—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Clockie is the Watchmaker…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Suddenly, I feel like… this isn't entirely impossible, is it?"
March 7th: "Eh?? Miss Furina, why would even you think that?"
March 7th: "But Clockie is just a cartoon character. He doesn't have anything to do with real people, right?"
Hu Tao: "I think I understand where Miss Furina is coming from."
Hu Tao: "Didn't Mr. Gallagher mention it?"
Hu Tao: "Someone has apparently inherited the title of the Watchmaker and is secretly opposing The Family."
Hu Tao: "He doesn't know who this person is, and even suspects it might be Mikhail's spirit."
Hu Tao: "And this Clockie character was created using Mikhail, the Watchmaker, as the prototype."
Hu Tao: "Yet now, it appears vividly within the Dreamscape, visible only to specific individuals!"
Hu Tao: "Therefore…"
Xiangling: "Hu Tao, are you saying that Clockie is actually Mikhail's spirit manifested?"
Xiangling: "That it is the mastermind behind the Dreamscape?"
Hu Tao: "Hehe, exactly. I imagine that's precisely what Miss Furina is surmising, no?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Hah, Miss Hu Tao truly shares a spiritual resonance with me!"
Furina de Fontaine: "That is indeed my line of thought."
Zhongli: "It sounds logical and reasonable. Quite convincing."
March 7th: "Ugh… hearing you guys put it that way, it actually sounds plausible!"
March 7th: "That 'Clockwork' trick Clockie taught Stelle—Agent 007 style—is so eerie. It never seemed like an ordinary technique to begin with."
March 7th: "Looking at it now, if it really is a manifestation of the Watchmaker's soul, then possessing such a capability wouldn't be surprising at all."
Furina de Fontaine: "Of course, that is merely one possibility."
Furina de Fontaine: "Actually, aside from Clockie, I feel that Little Misha is also highly suspicious."
Furina de Fontaine: "First of all, aside from Miss Stelle, only he can see Clockie."
Furina de Fontaine: "Secondly, it seems that only Miss Stelle can see Misha."
Furina de Fontaine: "Such suspicious phenomena are enough to prove that his origins are far from simple!"
Welt Yang: "Hmm… Miss Furina's analysis is sound."
Welt Yang: "Regardless of whether these two entities are incarnations of the Watchmaker or not…"
Welt Yang: "They are undoubtedly inextricably linked to him."
Stelle: "Is it possible that Clockie is the Watchmaker, and this child named Misha is the Watchmaker's descendant?"
Guinaifen: "Eh, sis, what you're saying makes a lot of sense!"
Himeko: "Actually, I'm more concerned about… whether this Watchmaker has any connection to the Trailblaze."
Himeko: "Are the three Nameless from back then still of this world?"
Dan Heng: "There is no sign of them in Penacony today. The situation is likely not optimistic."
Pam: "But… as long as they haven't forgotten their identity as Nameless… surely they would have left something behind, pom?"
Stelle: "If they're alive, I want to see the person; if they're dead, I want to see the corpse!"
Stelle: "Rest assured, Conductor. Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we'll find their whereabouts!"
March 7th: "That's right! Just put your heart back in your chest, Conductor!"
Pam: "Then thank you, passengers! (Finger heart.jpg)"
....
『 Stelle pulls out her phone, and begins contacting Welt.
⚠︎, " /Stelle: Uncle Yang, our investigation here has come to a temporary close. "
" /Stelle: How is progress on your end? "
" /Welt Yang: We've had a small harvest. The Galaxy Ranger and I agree that The Family may be concealing extremely critical information. "
" /Welt Yang: We are currently heading toward the Dewlight Pavilion. "
" /March 7th: Is that Acheron? Didn't Aventurine say she was dangerous…? "
" /Welt Yang: I have confirmed it. She is on our side. "
" /Welt Yang: No need to worry. Please wait a moment; once we discover anything, I will synchronize with you immediately. "
The messages end there for the time being.
The scene shifts, moving to Acheron and Welt's perspective.
[ …Are your companions worried about you? ]
Acheron noticed Welt taking out his phone to communicate, and asked a simple question.
[ Just routine contact. ]
[ They seem to have made some discoveries on their end. Let's make this quick. ]
[ …Further ahead lies the depths of the Dewlight Pavilion. ]
Welt offered an explanation, then looked toward the large gate leading deeper into the Pavilion before them.
[ Everything has been smooth along the way… ]
[ Too smooth. It is hard to imagine this is a heavily guarded Family stronghold. ]
Acheron felt something was amiss.
[ Let's first see if there is anyone to announce our arrival to. ]
Welt began to walk forward, attempting to find someone.
[ Something is wrong. Such a magnificent mansion, yet not even a butler to receive guests… ]
[ Is this emptiness caused by a sudden emergency? ]
The two walked all the way inside, yet they saw neither hide nor hair of anyone.
Such abnormal behavior, raised Acheron's vigilance.
[ This door is open. It seems we have no choice but to investigate. ]
[ Let us proceed with caution. ]
Welt looked at the brightly lit, wide-open doorway, and prepared to step inside.
But he was stopped by Acheron.
[ Wait a moment. ]
Acheron placed her hand on her hilt, slightly drawing the blade.
In an instant, her presence became nearly imperceptible.
[ White… I have slightly erased my presence. This way, we are less likely to be noticed. ]
[ The Astral Express having The Family's authorization is explainable, but my presence here… is not reasonable. ]
Acheron explained.
[ I see. A fascinating technique. ]
Welt nodded, and the two continued inward.
[ The model in that sandbox… it should be the Golden Hour. ]
The two arrived before the sandbox Aventurine had previously toured.
Acheron recognized immediately which moment in time the model represented.
[ Perhaps the family heads use this model to discuss important matters. ]
Welt remarked casually.
[ The footprints here are different from elsewhere… there are two sets. ]
[ It is likely outsiders walked through here not long ago. ]
Welt keenly discovered two suspicious sets of footprints on the ground.
[ Can Mr. Welt discern who the footprints belong to? ]
Acheron inquired.
[ Hmm… ]
[ This pattern is unique, quite ostentatious. ]
[ Judging by the size, it should be a men's style. ]
[ I guess… there is an eighty percent chance it is that envoy from the IPC, Mr. Aventurine. ]
Welt looked at the shoe print and pondered for a moment, reaching a conclusion.
[ Aventurine… then what about the other one? ]
Acheron continued to ask.
[ The two sets of tracks are not one behind the other. ]
[ Judging by their almost parallel state, his companion is likely not a subordinate… ]
[ …The Corporation desires to reclaim Penacony. ]
[ Their appearance here is within expectations. ]
Welt offered a brief analysis, and the two continued forward.
[ Although there is no human presence… they have deployed quite a few memes to patrol here. ]
Acheron looked at the meme guarding the main gate, and directly joined forces with Welt to eliminate it.
[ It seems to have dropped something. ]
Welt bent down, picking up an item from where the meme dissipated.
[ Is this… a note? ]
[ It appears to be instructions left by the butler for the other servants. ]
Acheron looked at the paper in Welt's hand and couldn't help but speak.
[ It seems the staff of the Dewlight Pavilion were assigned other tasks… ]
[ And this matter began long before Robin's death. ]
[ …Perhaps it is a project requiring massive manpower, such as the Charmony Festival. ]
Welt glanced at the content of the note, making a conjecture.
[ But logically speaking… no matter what major task is at hand, surely some personnel should remain in the rear at a Family restricted area? ]
This situation, left Acheron somewhat puzzled.
[ You mean… ]
[ Someone deliberately sent them away? ]
Welt picked up on the implication in Acheron's words.
[ Yes, but I do not know for what purpose. ]
Acheron shook her head, unable to offer further speculation.
Subsequently, the two continued walking, seeking more clues.
[ …Still no one here. ]
The two walked into the council chamber, but it was empty.
[ Since there is no one to host us, let us help ourselves. ]
[ Please stay close to me, so that 'White' can cover you as well. ]
Acheron instructed Welt, and then the two began to freely search for clues within the council chamber.
[ Shortly after the Express Crew arrived in Penacony, Mr. Sunday brought Miss Robin to receive us. ]
[ At that time, I felt there was a strangeness to her voice… ]
[ Now it seems, that was indeed the case. ]
Welt found a letter Robin had sent to Sunday.
It recorded some investigations Robin had made after realizing her voice was abnormal, and concluded with some concern for her brother.
[ Miss Robin believed this was because the Harmony was suffering some kind of interference. ]
[ But as far as I know, existences capable of interfering with the might of a Path are few and far between. ]
After reading the letter, Acheron felt there were issues.
[ Miss Acheron means… ]
Welt looked at Acheron.
[ If there truly is a traitor within The Family… ]
[ That person must hold a high position, or possess unfathomable power. ]
Acheron mused.
[ That also explains why Mr. Sunday has been unable to catch the traitor for so long. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Whoa, Uncle Yang and Acheron actually infiltrated Sunday's council chamber."
Stelle: "By the way, where did all the guards go?"
Stelle: "When Aventurine went in, weren't there people guarding it?"
March 7th: "I don't know. I just feel the atmosphere is different from when Aventurine went in."
March 7th: "And those memes… what method did The Family use to extract them from that sealed Dreamscape?"
Xiangling: "Could it be… those memes were actually created by The Family?"
Hu Tao: "Hard to say. Judging from the letter Miss Robin sent to Mr. Sunday, the traitor in The Family might even be one of the heads of the Lineages!"
Hu Tao: "That would be a huge deal!"
Furina de Fontaine: "A traitor in a high position…"
Furina de Fontaine: "If he wanted to do something in secret, it would probably be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"
Robin: "Brother, do you have any leads on this traitor?"
Sunday: "…Not yet."
Lumine: "Even Mr. Sunday doesn't know. It seems this traitor is hidden very deep!"
Paimon: "Um… my focus might be a bit weird, but at the end of the letter, Miss Robin was full of care for her brother."
Paimon: "And, she even brought him delicious food!"
Paimon: "I just want to ask, are those Giantmoa Pudding Tarts, Akonyako Wild Strawberries, and Medici Almond Meringue Cream Cracknels?"
Paimon: "Are they good to eat?!(Drooling.jpg)"
Sunday: "Mm… they are delicious."
Sunday: "They are all rare desserts."
Paimon: "Wah… I want to taste a bite too…"
Lumine: "…Paimon, you really do have a soft spot for food…"
....