Chapter 376

I came for the watchmaker's legacy… that's all, I think I've been honest enough.

Walter's gaze sank: "You still won't reveal your true identity?"

Huang Quan gently shook his head: "It's not unwillingness, but inability… I've walked too long a road; the burdens placed upon me cannot be explained in a few words. Everyone has a past they find hard to speak of, secrets they don't wish to show… I won't press further—why does the Astral Express carry a 'Star Core' across the galaxy?"

"……" Walter fell silent.

Saying this, Huang Quan turned his head with concern: "Is she alright? That Remembrancer… did she do anything?"

Walter nodded: "She's not in danger. Let's return to our previous topic—whether you can earn my trust depends on how much you're willing to lay bare."

Also "OVERLORD" appears as a line: "【39】 OVERLORD." That's likely a title of a work; we keep as "OVERLORD". It's already English.

Also lines with parentheses containing Japanese? Actually lines 【40】-【42】 are parentheses with Chinese commentary; they are not named entities.

Huang Quan looked up at the man before him: "Mr. Walter, I believe you've already reached the same conclusion."

Let's go through each line and extract named entities.

The newly opened ramen shop steamed; Ling Huan and the extra were intently slurping noodles, while Xiao Jiuwo floated in the miso steam like a melting green jelly.

Let's list lines with content:

"It's not impossible, you know—humans love this sort of drama. For instance, the Train Team overcomes countless hardships to uncover the truth, only to find the final enemy is their own master or senior…"

"You got this from which human?" Ling Huan glanced at it askance, annoyed, "I was just wildly guessing earlier; it doesn't count as truth. After all, to walk the path of Exploration, the resolve of those three seniors is unquestionable. Rather than believe the family corrupted them, I'd rather think they're already dead."

Huang Quan lightly shook her head: "It's not that I don't want to, but I can't… The road I've walked is too long; I cannot put into words all that has befallen me in just a few sentences. Everyone has a past they find hard to speak of, secrets they don't wish to reveal… I won't press further, but why does the Star Vault Train wander the galaxy carrying a 'Star Core'?"

Star Core

Xiao Jiuwo pursed his lips, smirking as he waved his hand in front of Ling Huan's forehead: "Humans are the most fickle species; even the most steadfast will waver… they can uphold the Exploration path for ten years, a hundred… but a thousand? Can you guarantee that? People change… I see this clearer than you, Ling Huan."

Speaking, Huang Quan turned her head and asked with concern: "Is she alright, that Remembrancer… hasn't done anything, right?"

"Such a huge company behaves this way—what about three ordinary Explorers?"

"To find that inheritance, after settling in Pinokangni I visited various dreams, conducting many investigations, and during that time I also came into contact with many visitors. In this process I gradually realized…… the secret of Pinokangni… perhaps is closely tied to the former Exploration."

At the same time, the Daydream Hotel.

Huang Quan lifted her head and looked at the man before her: "Mr. Walter, I believe you have already reached the same conclusion."

A voice came from the darkness: that of the Black Swan.

—— (just a separator line, no content). We still need to output 【11】 with translation? The line is just "——". We need to translate that? It's a separator; we should output the same? Probably we output the same line: "——". Since we must output translation of each line. The line contains only em dash. We'll output "——". Keep as is.

"I've watched her for a long time; the first Invitation was at the hotel banquet hall."

Steam swirls around the newly opened ramen shop; Ling Huan and Long Tao are intently lowering their heads to slurp noodles, while Xiao Jiuwo floats in the steam of the miso soup like a piece of green jelly about to melt.

"She sat in the crowd's corner, silent, sipping 'Like a Dream Awakening'—one cup, two cups… I said this drink is spicy and bitter, not the taste of a sweet dream, only fitting for those tired of Suleda. Yet she said…"

It's not impossible, you know—you humans just love this kind of plot, right? For example, some train crew that endured countless hardships to discover the truth, only to find the final enemy is their own master or senior, and so on.

Huang Quan: "Really? But when I tasted them… they felt no different."

Hehe… That's not easy to say.

The Black Swan entered a hotel room, looked left and right—no one in sight.

Just like that kid named Shajin—although he follows the company down the path of Preservation, his methods are deceit and intrigue…… utterly at odds with the righteous Preservation. The company also has Preservation Envoys; being able to employ someone so unrelated to Preservation shows that the company's outlook is also changing.

"The actual guest rooms are surprisingly plain…" the Black Swan murmured, "…just like your appearance, Miss Huang Quan."

Even a huge company is like this, let alone three ordinary explorers?

—— separator.

At the same time, Daydream Hotel.

"Easy as pie. Just this music box— the Annihilation Gang's received invitation… your memories aren't solely yours—I know much, and I foretell further— with a little trick, even the dead can speak."

"I've been watching her for a long time; the first invitation was at the hotel's banquet hall."

The Black Swan held his breath, fingertips touching the gilded surface of the music box—at that instant the whole room seemed submerged in a rippling lake. The pendulum stretched and warped, the wall paintings twisted, as if a faint sound issued from the music box.

Huang Quan: "Is that so? But after I tried… they are no different."

In memory came the voice of the Annihilation Duke and his heirs; the Black Swan felt no surprise—this was the memory when the invitation was first delivered… hazy and brief. The key lies ahead, concerning Huang Quan.

"The actual rooms are surprisingly plain…" Black Swan said lightly, "... just like your appearance, Miss Huang Quan."

The Black Swan continued with eyes closed, but moments later his brows furrowed, sensing a hint of anomaly.

"It came without any effort. It's this music box——the invitation received by the Annihilation Gang…… Your memories aren't solely yours—I know a great deal about them, and I also foretell even further——as long as we use some means, the dead can also speak."

"……In memory, there wasn't even a sound."

In the memory came the voice of the Duke of Annihilation and his heirs; Black Swan found it unsurprising, for this is the memory from when the invitation was first delivered… vague and brief. The point is what comes next, concerning Huang Quan.

"After that… the memory is a blank? How could this be… this music box falling into Huang Quan's hands, brought to Pinokangni is fact— it should have been this way… but the middle process…"

"... In the memory, there wasn't any sound at all."

「「▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅」」 This is a line of block characters; likely censored. We'll output as is.

"After that, the memory… is a blank? How could it be… this music box fell into Huang Quan's hands, and her bringing it to Pinokangni is a fact; it should have been like that… but the process in between…"

—— separator.

OVERLORD。 This is a title; we keep as "OVERLORD". It's already English.

(Just what is this woman…)

But that's not right either—Black Swan clearly didn't spy on Huang Quan, but instead acted through her belongings; no matter how tight her defenses, it's impossible to place a ward on objects, right?

Anzi sat on the throne, lightly lifting a hand to his forehead—he had just been about to recall what Huang Quan said to Xing in the dream, but no matter how he tried he couldn't remember.

Anzi sat on the throne, using his hand to lightly lift his forehead; he had just been trying to recall what Huang Quan had said to Xing in the dream, but no matter how he thought, he couldn't remember.

Not only that… even her face in memory has grown fuzzy.

Strange, when did my memory become this bad?

(Strange, when did my memory become this poor?)

Though feeling something odd, Anzi didn't dwell on it; instead his gesture of lifting his forehead drew concern from the other guardians—especially Yaerbeide, who immediately stepped forward, supporting Anzi's arm.

Lord Anzi! Are you feeling unwell? Should I arrange for you to rest in your room?

"Lord Anzi! Are you feeling unwell? Should we arrange rest?"

Problem?

"It's fine, Yaerbeide. I have a question for you."

Hmm… What do you think Huang Quan actually used to shield against the black swan's probing?