Why didn't you suggest such a great idea sooner?

"Himechi Cat can stay with me for now. As for Shut Up..."

The noisy robot had just as much of a sense of humor as its blond owner.

Putting it in the guest car was absolutely out of the question. Who knew what strange noises it might make in the middle of the night?

Even when it stayed in the Party Car, it occasionally went elsewhere to bother the passengers. Having it live next door would be even worse.

At the thought of Shut Up's inexhaustible supply of corny jokes, Himeko shuddered.

She would leave it in the Observation Car for now. If guests came, it could entertain them, too.

Back in her room, Himeko first replaced the remaining wax inside Himechi Cat with an Imagenesis body, then opened the system.

She had met both conditions for obtaining the reward. The system did not drag things out, delivering it straight into Himeko's hands.

[Reward obtained: Realm Anchor]

[Contains the power of the Trailblaze. Once activated, it allows the Trailblazer to travel freely between locations, even across the stars.]

A small anchor appeared in Himeko's hand. After playing with it for a while, she stepped off the train and planted it at the Amusement Park's entrance.

[Why are you littering? Manners, mind your manners!]

[What's she doing? How did such a tiny thing get so big once she dropped it on the ground?]

[I know. She's announcing that this is her territory. In a bit, she'll go inside and scalp the natives.]

[So the Amusement Park is in the Americas? That makes sense, then.]

[Still not leaving? Himeko's the only surviving contestant still sitting around where she started, taking her sweet time. We're already way behind the other contestants!]

Only after planting the anchor did Himeko leisurely return to the car and signal Pom-Pom to prepare to depart.

"The next stop is twenty kilometers away. That's not far."

That distance was not even enough for the train to reach full speed.

By her reckoning, only a little over three hours had passed since her Exploration Progress reached the required mark. The slower contestants had probably covered less than half the distance by now.

Once the Astral Express started its engine, it could arrive in the time it took to get a cup of water from the dispenser. But Himeko did not intend to keep waiting. Making the most of her time to continue exploring and replenish Trailblaze power was what mattered.

Pom-Pom's voice came over the speakers. The train's wheels slowly turned, and silver rails unfurled ahead.

Unable to warp, the Astral Express sped forward with a roar. Although the distance was twice as long as last time, the journey took the same amount of time.

"What kind of place is this stop, pom?"

The Conductor's puzzled voice came over the speakers. None of this world's stops were recorded in the train's navigation system, leaving Pom-Pom, the Conductor, unable to announce their names each time and only able to stare helplessly.

Through the Observation Car's enormous windows, Himeko could clearly see the scenery outside.

The train had stopped on a street. A thin mist shrouded the surroundings, and plenty of pedestrians could still be seen along the roadside.

It looked like an ordinary street, not much different from the normal world.

However, the pedestrians had strange expressions, many odd markings on their skin, and vacant eyes. They did not look alive.

[You have arrived at a new stop: Mist District. Commentator off-site assistance uses +1. Communications with off-site commentators +1.]

[Danger lurks everywhere at this stop. Contestants, please proceed with caution.]

[You may leave this stop once Exploration Progress reaches 60%.]

[Mist District Exploration Progress: 3%]

The system's mission also arrived on the heels of the National Fortune notifications.

[As the navigator, you absolutely cannot accept how deserted the train is, with not even a companion to appreciate your coffee and cooking.]

[Mission requirements: Recruit one passenger for the train / find a missing Nameless.]

[Mission reward: Unlock the Party Car.]

Faced with the new mission, Himeko began to think.

March 7th was still several stops away, and there were no clues at all about the others. Was recruiting someone new her only option?

"Doesn't Himechi Cat count as a new passenger?"

[This new mission was issued after she boarded, so she cannot be counted.]

Himeko picked Himechi Cat up and set her outside the train.

"She's off the train now."

Himeko turned her head and happened to notice the unadopted Himechi Cat.

"You wandering Himechi Cat... I mean, fox. Would you like to board the train?"

Himechi Cat's face was full of question marks. She pointed at the train ticket on her coat.

"Isn't my role supposed to be the navigator?"

[String Bean, String Bean, does this count as passing?]

Why was everyone in this world using AI?!

Himeko's attempt to exploit a bug failed. Himechi Cat was not recognized as a new passenger.

"Can I only look for someone who shares the will to Trailblaze? Or will I meet someone else here?"

Himeko would not turn away anyone who asked to board the train. But the requirements for her to extend an invitation herself were much higher.

Not just any random person would receive an invitation from the navigator.

[You may even fail the Astral Express's interview because you did not pick up a crumpled piece of paper on the floor during it-this information comes from String Bean and is for reference only.]

"It's not quite that clichéd."

Himeko stepped off the train and began exploring the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, the countries whose contestants had died were all facing a difficult choice.

[All contestants have left the Amusement Park. The losing parties are now offered a choice.]

[Option one: Resurrect the deceased contestant.]

[Option two: Randomly select a new contestant. However, they will not inherit the previous contestant's abilities, and both the train and Guardian Deity must be drawn again.]

The decision lay in the commentators' hands, and they were carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Especially Neon's commentators.

"Inukai's Five-Star Guardian God is extremely valuable, and his strategy was largely sound. If Himeko hadn't been so overwhelmingly powerful, his plan would have succeeded. I think we can resurrect him."

"No. If we resurrect him, what happens when he meets Himeko again? They're mortal enemies. Do you think we can beat Huaxia?"

"Exactly. Inukai has made such a bitter enemy of Himeko. If we send him out again, Neon is bound to suffer another crushing defeat. We should switch to someone else. Even if their Guardian Deity and train aren't as good as Inukai's, at least their feud with Himeko won't run so deep."

"What a joke. We've already made an enemy of her. Do you think replacing him means we won't be enemies anymore?"

All three clung to their own views, arguing endlessly over whether to resurrect Inukai. Neon's online viewers also split into several factions.

[Inukai's an idiot! Replace him. We have to replace him!]-these were Inukai's opponents.

[That's a Five-Star Guardian God, the only one besides Pom-Pom! Do you think those are a dime a dozen? Once he's resurrected, he can act humble and steer clear of Himeko!]-these were Inukai's supporters.

[Resurrect him! Declare war on Huaxia and launch an attack immediately! Huaxia, Bear, the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets-attack them all! Don't leave a single one!]-these were trolls from other countries.

"We can't keep arguing forever. How about this!"

One commentator suddenly clapped his hands, having thought of a brilliant idea.

"We flip a coin. Heads, we resurrect him. Tails, we don't!"

The other two froze at first, then looked at the commentator who had made the suggestion in bewilderment.

"Why didn't you suggest such a great idea sooner?!"