Earlier, around the time of the opening of the [ Charmony Festival ] twelfth system, an 'uninvited guest' boarded the Astral Express.
"I've already told you! We can talk things over!"
Pom-Pom hid behind Dan Heng's legs; this was the floor he had just swept...
"I'm sorry, you furry little guy, I really have something urgent to take care of, so I have to ask you for a small favor in this way."
Boothill pulled his hat down low and held a mechanical revolver in one hand.
"Since you know what you're doing, I must also remind you of the risks involved." Dan Heng stared intently at Boothill, ready to summon the Cloud-Piercer Spear at any moment.
"Brother, why are we getting so tense?" Boothill brandished his pistol; he'd pulled it out just to say hello.
" Curiosity way to greet people..." Pom-Pom muttered to herself.
"One last time, state your identity and purpose."
Boothill gave Dan Heng and Pom-Pom a confident and healthy smile. "My name is Boothill, and I'm a [ Galaxy Ranger ]."
" Galaxy Ranger?"
Seeing Dan Heng's surprised expression, Boothill joked:
"Is it really necessary? You look like you've seen a ghost, as if you think we're all dead, right? Haha! Indeed, that's the downside of disappearing for too long."
"The [ The Hunt ] chivalrous group wouldn't hijack the Astral Express."
"I haven't even taken hostages yet, does holding a gun and chatting with someone count as a 'hijacking'?"
Pom-Pom thought for a moment. A Masked Fools had done something similar before, but was kicked off by passenger Ye Yan.
"Roughly calculated..."
"Excuse my bluntness, but there are many rumors circulating in the galaxy about the current state of the Galaxy Ranger, and none of them are pleasant stories. I find it hard to believe you."
"Heh~" Boothill sneered, "Hilarious! These idiots are making up more and more outrageous stories. They even said that all the Galaxy Ranger were turned into gibbons by the Dr. Primitive and are now swinging on a swing in some mountain valley."
"Of course, I know you won't believe me," Boothill countered. "So, similarly, I can't believe you're really the Nameless."
"See the bullet in this gun? Nine millimeters, a timeless classic. Right now, I need the Astral Express's help, but if you're imposters like that guy... tsk, this bullet's probably going to be lodged in my head."
Boothill clicked his tongue. In terms of numbers alone, he was going to be fighting two against one, and the members of the Astral Express were all exceptionally strong and not to be underestimated.
Boothill thought to himself, then shook his head. "I can't put myself in danger, right? So you all have to prove yourselves first..."
"... Hey, which way should I go?"
As he was speaking, he noticed that Dan Heng walked to the long table and picked up a piece of verdigris Jade Abacus.
Do you recognize this?
"Huh? This is—his prized possession, the Alliance Jade Abacus?!" Boothill naturally knew the value of this Jade Abacus. " The Xianzhou really gave you this?!"
Pom-Pom, hearing Boothill's strange habit, looked at him in confusion, "Baby...?"
"This is Jade Abacus gifted to the train by General Jing Yuan Xianzhou [ Luofu ]. Its presence on the train serves as the Xianzhou Alliance's authentication of the Astral Express's identity."
"... Alright, kid." Having confirmed Dan Heng and the other's identities, Boothill smoothly sheathed his weapon and remarked with admiration:
"No matter how vast the Milky Way is, a mere clench of the fist can summon tens of thousands of Cloud Knights... Holy crap, how spectacular would that be?"
"Now it's your turn."
" The Galaxy Ranger has been out of the spotlight for too long; he doesn't have this kind of universally acknowledged quality in the underworld. But I've seen this kind of situation many times, and the solution is quite simple..."
"Come on, you can ask me anything and see if my answers can earn your trust. If you really find it suspicious, then you can let me leave."
"So that's how it was solved?!"
Pom-Pom hadn't expected Boothill's solution to be so unusual; it was quite unexpected.
Why should I cooperate with you?
Given Boothill's attitude just minutes earlier, Dan Heng found it difficult to dispel his suspicions about him.
"If I were truly Galaxy Ranger, you definitely wouldn't lose out by doing this."
"..."
Seeing how confident Boothill was, Dan Heng asked, "Tell me, what kind of organization is the Galaxy Ranger?"
"Ha, bro, that's a tough question. I can hardly even call ourselves an organization."
"It's simply that everyone is on the Path of ' The Hunt,' everyone has their own conviction about justice, and none of us are so... welcomed by so-called 'universal values.'"
"This kind of answer won't earn you trust and will only make your situation more dangerous."
Dan Heng sized up Boothill. The Galaxy Ranger had disappeared for many years, yet he suddenly appeared on the Astral Express just as the Charmony Festival was about to begin. There must be something fishy going on.
"I guess you're asking about some shared [belief], right? But the Galaxy Ranger doesn't need that kind of thing. We're united by a shared [bottom line]."
"Never bully the weak, never kill the innocent... These oaths are not lofty beliefs, but rather the bottom line that should never be crossed as a human being."
"As Galaxy Ranger, we only follow the bottom line. Whenever someone tries to trample on it, the [ The Hunt's ] revenge will come knocking."
"And that's where the other meaning of the 'bottom line' comes in—as long as you don't cross it, you can do whatever you want, understand?"
"The second question is, why are you causing trouble for the Astral Express?"
Boothill shrugged helplessly. "I already said I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." Why is everyone so resistant to his weapon?
"I have to go to Penacony, but without an invitation, the Family won't even let me into the hotel. So... I can only use the identity of Nameless; the whole galaxy knows you are a distinguished guest of the Family."
"Aren't Galaxy Ranger also like that?"
Boothill looked down at Pom-Pom: "Oh! You've hit the nail on the head... that's why I came here!"
"It's alright to tell you, I'm hunting down a [fake], a cute little thing dressed as a ranger and impersonating someone else. She's in Penacony right now."
"My informant is a Memokeeper; like all memes, she appears suddenly and disappears just as suddenly. It's fucking terrifying... but she provided a crucial clue."
"Who is that person who impersonated the Galaxy Ranger?" Dan Heng asked again.
"Is this the third question?"
Is it difficult to answer?
"It's not difficult, but I'm afraid you won't believe it if I tell you. That guy calls himself [ Acheron ], and according to our informants, she's very likely a... [ Nihility ] Emanator."
Seeing Dan Heng's thoughtful expression, Boothill frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.
Good heavens, these Nameless are so adaptable!
Shouldn't a normal person immediately dismiss it?
After all, [ Nihility ] IX never glances at anyone, which makes perfect sense!
Given Dan Heng's completely expressionless face, the only thing Boothill could offer was that there was someone on the Astral Express even more powerful than the [ Nihility ] Emanator.
There's a [ Aeon ] on the Astral Express... Haha, my darling, how could I have such a cute idea?
"So do you understand now? Your partners are in great danger, you could say extremely dangerous. If you still don't believe me, you can send them a message and see."
"But I'd advise you to act quickly... after all, neither of us knows what happened in the dream, nor how much of what the Memokeeper said is true..."
Dan Heng looked up. "I haven't finished asking yet. The third question is, what's your opinion on the [ Church of Eternity ]?"
"What?"