Although it had been swallowed whole along the way, the Astral Express ultimately reached Car Wash Planet successfully.
Being able to give the Express a thorough cleaning and make it look clean and beautiful was something that made Pom-Pom happy.
What made Pom-Pom even happier was that, for some unknown reason, the people of Car Wash Planet had gone beyond simply cleaning the Express this time. They had painstakingly polished it with the same care an artist would lavish on a truly beloved work.
So much so that, once the cleaning was finished, even its Conductor thought the Express sparkled, and when it passed beneath a star, Pom-Pom felt that it shone more brilliantly than the blazing star itself.
Just like Passenger Jiang Yu!
Pom-Pom seemed to have found the reason.
In any case, after leaving Car Wash Planet, the Express returned to Herta Space Station to deliver the things Herta had commissioned, undergo a brief refit with some minor modifications and upgrades, and replenish some supplies along the way.
Stelle also received a message from Herta when she returned.
By now, she had arrived in the Master Control Zone and was thinking about the person Herta had mentioned in her message.
"It feels like centuries have passed every time I return to Herta Space Station... Speaking of which, Ruan Mei... What a familiar yet unfamiliar name..."
Although she was curious about this genius who had built the Simulated Universe alongside Herta and the others, but whom she had never met, Stelle soon pushed that curiosity out of her mind.
Compared to this genius she had never met, she was actually more concerned about Herta and Screwllum on this return visit.
When she had left after testing the Swarm Disaster with Little Fish last time, those two geniuses had