---o---
Rider and Stelle stared in astonishment at the little gadget in Fu Zhu's hands. The former pointed at it, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"This little thing looks like a perfectly ordinary compass, just with a slightly different design. Can it really find Earth?"
Stelle, beside her, gently placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression completely serious.
"Sis Rider, you haven't been on the Express for very long. On our train, no matter how outlandish my bro's gadgets seem, you should just believe in them first! Bro, hurry up and give it a try, let us see!"
"Alright."
Fu Zhu gripped the Explorer's Compass. With a thought, the Explorer's Compass interface appeared before his eyes. Following the operation method from his memory, he typed the word "Earth" into the search bar.
The next moment, the needle on the compass began to spin at a dizzying speed, so fast that it looked like it was about to take flight.
Rider and Stelle stared nervously at the spinning compass, terrified that it might overload and break in the next second. This was, after all, her only hope of returning home!
Fortunately, the compass's erratic behavior lasted only a few short minutes before it ended. The needle slowly came to a halt, finally pointing in a southwesterly direction. At the same time, a line of coordinates appeared in Fu Zhu's vision. They were the coordinates for Earth!
"It worked!"
Fu Zhu was also quite excited. He, like Welt and Rider, was from Earth. Although it wasn't the same Earth, if the compass could find one, it was bound to be able to find the other!
Who knows, maybe he could rely on this compass to get home!
Hearing Fu Zhu's two words, Stelle and Rider threw their arms around each other in excitement. Stelle was even more thrilled than Rider herself.
"Sis Rider, I told you my bro's gadgets were amazing! Now you can go home! Hooray!"
Rider was so emotional that she couldn't hold back her tears. She walked over and pulled Fu Zhu into a hug.
"Thank you, Master."
Fu Zhu smiled and patted her on the back. "I told you, just call me Fu Zhu."
Rider let go of Fu Zhu. Though tears still clung to her eyelashes, the corners of her mouth were lifted in an irrepressible smile.
"Okay."
Stelle bounced over at that moment, wrapping an arm around each of them.
"If I remember correctly, Uncle Yang and Sis Rider are from the same hometown, right? Uncle Yang has always wanted to go home, too. Let's go tell him the good news right now!"
"That's a good idea. Let's tell him at dinner."
---o---
At the evening banquet on the Express.
The Chrysos Heirs and the Astral Express crew were gathered around a massive round table, enjoying dinner in a harmonious atmosphere.
Just then, Stelle suddenly stood up with a glass of juice in her hand. A brilliant smile lit up her face as she swept her gaze across the crowd.
"Everyone, I have some earth-shattering news to share with you all!"
The crowd stopped eating, looking at Stelle with curiosity.
Himeko asked with a smile, "Stelle, what's the good news?"
Stelle didn't answer right away. Instead, she gave everyone a mysterious smile before her gaze shifted to Fu Zhu and Rider. Receiving the unspoken cue, Fu Zhu stood up and took the Explorer's Compass out of his pocket.
"Earlier, while cleaning up, Stelle happened to remind me of something. I remembered a strange artifact that could be used to search for a specific planet. So, I used this item, called the Explorer's Compass, to try and search for Earth."
The moment Fu Zhu finished speaking, Welt shot up from his seat. His face was a mask of astonishment, which quickly morphed into intense tension.
Welt habitually wanted to raise a hand to adjust his glasses, but as he lifted it, he discovered that his hand—a hand that didn't so much as tremble when facing the mightiest of foes—was now shaking uncontrollably. He tried several times to straighten his glasses, but each attempt just knocked them more askew.
Finally, Welt gave up, leaving his glasses crooked on the bridge of his nose as he stared intently at the small compass in Fu Zhu's hand.
"So, Fu Zhu… did you succeed?"
Fu Zhu broke into a wide grin, his head held high with a hint of pride.
"Of course. Don't underestimate me, Uncle Yang. I've already obtained the coordinates for Earth."
He then recited the coordinates aloud.
Welt listened intently to every single number Fu Zhu reported, afraid of missing even one. After Fu Zhu finished, he immediately took out his phone and recorded the string of coordinates. After double-checking that he hadn't made any input errors, he sank back into his seat as if all his strength had left him.
March 7th, Dan Heng, and Himeko watched Welt. This was the first time they had ever seen the normally mature and steady Welt lose his composure like this, but deep down, they were all happy for him.
As the navigator, Himeko made a decision on the spot.
"In that case, the Express's next stop is Earth. It'll be a good chance for us to relax. What does everyone think?"
The proposal was met with a unanimous show of hands in agreement, but Fu Zhu, notably, did not make a decision.
Himeko and Welt both looked at him, puzzled. The latter asked with some nervousness, "Fu Zhu, do you disagree? Or is there a problem?"
Fu Zhu quickly waved his hands. How could he possibly disagree with such a wonderful turn of events?
"Uncle Yang, you misunderstand. I'm not disagreeing. There's just something I need to remind you of first. The Earth that the Explorer's Compass found might not be your Earth."
As soon as he said this, Welt and Rider froze, the excitement in their hearts doused by a bucket of cold water.
But Welt quickly came to his senses. He remembered very clearly that when Fu Zhu had first boarded the train, the two of them had discussed Earth and concluded that they came from two different versions of the planet.
"You mean, this Earth could be your Earth, or it could be mine… or it might not even be either of ours?"
Fu Zhu nodded. He had thought of this possibility from the very beginning when he was using the compass, but he didn't want to throw a bucket of cold water on Rider at the time, so he hadn't said anything. Now, however, it was necessary to make it clear.
Welt and Rider fell silent for a moment, but soon, smiles returned to their faces.
This time, Welt's hand was steady. He calmly adjusted his glasses and looked at Fu Zhu with a smile. "It's alright. We've already waited this long; a little longer won't matter. Besides, since you can find one, you can find the second one, right?"
Fu Zhu nodded. Rider, at his side, spoke up as well.
"Since that's the case, we have nothing to worry about. Sooner or later, we'll be able to return to our hometown, won't we?"
Fu Zhu nodded again. He felt the same way.
"Besides, Uncle Yang, Rider, we haven't even been to this Earth yet. Don't get disappointed so quickly. Who's to say this isn't your Earth?"