Star Railway: The Last of the Grammer Riders

Chapter 154 A Gift Left by Senior Mikhail to His Successors

"Hiss... My head hurts so much..." March 7th murmured.

"Ah... I'm a little dizzy..." Kiana said.

“Oh, they’re all mostly awake. Would you like something to drink?” Gallagher asked.

"Galach, where is Nasita?" After waking up, Jiang Tianxing first looked around for Nasita, and then asked Gallach.

"You mean the child who woke up a long time ago? She's in her prime right now with her mother and sister," Gallagher said.

Jiang Tianxing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Naxida, Baizhi, and Keli were all alright.

"Can you take me to the Golden Moment first?" Jiang Tianxing asked.

“Okay, after you go out, just find Mianmian and she will take you there,” Gallagher said.

"Thank you," Jiang Tianxing said to Gallagher.

"What are you going to do next?"

“Find that letter and give it to Misha. I think… that’s the key to everything,” Xing said.

"A letter? Oh, it seems to be right here with me!" Upon hearing about the letter, March 7th seemed to remember something and started rummaging through his backpack.

It was eventually found in a hidden compartment inside the backpack.

And then Xing handed it over to Misha.

Misha opened the letter with a puzzled look on her face.

And all the doubts were thus completely resolved.

Whether it's Misha's own background or everyone's doubts about the watchmaker's legacy.

"So that's how it is... Galakh... Thank you for protecting me all these years." Misha only realized some things after reading the letter.

“Gentlemen… come with me. I will take you to see the ‘legacy’ left by Mikhail,” Misha said.

“So… there really is an ‘inheritance’?” March 7 asked.

"You'll see when you get there." Misha didn't say anything, but led the group toward the place where Mikhail slumbered.

"But is it really okay to leave Xiaoshi like this? She... has been silent since just now," March 7th asked.

"I...I'm fine. You guys go ahead. Let me have some peace and quiet..." Xiao Shi's tone was clearly not good, so the others had no choice but to let her stay there and rest by herself.

Everyone sighed helplessly; it's uncomfortable for anyone to see their loved ones or friends die in front of them.

Kiana is the same, only she has experienced more.

They encountered the Clock Boy on the road, and it was at this moment that everyone except Xing saw the real Clock Boy, the face of Pinocchio.

"Tick-tock! Star, it's been a long time! We haven't seen each other since you went into the deep dream realm!" Clock Boy greeted Star.

"Ah, Clock Boy, I really can't move an inch without you at Pinocchio! You have no idea what I just went through? It was terrifying!" Xing said pitifully.

"Tick-tock! Starmate, Clockwork Boy will never leave you again!" Clockwork Boy comforted him.

“Well, Clock Boy, from now on… you’ll follow Xing.” Misha said at this moment.

"Misha...you mean...!" The clock boy seemed to realize something, but Misha stopped him.

“This is my destiny,” Misha said, shaking her head.

The group then approached Mikhail once again.

At that moment, Misha touched the dream bubble, and the group was instantly pulled into it.

It looks very cozy, but like before, there's nothing here that seems like a "legacy" that Mikhail left for his descendants.

However, not long after, a figure... no, a memory appeared before everyone.

"What exactly is going on here?" Xing asked, looking at what was happening in front of her with a puzzled expression.

The others didn't know how to explain it either, because they knew very little about it.

"Actually, this is the deep dream we entered before reaching Dream Reef," Himeko's voice came through. "Now we are once again close to the core of the truth, or rather... we have come into contact with the truth."

“Yes, Misha is Mikhail. Or rather, a memory domain meme composed of Mikhail’s memories,” Gongsun Ming said at this moment.

"Huh?! You already knew, Ming?!" Kiana exclaimed in shock.

“Idiot Kiana, isn’t this obvious?” Bronya retorted.

"Huh? So you all knew? Why didn't you tell me!" March 7th finally realized that everyone knew except for him... no, he and Kiana were kept in the dark.

"Uh... I didn't expect March 7th to be almost on par with Kiana," Bronya said, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

"March, you're really stupid. How could you not guess such an obvious answer?" Stardust said smugly. "Who are you calling stupid!" March 7th immediately started playfully fighting with Stardust.

Seeing such a harmonious scene, Misha... no, Mikhail laughed.

The younger generation is truly remarkable; with them on the train, there will never be a dull moment.

“So, Misha is a watchmaker?” March 7th said.

“Unfortunately, I am not. As this gentleman said, I am merely a microcosm of the life memories of that dream tycoon whom everyone admires,” Mikhail explained, shaking his head. “And the child accompanying you is the best friend of the innocent protagonist of his childhood dream—'The Clockwork Boy,' a young apprentice, and a future train mechanic…and also the starting point of his life’s ‘exploration.’”

“At the end of my journey through life, I left this precious spark in the deepest part of my dream, hoping to pass it on to future nameless travelers,” Mikhail said with a smile. “But somehow, he ran away from the dream bubble on his own, forgetting all his mission. Sorry, you all had a laugh.”

"Perhaps it was his pioneering spirit that drove him to leave this dream world. After all... pioneering is about moving towards the unknown and stepping into an unknowable future," Himeko said.

“Hahaha, that’s well said, that’s right. Pioneering is about exploring the unknown and taking that first step for future generations.” Mikhail laughed heartily, as if he resonated with those words.

"So it seems we missed out on that so-called 'legacy' from the very beginning," Himeko joked.

“Unfortunately, the so-called legacy doesn’t exist. The so-called vast wealth is merely fictitious. If there’s any legacy to speak of, it’s only that still-burning will of ‘pioneering’? But the star core… does exist, and it operates within the Grand Theater, manipulating this dream,” Mikhail explained. “However, there’s no legacy, but what the predecessors left for the successors is still there… just a story… and two gifts.”

Mikhail took a pocket watch and a hat hanging on a coat rack from a drawer in the clock room and handed them to everyone.

“I want to entrust this to you: my pocket watch. It has accompanied me on a long journey, guiding that ignorant, foolish child forward, and has been fortunate enough to walk with so many great people to this day,” Mikhail said. “And my hat. The one who guided me placed it on my head, and from then on, he instilled in me an unrealistic belief: the journey of pioneering will never end.”

“Now make your choice. If you’ve made up your mind, push open this door and step into an old man’s long dream…” Mikhail said, looking at the door as if he were seeing his “past” self.

Without any hesitation, the group pushed the door open, revealing a space resembling a projection hallway.

These contain Mikhail's memories.

From Lusaka to the train.

From the train to Pinocchio.

From his conversation with Mikael to his dying words to Gallagher.

And ultimately…

A conversation with the clock boy.

And at the end of the road, a letter for those who follow...

To the Nameless Visitors of the Future:

I have been waiting for you, the nameless traveler of the future. Although I do not know where you come from, what you look like, or your name... for now, please let me call you "the Pioneer".

And you probably already know who I am—a former mechanic on the Starry Sky Train, a mediocre apprentice, a pitiful old man who lived a life of mediocrity. I embarked on a journey of "exploration" solely to learn about life itself and everything related to it. But the more I learned, the more confused and troubled I became. I thought I could learn how to live better, but what I learned was how to gracefully face my destined end—"nothingness."

Whether one confronts it or resigns oneself to fate, people will always find answers, but neither belongs to "pioneering." However, I think this question is too profound; even Akivilli himself probably couldn't give a single answer specifically for "pioneering." But as nameless travelers—as human beings—we have the right to think. We have the right to act. We have the right to define our own ending. We have the right to move forward. On the road to our ending, there are many things one can do, and the ending will therefore reveal entirely different meanings. A nameless traveler will not indulge in fleeting dreams, nor will they give up their inherent rights because of pain and suffering.

Do you remember the question I left in the invitation, Pioneer? "Why does life fall asleep?"
"People sleep so that they may eventually wake up from their dreams"—this is the answer a decree reached by an elderly, nameless traveler after a lifetime of research.

After reading this letter, whether it's Hoshi, Himeko, or March 7th.

She had an answer in her heart to the question Ye Tianyu asked before getting off the bus.

Why does life fall asleep?
because…

People will eventually wake up from their dreams…

because…

Dreams are beautiful but fragile; eventually, people will return to reality.

What is the significance of pioneering?

The significance of pioneering...

It's about following in the footsteps of those who came before to create a brighter future...

We are exploring and moving forward step by step toward an unknown goal...

It has rewritten many tragedies and filled them with beautiful colors.

This is the answer everyone received on this trip.

　After writing these chapters, I feel really bad... not physically, but emotionally.

　　Why do people sleep? And what is the purpose of exploration?
　　There are no single answers to these questions; it's all about finding the right approach for yourself.

　　For me, life's dormancy is a way to escape the pain of reality, while exploration is a way to change that pain.

　　In past wars, our ancestors fought desperately against foreign invaders, which was also a form of "expansion".

　　To pave the way for the future of us, the younger generation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)