"The star of the Festival... is the Starfall Disaster?" March 7th said in disbelief.
Qingque: So, the very existence of Penacony is a disaster now?
Herta: If Penacony's existence truly relies on a Stellaron, then for this star system, it might indeed be a disaster.
Pela: Stellarons are quite versatile; they can even do this.
March 7th: Speaking of which, Stelle... do you have any special abilities, like—hidden powers or something?
Stelle: If I had hidden powers, I would have used them already.
March 7th: That's true...
Gallagher paused, then continued his explanation:
"The story begins a long time ago. After the Clockmaker and his companions liberated the frontier prison, they were at a loss on how to build Penacony from scratch, and internal and external troubles were endless. That's when someone set their sights on the Stellaron."
"This Stellaron had originally fallen on Asdana during the war. At the Nameless's urging, people abandoned the idea of dabbling with such power. But there were always those with ulterior motives secretly stirring."
"The turning point occurred after Tiernan's sacrifice. Two Nameless companions died one after another, forcing the Clockmaker to rush to the pioneering front. And this long journey gave his opponents an opportunity."
"By the time the family representatives from the Montour system responded to the Clockmaker's call, the Stellaron had already been activated and permeated the original Collective Dreamscape."
Qingque: I remember seeing a Clockie animation before, where in one episode, the villagers tried to use the power of a meteor, but Clockie stopped them.
March 7th: So, Clockie actually—is an allegory for Penacony's history back then? What does the big villain Stone Boss represent?
Himeko: Little March, think about it, stone.
Botio: Stop his precious riddles, little girl. I'll tell you the truth: stone—stones—Preservation, got it? Stone Boss is his precious Interstellar Peace Corporation.
Stelle: ...Can this be said?
Botio: What Wubbaboo are you afraid of? I've already taken down enough Corporation dogs; I don't mind adding a few more zeros to my wanted poster.
"I guess the Family just happens to possess the knowledge to seal the Stellaron?" Himeko said.
"More than that!" Gallagher said with a heavy tone: "They understood the Stellaron even better than ordinary people. They quickly helped Mikhail quell the internal strife and then joined the construction of Penacony in the name of the harmony."
"That was three eras known as the 'Dream-Chasing Era.' The Clockmaker, kept in the dark, issued invitations to the entire universe, sparking a craze called the Land of Dreams."
March 7th: I see, no wonder the Family would trade Stellaron knowledge with Professor Ratio—speaking of which, he seems to be the biggest winner, helping his friends and gaining a large amount of top-secret knowledge as compensation.
Dr. Ratio: I'm not friends with that guy.
March 7th: Uh, but I haven't said who yet.
"Then later... how did they become enemies?" March 7th asked, blinking her curious big eyes.
"Remember the 'reclaiming land from the sea' analogy? The truth is, the Stellaron was never sealed; it just existed in the dream in a different form. Think about it, what's the cost of constructing and maintaining such a vast beautiful dream?" Gallagher asked back, then revealed the answer himself:
"It's life, little girl. The magnificent beautiful dream is built upon the death of the spirit. The poisonous wine called 'happiness' flows through the dream, making people indulge in it, their minds slowly flowing towards the same destination, eventually becoming the beautiful dream's placenta." Gallagher's voice seemed to carry a hint of sorrow and helplessness.
As he spoke, the scene before them suddenly changed. The perspective rose, and the three tombstones in the valley, along with the Nameless, contrasted sharply with the towering skyscrapers around them, as if two completely different worlds were forcibly torn apart.
"Confusion, laziness, cowardice... these common human weaknesses were amplified and nurtured by the Family, turning Penacony into another kind of prison, far more impregnable than the previous one."
"We discovered it too late. By then, the Family already had immense power, and dissenters were quickly controlled and expelled."
"With nowhere to go, I had no choice but to use the power of 'Mystery' to hide in this chaotic Remembrance Domain, and then spent several years 'fictionalizing' a meme in the dream for our use—"
"'Slumber,' that's its true name. Ordinary people cannot fall asleep again in the dreamscape, which is why we had the opportunity to exploit this loophole."
"So that's the true meaning of 'the impossible thing.' So, you sent out invitations in the Clockmaker's name to find factions that could solve the Stellaron crisis and attract them to Penacony to discover the truth?"
"Not only that, what I wanted to see even more was the various factions constantly fighting over the legacy, plus the Clockmaker's first public statement in over ten years of disappearance, the traitors in the Family would definitely reveal themselves."
"So, the 'legacy' was really just a pretense," March 7th confirmed again.
Gallagher smiled slightly, responding noncommittally: "If you want to consider the Stellaron as a legacy, I have no objection."
Hearing this, Himeko's eyes sharpened, and she pressed: "In that case, where is that Stellaron now?"
Gallagher raised an eyebrow, answering in a relaxed tone: "That's a question for that winged boy. The Stellaron has always been under the Family's control, and he's the face of the Oak Family, so he must know perfectly well."
Stelle: Sunday's nickname count is still increasing!
Sparkle: Sunday—the man with the most nicknames in all of Penacony.
"Everyone looks so serious... Is there anything I can help with?" Misha asked, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.
March 7th: Little Misha seems completely out of place.
Welt: Strange... Why is Gallagher completely ignoring Misha... Can he not see Misha either?
March 7th: No way...
Gallagher led everyone to Sunday and Robin's side. His expression was serious as he said:
"You've talked enough, haven't you? So, are you willing to tell us where that 'Stellaron' is?"
Sunday raised his bowed head, took a deep breath, and said: "It... is the Penacony Grand Theater itself."
"As expected, the embodiment of the Family, the first building to appear in the beautiful dream... It's the culprit behind Penacony becoming like this." Robin's voice was filled with sadness and helplessness.
A hint of comfort showed in Sunday's eyes. He gently patted Robin's shoulder, seemingly telling her not to be too sad.
Then, he spoke again: "And the one who used the Stellaron to accomplish all of this... is probably Mr. Goelet, who is now the Dream Master."