Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

If the real crisis we need to face is 'that,' then it's a crisis that even the true protagonist couldn't resolve.

He must find a solution and a way out of the threat posed by "that," otherwise the "Void Will Project" will be the only plan capable of dealing with "that" crisis.

But can he really find a better plan than the 'Void Will Project'?

Even Pantalone, a soul not belonging to this world, could not be certain of this.

Having always believed that everything would be resolved once the protagonist arrived and the story unfolded, Pantalone fell into deep self-doubt and confusion after realizing that the real crisis and terror were indeed real.

Even so, he had no one to confide in or find answers to his inner turmoil. As a Pantalone, he could only close his heart and bury everything deep within himself.

He wasn't sure whether the crisis "that" needed to face was something only "The Clown" was hinting at to him, or something all the executives were aware of.

However, based on what Pantalone currently knows, it's possible that the "Pagliacci" is hinting at the truth. Considering this, how much does the "Pagliacci" actually know about the "insider information"?

Pantalone understood that the best way to know everything was to ask someone who knew everything and to listen to his confusion and what he didn't know.

He knew who he should ask to find out everything he wanted to know and to answer the questions that troubled him.

Pantalone, having used the dreaming ability of the 'Void Dream Terminal' for the first time in a long time, once again stepped into that dream that he had long forgotten and did not intend to face.

When he opened his eyes again, a pure white world covered by endless ice and snow came into view.

The biting wind that swept in my face and the cold brought by the snowflakes falling on me felt so real.

Under such a realistic tactile sensation, the boundary between the waking world and the dream world was almost blurred at this moment, to the point that Pantalone even had a kind of illusion in his daze.

Even though he had experienced something similar before, when he stepped into this dreamlike realm again, he still felt unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Perhaps the line between reality and illusion is not always as clear-cut as he thinks.

As he experienced that incredibly realistic environment, the thought involuntarily came to Pantalone's mind.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This was unlike him; he had never actually started to care about such metaphysical things.

"I thought you weren't coming. Should I say, 'Long time no see'?"

Such cheerful words came from behind Pantalone, who looked in the direction of the voice.

She saw the figure she had been hoping to see. A figure draped in a silver-white dress, highlighting a beauty that seemed beyond human comprehension, came into view, wearing the expected smile on her face.

It seemed as if they had been waiting for him there for a long time, and Pantalone was not surprised by any of this.

Rather, upon seeing the Empress, he confirmed a long-held suspicion that the world connected by the 'Void Dream System' was indeed a dream world.

However, just as he had initially thought, this was not a manifestation of a dream in the conventional sense.

And the empress before him was not a product of his subconscious; if his intuition was correct, then the empress before him was most likely...

Pantalone did not dwell on this further.

Because he knew he already had the answer in his heart.

Pantalone took a deep breath and then bowed to the figure of the Empress before him.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty."

The greeting between the two seemed so natural, like that of old friends who had been separated for a long time.

It's as if this scene has happened countless times in the past, giving people a sense of déjà vu.

Pantalone's thoughts were churning, but eventually those myriad emotions calmed down, allowing him to gaze at the Queen and express his innermost thoughts and questions.

"There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."

"Is it about the proposal submitted by Piero? If so, then I have no further comments on the plan itself."

As if she knew Pantalone's purpose, the Queen walked past Pantalone with light steps.

She stopped beside him, gazing at the end of this pure white world, and answered Pantalone in an ethereal voice, as if she already knew everything.

This confirmed to Pantalone that the Queen might know far more than he thought.

This prompted Pantalone to ask after a moment of silence.

"Don't you have any objections to the plan itself?"

This is precisely the question Pantalone has been trying to ask.

To outsiders, such a plan should be seen as a mad act that violates ethics and morality, is inhumane and disregards all bottom lines. From any perspective, it is contrary to the Queen's own ideal path.

Perhaps the other executives have merit in this plan, but that's because they have their own different perspectives.

This approach prioritizes the outcome above all else, sacrificing everything else in the process.

How should we view the ideals of the Ice Queen?

Pantalone wanted to know the answer to this question.

Upon hearing the question, the Empress did not answer immediately. Her gaze fell upon the end of the pure white world, as if she wanted to see what was hidden behind that horizon.

"Sometimes we need to face not only what is in front of us, but the real cruelty lies in the truth beneath the falsehoods and lies. It is what we need to face directly in the face of an eternal future, and it is the cruelest truth in the world."

"Do you remember what you told me last time about this land called Teyvat?"

The Queen withdrew her gaze from the distant, pure white horizon and then fell upon Pantalone beside her.

This reminded Pantalone of the question the Queen had asked him the last time he visited this pure white world covered in ice and snow.