"Careful!"
Welt stood in front of Himeko, and the soap suddenly exploded... Thick smoke filled the entire carriage.
Whether or not your world has a concept of day and night, I wish you a good morning, noon, and evening!
As the thick smoke dissipated, a blond, blue-eyed man appeared inside the carriage. Strands of his hair, like precious gold refined by sacred fire, shimmered with a cold, silky sheen as they fell.
Seeing his blond hair brought back a less-than-pleasant memory for Welt.
Those emerald eyes were like frozen lakes, their edges imbued with the blue hues of the far north ice plains. When he lifted his eyelids, a powerful surge of Imaginary Energy emanated from the carriage.
He wore a robe embroidered with silver thread, and his body radiated holy light as he walked. A cross in the shape of an "∞" that defied the laws of physics floated in the center of his collarbone.
It wasn't something worn; rather, it was two streams of liquid silver and black gold Eternity tearing and entwining in the air.
Whenever the candlelight flickers, the paradoxical figure casts a twin reflection on the ground. His slender fingers are adorned with three different rings.
Beep beep beep!
The energy detectors only sounded an alarm at this moment, Himeko knew something was wrong. There was more than one [ Emanator ] level response!
"Ahem! Travelers of the Lord of the Trailblaze... do not be alarmed, we mean no harm."
Blake wisely kept his distance from the two men, lest he leave a bad impression on his guests and damage his reputation.
"State your purpose. Otherwise, I'd like to ask this gentleman to prepare to be torn apart by gravity."
"Hahahaha... Not bad! This perfectly matches the third of the Eight Virtues of the Aeon of Permanence!" Blake was not alarmed upon hearing this; instead, a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
Welt:?
He put away his cane and began to speculate about his purpose in coming to the Astral Express.
Are they here to find Ye Yan? Or are they just passing through and stopping by to promote [ Eternity ]?
" Eternity... you are the current Chair of the [ Church of Eternity ]?" Himeko asked, confirming his identity by looking at his attire.
"No! Madam, I must correct you on one point. There has never been a successor to the Church Chair. Thanks to a certain chuunibyou elf, it's been made to seem like my position has been passed down for hundreds of years... Uh, I digress. Let's start again."
"Whether in the past or the distant future, I alone Chair! Blake Hale!" Blake raised his hands, and holy light reappeared, shining above his head.
Himeko frowned. Where was this light coming from?
" Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express."
Welt Young.
Both sides introduced themselves, and Himeko made the first move:
" Mr. Blake, the detector's alarm doesn't lie. Let's be more explicit. Could you perhaps get your other accomplice, who's hiding in the shadows, to show themselves?"
"Of course, no problem." Blake clapped his hands lightly, quietly waiting for Fulisina to appear.
"Excuse me, my two friends, my companion has a little bad habit."
"Whenever she arrived in a new place, she would habitually use the [ Eternal Night Veil ] to conceal her presence and body, observing the situation quietly."
"Also, the way she speaks... might be a little difficult for ordinary people to understand. Don't worry, I'll act as your translator."
A few seconds later, a silver-haired figure appeared through the black curtain. Her hair stirred up the stardust, and ice crystals condensed and fell with her breath, causing the temperature in the entire carriage to drop suddenly.
"Every action and word is a practice of the [ Eternity ] way. How could a mere agent possibly understand?"
"Haha... I won't translate this sentence."
Himeko sized up the elven girl before her. "This must be the Church member Mr. Blake asked the company to find, right?"
" Himeko is exceptionally intelligent; she is indeed a priestess."
"If the current situation allowed... I so wish you could join the Church of Eternity. The Church desperately needs someone like Miss Himeko! With your joining, we can better dedicate ourselves to Lord Yite!"
Upon hearing this, Welt's lips twitched. No wonder he's the Church Chair; he's practically poaching people right to their faces! If the Conductor heard this...
Hmm, where did Pom-Pom go at that crucial moment?
Even without Pom-Pom in the carriage, Welt and Himeko remained vigilant. "Send the Church's Chair and priests; two [ Emanator ] have come to the Astral Express. Returning to the initial question, what brings you to the train?"
"Hmm~ I can sense that He once rested here... There are traces of Him left here." Fulisina closed her eyes and sensed it.
"Our purpose? You two can probably guess a little—we're looking for Mr. Ye Yan." Blake suppressed the barely concealed excitement in his eyes; he had to appear normal in front of outsiders.
If he causes Ye Yan lose his identity, then Blake will truly become a sinner.
As His most faithful follower, Blake would never allow such a thing to happen.
Therefore, he wanted to perform this scene to the fullest!
On the other hand, it would be a lie to say that Fulisina wasn't envious... This girl has honed her acting skills to perfection because she's always talking about chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).
" Ye Yan..."
Himeko and Welt exchanged a glance; Ye Yan really did have connections with the Church.
Blake, observing the fleeting changes in their expressions, patiently explained:
"Rest assured, with Mr. Ye Yan's eloquence and abilities, he would never do something as foolish as offending the Church. Even if he cannot join the Church, we would still like to invite him to a Church gathering."
"Putting aside our roles Chair, we have a pretty good relationship in private. Come to think of it... it's been a thousand years since we last met; I miss you dearly."
As he spoke, Blake walked to the table and saw two steaming cups of coffee.
"Hmm, I'm quite thirsty after talking so much. Would these two drinks be alright...?"
"Please go ahead." Himeko didn't mind if someone drank her coffee; she had plenty left, and she could always make more if they ran out.
Blake thoughtfully handed Fulisina a glass as well.
Himeko and Welt didn't sense any danger from them. Are all you [ Eternity ] Emanator so kind and friendly?
When Walter saw Blake pick up the brewed coffee and even share it with another companion, Welt reaction was unexpected; he did not stop Blake from doing so.
There was no other way; there was the example of Ye Yan. He wanted to see if all [ Eternity ] Emanator were immune to Himeko's coffee.
As Blake put the coffee to his lips, his expression initially showed enjoyment, but gradually... his brows furrowed.
In the end, he tried his best to control his micro-expressions. He had chosen this path, and he had to walk it no matter what.
"Cough... cough!" Blake almost spat out his coffee, and in a second his friendly expression turned slightly embarrassed.
Damn it, Astral Express has now developed defensive weapons into beverages?
Seeing this, Welt seemed to confirm something and nodded in satisfaction.
As expected, even a powerful [ Eternity ] Emanator couldn't resist Himeko's coffee.
"Excellent... Miss Navigator's coffee-making skills are superb. If conditions allowed... I would love to bring it back to Church and share this delicious treat with the other believers."
As Blake praised the coffee, he looked up at Fulisina, hoping she would offer her opinion.
"Hmm~ This coffee tastes good... Blake, if Miss Navigator would like, you can take some back with you."
Blake, Welt:???
"Ahem!" Blake coughed twice more. Are you kidding me? Are you serious?
Do the Aria Elf Clan not have taste buds?