Some time earlier, after Stelle's "death," on Himeko's side.
Dream, Golden Hour.
After giving instructions to Welt and the others, Himeko ventured alone to the grandest building in the center of Golden Hour.
As everyone knows, regular employees get a small desk in a shared office space, mid-level leaders get a private office, and higher-ups get an entire floor. But for someone like Mikhail, a titan of capital, he had an entire building.
This office building, arguably the most luxurious in the galaxy, cost no less than thirteen digits to construct. Its name was straightforward: Mikhail Tower!
It boldly declared its owner.
Rumor had it that Mikhail had bought the copyright to the term "Mikhail" across the universe, showcasing his wealth and status.
Per the original plan, the Astral Express crew was supposed to attend a banquet hosted by Mikhail here. But after what happened to Stelle, they had to cancel. Himeko's reason for coming was to seek help from this senior Nameless.
As long as Stelle was alive, finding her would be a matter of a single word from Mikhail.
"Miss Himeko, the Chairman has already prepared the banquet inside. This is a letter from him to you."
Outside the building, a mechanical construct greeted Himeko, handing her an envelope and opening the building's doors for her.
"A letter?"
Himeko was puzzled. What era was this? Couldn't things be said over the phone?
She opened the envelope, revealing text embossed in pure gold:
Dear Nameless juniors, I am Mikhail. I'm delighted to welcome the Astral Express in my lifetime once again. Before we share drinks and stories, I've set up a few small challenges to test the strength of today's Nameless.
In my office building, there are various trials: the Dreamweaver Scope for dream construction (the near-big, far-small device from Dream's Edge), the upside-down room, Hanu Action, the bubble pinball machine…
These trials were originally designed to deter those with ill intentions. Unfortunately, since this building was completed, they've never been used.
Of course, there's no lethal danger in these trials. I'll be watching you until you stand before me.
Good luck, Nameless!
Your senior, Mikhail.
"Trials…?"
Himeko was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected this unfamiliar Nameless senior to have such a playful side.
Normally, she'd smile faintly and let the youngsters take on the senior's challenges, but with the situation urgent, she'd likely have to brute-force her way through.
Himeko strode into the building. The first thing she saw was rows of bookshelves, balloons, and steps… The massive floor was so cluttered there was barely room to stand.
At the entrance sat a television with a red button beside it—clearly a prop for transforming into Hanu to pass this trial.
The challenge required the player to become Hanu, slip through gaps, dodge Boss Stone's minions, and clear the stage.
"Sorry, Mr. Mikhail…"
Himeko closed her eyes briefly, murmuring an apology.
"Hah!"
Himeko took a deep breath, her eyes snapping open. She gripped the shelves in front of her tightly and exerted force!
Creak creak—
The shelves shook, emitting a teeth-gritting metallic screech. Shockingly, despite her effort, they didn't budge an inch!
Beneath the shelves, steel cables as thick as a baby's arm held them firmly in place, clearly designed to thwart those who relied solely on brute strength.
"Was this part of your calculations, Senior Mikhail?"
Himeko muttered to herself but didn't give up. Her fair arms bulged with muscle as an overwhelming, pure force poured out…
"Ora—!"
Crack crack crack!
With Himeko's full strength, the shelves finally gave way, retreating. Then the second, the third…
Outside the office building.
A passerby was happily snapping photos of their friend, as Mikhail Tower, the most luxurious building in Penacony, was a must-visit photo spot for all dreamchasers.
Click—
Click—
Click—
Click… BOOM!
As the passerby was joyfully taking pictures, a deafening roar erupted. One side of the building's wall suddenly bulged outward in a massive arc. When it reached its limit, a mountain of shelves burst through the wall, pushed out by a pair of fair, jade-like hands!
Passerby: …???
This floor, spanning thousands of square meters and filled with countless objects, was entirely swept away by Himeko's brute force.
Clearing the first trial without pause, Himeko continued up the stairs to the next level.
The next trial was the upside-down room. Normally, Himeko would need to fill the "Dreambubble Wine Tower" with dreambubble energy to create a viscous dreambubble bridge to walk on the walls.
Though the process was novel and fun, it would obviously take a lot of time.
Himeko had no intention of dawdling.
Her gaze scanned the surroundings, finally landing on a door on the ceiling.
Bang!
Himeko stomped the floor, launching herself like a cannonball. She smashed through the ceiling door with brute force, clearing the stage in one go!
The third trial was the bubble pinball machine, consisting of two pinball machines and several elastic bumpers. The challenger needed to enter the machine as a pinball, observe their trajectory, and choose the right bumpers to activate to alter their path…
…Oh, no need to explain further—Himeko was already stepping over the bumpers to the next trial.
The fourth trial was the Dreamweaver Scope, a key item from the original story during the Trailblazer and Firefly's date. It cleverly used the "near-big, far-small" principle, allowing users to move along visually formed paths to cross actual distances.
This floor was vast, with the ceiling so high it appeared as a tiny black dot, like the distance between someone on the ground and the clouds.
Even with Himeko's superhuman physical strength, jumping straight up to that height was nearly impossible.
But that didn't stop her from speedrunning.
Her gaze swept over the surrounding walls as she murmured, "Hmm… I need to be even faster…"
"Stelle and the others are waiting for me. I need to run. I must run… I'll use that move I learned at the Space Station!"
Himeko stepped forward, transforming into a blurry red shadow. She sprinted along the walls like a tornado, climbing higher and higher.
This move was called…
Spinning in Circles!