you observed it, Elio can finally track that person's fate."
"He's alive—on the Xianzhou Luofu."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.