Chapter 316: Misha's Identity Exposed! Board the Express? Just Coming Out of This Alive Would Be a Miracle!
Inside the game's storyline.
Misha first led everyone to the fireplace room.
Here, he told everyone that his grandfather's name was Mikhail.
But in Misha's perception, this Mikhail was a navigator.
He had already embarked on a new journey and hadn't returned for a very long time.
Next, everyone arrived at the game room.
Here.
Misha introduced the story of Origami Bird and the Compass to everyone.
"Like Clockie and Lady Mirror, it's also a crew member of the Compass. There isn't just one Origami Bird! They are a big family, with many identical brothers and sisters. They follow Lady Mirror's arrangements and are responsible for various tasks on the ship. They are the best sailors."
"The Compass is a ship bound for the New World! It leads Clockie and his companions through layers of thick fog, sailing into the deep ocean. Every time they encounter danger, Clockie operates the compass to guide everyone in the right direction!"
Misha smiled as he watched his own narration in the storyline.
These were indeed the experiences in his memory.
It was a recollection, yet also felt like a dream.
Misha was very happy to share it in the story.
Allowing so many players to witness these wonderful journeys.
On the left side of the television screen.
The live stream chat was constantly scrolling.
Misha tried to take a look.
But he found that these players were saying things that he couldn't quite understand.
…
"So… Misha is the key!?"
"Memory is the prologue to a dream~"
"To verify this, you took Misha with you to enter Mikhail's Dream Bubble once again—barring any accidents, the whole truth lies hidden within this child's long dream."
"Penacony's storyline is getting more and more incredible. It turns out everything has a prototype and symbolic meaning!"
"Case closed! Origami Birds are the Dreamweavers, and Lady Mirror is Razalina!"
"Then Misha, who possesses these memories, couldn't be the reincarnation of the Watchmaker, right?"
…
As they experienced more and more within the child's dream.
Misha recalled even more memories.
He led everyone to Mikhail's study.
There were a large number of bookshelves here.
They were packed tightly with books.
And Clockie was also here.
Misha said, "Every time Mikhail returned from sailing, he would put a logbook on the bookshelf in his room. This is the record of his exploration of every corner of the world."
"He said our world is just like that fountain. At some unknown point, the seawater started submerging the places where people live, bit by bit."
"In order to find a land where everyone could settle, Mikhail had to keep sailing out to explore and find the source of the seawater."
"That day, he called me into the study and said he was going to sea as usual. But I could tell his expression was very serious. I saw the same expression on my father's face before his last voyage."
"I begged him to take me with him, but he said my adventure wasn't here. He told me to stay at home and wait patiently for the sound outside the door."
While Misha was narrating.
The chat on the left was also constantly scrolling!
Many players were actively discussing, as if they had discovered a new continent.
Meanwhile, Misha showed a look of surprise.
As the plot progressed, a certain memory seemed to become clearer and clearer!
…
"The more I hear Misha talk, the more I feel like his grandfather Mikhail is the Watchmaker!"
"The seawater is submerging the places where people live bit by bit. This should represent that Penacony's Dreamscape is sinking little by little, which corresponds to what Black Swan said before!"
"So, is Misha's grandfather Mikhail really the Watchmaker himself?"
"Even in Misha's memories, he was constantly trailblazing."
"So what exactly is going on? Why is Misha's memory slightly different from reality?"
…
And in the game's storyline.
Misha's voice became more excited and clearer.
"Mikhail said there is a vaster ocean in the sky—an ocean of stars. There is a train carrying children who want to go far away, traversing the sea of stars without ever stopping."
"He knows the people on that train. He said he would ask them to take me with them. The journey I've always dreamed of… will start from here."
Light shone in Misha's eyes.
Beside him, Clockie's expression also changed from sad to a wide, toothy grin.
March 7th said in surprise, "A train? Could it be…"
"It's the Astral Express. I remember now. Mikhail's friends were a group of Nameless. They came to our world to solve a disaster caused by a star."
"Then Mikhail gave me his pocket watch. It was his treasure, appearing in every story of sailing far away. He said the days ahead wouldn't be easy, but the hands of the pocket watch would point the way for me."
"As long as I keep taking that step forward, I will definitely reach the place I want to go. And then, I think I heard…"
"The train's whistle, sounding from the other side of the room…"
Clockie chimed in, "Yes, Misha! And then we followed the sound of the whistle, didn't we?"
"Yes, I should still be able to find the path from back then."
…
"From the sound of it, Misha is about to board the train?"
"Great, great, great, another young boy is joining the Express."
"Boarding the train means he can help Pom-Pom clean up [ grin ]"
"I just noticed that Misha has a Special Pass pinned to his neckerchief!"
"So the foreshadowing was laid down long ago."
"There aren't enough rooms on the Express. It seems Misha can only sleep on the sofa with the Trailblazer…"
…
Through the Dreamticker puzzle, they arrived at the final room.
Misha introduced it to everyone, "It's here. This… is my clock workshop."
"While waiting for Mikhail to return from his voyage, Uncle Woolsey gave me this workshop, a toy room, my secret base…"
"I learned to repair clockwork and gears here. I like precise machinery. I am the captain of the Compass, and along with my partners, Clockie and Lady Mirror, we search for the New World in our dreams."
"I… was born and raised here."
Misha's tone became confident.
It was as if he was no longer just a timid hotel doorman, but a grand adventurer full of dreams!
Himeko nodded slightly, "So, this building in the Dream Bubble was your childhood home."
"Yes, but also no. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say…"
"This Dream Bubble is my home."
"It seems you've remembered everything." Himeko showed a gratified expression.
March 7th: "Wait, wait, wait, what's with this feeling that everyone except me is on the same page?"
Next,
Himeko revealed the truth in one sentence.
"Just like Clockie, have you ever seen anyone outside of the Express Crew interact with Misha?"
March 7th instantly showed a shocked expression.
"No way…"
…
"???"
"Holy crap?!"
"I went back to watch the Version 2.0 storyline. Acheron indeed didn't interact with Misha. She only sensed that some 'thing' was present."
"I knew it! I couldn't find a single person like Misha in the whole of Penacony. I thought it was a plot hole! Turns out…"
"I'm dumbfounded!"
"Does that mean… Misha isn't human?!"
"Oh no, this tone gives me a bad feeling!"
"If we put it this way, Misha, like Clockie, belongs to the category of Memetic Entities from the Memory Zone."
"It's over! Misha can't board the Express anymore…"
"Forget boarding the Express. At this rate, it'll be good enough if he even survives…"