Watchmaker, Master of Dream Machinations

In the stories about the “Watchmaker” of Penacony, he is a man who always has a keen eye, one who can easily see through to the opportunities hidden in the illusory realm and build a great enterprise that no one could have guessed at.

The frontier prison fought for its freedom within the tumor of ten thousand worlds, and it received a prosperous peace under the light of the Family. It is said that the Watchmaker entered the game at this moment, and his eyepiece reflected the true nature of this dream: people were throwing money around in the “Moment of Dusk” purely in search of “the impossible within a dream”. From then on many marvels appeared in the dream of Penacony: a teapot that can tell jokes, a car that spins while it drives, a mansion that can change its location every day… They usually serve no useful purpose at all, yet they are listed at astronomical prices, and people who come from far away are willing to squander their money on them.

This is a fictional Dreamscape, so why not indulge in fantasy as freely as one likes? The phrase “found only in a dream” has redefined luxury and value within the Dreamscape.

The Alfalfa Family and the long established Dreamseekers of the merchant world have always regretted this, blaming themselves for not recognizing such an opportunity sooner. And yet the Watchmaker only saw a little farther than they did, and every time, a little farther.

The reason why the “Watchmaker” is called the “Watchmaker” has always been the greatest secret in a whole chain of stories.

Some say he was once a repairman for the clock on the bell tower, some say he was once a merchant who sold watches, and some even say that he really does have a round head shaped like a clock face, just like the Clockie he created.

As the rumors spread, the watches in the dream also grew famous on the strength of the Watchmaker's reputation. The Dreamseekers know that they have nothing to do with the true nature of the matter, yet they still regard them as a symbol of good fortune and of reverence toward the Watchmaker. Driven on by a chain of commercial activity, the image of the watch became the most common thing in Penacony, from clothing and jewelry to food itself… from the graffiti in the alleys to the enormous clocks in hotel lobbies, the shadow of this legendary figure has spread everywhere.

“In Penacony, who could possibly dislike watches?”

And yet the real Watchmaker has kept silent through all of this, and has never once given his opinion about that first watch. Until the image of the watch became a matter of course in Penacony, and until no one asked about the Watchmaker's origin any longer.

In the many rumors of Penacony, the Watchmaker has entirely different identities and entirely different shapes.

In these groundless fictions he is sometimes a kindly old man, sometimes an elegant lady, and there is even a rumor that he is a giant gentleman a hundred feet tall… But in whichever story it is, he always wears a magnificent suit of clothes.

It is rumored that the Watchmaker will share his secret with his dancing partner in the Dreamscape, in the place where dawn and dusk cross. On hearing this news, people rushed to attend the magnificent balls and sent invitations to mysterious guests hidden within the lavishly dressed crowd. More and more Dreamseekers took the chance to get to know one another, and the ball slowly became a social space brimming with warm affection. The premium tickets always sell out the moment they go on sale, and although the owner of that magnificent suit in the rumors has never appeared, this has done nothing to cool the enthusiasm of guests looking for a good time.

“Looking at the way you are dressed, might you be the illustrious Watchmaker?” This question was at first a sincere inquiry, then became a flattering compliment, and finally became the coded phrase for asking someone to dance.

The Watchmaker gained one more line of business in the ball, and the Dreamscape gained one more measure of romance and passion.

The “Watchmaker” has walked through every Moment of the Dreamscape and through every page of Penacony's history. His name has been passed down in the land of dreams for hundreds of years, and even today the Dreamseekers can still hear people discussing his whereabouts.

People cannot help but wonder: is the Watchmaker one person, an organization, or merely a name woven together by the Family?

Some Dreamseekers are determined to uncover the truth about the Watchmaker, and they go to every Dreamscape in search of a trace of this mysterious figure. But in the end they find only shadows that flit past: a mysterious guest at some business meeting, an ownerless brand that suddenly rises to prominence, an enormous investment from a mysterious source… Every time they try to reason their way toward the conclusion that the Watchmaker does not exist, they discover that he is still present everywhere in the Dreamscape.

Books about the Watchmaker are piled high on the shelves of the “Library of Awakening”, and his name lingers on and on in Penacony.

The harder people try to learn the truth, the more their eyes are clouded by lies… Among a thousand stories and ten thousand rumors, this star of the first magnitude has left behind only footprints, and not the slightest shadow of himself.