"Sorry for the trouble, Xiao Xi. Could you make the trip?" Welt nodded.
"Remember to check on Dan Heng. Ever since that Stellaron Hunter named Blade appeared, Dan Heng's been in a really bad state of mind. He's had several nightmares already." Stelle sounded worried.
"Don't worry. I'll get it done. I'll bring Dan Heng a cup of Luofu's local specialty, Floating Goat Milk, while I'm at it. Something sweet is good for your health." Xiao Xi smiled and promised them. "All right, I'm off. See you in a bit."
A flash of Golden Flame, and Xiao Xi was gone.
"Wow, I'm so jealous of Xiao Xi's teleportation ability! She can go anywhere she wants with just a quick teleport. Oh, right, when we split up, how will Xiao Xi find us when she comes back?" March 7th suddenly thought of a question.
"As an Emanator of the Aeon of [Hope], Xiao Xi can sense the blessings she's placed on you, so there's no need to worry about her being unable to find us," Welt explained.
"Since someone's already gone to notify the train, we should start planning how to capture the Stellaron Hunters. Miss Gu Yu, could you take us to Stargazer Navalia?"
"Of course. Leave it to me. I'll also notify the Cloud Knights to set up a defense at Stargazer Navalia. This time, we'll make sure to bring those vicious criminals to justice," Gu Yu said briskly.
While the Astral Express Crew headed to Stargazer Navalia to look for Kafka, Xiao Xi had already safely boarded the train.
"Miss Himeko, it's been a long time!" Xiao Xi smiled and waved to Himeko.
"And Dan Heng... Wait, is Dan Heng not here?" Xiao Xi looked around, confused.
"It's Xiao Xi! What brings you back all of a sudden? Is there something you need to tell us?" Himeko was somewhat surprised to see her.
"As for Dan Heng, after what happened with Blade, he was worried about your safety, so he got off the train ahead of you to meet up with everyone."
"Ah, we just missed each other by chance?" Xiao Xi scratched her head and explained, "Because of the Stellaron's influence, all the long-range communication devices on the Luofu Xianzhou have lost their signal."
"We had no choice but to split up for now. I came back to the train to report what we'd learned, while everyone else continued the Trailblaze journey. I never expected us to end up split into four groups!"
That was right. Counting Himeko, who'd stayed on the train; Dan Heng, who'd gotten off alone; Xiao Xi, who'd come back to report; and Welt and the others, who'd gone to capture the Stellaron Hunters...
The Astral Express Crew had been divided into four neat groups by one mishap after another. It was almost as if someone had deliberately arranged it.
"Perhaps no one did it on purpose. Maybe things simply fell into place." In response to Xiao Xi's guess, Himeko offered a different perspective. "Have you heard of Elio, the leader of the Stellaron Hunters?"
"Elio?"
"Yes. Out in the sea of stars, he has another title: 'Slave of Destiny.' In short, he can see fate and the possible futures of an event, then choose the one he wants most," Himeko explained in detail.
"So there's a good chance the Stellaron Hunters are following the script their leader gave them, steering fate toward the outcome they want." Xiao Xi had more or less understood the situation.