While March 7th and the others were facing the Capitalist Bird, on Stelle's side:
"March—! Firefly—! Can you hear me?"
Stelle wandered through the dark, winding corridors, calling out their names. Unlike the others, she was incredibly lucky on her journey. Let alone encountering a memoria meme on the level of Something Unto Death, she barely even ran into any Dreamjolt Troupe members.
The few she did encounter fled before she could act, as if they'd seen something utterly terrifying.
"That's so weird…"
Just as Stelle was puzzling over this, she spotted a door. In the lavish, ostentatious hotel, this door stood out starkly—it was plain, almost shabby, like a common chicken among a flock of phoenixes.
What was this?
Out of curiosity, Stelle approached and tried pushing the door. With a creak, the worn door swung inward, revealing a room bathed in pale light.
Another place that diverged from the original plot.
Stelle swallowed hard but couldn't resist her curiosity and stepped inside.
—"Oh? A guest has arrived?"
—"What, what? Hurry up and come greet them!"
—"Ugh, fine, fine, I know."
Three similar voices rang out one after another. Under Stelle's shocked gaze, three boys with light blue hair appeared from nowhere, surrounding her. Their small faces were filled with confusion, curiosity, and suspicion…
"We're Mila. Who are you?" the first boy said.
"We're Mig. How did you find this place?" the second boy asked.
"We're Mivo. What do you want?" the third boy questioned.
Stelle covered her face, utterly exasperated, muttering, "666—Mikhail learned that trick from Amphoreus? That's ruthless…"
"What? You know our secret?"
Though Stelle was just venting casually, Mila reacted with extreme shock. "Looks like we can't hide it anymore!"
Stelle: ?
Mig: "Hmm, it seems she's the one who cracked the superstition we spread, coming to seek the 'Watchmaker's Treasure.'"
Stelle: ??
Mivo looked down at Stelle condescendingly. "Very well, you've succeeded."
The three said in unison: "As a reward, we'll tell you Penacony's deepest secret!"
Stelle: ???
Hold on, what is going on here? I literally just walked through the door!
"Sit tight, the story's about to begin."
Mila brought over a projector, Mig pushed a chair toward her, and Mivo carried a giant bucket of popcorn.
"Wait a second." Stelle raised her hand, looking at Mivo. "This is moving fast, but I'm not complaining. Just… can we pair the popcorn with some Soulglad?"
Two minutes later:
"In the beginning, Penacony wasn't the thriving festival star it is now. On the contrary, it was a remote prison planet on the edge of the universe, with barren lands and a singular fate: to serve dutifully as a prison world."
"But later, through the efforts of visionary individuals like the Watchmaker, the Hanu Brothers, and others, Penacony broke free from its original destiny and built the universe's first 'Dreamscape stock.'"
"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. To further boost Penacony's economy, the founders all voted to take Penacony public, despite the Watchmaker, its leading figure, vehemently opposing the decision. In the end, he couldn't stop it."
"Later, Penacony grew into the name of a conglomerate, becoming a major economic entity in the galaxy. Countless credits flowed through it, and the gold dust that fell in its wake could practically coat Penacony's surface in a layer of golden sand."
"As for the Watchmaker, who opposed the move, though he held the largest share among everyone, his actual power was stripped away. He could only watch as tons of gold poured into his vaults, bored out of his mind."
"So, he came up with an idea—Penacony needed someone to save it!"
"This stench of capital would eventually crush the entire planet!"
Up to this point, Stelle still felt everything was relatively normal, and the plot's history hadn't diverged too much. She'd always heard that Mikhail was an unapologetic capitalist, but she believed it had to be some kind of rumor.
Come on, who could be so rich that they dropped gold bricks just by walking?
But Mila's next words left her dumbfounded—
"However, the Watchmaker's thoughts fell into conflict. Or rather, 'a part of him' wasn't willing to abandon the current life of decadence and luxury. Thus, the Watchmaker split, dividing into seven fragments. Six of those fragments worked tirelessly to save Penacony, while the remaining one sat atop a golden throne, looking down on all creation."
"That fallen Watchmaker is now called Mick."
"Mick is the failed part of Mikhail, the Watchmaker's essence. He's jealous of all the other 'Mikhails,' so he imprisons or kills them, driving the others to a dead end."
"When old friends visit, he dons a Mikhail disguise, pretending to be the Watchmaker everyone admires. But if someone discovers his secret, they're hunted relentlessly."
"Mick has gone mad. He even wants to turn Penacony into a cartridge, just for his own amusement."
…
Stelle stared blankly at Mila, forgetting to chew the popcorn in her mouth. She unscrewed a bottle of Soulglad, chugged a big gulp, and let out a loud burp.
No way… why did this setup feel so familiar?
It was like that game with the guy named… something-or-other…
"Hold on… If I wanted to defeat this evil Mick, would I need to bring some kind of item, keep traversing through the Dreamscape, and eventually delete his code or something?" Stelle rubbed her chin, asking.
Mivo's eyes lit up. "You're willing to help us defeat this evil Mick?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up, I haven't agreed to anything!" Stelle panicked. Taking on a task like this so casually was way too reckless. She figured it was better to pretend she knew nothing.
After all, she only needed to focus on dealing with Sunday. This Mick business was a whole other mess.
Mig nodded. "Good. We didn't misjudge you."
Stelle: ?
Wait, what's with that tone? Did I agree to something?
Mila pulled out a hat and shoved it into Stelle's hands. "Remember, wear this hat, and you can enter Mick's mental space."
"Only there can you erase the memory of this evil Mick."
"The future of Penacony is in your hands!"
With a solemn declaration, Mila pushed Stelle out of the room and slammed the door shut.
Stelle: ?
=====
New Story posted:
Pirate Inventory: God Valley Collective Viewing of the Future!