"Did my wish... come true?" Firefly's eyes twitched as she searched for the person on her mind with eyes full of stars. And indeed, she found him. Hanxing's azure eyes met Firefly's, filled with an urgency she had never seen before.
"How are you feeling? Any better?" Seeing Firefly awake, Hanxing felt a little relieved. "What happened just now?" "Dahlia did it. I don't know how, but she banished you to some Memory Zone." "Just as I thought... Elio said she would walk alongside 'betrayal'..."
"But..." Firefly changed the subject. As her bodily functions returned, she slowly regained her sense of her body. "Why... do my feet feel like they aren't on the ground...?"
"Because... I'm still holding you." Hanxing smiled, making Firefly a little bashful. "All right, I'm fine... Put me down." Hanxing nodded, set her upright, and slowly lowered her to the ground. "What's the plan from here?"
Firefly looked up. It was still early. "How about... we go somewhere else for a look?" Hanxing nodded. "Not a bad way to pass the time, but..." A hint of helplessness appeared on his face. "I'll have to ask you to pay."
"Oh, is that all? It's fine." Firefly smiled at Hanxing. "At worst, you can pay me back out of your future wages." "We get wages?" "Of course. Though I still don't know where our money comes from... But we're wanted anyway, so earning a little income is probably just a side benefit..." A trace of puzzlement appeared on Firefly's face, but it soon turned into a smile.
We really have been through too much lately. It would be good to relax. Hanxing thought to himself, then looked at Firefly. "So... where do you want to go?"
"How about we check out the shopping street over there?" Firefly closed her eyes and thought for a moment, barely able to contain her joy. Hanxing's smile took on a hint of indulgence. "Sure, let's go." With a gesture from Hanxing, a spatial rift slowly appeared and grew until it was as tall as a person. But Firefly's joy seemed a little unusual. She rushed straight into the portal, pulling Hanxing, who had yet to react, along with her. Together, they arrived at the bustling shopping street on the other side.
Meanwhile, near the Penacony Grand Theater.
"Strange. I definitely heard something here just now." A man in a yellow tailcoat with green accents and a Western-style top hat looked around suspiciously. But from his perspective, a man identical to him was standing opposite him.
"Even if someone was here, what's it to you? A few greenhorns can't stand in the way of your plan, can they?" The person before him was somewhat hostile, and the relationship between the two was indeed rather puzzling. "You have a point. For now, it's best to put the 'plan' first."
The Astral Express Crew
"You must be Miss Acheron. Hello, I'm Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express." Yan Bai looked around at the five people. So far, his infiltration had been very successful. "Hi, I'm March 7th! I won't introduce Caelus and Yan Bai. You must know them already." March 7th's voice cut in first, glossing over the slightly awkward moment between the two.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Acheron." Though Caelus hadn't expected March 7th to skip over his self-introduction, the way he handled it was reasonable enough. "Long time no see, Miss Acheron." Yan Bai also smiled.
"Hello, everyone. None of you seem surprised by my presence." Acheron replied to everyone present in a few simple words. "Since Welt decided to travel with you, that means he trusts you, and we trust his judgment as well." Himeko smiled. The close bond among the Astral Express Crew had long since been forged through all kinds of crises.
"Your relationship is truly enviable." Acheron seemed to be recalling something. Welt added from the side, "Miss Acheron is not a dangerous individual and bears no ill will toward the Astral Express. Aventurine's earlier accusation was only one side of the story. Therefore, before we continue our cooperation, he owes us a reasonable explanation."
"Are you suggesting... we arrange for all three parties to be present?" Himeko considered Welt's words. "There must be a deeper logic behind Aventurine's actions. I suspect he noticed Penacony's secrets from the very beginning and has been laying plans to uncover them ever since." Welt slowly voiced his conjecture. "That makes the Astral Express's place in his plans critically important. In the worst case... he might use us to do something out of line."
"If things really do come to that, having another ally gives us another safeguard. Penacony has many factions, and the situation is probably more complicated than we imagine." Yan Bai added from the side. Having absorbed the souls and memories of everyone on Fansha Star, his wisdom had also reached a considerable level. "And we must give the deceased an explanation!"
"Yes, you're right. No matter what, we can't ignore Penacony's safety." March 7th nodded in support, and Himeko added, "To unravel the mystery of the 'Watchmaker,' we'll need the information in the corporation's hands. Even if danger lies ahead at every turn... facing challenges head-on is what Trailblaze is all about, isn't it?"
"It seems there are no objections. Then... Miss Acheron?" Welt looked at Acheron, awaiting her answer. "Of course, I'll come too," Acheron said earnestly, looking at everyone.
"Then let's get going! But... where do we find him?" March 7th raised a practical question, but Himeko seemed confident. "Don't worry. If someone really has set a scheme in motion... he'll surely find a way to draw us in."
"Ladies and gentlemen-" A man's voice rang out across Golden Hour. "The most astonishing, most spectacular performance in Penacony's history is about to begin-the Interastral Peace Corporation cordially invites you to the venue-Clock Studios Theme Park!"
"What's that?" Hanxing, who was shopping with Firefly on the commercial street, was a little surprised to hear the announcement. "Probably... something exciting to watch?" Firefly seemed somewhat distracted as she tried to draw Hanxing's attention elsewhere. "How about... we buy some Oak Cake Rolls to eat?"
"...We're bored anyway. Why don't we go take a look?" Hanxing thought it over, and in the end, curiosity won out over reason. Firefly shook her head. "Fine, I can't talk you out of it. There's probably going to be a fight over there, and it shouldn't be a small one. We'd better be on our guard."
"Of course." Hanxing smiled, drew his embroidered spring saber in one motion, and slashed twice to cut open a spatial portal:
"Now, let's go!"