The First Stop

"Whoa... it's huge! And so pretty." Holding Yaoshi's hand, Zhang Xiu began touring the Astral Express's facilities.

Dazzling whale-shaped lamps hung in the Observation Car, which stretched roughly a hundred meters long, its segmented design elegant and mysterious.

Paired with "Take the Journey," playing on the car's phonograph, it stirred an irrepressible excitement in their hearts.

"Right? When I first boarded the Astral Express, I thought it was really pretty too." March 7th walked up beside them.

"Oh, oh, um, big sister Yaoshi, can I ask you a question? Please, pretty please~" March 7th clasped her hands together, her eyes brimming with sincerity as she met Yaoshi's gaze.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yaoshi nodded. "All that I know, if it may benefit thee, I shall tell."

"Really? Great! Um... do you know how Akivili fell?"

Stelle was talking with Himeko, learning about things like Paths. When March 7th asked that question, both of them turned their gazes toward Yaoshi.

But Yaoshi shook her head. "Were I to tell thee the truth, I would only bring thee harm."

"Is that so...? Then is there anything about Akivili that we can know?"

Yaoshi closed her eyes and rested her right hand against her chin. "Among the Nameless throughout the universe, Akivili was the second worst."

"Huh? What does that mean?" March 7th scratched her head.

"She means Akivili was the second-worst Nameless in the entire universe," Zhang Xiu explained, acting as interpreter.

"Then who was the worst Nameless?"

"Aha... the one who blew the Astral Express in half, pom." Pom-Pom appeared just then, small face taut, and confirmed this. But Pom-Pom soon recovered and told them:

"All right, hurry and find somewhere to sit. The final preparations before the jump are about to begin, pom."

At that, Zhang Xiu raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Oh, oh! My first Trailblaze adventure!"

He linked arms with Yaoshi and sat beside Stelle, nodding to her in greeting.

Zhang Xiu gently rested his right hand on Yaoshi's shoulder and whispered into her ear, "After this Trailblaze adventure, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"...The Xianzhou, where heavenly beings drift upon the sea of stars. I wish to set foot there once more."

Her words caught Zhang Xiu off guard. Once he understood that Yaoshi wanted to visit the Xianzhou, his first thought was not concern about the danger of going there, but where they should explore once they arrived.

Fyxestroll Garden? We could sneak in, but we'd be in trouble if we got caught.

Guess it has to be Aurum Alley, huh? So much to eat and do. Too bad my wife's definitely braver than me, or we could watch horror movies too...

"Then how about we go to the Xianzhou Luofu first and explore Aurum Alley? We'll have to discuss it with everyone later, though."

Yaoshi's smile deepened at his answer, and she nodded gently. "Very well."

Seeing her smile, Zhang Xiu started grinning foolishly too. Someday, he and Yaoshi would become husband and wife in the truest sense!

"Not only did he marry the Aeon of Abundance, he also joined the Astral Express and became one of the Nameless." Kafka swirled the stemmed glass in her hand, then drained its purplish-red wine in one gulp.

"Heh, I thought that guy was some Masked Fool. Who knew he was actually telling the truth?" Silver Wolf's fingers kept working the controls of her handheld console as she blew a bubble.

"Will his existence affect the course of Elio's Script?"

In the shadows stood a suit of silver armor, its metallic surface gleaming, arms folded across its chest. Blue light flickered through the gaps in its helmet.

Kafka placed her empty wineglass on the table and sat down at a piano instead. "No, but the future will certainly change because of him."

A beautiful melody sprang from her fingertips, the music seeming to gather into a river that flowed throughout the universe.

As the final note rang out, her calm eyes turned toward a distant white planet.

"And in one possibility, he will become a [hero]."

Jarilo-VI, the outlying snow plains.

"-It really is a world of ice and snow." March 7th sighed, rubbing her cheeks.

Stelle immediately raised an eyebrow and chimed in. "It really is a world of ice and snow."

Before March 7th could complain, Zhang Xiu added his own repetition. "It really is a world of ice and snow."

Even Yaoshi smiled beside him. "Indeed, cold snow blankets the wilds, and frost coats the earth."

"Are you all parrots?!" March 7th planted her hands on her hips and shot each of them a reproachful look.

They stood in a lifeless snowfield, with deep-blue rock walls rising from the surrounding earth. Its desolation spoke for itself.

The temperature here had probably dropped to seventy or eighty degrees below zero, but none of them were ordinary people. This degree of cold meant little to them.

"Hey, everything's white out here. Which way should we go?"

"According to the coordinates, our destination is a short distance ahead..." Dan Heng said unhurriedly.

Zhang Xiu turned a solemn face toward the Astral Express trio.

His behavior naturally caught their attention. Just as Dan Heng was about to ask him something, Zhang Xiu murmured:

"Whoever's slowest is gay."

With that, he shot forward like an arrow. Yaoshi waved to the three of them, then followed him.

A moment later, Stelle and March 7th caught on and sprinted ahead too. Dan Heng sighed and followed behind them, remaining alert to any danger that might appear nearby.

An oddly placed snowdrift caught Dan Heng's attention, but before he could warn the others, Zhang Xiu, running at the front, had already hauled Sampo out of his hiding place inside it.

"Hey, hey! My good hero, we can talk this out. Why get so rough?"

"What are you doing skulking around in the snow?" Knowing the plot, Zhang Xiu chuckled and let him go.

"Oh, come on, Belobog never said people weren't allowed to hide in the snow, did it? I've loved hanging out in there since I was little;

"By the way, is Captain Gepard here? We're old acquaintances. I've had plenty of dealings with him." Sampo rubbed his hands together, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Who?" March 7th arrived, realized what was happening, and deliberately knitted her brows to look fierce.

Hearing that she did not know Gepard, Sampo first looked puzzled. Then his expression changed in an instant, and he dropped his ingratiating smile.

"Oh~ You're not Silvermane Guards. Come on, you should've said so! We're all on the same side, fighting our own people here. Sampo Koski, pleased to meet you."

The innocent Stelle had yet to realize that he might be dangerous and introduced herself honestly. "I'm Stelle."

But Zhang Xiu cut off whatever Sampo was about to say next. "Who said we're on your side? Take us into the city, or this brother beside me has a spear that doesn't care who it hits."

Dan Heng played along, fixing Sampo with an icy stare. Sampo's expression changed again, and his face was once more piled with smiles.

"Hahaha, old Sampo's reputation for helping people rings loud and clear throughout Belobog. Follow me, and remember to keep your voices down..."

Smiling like a sly cat, he jogged farther ahead. Zhang Xiu and the others followed.

Along the way, they chatted with Sampo and learned a little about Belobog. Then they rounded a corner.

On the pristine snow in the distance, dozens of soldiers clad in metal-plated padded armor and carrying halberds and rifles spotted them too.

"Halt! Who are you?!"

"Uh! Remember the Silvermane Guards I mentioned? That's them..." Sampo hunched over, putting on a frightened look.

And so began Zhang Xiu and the others' first battle since setting foot in this snowy land.