Chapter 478: with translation of chapter title

I learned to repair springs and gears here, I like precise machinery, I am the captain of the Compass, and together with my companions, Zhongbiao Xiaozi and Mirror Miss, we search for new continents in dreams.

I... was born and raised here.

Jizi rested her chin in thought and said: 'So, this building in the dream bubble is your childhood home.'

Misha shook his head: 'Yes, but also no. Perhaps this is more appropriate...... This 【dream bubble】 is my home.'

Jizi finally laughed: 'It seems you have remembered everything.'

"Wait, wait!" San Yue Qi Xiaojie interrupted in time, "What is this feeling of tacit understanding that everyone except me has?"

Seeing she still didn't understand, Jizi patiently explained: 'Xiao San Yue, do you still remember that Xing mentioned earlier, there's a Watchboy only she can see?'

"Remember, isn't that the one beside us? But in Liúmèng Jiāo, we've all seen it, and even Uncle Yang has greeted it."

Zhongbiao Xiaozi excitedly put his hands on his hips: 'It seems everyone on the Astral Express is very childlike!'

"The answer is precisely the Astral Express. Xing's experience proves that at least Liuying and Huangquan cannot see this Watchboy." Jizi lowered her head, "And in Liúmèng Jiāo, I wonder if anyone has noticed that, aside from the train crew, others… have subtly never had any conversation with it."

"A memetic lifeform visible only to specific groups is just like… a secret letter someone left for a stranger."

San Yue Qi Xiaojie again had a new doubt: 'But if that's the case, can't Xiao Misha also see the Watchboy? They've even been close friends since childhood, yet Misha hasn't embarked on the path of pioneering...'

"This is the crux of the riddle, Xiao San Yue. Now try to recall again… just like the Watchboy, have you seen anyone outside the train crew interact with Misha?"

——

Detective Conan.

"Huh? It really seems to be the case!"

Upon being reminded by Jizi, Shiho Miyano sprang upright from the sofa, feeling a sudden thorough understanding.

"As expected of Miss Jizi… she had already noticed this point long ago, but this makes many phenomena easy to explain."

No wonder that when Huangquan, Liuying, and Xing converse together, even if Misha stands beside Xing, the two completely ignore Misha. At first Shiho Miyano thought it was just an issue with the Watchboy, but she never expected the problem to actually be Misha.

In fact, this matter also gives a clue: the frightened Pipisi person completely ignored Misha's words, including the gravekeeper Mr. Mika… from beginning to end, they never knew of Misha's existence.

No wonder Misha has been able to exist for nearly a thousand years; the only one who likely knows of his existence is probably Galahad.

"But if Misha can only exist in dreams, how could he ever board the train? Mikhail wouldn't have given him a wish that could never be fulfilled, would he?" Conan unconsciously lowered his head to think, "This is surely too cruel for Misha, isn't it?"

Mikhail had him wait for the train crew, but when Xing and the others actually arrived, he discovered he could not leave the dream at all.

"Is there any other solution?" Shiho Miyano let out a soft sigh, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the coffee cup, "I recall that Miss Black Swan exists in memetic form; the 【Memory】 people might be able to help Misha. As long as we can bring him out of Pinokangni, I consider the purpose achieved."

"Memorers…?" Conan calmly shook his head, "Unless they truly believe in the 【Memory】 star god Fuli, the Memorers won't help with this. Moreover, Misha himself is quite special; Memorers are physical beings that can only turn into memetic form, but if Misha had been memetic from the start… it would probably be difficult."

——

"……" San Yue Qi Xiaojie took a deep breath, "No way……"

"That's the answer, San Yue Qi Xiaojie. This dream bubble is my cradle; I… am a dream person no different from the memetic of the memory realm." Misha said, lowering his eyes, "I should have stayed in the dream bubble waiting for you all to arrive, but reality and memory overlapped, causing me to unconsciously push the door open and leave here with the Watchboy."

"San Yue Qi Xiaojie suddenly understood: 'So the watchmaker's dream bubble being empty isn't due to lack of content, but because… the content left on its own? The whistle you heard is the sound of the train arriving at Pinokangni.'"

"San Yue Qi Xiaojie's idea is indeed one interpretation, but Jizi still hopes Misha himself will explain the full context."

"Why not start from your name? How should we address you now, 【Misha】, or…?"

"Thank you all for helping me recover this long journey; let me reintroduce myself." Misha interrupted Jizi's words, he slightly raised his chin, and his tone was no longer as soft as before, "I was born on Lusaka Star in the Pochesmil star system, the adopted son of sailor Mikhail and Madame Xia'er. The two elders gave me a treasure, a name carrying their hopes and words——"

"Laguvok·Xia'er·Mikhail, or more simply… Misha."

——

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run

"He… he……"

Johnny's eyes widened, his mouth almost able to swallow a wine bottle, he gazed in disbelief at the scrawny boy in the sky.

"Jeylo, he says he's Mikhail! Watchmaker Mikhail!"

The greatest legend of Pinokangni unexpectedly appeared before everyone in the form of a child, just like when they collected saints' relics and, after piecing the remains together, they suddenly stood up.

They had searched for so long…… a living legend! This is a rare opportunity to converse with the veteran of the train crew!

After the shock, Johnny still hadn't come to his senses, until a piercingly cold wind blew in the western desert, and he finally withdrew his gaze from the sky.

Under the brim's shadow, Jeylo revealed his signature two rows of big gold teeth, hehehe laughed: 'Truly interesting… I thought the pioneers hadn't met old Mikhail's conditions, and the seniors were hiding it from view? I never expected this result… how to put it… it feels like…'

A fairy tale.

Just as everyone opened a picture‑less fairy tale book, and the result was like the little people inside sneaking out, one can only say that Pinokangni is indeed remarkable—even such unimaginable things can happen.

——

"If you wish, you may call me by the more familiar name—【Watchmaker】—and that would be perfectly fine."

"So you're the Watchmaker himself!?" San Yue Qi Xiaojie widened her eyes in surprise, carefully sizing up Misha from head to toe.

"It's a pity that the mogul of beautiful dreams everyone admired is no longer here; I am merely a fragment of his life. And this child who has accompanied you all along is the naive, ignorant protagonist of his childhood beautiful dream—the Watchboy's good friend, a young apprentice, a future train mechanic……"

Misha smiled slightly, lifted his gaze to the train crew: 'At the same time, it is also the starting point of his lifelong 【pioneering】.'