When Lucian opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a lively university campus road.
Towering buildings rose on both sides of the street, their glass windows reflecting the warm sunlight overhead, while familiar asphalt roads stretched beneath his feet.
Fashionable young college students wandered back and forth in groups, some chatting excitedly, others hurrying toward their next class, while their laughter and conversations blended into the air, carrying with them the unmistakable scent of youth and vitality.
In his eyes, this environment looked remarkably similar to the university district back in his original world.
'A sci-fi setting turning into a college campus drama?'
Lucian even began suspecting that the System had bugged out and directly teleported him back to his old world.
He casually glanced around and saw nothing but college students everywhere.
Energetic young men were discussing their coursework, girls walking arm in arm while chatting about their daily lives, and even a few couples enjoying a peaceful stroll beneath the shade of the trees—each person carried a different temperament, creating a vibrant scene full of life.
Maybe the only thing missing was the script's protagonist.
If he remembered correctly, Himeko had been a university student during her younger years before later becoming a scientist, which meant this place was probably the university she had attended.
It really was nostalgic.
Lucian could not help but recall his own university years.
If he had the chance to do it all over again, he definitely would have properly enjoyed his college life, learned some practical skills, attended a few events to show off a little, and maybe even chased after a few girls instead of wasting four whole years hiding in his dorm room playing games like a shut-in, turning what should have been an exciting period of his college life into something both pathetic and unbearably dull.
Back then, he had thought that staying in his room all day was freedom. Looking back now, after experiencing countless worlds and living through experiences most people could never imagine, those years felt like a missed opportunity more than anything else.
However, maybe this time, he could experience being a university professor instead.
After living for who knew how long, he had never actually tried being one before.
Honestly, the thought amused him slightly.
With his current knowledge, let alone teaching ordinary university students, he could probably lecture an entire civilization if he felt like it.
And so, Lucian strolled leisurely down the road, hands in his pockets, taking in the familiar atmosphere around him. By coincidence, he soon discovered his target near a bench along a quiet, tree-lined path.
It was a red-haired young woman who looked around eighteen years old, and her figure had already developed beautifully, with graceful curves that stood out even beneath her clothes. Her long crimson hair flowed naturally over her shoulders, gently swaying whenever the breeze passed through.
Who else could she possibly be if not Himeko?
Only, the Himeko before him appeared far more youthful and pure compared to the mature and intellectual navigator he remembered. There was none of the calm composure that came from years of traveling the stars. Instead, she possessed the bright and youthful charm unique to a university student who had yet to experience the countless hardships and adventures awaiting her in the future.
At this moment, she was holding a thick book of Introduction to Spaceship Engines in her arms while sitting alone on the bench with her head lowered, quietly reading beneath the shade of the trees.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, scattering patches of golden light across her hair and the pages of the book. Even surrounded by the noise of the campus, she seemed completely immersed in her studies, as though the outside world barely existed.
Nearby, several male and female students wearing the same school uniform were pointing at her while whispering among themselves, their voices intentionally loud enough to carry over.
"She still picked interstellar travel dynamics no matter how much we tried to talk her outta it."
"Tch, she seriously can't let it go. Akivili's been gone for who knows how many years already, and the Astral Express disappeared ages ago too, so what's the point of studying that stuff?"
"Yeah, the Path of Trailblaze is basically just something you read about in history books now. Who even does interstellar travel anymore? Wouldn't an Imaginary Energy Applications major make way more money?"
"Himeko, your grades are so good, yet you picked such a hopeless major. Did something break in your head?"
"Just listen to us and switch majors already. Otherwise, you'll end up screwing bolts in some factory later."
Himeko raised her head at those words, her eyes filled with stubborn determination.
"Exploring the stars is meaningful in itself! Akivili's spirit will never become outdated!"
Clutching the thick book against her chest, she argued back without the slightest intention of backing down.
Unfortunately, her old classmates still refused to give up and continued trying to persuade her.
"C'mon, Himeko, ideals are ideals, reality is reality. Don't treat your dreams like they're some kinda lifeline."
"You need a good major to get a good job. Pick the wrong one, and you've basically wasted four years."
"Can ideals put food on the table? You'll graduate straight into unemployment, y'know? Hahaha."
"Exactly. By then, even if we wanted to help you find a job, there wouldn't be anything we could do for you."
As the words piled up one after another, the students burst into laughter, clearly treating Himeko like some unreasonable dreamer who refused to face reality.
Himeko bit her lip slightly.
From professors, classmates, relatives, and even people who barely knew her, she had heard these arguments countless times already.
Everyone seemed convinced that the Path of Trailblaze belonged only in history books, as though the vast sea of stars had become nothing more than a distant dream and a romantic fantasy.
Yet she still refused to give up.
Because deep inside her heart, there was always a voice telling her that the stars should not remain silent forever.
Not far away, seeing the scene unfold before him, Lucian nearly laughed out loud.
A flock of chicks living comfortably inside an incubator actually dared to mock an eagle destined to soar through the stars?
Feeling amused, he calmly stepped forward and soon positioned himself between Himeko and those students, his gaze slowly sweeping across the loose-mouthed group of children standing before him.
Although he was dressed casually and did not look like a student, the invisible pressure naturally cultivated through countless years of life instantly intimidated these immature children.
Suddenly, the noisy atmosphere immediately quieted.
No one knew who he was, but for some reason, standing before him made them feel as though they were being examined by someone far beyond their level.
"She's right."
Lucian spoke calmly, yet his voice carried a strangely persuasive weight that naturally drew everyone's attention.
"You know, mocking dreams you don't understand is what cowards do."
"The cosmos is out there. Sooner or later, someone's gonna have to trailblaze through it and reconnect the stars once again."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across them one by one.
"Just because you can't see that future doesn't mean she chose the wrong path. It just means your horizons are too narrow."
Hearing that, the students immediately fell silent, none of them able to find a suitable response.
Lucian then turned toward the slightly stunned Himeko, and the sharpness in his eyes noticeably softened.
"Himeko, right?"
Himeko subconsciously nodded.
"Keep walking the path you believe in. The sea of stars never lets down those who truly seek it."
As he spoke those lofty and somewhat nonsensical words, even Lucian himself was almost starting to believe his own speech.
For a brief moment, he genuinely felt as though he had become some mysterious mentor figure who specialized in guiding lost protagonists toward their destined futures, offering them wisdom at critical turning points in their lives.
Still, the logic itself was not wrong.
Every era needed pioneers willing to walk paths others deemed impossible, and without people like that, there would be no progress to speak of.
In the end, already intimidated by his aura and after noticing that he clearly did not seem like an ordinary person, the students quickly left in embarrassment.
Some of them awkwardly looked away, while others quietly exchanged glances before retreating without another word.
They couldn't help it.
If they accidentally offended the child of some influential figure, their futures could easily be ruined. Even if Lucian wasn't, the confidence and composure he displayed made him look like someone they could not afford to provoke.
Soon, only Lucian and Himeko remained beneath the shade of the trees.
A gentle breeze passed through the branches overhead, causing the leaves to rustle softly as scattered patches of sunlight danced across the ground.
Himeko looked at the handsome man who had suddenly appeared to help her out, and a faint blush gradually spread across her cheeks while her heartbeat inexplicably accelerated.
Honestly, in her eyes, he looked incredibly cool just now.
Not only because he had stepped forward to help her when she was being ridiculed, but also because he had spoken the very words she had always wanted someone to understand.
For a long time, the people around her had treated her dream as nothing more than a foolish obsession.
Some mocked her.
Some advised her to give up.
Others simply thought she was wasting her talent.
Yet this stranger had not only understood her choice, but had also spoken about it with a conviction that even she herself sometimes struggled to maintain.
"...Thank you... Umm... what's your name?"
Himeko closed the book in her hands and smiled softly at Lucian.
Her smile was warm and sincere, carrying none of the guardedness she usually showed strangers.
"You're welcome. My name is Lucian."
Lucian replied with the same warm smile, his gaze casually sweeping across the school badge pinned to her chest.
[Interstellar Travel Dynamics - Himeko - 616321]
Needless to say, this young woman really was Himeko herself—the future navigator of the Astral Express.
"Are you a student here or a professor?"
Himeko tilted her head slightly and asked curiously.
"What do you want me to be?"
Lucian smiled faintly and asked back.
Himeko blinked once, seemingly giving the question some genuine thought before answering honestly.
"You understand other people, respect their choices, and don't have prejudices toward knowledge, so I hope you're a professor."
"As you wish..." Lucian replied smoothly and nodded. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be a professor at this university."
For a moment, Himeko stared at him blankly, and then...
"Pffft—fufufu..."
Himeko could not help laughing, covering her mouth as her eyes curved into beautiful smiling crescents.
In an instant, the slightly heavy mood from earlier disappeared.
"You make it sound like you're becoming a professor just for me. Is this your way of flirting?"
Her beauty had always been obvious to everyone around her.
Ever since she was young, there had been countless admirers and endless men trying to flirt with her, so she had long since grown accustomed to such things.
Still, a man as overwhelmingly handsome as Lucian, while also being humorous, mature, and genuinely interesting, was someone she had encountered for the first time.
"Oh? You think I'm flirting?" Lucian asked with a faint smile. "Maybe we'll run into each other again if fate allows it, then. Focus on your sea of stars, Himeko."
Immediately after saying that, he turned around and left with remarkable composure.
Before long, his figure gradually disappeared into the flow of students, leaving behind nothing but an unfathomable silhouette and a lingering sense of mystery.
Lucian's current move was called advancing by retreating. If Himeko genuinely started thinking he was just another man after her beauty, then the whole situation would become much less interesting.
Himeko was not going anywhere anyway, so there was no need to rush things.
Meanwhile, Himeko quietly watched the direction Lucian disappeared into, and for a long time, she was unable to pull her gaze away.
Gradually, the grievance, frustration, and confusion buried inside her heart faded away, replaced by a strange sense of warmth she could not quite explain.
'He really seems to understand me...'
Her fingers lightly tightened around the book in her arms.
'Was he really not flirting with me and genuinely just helping me out?'
No matter how she thought about it, Lucian truly seemed like a good person, and for some reason, she found herself looking forward to meeting him again.
===
Lucian eventually arrived near the campus administration building, though for some reason, he suddenly felt as if someone had forcibly slapped a giant 'good person' label directly onto his forehead.
Still, since he was already here and since Himeko wanted him to become a professor, he might as well experience university life from the other side for once.
After all, compared to being a student, being a university professor was a role he had never tried before.
===
On his very first night in Himeko's script world, Lucian purchased a property of his own right beside the university district.
In his hand was an identification badge belonging to a specially appointed professor.
Obtaining such things was naturally not difficult for him.
Sneaking into the university archives and directly creating a faculty profile for himself had been absurdly simple. With a few minor adjustments to the records, he instantly transformed from a complete outsider into a properly registered professor with an impeccable background.
As for whether anyone would discover the problem later, that was a concern for another day.
Right afterward, he casually paid a visit to a few local gang hideouts.
One round of righteous crime-cleansing later, he naturally acquired plenty of local currency.
Taking from the people and using it for the people, this could practically be considered enforcing justice on behalf of heaven.
Using the newly acquired money, he paid in full for a spacious and brightly lit apartment in the best district near the university and moved in immediately without any hassle. It occupied a high floor and offered an excellent view overlooking a large portion of the university district. During the day, he could see streams of students coming and going below, while at night, the city lights painted the skyline with a warm glow.
Starting tomorrow, he could officially live the life of a university professor while having more than enough time and opportunities to interact with Himeko.
A teacher-student romance with Himeko actually sounded fairly interesting.
Of course, that was assuming things developed in that direction.
For now, he was simply curious about what kind of person the young Himeko was before she eventually became the renowned navigator of the Astral Express.
"Himeko worships Akivili... maybe I can use Akivili as a stepping stone? Repair the Astral Express ahead of time?"
"Nah, forget that for now. First, let's test out the new ability and see what I can actually do with it."
"If I keep a dead Aeon in existence, would that bring them back to life?"
Lucian's understanding of Akivili was limited to the background lore he had known before transmigrating into this world. Whether that knowledge would be sufficient or not, he would only know after testing it himself.
From what he understood, the Path of Trailblaze had long since faded into history in the current era. Akivili had fallen ages ago, and even the Astral Express had vanished from the cosmos.
If Existence Anchor could truly preserve or restore a target's existence, then the possibilities hidden within that ability were far more terrifying than they initially appeared.
And so, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately activated Existence Anchor while concentrating on the image of Akivili in his mind.
Suddenly, he felt a strange connection form somewhere beyond the limits of ordinary perception, as though an invisible thread had suddenly stretched across an immeasurable distance and latched onto something that should no longer have existed.
*WOOOOO—!!!*
In the next instant, the roar of a steam train suddenly echoed across the sky. The sound swept through the night like an ancient horn announcing its return, instantly drawing the attention of countless people throughout the surrounding city.
A towering phantom projection soon appeared high above the sky, vast and majestic enough to be seen clearly from anywhere nearby. Its enormous silhouette seemed to stretch across the heavens themselves. Countless shimmering lights flowed along its metallic frame, while traces of golden starlight drifted around it like cosmic dust.
As soon as Lucian saw the iconic locomotive-shaped mask on the projection, he recognized it instantly.
It really was Akivili!
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones]
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