She's Your Mom!

As the silence stretched on, not easing even when Pom-Pom walked over to everyone, a pale blue projection suddenly appeared in the carriage.

"Long time no see, everyone aboard the Astral Express." Holding an umbrella, she raised her eyes and swept her gaze over them. "I'm Kafka."

Kafka's appearance lent a weight to the already silent atmosphere. Welt adjusted his glasses and quietly took out his cane, while Himeko folded one arm across herself, seemingly unconcerned by her arrival.

"Ah, good timing. Everyone's here." Her shoes tapped crisply against the floor as she slowly approached the middle of the group. "It seems everyone is here."

"Spare us the charming introduction, Stellaron Hunter." Himeko rubbed her fingers together, turning her wary gaze toward Kafka.

The umbrella in Kafka's hand dissolved into data. She extended her left hand, studied Himeko's face, then chuckled softly. "Himeko, right?"

Just as Kafka was about to say something else, Zhang Xiu leaned over beside Stelle, rubbing his chin.

"Oh... she's your mom, Stelle!"

"Hm...?" Stelle looked at Zhang Xiu in surprise.

March 7th's eyes widened. "What?"

Welt's mouth fell open, and surprise and doubt crossed Himeko's face. Even Kafka paused, looking toward Zhang Xiu after his startling declaration.

"I saw her create you with my own eyes back at the Space Station, so she's your mom." Zhang Xiu nodded firmly.

Those words instantly crashed Stelle's brain. Considering all the bizarre species she had seen online earlier, quite a few of which reproduced asexually, it was entirely possible!

Coupled with her trust in Zhang Xiu, she had reason to suspect that the woman before her was indeed her birth mother:

"Mom!"

"...Pfft, silly child. Still, if that's what you want to call me, I don't mind."

Just like that, Zhang Xiu instantly dispelled the solemn atmosphere, because the Astral Express Crew suddenly remembered that Yaoshi was right there with them.

Yaoshi, who was currently studying Himeko's coffee, noticed everyone looking at her and gave a gentle wave.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your gathering, but I believe that once you've heard my request, you'll understand my intrusion." Kafka tapped her right fingers against the tabletop as though playing a piano. "I'd like to ask you to-"

"-change your destination."

"Stellaron Hunter, I've seen you before, though only on the Corporation's wanted posters. That bounty was astronomical, dead or alive." Himeko no longer looked as wary as before. "Do you know how much you're wanted for?"

Kafka did not turn around, her eyes remaining on the red stamens of the flower on the table. "I don't pay much attention. The Corporation's bounties are less a mark of infamy than lavish praise."

She shifted her gaze slightly. "The higher the number, the greater the praise."

"Wow, you wanted criminals really know how to look on the bright side..." March 7th remarked pointedly.

Declining the coffee Yaoshi offered him, Zhang Xiu chuckled. "All right, all right, there's no need to be so nervous. This lady doesn't look like a bad person, and she's Stelle's mom."

"Hey, hey, that's enough! Wait, Stelle, you don't actually think she's your mom, do you?" March 7th covered her forehead in exasperation.

To her surprise, Stelle nodded resolutely. "March 7th, my mom's a good person."

Watching this unfold, Zhang Xiu nearly injured himself holding back his laughter. His right hand rested on Yaoshi's shoulder as his body shook uncontrollably.

Despite the repeated interruptions, Kafka was not angry, her expression remaining gentle. "Everyone, have you heard of the Luofu?"

That immediately caught Yaoshi's attention. After all, she knew perfectly well that the Luofu was one of the Xianzhou's six great ships, and it was also somewhere she wanted to visit.

"That Xianzhou ship is very close to you right now, just two warp jumps away."

"And forty-five system hours ago, a Stellaron... erupted aboard the Luofu." Kafka folded her arms. "A calamity out of nowhere... wouldn't you say?"

Welt, the mature man among them, spoke up as well. "Stellaron Hunter, what are you plotting...? The Xianzhou Alliance isn't as accommodating as we are."

"I don't need to explain the consequences of being targeted by [The Hunt], do I?"

"Exactly! Zhang Xiu's a Galaxy Ranger, too! If you try anything, one cloud-piercing arrow from him will summon a whole bunch of Rangers to beat you up!" March 7th gave a little huff, tilting up her petite nose.

Hearing March 7th reveal the identity he had previously fabricated, Zhang Xiu coughed a few times but did not deny it.

Himeko soothed Pom-Pom with her right hand. "Get to the point, Kafka. What do you want to do?"

"Hm... It's simple. This Stellaron has nothing to do with us, but the Xianzhou has pinned the blame on the Stellaron Hunters;

my companion Blade was taken away by the Cloud Knights. I want to bring him back, resolve this Stellaron crisis, and clear our names."

The next moment, the projection of a man with long navy-blue hair appeared in the carriage. His eyes were blood-red, and he wore a black coat, a cold severity lurking beneath his impassive expression.

"Nothing to do with you? Who'd believe that? How could it be such a coincidence that you showed up right after the Stellaron erupted?" March 7th planted both hands on her hips. "Besides, we're not exactly friends. We don't even know for sure if you're Stelle's mom."

Beside her, Stelle also set aside her joking attitude. "Maybe we could do the Stellaron Hunters a favor."

"No! The Xianzhou is so powerful-surely it can handle one Stellaron! We're the Astral Express Crew, not professional Stellaron troubleshooters!"

"Of course, you can stay out of it." With a wave of her hand, Kafka dismissed Blade's projection. "But if you don't go to the Luofu, the Stellaron will eventually contaminate the entire Xianzhou ship, and roughly half of the people aboard will die..."

"I think you may have misunderstood something..." Welt did not respond to her words. "Yaoshi is now one of the Nameless. If she's discovered, the Astral Express will immediately become a major enemy of the Xianzhou."

"It might even... draw the gaze of the Aeon of [The Hunt]."

"I'm aware." Kafka nodded. "Here are the coordinates. The decision is entirely yours."

Before leaving, she looked at Stelle and Zhang Xiu one last time. "Though the goals we pursue are completely different, the orbits of the stars will eventually intersect. Goodbye."

The next moment, her projection vanished, and Pom-Pom stepped out from behind Himeko.

Everyone exchanged glances, and Yaoshi realized it was time for her to speak. "Set your minds at ease, everyone. I can assume myriad forms. Moreover, this is not my true body. The Xianzhou will have no way of detecting me and will merely regard me as someone in cosplay."

"Whoa, honey, you even know about cosplay now?" Zhang Xiu blinked, though he also felt this was within his expectations.

"The Xianzhou couldn't possibly be unable to deal with a single Stellaron. It's very likely that some other crisis has arisen..." Welt lowered his gaze in thought. "This time, I'll be going too."

"I don't really mind either way, but since she put it like that, if there really is danger, we can't just sit by and do nothing." March 7th nodded.

Himeko looked around and found that everyone seemed to have quietly made up their minds:

"In that case, once Dan Heng gets up, let's discuss together whether to head to the Xianzhou."