Chapter Summaries

Bronya, Seele, and the Express crew searched for the Stellaron after Seele persuaded Bronya not to send Silvermane Guards ahead. They found Cocolia unconscious inside a trash can, leaving Bronya and Seele to get her out.

• Kiana called out Serval's concern for Cocolia, and the others asked Seele to persuade Bronya to reconsider her search plans.
• Seele urged Bronya not to waste resources, and Bronya apologized and agreed to change course.
• Kiana questioned whether she would sacrifice a world for one person, then teased March 7th about romance.
• Bronya chose to travel with Seele and members of the Express crew while Serval stayed behind in Belobog.
• The group followed clues toward Everwinter Peak, and Kiana suggested that Stelle check a clean trash can for the Stellaron.
• Stelle opened the trash can, where the group found Cocolia unconscious; Bronya identified her as her mother.

Kiana and the others reached the Creation Platform, where they discovered that the Cocolia traveling with them was an impostor and the Stellaron struck Kiana. Kiana awoke on the Path Narrow, where Aha revealed that he had prevented her from choosing a Path and invited her to choose among several Aeons’ Paths.

• March 7th stopped Kiana from sending a group-chat message about Cocolia emerging from a trash can.
• Bronya and Seele argued over whether to return or continue toward the Creation Platform, then continued after Cocolia woke up.
• Kiana tested whether her flirtatious instincts still worked by teasing March 7th and telling her she liked her face.
• At the Creation Platform, the group encountered another Cocolia, and the Cocolia who had been with them vanished as the Stellaron attacked Stelle.
• Stelle struck the Stellaron with her bat, sending it into Kiana and knocking her unconscious.
• Aha told Kiana that he had secretly kept her from stepping onto a Path and offered her a choice, while Nanook tried to recruit her for Destruction.

Kiana chose the Path of Abundance and used Aha’s power to unleash Heavenly Fire against the Stellaron’s Creation Engine, helping the group defeat it. After the battle, the survivors rescued Cocolia, and Kiana’s confusing claims about her identity left Cocolia bewildered just as Serval arrived.

• Kiana chose Abundance and accepted Aha’s temporary help without becoming his Envoy.
• The Stellaron’s incarnation attacked with the Creation Engine, and Aha gave Kiana the power to fight back.
• Kiana invoked Heavenly Fire and melted the Creation Engine’s arm, but the power quickly vanished and Seele caught her.
• Stelle gained the Preservation Path and led the group to victory, while Bronya mourned Cocolia before realizing her mother was still alive.
• Kiana recovered and tried to ease the awkwardness by confusing Cocolia with claims about being her future daughter.
• Serval arrived and heard Kiana’s claims.

After the Stellaron crisis, Bronya took over as Supreme Guardian and began reforms while Cocolia stepped down. At a farewell banquet, Kiana embarrassed Bronya with an old speech and revealed her ginger dish contained no potatoes before the Express crew left Jarilo-VI.

• Cocolia resigned as Supreme Guardian, and Bronya accepted the position and began addressing Belobog’s problems.
• Bronya and Seele pledged to build a better future for Belobog, while Cocolia joined Serval at the Mechanical House to study equipment.
• Kiana invited Sampo to the celebration banquet and served shredded ginger as a prank, prompting him to eat quickly for the promised gifts.
• Cocolia and Serval performed a song, and Bronya told a childhood story before Kiana projected an old speech that embarrassed her.
• Kiana gave out gifts and revealed that she had forgotten to add potatoes to the ginger dish, leaving Seele to shout after her.
• The Express crew departed Jarilo-VI after the banquet.

After returning to the train, Kiana and March 7th’s bathroom teasing ended in a misunderstanding, while their companions heard about the trip and examined the souvenirs. Kiana accidentally gave March 7th an unwanted chest enhancement, and the chapter ended with the group discovering old wanted posters among the Belobog keepsakes.

• Dan Heng reported the data he had collected, and Kiana and March 7th bickered in the bathroom after Kiana gave March 7th a frozen drink.
• Stelle interrupted them to relay Pom-Pom’s dinner summons, and March 7th later explained the incident to Himeko before Kiana apologized.
• After dinner, March 7th showed off photos of Jarilo-VI and asked Kiana to make her grow; Kiana’s wish gave March 7th a large chest.
• Pom-Pom misunderstood Kiana’s reference to steamed buns, and March 7th’s new chest enhancement caused two buns to fall from her clothes.
• Kiana showed the group a revealing book she had brought back, then produced other Belobog souvenirs and wanted posters that Himeko asked about.

After returning to the train, Kiana and March 7th bathed together, but March 7th fainted from the heat and steam. Kiana cared for her and made sour plum juice, leaving March 7th resting in bed as the night ended.

• Stelle showed Himeko a trash can filled with mechanical parts as her souvenir from Belobog.
• Kafka and Silver Wolf read Kiana’s message and learned that Stelle had become attached to a trash can.
• March 7th invited Kiana to bathe with her, and Kiana accidentally fell face-first into the bathtub.
• March 7th fainted after soaking too long in the overheated bathroom, so Kiana carried her out and checked her condition.
• Kiana made sour plum juice for March 7th, who woke up and changed into pajamas.
• Kiana warned March 7th not to tempt fate, gave her warm sour plum juice, and left a note on the refrigerator.

March 7th recovered from her illness while Kiana cared for her, and the Astral Express prepared to change course for Xianzhou after Kafka contacted the crew. March 7th and Kiana rejoined the others, whose strange expressions hinted that the next journey held an unwelcome encounter.

• Kiana cared for March 7th as she recovered, feeding her grapes and checking that her fever had passed.
• March 7th got dressed and invited Kiana to join the others for their new Trailblazing journey.
• Kiana found that the chibi Silver Wolf graffiti had disappeared and opened her room door without trouble.
• March 7th and Kiana arrived in the parlor car, where the crew reacted to their return with strange expressions.

The Express crew voted to answer the Xianzhou Luofu’s distress, and Welt joined the expedition after Kiana panicked at Himeko mentioning a “final lesson.” On the Luofu, the crew found injured Cloud Knights and learned that their comrades and Tingyun were farther ahead, where the danger of mara awaited.

• The Express crew voted to travel to the Xianzhou, and Dan Heng chose to stay behind while Welt agreed to lead the expedition.
• Welt told Himeko that Kiana had PTSD related to a final lesson, and the train left Jarilo-VI as Bronya and Seele said goodbye.
• The Express arrived at the Luofu without a docking permit and entered to investigate the possible crisis.
• Kiana treated injured Cloud Knights along the route, while Welt urged her to be gentler with her first aid.
• A Cloud Knight warned the crew that long-life species who fell into mara could not be cured and said their comrades and Tingyun were farther ahead.
• The Cloud Knight abruptly fell into mara in front of the group.

Kiana and her companions rescued Tingyun from Mara-struck soldiers and escorted her toward the ferry terminal. Tingyun recognized Kiana as someone the general had been waiting for, while Kiana remained suspicious of her identity and ended the chapter comparing Tingyun’s ears to fox ears.

• Kiana’s healing failed to restore the Mara-struck woman, and the group continued along the route until they found Tingyun facing three Mara-struck soldiers.
• March 7th and the others defeated the soldiers, and Tingyun thanked them before introducing herself as a trade envoy for the Luofu Ship Lord’s Department.
• Tingyun recognized Kiana and said the general had been waiting for her, but Kiana admitted she did not know the general.
• Tingyun led the group toward the ferry terminal, where Kiana stared at her fluffy tail and twitching ears.
• After Tingyun asked whether something was wrong with her tail or ears, Kiana blurted out that fox ears were supposed to be long.

Kiana and the Express crew arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu, where Kiana’s strange power briefly transformed Fox Clan ears into donkey ears and caused chaos. Jing Yuan summoned Kiana, while Yukong rejected the rest of the crew’s offer to help until Jing Yuan intervened; Tingyun then guided them onward, warning them not to confuse the general’s name.

• Kiana sketched fox ears, and Tingyun briefly saw her own ears turn into donkey ears before they returned to normal.
• Kiana asked whether a Star Destroyer license could qualify her to pilot a Star Skiff, leaving Tingyun confused, while Asta wondered if Kiana missed her.
• Ouyang taped Kiana’s mouth shut, but the crew found the Star Skiff Haven Central Harbor in chaos after Fox Clan ears across the Luofu briefly became donkey ears.
• Tingyun brought Kiana to Yukong, who relayed Jing Yuan’s request to meet her, while Yukong later refused to let the Express crew help with the Stellaron crisis until Jing Yuan appeared by projection.
• Kiana wondered if Jing Yuan wanted her to take his position, and Tingyun later corrected March 7th when she called him Jing Yuan Yuan.

Jing Yuan Yuan struggled to prove she was Jing Yuan while the Express crew and Fu Xuan mistook her for a child or the General’s daughter. After meeting with Kiana privately, she heard Kiana claim the Luofu’s future looked bleak and ask to examine its future Supreme Diviner.

• Jing Yuan Yuan tried to convince Fu Xuan, Tingyun, March 7th, and the others that she was Jing Yuan, while Fu Xuan guessed she was his daughter.
• Bailu reported the change in the Fox Clan, then left as the group joked about child labor; Fu Xuan departed after taunting Jing Yuan Yuan and offering to replace her.
• Jing Yuan Yuan arranged lodging for the Express crew and asked Kiana to stay behind for a private discussion under Lord of the Bow’s decree.
• Kiana assumed Jing Yuan Yuan wanted to resign and make her General, then said the Luofu’s future looked pitch-black.
• Kiana pointed to Fu Xuan’s habits as evidence and asked Jing Yuan Yuan whether she wanted to see the future Supreme Diviner.

Kiana declined Lan’s offer to become his envoy and toured the Luofu with her companions and Tingyun, where she used chocolate to confirm Tingyun was genuine. The group later visited a clothing shop, where the tailor discreetly offered March 7th padding after taking her measurements.

• Kiana declined becoming Lan’s envoy and chose to remain free of the Xianzhou Alliance’s obligations.
• Kiana reunited with her companions and Tingyun, then explored the Luofu with them.
• Kiana bought candied haws and secretly added chocolate to Tingyun’s portion, confirming that Tingyun was not Phantylia when she became ill.
• Tingyun helped Ouyang buy Guinaifen’s records at a discounted price and offered the group free tailored clothes.
• The tailor measured Kiana and March 7th, then privately offered March 7th padding.

Kafka kidnapped Kiana and brought her to a hideout, where Kiana confronted Silver Wolf over a promise Silver Wolf had made aboard the train. Kafka teased Kiana about wanting her to warm her bed, while March 7th and Welt discovered Kiana had vanished from the inn.

• Kafka injected Kiana with a sedative, carried her from the inn, and took her to a prepared hideout.
• Kiana woke beside Silver Wolf and attacked her, pinning her down and drawing little turtles on her with a marker.
• Silver Wolf explained that she had promised Kiana Kafka as a reward, and Kafka used Spirit Whisper to make Silver Wolf speak properly.
• Kafka asked Kiana whether she wanted her to warm her bed or had feelings for her.
• March 7th, Stelle, and Welt found Kiana's room empty, and March 7th feared she had been kidnapped.

Kafka explained her plan to Kiana, then learned that the Luofu’s general had become Jing Yuan Yuan and asked Elio whether it was in his script. While Kiana and Silver Wolf played a game, Silver Wolf discovered Kiana’s mysterious Masked Fools mask, and Kiana realized Aha had been manipulating events for amusement.

• Kafka told Kiana that she had arranged clues and cut communications to draw the Express crew and the Cloud-Piercer Five into her plan.
• Kiana showed Kafka a photo of Jing Yuan Yuan, and Kafka messaged Elio to ask whether the general’s transformation was in his script.
• Kiana gave Silver Wolf a game, and Silver Wolf cursed Herta and Cocolia after seeing Bronya’s story turn dark.
• Silver Wolf found the mask Kiana had brought from Belobog and recognized the power of the Masked Fools within it.
• Kiana concluded that Aha had interfered with her fate and made her a target of the other Aeons’ interest while Aha watched and laughed.

Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Kiana went out together after Kiana transformed into a child. They encountered Guinaifen performing a stone-smashing act with Sushang, and Kiana helped Guinaifen wake her up.

• Kafka returned with snacks and drinks, then learned from Silver Wolf and Kiana about the mask and worried about Kiana’s presence on the Express.
• Kafka tried to take Kiana for a stroll, but Kiana refused to leave her game; Kiana then transformed into a small child.
• Silver Wolf found Kiana clothes that fit, and she and Kafka took her outside before briefly leaving her alone on the street.
• Guinaifen smashed a stone slab on Sushang’s chest during their performance, and the crowd panicked when Sushang appeared to faint.
• Kiana told Guinaifen to claim Sushang had scored ninety-nine on an exam, and Sushang immediately woke up asking whether she had come first.

Kiana disguised herself as a little girl named Durandal and joined Guinaifen’s street performance, while March 7th and the others failed to recognize her. After Kiana smashed the stone slab with Stelle’s baseball bat, March 7th tried to capture her with a pink sack, and Kiana fled without revealing her identity.

• Cloud Knights questioned Guinaifen after Sushang’s apparent chest-smashing stunt, but Guinaifen avoided prison and decided to perform herself.
• Kiana encountered March 7th, Tingyun, and Stelle while they chased Diting, introduced herself as Durandal, and kept her identity secret.
• Silver Wolf and Kafka watched from nearby, and Kafka said they would let the woman go because Elio had instructed them to leave her alone.
• Stelle lent Kiana her baseball bat, and Kiana smashed the stone slab on Guinaifen’s chest in a flash.
• March 7th pulled out a pink sack and stood behind Kiana, but Kiana called her a pervert and left without taking Guinaifen’s payment or explaining who she was.

Kiana remained shrunk after a day and wandered the Luofu while March 7th and Stelle returned to the hotel, where Ouyang learned that Durandal was Kiana. At the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan caught Qing Que playing cards, and Kiana introduced herself as Durandal.

• Kiana decided to wait until the next day to see if she would return to normal before using one of her chances to contact Aha.
• March 7th told Ouyang that Durandal had appeared, unsettling him, while Stelle received a message identifying Durandal as the shrunken Kiana.
• Ouyang told Stelle to share the message with March 7th, then decided not to tell her after another account sent a photo of March 7th standing behind Kiana with a pink sack.
• Kiana watched Qing Que win her card game with a last-tile Green Dragon just as Fu Xuan arrived and caught her playing during work hours.
• Fu Xuan and Qing Que noticed Kiana, and Kiana introduced herself as Durandal.

Fu Xuan took the lost little Kiana home, mistaking her for an orphan and deciding to care for her. After bathing and putting Kiana to bed, Fu Xuan imagined training her as a future successor while she stayed up late handling work.

• Qing Que and Fu Xuan met little Kiana, and Fu Xuan offered to take her home after Kiana said she had nowhere to go.
• Fu Xuan brought Kiana to her home and gave her old pajamas and clothes to wear.
• Fu Xuan helped Kiana bathe, and Kiana fell asleep beside the bathing pool.
• Fu Xuan carried Kiana to bed and privately planned to teach her and prepare her for a future in the Divination Department.
• Fu Xuan worked late into the night on the backlog of affairs, including work Jing Yuan had handed her.

Kiana dreamed that Aha had prolonged her transformation and sealed her spatial ability, while a mask near her concealed her from other Aeons. After breakfast with Fu Xuan, Kiana comforted her, and Fu Xuan leaned in and kissed Kiana’s cheek.

• Fu Xuan finished organizing her papers, went to bed beside Kiana, and held her as they slept.
• Aha told Kiana it had extended her transformation and sealed her spatial ability, while the mask concealed her from other Aeons.
• Fu Xuan woke Kiana, dressed her in a princess dress, and shared breakfast with her.
• Kiana saw Fu Xuan’s sugary breakfast, then stroked her head and comforted her by saying, “Pain, pain, fly away.”
• Fu Xuan rubbed Kiana’s head and, as Kiana’s cheeks flushed and her feet swung, leaned close and kissed her cheek.

Kiana wandered away from Fu Xuan’s home and found Qing Que playing mahjong while supposedly investigating. After Qing Que mistook Kiana for Durandal and panicked, she fled, then returned with drinks.

• March 7th suddenly sensed that someone was stealing her things, while Kiana exchanged Interastral Peace Corporation contact details with Fu Xuan as Durandal.
• Fu Xuan left to handle urgent matters, and Kiana ignored her instructions, wandered around the Luofu, and got lost.
• Kiana spotted Qing Que playing mahjong with a new Divination Department colleague and two older locals, then took a picture that startled Qing Que.
• Qing Que mistook Kiana for Durandal and pleaded with her not to report the mahjong game to Fu Xuan before fleeing to buy drinks.
• Qing Que returned with four drinks, and Kiana tried the Star Taro Bobo she gave her.