Only after Ling Ke had eaten and drunk his fill, paid the bill, and left the cozy restaurant alone did the owner finally let out a sigh of relief, his anxious heart settling.
Then, he decisively shut the doors and closed up shop.
Ling Ke, of course, noticed the commotion behind him.
But he didn't dwell on it.
After all, that's just human nature, he thought.
Besides, there was another, far more interesting matter waiting for his attention.
So, the gray-haired youth leaped into the air and returned to the Stellaron Train.
Come to think of it, the Stellaron Train could actually deploy and retrieve passengers from near-earth orbit.
But since it was only a few dozen meters above the ground right now, there was no need to get so flashy.
A moment later...
Ling Ke arrived in the Observation Car, and his eyes immediately fell upon the Train Master, who was dozing off nearby.
"How rare," Ling Ke muttered. "Pamu isn't cleaning for once."
Then his gaze shifted, quickly landing on the birdcage.
Seeing him look over...
"..."
The white-haired girl in the cage instinctively took a step back, her posture guarded and wary.
Looking closer, one would notice that her eyes had shifted from gold to a brilliant blue.
Clearly, Sirin had signed off.
Now, it was Kiana's turn.
"Speak."
"Why did you barge onto my Stellaron Train without permission?"
Ling Ke walked over to the observation windowsill where the birdcage sat. He crossed his arms, his right index finger tapping rhythmically against his left forearm.
His right foot also tapped the floor in a slow, steady beat.
His entire posture deliberately exuded a specific kind of "attitude."
Just then, the Stellaron Train started up again, slowly pulling away from the Snowy Town.
Sensing the movement, the white-haired girl in the cage, Kiana Kaslana, showed a flicker of emotion.
After a long moment, she seemed to have gathered her words and finally spoke:
"Sorry. I meant no harm."
True, she actually meant no harm.
It was Sirin who had been the malicious one before.
Perhaps she was just getting used to getting her way by force lately. Just moments ago, her eyes had lit up with greed, and she had truly wanted to keep the Stellaron Train for herself.
Uh, so you're telling me this thing was created by someone's Path Ability? And it can't be stolen?
Well, isn't that simple!
Just win the person over, right?
If the person is hers, then the train will naturally be hers too!
Unfortunately, Sirin never expected that she would not only hit a brick wall, but a brick wall so hard it would sprain her ankle (and disable her abilities), leaving her unable to run away.
So...
Sigh~ Can we make peace?
Alright, Sirin obviously couldn't bring herself to say those words.
So now...
"I was just curious and wanted to come in for a look."
"After all..."
Kiana rested one hand on the birdcage's frame and pointed with the other at the surroundings, "A train that can hover in the air is truly too novel."
"Oh~"
Ling Ke responded coolly, "And then?"
And then?
And then she got caught by the mysterious creature you keep as a pet!
Well, from Kiana and Sirin's perspective, Pamu really didn't look like the Train Master, but rather a domestic pet wearing a chibi-style Train Master uniform.
But the kind of thief who can actually fight.
Still, speaking of which, is a Path Ability really this amazing? Not only can it materialize a train in the sky, but it can also create creatures that don't exist on Earth?
Obviously, with Kiana and Sirin's current knowledge, they hadn't even considered that what they'd encountered with Ling Ke fell into the category of "outside Earth."
Even though the previous "Universal Announcement" had already indirectly proven that humans on Earth were not the only intelligent beings. (Note: Sirin and Kiana don't know about Sugars and the Candy House, and at this time, Sa and the bunch from Mars haven't appeared yet.)
Speaking of which...
If we're being precise, they weren't actually wrong just now?
After all, this Pamu beside Ling Ke wasn't the original version from the neighboring parallel universe, but a replica he had hand-crafted.
Naturally, there was no such thing as "equality" between him and TA.
Indeed, the latter was just like a pet.
And it was the relationship between creator and creation.
Alright, I've gone off on a tangent.
Right now...
"Anyway, I'm really sorry."
The miniature Kiana in the birdcage apologized very sincerely.
She had no choice; after all, "she" was definitely the one in the wrong today.
In her eyes, to an uninformed outsider, who could tell if the one who messed up was herself or the other consciousness within her body?
They were clearly still in a hostile, competitive relationship with each other.
And yet now, she was the only one who had to take the fall...
"It seems you have already deeply realized your mistake."
Ling Ke was clearly in a playful mood now, planning to use this fortuitously encountered "after-show" to pass the time.
He'd treat it as a post-meal digestif.
So, with a slight smile, he asked deliberately, "So, since you know you're wrong, how do you plan to make up for this series of mistakes?"
"Or to put it another way..."
The smile on Ling Ke's face instantly vanished. "Give me a reason to let an intruder go."
"This..."
Kiana, inside the birdcage, watched the "tall" gray-haired youth in front of her change his expression in an instant, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Right now, he held the knife, and she was the fish on the chopping block.
She was no match for him in strength, and she had no ground to stand on in reason.
She had no choice...
"I'll make it up to you," Kiana said after thinking seriously for a moment. "As long as the request isn't too excessive, I can..."
"Hold on."
Ling Ke raised a hand, making a "pause" gesture and cutting her off. "I must say, young lady, have you gotten something wrong?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Care to translate what you mean by 'as long as the request isn't too excessive'?"
"What makes you think you're in any position to negotiate with me?"
Hearing his words, Kiana realized.
The gray-haired youth before her was not a person who would be easily swayed.
Facing someone like him, nothing she said would do her any good.
Therefore...
"Then what do you plan to do with me?" Kiana asked calmly.
Ling Ke smiled.
"How about I keep you like this in a cage?"
He deliberately tapped the top of the birdcage, making the entire structure shake.
Kiana nearly lost her balance.
Inside the Astral Express, devoid of all her power, she had to grab the bars of the cage to keep herself from falling over.
After a moment, Ling Ke stopped.
And when Kiana looked at him again, her gaze had turned incredibly stubborn.
"You've got quite a personality, little canary."
Ling Ke was just about to continue teasing her.
But suddenly, he seemed to notice something and paused for a moment.
Immediately after, a slightly strange expression appeared on his face.
And when he looked at the girl in the cage again, his playful expression had completely vanished.
Ling Ke said meaningfully, "I almost forgot. If I keep you in the cage all the time, it would be 'unfair'."
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"Huh?"
Kiana was confused. "What do you mean? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
What did he mean by "keeping her in a cage" being a "good thing"?
This guy must be crazy.
However...
"You want to know the answer to that question?"
"Sure! No problem."
As Ling Ke said this, he suddenly raised his right hand and tapped the side of the birdcage with his index finger.
Immediately, an opening appeared in the cage.
At this moment, Kiana could easily jump out from this spot.
Ling Ke took a step back, crossing his arms. "Now, I'm giving you a choice."
"For the next one minute, after the countdown ends, if you continue to stay in the cage, then I will keep you like a 'pet'."
"And if you choose to leave, I won't stop you."
Kiana froze.
What's there to hesitate about?
Just as she was about to bolt...
"However, I'm warning you now..."
Ling Ke spoke again.
A viciously smug grin spread across his face. "If you choose to leave, you will definitely regret it."
"Of course, you'll also find the answer to that question."
Inside the cage, the white-haired girl's footsteps faltered.
Without a doubt, Kiana was ready to leave.
But just then...
Sirin, what are you doing?
Another consciousness within her body began to fight for control.
Damn it.
Just a moment ago, Sirin was the one most desperate to escape this place, but now...
Now she was the one refusing to go.
Why do you always have to interfere?
Kiana couldn't understand Sirin's intentions.
But she was leaving.
She refused to become anyone's pet!
And so, a bizarre scene began to unfold before Ling Ke's eyes.
The white-haired girl in the cage stumbled and struggled, moving step by step toward the cage's exit like someone undergoing grueling muscle recovery training.
As mentioned before, Kiana herself hadn't even realized that she had already stepped onto the Path of Remembrance and awakened a powerful Path Ability.
As a result, she was so focused on using brute force to suppress Sirin's consciousness that she couldn't even spare a moment to wonder why she had suddenly become so strong.
Inside her mind...
Sirin, stop it!
You're the one who needs to stop, you idiot!
The two were locked in a desperate struggle.
Because Sirin was doing everything she could to stop Kiana from controlling her body and leaping out of the cage, she didn't even have the chance to properly explain.
Clearly, Sirin had already sensed some crucial factors.
The gray-haired youth's tone of voice just now...
"I never expected that you'd be the first one to see through my true identity!"
Standing to the side, Ling Ke's eyes glinted with amusement.
Yes, he had confirmed it: Sirin had probably guessed his true identity.
That was why she had immediately realized that this was the "safest" place for her.
Staying on the Astral Express was practically a shortcut to "clearing the game."
No one could harm her in the hands of a true One Who Ascends to Godhood.
As for becoming a pet...
In truth, Sirin had always held a profound reverence for the concept of "God."
Back when she didn't know that the so-called "Honkai Will" was actually Prometheus No. 17 in disguise, she had shown it immense respect.
Later, when she and Kiana first arrived in this era and learned that Ling Ke had already ascended to godhood, she had similarly humbled herself.
Therefore, to Sirin, if this "person" before her was truly "that one"...
She just wanted to cling to his thigh as quickly as possible.
A pet?
Even becoming the "God of Earth" would still be beneath the "God of the Universe."
What was there to hesitate about?
Without a doubt, Sirin's judgment was correct.
But... ironically, this choice would not bring her only good things.
At the same time, by a strange coincidence, Sirin's current choice was actually better for Kiana.
Because, just now, the cause that made Ling Ke slightly taken aback...
...was actually the source of a certain "curse" approaching this area.
Yes.
Raiden Mei was now within a 13-kilometer radius of the Astral Express's current space.
Ling Ke was also being mischievous.
While letting the Astral Express slowly stop and steadily maintain this distance, he temporarily shielded the space inside the train from the outside.
As a result...
"Right now, because Kiana is still inside the train and the space is separated, the 'curse' on Raiden Mei's body won't take effect."
"But as soon as she steps out of this door, leaving my 'safe zone'... Heh heh~"
At this moment, Ling Ke undoubtedly had the mindset of a complete villain.
He was very curious now.
If Kiana chose to go out, she would be helping Sirin but harming herself.
If Sirin chose to stay, she would also be secretly helping Kiana, while losing a rare opportunity for revenge.
And they were both completely unaware of these things.
This kind of... contradictory spiral, where fate seemed to be playing a joke...
"Hurry up and choose, you two."
He spoke with a double meaning to the white-haired girl(s) in the cage: "Time is running out!"