Chapter 134 - 133: The Companion Quest Sparks Memories Chamber's Intervention! Something Strange Aboard the Train!

In what appeared to be a divination room somewhere... A figure wearing a purple veil smiled charmingly, her slender fingers gently tapping on the table. However, she had set aside all the cards spread across its surface. At the center, a smartphone rested on a stand, playing Fu Xuan and March 7th's companion quest—Total Recall. "Seeking their lost memories, huh..." "Pity, Miss March 7th, you don't realize the significance of those memories." "The Memories Chamber won't allow them to become public knowledge." "But..." "If Feathered Spirit insists on revealing them, even the Memories Chamber might struggle to stop it." One of the cards suddenly emitted a faint blue glow. The Black Swan flipped it over to examine. "Hmm, as expected, it's not yet time..." In the train's Parlor Car, facing this suddenly appearing mirror, Stelle licked her lips and placed her hand upon its surface. In the next moment, a hooded girl with a face mask emerged from within the mirror. "You're the [Messenger], right?" Stelle proactively asked. After all, in the game, she was always the one guiding them to the Forgotten Hall. They had become quite familiar by now. Initially, Stelle thought this feature was merely added for challenging high-difficulty instances within the game. She didn't expect to encounter the same thing on the real-life train. However, the girl did not display the lively mischief seen in the game, nor did she ask, "Do you wish to enter the Forgotten Hall?" Instead, with a cool voice, she said, "Apologies, but I need you to temporarily 'disappear'." Stelle was taken aback. "What?!" "This isn't following the script at all!" Just as these words left her mouth, an intense light suddenly illuminated the surroundings, swiftly engulfing everything... On the other side of the Parlor Car, Pom-Pom, who was sweeping the floor, abruptly raised its head, revealing a panicked expression. "Something strange has entered the train, Pom-Pom!" Without wasting any time, still holding the broom, it rushed towards March 7th and the others engrossed in their storyline. However... After just two steps, Pom-Pom abruptly froze. "W-What was I about to do again...?" She glanced at the broom on the floor. "Oh right, I must have been cleaning those hard-to-reach spots on the train." The trio immersed in the unfolding story didn't seem to notice anything unusual. Only Old Yang looked up briefly at the conductor. Seeing Pom-Pom resume sweeping with her broom, he dismissed it and continued watching the plot unfold alongside March 7th. The scene had now shifted to Belobog's Gode Hotel. Suddenly, Fu Xuan asked, "By the way, Miss March, there is one more thing I need to clarify... Have you ever experienced immense suffering?" "Sometimes, to escape pain, people deliberately forget certain extreme memories..." "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but in your memories of Luofu, every person you encountered subtly or overtly urged you 'not to continue remembering.'" "This seems more like a message from your subconscious to yourself. Of course, we cannot rule out external interference; someone might have implanted suggestions in your mind to prevent you from recalling specific events." "Therefore, this venerable one must ask you once again—do you still wish to continue exploring your memories?" March 7th responded, "Since you mentioned there might be external interference with my memories... shouldn't that make it even more crucial to explore them?! We can't let whoever sealed my memories get away scot-free! Come on, I'll give you a tour of this Goethe Hotel!" Seeing her in-game self so confident, March 7th felt she couldn't back down either outside the game! She silently pumped herself up. After all, this is just a game scenario! Besides, Himeko, Old Yang, and...and who else was there? Hmm? Why am I dwelling on these irrelevant thoughts? The priority should be finding the source of interference in this scene, right?! They proceeded towards the hotel lobby. In this scenario, Gepard had transformed into a security guard, indicating that the origin of the memory distortion must be nearby. The Gepard from her memory said, "Miss March, may I assist you with something? If not, please refrain from disturbing the security personnel during duty." "Additionally, allow me to remind you—the past is gone; dwelling on it serves no purpose. What you can control lies only in the future." March 7th pursed her lips. March 7th continued forward. At the front desk, the manager transformed into Sampo with a sycophantic grin. "Long time no see, Sis March! Welcome to the Sampo Inn!" "It used to be called the Goethe Hotel, but now it's the Sampo Inn! Old Goth, frail from age, couldn't manage such a vast enterprise anymore, so he entrusted it to his most trusted young associate—me, Sampo!" "Don't get the wrong idea; there was absolutely no underhanded scheming involved. This is purely the passing of dreams between two gentlemen." "As you can see, both old Goth and I chose to embrace the future rather than cling to past memories. You should do the same, Sis March." March 7th shook her head. Apart from that last line sounding somewhat forced, the cunning takeover of the Goethe Hotel indeed seemed like something Sampo would pull off. It made perfect sense! However... Sampo wasn't the source interfering with this scene. She approached Bronya and Seele, who were engaged in conversation. Interacting with Seele: "It's been a while, Seele~" In memory, Seele responded, "Why, if it isn't March 7th? Long time no see... How have things been since leaving Belobog?" "The train cannot turn back; it journeys toward the far reaches of the starry sky... for that is its destiny. Just like us moving forward through time, unable to reverse course." "March 7th, dwelling on the past serves no purpose and only brings harm. Please trust me." Fu Xuan couldn't help but interject, "Why does everyone in your memories try to stop you from recalling the past? Things are getting stranger by the moment..." "Sigh... I find it odd too, but let's take it step by step!" Clear interference. [Combat begins] With Fu Xuan fully charged, March 7th eagerly activated his ultimate ability. At that moment, Himeko stood up from her seat. "My coffee seems ready now. Hang tight, March, I'll just go grab it." "Hurry back, Ji Zi! I'm about to clear these enemies, and we can move onto the next scene!" "Don't worry, I will." However... Himeko never returned. Now, only March 7th and Old Yang remained to progress through the story, seemingly oblivious to the peculiarities within the carriage. Neither did they notice... how fewer people remained to progress through the storyline, and the atmosphere grew increasingly cold. March 7th scratched her hair. "Uncle Yang, next should be the Herta space station, right?" Old Yang nodded. "Based on the timeline progression, indeed it's time for the space station." Feeling both excited and anxious, March 7th said, "I think this might be the final scene. Going further from here should lead us to my lost memories, shouldn't it?" She touched the display screen of the Herta space station. The game transitioned to a cutscene interface. Do Not Look Back March 7th, do not look back; continue moving forward. "Irritating! This message again!" "Huh?!" March 7th suddenly covered her mouth in surprise. "Why did I say 'again'?" "Uncle Yang, have we forgotten something?" Old Yang adjusted his glasses with one hand, his sharp gaze scanning the carriage. Pom-Pom had finished cleaning and picked up a pair of scissors, seemingly intending to trim the potted plants' foliage. No abnormalities were observed. Old Yang slightly sighed with relief but then suddenly looked up again. "Where's Himeko and Stelle?" March 7th pondered for a moment before replying, "Didn't they say they were feeling tired and went to their room to rest?" "Oh, right." "Uncle Yang, don't get distracted now. We're almost at the space station, and I still need your help to determine the source of interference!" "Hm..." Unbeknownst to March 7th and Old Yang, at that very moment, in another passenger cabin nearby, blue light began emanating from every window pane as Memokeepers dressed similarly to the Messenger emerged from them. In an instant, a group of Memokeepers had gathered there! The leading Messenger addressed them, "Everyone, the situation is extremely dire!" "Once her past is revealed through the game, it will unleash an unimaginable 'calamity'..." "Before things escalate beyond repair, the Garden of Recollection must resort to forceful measures."