Honkai, Survive

Fang Jie was quite despicable, and he offered the milk tea again. "There, there, good child. Go back to sleep."

The Stellaron Spirit was also easy to bribe. It happily took several cans of Fang Jie's tree sap milk tea and skipped away.

It felt like Bronya had been exchanged, but it was Seele who was exchanged for.

After coaxing the Stellaron Spirit away, Fang Jie continued to look at Yae Sakura. "So, to continue our previous topic, Miss Yae Sakura, welcome to a new world. And, if you don't plan to stay, I can send you back to your original world."

Rin's mouth moved, but she didn't say anything more.

If Fang Jie respected Yae Sakura's choice, then she was... conflicted.

"Go back."

Yae Sakura's eyes were vacant. Where could she possibly go back to?

Five hundred years had passed. The demon fox that had entangled her for five hundred years seemed to have found a new destination, no longer tormenting each other, sharing and feeling each other's hatred and loathing. She could go back...

She couldn't go back.

Yae Sakura lowered her eyebrows. "My lord, may I ask a question?"

Fang Jie sighed. "Please speak."

"Kallen..."

As expected.

"The Saintess you knew passed away five hundred years ago."

Fang Jie was concise. Seeing Yae Sakura's darkening eyes and Rin's gloomy expression, he didn't elaborate.

"Five hundred years..."

Time rolled on, making one feel powerless. Determination, courage, love, and hatred would all sour and twist in the long river of time, becoming so unrecognizable that even one's own self would feel like a stranger.

"If you don't know what to do for a while, just stay here and get to know the world again."

Seeing her like this, Fang Jie suggested.

Rin wanted to say something but stopped. Even though her feelings were complicated and inevitably bitter, she felt that it was better not to suggest this galaxy for a fresh start. She knew Fang Jie's intentions were good, but the fact that he was suggesting it was wrong in itself.

Fang Jie also realized this. Frankly, he didn't really want Yae Sakura to stay. [Nihility] was harmful.

"Or, I can send you back. Seek revenge for your grievances, repay your grudges. The person who killed that Saintess is still alive."

"My lord, in your opinion, am I someone who needs hatred to live?"

Yae Sakura's tone was mournful as she looked at Fang Jie and Rin, who was hiding behind him.

Rin subconsciously averted her gaze, then glared back, her expression stiff and cold.

What are you looking at? I saved you, traitor!

Fang Jie shifted his position to block her, just as he had blocked the Stellaron Spirit from touching it. "Sorry, I just feel that people always need goals, even if it's hatred, especially when they have nowhere to go."

Fang Jie understood this very well. Now he had a goal, and he wasn't even afraid of going to the second Honkai Impact game in the future.

"Goals?"

Yae Sakura had no goals, only confusion.

Life and death were trivial matters to her. Her life had lost all meaning, and she could actively seek death at any moment. If it wasn't Theresa, there was Kiana, or Himeko... Oh, Rin had already preemptively disabled this aspect of her Herrscher powers, so she couldn't become a Saint.

"If you can't think of any goals, I need you. Are you willing to come with me?"

Fang Jie proposed again.

Yae Sakura was a little surprised. "Is this... an invitation?"

She thought this man had already invited Rin, so what else did he need her for?

"Yes. I won't be in this world forever. One day, I will take Rin back to do something important. During this process, I must be wary of many things, especially Otto, the man who killed the Saintess and wants to revive her. Please help me keep an eye on her."

Fang Jie was very candid. This was also why he had driven away the Stellaron Spirit. The child was too young to hear about adult schemes.

Dan Heng agreed that he had done the right thing.

"Revive?"

He wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but Natasha's clinic really didn't have good conditions.

And you guys, who are not fox people, not Suiyang, nor dragons, can you please stop casually touching taboos.

Dan Heng had to step forward and be the spoiler, disrupting the atmosphere. "Mr. Welt contacted me. He wants... to meet you all."

As he spoke, Dan Heng added.

"If possible, could you please set off as soon as possible? Tomorrow, perhaps? I apologize, this is rather sudden, but I could tell that when Mr. Welt said this, he seemed calm on the surface, but he was actually very anxious. If Himeko hadn't stopped him, he probably would have rushed down by now."

The usually calm Welt was rarely like this.

However, it wasn't Welt's request to urgently invite Fang Jie and his group; it was Dan Heng who cared deeply about this matter and rushed over as soon as he received the message.

Welt always paid attention to others but never asked about his affairs. Dan Heng could also do this for him.

This was the meaning of companionship. They would care about you and value you.

So, tomorrow?

Fang Jie said with a serious expression, "I have plans tomorrow, let's go now, Rin—hey, get in the car with me."

Dan Heng, you've come at the perfect time!

Fang Jie wouldn't be polite now.

Ps: Why is the weather still getting colder? Is this still March? What the heck is happening, I'm about to cry O(╥﹏╥)O.

Chapter 33: In the Name of the World.

A long, or perhaps short, time ago.

Himeko was preparing coffee, meticulously roasting coffee beans with a single-molecule saw, along with... ingredients that were difficult to describe in human language. It wasn't that humans couldn't describe them, but rather that humans found it hard to admit they still fit the original understanding of those materials, crafting a world-shattering cup of coffee.

Pom-Pom had already slipped away.

Welt adjusted his glasses and had also retreated to another carriage, gazing at the frozen planet below.

"I wonder if everyone's exploration is going smoothly?"

Frankly, he was a little worried.

After all, March 7th was a given, a super March.

And that Star that had just boarded the Astral Express was no… well, she was practically molded from the same clay as March 7th.

Dan Heng must be exploring intensely right now.

"It's fine, Jarilo-VI is a small planet, and there are no Emissary-level Imaginary reactions. What trouble could they possibly encounter that they can't handle?"

Welt reassured himself.

His anxiety stemmed from some recent strange dreams, about three days ago.

In his dream, he seemed to have returned to his days of lurking, no, teaching and nurturing, at St. Freya Academy. He recalled those equally young children, vivid and lifelike, their faces and voices still clear in his memory.

But dreams differed from reality. Before reaching the final moments of despair and hope, Kiana had just entered St. Freya Academy, and Welt vaguely heard Kiana mention someone who didn't exist in reality.

—Fang Jie.

It was strange. No matter how illogical dreams were, there was no reason for such a change. Could it be a premonition of something bad?

Welt had seen too many incomprehensible things in the galaxy to be bothered by this.

"Perhaps I'm just homesick."

With a wry smile, Welt steeled his resolve. He absolutely couldn't be found by Himeko and invited to taste her coffee—maybe drinking too much coffee was causing the strange dreams.

"Beep, beep."

At that moment, his phone chimed with a notification.

'Himeko: Welt, hurry to the observation car. Jarilo-VI is experiencing abnormal changes. There's an entity with an extremely strong Imaginary reaction, and its intensity is still increasing. If it continues at this rate, this planet will be ignited...'

'Welt: On my way!'

Striding purposefully, Welt was practically using warp within the Astral Express.

The Realm Anchor was a great help to the Nameless Ones, but it had distance limitations. To warp on a galactic scale... it was better to rely on the train.

He arrived at the observation car, where Himeko and Pom-Pom were both watching the frozen planet with grave expressions.

"Look, it's burning, but the Imaginary reaction has stopped increasing. Moreover, the impact and intensity don't match; frankly, it's a bit inefficient."

It was a spectacle visible even from the vastness of space, snow burning, thunder resounding in the sky, and a storm approaching.

But no matter what the intention was, it was far too inefficient.

"What is burning here?"

It didn't look 'natural' at all, especially with the rampant Imaginary reactions.

Of course, there were no reactions from Dan Heng and the others, so they probably weren't fighting.

"Are the locals doing something?"

Welt guessed.

"Perhaps. No need to rush, I'll contact them. You have a cup of coffee first, and the Train Conductor shouldn't run off either."

A bead of cold sweat immediately dripped from Pom-Pom and Welt's foreheads as they quickly found excuses.

"Ah, Pom, Himeko, I just remembered I have some work..."

"The Train Conductor has worked hard, please rest."

"It's not about deliberately not contacting them to give the youngsters some room to grow..."

"Circumstances change."

Himeko smiled charmingly, sharing her proud masterpiece.

They could drink together amidst the brilliant fireworks and savor the beauty.

"Himeko, you've worked hard too. I'll handle contacting them."

Welt stiffly took the coffee and frantically fumbled with his phone, as if checking messages but actually trying to contact Dan Heng.

Pick up, pick up, pick up!

As if hearing the call, Dan Heng reliably received the message. Welt didn't want him to interrupt their communication too quickly, and uncharacteristically, he patiently asked in advance about their trailblazing...

It's only been a few days, what could there possibly be to trailblaze.

There is, Mr. Welt, there is.

Dan Heng shared with him a series of familiar news from his homeland, and news from places they hadn't visited, bombarding him with it all...

As Welt read, he couldn't help but feel a bit lost, confused, and unable to understand why the words were so impactful. He felt like a fool, even though he had saved the world before; now he was senile...

No, I'm still young.

At least my mind is clear.

So.

"?"

Lost in thought, Welt picked up his coffee and habitually took a sip.

This habit that he couldn't get used to at all, perhaps that's what habit is.

Welt's expression grew increasingly serious as he reconfirmed, "Dan Heng, are you saying that the Herrscher of Corruption from fifty thousand years ago arrived in the galaxy, specifically asking to see me? And she's accompanied by an unconscious Yae Sakura, and someone named... Fang Jie? I mean, Dan Heng, are you sober?"

"Mr. Welt, we did encounter the Masked Fools, but I am very clear-headed. From what I saw and heard, we also met the following locals on this planet: Cocolia, Bronya, Seele..."

There were photos as proof, letting facts speak for themselves.

Dan Heng was actually meticulous.

Welt silently drank all his coffee, which also made Himeko look serious.

"What's wrong, is their trailblazing not going smoothly?"

"Haha, it's going quite smoothly. Jarilo-VI doesn't have any major problems, everything is normal. It's just Cocolia betraying us, issuing a warrant for Bronya, encountering... and Seele, hahahaha, I knew it. There's also a Honkai energy reaction, even a Herrscher, and a... Bloodsin Spirit certified by the Masked Fools?"

Dan Heng's report was accompanied by pictures, with March 7th helpfully providing photos. It was all real and believable, not just a case of similar names, causing Welt's mouth to twitch incessantly.