『 [ The answer isn't what matters. What matters is what we can gain from other people's answers… right? ]
March 7th seemed to understand what Himeko meant.
[ Yes, that is Trailblaze. ]
Himeko nodded solemnly. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Mavuika: "Miss Himeko truly lives up to her title as the Navigator of the Astral Express."
Mavuika: "Her understanding of the Path of Trailblaze is remarkably profound."
Mavuika: "But in those few words, I also sense the flavor of inheritance."
Himeko: "Indeed. The Path of Trailblaze is also an expression of inheritance."
Himeko: "It is precisely because countless Nameless have gone forward one after another, fearlessly linking the stars, that the spirit of Trailblaze has been continuously passed down."
Himeko: "This is why, even though the Path of Trailblaze once fell to rock bottom, the train crashed, and the silver rails were broken…"
Himeko: "The Path of Trailblaze was still never severed."
Himeko: "Simply because the spirit of Trailblaze has long been branded into the hearts of countless living beings as the silver rails expanded."
Himeko: "Therefore, we yearn for the starry sky, and therefore, we walk upon the Path of Trailblaze!"
Pam: "Well said, pam!"
Pam: "To be able to say such words, Passenger Himeko will surely become a legendary Navigator of this generation!"
March 7th: "Hey, in that case, this lady here is a legendary crew member of the legendary Navigator!"
Stelle: "Tsk, what's so good about being a crew member?"
Stelle: "I want to be the legendary Conductor!"
Stelle: "Uh… never mind, I won't snatch the Conductor's spot."
Stelle: "I'll just be the Akivili of the new era!"
Stelle: "Only that matches my grand ambitions!"
Madam Herta: "Diagnosed with: played too much Simulated Universe."
Madam Herta: "But no matter how powerful you are in the Simulated Universe, it's fake, not real."
Stelle: "Impossible!"
Stelle: "If I'm Akivili in the Simulated Universe, then I'm Akivili outside too!"
Stelle: "Just you wait. Once I ascend to the throne of the Aeon of Trailblaze, the universe will welcome a true Era of Trailblaze!"
Hotaru: "Mhm, mhm, I believe in you!"
Silver Wolf: "Hotaru, you dummy, can you not just believe everything?!"
....
『 [ …Mhm. ]
[ Sorry, sorry, making the atmosphere so heavy—Dan Heng, quick, tell a bad joke to lighten the mood! ]
Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere around them, March 7th quickly put on a smile and cracked a joke.
Seeing this, Dan Heng could only shake his head helplessly.
[ Thinking ahead is never a bad thing. ]
[ One day, we will all have to face farewells. ]
Welt spoke up.
[ But before that, we still have a long road to walk together. ]
Dan Heng followed.
[ Yeah, so the most important thing right now is to bring everything we saw and heard in Penacony back to the Conductor. ]
[ And then get ready to set off for the next stop of our Trailblaze. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "We're leaving, we're leaving."
Stelle: "I declare that the journey to Penacony has officially come to an end!"
March 7th: "Eh, wait, it feels like there are still people we haven't said goodbye to."
March 7th: "What about Miss Robin and the others?"
Qingque: "Looking at you guys, you probably already said goodbye to them before coming to Dreamflux Reef."
Qingque: "This is the final stop."
Furina de Fontaine: "Then only Miss Acheron is left."
Furina de Fontaine: "Speaking of which, where did Miss Acheron go?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Wasn't she nearby just now?"
....
『 [ Time to head back to the Express… Or, I can say a final goodbye to Acheron. ]
Stelle thought for a moment, temporarily parting from her companions, and prepared to look for Acheron to say a final farewell.
A moment later, she found Acheron by the railing.
[ Do you remember when we first arrived in Penacony? ]
[ At that time, no one would have thought our journeys would intersect in this manner. ]
Seeing Stelle walk over, Acheron spoke first.
[ Speaking of which, who exactly are you? ]
Even now, Stelle did not know Acheron's specific details.
[ Now that you mention it, I haven't even given you a formal self-introduction… ]
[ To put it simply, I am a Self-Annihilator cursed by the Nihility. ]
[ My homeland suffered a catastrophic disaster long ago, and the entire world perished under THEIR shadow. ]
[ To fight against the end of self-annihilation, I embarked on a journey to find a way to sever the Nihility. ]
[ And after a long search, I am certain that my destination lies deep within the dark web that separates reality and Nihility. ]
[ There lies hidden the secret known as the Device IX. ]
[ One day, I'll reach it. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Oh my god, Sister Acheron is still so badass!"
Stelle: "She actually found a way to sever the Nihility?"
March 7th: "The Device IX??"
March 7th: "That sounds incredibly mysterious just by the name!"
Furina de Fontaine: "The question is, is that really a place one can enter?"
Hu Tao: "It must be extremely difficult to enter, otherwise Miss Acheron would have gone in long ago."
Madam Herta: "If Self-Annihilators could all be as ridiculous as her, then maybe the Nihility really would be beaten to a pulp."
Hotaru: "Miss Acheron's will is stronger than ever."
Hotaru: "I believe that in the end, she will definitely get what she wishes for."
Acheron: "Thank you for your blessings."
Acheron: "I know how difficult what I am doing is."
Acheron: "But I think as long as I persist, there will surely be results."
Acheron: "And if one day I can sever the existence of Nihility, perhaps at that time, everything swallowed and negated by Nihility can return to reality."
Paimon: "So, can Nihility and death actually be equated?"
Paimon: "After people die, do they enter Nihility?"
Qingque: "It feels like they can't be equated."
Qingque: "Because after a person dies, their soul isn't necessarily swallowed by Nihility."
Qingque: "In our Xianzhou, after a person dies, their soul is taken into the Ten-Lords Commission."
Lumine: "That's so magical?"
Lumine: "There's actually a place that can store souls."
Lumine: "If the soul doesn't perish like this, doesn't that mean there's still a chance to be resurrected?"
Qingque: "Uh… theoretically speaking, it should be possible."
Hanya: "Indeed, it is. My sister, as a Netherworld Judge, returned to the living world precisely by relying on an aurumaton body."
Hanya: "It is quite convenient."
Xiangling: "Wow, as expected of the Xianzhou, to have such amazing technology!"
Zhongli: "Allowing a person's soul to be reborn with the help of an aurumaton—such a method is indeed miraculous."
....
『 [ Will we meet again? ]
Stelle asked next.
[ The sea of stars is vast. As far as the destination of our journeys is concerned, I'm afraid we will hardly have another chance to cross paths. ]
[ But the path of Trailblaze is inherently full of the unknown, and my blade happens to be sharp enough to sever Paths… ]
[ As long as you and I still hold onto our original intentions of setting out, I believe that one day, we will meet again. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Raiden Ei: "A blade sharp enough to sever Paths…"
Raiden Ei: "This is the ultimate light of the blade."
Raiden Ei: "It is the goal I should pursue."
Paimon: "Is Ei going to hone her blade again?"
Yae Miko: "Alas, someone saw a wider world, and suddenly many thoughts that she never had before have cropped up in her mind."
Yae Miko: "I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing?"
Lumine: "I think it's pretty good."
Lumine: "At least everyone's horizons have been broadened."
Lumine: "No longer limited to Teyvat."
Lumine: "In that case, maybe one day, everyone can work together and break out of Teyvat?"
Venti: "Hehe, I think so too."
Venti: "Although this matter is indeed very complicated and difficult."
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Acheron is about to embark on a journey to find the secrets of Nihility."
Furina de Fontaine: "Thinking about it this way, in the future, it will indeed be very hard for Miss Stelle and the others to see Miss Acheron again, right?"
March 7th: "Our Trailblaze probably won't head towards Nihility…"
March 7th: "After all, that doesn't seem to make much sense…"
Stelle: "Not necessarily."
Stelle: "Remember that Nameless predecessor Sister Acheron mentioned before?"
Stelle: "She fearlessly launched herself into the Nihility."
Stelle: "And then turned into a puddle of stagnant water."
Stelle: "Maybe, one day in the future, we will do something similar?"
Stelle: "That way, we can probably meet Sister Acheron again."
Himeko: "Although what Stelle says is very unreasonable, just as Miss Acheron said, the path of Trailblaze is inherently full of the unknown."
Himeko: "The galaxy is vast, but as long as we don't forget each other in our hearts, there will always be a day of reunion."
Himeko: "I hope by then, Miss Acheron will have completed her wish or goal."
Mavuika: "Speaking of which… Miss Acheron didn't display her true strength from beginning to end in Penacony, did she?"
Mualani: "Miss Acheron's power is so terrifying. If she went all out, it would definitely cause incalculable consequences."
Mualani: "That's why Miss Acheron is so wary of drawing her blade."
Feixiao: "The power of Nihility…"
Feixiao: "I think if she wanted to, she could easily erase the Asdana star system."
Jiaoqiu: "Tsk, tsk, tsk, it really is ridiculously absurd!"
Boothill: "?"
Boothill: "Why the fork is everyone copying the way I talk?"
Jiaoqiu: "You know, this live broadcast room has a filter mechanism for uncivilized words."
Jiaoqiu: "And it just so happens that your language is civilized enough, yet enough to let people understand the true meaning."
Jiaoqiu: "I have to say, the person who modified your Synesthesia Beacon is truly a genius!"
Boothill: "Don't even talk about it, it's so fork-ing unlucky!"
....
『 [ I want to ask one last time, have we met somewhere before? ]
Stelle fell silent for a moment, then looked up and asked.
[ Ah… Speaking of which, I must apologize for my rudeness. ]
[ Remember when we first met? ]
[ I once said that you reminded me of an old friend. ]
[ Because of the curse of self-annihilation, my memories have been stripped away piece by piece, and the past has become blurred and chaotic. ]
[ After walking this path with you, I can be sure… ]
[ That blurry feeling back then was just an illusion. This is indeed our first time meeting. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "An illusion?"
Stelle: "I don't believe it."
Stelle: "Judging from the previous videos, Sister Acheron's feelings or intuition are terrifyingly accurate!"
Stelle: "It's impossible to truly have such an illusion for no reason."
March 7th: "Then could it be that you two have really met?"
March 7th: "After all, didn't you also lose your memories?"
March 7th: "Maybe you met before that?"
Paimon: "Ah? Miss Stelle has also lost her memories?"
Stelle: "That's nothing unusual."
Stelle: "In our Express crew, no one has a simple background."
Stelle: "Losing memories is actually very common."
Furina de Fontaine: "Haha, everyone on the Express is truly mysterious."
Acheron: "To be honest, I indeed do not remember having any intersection with Stelle."
Acheron: "Unless, in my homeland, there was also someone like her."
Acheron: "But I can't really remember well anymore…"
....
『 [ What if… it wasn't an illusion? ]
Stelle continued.
[ What do you mean? ]
[ It should be impossible for you to be related to my past… ]
[ I mean, that place is already untraceable, leaving only a void. ]
Acheron shook her head.
[ I might have also seen… someone similar to you. ]
Stelle hesitated for a moment before speaking.
[ Is that so… Do you have a similar experience? ]
[ Then you should know that I am not the same person as the her in your memories. ]
Acheron explained.
[ But some things will never change. ]
For some reason, Stelle said this as if possessed by an impulse.
[ …Haha. ]
Hearing Stelle's words, Acheron smiled warmly for the first time. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Strange, I always feel like this conversation… seems a bit off."
March 7th: "It's the first time I've seen Miss Acheron smile so happily."
March 7th: "The way she smiles is really beautiful!"
March 7th: "Hey, you must smile more in the future."
Acheron: "As a Self-Annihilator, my emotions have always been very numb."
Acheron: "Sadness, joy, worry, and other emotions do not exist for me."
Acheron: "Most of the time, what I have is only a calmness like stagnant water."
Acheron: "Yet in the conversation with Stelle, I actually smiled, contrary to my usual self."
Acheron: "It seems at that moment, I was touched by something inexplicable."
Welt Yang: "From my perspective… this conversation seems to imply something."
Welt Yang: "For some reason, I always feel that this might be related to my homeland."
Welt Yang: "But in my homeland, there indeed wasn't anyone too similar to Stelle."
Welt Yang: "Could it be my illusion?"
Hotaru: "I don't think it's an illusion. At this very moment, the conversation between them seems to have crossed the boundaries of time and space, creating an inexplicable resonance."
Hotaru: "Perhaps in some unknown time and space, two people similar to them were once close companions…"
....
『 [ …A long time ago, I was just like you, having irreplaceable companions. ]
[ We also embarked on journeys, doing our best to make the most correct choices at every right moment. ]
[ Unfortunately, we didn't welcome the correct outcome, but this scene… ]
[ Always makes me feel that they have never left. ]
[ In this universe, there are countless similar yet different worlds, and countless similar yet different people. ]
[ I have also walked alone, meeting old friends on unfamiliar planets, watching their figures overlap with my past. ]
[ In your opinion, what does this sense of familiarity mean? ]
Acheron seemed to feel something, speaking these words to Stelle.
[ Perhaps, it is the yearning for someone. ]
Stelle thought for a moment and answered.
[ Attachment, desire, yearning… they might all be correct, but they are all incomplete. ]
[ I think it is not an external thing, but comes from ourselves, a feeling that has crossed time… from a certain moment in the past. ]
[ It might be warm and happy, or it might be painful and sad. Whenever we look back at the past, we always find that what is left behind are just such tiny but unforgettable moments, and some eternally unchanging things within them… ]
[ That is a summary of our lives, the complete epitome of you and me in this period of time… the proof of how far we've come. ]
[ Within them, we glimpse our own essence, and thus... we truly 'exist.' ] 』
『 ....』