Chapter 168

【And visiting Penacony was only for the sake of a long-standing unfulfilled wish.】

【I came for the watchmaker's inheritance..... that's all there is to it.】

【I believe I have been honest enough.】

Huang Quan answered Welt's question.

【You still won't reveal your true identity?】

Welt knew Huang Quan was not telling the truth.

【It's not that I won't, but that I can't.....】

【The road I've walked is far too long; the many things piled upon this self of mine cannot be explained in a few words.】

【Everyone has a past they find hard to speak of, secrets they don't wish to show lightly.....】

【Nor will I press further as to why the Astral Express roams the galaxy carrying a "Stellaron."】

Huang Quan answered a question with something else,

and revealed Stelle's true identity.

【......】

Welt fell silent.

【Is she doing alright?】

【That Remembrancer.... didn't do anything, did she?】

Huang Quan suddenly asked about Stelle's condition.

【Stelle is not in danger.】

【Let's return to our earlier topic — whether I can earn your trust depends on how much you are willing to lay bare.】

After answering Huang Quan's question,

Welt brought the conversation back on track.

【To find that inheritance, after checking into Penacony I visited dream after dream, conducting many investigations, during which I also came into contact with quite a few visitors.】

【In the course of this, I gradually realized......】

【The secret of Penacony..... may well be tied to the Path of Trailblaze of old.】

【Therefore, I have come to seek all of your help.】

【I don't have sufficient evidence, but I would like to propose a possibility: the source of every tragedy is lurking within the Family.】

【If you are willing to trust me.... we can find the facts to corroborate it together.】

【Mr. Welt, I believe you reached the same conclusion long ago.】

Huang Quan said in a sincere tone.

【....】

【Let's leave it here for now.】

【I shall, for the time being, believe you bear no ill will.】

【Share your findings with me — just the two of us. Until we find concrete evidence, I don't wish to cloud the judgment of the others with ambiguous speculation.】

Welt temporarily set aside his wariness toward Huang Quan,

and began to ask Huang Quan about the information she knew.

【Mm.】

【.... Right, would you like something to drink?】

【Before we set off, how about two glasses of "Like Morning Dew"..... no, make it four.】

【Because the conversation ahead.... will last quite a while.】

Huang Quan looked at the bar not far away,

her tone gradually growing absent.

March 7th: "Wow! I didn't expect that after the three of us left, Uncle Yang actually met with Miss Huang Quan!"

Stelle: "Whoa, so Uncle Yang has such a domineering side to him?"

Stelle: "He can even threaten an Emanator without batting an eye!"

Welt: "Ahem, regrettably, at that time I should not have been aware of her identity."

Himeko: "Hehe, but I feel that even if you had known her true identity, you wouldn't have backed down because of it, would you?"

Dan Heng: "Indeed, Mr. Welt stayed behind precisely to help the Express crew eliminate uncertain hidden dangers."

March 7th: "Say no more!"

March 7th: "Uncle Yang, you're so cool!!"

Stelle: "Uncle Yang, you're so cool!!!!"

Welt: "Uh... everyone doesn't need to be so enthusiastic."

Hu Tao: "Oh my, who would have thought Mr. Welt, so unassuming on the surface, is actually a hidden big shot?"

Asta: "Mr. Welt actually carries a black hole around with him?"

Asta: "Is that the black hole I'm thinking of?"

Asta: "How on earth is that even possible?"

Stelle: "My Uncle Yang is this awesome — casually toying with a black hole is nothing to him!"

Stelle: "If any of those people who went to Penacony dare to plot against me again, I'll have Uncle Yang toss the black hole out!"

Miss Sushang: "T-toss a black hole out?!"

Miss Sushang: "Wouldn't the entire Penacony get sucked into the black hole?!"

Guinaifen: "S-so scary!"

Guinaifen: "So Mr. Welt is actually even more terrifying than Miss Huang Quan?!"

Stelle: "As expected of the seasoned and steady senior of the Trailblazer crew!"

Stelle: "What a surprisingly reassuring presence!"

Zhong Li: "Mr. Welt's way of handling things is watertight, and his character is extremely careful and attentive. He really is an indispensable patriarch of the Trailblazer crew."

Venti: "Ehehe, if the Trailblazer crew were missing Mr. Welt, the Pashi Society would surely run into a lot of trouble."

March 7th: "Hehe, thanks for all the praise, we'll accept it on Uncle Yang's behalf!"

Welt: "Ahem... everyone is overstating things a bit."

Welt: "I'm just an ordinary member of the train."

Welt: "I only did what I believed I ought to do."

Welt: "Also, one thing I need to clarify is that the black hole in my hand is only a simulated black hole."

Welt: "It's not like a real black hole, with such tremendous destructive power!"

Stelle: "Even if it's not a real black hole, for ordinary people, it's still incredibly powerful!"

Stelle: "Anyway, whether Uncle Yang is strong or not is secondary."

Stelle: "The most important thing is that he truly cherishes us juniors!"

Stelle: *sniffle* "Just that alone is enough to make me cry my eyes out!"

March 7th: "Hey, what about you—why do you keep blubbering about crying yourself to death all the time?"

Silver Wolf: "Probably because if she doesn't cry herself to death, she feels like she isn't moved enough."

Firefly: "Uh... what a strange way of thinking."

Himeko: "By the way, did Miss Huang Quan also notice that Penacony seems to be related to the Path of Trailblaze?"

Stelle: "Related to the Path of Trailblaze?"

Stelle: "Could it be that Penacony is actually the territory of our Astral Express?!"

Stelle: "It's your company and the Family that stole the magpie's nest, shamelessly encroaching on the Nameless's territory!"

Stelle: "If that's the case, then I'll have to ask you outsiders to get the hell out of Penacony!!"

March 7th: "Um... it's a nice fantasy."

March 7th: "But I feel like it's a bit of a stretch."

Aventurine: It is a bit of a stretch.

Aventurine: "Penacony was the company's frontier prison from the very start."

Aventurine: "If anyone stole the magpie's nest, it's the Family that's the magpie!"

Aventurine: "The company is just a victim as well."

Sunday: "Unfortunately, the company's actions don't seem to have been recognized by the frontier prison back then—otherwise the riot wouldn't have happened."