"Give up those little tricks of yours. Explain it to me. What did you mean by 'Mikhail is waiting for the Nameless'?"
Fu Zhu wasn't just concerned because he heard the words "the Nameless" from Gallagher's mouth. More importantly, he hadn't forgotten that Pom-Pom, the conductor, had mentioned that one of the Nameless who disembarked at Penacony was a senior named Mikhail.
Furthermore, Welt had also revealed to him that the invitation the Express had received contained a special distress signal that only the Nameless would recognize. It was hard not to connect these pieces of information.
Could it be that this Nameless senior was in some kind of grave danger here in Penacony?
"Speak up!"
As this thought crossed his mind, Fu Zhu pressed the Godfall Sword in his hand forward, pressing it firmly against Gallagher's throat.
Gallagher now looked utterly astonished. Fu Zhu actually knew what he was thinking. He had to realize that the arrangement he was about to make was something he had just decided on a whim. No matter how clever Fu Zhu was, it was impossible for him to see through a "lie" that hadn't even been spoken yet!
"Your true identity is a Memokeeper? No... not a Memokeeper."
Before Fu Zhu could even answer, Gallagher negated his own guess. He frowned in thought, and a bold hypothesis surfaced in his mind. Even though it was his own speculation, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
"Could it be that you walk the Path of [Finality]? And your level is by no means low!"
The way Fu Zhu had suddenly drawn his sword to control him was definitely not the behavior of a Memokeeper who had just peeked at his memories. It could only be the action of a Pathstrider of a Path like [Finality].
Fu Zhu stared at Gallagher in front of him, hesitated briefly, then turned and charged directly at Robin. Before she could react, he slit her throat with a single slash of his sword.
Robin's expression slowly went blank, and finally, her figure completely dissipated within the room. Gallagher was too late to react to this scene; he could only watch helplessly as Robin was slain.
Fu Zhu turned back around, dispelling his transformation and reverting to his original appearance. He once again pointed his Godfall Sword at Gallagher. "Speak. How much do you know about our Astral Express and Mikhail? You'd better not lie about this. Even if you do, I'll expose it on the spot."
After seeing Fu Zhu's true face, Gallagher was stunned for a few seconds. Then, the tension in his body instantly relaxed, and he couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"So it was you, Mr. Fu Zhu. Although I can't understand why you're doing all this, if it's you, then possessing the aura of so many Paths makes perfect sense."
"You know me?"
Fu Zhu was a little surprised by Gallagher's reaction. His current tone and expression were not those of someone looking at an enemy, but rather like someone who had finally met the person they had been waiting for.
"Of course. I was investigating you even before you came to Penacony."
Gallagher stood up and lit a cigarette. "Mikhail is my... old partner. I sent the invitation to you on his behalf, for the purpose of fulfilling a wish he was never able to complete."
"On his behalf..."
The amount of information in Gallagher's words was immense, and Fu Zhu couldn't process it all at once. He glanced at the time; although he had rewound it, several minutes had passed. Given The Family's response time, their people were probably already on their way upstairs and would be at the door any minute.
"Let's get out of here first. I have a lot of questions for you. To the rooftop."
Without giving Gallagher a chance to refuse, Fu Zhu switched to Observer Mode and phased through the ceiling, flying back up to the rooftop.
---o---
On the rooftop, Sparkle had been sitting on the edge, dangling her little feet. Hearing the sound of someone landing behind her, she turned her head to look at Fu Zhu. She was a little surprised to see him in his own form.
"Hmm? Why aren't you using my appearance anymore? Don't tell me you've grown tired of it? What a fickle man!"
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes speechlessly. He walked over to her and flicked her forehead with his finger. "Time to get to work. I've sent Robin back to the real world. Go deal with her."
"That famous superstar? Isn't it a shame to just get rid of her like that? How about I put her in a gift box and send her to your room? Hehe!"
Fu Zhu didn't reply, simply glaring at her. Sparkle immediately pouted in grievance.
"Fine, fine, you smelly man. You have no idea how to cherish a delicate, beautiful girl like me. I curse you to be single for life!"
Sparkle stood up and patted the back of her dress. Just as she was about to return to the real world, Gallagher also arrived on the rooftop. The two made eye contact, and surprise was evident in both their eyes.
"...So you're cooperating with a Masked Fool."
"What's wrong with a Masked Fool? I happen to be big brother Fu Zhu's best partner!"
Sparkle's cloying voice didn't disgust Gallagher, but it did give Fu Zhu goosebumps. He urged her on impatiently, "Sparkle, if the plan fails, you can explain it to Silver Wolf yourself."
"I know."
---o---
Sparkle didn't linger. After making a silly face at Gallagher, she vanished from the dream world.
Once she was gone, Fu Zhu finally walked over to Gallagher and picked up their previous conversation.
"So, Senior Mikhail is already dead?"
"Yes." As he answered this question, Gallagher's eyes dimmed slightly.
Fu Zhu sighed softly. He had also wanted to meet the Nameless of the past and hear their stories firsthand. It seemed that wish could not be realized now.
Although he couldn't meet the Nameless seniors of the past, there was still something he could do now: help his seniors complete their unfinished business.
"So, what was the purpose of Senior Mikhail sending a distress signal to the Astral Express?"
Seeing Fu Zhu get down to business, Gallagher adopted a serious tone and relayed Mikhail's final wish.
"To save Penacony. The current world of the beautiful dream is gradually collapsing and breaking down. Furthermore, many problems have arisen within The Family. The Penacony of today is not what Mikhail envisioned."
After saying this, Gallagher couldn't help but sigh again.
"Originally, I planned to tell you all of this slowly, but I didn't expect an accident to happen first."
Gallagher raised his left hand and took off his white glove. The hand underneath looked like a "jigsaw puzzle" with a piece missing. After confirming his body's condition, he put the glove back on.
Fu Zhu also noticed the anomaly with his left hand and asked, "Are you disappearing?"
"Yes." Gallagher nodded lightly. Although he had long been prepared for his "lie" to be exposed, he still felt a sense of regret now, regret that he couldn't witness the day Penacony was saved on Mikhail's behalf.
However, he didn't blame Fu Zhu. He knew this was an accident. He didn't know Fu Zhu was an ally, and Fu Zhu didn't know either.
By the time they had learned each other's identities, it was already too late.
"I'm running out of time, Fu Zhu. Don't feel too guilty, this isn't your fault. The things that come next..."
Just as Gallagher was about to tell Fu Zhu everything and entrust him with completing Mikhail's unfinished business, Fu Zhu suddenly raised a hand and interrupted him.
"Hold on. To be clear, I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt. Besides, I have some other matters to attend to right now. My companions over there still need you to continue guiding them."
Gallagher was stunned and grew anxious. He was about to disappear, and he didn't know if he had enough time left to complete his original plan. How could Fu Zhu still want to go off and do something else at a time like this?
Mikhail, is your successor this unreliable? And even so, you still believed in a successor you had never even met. What on earth were you thinking?
Gallagher took a deep breath, suppressing his anger as he questioned him, "Fu Zhu, I don't know what you're cooperating with the Masked Fool for, but I don't have much time left. The rate at which my body is disintegrating is accelerating. I'll probably disappear completely before long. You..."
Fu Zhu ignored Gallagher's words, instead placing an Anvil on the ground. Then, with something in his hand, he began hammering away at the Anvil with a series of clangs.
Seeing Fu Zhu completely disregard him, Gallagher laughed in exasperation.
"What are you doing?"
"Helping you maintain your body. Of course, I'm not sure if it will work. If it doesn't, I'll do as you say."
Fu Zhu held up the Name Tag he had just modified with the Anvil. Gallagher glanced at it but didn't see anything special about the bookmark-like object.
"Fu Zhu, if you have time to waste here, you'd be better off listening to what I have to say."
"Relax. It's free, anyway. Might as well give it a try."
Fu Zhu gripped the Name Tag and slapped it onto Gallagher's chest. Even though he held back, Gallagher still stumbled back a few steps.
Gallagher winced in pain, rubbing his sore chest with a frown. Just as he was about to ask Fu Zhu what he was doing, he suddenly noticed something strange about his own body. He immediately took off the glove on his left hand and discovered that the hand, which had been gradually fading, had now stopped disintegrating. In fact, it was regenerating at an extremely rapid rate.
Seeing this, Fu Zhu also breathed a sigh of relief. He then smiled and explained to the astonished Gallagher.
"This thing is called a Name Tag. Besides being able to change a creature's name, it has another very special ability: it allows a creature to sustain its own existence. Normally, it's useless for most living beings, but as it turns out, it's surprisingly effective on [Mysterious Pathstriders] like you."
After explaining the Name Tag's effect, Fu Zhu glanced above Gallagher's head. He was worried that if a name appeared there, it might cause problems, so he had intentionally left it blank.
If one didn't look closely, it would be difficult to notice the slightly dim box above Gallagher's head.
Gallagher clenched his left hand. The feeling of solidity was unprecedented, as if this body truly existed. When he looked up at Fu Zhu again, the anger he had felt toward his "lazy" attitude was gone, replaced by relief and admiration.
"To grant reality even to a lie... are you truly just a mere Nameless?"