The people on the train were bound to drink Sister Himeko's coffee sooner or later!
Let me repeat that one last time.
The countdown until Himeko's coffee becomes everyone's daily beverage is speeding up!
"Delicious----!"
Amidst Himeko's satisfied smile, Shirou Emiya swallowed the bizarrely bitter coffee that tasted as though syrup and bitter melon had been fused to perfection, yet for some reason, it carried an cloyingly sweet cocoa aftertaste deep within.
But it was fine.
The price for making a brother drink this kind of coffee...
Himeko, sooner or later you would have to pay it back in other areas!
You didn't like original-flavor coffee with milk, did you? Then... you shouldn't have any complaints about drinking plain milk when the time comes!
Returning to the train from the ninja world, March 7th and Stelle acted just like two salted fish that had finished their vacation and returned to their school dorms, instantly becoming listless and devoid of energy.
After finding Pomeranian and inputting all the collected fuel into the train, Himeko began discussing plans with her regarding their upcoming departure for Penacony.
However,
just as they finalized this matter and prepared to issue the notification to everyone,
Miss Kafka made an unannounced appearance, accompanied by the sound of a violin...
The very moment this Stellaron Hunter appeared before the Express crew, Himeko's gaze swept toward Shirou Emiya's direction, and the meaning in those eyes was roughly:
Was it you, kid, who led the enemy right to our doorstep?
I've been wronged, Sister Himeko.
Shirou blinked to declare his innocence. Although he still frequently chatted with his old colleagues among the Stellaron Hunters in group chats, he really didn't mean to leak precise information about his current employer.
"Wolfie, hacking straight into the train's system like this is terribly impolite."
Uninterested in listening to how Kafka planned to bewitch everyone into heading to the Luofu Xianzhou, Shirou followed his senses and located Silver Wolf, who looked like she was leaning against the corner of a sofa playing video games.
Seeing that exquisite and cute little face, though it might sound a little impolite to say out loud, having sparred with Bronya many times, seeing Wolfie's face now gave him the instinctive urge to just walk up and plant a kiss right on it.
"Get this straight, we're interstellar terrorists here. You're asking if hacking you guys is polite? Why don't you look in the mirror and ask yourself if asking me that question is polite?"
"Isn't it?!"
"Extremely impolite! Which hacker gives you a heads-up that I'm coming in before they do dirty work?"
"Aren't we beloved family and friends, hand-and-foot sworn brothers? Can't we get a little special treatment?"
"Fine, the next time something like this happens, I'll definitely remind you so you can prepare yourself for me to mercilessly bust right in."
God damn it... It really was you stinky girl who corrupted Stelle!
Wolf cub, you've certainly learned how to lead astray.
"Destination temporarily changed from Penacony to the Luofu Xianzhou."
Reluctantly, Himeko ultimately decided to first head toward the Luofu for a warp jump. According to the other party's account, about forty system hours ago, a Stellaron had erupted aboard the Luofu Xianzhou; if it wasn't dealt with promptly, it would inevitably cause large-scale airspace pollution.
"If a Stellaron really did erupt on the Luofu Xianzhou, and if it's mishandled, the Stellaron will indeed cut off this sector of airspace once again. Jarilo-VI, which has finally managed to step onto the path of revival, might end up encountering some bad luck all over again."
"...For a wanted criminal to say a Stellaron erupted and have it actually erupt just like that feels fishy no matter how you look at it. Sister Himeko, are we really going to go and stick our noses into this? I've got a bad feeling about this, girl."
"March, the Astral Express's current mission is to restore normal transit between star systems. This is also a part of our 'Trailblaze'. When I accepted Aevium's legacy, I made a promise to Him that I would reconnect the former flight paths."
"Now, a Stellaron is about to erupt right before my eyes. If we don't go and resolve this incident, it will be tantamount to letting the roads we connected when we came here be severed."
"Exploring the unknown and the unknowable is a trailblazing act, but... the original intent of the Trailblaze has always included the courage one ought to possess when facing certain matters. To do what is known to be impossible—this spirit of adventure... is what makes a true Nameless."
Hearing Himeko's words, March fell silent for a brief moment, then took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Sister Himeko, I'm not afraid of going on adventures, but... this time, I really do have a very bad feeling about it."
"Then, on this trip to the Luofu, we will raise our vigilance a thousandfold."
With that, Himeko looked toward Welt and spoke earnestly.
"Welt, if we really encounter untreatable trouble this time, it might truly require you to go all out."
"I understand."
Welt also nodded very seriously. Should they truly encounter a terribly tricky situation, even if it meant using the Star of Eden's zeroth-rated output to cause ultra-large-scale destruction, he would safeguard the members of the Express crew at all costs.
"Pomeranian, prepare to set coordinates toward the target pointed out by the Stellaron Hunters. We must resolve this Stellaron issue."
"Since you've said so, Himeko, the Conductor will go make preparations."
During the preparations, little Grey Hair and March sidled up to Shirou to grill him for some intelligence regarding the Luofu Xianzhou.
"As for the Luofu Xianzhou, my understanding of it is extremely superficial. If you want a deep dive into its local customs and practices, our train actually has another capable individual."
"However, since you've asked, I'll answer briefly. The Luofu Xianzhou is one of the six flagship vessels under the Xianzhou Alliance, a large-scale organization that obeys the orders of the Hunt Aeon, 'Lan', to wage an unforgiving vengeance against the Abundance fiends scattered throughout the boundless sea of stars."
"Though there are only six flagships, each flagship conceals infinite grotto-heavens within. Tens of billions, or even tens of billions of Luofu people live upon them; the six Xianzhou vessels boast hundreds of billions of citizens. The locals of the Xianzhou are all blessed by the Abundance and enjoy boundless longevity, making them long-life species. Their maximum lifespan is unclear, but once they reach a certain age, they begin to suffer from various calamities. Usually, this period arrives around 650 years of age."
"Aside from the long-life species, there are also the Foxians, whose normal lifespan is around 300. Next are the immortal Dragonkin, and this group is even more heavyweight. Theoretically, they possess the rank of eternal immortality, capable of infinite reincarnation to live a second, third, or infinite lifetime."
"So, once you're up on the Xianzhou, don't go looking down on random little kids on the street. Their stated ages are enough to make them your great-great-grandmothers."
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
March uttered a few dissatisfied, negative clucks.
"I don't even know how long I spent trapped inside the Six-Phased Ice. Even though I'm still a pretty girl, my origins might actually be even more ancient than those Xianzhou folks, who knows."
"Understood. You're older than the Xianzhou. The current Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou is Hua, and a character older than Hua who uses a bow, belongs to the Ice element, and has pink hair... March 7th, it's about time you remembered your true name! Elysia of another spacetime!"
"Stelle! Why on earth does your brother have to grow a mouth?"
"Perhaps to have a chance to plug up that blessed mouth of yours?"
"Whose side are you on?!"
"Naturally, I'm on my good friend's side—provided that my good friend doesn't casually blurt out some heavily taboo vocabulary like 'rivers of blood', 'master and disciple turning against each other', or 'tearing families apart'. I don't want to hear a single one of those words from my good friend's mouth."
What do you guys take me, March 7th, for!
Too mean!
March widened her eyes in an effort to glare those two unappreciative bad guys in front of her to death...
"Speaking of which, Teacher Dan Heng still hasn't shown his face. What's the situation?"
After playing around with Stelle and Shirou for a bit, March suddenly thought of Teacher Dan Heng, who ought to have been her battle comrade. Yet even though Pomeranian had notified everyone to assemble in the head cabin, he still hadn't arrived.
Abnormal.
Far too abnormal.
A Teacher Dan Heng who was this unpunctual was just like a March 7th who started hating juice!
"Dan Heng's identity isn't suitable for visiting the Luofu."
Pondering slightly for a moment, Shirou still offered an explanation on Dan Heng's behalf.
"You may have forgotten that your name used to be Elysia, but Dan Heng hasn't forgotten what his former name was."
"On the Xianzhou, his identity is a bit awkward. To describe it best, it's like crashing a class reunion under the status of an illegal intruder where the atmosphere would be immensely awkward—plus, one of your old classmates would stubbornly cling to you and bring up your dark history from the past."
"Ew, what a disgusting description."
"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't go."
Miss Stelle shook her head firmly. It sounded like an intensely awkward situation, and she definitely didn't want to face that kind of thing.
"Forget it then, let's not go disturb Teacher Dan Heng. Shirou, this time you absolutely have to protect me. I was just reading the IPC divination in my room, and it said today is especially unsuited for getting close to fluffy things."
"Is that so? Well... I originally planned to hand them over to you guys..."
Mr. Emiya retrieved a Meowstic and a Dedenne from his inventory and, amid March's wrathful gaze, handed them directly to Stelle. The little grey-haired girl received the two cute Pokémon with a 'face full of surprise', and spoke in a sweet, affected baby voice:
"Thank you, brother."
"Stelle! You traitor!"
"Me, a traitor? Since when?"
"Right now! At this very second! You actually took those two fluffy things from that guy... Shirou, you bad guy! Bad guy! Bad guy! You deliberately took out something like this right here just to piss me off! Damn it... Even at the risk of getting stabbed, I'm going to pet them!"
At the risk of getting stabbed?
What kind of stabbing? Who's stabbing whom?
Mr. Emiya fell into deep contemplation. Actually... if he were the one wielding the blade, wouldn't it be much safer?
Two warps later, they arrived at the coordinates of the Luofu Xianzhou.
The scale of the Luofu Xianzhou was massive, reaching an unimaginable magnitude. Rather than calling it a starship, it was more like a planet moving through the sea of stars.
When the train leaped before the great gates of the Xianzhou, just by comparing it to the sheer volume of the spaceport gates, one would keenly perceive their own insignificance.
"Xianzhou Luofu, Xianzhou Luofu, please respond."
"This is the Astral Express. I repeat, this is the Astral Express crew. Our vessel has arrived in the Xianzhou airspace and requests port docking clearance."
"Welcome. Identification code: Astral Express... Connecting you to port personnel now. Please hold."
Accompanied by a series of automated AI responses, the gates of the Jade Gate abruptly swung open without warning. Both Himeko and Welt couldn't help but furrow their brows.
"It looks like something has indeed happened."
"Himeko, let Shirou and me lead them to dock at the Star-Sail Sea port first."
"Very well. Dan Heng and I will wait here for your news for a little while."
Driving the train into the Luofu's Star-Sail Sea, after parking the train securely within the port, the group disembarked onto the docks only to discover... this was a freight cargo pier rather than a passenger terminal. A massive number of shipping containers were being loaded and unloaded by overhead cranes, but bizarrely... once they stepped onto this pier, neither the port personnel nor the people who had just opened the gates for them were anywhere to be found.
"Uh-oh, ever since just now, I've had this feeling of being led around by the nose."
"This feeling of being manipulated is really uncomfortable. I have a bad feeling that some mastermind role who takes the initiative to approach us is going to pop out out of nowhere..."
March began to mutter uneasily. Mr. Emiya patted his head, feeling somewhat disinclined to play along with the original script. The Luofu Xianzhou didn't have any scenarios for unlocking a new Path; if he had enough strength, he'd be all for a round of pure, unadulterated combat...
However,
there was an Emanator in this ghost place right now,
and it was not far from their current location.
Phantom,
one of the Lords of Annihilation. Though not considered part of the most formidable combat tier, a Lord of Annihilation was a Lord of Annihilation nonetheless.
Anyone at the true Emanator tier was beyond what he could currently handle. While fighting them and ensuring his own survival was doable, swimming upstream against such a foe was still quite difficult.
"Should I just follow the plot for now, then go straight to find Jing Yuan and nab Phantom?"
Shirou was plotting evil schemes in his mind. As he continued pressing forward alongside Welt and the others, they discovered several Cloud-Knight soldiers lying on the ground, groaning in agony from severe injuries.
"Their injuries are severe, and... the Mara-struck symptoms are starting to flare up."
Crouching before these Cloud-Knight soldiers, the best course of action to win Jing Yuan's trust right now was to try breaking the Mara-struck state through some means, thereby becoming honored guests of the Xianzhou.
"'Residual Damage', 'Defilement', 'Wrath', 'Delusion', 'Apathy'..."
"Among the five symptoms of the Mara-struck, the first two are physical calamities, while the latter three are mental calamities."
"Is there a way to treat them?"
March looked at these Cloud-Knight soldiers on the ground with a hint of sympathy. Her exceptionally high capacity for empathy always made her unable to ignore such matters. All she could say was that her overly high moral standards were restricting her path toward Joy.
"Let's give it a try."
Before you continue