"I'm already looking forward to the journey ahead!"
"What's this song called? Please tell me!"
"It sounds so good! It feels like it has such a story behind it!"
"Where's the full version? Why is there only this part?!"
"Oh my god, my blood is pumping! I want to board the Star Rail Express and become a Nameless too!"
"Wake up, you don't have a Stellaron inside you!"
The people aboard the train were equally captivated by the perfect scene.
"Is that person in the footage you?"
"Probably... though we didn't have background music back then."
"Wow, Himeko, Himeko! Does our train's phonograph have this song? It sounds so good!"
Himeko smiled softly.
"Of course. This piece is called Embark on the Journey, and it was added to our phonograph some time ago. It really does fit the story."
As Himeko boarded the train, a voice suddenly came from below.
[Hey! I'm talking to you!]
The tiny conductor, Pam, looked up at the passenger who had just boarded the train.
[You look completely clueless. Yes, I mean you.]
"Ah, it's Conductor Pam!"
When Pam heard March 7th's voice beside him, he was about to look up, only for March 7th to scoop him up in one arm. March 7th was seriously strong!
"Look, look, Conductor! You're in this too!"
"I see it, I see it, Pam! Passenger, put me down!"
The Pam in the story was explaining a few simple matters to Himeko. Perhaps because he wanted to maintain a conductor's dignity in front of the new passenger, Pam looked adorably fierce.
"Conductor, you look so cool when you're serious!"
Himeko teased Pam as she looked at him being held up, making his face flush slightly. In the end, he merely gave a soft huff and said nothing.
After controlling the protagonist to look around the train, Lao Mu returned to Pam and spoke with him again.
[You came back so quickly? I was just being polite, Pam... What is it?]
Several dialogue options appeared.
[How do I get to March 7th's room?]
[Dan Heng's room...]
[Come to think of it, is that... a phonograph?]
Lao Mu immediately revealed a meaningful smile.
"Oh my, I just got on the train and I don't even know which room I'm staying in. Looking at this option, don't tell me I'm going to share a room with March 7th? That would be so inappropriate!"
It also set off a wave of Barrage comments.
"Holy shit, there's something this good? You can share a room with March 7th?"
"I smell the sweet fragrance of lilies!"
"Let me clarify first, I'm not gay. I just genuinely want to see where Dan Heng's room is!"
"Thanks for the airplane gift from someone still trying to talk tough!"
"Master swordsman!"
To the Dim Star
After boarding the train, Lao Mu took the curious viewers around to look at everything.
After all, this was the Star Rail Express. If ordinary people stayed on a single fixed planet, they might never see in their entire lives this miraculous train that traveled through the void and sailed across the universe!
But when he reached March 7th's door on the train, Lao Mu began to hesitate.
Judging by the game's current state, many places were basically identical to reality. Would March 7th's room in front of him be the same as her real room?
He had talked about sharing a room, but now that he was actually standing at the door, Lao Mu wondered whether entering a girl's room like this was really appropriate.
What if he saw some... uh... things that were inconvenient to look at? Would that damage Miss March 7th's reputation?
Probably not, right? After all, the Star Rail Express seemed to have been processed for the game as well. Its interior space was clearly much larger than what appeared in the game.
But when March 7th saw this scene aboard the train, she cried out in alarm.
"What's wrong?"
"Is there something in your room that's inconvenient to show? Should I contact this streamer right now?"
Dan Heng and Himeko both looked at March 7th, but her next sentence left them speechless.
"I never make my bed when I get up! It must be a total mess if he goes in now! Oh no, oh no, this young lady's cute-girl image is going to shatter!"
Once Lao Mu entered the room, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, nothing strange appeared. If anything, it was extremely tidy.
Other than the usual desks, chairs, and bed, the room was covered wall to wall in photographs. March 7th clearly loved taking pictures.
After casually wandering around the train for a while, Pam's voice came over the train's broadcast system.
[(Hello—hello—) Attention, all passengers. Attention, all passengers. The train is about to Warp. Please proceed to the Warp Hall immediately.]
"Looks like we're finally heading to the next map!"
Although he wanted to continue with the Main Story, Lao Mu checked the time. He had already been streaming for nearly four System Hours, and it was almost two in the morning.
He had originally planned to stop here for today and grind it all day tomorrow, but when he looked at the viewer count, it had already climbed to around ten million!
Previously, even after streaming all day, he would only reach two or three million at most. Now, he had hit ten million in just four System Hours. Lao Mu was reluctant to end the stream!
After wrestling with it for a while, Lao Mu decided to do one more side quest!
He opened the game's message interface. During the Main Story, messages from NPCs had kept coming in, so they were probably side quests.
After looking through the list, Lao Mu ultimately selected a message from a Space Station staff member named Rocky.
The other person's personal signature was incredibly cheesy: Leslie, the light of my life.
However, the message he had sent made no sense.
Rocky: [Lily, are you okay? Why aren't you replying to my messages?]
When they saw Lao Mu start a side quest, the Barrage comments began discussing it too.
"Is this a side quest? Why aren't you streaming the Main Story?"
"Up there, Lao Mu is about to end the stream. He's doing a side quest first."
"What's interesting about side quests? I just want to Trailblaze now!"
"Don't say that too soon. In a lot of games, side quests are more interesting!"
"But judging from that side-quest message, didn't the other person send it to the wrong person?"
"Damn, this guy's tone feels so familiar. He sounds just like one of my friends. Don't tell me he's a simp too?"
"Up there, making up a friend out of nowhere, huh?"
"Put the microphone in your mouth and tell us your story loud and clear!"
Lao Mu watched the Barrage while progressing through the quest. After he replied to the other party, Rocky seemed to realize he had messaged the wrong person and sent another message.
Rocky: [Sorry—but whoever you are, if you run into Lily, please tell her that Rocky will be waiting for you.]
Himeko: [So who is Lily?]
There was no reply. After exiting the message interface, a blue quest-tracking icon appeared. Following it, Lao Mu successfully found the Space Station staff member named Rocky.
Rocky: [Witty? No, something more heartfelt would be better. Elegant? Hmm, slang shouldn't go into poetry. Should I use this here, or...? Ugh, my scalp is tingling...]
He looked a little out of it. After speaking with him, Rocky explained that he was currently writing poetry—love poems for a girl named Leslie.
However, he had written many versions, and Leslie had never replied to Rocky's letters.
Just as Lao Mu was about to ask who Leslie was, the old man Bernard beside them spoke first.
Bernard: [Heh, Leslie is a star staff member—the only visiting scholar of this Amber Era to travel to the Abundance Star Domain. You think she has time to pay attention to you?]
Rocky: [Of course she has time for me! Ever since Leslie left, we've stayed in touch on and off through the Galactic Wave Repeater. Even separated by tens of thousands of light-years, she wouldn't ignore me. She didn't reply on time only because this time is special!]
At this point, the Barrage comments began flooding in.
"No way, does this kid actually have a chance with Leslie?"
"Bro, she was just politely replying to a few messages. Don't tell me you think she likes you because of that?"
"Come back to the goblin cave with me!"
"Average-looking guy, so creepy!"
Rocky: [I... I wrote Leslie a letter confessing my feelings. Unlike before, when I only told her how many kinds of rocks and mud there were in the Department of Geology...]
"Holy shit, you actually talked to a girl about rocks and mud? You really are a genius!"
"I underestimated his confidence. He actually confessed straight up in a letter!"
"If this works out, I'll immediately spend ten 6480 packs on this game. Consider it witnessing true love!"
"Big bro, do you need a boyfriend? If not, a girlfriend works too!"
Rocky in the story looked deeply troubled. He could not understand why Leslie had stopped responding after his confession.
In the following conversation, Rocky mentioned the keyword [Stellar Quake].
Rocky: [You have no idea how happy she sounded in that reply! Even the repeater's signal was happy!]
Rocky: [In short, there was absolutely no sign that she would reject my confession. So if I don't receive her message at the agreed time... then there must be something wrong with the Galactic Wave Repeater!]
As they watched Rocky confidently describe all sorts of details about their everyday interactions, the Barrage began to waver.
"No, looking at it this way, why do these two feel like they actually get along really well?"
"Yeah! If they can even keep a conversation going about rocks, could this really be love?"
"Details don't lie. I think these two might actually have a chance!"
"Oh no, why is my nose turning red?"
"So I was the clown all along!"
It's Stable! Everything's Stable!
Seeing that things were about to take a turn, Lao Mu followed the story and prepared to help Rocky check what was wrong with the repeater.
However, the old man Bernard kept obstructing him, going on about how Rocky was neglecting proper work, but in the end, he could not persuade Rocky otherwise.
Rocky: [If we successfully restore our communication, I'll definitely repay you—I'll ask you to be a bridesmaid someday!]
"Holy shit, you little punk! Fine, fine! I'll be waiting!"
The Barrage comments were fired up by Rocky's words as well.
"Good! I approve of this marriage!"
"Carrying the name of pure love, you absolutely cannot lose!"
"Even though this feels unreliable, he asked me to be a bridesmaid!"
"You brat, if I find out you've got a problem later, I'll take a Galactic rideshare to Herta Space Station and deal with you in person!"
The story dialogue temporarily ended. Lao Mu noticed a collectible item on the nearby table, and after clicking it, three unsent love poems appeared before him.
[Herta Love Poem Part 1]
[Lily, my Lily.]
[How did I come to love you?]
[The hem of your white dress,]
Before you continue