Kafka

"Long time no see. Hehe, don't be so tense, everyone on the Astral Express. I mean no harm with this visit." A familiar voice rang out—it was Kafka, one of the Stellaron Hunters.

"Spare us the pleasantries, Kafka. What is your purpose in trespassing on the Astral Express? You are not welcome here," Himeko questioned, her tone icy and stern.

Kafka folded her black umbrella and said with a smile, "Hehe, good question. The purpose of my visit is to ask you all to... change your destination."

Faced with Kafka's probing, Himeko remained expressionless and refused the request coldly without a moment's hesitation.

"If that is why you are here, then you have come to the wrong place. The train's course will not be altered, and we have no desire to be associated with the Stellaron Hunters."

Ignoring Himeko's rejection, Kafka continued on her own accord, "Have you all heard of the Xianzhou Luofu?"

"One of the six flagships of the Xianzhou, which follows Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, and slays the abominations of Abundance across the sea of stars. That is the one you are referring to, correct?"

Standing beside Dan Heng, Xiao Xi keenly noticed that Dan Heng's demeanor shifted slightly when Kafka mentioned the Luofu. She patted his back with concern and stepped forward to cut Kafka off.

Facing Xiao Xi's concern, Dan Heng gave a subtle shake of his head to signal that he was fine.

"No matter. As expected of the Arbiter of Hope, you are truly well-informed."

Kafka's teasing words made Xiao Xi frown. She felt that there was something off about the tone Kafka used when mentioning the Arbiter of Hope, as if she knew something else entirely.

But before Xiao Xi could ponder the deeper meaning, Kafka shifted the conversation, moving the focus back to the Luofu Xianzhou.

"But I suspect you don't know that forty-five standard hours ago, a Stellaron erupted within the Luofu Xianzhou."

"You want the train to go and assist the Luofu, but if I may be blunt, if the Luofu Xianzhou cannot even handle a single Stellaron, they would not have been able to sail the cosmos for thousands of years. After all, disasters far worse than a Stellaron are not uncommon in this universe," Welt countered, shaking his head with logical reasoning.

"Furthermore, the Stellaron Hunters are hardly a benevolent organization. What is your true motive for luring the Astral Express to the Luofu?"

"Don't be so impatient. As for these questions, let me answer them one by one." Faced with Welt's interrogation, Kafka continued to smile with effortless composure.

"First, this matter is not simple. You should know of the ability of our leader, Elio. According to his observations of destiny, if you do not head to the Xianzhou, at least half of the people on the Luofu will perish in this incident."

"As for our purpose... the Xianzhou has pinned the blame for the Stellaron on us, the Stellaron Hunters. Our companion, Blade, has also been taken away by the Cloud Knights. So, isn't it already quite clear what we intend to do?"

As Kafka spoke, a projection of a man with black hair and blood-red eyes suddenly appeared beside her.

"He is..." The moment he saw the projection, Dan Heng murmured in a tone of terror, then clutched his head as if struck by a sudden migraine.

"Dan Heng! Are you alright?" Seeing that something was wrong with Dan Heng, Stelle quickly reached out to steady him.