Chapter 477: with translation of chapter title

Could this be some kind of metaphor? The sea refers to the memory realm?

Regarding this, Mi Sha also lowered his head apologetically: "Sorry, I don't know either. But memories surge up uncontrollably, like water in a fountain..."

Several people continued forward, arriving at Mihayil's study; upon pushing the door open, the voice of the Clockwork Boy came from inside, and white characters covered the desk densely, almost all related to "Captain Mi Sha".

"Mi Sha, you finally came!"

Mi Sha was overjoyed: "Clockwork Boy, so you're here. Yeah, our first meeting seemed to be in this room as well..."

Qizi raised head and looked around: "Are these walls of books the logs left by the navigator Mihayil?"

Mi Sha nodded: "Mihayil would place a navigation log on the room's bookshelf each time he returned from sea. This is his record of every inch of the world he explored. He said our world is like that fountain; since some unknown time, seawater has been gradually flooding the places where people live."

"In order to give everyone a place to settle, Mihayil must constantly sail out to explore and find the source of the seawater."

"That day, he summoned me to the study, saying he would go out to sea as usual. But I could see his expression was grave; I had seen the same look on my father's face before his final voyage. I begged him to take me along, but he said my adventure was not here, telling me to stay home and patiently wait for the sound outside the door."

——

Original God.

"This, this is rising water?!"

Furina's fingertip trembled slightly.

In the canopy, Mi Sha's voice was ordinary, but to Furina's ears it sounded like a dull knife, slowly prying open a crack in her memory. She seemed to hear the tide again, as if a prophecy from five hundred years ago still whispered in her ear, seawater flooding the opera house's floor, soaking her toes, icy and piercing.

Everything, everything——

"……Lady Furina? What rising water?"

The reporters lowered their cameras aimed at her, asking in confusion. Just earlier, Lady Furina had been accepting an interview from the "Steam Bird Report", asking if she would serve as a judge for Teyvat's "Pure Beauty Election" in the Fontaine division, but for some reason, during the interview Lady Furina seemed to suddenly hear a harsh sound, and her face instantly turned pale.

Could it be that Lady Furina temporarily changed the interview topic?

"Lady Furina, are you referring to that recent prophecy about Fontaine? But the great flood in Fontaine has already been receded by your divine power, Lady Furina, so there is no more rising water."

"Oh, oh…… sorry, I just spaced out." Regaining her composure, Furina quickly adjusted her slightly stiff expression, the corners of her mouth lifting into a perfect arc, even her chin unconsciously raising a bit.

"I would be delighted to serve as a judge for the first Teyvat Pure Beauty Election, Fontaine division." Furina switched to a more cheerful tone, like an eternally gentle ballad, "After all, looking over Fontaine, who understands the true meaning of beauty better than I?"

"Oh oh! As expected of Lady Furina!"

The reporter satisfiedly recorded it, the flashlights before Furina's eyes connecting into a blinding white sheet. She maintained an elegant smile, her fingertip lightly resting on the chair's armrest, as if the earlier lapse had never happened.

——

"What sound?" March 7 asked curiously.

Mi Sha raised his head, his violet eyes seeming to pass through a dream and reach the distant morning star outside Pinokangni: "Mihayil said there is a vaster ocean in the heavens, an ocean of stars. A train carries children who wish to go far away, forever traversing the Star Sea. He knows someone on that train; he will ask that person to bring me along, and my longed-for journey… will begin here."

"March 7 instantly became excited: 'A train? Could it be…'"

"It is the Astral Express. I recall now, Mihayil's friends are a group of nameless travelers. They came to our world to resolve a disaster caused by a star."

"Then Mihayil gave me his pocket watch. It is his treasure, appearing in every story of setting sail. He said the days ahead would not be easy, but the watch's hands will point my way. As long as I keep stepping forward, I will surely reach the place I want to go. Then I seemed to hear… the train's whistle, sounding from the other end of the room…"

"The Clockwork Boy quickly took up Mi Sha's words: 'Yes, Mi Sha! And then we followed the direction of the sound, right?'"

——

Sword Art Online.

"Mihayil even factored this in…… Looks like the train crew will have to carry one more person."

Asuna was actually very pleased to see Mi Sha board the train; although the child seems unsuited for combat, helping the train crew with cleaning and completing daily chores is still good. Occasionally, Star can also take him to places like Luofu and Belo Berg to play, which also counts as fulfilling the senior Mihayil's instructions.

The mystery surrounding this child is profound, foremost being his suspicious and strange age.

Mi Sha behaves completely like an innocent child, yet his age should logically be great; it feels as if some time-stopping ability is acting on him, completely stalling his time.

"Kirito, what do you think?" Asuna held a cup of hot cocoa, gazing gently at Kirito.

"Hmm…… I also support Mi Sha boarding the train, but there's something about him I can't figure out." Kirito frowned slightly, "Generally speaking, Mi Sha has existed in Liúmèng Jiāo for nearly a thousand years, so why have we never heard of him from others? A 'child' who has lived over a thousand years would surely be a local legend."

Kirito recalled when Qizi and others had met that gravekeeper; even if Mi Sha stood before him, talking with Walter in his presence, Kirito never mentioned Mi Sha, not even glancing at him, as if they were complete strangers.

……This is somewhat strange.

Could Mi Sha be some kind of forbidden topic that cannot be mentioned? But he is just a bellboy at the Daydream Hotel; logically, there shouldn't be anything special about him.

——

"There is a missing piece of the "Dream-Building Puzzle" in the room; several people quickly found that missing piece, and the exit appeared."

"Entering the painting, everyone came into a pale blue room, as if they were at the bottom of the deep sea, with whales swimming across the ceiling."

"This is the place…… this is my clockwork room." Mi Sha introduced, "While waiting for Mihayil's return from sea, Uncle Walter gave me this workshop, toy room, and my secret base…"