Her Aeon… surely would cause trouble, right?
"The carrot also really wants to see the dummy and the bugs fighting each other." Aha said so.
---------------------------
A little prankster met a big prankster.
The big prankster drives away the little prankster.
Among the many Aeons in the universe, Aha is undoubtedly the most approachable one.
It's not that everyone can see him, but rather... without you knowing it, that strange guy who just passed by your side maybe him.
For someone who once hid on a Astral Express for a year just to fulfill his grand ambition, there's nothing surprising about what he might do.
Like now, the Joyful Aha is figuring out how to disrupt the Qlipoth's Wall of Preservation.
"It's a pity the Astral Express isn't moving right now, otherwise I could drive it to crash into that fool's wall. Anyway, he builds walls fast enough."
Aha said regretfully.
Shaking his head, Aha suddenly said: "Carrot's going to watch how the bugs crash into that fool's wall, let's go. Ahahahahaha."
Leaving behind a string of strange laughter, Aha's figure once again disappeared into the ground.
This time, Godzilla could be sure he really left.
Not like earlier when he was deliberately hiding underground, pretending to be a carrot, and even asked for help to cover the dirt tightly.
"Hmph, glutton, how did you meet the Aeon of Joy? Introduce me, won't you?"
Sparkle sat on the tree stump often used by others and spoke with great interest.
Unlike other factions who worship Aeons, the Masked Fools' faith in the Aeon of Joy isn't... fanatical.
Rather, their way of worship is to pursue joy in their own hearts.
And if they can experience the Aeon of Joy's joy, all the better.
The festive atmosphere lasted several days.
Everyone joined in this grand carnival.
Including the Family members.
Although Penacony no longer belongs to them, could anyone forbid them from joining in the fun?!
...
Ordinary tourists experienced the joyous celebration of the Charmony Festival.
Even though this festival was originally used by the Family to summon the Harmonious Choir and create a grand scene of harmony for Penacony, it was obvious the Family, having betrayed Harmony, could no longer attract the gaze of the Aeon of Harmony.
Moreover, Penacony is no longer their territory.
"Hohoho, Lady Jade, you truly have great skill, the Ten Stonehearts indeed live up to their reputation."
The short old man, Old Oti, with a long white beard, spoke with a unique laugh as he looked at the elegant lady before him, whose every movement and expression was captivating.
Jade smiled slightly; the meaning in Old Oti's words couldn't be clearer.
Obviously, this business tycoon who dominated the trade world for ten Amber Eras had lost.
Completely lost in this confrontation.
However, Jade was not surprised. Because strictly speaking, this confrontation was not fair.
In the past, The IPC was strong, and the Family had home advantage.
The two sides fought back and forth.
Aventurine came to Penacony just to tear open a crack with his own identity, so that The IPC's talents could expand it and ultimately seize full control of Penacony.
The Family, in turn, countered as best they could.
But unfortunately, control over Penacony was not about who could manage it better but about who had a better relationship with Godzilla!
Obviously, in this regard, The IPC, holding Topaz and having good relations with the Express crew, had the advantage.
Old Oti lost because of connections.
"Mr. Otie, you flatter me. The IPC merely gained a bit of outside help this time. If it were a fair and open match, your wisdom would put me to shame. Perhaps you don't know, but 'The Oti Alfalfa Biography' is a required course for all new hires in the Strategic Investment Department."
Having won once, Jade was in no mood to act arrogant and naturally used a gentler tone.
"The Family will not give up on Penacony. Let us look forward to our next meeting, hohoho."
Old Oti didn't seem affected at all, still laughing cheerfully.
...
After joy comes emotion.
One day after the Charmony Festival.
Dreamflux Reef.
In front of three senior Nameless' resting places, with an old friend at their side, silence filled the air.
"Gallagher, you guy who always speaks in riddles, should I say you really live up to being a History Fictionologist? Hey, I suddenly remembered, didn't he say he was only thirteen in the amusement park? Could that have a meaning too?"
"But not all riddles can be explained."
"At least this hound's loyalty and love for this land must be real."
"Gallagher, we salute you, the sleeping hound, "
"To the invitation to the grand festival, all the lies, and the only truth…"
...
"Breukelen Tiernan, Razalina Jane Estella, we salute you, the thriving nameless."
"To the history no longer silent, the passionate and brave pursuit, and the journey toward the stars."
...
"Micah, and all the residents of Dreamflux Reef, we salute you, the night watchmen of long dreams."
"To the years of perseverance, every sorrowful night, and the dawn that will inevitably come."
Finally…
...
A child bathed in moonlight, as if about to wake up the next moment, smiled gently at the junior Nameless.
Mikhail Char Legwork.
The Watchmaker of the planet of festivities, the great hero who liberated Penacony, and Penacony's eternal soul.
The stars will remember every Nameless' past.
Perhaps people's memories will fade and history will be lost, but the stars will forever shine on every Nameless.
"Mikhail Char Legwork, greetings to you, Watchmaker of the planet of festivities, nameless of the Astral Express..."
"A toast, to Penacony's past, present, and future... and to the unyielding dreams of children until death."
Every Nameless is already prepared the moment they step into the starry sky.
They are all heroes walking their own paths, despite the exhaustion and pressure of their journeys.
"Sigh... the atmosphere suddenly became heavy." March 7th's expression grew solemn.
The three senior Nameless slumber forever, striving for their dreams, and yet, no matter the time, they never forgot the Astral Express, where they once spent warm days.
Just like the present ones, the Astral Express is the home of every Nameless.
"I can't even imagine how sad Pom-Pom would be if she knew." March 7th lowered her head and murmured.
"You're really down today." Stelle looked at March 7th and said.
"That's because! That's because when I see them, I can't help but think about how they were once like us on the Express." March 7th muttered.
"And they also made the conductor angry, sneaking snacks from her stash." Stelle teased.
To cheer March 7th up, Stelle even confessed her own crime.
"Eh! When! You actually didn't bring me along!" Upon hearing this, March 7th's eyes widened instantly, staring at Stelle with a betrayed look.
"It's that limited edition snack you had before, we ate it together." Stelle said righteously.
"Oh, then that's fine." Hearing she was part of it, March 7th immediately relaxed.
If she had also gotten a share then no problem, after all, that's normal.
The only real victim of this incident was the Conductor Pom-Pom!
Seeing March 7th regain her spirits, Himeko smiled and said:
"Each of us boarded the Express for our own path of exploration, meeting and knowing one another. No matter what happens in the future, this present we are living in will not change, and it will never change."
"Heh, even if one day we do disembark, the silver tracks of the Astral Express will lead the train to reunite us again." Welt smiled.
The path of exploration is never short of farewells.
But before that, their journey would not end.
Just like this very moment.
...
A bouquet of flowers, offered to Tiernan.
A once-companion.
Acheron calmly gazed at Tiernan's gravestone.
...
The efforts of the three Nameless for Penacony were made public, three gravestones rose, and the Nameless' stories would be passed down along with Penacony's blossoming tales.
...
"Wow, the Family really took a huge loss, even Penacony got dragged out of their hands."
"The Family could never completely resist the IPC. When the IPC tore a hole in Penacony's defenses, only two paths lay before the Family: negotiate with the IPC or abandon Penacony."
"But clearly, before that, Penacony had already found its owner."
Silver Wolf and Kafka looked at Penacony, now even more prosperous than under Godzilla's leadership, and sighed.
"Sigh, Elio's script also changed dramatically, there's really nothing we can do now."
"But she still formed a connection with her, though it never reached the final step." Kafka said softly.
"Heh, that fool is still wandering around aimlessly, but her previous arrangements were completely overturned, all gone."
Silver Wolf sneered.
This moment was exactly like that moment in the past.
This scene felt so familiar, to the point... to the point it drove her a little mad!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and under Kafka's gentle gaze, Silver Wolf snorted lightly.
"Forget about that person, let's talk about Firefly's issue."
Silver Wolf tapped a few keys on the virtual keyboard, and data from Penacony's systems popped up.
"That's it, pulled from the Luofu database. This stuff was really hard to find; if it weren't for my skills and sharp eyes, they'd have hidden it completely. Who would've thought such precious data would be stored under 'archived old cases.'"
Talking about how she got the data made Silver Wolf want to cause another scene in Luofu.
Who stores precious data under archived cases? The Xianzhou has sailed for eight thousand years, with countless old cases.
If Silver Wolf hadn't searched multiple times and been certain the information was there, she would've given up long ago.
In the end, she had to write a program to pull every piece of text, image, and video data before finally finding it.
She stayed up all night for it!
Gaming... no, digging through data until her eyes were burning!
Regardless of Silver Wolf's feelings, Kafka gently flipped through the information and murmured thoughtfully: "Just as expected."
The data was a comparison of Xianzhou people and their Mara counterparts. To be precise, it compared people from one region recently and others from elsewhere who might fall into Mara states.
To see who easily falls and who doesn't has much to do with emotions as well, which this revealed somewhat.
"Luofu Xianzhou discovered a way to suppress Mara states."
"And that way is..."
"Godzilla!"
In unison, the two of them looked at the projected image of Godzilla.
"I told you, this guy's power can influence the environment, so naturally, it can also influence certain things." Silver Wolf put her hands on her hips, looking proud.
"In the end, influencing the environment is a kind of power that involves life itself. According to the situations with Jarilo, the Xianzhou people, and the Foxians, Godzilla should be able to remove all the harmful factors around him, keeping only the life aspect, or in other words, what aligns with his own kind."
Having traveled across the universe for many years, Kafka had seen much and knew much, yet even so, this situation was beyond her understanding.
The Mara, strictly speaking, was a blessing from the Abundance Aeon, only that ordinary people could not bear the immense memory and thus collapsed, forming the illness.
Strictly speaking, this record was only a spiritual comparison chart and could not serve as direct evidence.
Kafka thought of the recent "Red Tide" chasing The IPC's spaceship through the chaotic universe, breeding offspring, eventually falling under Godzilla's rule.
Even though Tayzzyronth had already perished, its implication was still enough to make one's heart skip a beat.
And Godzilla could suppress, even cure, the Xianzhou's Mara. Could it be that the Firefly's Condition also, ?
"Heh, no harm in trying, as long as you don't provoke him. He's easier to talk to than anyone."
Blade spoke calmly to them.
"We know him better than you do. You think we don't know how easy he is to talk to?"
Silver Wolf waved her hand. Although she had been tossed around like a yo-yo back in Jarilo, wasn't that proof they were on good terms?
Exchanging glances, they all nodded.
No matter what, since there was a chance, it was only natural to try.
...
"Contact Godzilla."
Firefly pursed her lips, her gaze instinctively looking at the massive island.
In front of her, a projected figure was quietly standing.
Although it was just a projection, it looked almost no different from a real person.
"This might be a way to cure your Entropy Loss Disorder, at least safer than the others, but..."
"But?" Firefly looked at her in confusion.
"The Godzilla in Penacony only exists in the dreamscape. The real Godzilla is still in the Xianzhou. If you agree, I can arrange a clean identity for you to enter Luofu."
"But the script..."
"The script has long been a mess. Even Elio doesn't know what to do, sitting around all day thinking up countermeasures. It's been so long and still no answer. Rather than waste time, it's better to hurry up and find you a doctor. What, don't you want to go shopping with her anymore?"
Looking at her own hands, Firefly nodded firmly.
"Mm!"
Anyway, things couldn't get worse than they already were.
Silver Wolf wasn't wrong either.
The script's direction was unknown, and her storyline was naturally the same.
If that's the case, then it's better to find a way to solve her illness first. If she really could get better, she could complete her tasks more effectively and truly blend into the situation!
"Congratulations on making the right decision. From today on, you're an interstellar refugee who, by chance, found a way to make a living in the Luofu Xianzhou."
"Eh? Why that kind of backstory?"
"Because someone streamed with that exact backstory."
...
Meanwhile, the crew was in chaos again.
The Express conductor's tears wouldn't stop flowing.
"Did March bully Pom-Pom again?" Stelle approached and asked.
"How could I! Don't say such nonsense, come and comfort Pom-Pom too!"
March 7th looked speechlessly at the gray-haired girl.
"Alright." Scratching her hair, Stelle quickly calculated in her mind and then said to the crying conductor,
"Pom-Pom, the limited-edition snacks you hid in the cabinet were eaten by March 7th."
"That's your way of comforting!!"
"Uuuh... The conductor isn't crying! Definitely not... not sad at all!" Pom-Pom puffed up her cheeks in a show of anger.
"Pom-Pom is just... just..."
"Just angry! Yeah, angry!"
"Every time... every time, no matter where the train stops, you always make a mess, Pom! The scheduled departure times Pom-Pom plans out are never followed by the passengers! If this keeps up, the train's fuel will run out, Pom!"
In the end, only the mature Himeko stayed behind with Pom-Pom, while everyone else who was just causing trouble was driven away.
...
"Wow, you're so mean, blaming Pom-Pom's snacks on me!"
March 7th stood akimbo, fuming.
"Hehe, wasn't that to comfort Pom-Pom? I thought anger could suppress sadness." Stelle laughed without a trace of guilt.
That expression made March 7th want to throw her out of the window to experience being sealed in ice.
"But, about what Pom-Pom said, the fuel..." Star looked at Welt and Dan Heng, puzzled.
"Mm, the Astral Express's fuel is provided by the Trailblaze, theoretically meaning as long as the train keeps moving, this magical express can run indefinitely like a perpetual motion machine. But, what the conductor said about running out of fuel isn't entirely baseless. If there's no fuel, the train really might stop."