After seeing off the researchers who had come to bid them farewell, Pomeranian began making an announcement over the broadcast.
"Dear passengers, the Express is about to depart the space station and will enter the Stellar Rail in approximately three minutes, pa."
"New passengers, please note: once the Express enters the Stellar Rail, it will enter warp mode. Please hold tightly onto nearby fixed objects to avoid falling due to the vibrations and weightlessness caused by the warp, pa."
"The Express's next stop is Jarilo-VI."
After a brief silence, when Pomeranian's voice sounded again, an intense sensation of weightlessness suddenly struck him, accompanied by a brief tightness in his chest and a feeling of suffocation.
By the time he recovered, Herta Space Station had already vanished from the universe outside. In its place were streak after streak of flowing golden phantoms too fast for dynamic vision to catch.
When the scenery he could perceive gradually became clear, a planet appeared before his eyes, roughly eighty percent of its surface covered in ice and snow.
"This is Jarilo-VI. According to the records preserved in the Express's database, it should have been a highly habitable planet with an excellent ecosystem thousands of years ago."
Himeko had somehow come to stand beside him. She was so close that he could smell the shampoo in her hair, carrying a faint, slightly astringent lavender scent that suited this mature beauty perfectly. With a warm and elegant smile on her face, she spoke softly.
"The navigation station has been confirmed to no longer exist. Based on previous cases, it is most likely another Stellaron."
"No need to say 'most likely.' Just say there's definitely a Stellaron."
Shirou Emiya did not bother speaking in riddles and directly continued from Himeko's words.
"There is indeed a Stellaron on Jarilo-VI, and it has plagued the planet for centuries, perhaps even millennia. However, none of the other Stellaron Hunters were involved with your Jarilo-VI."
"Is that so?"
The Navigator nodded. After thinking for a moment, she asked again.
"Are you interested in taking these young people on their first Trailblaze Journey?"
"I think it would be more exciting if old Yang led the team."
"What do you mean?"
"One of his beloved students is down there. Of course, she is an alternate-universe counterpart. Hmm... she could also be considered a student of your alternate-universe counterpart."
"Oh?"
Himeko raised her delicate brows and immediately laughed. A woman who was so open and poised was always especially charming when she laughed. Perhaps because he had dealt too often with Aoko and Touko—adult women with mature bodies but childish, willful minds—Mr. Emiya actually felt a slight flutter in his heart upon encountering a different kind.
Elegant.
Poised and gracious.
Never lacking in manners.
She was a woman who could truly be a mother.
Well... most importantly, she did not drink excessively.
Thinking of Himeko from the Honkai Impact 3rd World next door, Shirou Emiya could not help smiling again. He continued.
"Bronya Rand, the adopted daughter of Jarilo-VI's current Supreme Guardian and the next Supreme Guardian. In Welt's hometown, his successor is also named Bronya. That Bronya once attended St. Freya Academy as well, and Himeko was a teacher there."
"Different worlds, yet the same appearances and even similar names. The boundless universe truly brings endless surprises."
The Navigator tilted her head up slightly. A rare, pure, delighted smile like that of a child appeared on her bright features, as though she had finally touched a toy she had long yearned for.
Himeko's emotion points +55
...What generosity!
This was true magnanimity!
Magnificent! No further seasoning required!
She only immersed herself in her excitement for a moment. When Pomeranian emerged from the Express's cockpit, Himeko gradually recovered.
After Pomeranian reached the middle of the carriage and gathered everyone there, he quickly explained the situation to the Express crew.
"The Stellar Rail Space stability reading is below 12, pa. The planned seven-day stop has been changed to an indefinite stay, pa."
"What does that mean?"
As a complete newcomer, Little Grey Hair immediately asked the question.
"Another Stellaron has probably appeared."
Dan Heng calmly replied.
"The appearance of a Stellaron is accompanied by the emergence of abnormal spaces called Fragmentum, which disrupt the stability of Stellar Rail Space. In addition... Stellarons also create Fragmentum creatures. The Antimatter Legion seems to have some connection with Stellarons. Wherever Fragmentum creatures exist, the Antimatter Legion will inevitably be present as well."
"You can think of it as an ordinary train track breaking, or even a hole opening beneath it. Countless monsters crawl out of that hole, continually expanding the broken section of track."
"Got it. Time to use my invincible bat to teach those monsters how to lay tracks for us."
Although Miss Asta kept a cold little cat face on the surface, her eyes revealed an eager, restless excitement. After showing off her skills in the space station, she seemed to have become very fond of smashing things with a bat.
What could a child who had only been born for a few days possibly understand?
Children only instinctively imitate the people they see. Following March 7th, she became a parrot. Following Dan Heng, she became expressionless. In the end, because of Nanook, she turned into a destructive maniac!
So it was all Nanook's fault!
"Welt, are you interested in leading the team?"
Himeko looked toward Welt, a hint of amusement in her beautiful eyes. She did not explicitly mention that Welt would meet an old acquaintance here. If he agreed to lead the team, asking March 7th and the others to take a few pictures later would probably be very interesting. On the other hand... if Welt refused to lead the team, then when he encountered his acquaintance down there... perhaps that would be even more interesting.
"Let the young people go and explore on their own this time."
Although they had remained at the space station for quite a long time, the impact Shirou Emiya's appearance had brought him was not something he could recover from in a short time. It was also a good opportunity for the younger ones to gain experience, so Welt simply waved his hand.
"Shirou should be free. With him there, there should not be too many problems unless a Lord of Annihilation personally intervenes."
"Oh, right... I should do this now."
As Welt spoke, he seemed to recall something belatedly. He turned to Shirou Emiya and spoke seriously.
"Shirou, I would like to commission you to lead these young people on this Trailblaze expedition."
You have received a new commission!
Seeing the message appear in the system notification window, Mr. Emiya smiled. Just as he was about to say something gracious in reply, Himeko suddenly smiled at him as well.
"In that case, I also have a commission for you, Shirou."
"When you meet the children you mentioned... remember to take pictures, okay?"
You have received a new commission!
You Express crew really are my true family!
Oh! This Damn Translationese. (3/4)
A task that took a long time and offered mediocre rewards would usually leave people with little motivation to complete it.
But suppose that, along the way, you could easily finish several side quests and receive quite a few additional rewards.
Then quite a few people would probably find their motivation to act.
For Mr. Emiya, taking on two jobs that could be completed in the same process, while also digging up other side quests on this new map as he completed those commissions...
It could not be called a win-win, because that only meant winning twice.
As for Mr. Emiya's upcoming situation, it was better described by that old saying about the First Emperor touching an electric wire...
He was winning so hard he went numb.
"Although I already knew from up there that it would probably be an icy wasteland, I didn't expect it to be this thoroughly untouched."
Standing atop the snowy plain, all they could see was a barren, endless expanse of white. Protected by the Path of Trailblaze, everyone possessed basic resistance to heat and cold, but the thermometer brought down from the Express had its needle rapidly swing downward the instant they stepped onto the snowfield. It fell to around minus twenty degrees Celsius and was still dropping.
"In a constantly low-temperature environment, small birds, insects, and similar creatures have almost no room to survive or reproduce."
Dan Heng checked the equipment and instruments he carried with him, frowning slightly.
"Only marsupials and mammals with thick fur, as well as certain reptiles with low survival requirements, might be able to survive."
"Herbivores dependent on grassland vegetation are almost certainly impossible to sustain. Carnivores would probably only have food by killing one another... The animals on this planet should all be highly aggressive."
"They're only ordinary animals. Even if a bear came, this young lady could take them down one arrow at a time."
"Try not to harm wild animals proactively."
Dan Heng put away his equipment, then added.
"This planet's ecosystem may have been affected by the Stellaron. Once the Stellaron is removed, the planet's normal ecology may recover, and these animals could become the foundation of the entire planetary ecosystem."
"According to the records, human civilization exists on this planet. If that civilization has survived, our priority is to find a human settlement."
"And once we resolve the Stellaron, the surviving animals will most likely become rare species that the remaining human civilization needs to protect. March... you haven't forgotten that time you accidentally shot a protected animal on another planet and ended up wanted, have you?"
"Fine, fine."
Little Pink Hair's enthusiasm to show off was dampened, and even the ahoge on top of her head drooped slightly. Miss Asta slowly approached March 7th from behind and muttered in a low voice.
"March, it isn't a crime if nobody finds out."
"Teacher Dan Heng! Someone is luring this young lady into committing crimes!"
"...Mr. Emiya, please keep them under control."
Cold-faced Little Azure Dragon rubbed his forehead with a headache. March 7th alone was already hard enough to deal with, and now there was Miss Asta fanning the flames. When those two got together, they were like dry wood and raging fire, enough to scorch their little brains into shriveled charcoal.
"Dan Heng, Dan Heng, what exactly did I do to make you disrespect me so much that you won't even call me a handsome god?"
"..."
The heavyweight was still here!
Cold-faced Little Azure Dragon suddenly had the urge to turn around and crawl straight back onto the Express. Looking at the man's bright, hearty smile, he let out a sigh that sounded almost mournful.
"Mr. Emiya, please act normal."
"Why so serious, Dan Heng?"
Shirou Emiya watched March 7th and Miss Asta charge ahead like elementary school children on a spring outing, leaving the group behind. He smiled lightly as he spoke.
"Everyone has the freedom to enjoy a journey in their own way. When I was a child, I would get excited just from finding a straight branch, then use it to flatten an entire field of rapeseed flowers before Grandpa picked me up and beat me."
"They may make mistakes, but finding joy and learning lessons from those mistakes is how they grow. Growth should not come only with restraints, limits, scolding, and control. Since Welt and Himeko asked me to accompany you, my mission is to let you enjoy this Trailblaze Journey to the fullest, not to make you follow behind me as mere spectators."
"Dan Heng, sometimes you do not need to carry such a heavy burden. Just do what you want to do and what you believe is right. The same applies to them."
"You are the protagonists of this journey. Like Himeko and Welt, I will only step in before you make a serious mistake, or clean up the trouble for you at the end."
After patting Dan Heng's shoulder, Shirou Emiya smiled and passed him, chasing after March 7th and Miss Asta ahead. Dan Heng watched the three figures recede into the distance and fell silent for a long time. For some reason... another scene appeared before his eyes.
"Bai..."
As though he had seen someone's shadow in March 7th, he could not help murmuring softly. An indescribable stirring rose from the heart in his chest.
"That person... was..."
"Found us a mode of transportation, everyone. This shape is just perfect. He wants me to stand on him and ski."
In the endless ice and snow, Mr. Emiya had somehow found a vehicle buried deep in a snowbank. Without hesitation, he dug it out and stepped on it.
"Perfect, absolutely perfect. The feeling of stepping on flesh is incredibly realistic."
"Is it possible that he really is Mahito?"
Miss March 7th raised the question with the rigor of a researcher.
"There is no need for realism. What you're stepping on is actual flesh."
"Is that so?"
Mr. Emiya turned his questioning gaze toward his dear little sister. His dear little sister seemed to understand what he meant and gave a very serious answer.
"Whether shoes are comfortable is something only the feet can answer. The same goes for transportation. Just tell me, is it comfortable to stand on?"
"It's okay."
"What do you mean, 'okay'?! Can't old Sampo's back, tempered through countless trials, be rated as an unparalleled, peerless back?"
The skateboard beneath his feet voiced its objection as well. As though trying to prove itself, "it" began struggling desperately.
"Your bones are too hard. They hurt my feet."
"Oh! My new friend, that evaluation truly breaks old Sampo's heart. I swear, if it weren't for the fact that you rescued me from the snowbank, I would definitely go to the Silvermane Guards and report you viciously right now."
Before you continue