Under the coverage of Nolan's spiritual power, the entirety of Penacony was clearly reflected within his perception.
Carefully searching for clues about the Nameless predecessors still felt like looking for a needle in a haystack, so Nolan adopted a keyword-trigger method.
As long as anyone within his spiritual range mentioned anything related to those Nameless, it would immediately draw his attention.
This also greatly reduced the invasion of others' privacy. Although Nolan himself did not care much, he could not lower his moral standards in front of Himeko and March 7th.
However, due to the long passage of time, traces of those Nameless predecessors had become extremely scarce. It took him quite a while to finally discover some clues.
Mainly because very few people still talked about them. It was only after more than an hour that Nolan finally heard someone mention a keyword that caught his attention.
This was a deeper layer of the dreamscape, even more profound than the twelve dream floors named after "Hours." Its name was "Dreamflux Reef."
Compared to those twelve dreamscapes that radiated extravagance at a glance, this place appeared much simpler, resembling an ordinary small town.
At this moment, a brown-haired middle-aged man praying at a grave caught Nolan's attention. He had mentioned the names of those Nameless predecessors.
Thus, Nolan judged that this person was quite familiar with those Nameless and could be someone worth asking.
Moreover, based on information he had gathered from people's conversations, this place did not seem to fall under the control of "The Family," so going there freely would not be considered illegal.
Nolan shared this lead with everyone and asked whether they should go greet the brown-haired middle-aged man before he left.
"Of course! Do you even need to ask?" March 7th parted her soft lips and answered without hesitation.
"Mhm, March is right. Since we finally found a lead, we can't let it slip away,"
Himeko concluded.
"Alright."
Nolan nodded.
The "Dream Pool" could not access a place like Dreamflux Reef, so reaching it normally would be somewhat troublesome.
Nolan chose to use the "Power of Boundaries" to distort the boundary between reality and dreams, temporarily turning everyone into consciousness forms, and then used his spiritual power to bring them into Dreamflux Reef.
Very quickly, the group appeared near the grave where the brown-haired middle-aged man was paying his respects. Sensing the presence of strangers—
"Who's there?!"
The man turned around sharply, his expression vigilant.
"Hello, sorry for the sudden intrusion. We are Nameless from the Astral Express. May we ask you a few questions?"
Nolan greeted him with a smile.
"The Astral Express…" The brown-haired man looked at them in surprise. After all, Dreamflux Reef was not an easy place to reach. "How did you get here?"
"That's a long story, but to avoid misunderstandings, let me explain briefly."
Nolan summarized how they had arrived, then concluded:
"That's roughly how it is. So, could you tell us about Mikhail and the others? From what you were saying just now, you seem to know quite a bit about those Nameless."
From the information obtained through his affection ability, he had already confirmed this point.
This middle-aged man was named Gallagher. On the surface, he was a member of the "Hound" family under The Family, but that was merely a disguise.
His true identity was a "Fictionologist" of the Path of Enigmata. Even his body and identity were fabricated. Once exposed, he would disappear.
At the same time, this Gallagher did indeed know the Nameless predecessors and had even fought alongside them.
Nolan and the others had not chosen the wrong person.
"Oh? The current generation of Nameless is this capable? How surprising."
Through the Interastral Peace Network, Gallagher had already learned about the newly reactivated Astral Express members and confirmed that it was indeed the group before him.
Originally, he had planned to wait until they arrived in Penacony and entered the dreamscape before inviting them here. He did not expect them to be so capable as to find their way here on their own.
"Very well, I'll tell you about it."
Gallagher nodded and recounted the various deeds of Mikhail and the other Nameless in Penacony.
All in all, so much time had passed, and there were no longer any visible traces of them in Penacony. It was clear that these Nameless had passed away long ago.
Hearing that these legendary Nameless who had led Penacony's liberation and development had fallen, everyone felt a sense of regret.
However, it was not a major issue.
Afterward, Nolan asked Gallagher for a personal relic from each of the Nameless predecessors, then used a method similar to summoning Heroic Spirits to call their souls back from the past.
Thus, Nolan and the others successfully met these former Nameless.
Mikhail was a white-haired young man, Tiernan was a middle-aged man, and Estella was a young woman wearing glasses.
"Is this the world after death?"
Mikhail and the others were confused, unsure why they had appeared here. Their memories were frozen at the final moment of their lives.
"What are you talking about? You've been summoned back from the past!" March 7th explained excitedly.
"Oh? So that's how it is?" At that moment, Mikhail and the others also received the information confirming that they had become Heroic Spirits.
"To be able to meet seniors from the Express again after so long… I suppose that's a kind of fortune," Welt said with a sigh.
"So we've been gone for quite a long time, huh." Mikhail quickly grasped the situation, then asked curiously, "Haha, by the way, how is Pom-Pom? Is it doing well? Back then, it was quite sad when we chose to leave the Express."
"Before we came, Pom-Pom asked us to find information about you and tell it everything when we got back. Instead of standing around here, why don't we return to the Express and talk there? You can also see Pom-Pom again."
Nolan thought for a moment before suggesting.
"Of course, no problem. Being able to board the Express again after so many years is like fulfilling a long-held wish," Mikhail nodded.
Seeing that no one objected, Nolan directly brought everyone back to the Astral Express and dispelled the "Power of Boundaries."
Back on the train, seeing the familiar surroundings, a surge of emotion welled up within Mikhail and the others.
Looking at Pom-Pom, who was cleaning, they greeted it:
"Long time no see, Pom-Pom."
"Pa?"
The small broom halted mid-motion. Pom-Pom turned alertly toward the suddenly appeared group. When it clearly saw their faces, it froze in place, the broom slipping from its grasp and falling to the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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