In the Name of the World. (Part 2)

If coffee was ruled out, then this young old man's heart had suffered a tremendous shock.

What a revelation—immortals stood in rows as thick as hemp.

Welt no longer thought what happened before had been a dream.

How could he still not be awake after drinking coffee?

Could it have been the Herrscher of Sentience? But the Herrscher of Sentience was a lady... And a Bloodsin Spirit version of the Herrscher of Sentience, no less? Was it a God Key? Then what were all these explosions and flames before his eyes...?

You had to be from the Anti-Matter Legion, right? Right?

But it was not all bad news. That was—

"Don't panic. Maybe the Masked Fools did all of this! There's someone on this planet claiming to be a former Masked Fool!"

Welt smiled in relief, and his words startled Pom-Pom into jumping three feet into the air.

"What? It was the Masked Fools...? Where's the conductor's broom? If any Masked Fool dares board the train, Pom-Pom will definitely poke him hard in the butt!"

Pom-Pom immediately set down the coffee it had been unable to bring itself to drink and got incredibly excited.

Excited was good. Everyone being excited was good.

"I need to see him!"

Welt could no longer sit still. It was not just because of the coffee as he sent Dan Heng a message.

The Astral Express team had arrived at Jarilo-VI in a landing pod, so naturally they would return the same way.

Well, Fang Jie had driven the landing pod away.

Whether he could drive it was unimportant. It had autopilot, and the destination was locked in.

Arriving at the next stop—

The Astral Express.

The speed had been too fast for there to be much of an experience, but when the Astral Express, docked upon the galactic Star Rail, appeared before his eyes...

Fang Jie was ten—no, nine—parts delighted.

He took the lead, stepping onto the train. This was one small step for Fang Jie, yet one giant leap for Fang Jie.

Boarding the train!

What song should he play?

Before he could decide, a fluffy creature with two long ears and a uniform approached him. Seeing it in person truly was better than hearing about it a hundred times, and it really was delightful.

The conductor—Pom-Pom!

Pom-Pom gripped a broom, its tone unfriendly. "Hey, you! That's right, I mean you! You dimwitted guy, you're a Masked Fool, aren't you?"

For some reason, an imposing aura made Fang Jie raise his hands, as though Pom-Pom held not a broom, but an invincible divine spear pointed directly at his butt.

"A Masked Fool? I'm not. I didn't do anything."

He defended his innocence with utter conviction. "I'm a Nameless."

"Huh?"

Even Pom-Pom was stunned. "Then welcome? You think that's what Pom-Pom, the conductor, is going to say? No! Listen up, kid. Even though anyone who boards the train is a passenger, and every passenger aboard has some secrets they can't tell, Pom-Pom is the conductor here! Don't think you can pass yourself off as one of us just by acting familiar. The conductor will never let a single Masked Fool get away."

What a dignified conductor.

But me... a Masked Fool?

That left Fang Jie scratching his head. Which bastard was trying to ruin his reputation?

At that moment, an elegant, refined voice came from nearby, easing Fang Jie's awkwardness.

"Don't be nervous. Pom-Pom may look like this, but the conductor has always welcomed new passengers. It is quite interested in you."

There was no need to wonder who the bastard was anymore. Fang Jie turned his head and saw... Himeko.

The same vivid rose-red hair, like flames, yet far more elegant. Golden ornaments embellished it, adding a touch of splendor and nobility. She wore a modified gray-black navigator's uniform over a pure white, high-slit formal dress. Her graceful bearing was as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Compared to Murata Himeko, who burned her life like Houkai, the Himeko of the train was more elegant. Both were equally beautiful, passionate, noble, and had chosen to walk toward the stars.

He said nothing, yet it felt as though he had said something.

"Your gaze reminds me of... Hmm, never mind. Welcome aboard the Astral Express. You're Fang Jie, right? Dan Heng told me about you."

Himeko smiled softly and turned back with dignified gentleness. "Welt, he's here."

She stepped aside, revealing a gray-haired, stern "young man" seated behind his coffee, hands clasped beneath his chin, his glasses gleaming.

"..."

Welt said nothing. He only stared at Rin.

Corruption?

Then where was her Honkai energy reaction?

And Yae Sakura. This person... he had never seen her with his own eyes. She had died in the Great Eruption in Chang Kong City, then become Theresa's stigmata.

That stigmata reaction was certainly genuine.

And the most genuine of all was you—Fang Jie. This Jizo Mitama was far too freshly forged!

"..."

Welt remained silent. At last, he looked at Fang Jie, staring so intensely that Fang Jie thought... Old Yang's reaction was not right.

He greeted him. "Mr. Welt?"

Welt said, "..."

He continued, "Joachim?"

Joachim said, "..."

He tried again. "Old Yang?"

Old Yang said, "..."

The atmosphere grew rather heavy. Mainly because Welt's seriousness kept rising, and he remained silent, completely unlike Fang Jie's easygoing, cheerful nature that would not have seemed out of place even mixed in with March 7th and Stelle.

The sense of relief at being home practically overflowed from him. He was far too familiar with the place.

Before the awkwardness could continue, Himeko stepped forward. "Welcome to both of you as well. If you run into any problems aboard the train, feel free to come find me."

Himeko did not fully understand what had happened over there, but she knew who the problem lay with. At a time like this, she should—

"I'll show you around the train. That should have been the conductor's responsibility, so consider it me overstepping my duties."

Rin and Yae Sakura had no objections.

The former had sensed the terror of this train. Fortunately, Akivili, the Trailblaze Aeon, was not currently aboard the Astral Express.

As for the latter...

Where was this?

Yae Sakura's confusion was replaced by even greater confusion. Fang Jie had never said they were going into the heavens when he took her away. They had passed through the "Netherworld," swept clean of demons and monsters, crossed a frozen snowfield devoid of life, and finally entered a strange "building"... before ascending into the sky.

So this was what the sky looked like?

Because of the Synesthesia Beacon, she could understand the conversations of the people from the sky. And because everyone she had met apart from Pom-Pom looked more human than she did, Yae Sakura found it even harder to understand.

The conductor, Pom-Pom, whose duty had been usurped, also had something to say. "That's right, passengers. Welcome aboard the Astral Express. If there's anything you want to ask, just come to the conductor. But remember this: since you chose to board, you must follow the rules here. You aren't the only special ones in this galaxy, which means no one is special. Make sure you remember that."

It would not let Himeko keep overstepping her duties and joined her in welcoming the newcomers.

That left only Welt and Fang Jie here.

Fang Jie found Welt's expression strange. After pondering for a moment, he cautiously asked, "It's our first meeting, and also long time no see—at least from my perspective, Mr. Welt. But your expression... You seem to know me?"

Were we from the same world?

Did I do something to you later on?

What an exciting setup!

At last, Welt broke his silence too.

"Yes, I know you, Fang Jie. But why do I know you?"

Welt nodded, then shook his head. Honestly, he was a little confused.

As he watched Fang Jie, his memories seemed to split into two different lives. One had continued uninterrupted to this very moment, while the other... had abruptly ended yesterday.

The greatest difference was that the one in which Fang Jie existed was still unfinished, continuing toward the future...

But was it a parallel timeline, a fusion, or a replacement?

Had his memories been manipulated, or was it...

Welt's mind was a tangled mess. Even with his usually unwavering will, suddenly encountering something like this—

Fang Jie could not see Welt's memories. He could only see his expression.

This was bad. Very bad.

He trusted Welt deeply, acknowledging both his character and ability. As for himself... well, he trusted himself too.

But it was like thinking your friend had kidney deficiency and taking him to see a doctor, only to watch the doctor's expression change by stages—

Stage one: the smile vanished.

Stage two: repeated pulse-taking, brows deeply furrowed.

Stage three: the doctor began flipping through books.

Stage four: unable to find the book, the doctor began calling for someone.

Stage five: even that person was unsure, so they began calling for an old traditional physician with graying hair.

Stage six: the old physician began flipping through books.

Stage seven: the old physician began flipping through bamboo slips.

Stage eight: you appeared in the books.

Welt took a deep breath, finally adjusted his mindset, and asked, "Hello, Fang Jie, correct? May I ask... are you a Pathstrider of Finality?"

Having never heard of anything like this, Welt could only think of Aeons.

"Why do you ask? I probably am not."

Fang Jie had thought it was because he had told Dan Heng about his "second playthrough," so he answered earnestly.

"After all, that place was somewhere no Aeon had ever set foot, whether Nihility or Finality."

Not just Honkai 3—there had also been the Second Honkai eruption.

Aeons were supreme, but they had limits too.

The universe was too vast. Even for Aeons, distance was an objective reality they could only gaze toward and never reach. At the very least, Trailblaze had never gone to Amphoreus.

"Probably."

Welt did not like that answer, but many times, that was the only answer people could get for the moment.

"Then, is it Memory?"

Fang Jie still shook his head, looking proud. "I'm a Self-Annihilator. Recently, I've become compatible with Destruction, and I'm planning to develop toward becoming a Nameless."

Setting aside what exactly he was so proud of, Welt frowned. "A Self-Annihilator? Aren't you a Bloodsin Spirit?"

"..."

Fang Jie nearly blurted out, "Huh?" Who was spreading rumors? He had already fallen into the shadow of Nihility—did they have to kick him while he was down too?

His smile abruptly disappeared. Looking at Welt's gradually calming expression, he found no trace of a joke.

"?"

No, you...

Even more questions arose.

Welt realized something as well. "This is only the word of a former Masked Fool. It may not necessarily be true."