The Female Lord Scolds the White-Haired Girl, Leaving the Astral Express Crew Afraid to Breathe

At the metal wall on the other side of the corridor.

The entire Astral Express Crew stood in a neat row, pressed against the wall.

They looked like schoolchildren caught skipping class by the principal.

Welt gripped his black cane at his side.

The heels of his dress shoes were jammed against the baseboard.

Cold sweat had soaked the back of his suit, leaving it clinging to his spine.

March 7th clamped both hands over her mouth.

She breathed as quietly as she could, letting only the faintest trickle of air escape between her fingers.

Her camera usually swung at her waist, but now she pinned it against her ribs with her elbow, terrified it might make even the slightest sound.

Xingbao had simply crouched on the floor.

She hugged her knees and buried her head deep in her arms.

She wished she could shrink into a seam in the metal floor.

The air reeked of ozone and burnt plastic, mixed with the cold wind blowing in from space.

No one dared break the oppressive silence.

A vein throbbed twice on Su Chen's forehead.

The strain of split-control mode was too much.

His mind felt as though it had been thrown into a centrifuge spinning at full speed, then violently torn in two.

One half had to maintain the Female Lord's cold divinity.

The other had to play Little Satoru Gojo's defiant spirit.

He had to finish this quickly. If he dragged it out any longer, he might have a stroke on the spot.

The Female Lord slowly turned.

The hem of her black-and-gold robe brushed across the glass-strewn floor with a faint rustle.

Her clear, amber-gold eyes swept calmly past the wreckage and over the people standing against the wall.

At last, her gaze settled on Himeko.

Himeko's back stiffened.

Her fingers tightened around the handle of the Mechanical Saw, her nails making a faint scrape against the hard plastic.

Her palms were slick with cold sweat.

The Female Lord dipped her head slightly.

It was a small gesture, but it carried an ancient, solemn courtesy.

"The Divine Court has failed to discipline its own."

Her cool, mature voice rang through the corridor.

The chill of her earlier reprimand was gone, and the pressure eased a little.

"This child has always been unruly. I apologize for the disturbance."

Himeko froze for half a second.

She hurriedly leaned the heavy Mechanical Saw against the metal wall.

She took half a step forward in her heels, then stopped awkwardly.

She waved her hands, so quickly that she looked flustered.

"It's all right. Really."

Himeko's voice was a little hoarse.

She worked her mouth into a gentle smile.

"She... the Seventh Seat helped us clear out the Antimatter Legion. The Astral Express Crew couldn't be more grateful."

Beside her, Welt held his breath.

He knew that when someone this powerful chose to be gracious, ordinary people were best off accepting it at once.

If they were foolish enough to argue, they might die without ever knowing how.

The Female Lord regarded Himeko evenly.

Not a ripple showed in her golden eyes.

"Wrong is wrong."

Her voice was measured, but left no room for argument.

"The Divine Court's rules do not permit such behavior."

She turned her head.

Her gaze landed on the white-haired girl sitting on the supply crate like a pair of heavy hammers.

"As punishment,"

the Female Lord continued, her voice echoing through the empty corridor.

"Gojo, you will accompany the Astral Express and learn from the journey."

"See how ordinary people live, and learn what 'rules' mean."

The moment she finished speaking.

Little Satoru Gojo sprang down from the metal supply crate.

Her little leather shoes struck the floor with a sharp thud.

"Huh?"

She shoved her small round sunglasses up onto her forehead.

Her large azure eyes were full of resentment and resistance.

Her cheeks puffed out with anger.

"Ride around on this junk heap?"

She pointed at the people in the corner who barely dared to breathe, her face full of disdain.

"No way! I'd be bored to death hanging around a bunch of weaklings!"

The Female Lord said nothing.

She simply stood there, watching Little Satoru Gojo.

The pressure in the corridor plunged to freezing point.

The air seemed to turn thick as glue.

A shard of glass suspended in midair suddenly dropped under the unseen force.

Crack.

It struck the alloy floor and shattered into powder.

The dark-gold Star-Piercing Spear flickered in and out of sight beside the Female Lord.

Little Satoru Gojo drew her neck in.

Most of the defiance drained from her face in an instant.

She raked her fingers through her white hair in frustration, leaving it a mess.

She kicked hard at the floor with one little shoe.

"Fine, I'll go. You don't have to glare at me."

She lowered her head and muttered under her breath.

Then she pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes, hiding her frustration.

That was brilliant, Su Chen thought, giving himself a frantic thumbs-up in his mind.

The whole thing had gone off without a hitch.

He had not only put his most troublesome, outrageously powerful Avatar aboard the Astral Express.

He had also convinced the Astral Express Crew that it was a "punishment" handed down by the Divine Court's leadership.

There was no need to get past their suspicions now. He had secured himself a legitimate cover.

Himeko stood frozen.

Let the Seventh Seat, who could conjure black holes at the drop of a hat, board the train?

Her temples throbbed, pulling her nerves taut with pain.

Taking a monster who could erase stars with her bare hands aboard the train was no different from carrying a Stellaron that could explode at any moment.

But could she refuse?

The Fourth Seat before her did not even take an Emanator of Erudition seriously.

"The Astral Express... always welcomes honored guests from the Divine Court."

Himeko took a deep breath.

She swallowed the bitterness in her mouth.

She placed her right hand over her chest, bent at the waist, and gave the most formal salute used across the stars.

The Female Lord nodded.

"Thank you for the trouble."

She said nothing more.

An intricate ring of golden light appeared on the metal floor beneath her feet.

Dense Geo energy traced an ancient geometric array across the tiles.

A pillar of golden light rose from the floor, enveloping her tall figure.

A fierce wind whipped at the hem of her black-and-gold robe.

The light flashed.

Then it vanished completely.

The corridor was empty. The figure with that overwhelming divine presence was gone.

Only wreckage remained, along with the howl of cold wind through the breach.

Su Chen immediately cut off split-control mode.

His consciousness rushed back into Little Satoru Gojo's body.

The tearing pain in his mind vanished at once.

He let out a long breath and felt alive again.

Her little legs bounced lightly on the floor twice.

With the Female Lord gone.

The invisible mountain pressing down on the Astral Express Crew finally lifted.

Welt exhaled deeply in relief.

Leaning against the wall, he pulled out a checkered handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and neck.

March 7th collapsed onto the floor.

Her chest heaved as she gulped down fresh air like a fish hauled onto land.

Xingbao got up too, brushing the dust from her pant legs.

She stole a glance at the white-haired girl kicking an empty can and did not dare speak.

The communicator at Himeko's waist suddenly rang.

"Beep, beep—"

Its red indicator light flashed rapidly.

Himeko answered.

Pom-Pom's voice, thick with its usual nasal tone, came through the speaker.

"Passenger Himeko! The radar signal outside the space station is back, pom!"

"All those scary warships are gone! The train can make the jump whenever you're ready, pom!"

Himeko looked at the wreckage strewn across the corridor.

Then she glanced at the Seventh Seat crouching on the floor, poking a ruined machine with one finger.

She raised a hand and rubbed her tense brow.

"Understood, Pom-Pom. Get the train ready to depart."

The crisis at Herta Space Station had ended in an absurd fashion.

Station director Asta arrived with several officers from the Security Department.

Seeing the clear expanse of space outside and the white-haired girl in the corridor, Asta's eyes sparkled.

After a brief exchange, Himeko politely declined Asta's warm invitation to stay.

The place was too chaotic right now.

Herta was still huddled in a corner, clutching the wrecked puppet body and muttering to herself, seemingly out of her mind.

The safest choice was to take this "time bomb" back to the train as quickly as possible.

Half an hour later.

The Astral Express, observation car.

The red velvet carpet felt soft and thick underfoot.

A gramophone in the corner played soothing classical music.

The bitter aroma of freshly ground coffee drifted through the air.

"Woooo—"

A long whistle sounded from the front of the car.

Wearing a red-and-white conductor's uniform, Pom-Pom emerged from the cab on short legs.

Its long, furry ears swung with each step.

"Jump preparations are complete! The next destination's coordinates are locked in, pom!"

Pom-Pom raised its ticket punch and announced loudly.

"All passengers, please sit tight and hold on! The train is about to depart, pom!"

Beyond the windows, the sea of stars began to stretch.

One star after another streaked past the window in dazzling streams of light.

Little Satoru Gojo did not sit in an ordinary passenger seat.

He swaggered to the center of the carriage.

With a flick of both feet, he kicked off his little leather shoes.

Then he made himself at home on the largest black leather sofa, sinking deep into it.

It was the prime spot where Himeko usually read and Welt drank tea.

Now he had claimed it for himself.

His two short, pale legs rested on the armrest, swinging back and forth.

His black high-collared uniform rubbed against the soft leather.

Dan Heng stood by the Data Bank door in the far corner of the carriage.

Holding a data pad, he watched the scene coldly.

He did not take a single step forward. His instincts told him to stay as far away from that little boy as possible.

March 7th stood nearby with a freshly poured glass of juice.

She saw someone in her favorite seat and wanted to say something.

But one look at the little boy's defiant shock of white hair made her swallow her words and slip over to another armchair.

Su Chen pulled a newly unwrapped lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

The candy clicked softly against his teeth.

He rolled over and draped himself across the back of the sofa.

He pressed his little face against the cool windowpane.

Outside, a brilliant river of stars streamed past.

"Next stop, Jarilo-VI?"

Little Satoru Gojo tilted his head.

His sunglasses slid down his nose.

His azure eyes shone with excitement, without a trace of a newcomer's reserve.

He broke into a grin.

It was the grin of someone itching to stir up trouble.

His two little fangs gleamed beneath the carriage's soft lights.

"Sounds like there'll be plenty of fun punching bags there~"