Chapter 319: Clockie's True Life Story Revealed! Educating the Masses on the Astral Express Navigators!
Little Gui's livestream.
Guinaifen's expression was solemn.
She read the current mission description.
[ "To Weep After Waking — Proceed toward the end of the long dream" ]
[ At the end of the long night, Misha finally reclaimed himself: the innocent protagonist in the childhood dreams of the Watchmaker, Mikhail Char Legwork—Clockie's best friend, a young apprentice, a future train mechanic… and at the same time, the starting point of an old Nameless's Trailblaze journey. ]
[ He has completed his mission, and the Watchmaker has fulfilled his final wish. Now, the future of Penacony is in your hands. ]
Guinaifen licked her slightly dry lips.
She began to approach the glowing door ahead.
This short path felt incredibly heavy with a sense of mission at this moment!
"It's coming, it's coming!"
"What kind of scene will be behind the door…"
"The mission description says the future of Penacony is in our hands, and I think that's not exaggerating at all!"
"My family watching the livestream right now!"
"No matter where you are, please witness the end of this journey with me!"
The door opened.
The screen slowly faded to black.
This process seemed to be drawn out very long.
An illustration appeared in front of everyone.
It was a scene of a young boy bidding farewell to an elderly man.
Below the illustration was a compass.
Inside the compass was the silhouette of a running boy.
The boy's voice came through.
Mikhail Char Legwork: "Mikhail! Where are you going…"
Seafarer Mikhail: "Someone has to stand up and save Lushaka, little Misha. Why can't it be me?"
Mikhail Char Legwork: "Please, don't go, okay? Or take me with you, please, don't leave alone…"
Seafarer Mikhail: "Even without me, you already know how to move forward. Brave Captain Misha, the Compass is waiting for you. Haven't you always wanted to become an even greater adventurer than me?"
Seafarer Mikhail: "Go, board that train, and then… begin your journey."
Guinaifen quickly reacted!
She said to the camera, "This is… this is the scene of the Watchmaker bidding farewell to his grandfather during his childhood!"
"His grandfather went to save Lushaka, while he boarded the Astral Express, stepping onto the starting point of that legendary journey…"
"Later, this experience became Misha's memory—"
"That's why we could see the same floating inner voices on the walls in A Child's Dream!"
Next, the illustration shifted!
It was the silhouette of a young man talking to a boy.
"Mikhail, where are you going?" the man's voice asked.
And his name appeared at the bottom of the screen.
—[ Navigator Falcon Amundsen ]
The childish voice turned into a slightly youthful, adolescent voice.
Mikhail Char Legwork: "I… I'm going to mop the floor in the Parlor Car! I promised the Conductor…"
"Hold on. Tell me first, did you fix this watch?"
"I know what it originally looked like—the chain was broken, the back casing was damaged, and the markings were almost completely worn away… How did you do it?"
Mikhail Char Legwork: "It's the hands, Mr. Amundsen. Its hands are still good, they can still point in the right direction, so the rest can be figured out."
"From now on, you work with me. I'll handle things with the Conductor. Haven't you always wanted to tinker with the train? Starting today, you are the mechanic on board."
…
"There's another master?"
"So this is the Watchmaker's youth, when he boarded the Astral Express!"
"Mikhail was so young and green back then."
"Back then, the Navigator of the Astral Express was still called Falcon Amundsen. It feels like something that happened a really long time ago."
"The Watchmaker really started out as a watch repairer…"
"[ 'The Beacon' ] Falcon Amundsen. The seventh Navigator of the Express, active after Akivili's fall, during the early days of the Cancer of All Worlds."
"Falcon sought out the departed Nameless, inspired a large number of the new generation of Nameless, and worked with many heroic figures to clear the blocked Star Rail."
"Under his leadership, the Astral Express regained its former glory, with the crew once reaching several hundred people!"
"Holy crap! A lore master has appeared!"
"Hundreds of people? Can the train really fit that many?"
"The train back then was probably on a completely different scale compared to now."
"Pom-Pom's peak era?"
"By the way, could this lore master be a Nameless on the Astral Express? Otherwise, how would they know such detailed information?"
"Hurry up and quietly hit follow…"
…
The Astral Express Crew.
As soon as the name Falcon Amundsen appeared, Himeko spoke of this former Navigator's life story.
March 7th immediately showed a shocked expression!
"Hundreds of people!"
"This Navigator was really something…"
"There are only five of us on the train right now, six if you count Pom-Pom."
"Then isn't he even more amazing than Himeko?"
Himeko smiled gently: "This predecessor was indeed the most outstanding figure of that era."
And once March 7th snapped out of it, she immediately declared that she wanted to share this lore with more players!
Let more people know about his deeds!
She summarized Himeko's words and sent them into the barrage of comments…
Right at that moment, the screen shifted once again!
A new character's voice appeared.
—[ Navigator Granholm ]
"Legwork, where are you going? It's time for us to head to the next stop."
His voice was clean and crisp, instantly making one imagine a passionate and gentle leader.
Meanwhile, Mikhail had reached his youth.
His voice carried a bit more maturity and stability.
"I… might not be leaving. I plan to stay in Asdana, together with Razalina and Tiernan."
Navigator Granholm: "Oh… does this place remind you of home?"
Mikhail Char Legwork: "The people of Asdana have only won a small victory. There is still a long way to go before true freedom… Hanunu needs us."
"Don't worry, not all journeys have to lead to the sea of stars. Even if we leave the Express, our Trailblaze will not end."
Navigator Granholm: "It's fine, I already knew the three of you couldn't be held back. Go in peace, my friend. Take this with you too."
"Is this… Mr. Amundsen's hat? But why…"
"When he departed, he said he wanted to leave it to his best student. I think now is the time."
"Goodbye, Legwork. Take good care of Tiernan and Razalina. Remember… to write to us."
…
Penacony.
As this storyline played, many people stood frozen in place, their eyes welling with tears!
They all had significant connections to Penacony.
Some of their ancestors had made their fortunes here.
Others had only moved here within the last few generations.
But without exception, they had already come to view Penacony as their homeworld!
They had more or less heard of this history before!
But this was the first time they had felt a corner of those extraordinary, turbulent years so vividly and realistically!
"Waaaah…"
"The legend of Penacony begins here!"
"For the rest of his life, he made monumental contributions to the prosperity and development of Penacony! He was revered as the Watchmaker!"
"What a magnificent and epic story!"
"'Hanunu needs us!' Who understands the sheer weight of this sentence!?"
"It's because people like them went forward one after another that we have everything we do today!"
"Clockie, Mirror Princess, and Captain Revolver!"
"Holy crap! Even as an outsider, I'm deeply shaken to my core! I can't imagine how you locals feel watching this…"
"Don't ask, I've already cried my eyes out…"
"The most emotional episode for Penacony players!"