Inside the medical room on Herta Space Station, Xiao Xi had returned to normal, and Stelle, who had been unconscious earlier, had also woken up.
"Dan Heng, March, how are things on the space station? Is everyone all right?" Xiao Xi asked with some concern.
"Don't worry. The situation on the space station has basically stabilized. Asta is a very capable station chief," Dan Heng replied.
"That's good..."
While we were chatting, Himeko walked in with a black-haired, purple-eyed little girl.
Xiao Xi curiously studied the joints in the girl's hands. Given that structure, was the girl in front of her a puppet?
"Everyone, allow me to introduce Ms. Herta, the true owner of the space station. She's also the eighty-third member of the Genius Society."
Stelle and I exchanged a glance, then politely greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Herta."
"Such tiresome formalities. But I don't really care about them."
At Herta's words, Xiao Xi blinked lightly. "Ms. Herta certainly has a strong personality."
Shorter than Stelle, Herta looked up at you. "Anyway, I came here because I want you to help me with some research."
"Research?" Though she was a little puzzled, Xiao Xi, a crew member of Herta Space Station who had received help from them before, didn't take long to accept Herta's request. "I don't have a problem with it."
"Excellent. I like people who get straight to the point. Stop by my office later, and we'll run some tests." Seeing that I'd agreed, Herta nodded with satisfaction. "What about you, Stelle?"
"I..." Stelle was still hesitating. She turned to look at Xiao Xi, her eyes silently asking for her opinion.
"Stelle, you don't need to base your decision on what I choose. I agreed so quickly because I'm already a crew member of Herta Space Station. You should decide for yourself."
"I see. Then... Ms. Herta, I might need some more time to think about it," Stelle replied hesitantly.
"Understood. If you change your mind, just contact me anytime."
Ms. Herta didn't stay after getting her answer. Instead, Himeko smiled and invited us, "Xiao Xi, Stelle, would you be interested in boarding the Astral Express and joining us on the Trailblaze?"
"That's right! You two can come aboard with us, too. Then we can keep adventuring together," March 7th added excitedly as soon as Himeko finished speaking.
"There's no need to decide right away. The train still has plenty of time before it departs again. I hope you'll join us because you truly want to travel with us." Himeko's eyes held a hint of amusement as she watched Little March's excitement.
"Xiao Xi, Asta mentioned some of the concerns you might have. How about coming with me for a moment?"
Himeko led Xiao Xi to the station's platform. Through the space station's glass, the magnificent river of stars stretched into view, a glittering band winding through the endless universe.
Beautiful scenery was a wonderful remedy for a troubled mind. "Asta told me about you, Xiao Xi. She was the one who asked the train to take you aboard this time. But based on what I've observed, I think you want to come with us, too. Am I right?" Himeko asked gently.
Xiao Xi fell silent for a while before answering softly, "Yes, but I'm afraid I'll cause trouble for you. After all, I..."
"The Astral Express welcomes anyone who has the will to Trailblaze. As for trouble, to put it simply, who doesn't have a few secrets? Believe me, everyone aboard the train has secrets of their own."
"Look at it another way: perhaps you're not so unusual after all. We'll handle any trouble from the outside. What matters is what you want. Why not follow your heart?"
Himeko's gentle words eased the hesitation in Xiao Xi's heart. "All right. I accept, Ms. Himeko. From now on, I'm one of the Nameless."
"The Astral Express welcomes you aboard."
Herta's office
After discussing joining the Astral Express with Himeko, Xiao Xi didn't forget that she had to go to the office and help Herta with her research.
"Oh, you're here. Come on, stand in the middle and wait a moment. The project you're about to test is called the Simulated Universe. It's a major project created by several of us geniuses."
Herta adjusted the Simulated Universe's settings to their optimal state.
"All right, calibration complete. The experiment begins now. Xiao Xi, go in through the entrance."
Xiao Xi placed her hand on the device and felt the world spin around her. When she opened her eyes again, she was already in the station's storage zone.
"Good luck, Xiao Xi. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do." Herta's voice came through like a broadcaster's. "See that Voidranger up ahead? Just like fighting monsters in a game. You know what to do, right?"
"Don't worry." Xiao Xi answered, though she didn't know if Herta could hear her.
The golden power of the Trailblaze effortlessly crushed the enemy blocking her way. After she passed through a blue data vortex, a side event unfolded before her.
"It's an event." Herta's voice came through again. "Just touch it with your hand."
Xiao Xi reached out and touched it, but something unexpected happened. A frenzied laugh rang out from the darkness.
"Hahahaha! Come and see what Aha has found. What a tremendous joke!"
"How is this possible? The Simulated Universe doesn't have any data for this event, and judging by the energy readings..." Herta fell silent for a moment, then cried out, "This is a sliver of a real Aeon's consciousness!"
Unfortunately, Xiao Xi was face-to-face with Aha and had no time to pay attention to Herta. To Xiao Xi, the Aeon in front of her seemed like a lunatic.
"You're so mean! You actually called Aha a lunatic in your heart. [Hope] is bullying Aha! Hahaha, Aha has no dignity!"
Confronted with the Aeon of Elation, Xiao Xi was at a complete loss. Just then, her eyes gradually took on a golden hue.
"Elation, you still haven't gotten over your habit of messing with people whenever and wherever you please."
"Don't say that. It's not like Aha can help it. Your human side is just too interesting! Hahaha, I can't help teasing it."
"Besides, an Aeon splitting off their human side to preserve their memories and emotions is a once-in-the-universe kind of joke. How could Aha not come and join the fun? Hahahahaha! The new Aeons are getting more and more creative." The many masks on Aha's body grinned so widely their mouths seemed ready to split.
Even with the Aeons' timeless composure, [Hope] couldn't help being annoyed by Aha's laughter. Xi directly used the power of the Trailblaze to shatter the space, finally silencing that irritating laughter.
Outside, the Herta robot that had listened to the entire conversation between the two Aeons had completely short-circuited. In that brief span of time, nearly a dozen Herta Puppets had collapsed on the ground.
When the conversation in the Simulated Universe ended, the only Herta robot still able to move spoke in a trembling voice. "[Hope], Aeon, it's an honor to meet you."