[I agree—get him on board, right now!]
[Yay, Sunday Bro is joining the train!]
[What do you think Sunday Bro's expression will be when he sees Pom-Pom?]
[Definitely yelling, "You're the one who ran me over?!"]
[Family, who gets it—I picked up a little bird, and he says he wants to come home with me!]
[Yay, now he's a teammate—full sense of security.]
[Come on, my room's yours. Need anything? I'll do my best to provide.]
[The Express welcomes everyone!]
[Time to let Sunday Bro feel the warmth of family.]
[Finally, the Astral Express has a new companion—wonderful.]
[Haha, just imagining March 7th, Stelle, and Sunday teaming up in the future makes me laugh.]
[Yes yes yes—time to give Sunday a taste of Astral Express shock therapy.]
[You think Sunday will pull the exact same face as Dan Heng? Hahaha!]
[Looking forward to it—can't wait for next season.]
[Yeah, next season's definitely gonna be a romance story unlike any before♪]
[Dan Heng finally found a kindred spirit.]
[On board, on board, on board!]
—
Some time later.
Everyone gathered in the parlor car, Sunday among them.
"This is why he's come here. Mr. Sunday wishes to travel with the Express. Clearly, I shouldn't make this decision alone." Welt Yang spoke with perfect impartiality.
Himeko gave a faint smile—she had already seen through Welt Yang's little scheme. "But if you didn't support it, you wouldn't have brought him back. Welt, I trust your judgment. As long as someone is willing to share the journey, the Express's doors should open for them.
That said, this is a special case. Before we decide, Stelle, I'd like to hear your thoughts first."
Stelle kicked the ball back. "I want to hear everyone's opinion."
Himeko kicked it right back. "But in this confrontation, you and he were the most direct opponents. Your view carries special weight."
"From past adversaries, one can learn the most valuable lessons. Please speak freely." Sunday wore a warm smile, brimming with sincerity—leaving no room for outright refusal.
"…" Stelle pondered for a moment, her expression serious. "You know what I'm going to say. You betrayed the trust of many people—even the most important one, your family. Don't forget that."
Sunday didn't reply, only gave a wry smile.
"But…" Stelle's tone shifted. "As for your ideals, I believe they can be realized in another, more correct form. Seven-day rest… even if it's just a metaphor, I'm really looking forward to that day."
"In short, the world is ever-changing—yesterday's enemy can become today's friend…"
[Seven-day rest still hits the spot.]
[It has to—give me seven days off and I'd defect instantly!]
Stelle raised an eyebrow at Sunday. "Come on, then—you're the new youngest now."
March 7th quickly interrupted. "He hasn't officially joined yet! He's just hitching a ride—no one's shaking your position. But they say a redemption arc costs you three levels of power, so it should be fine!"
"I have no objections either." Dan Heng crossed his arms over his chest.
Sunday gave a slight bow, full of emotion. "Thank you all for your tolerance—I am deeply grateful. Perhaps one day on this journey, I'll find the answers I seek and leave. But until then, I will fulfill my duties as a companion with all my heart."
"Looks like we've reached a conclusion." Himeko smiled with relief. "Later, we should inform the conductor as well."
Welt Yang nodded in agreement. "Since our business in Penacony is settled, as per the original plan, it's about time to prepare for the warp?"
"Mm. But before we depart, I'd like to try contacting Lady Herta one more time. I previously asked her to investigate Amphoreus—even if there's no result, we can't just leave without saying goodbye."
"What do you mean by 'try'?"
"There might be some issue with the interstellar network. I tried contacting the space station several times just now—no response. Don't worry too much; it's Herta's domain after all—even the Antimatter Legion can't touch it… Maybe Lady Herta's up to something again."
Suddenly, the screen went black.
Herta's voice emerged. "No, we're just a little short."
—
Herta Space Station.
Asta stood at the door of Herta's office, glanced inside, then turned to the staff behind her. "Let's go. Time to leave the space station."
At Herta's request, it seemed all researchers on the station had been ordered to depart.
After watching everyone leave, the Herta puppet headed deeper into the office.
"Indeed, this is merely a tiny ripple no one will ever know about… And you must understand that for a genius, the act of questioning is even more important than finding answers."
Countless Herta puppets appeared throughout the office.
"Even so-called 'magic' has its principles—there are no unsolvable problems in this world. So…"
Suddenly, the Herta puppet was surrounded by countless lenses; her body floated into the air.
The next moment, every Herta puppet in the frame collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The scene shifted—to a figure resembling the Herta puppets in appearance, yet without the spherical joints at her limbs.
She gazed toward the distant starry sky, toward the Aeon of Erudition.
"O omniscient existence—I pose to you a question: What is 'divinity'?"
Subtitle note: The speaker is none other than the "True Herta."
[Holy crap! Who is that? Herta in the flesh?]
[Yes, that's Herta herself.]
[True Herta? Such a plain name?]
[But True Herta is seriously gorgeous—she looks similar, yet completely different from the puppets.]
[Same actress?]
[No idea.]
[Uh, one question: why does True Herta's hat have such a sharp tip?]
[True Herta: Let me ask you that!]
The screen immediately went black, stopping everyone's hearts.
"The story ends…"
[No way, that's it? So short?]
[It's fine—it's an early broadcast anyway.]
[But compared to previous seasons' length, isn't this way too small?]
[Yeah, kinda short—just like MiHoYo's boss.]
[Sigh, can't go to Interactive Town, and the web series is over too.]
Just then.
The screen displayed new subtitles: "Is it over?"
[Scared me half to death.]
[Damn, does Honkai: Star Rail literally refuse to make anything without a meme?]
[Bro, there's a progress bar—don't act like it's real.]
[Hey, someone clueless get outta here.]
[Brother, half the time it's the deliberate obvious questions that make the comments fun.]
[Yeah, that's real interaction—better than nitpicking every detail like some lore master. Wrong here, wrong there—who watches web series to be that picky?]
[This kind of comment is actually entertaining.]
—
Light gradually returned to the frame.
Stelle twisted her neck and walked to the end of the parlor car—on the other side were Dan Heng's study, March 7th's room, and Himeko's bedroom.
Stelle pushed open the door. "Every time I come to this car, I can't help but marvel—it's huge…"
The camera panned around the party car: not only lavishly decorated, but noticeably larger than the other cars.
Then came her precise roast. "Why does it feel even more spacious than the other cars? Does this obey physics at all?"
[Holy— this place is massive.]
[How come we never saw it before?]
[They hadn't built it yet—what else?]
[Physics no longer exists!]
[Time Lord technology, kid!]
[Seamless expansion technique—amazing, right?]
—
At that moment.
A bar robot named Shut Up made its debut. "Welcome to the 'Party Car,' dear Nameless. Would you like a drink, something to eat, or shall we begin… 'party time'?"
[For some reason, hearing that voice makes my fist clench.]
[Same here—super weird.]
[Fist hardened.]
[Just seeing the name 'Shut Up' already broke me.]
—
Stelle looked around and approached the bar. "This car's name is pretty lively…"
"You mean 'Party Car'? Indeed, it's a lively name. Unfortunately, the Express is rather quiet these days—far from 'lively.'
But that's fine too. If too many people were aboard, our 'Party Car' might turn into a 'Queue Car.' 'Party' and 'queue' sound similar—quite amusing, no?"
[Hahaha, dad joke.]
[I'm dying—this robot is peak meme material!]
[I'm more concerned whether Sunday Bro is here or not.]
Shut Up continued, "I hope you enjoy this car, dear Nameless. Even if no party happens, you can still relax and unwind here.
This car used to be called the 'Conference Car.' My previous master (Akivilli's Vault) said that with so few Nameless nowadays, there was no need for a whole car just for meetings—so he took it upon himself to rename it the 'Party Car.'"
Though somewhat speechless, Stelle still asked, "By the way, who are you again?"
"I am merely a cocktail-mixing robot, dedicated for several Amber Eras to providing the finest service to all Nameless guests. Shall I reintroduce myself?"
With that, Shut Up began polishing a glass.
"Within three sentences, thanks."
"I am a cocktail-mixing robot invented by a certain Nameless, created several Amber Eras ago. Later, my previous master Akivilli's Vault dug me out from a corner and restored me to serve the Astral Express to this day.
Two sentences and done… Fine, one more: my name 'Shut Up' comes from the last words Miss Himeko said to my previous master.
By the way, Miss March 7th and the conductor just went upstairs to the rooms—they said they were looking for you.
I suggest you head up to see them, lest they search everywhere."
[Hahaha, damn—this thing is too meme-worthy.]
[Rare—someone who can actually shut Stelle up. Impressive.]
[When was the last time Stelle looked this speechless?]
[Shut Up's name comes from Himeko's last words to Akivilli's Vault. Hahahaha.]
—
Stelle nodded, ignored Shut Up, and headed straight upstairs.
[Wait! Is this allowed? This can't be right!]
[How does the Astral Express have a second floor? Is the train just a snail carrying a shell on its back?]
[Astral Rail is magical, huh!]
[Don't sweat the small stuff—maybe it's deliberately designed for roasting.]
[Honkai: Star Rail is truly something—any illogical thing can be explained with 'the writers did it on purpose to make it easy for you to roast.']
—
Upon reaching the second floor, March 7th and Pom-Pom seemed to have been waiting for a while.
"You're here, you're here! Stelle passenger, we've been looking for you forever!" Pom-Pom was so anxious he started stomping.
Stelle's mouth twitched. "How did you know to look for me here?"
March 7th looked utterly exasperated. "Did you sleep through your own life? This is your room—of course we'd come here to find you!"
Stelle suddenly rubbed her head. "I lost my memory! Who am I? Who are you guys?"
"Hey! This lady's gonna bonk you twice—see if it jogs anything!"
[March 7th is just too cute.]
[She's way too perfect to be my wife—I'll pay any dowry.]
A glint flashed in Pom-Pom's eyes. "Sigh, looking at all this clutter really takes me back to when the Trailblazer passenger first became a Nameless…"
Indeed.
This incredibly messy storage room pulled Stelle's thoughts back to the past.
Back then, she had just survived a perilous adventure at the Herta Space Station. Then she boarded the Astral Express, embarking on her own space comedy.
"I remember… that was shortly after boarding the Express…"
Not long ago… or perhaps a very long time ago.
At that moment, right after boarding.
The camera shifted to inside the car.
The entire Express crew was present, discussing something.
March 7th: "I… I just heard a noise in the ventilation duct and thought something weird was hiding in there, so I climbed up to check… and got stuck…"
Himeko smiled indulgently. "And did you find the 'weird thing'?"
"I did. It was Stelle, also stuck inside."
Dan Heng glanced at March 7th, then at Stelle. "Anything you'd like to say?"
Stelle pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke. "I heard a noise in the ventilation duct…"
"No infinite nesting dolls, Pom!" Pom-Pom cut off what could have become an endless loop, then steered the topic back. "Alright, today is a good day—no lectures or scoldings. We're all gathered because the conductor has an announcement.
Ahem! Letting Stelle passenger wander without a fixed place on the train is truly this conductor's negligence, Pom…"
March 7th sized Stelle up—Stelle was currently grinning cheekily. "She looks pretty happy about it, though?"
Dan Heng: "She's not."
"Hmph hmph, so—Himeko passenger, ask our question, Pom!"
Himeko pushed the topic back to Pom-Pom. "I think it's more appropriate for the conductor to ask these questions, don't you?"
Pom-Pom nodded—yes, that made sense. "Ahem… Trailblazer passenger, are you willing to join the Astral Express and become a 'Nameless'?"
Stelle scratched her head. "I thought I already was."
March 7th struck a senior pose. "It's not that simple! You haven't passed the 'Uncle Yang's Eighteen Mechanical Soldiers Formation' trial—how can you call yourself a proper Nameless?"
"Perfect timing—Little March hasn't passed it either. I'll prepare it later; tomorrow afternoon you can be the first to challenge 'Uncle Yang's Eighteen Mechanical Soldiers Formation.'" Welt Yang crossed his arms and gave a slight smile.