Xiao Xi and March 7th chatted over tea about the Aeons. Since March 7th wasn't used to plain green tea, they also bought some milk tea from a street stall.
Just then, Himeko suddenly sent a message.
(Himeko): Xiao Xi, are you free right now? If you are, sorry for the trouble, but could you come back to the train? Someone delivered an invitation for you to attend Penacony's "Charmony Festival."
(Xiao Xi): The Charmony Festival? Got it, Himeko. I'll get ready and head back right away.
(Himeko): (Pom-Pom nods)
Xiao Xi put down her phone. "March, Himeko needs me for something. I have to go back to the train, so I can't keep shopping with you for now."
"That's okay." March 7th waved her hand. "Taking care of things on the train is more important. Go ahead."
Astral Express—Parlor Car
"Himeko, I'm back." Xiao Xi smiled at her.
"Welcome back. You had a great time on the Luofu, didn't you?"
"Mm-hmm. The food and architecture on the Luofu Xianzhou were both wonderful. They had a distinctive style unique to the Luofu." Xiao Xi had visited plenty of places these past few days, so she could talk about them at length.
"Although there are still some lingering consequences on the Luofu Xianzhou, they're minor issues now. And Dan Heng has worked through a lot of what was troubling him, too. Everyone gained a lot from the trip."
"That's a relief." Himeko listened quietly as Xiao Xi spoke.
"Oh, I got so caught up listening that I almost forgot why I came back. This is an invitation sent to you by Penacony."
"Come to think of it, hadn't the Astral Express Crew already received an invitation to the Charmony Festival? Why did they send me one separately?"
"I thought it was a little strange, too. But this invitation isn't for Xiao Xi as a member of the Astral Express Crew. It's for the Emanator of the Aeon of Hope—the mortal representative of the Aeon of Hope, 'Xi.'"
"How should I put it? It's a little odd, but it's not entirely unreasonable. That's why I wanted you to take a look first." As she spoke, Himeko handed over the invitation.
"I see. All right, I'll take a look—ah!"
The invitation was exquisitely made. It was clear that the people who prepared it had put a lot of care into it.
But the moment Xiao Xi saw the writing on the cover, her smile vanished.
She gripped the invitation tightly. Her expression turned unusually dark, the first time since she'd awakened.
Himeko quickly noticed that something was wrong. She placed a hand over Xiao Xi's fingers, concern unmistakable in her voice. "Xiao Xi, are you okay? I'm sorry. It brought back something awful, didn't it? You don't have to read it if you don't want to. Whatever Penacony's intentions are, the Astral Express Crew won't be afraid..."
"No, Big Sister Himeko." Xiao Xi shook her head and nestled closer into Himeko's embrace. "You know about my past. You know about the Moon Sky Planet that was... destroyed."
Xiao Xi lifted the invitation in her hand. "The Moon Sky Planet was destroyed long ago. Its language, its writing, and so many other things disappeared completely. I thought I was the last person who still remembered them. But the language and grammar used in this invitation came from the Moon Sky Planet."
"If I didn't know it was impossible, I'd think the person who wrote this invitation was a survivor from the Moon Sky Planet. Penacony is provoking me this way, trying to goad me into attending the Charmony Festival."