"Yay!"
"Yay!" ×3
March 7th's single cheer summoned three echo chambers.
Dan Heng looked at everyone, warmth filling his heart.
The Express… really is nice.
"At this moment, I was thinking of reciting a poem to set the mood—but unlike Lady Fu, I'm not particularly well-read, so let's leave it at that."
"The Nameless still have a long road ahead. May the Astral Express travel smoothly."
After seeing the Express crew off, Jing Yuan sat alone at his desk.
Though the Luofu incident had settled, the aftermath inevitably came with countless loose ends to handle.
The Stellaron Hunters, Xun yu—the Emanator—and the power he displayed during the battle with Phantylia in the Ambrosial Arbor space; the Alchemy Commission, already riddled with infiltration; the collective "accidental injuries" suffered by the Vidyadhara elders…
Every one of these matters had to be reported, one by one, to the Marshal and the other Xianzhou ships.
The waters here ran deep. Accountability would be unavoidable.
And the matter of the Dragon Elders…
Although that day's "Heaven-Shaking Phenomenon" had fallen—before countless witnesses—onto their residence and "accidentally" injured them…
From the elders' seemingly deranged ramblings, Jing Yuan knew his own master and an old friend had definitely taken action.
Fortunately, they'd done a clean job.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say—Hengyu had handled it cleanly.
Without absolute confidence, and without concern for the alliance between the Vidyadhara and the Xianzhou…
Did they really think their deeds could fool heaven and earth?
Of course, the most troublesome issues were always those where public duty and private affairs became entangled.
A headache, truly.
Astral Express — Observation Car
"Penacony. Remember it? Before Kafka sent her 'invitation,' that was where we originally planned to go."
"The 'Family' is hosting a grand banquet there, and they sent an invitation to the Express. I was curious about what's happening there, so I accepted."
"There's still some time before that event begins, and the gap in between isn't enough for us to chart a brand-new destination."
"I've discussed it with the Conductor—we've decided to remain at the Luofu for now. During this period, you're free to arrange your own activities. You can visit friends you met during previous Trailblazing journeys."
Himeko explained the plan going forward.
Dan Heng shook his head, saying he planned to organize the data bank.
"Yay! Perfect—I'm not done having fun yet!"
March 7th let out a cheer and immediately ran back to her room, no one knew to do what.
Stelle kept staring at her phone. Curious, Xun yu glanced over.
Good grief—she was scrolling short videos.
And judging by it, her algorithm was already fully trained.
Nine out of ten videos were beautiful older sisters… and the last one was a handsome guy?
Noticing Xun yu watching her, Stelle quietly pulled him aside.
"Hengyu, I realized something…"
"There are so many beautiful older sisters and handsome guys online… but in real life, I've barely seen any."
Hearing Stelle's dejected words, Xun yu's mouth twitched.
So that was the issue…
Without a word, Xun yu pulled up a horror movie.
Then he turned on a beauty filter and pointed it at a grotesque, terrifying zombie.
"..."
Stelle looked at the zombie, then at the smooth, delicate pretty-boy in the filter—
—and instantly felt like the sky had collapsed.
Don't open your eyes—please let this be a hallucination—
"Now do you get it?"
"Fake! It has to be fake! I don't believe it!"
Stelle staggered back several steps, covered her eyes, and shook her head nonstop—like a frantic little raccoon.
"Poor kid."
"There, there~ We're Nameless. The road ahead is long, and there are many worlds still waiting for us to blaze trails through."
"Beautiful older sisters will come. Handsome guys too."
"Just look at Jarilo-VI and the Luofu—you've already met quite a few, haven't you?"
Xun yu ruffled Stelle's hair, earning himself an annoyed glare.
After batting his hand away, Stelle rubbed her chin and fell into thought.
Faces flashed through her mind—
—and to her surprise, she realized it really was true!
And…
Not just people she met on the journey—
There was also someone right beside her that she'd overlooked.
Stelle turned her gaze toward Welt.
"I think Uncle Yang is still quite charming too!"
Pfft—
Welt, who had been sipping tea while watching the show, spat it out immediately.
"Cough—cough—!"
"Well, when you put it that way… experienced men often do have a unique charm."
"But Stelle, Uncle Yang is married. You don't really have a chance."
Stelle: "???"
"That's not what I meant—hey!"
"All right, no need to explain. Explaining is just covering up, and covering up means it's true."
Xun yu and Stelle chased each other laughing toward the party car…
"Young people really are full of energy."
"Yeah… sigh."
"Don't sigh so much, Welt. I think Stelle's right—you really are quite charming."
Himeko's teasing made Welt stiffen awkwardly.
"Haha~ All right, I'll stop. Want some coffee?"
"Uh… no, I think I'll go for a walk."
Seeing the coffee Himeko handed over, Welt fled the Express as if escaping.
Himeko shook her head regretfully.
Honestly, this cup was different from before—it was the good kind…
She sighed softly. Everyone seemed to have formed a fixed impression of her coffee.
In truth, she'd only wanted to try something new back then.
Well… oh well~
She pressed a button, transforming the observation car into a movie theater, stretched lazily, and started watching a film.
Meanwhile, on the Xianzhou, a white-haired woman encountered a handsome blond man.
"..."
Jingliu looked at the halo behind Luocha's head, feeling puzzled.
But she didn't dwell on it—perhaps it was just his personal aesthetic?
"Have you finished what you needed to do?"
"Not yet. There are still people I need to meet, and things I must do."
Jingliu shook her head.
"…Are you sure the Luofu's Cloud Knight General will listen to us?"
He carried remnants of Propagation, and had come to the Xianzhou hoping to borrow the power of The Hunt to accomplish the deed of slaying a god.
And the first step was meeting the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance.
"He will."
Jingliu offered no explanation, and Luocha didn't press further.
After all, they were companions striving toward the same goal.
Their brief meeting ended there.
Jingliu turned and headed toward the Astral Express—
—and Luocha…
Whether by deliberate guidance or sheer fate,
He moved in Welt's direction.
In response, Xun yu and Aha gave a thumbs-up.
Plan successful.