Before departure, Stelle inspected the train carriage by carriage, leaving no corner unchecked.
Stelle suspected that Sampo had previously stowed away aboard the Astral Express to travel from Jarilo-VI to the Xianzhou.
But even by the time the Astral Express Crew left the Xianzhou, Sampo still hadn't shown his face.
It was as though he had magically vanished.
Stelle had previously accepted a commission from Chu Mu to catch Sampo and bring him back to the Xianzhou for the proprietor of the Xiaomiao Inn, making that con artist cough up the compensation.
Chu Mu had said she could get three hundred million Credits once the job was done, but the clever Stelle wouldn't be fooled by him. Drawing on her extensive experience, she had determined that the actual reward for the commission must have been only three million.
Still, even three million Credits was a considerable sum to Stelle.
Stelle wouldn't pass up any chance to catch Sampo.
As she saw it, with the train about to depart, that con artist had probably hidden aboard again to stow away.
But Stelle inspected every carriage and still found no trace of the blue-haired fellow.
Could he be hitching a ride on the outside?
Stelle peered through the window, trying her hardest to see outside.
Then Pom-Pom appeared again and told everyone to sit down-
The warp was about to begin!
During the customary countdown, Kafka held Chu Mu's hand beside her, gripping it tightly.
March 7th stood there, determined to resist the jolts of the warp. She even talked herself up, insisting that she definitely wouldn't fall this time.
Stelle kept her eyes fixed on the window, imagining a certain con artist clinging to the outside before suddenly making a face to frighten everyone.
When the countdown ended, the train warped