Let's set off, pom!

Aboard the Astral Express, Himeko carefully inspected every part of the Observation Car. Only after recording all the potential problems did she calmly prepare to summon her guardian deity.

Himeko held out her hand. Following the feeling within her, a light burst from her palm and grew increasingly intense. Everyone watching the livestream felt as though they had been hit with a hundred flashbangs, the light stinging their eyes.

[My eyes! My eyes!]

[So bright! I feel like some peerless treasure is about to appear!]

[Nobody else had any special effects, but Himeko has so many. No matter how you look at it, her guardian deity is going to be insanely powerful!]

[I can already see victory waving to us!]

[Ha! Yes! Crush them!]

[Himeko? Why does that name sound so Japanese? Could it be...]

In the commentary booth, the three commentators were also wondering just what Himeko would summon.

As for the occasional comment questioning Himeko that drifted past, they chose to ignore it.

They were only just getting started. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Aboard the Astral Express, when the light faded, a furry creature only half a person's height appeared before Himeko. It wore a red-and-gold uniform and a large hat, with two big ears hanging behind its head.

What Himeko had summoned was the Astral Express's indispensable Conductor, Pom-Pom.

"Himeko! Wonderful, Pom-Pom finally gets to see you, pom!"

Pom-Pom blinked its big blue eyes and pattered over to Himeko, looking her over.

After confirming that Himeko was unharmed, Pom-Pom sighed in relief. But when it turned around and saw the battered train, it felt as though the sky had fallen.

"Wh-what happened here, pom! Where are the other passengers, pom!"

Himeko smiled and soothed Pom-Pom, briefly explaining the situation.

"A brand-new world? That's a good opportunity to Trailblaze, pom. But the Express is all battered now. Repairing it will take quite a bit of work, pom. The other passengers are all missing, too. Pom-Pom is a little worried about them, pom."

Himeko was not so worried. Given the other Nameless' abilities, she did not believe anything would happen to them here.

The one who most needed worrying about now seemed to be herself.

Too weak to even truss a chicken-that described her current self perfectly.

While Himeko and Pom-Pom talked, Pom-Pom's information as the Conductor naturally appeared beside Himeko's.

[Pom-Pom, Conductor of the Astral Express. Cannot leave the Astral Express.

Capable of keeping all affairs aboard the Express in perfect order. Cooking, cleaning, and warp preparations are all the Conductor's specialties.

Combat skills: none at present.]

The Conductor's rating was naturally five stars as well. Coupled with its fluffy appearance, that made many people fall in love at first sight with this adorable... rabbit?

Although nobody had seen this kind of creature before, with the internet so developed these days, the public accepted new things quickly.

It took almost no time at all.

But its cute appearance, paired with the description's claim that it had "no combat ability" and its inability to leave the train, left everyone pessimistic about the guardian deity Himeko had summoned.

[A rabbit, and one that can't even get off the train. How is that supposed to help?]

[Exactly. Even the person who summoned a three-star cobra got something better than this five-star rabbit, if you ask me.]

[But it's cute. It even goes pitter-patter when it walks.]

[What's the use? This is a deadly national destiny instance. Being cute won't help.]

[And with Himeko's skinny arms and legs, she probably can't handle whatever dangers come next, either.]

[What's the use of getting lucky and drawing a train? Has nobody thought about this-is that a concrete road?]

[No need to be so pessimistic. What if the Astral Express has other abilities?]

As increasingly extreme comments filled the screen, the stress level, which had only just dropped, began showing signs of rising again under their influence.

Wang Wu knew she could not let things continue like this. Otherwise, excessive stress among the citizens would bring Himeko more danger inside the instance.

She considered it for a moment, then looked at the person beside her. After their eyes briefly met, she spoke.

"Mr. WarGreymon, what do you think of Pom-Pom, whom Miss Himeko summoned? Is it really as worthless as the viewers believe?"

Without even thinking, WarGreymon blurted out,

"How could it be? That's still a five-star! Everyone else got either animals with vacant eyes or weapons you could find in any hardware store. Compared to Pom-Pom, who can speak human language, they're worth jack shit!"

WarGreymon gave an extremely categorical answer. Wang Wu pressed him. "But there's still the issue of Pom-Pom being unable to leave the train, and it really doesn't have any combat abilities."

"Haven't you noticed anything special about Pom-Pom's clothes?"

"Hmm... Pom-Pom isn't wearing pants?"

"That certainly is special, but that's not what I meant! I'm saying, look at its hat. Doesn't it look like the front of the Astral Express? And its color scheme is exactly the same as Himeko's clothes. All these signs indicate a deeper connection between Pom-Pom, the Astral Express, and Himeko!"

WarGreymon pointed at Pom-Pom's information.

"Even among five-stars, Japan's nine-tailed fox is only labeled [Japan's guardian deity], while Pom-Pom is [Conductor of the Astral Express]! Himeko is [Navigator of the Astral Express]. They're clearly a matching set with the Astral Express!"

At this point, WarGreymon was utterly certain.

"Everything Himeko has clearly belongs to one series! As everyone knows, the more bonds you have, the stronger you are. As for Pom-Pom having no combat abilities and being unable to leave the train to help Himeko fight, there's only one possibility: this combination is so powerful that it needs restrictions this forceful and direct!"

Zhang San, with his composed, middle-aged face, also nodded and said with complete seriousness,

"I agree with WarGreymon's deduction. Besides, whatever happens, the contestants' first stop has to give them time to adjust. The difficulty shouldn't be very high."

"It looks like we have a bright future!"

With the three of them taking turns speaking, they soon steadied the situation.

Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express,

After Himeko summoned Pom-Pom, a notification from the national destiny instance appeared before her.

[All contestants are ready. Mission issued: reach the first stop ten kilometers away within one day and gather supplies. Contestants who fail to reach the first stop after one day will be eliminated.]

When Himeko saw this information, Pom-Pom likewise learned that the Astral Express was about to depart for its next stop.

"Let's go, Pom-Pom. I wonder if the Express can still start up in its current state."

Himeko and Pom-Pom entered the train's engine room together and inspected the boiler and other facilities.

Thanks to the power of the Trailblaze, the Astral Express's boiler consumed Trailblaze power rather than coal.

There was ample energy now. Although the Astral Express's warp function could not be activated, generating tracks of light and traveling forward posed no problem.

"There are quite a few problems, pom. But don't worry. We can fix them if we take our time, pom."

Himeko nodded. Restoring the train's other functions would require many materials.

Most of those materials would likely have to be obtained by completing the system's various missions.

For now, the system had only issued a phased train repair mission. After Himeko summoned Pom-Pom, it gave her some rewards.

[Monomolecular saw placed in the briefcase. Ready for use at any time.]

With a weapon as a deterrent, she could at least handle sudden situations rather than stand there waiting to die.

"Then let's set off, pom!"