Chapter 69: Is This Really Not a Confession?
[After crawling through a dark passage, Stelle and Firefly arrived at the edge of Dream's Edge. Firefly's secret base was located here. After dealing with members of the Bloodhound Family using clock tricks and employing various dream-repairing tools,
Stelle finally reached Firefly's secret hideout.]
[Elysia]:"What beautiful scenery, what unique design!"
[Eden]:"From an artistic perspective, the style here is wildly imaginative. If this weren't a dream, such architecture would never exist in reality."
[Qingque]:"Why does this feel like a Penacony promotional video? I'm genuinely moved - everything's ready, just waiting for vacation time!" [Accompanied by the melody of "Spare a Heart from Sorrow," Firefly bared her heart to Stelle. On the rooftop, several shooting stars streaked across the sky.
Looking down, the entire dream city lay spread before them. "This is the place closest to the dream sky, far from the city's noise and the arguments of dreamweavers. Here, undisturbed by anyone, we can feel the present moment—the scenery, the people, and the dreams..."
"How beautiful... Time stands still in this golden moment, a golden dream. The Fool from the tavern and the Rememberer from the Garden of Recollection, the wandering ranger and the IPC envoy, the Nameless from the Astral Express... and me."
"Here everyone sleeps equally, regardless of reasons, though we all indeed have our own purposes..."
Firefly fell silent for a moment before turning to face Stelle directly, her eyes filled with sorrow: "...I'm sorry, Stelle. I really am a [stowaway]."
"My homeland was destroyed long ago—maybe by the Antimatter Legion, or perhaps the Swarm... I'm a space refugee, just like many locals in Penacony."
"Harmony embraces everyone, including drifters who've come from afar. The Family accepts them, but they... ultimately don't belong here."
"In this glittering metropolis, some people's dreams are called Penacony, while others' dreams... are no different from reality, though every ordinary person who comes here initially shares the same purpose." "I'm no exception. In reality, I have an unattainable wish—it's so strong that I sought refuge in dreams..."
Stelle grew serious: "You can't escape reality."]
[Qingque]:"She really is a stowaway? Those guards weren't wrong after all?"
[Stelle]:"She's a stowaway who smuggled herself into my heart without telling me!"
[March 7th]:"Uh..."
[Dan Heng]:"Based on Miss Firefly's account, I might have guessed her origins."
[Stelle]:"What is it?"
[Ratio]:"The Glamoth Republic, correct? If so, seeking wishes through dreams makes perfect sense."
[Elysia]:"This sweet storyline is just perfect~ In this beautiful dream, we should simply enjoy it, no?"
[Eden]:"May time stand still at this moment, may this world shine eternally like gold!"
[Mobius]:"Don't forget, Penacony is a complex web of intersecting factions. The Astral Express remains at the center of events—this is hardly simple tourism."
Mobius mercilessly punctured a certain pink fairy's fantasies.
["...'Entropy Loss Syndrome.' Have you heard of it?"
"It's a strange phenomenon. Those afflicted experience irreversible, chronic physical dissociation.
It means you're slowly disappearing, and this disappearance is barely noticeable to others—"
"You can still run, jump, and interact with people. Everything seems perfectly normal, except you're always just a little slower than everyone else..."
"...Then slower and slower until both you and the world's contours become indistinct. You can't tell reality from dreams because they've both become equally fragmented."
"So how could I refuse?... Can you imagine? In this dream, I don't have to... lie in a cold medical pod..."
"I can ignore doctors' orders and use my own body to freely listen, see, touch, think, and understand. Though this world isn't real, these feelings are priceless..."
Firefly turned away with a radiant smile: "...Like right now."]
[Stelle]:"The Abundance's mercy! Yaoshi, save her!"
[March 7th]:"I never imagined this was what Firefly was hiding... Sniff~ I'm sorry for misunderstanding you."
[Yunli]:"Lingsha-jie, even the Xianzhou Alliance's technology can't cure this illness?"
[Lingsha]:"No. Mainly because it only affects an extremely small population—normal people have zero chance of contracting it. The Alliance hasn't researched it."
[Bailu]:"Heheh, leave it to me! I'll definitely develop a cure!"
[Firefly]:"Thank you..."
[Silver Wolf]:"Firefly, you've really laid all your cards on the table now."
[Dan Heng]:"This confirms Miss Firefly's true identity. My earlier deduction was correct!"
[Sparkle]:"A survivor of Glamoth with Entropy Loss Syndrome who's also a Stellaron Hunter~ How delightfully hard to guess!"
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]:"Stellaron Hunter—SAM, correct?"
[Stelle]:"Firefly is SAM? That's... that's just awesome!"
[Firefly stepped closer to Stelle and spoke sincerely: "I'm sorry. For certain reasons, there are things... I can't fully disclose yet. But there are other things I should be honest about."
"'The Clockmaker's Legacy' is indeed my objective, but we don't necessarily need to part ways or become adversaries—at least...
I don't want that to happen."
Stelle didn't mind Firefly's secrecy: "I feel the same."
"...Thank you."
Firefly gave her a gentle smile. "[I dreamed of scorched earth and a new bud breaking through soil. It bloomed toward the morning sun and whispered to me.]"
"Do you remember the question on the invitation—Why does life slumber?"
"You see, in this land of dreams, everything is permitted, everything is possible. The unbearable past dissipates like foam; tomorrow never comes for what we dread facing."
"Why do people choose to slumber? I think... it's because they fear waking from the dream."
At this point, Firefly suddenly noticed the heavy atmosphere. After struggling to lighten the mood herself, she asked Stelle how they handled awkward silences on the Express. Stelle replied that March 7th would gather everyone for selfies at such times. Bathed in morning light, Stelle and Firefly took a perfect selfie together.]
[March 7th]:"Heheh, my method works way better than Dan Heng's terrible jokes!"
[Kiana]:"Using March 7th's ice-breaking technique to take photos with Firefly."
[March 7th]:"Hearing you say that... Stelle! Next time we're taking pictures together!"
[Elysia]:"The sincere and pure bond between beautiful girls—isn't it just wonderful?"
[Siegfried]:"Kids these days... This practically counts as a confession, doesn't it?"
[Raiden Ryoma]:"Siegfried! You're one to talk! Control your daughter!"
[Firefly]:"C-confession? What confession..."
Miss Firefly's face turned bright red.
[Silver Wolf]:"I smell something disgustingly sweet in the air."