---o---
With Kiana's situation settled, Theresa immediately contacted Schicksal HQ on Earth and requisitioned a large transport ship. The number of people at the moon base was too great for the small transport they had arrived in.
Fortunately, Schicksal had always been efficient. Before long, the transport ship landed steadily on the open ground outside the base.
Everyone boarded in succession. The corridors inside the ship were reasonably spacious. Kiana walked at the very front, her steps quicker than anyone else's, looking around in every direction and muttering about how she hadn't been back in years.
Stelle and March 7th followed close behind her, their faces pressed against a viewport, staring nonstop at the starry sky outside. They had heard so much about Earth from Welt, and now they were finally going to see it with their own eyes.
Fu Zhu didn't join the sightseeing. He walked through the corridor and found Theresa on the ship's bridge, debugging the communication panel.
"Theresa, could you look up an address for me?"
Theresa looked up from the screen.
Fu Zhu recited a string of house numbers, speaking fluently and without a hint of hesitation. It was a place he had lived in for twenty years; every digit was etched into his memory.
"Sure, just a moment." Theresa turned back, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she entered the address into Schicksal's residential database.
The search result popped up quickly. Theresa stared at the screen for two seconds, her brow furrowing slightly. She turned her head. "Are you sure you didn't get it wrong? The registered resident at this address has the surname Li."
Fu Zhu shook his head.
"I lived there for twenty years. I wouldn't forget."
His tone was calm, but the faint smile he had been wearing was now completely gone.
Theresa was silent for a few seconds before her fingers returned to the keyboard. "Maybe they just moved. I'll check the resident change history for this address."
A new search result loaded.
The text on the screen was crystal clear—the resident with the surname Li had lived at that address for fifty-three years.
The bridge fell quiet for a while.
Theresa looked at the screen, her lips moving, but ultimately, she said nothing.
Fu Zhu was also looking at the number. Fifty-three years. Older than he was. He tore his gaze away from the screen and looked out the viewport at the blue planet drawing closer.
The answer was obvious. This wasn't his Earth. Although he had been prepared for this outcome, he still felt a pang of disappointment.
Fu Zhu leaned against the bridge wall for a moment, let out a breath, and gave Theresa a nod of thanks before turning and walking out.
In the corridor, he ran into the rest of the Astral Express crew. Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, Himeko, and Welt were coming from the rest area, presumably looking for him.
Stelle was the first to notice his expression.
She quickened her pace, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Fu Zhu in a hug. March 7th followed close behind, throwing her arms around him too, her own arms locking firmly around his waist.
"What's wrong?" March 7th tilted her head up.
Fu Zhu managed a smile and patted both of them on the head. "It's nothing."
He still had the Explorer's Compass. Finding his Earth was just a matter of time.
---o---
As the transport ship passed through the atmosphere, the view outside the window changed from the pitch-black of space to vast swathes of blue and white clouds. Soon, the silhouette of a city emerged through a break in the clouds.
The docking bay at Schicksal HQ was far grander than the one at the moon base. The moment the ship's door opened, a breeze carrying the faint scent of metal and damp air washed over them.
March 7th was the first to dash out of the cabin. She planted her feet on the ground and spun around once.
"So this is the Schicksal Uncle Yang always talks about?"
She looked around. Clusters of buildings rose up around the docking bay, their surfaces covered in a material that seemed to shift in color with the angle of the light. Tiers of transparent information projections floated above, and fleets of drones traced neat flight paths between the buildings.
Stelle also stepped out of the cabin. She stood there for a long time, staring upwards, her eyes unblinking.
"It's… much more advanced than I imagined," she said.
Dan Heng didn't comment, but his steps slowed, his gaze lingering on the architecture for a few extra seconds.
Fu Zhu was also a little surprised. He walked over to Theresa's side and asked, "Schicksal's technology has reached this level. Why haven't you expanded to explore the universe?"
Theresa was walking in front. Hearing his question, she paused.
"Not enough manpower," she said. "For the past few years, most of Schicksal's resources have been poured into solving Kiana's Honkai energy problem. And besides—"
She paused again, gesturing towards the sky.
"We detected an Imaginary Tide on the outskirts of Earth's solar system. The entire system is sealed off. We thought about investing more resources into studying it, but Kiana's situation was never stable, so we just couldn't spare the hands."
As she spoke, she shrugged, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"But speaking of which, today is quite a coincidence—"
She turned to look at Himeko and Welt, a smile gracing her lips.
"With Kiana's problem solved, and the Star Rail laid by the Astral Express… the blockade from the Imaginary Tide shouldn't be a problem anymore, right?"
Himeko nodded slightly and took over the conversation. "Once the Star Rail is laid, the Express can travel back and forth freely. With this passage, Earth will have much more favorable conditions for future exploration."
"That's a huge help." Theresa clapped her hands, her voice much lighter. "Come on, let's go to the lounge first. I'll arrange a banquet. Kiana is back from the moon, and Welt has come home—two happy occasions. We have to celebrate properly."
---o---
The lounge was spacious, with a floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall that offered a panoramic view of most of Schicksal HQ.
Theresa settled everyone in before hurrying off, saying she needed to press the chefs to get things started.
The atmosphere in the room relaxed. Kiana plopped down onto a sofa, sinking into it with a contented sigh. Mei and Bronya stood before her, talking about something. March 7th and Stelle claimed a spot by the window, pressing against the glass to look outside, whispering to each other from time to time. Dan Heng found a seat in a corner and sat down quietly.
Welt sat on another sofa, with Tesla right beside him.
He was staring out the window, lost in thought, when his peripheral vision caught Tesla pulling out her phone. Her fingers flew across the screen, tapping out a string of characters.
"Who are you messaging?" Welt asked casually.
Tesla put her phone away and rolled her eyes at him.
"Did you fucking forget you have a child?"
Welt's movements froze. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Suddenly, he wasn't looking at the scenery outside anymore. He sat僵硬 on the sofa, silent for several seconds.
He had, in fact, forgotten.
The entire journey back from the moon, his mind had been filled with the excitement of returning to his homeland. He had ended up pushing the most important thing to the back of his mind.
And when Tesla mentioned Welt's child, the various members of the Express crew, who had been minding their own business, all turned their heads almost in unison.
March 7th shot up from her spot by the window. "A child?!"
Stelle also turned around, her eyes wide.
"Uncle Yang has a child?" March 7th hurried over, leaning on the arm of the sofa with both hands, her face close. "A boy or a girl?"
Dan Heng didn't move, but his gaze shifted from the corner of the room.
Himeko, holding her teacup, smiled slightly. It seemed she wasn't surprised.
Welt, now the focus of several pairs of eyes, felt uncharacteristically flustered. He cleared his throat, but before he could speak, March 7th pressed on with another question. "What do they look like? Do you have a photo?"
"...You'll see them soon enough," was all Welt could manage to squeeze out.
The chatter filled the lounge. Fu Zhu sat at a distance, watching the crowd surround Welt, a smile playing on his lips.
But the smile quickly faded as a question occurred to him.
Welt has a wife and a child on Earth. For him, this trip back is a true homecoming.
So… will he leave the Express?
When he first boarded the train, both Himeko and Welt had told him many stories—passengers on the Express come and go. Some board midway, some leave before the journey's end. Every leg of the journey has people joining and people saying goodbye.
At the time, he thought it sounded perfectly normal, even a little romantic.
But now, standing in this position himself, actually facing the departure of a companion he had spent so much time with, the feeling was completely different from when he was just listening to stories.
Fu Zhu pursed his lips, took out his phone from his pocket, and, keeping the angle low, typed out a few words above his knees, sending the message to Pom-Pom, the conductor.
Before he knew for sure what Welt was thinking, he had to make some preparations for what might come next.
Author's PS:. Finally, one more plug for the new book. I hope you readers can help support it by following along. Recommendations are really important for a new book. Thank you! "What If the Protagonist of Star Rail was Steve"