Starry Sky Railway: Opening Performance - Taixu Sword God

"Because of some past events, I have become very prone to forgetting. Only when this sword is drawn will those hazy images gradually become clear."

Walter shifted his gaze away from Huang Quan:

"Please feel free to do so."

“That’s enough,” Huang Quan continued.

“I remember what happened in Pinocchio very clearly, please ask me.”

Walter nodded slightly and began to gather information from Huang Quan:

"[Dawntime] - I heard that the [Morning Glow Factory], which processes the foundation of dreams, is located there."

Huang Quan replied:

"Behind the sensual pleasures of dreams lie factories of imagination."

"Day after day, the workers create all sorts of imaginative products in their dreams, and then return to reality to rest on beds that are far from luxurious hotel rooms."

“They said that was enough, that the bizarre and wonderful dream was the best reward.”

"I met a young girl there, who had just come of age and was at the age when she should be enjoying her dreams to the fullest."

"Her greatest wish was to one day move to the Golden Age and see the magnificent garments woven by her own hands."

"For some reason, her wish is difficult to fulfill."

"But I managed to bring her a piece of clothing."

Walter nodded slightly and continued to probe:

"And what about [the moment of gilding]? It's said to be the monetary center of Pinocchio."

"Hmm," Huang Quan replied calmly.

"It was a heavily fortified financial city, the economic heart of a dream."

“The clover family’s Pipisi are there keeping it running, sending the blood of paper money to all parts of the giant Pinocchio.”

"However... most guests still use the credits issued by the company, since they are universally accepted."

"Everyone there was dressed smartly and walking briskly."

"Entering the [golden moment] to work is the greatest wish of the local Pipisi people for their descendants."

"I didn't meet anyone I was willing to talk to."

"You can only stand at the crossroads and watch groups of people rush through the steel forest like the wind, just to lock the money they have earned into the bank vault."

"I don't know if they will open the vault door again."

"But before I left, I witnessed a well-dressed Pippis fall from the sky, and people around him still walked right through him."

Walter nodded slightly and commented:

"It seems to be a place lacking in human warmth."

"Money is indeed very important to the vast majority of people, after all, that's how society is."

"Then... what about [the Blues Hour]? I've heard that [the Blues Hour] is very romantic. Has Miss Huang Quan witnessed any stories about it?"

Huang Quan looked at Walter and slightly opened his mouth:

"Perhaps Mr. Walter has also heard that there is a giant ship called the [Twilight] anchored on the Sea of ​​Dreams, where people sing and dance, never stopping, night after night."

"I met an old woman there who was waiting at the port for her lover, who had left many years ago, to return. She had been waiting for countless hours in the stillness of time."

"In the damp sea breeze, she spoke of her youth—like many people who yearn for wealth and opportunity, they came to Pinocchio to pursue their dreams, but their consciousness disappeared into the depths of the sea of ​​dreams."

"Finally, she suggested that we continue our talks in the near sea."

"I agreed and boarded the small boat with her, but she didn't say anything more. She just stared blankly at the horizon where the sea and sky met for a long time."

"Finally... we retreated back to the beach."

Walter nodded slightly:

Sometimes... I miss my youth.

Huang Quan looked at Walter:

"Mr. Walter seems to have a story as well?"

Walter shook his head and sighed:

"There's no story... I'm just an animator."

Huang Quan: "Really?"

Walter: "Really."

Chapter 681 Birds, why can they fly?

"Ahem, let's talk about [twilight]. My companion also visited there. What did Miss Yomi have to say about it?"

Huang Quan spoke eloquently:

"I saw people there spending money like water and going all in to achieve their dreams, or those who have already achieved their dreams."

"Everything can be priced, everything can be bought and sold—even dreams themselves."

“I saw an android there, and the item he was preparing to bid on was [the self].

"Once someone wins the bid, he will carry out all the buyer's instructions within the agreed timeframe and according to the rules, becoming that person's absolute property."

"That smart machine was auctioned off a total of twelve times, and I attended its thirteenth auction."

"That was the most bustling feast I've ever seen, but no one ever looked at him again."

"This time, he failed to sell."

Although Huang Quan spoke subtly, Walter still understood what twilight was like.

The [self] of an omnic can be auctioned.

What about the [self] of other people?

"Mr. Walter, please stop thinking about it. This is a 16+ game; we can't let our imaginations run wild," Huang Quan reminded him.

Walter adjusted his glasses:

"It's okay, these are tomatoes, it won't bother you."

Huang Quan: "..."

"In short, these are my limited observations and experiences along the way."

“Someone once told me: Pinocone was not like this a long time ago, and Pinocone should not be like this.”

"I have walked through the reality and dreams of the grand event, watched the night rise and fall, time stood still for people, and the richness and poverty of the spirit... also remained forever on their respective scales."

"Therefore, I believe the collapse of [the dream] was inevitable."

Walter said in a deep voice:

"Perhaps there is a way to change all of this."

"Perhaps." Huang Quan's thoughts drifted into the distance:

"But if this is the world people expect, if this is why life chooses to sleep..."

"Should we still force it to make this change?"

"..." Walter fell into deep thought.

“…Miss Huang Quan, let me share a story with you.”

Walter exclaimed:

Why do you think... birds can fly?

“In my hometown there was a man who made a decision when the world was facing wounds that were difficult to heal.”

"He weaves together the dreams of everyone in the world, connects people's dreams with each other, and then carries them on his own shoulders."

"He thus created a giant, a [spiritual Adam]."

"From then on, the giant stood between heaven and earth, becoming the pillar for the survival of the entire world."

"And as a price, those who find it difficult to move forward, who are unable to move forward... will lose [the future] forever."

"They slumber in dreams free from disaster and suffering, spending their peaceful lives in an ideal world created by men."

"And [the spiritual Adam] will become indestructible because of these people's unwillingness to awaken."

Huang Quan stood with one hand on his hip, silently gazing at Walter before him:

"But the fact that you are standing here now means... that man has failed."

Walter looked into the distance, where pedestrians came and went under the neon lights.

"Because people always have to move towards the future."

"Even if human weaknesses make them stop, when they really can't move forward... humanity will always try to save itself."

"And that man... he was never a loser either."

"Like everyone else in that world, he kept the possibilities of humanity in mind."

"He is the sun chaser in mythology, soaring into the sky and achieving his ultimate victory by falling."

"He rises high, just to come before the sun, a place where no one has ever reached."

"He will melt away, fall into the sea, and after that..."

"Countless people will pass over his body and fly to higher skies."

After hearing the story, Huang Quan remained silent for a while, then commented:

"It perfectly embodies the pioneering spirit of the anonymous traveler."

"Thank you, Mr. Walter."

"I know what you want to confirm."