Recaps

After the Stellaron crisis ended, Ye Yan and the Church of Eternity dealt with the captured Phantylia, and Fulisina visited Ye Yan’s milk tea shop. Yanqing came to ask Ye Yan for sword instruction, but Ye Yan encouraged him to seek guidance from Dan Heng instead.

• Stelle and March 7th collected five bottles of special-effect milk tea after Ye Yan captured Phantylia in an iron cage.
• Blake said Phantylia was still alive but weakened, and Jing Yuan agreed to leave her in the Church of Eternity’s custody.
• The crisis was settled, Priest Fulisina went to handle the Stellaron, and the Xianzhou’s higher-ups accepted the Church’s request to take Phantylia.
• At Ye Yan’s milk tea shop, Fulisina introduced herself to Yanqing as the Holy Maiden of the Church of Eternity.
• Yanqing regretted missing the fight against Phantylia and asked Ye Yan to teach him, but Ye Yan advised him to seek guidance from Dan Heng.
• Fulisina encouraged Yanqing to ask Dan Heng for help and invoked the protection of [Eternity].

Ye Yan and the others discussed keeping the captured Phantylia sealed as a chandelier, while Fu Xuan thanked the Astral Express and recognized them as sworn allies of the Luofu. Fu Xuan then asked them to help reconstruct the events surrounding the Ambrosial Arbor disaster for her report to the Alliance.

• Fulisina praised Yanqing and considered recruiting him, while Ye Yan suggested a Church and Xianzhou exchange program for martial training.
• Ye Yan explained that Phantylia's consciousness was trapped just before [Eternity], leaving her powerless as a chandelier.
• At the Dusty Inn, Tingyun chose to keep Phantylia sealed rather than execute her, after Welt and Dan Heng warned of the danger of provoking the Antimatter Legion.
• Fu Xuan described the burden of serving as acting general and officially named the Astral Express sworn allies of the Luofu, granting them preferential treatment.
• Fu Xuan asked the Astral Express to help piece together the Ambrosial Arbor disaster so she could submit a complete report to the Alliance.

Fu Xuan reviewed Phantylia’s conspiracy and the Luofu’s remaining questions with the Express crew, then discussed the revived Ambrosial Arbor with Qingzu. Stelle and March 7th reflected on their role in saving the Luofu, and the chapter ended with Stelle wondering what Ye Yan was doing.

• Fu Xuan explained that Phantylia had infiltrated the Luofu, armed the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus with a Stellaron, and sought to make the Xianzhou destroy itself.
• Fu Xuan said Elio’s prophecy had led the Stellaron Hunters to bring allies to the Luofu, and she promised to report the crew’s contributions while omitting their names from sections about Xianzhou affairs.
• Stelle asked Qingzu what would happen to the revived Ambrosial Arbor, and Qingzu said the Alliance could not destroy it without the Reignbow Arbiter’s power and would need the Six Charioteers to deliberate.
• March 7th reassured Stelle that the crew had earned credit for saving the Luofu, then showed her how she used Six-Phased Ice to store milk tea.
• Stelle wondered what Ye Yan was doing.

Dan Heng returned to the Luofu and decided to meet its current Vidyadhara High Elder to learn about his past as Dan Feng and make amends. At Ye Yan’s milk tea shop, Silver Wolf discussed the Church of Eternity and its dangers before learning that Ye Yan’s milk tea had its calories “locked” by Eternity technology.

• Dan Heng told March 7th and Stelle that he wanted to meet the Luofu’s Vidyadhara High Elder and understand Dan Feng’s past.
• Silver Wolf visited Ye Yan’s shop and criticized its location and appearance, while Ye Yan defended its unusual style.
• Sampo explained to Silver Wolf that Yite’s protection had placed the planet’s natives in a state resembling longevity.
• Silver Wolf recalled her Church of Eternity dungeon ordeal and claimed she had faced Blake and Genius Society #76 Screwllum.
• Ye Yan told Silver Wolf that his milk tea’s calories were locked by Eternity technology, leaving her to wonder if it had been blessed by the Aeon of Eternity.

Ye Yan’s milk tea remark led Silver Wolf to suspect his identity as the Aeon of [Eternity], while Jing Yuan thanked the Express Crew and freed Dan Heng from exile. As the crew prepared to return to the Express, Himeko invited them to Jarilo-VI for the [Paskonja Festival] and revealed that Pom-Pom was depressed.

• Silver Wolf’s comment about milk tea startled Ye Yan, who assumed she had discovered he was the Aeon of [Eternity] and planned to reveal himself in Belobog.
• Jing Yuan presented the Astral Express Crew with a Jade Abacus that could summon the Luofu Cloud Knights, while warning them to use it only when necessary.
• Jing Yuan rescinded Dan Heng’s exile but warned that the decree could not guarantee his safety from people who still blamed him for Dan Feng’s sins.
• Welt said Himeko had asked about the crew’s return, and the group agreed they should go back to the Express and report that they were safe.
• Himeko invited the crew to return to Jarilo-VI for the [Paskonja Festival] and announced that Pom-Pom was depressed, prompting shocked reactions in the group chat.

Ye Yan recalled the Express crew’s many past offenses while trying to figure out who had upset Pom-Pom, then handed the shop keys to Silver Wolf so he could go comfort the Conductor. At the Prison of Deep Seclusion, Jing Yuan confronted Luocha over his role in bringing the Stellaron to the Luofu, and a white-haired woman appeared to announce a coming clash against Yaoshi.

• Ye Yan ruled out the other Trailblazers and Himeko as the cause of Pom-Pom’s sadness, then blamed Aha and remembered the crew’s many crimes against the Conductor.
• Pom-Pom listed forty-six serious incidents, and the shadows admitted to several offenses, including the snowmobile crash, the Nasobeme breeding scheme, and taking the Express hot pot.
• Ye Yan gave Silver Wolf the milk tea shop keys and went to comfort Pom-Pom.
• Jing Yuan questioned Luocha about bringing the Stellaron to the Xianzhou Luofu and entering the Prison of Deep Seclusion, then revealed he knew about Luocha’s past and ordered him to surrender.
• Luocha declared himself an enemy of Yaoshi, and a white-haired woman appeared, warning Jing Yuan that the Xianzhou faced a choice of Paths and that her side would put Abundance to death.

Blake offered to help Luocha pursue their shared goal of killing the master of [Abundance], while clarifying that he would act personally rather than involve the [Church of Eternity]. Back aboard the Astral Express, Ye Yan made amends with Pom-Pom, and the crew prepared to travel to Penacony before eventually visiting the Church.

• Blake entered the interrogation room and suggested that he and Luocha could cooperate against [Abundance], but warned that the [Church of Eternity] would not join the war between Abundance and the Hunt.
• Jing Yuan and Luocha understood that Blake was offering to participate in a personal capacity, and Blake approached Luocha.
• Ye Yan returned to the Astral Express, where Pom-Pom revealed that he had been crying because he thought he had failed to keep Ye Yan's identity secret.
• Ye Yan promised Pom-Pom extra sweets for guarding his secret for over a thousand years, then gave March 7th and Stelle bags of sweets as hush money.
• Himeko announced that the Express's next destination was Penacony, and said the crew could visit the Church of Eternity after two more stops if they had enough [Trailblaze] fuel.

At the Sleepless Earl teahouse, Ye Yan sampled Mengming’s new Cloud-Quelling Song tea before he and Stelle encountered Beina arguing with a restaurant owner over missing Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep. Beina revealed she had planned to release the endangered sheep into Scalegorge Waterscape, prompting Stelle to react with alarm.

• Ye Yan praised Mengming’s Cloud-Quelling Song tea while learning Tingyun had inspired its creation.
• Stelle joined Ye Yan as they watched Beina accuse a restaurant owner of serving her missing Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep.
• The restaurant owner denied taking Beina’s sheep and left after noticing Ye Yan and Stelle watching.
• Stelle raised her bat when Beina invoked the Lord of Abundance, but Beina insisted she was a law-abiding outworlder who released creatures into the wild.
• Beina explained that she had bought endangered Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep to release into Scalegorge Waterscape, and Stelle questioned whether she meant to return them to the sea.

Stelle and Ye Yan accepted Beina’s request to investigate the missing Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep and traveled to Scalegorge Waterscape, while March 7th got restaurant recommendations from Qingque. After Stelle and Ye Yan killed a pack of spirit beasts, Zhongshan claimed the wolves belonged to the Release Gang and demanded a fine.

• Stelle demanded payment for helping Beina, who agreed to exchange contact details and asked them to meet at the Alchemy Commission if they made progress.
• March 7th asked Qingque for restaurant recommendations, and Qingque pointed her toward Aurum Alley and Shang Ziwei.
• Stelle and Ye Yan searched Scalegorge Waterscape for the missing sheep and found red wool, bloodstains, and wolf-like footprints.
• Several Timberwolves and Golden Hounds surrounded Stelle, and she killed some of them with Ye Yan’s help.
• Zhongshan introduced herself and said the wolves belonged to the Release Gang, then told Stelle and Ye Yan they had to pay a fine.

Stelle and Ye Yan learned about the Release Gang’s eccentric philanthropists, including Screwllum’s milk tea releases, while Fulisina continued working at the restaurant. Fulisina then sensed that Qingque’s [Eternity] readings nearly matched her own.

• Zhongshan tried to bring Stelle and Ye Yan to meet the Release Gang’s philanthropists, and Stelle reluctantly went along.
• Stelle recognized Screwllum among the gang and heard how Donia, Beina, Hisman, Nannan, and Screwllum each released different things.
• Zhongshan revealed that Nannan released microorganisms in mineral water and Screwllum released milk tea from a shabby teahouse.
• Zhongshan explained Stelle and Ye Yan’s situation to the philanthropists, and Screwllum reacted subtly when he heard their names.
• At the [Shang Ziwei] restaurant, March 7th found Fulisina still working, and Fulisina’s [Eternity] detector showed Qingque’s readings nearly matched her own.

Stelle and Ye Yan met the Release Gang, whose members argued over the animals and substances they had released into Scalegorge Waterscape. Ye Yan refused to join, but the group voted to let Stelle join and began discussing her initiation trial.

• Zhongshan introduced Stelle and Ye Yan to the Release Gang and claimed Stelle wanted to join, while Beina learned that Stelle had killed the wolves responsible for the missing Faunus Red-Fleeced Sheep.
• Donia confronted Zhongshan over the wolves, and the members argued about the sheep, wolves, alfalfa, and mineral water they had released.
• Ye Yan explained the high-calorie Scalegorge Ice Spring and promoted his milk tea before Zhongshan and Stelle interrupted Screwllum's attempt to discuss the Church of Eternity.
• Zhongshan urged Ye Yan to join alongside Stelle, but Ye Yan refused, while Stelle pretended to lament being left to bear everything alone.
• Donia, Beina, and Hisman voted to allow Stelle to join, while Donia and Nannan objected, and the group began planning Stelle's initiation trial.

Stelle joined the Release Gang’s initiation trial, which required her to solve the food-chain conflict among its Three Great Philanthropists. As Stelle and Zhongshan searched for a solution, Screwllum planned to make the philanthropists experience being released themselves.

• Ye Yan explained that the Release Gang’s released creatures had formed a food chain, and Stelle agreed to join the group and help resolve the problem.
• Zhongshan assigned Stelle and herself a trial: find a solution that satisfied Beina, Donia, and Hisman, whose creatures were eating one another.
• Screwllum told Ye Yan that he had been rejected by the Release Gang while trying to spread the Church of Eternity, and decided to turn the group’s release practice against its members.
• Stelle proposed releasing the Three Great Philanthropists to solve the food-chain problem, but Zhongshan suggested instead finding a kind of life that met all three members’ needs.

Stelle investigated the Release Gang’s requirements and grew suspicious that Zhongshan knew something about inorganic life. In Aurum Alley, Scott challenged the Merchant Guild over unpaid dock rent, but a Church of Eternity notice appeared promising to fund the alley’s revitalization.

• Stelle asked Donia, Beina, and Hisman what kinds of life their factions wanted to release, then concluded they needed an endangered, ferocious plant.
• Stelle suggested reviving the Ambrosial Arbor, but Zhongshan rejected the idea and discussed other possibilities, including mechanical creatures.
• When Zhongshan mentioned an Intellitron nearby, Stelle drew her bat and demanded that she explain herself.
• Fulisina and March 7th went to the docks, where Scott berated the Aurum Alley Merchant Guild over its unpaid rent and Sushang defended the guild.
• Scott proposed a bet that would make the loser apologize publicly and bark like a dog, and Fulisina accepted on the guild’s behalf.
• A parchment appeared announcing that the Church of Eternity would fund Aurum Alley’s reconstruction and revitalization.

Fulisina used an illusion to expose Scott’s supposed subsidy notice as real, while Stelle lost Zhongshan as her mentor and Screwllum took over her questions. At Scalegorge Waterscape, Stelle, Screwllum, and Ye Yan persuaded the Release Gang to release repaired Automaton Soldiers as endangered life.

• Fulisina used her [Eternity] illusion and an [Aether Cartridge] to make Scott believe the subsidy notice was genuine, and Sushang recognized Fulisina in the crowd.
• After Stelle exposed Zhongshan as a thrill-seeker from the [Tavern], Screwllum replaced her as Stelle’s mentor and agreed that mechanical life could count as plants for the release plan.
• Screwllum questioned Stelle about her interest in Jarilo-VI’s outdated machines, then collected and repaired discarded Automaton Soldiers.
• Stelle covered a machine with dirt and a seedling to demonstrate its plant-like qualities, leaving Screwllum speechless.
• At Scalegorge Waterscape, Stelle and Ye Yan helped Screwllum persuade Donia and the other Release Gang members that the Automaton Soldiers were endangered life from a declining civilization.
• The six watched the Automaton Soldiers leave, completing the Release Gang’s initiation trial.

Screwllum left Stelle a milk tea cushion containing a recording that explained the Release Gang’s fate and thanked her for helping. At the Tavern, Zhongshan received a compensation gift from the Church, which Giovanni opened to reveal a bar of soap.

• Aboard the Astral Express, Ye Yan told the crew about the Release Gang, and March 7th recounted how she and Fulisina had resolved Aurum Alley’s commercial crisis.
• Stelle activated the milk tea cushion and heard Screwllum explain that it was a gift and that he was drifting through space while waiting for the Church to rescue him.
• Screwllum said the Release Gang’s three masters of merit had released one another and received new homes, while Nannan had been reprimanded and Zhongshan had received an apology gift.
• At the Tavern, Zhongshan told a masked, white-haired man that she had been beaten by the Astral Express crew and discussed the Express’s adventures on Jarilo-VI.
• Zhongshan asked Giovanni di Giorgio da Epsilon to open her compensation gift, and he found a bar of soap inside.

As the Astral Express headed for Penacony, March 7th accepted Bronya’s invitation to Belobog’s Paskonja Festival. On Jarilo-VI, Topaz learned that Oswaldo was recovering and that the IPC had identified the person who framed him: Ye Yan.

• Ye Yan, Welt, and the Astral Express crew listened to the Interastral Peace Broadcast, which reported that Herta had allied with the IPC and that the Masked Fools had requested an investigation into an attack on their Tavern.
• March 7th and Stelle received Bronya’s invitation and agreed that the Astral Express crew would attend Belobog’s Paskonja Festival.
• Topaz arrived on Jarilo-VI with Numby and received a call from Aventurine.
• Aventurine told Topaz that Oswaldo’s condition had improved and that Diamond had sent the identity of the person who framed him.
• A virtual screen displayed Ye Yan’s face and a high-definition video.

March 7th and Stelle invited the Astral Express crew to Belobog for the Paskonja Festival, but Dan Heng, Ye Yan, and Himeko each declined for their own reasons. March 7th and Stelle were left to make the trip together.

• March 7th asked Dan Heng why he had not replied to Bronya, and he said he needed time to recover after the Luofu while wishing the travelers well.
• Stelle invited Ye Yan to Belobog, but he refused after a divination favored staying put and his intuition warned him Aha might cause trouble.
• March 7th told Stelle that Dan Heng and Ye Yan would not go, and they decided to ask Himeko instead.
• Himeko declined because she had matters to attend to, but she encouraged March 7th and Stelle to enjoy Belobog's expression of gratitude.

March 7th and Stelle prepared to travel to Jarilo-VI for its celebration, and Blake abandoned his Church duties to take a vacation there as well. Blake arrived at the Everwinter workshop and unexpectedly came face-to-face with Fulisina and Serval.

• March 7th dressed up and packed for the Jarilo-VI celebration, while Stelle quickly gathered her belongings and persuaded Ye Yan to open a portal for them.
• Blake learned that the search for Screwllum had turned up only its phone, then decided to leave the Church’s responsibilities to the Acting Priest and go after the missing elf.
• Blake vanished from the Eternity Sanctuary and traveled toward Jarilo-VI, choosing the planet’s festival as his vacation destination.
• Blake arrived outside the Everwinter workshop and was surprised to encounter Fulisina, while Serval reacted with the greatest astonishment.

Stelle and March 7th arrived on Jarilo-VI for the festivities and encountered Topaz, who was there on Corporation business and grew wary when they mentioned the Church of Eternity. Back on the Party Car, Silver Wolf lamented her losing streak while Ye Yan offered her milk tea and asked why she had skipped the festival.

• Topaz surveyed Belobog from the Outlying Snow Plains and reflected that its debts still had to be repaid.
• Stelle and March 7th arrived on the Outlying Snow Plains and noticed a Corporation employee in unusual armor.
• The employee reported the pair and asked Topaz whether to silence them, prompting Topaz to hurry over and stop him.
• Topaz introduced herself as an Interastral Peace Corporation investment specialist and learned that Stelle and March 7th were Nameless who had helped Belobog.
• Topaz became wary when Stelle and March 7th credited the Church of Eternity with helping Belobog, recalling the Corporation's detection of Emanator-level energy from the Church.
• Silver Wolf complained to Ye Yan about losing her promotion match, and Ye Yan offered her secret-recipe milk tea before asking why she had not gone to Jarilo-VI's festival.

March 7th, Stelle, and Topaz parted ways after discussing the Corporation and Jarilo-VI’s festival, while Ye Yan and Silver Wolf arrived in Belobog and found the Administrative District transformed. They learned that the Church of Eternity’s knight commander had rebuilt the district and created its mysterious new statue.

• Topaz exchanged contact information with March 7th, then left with her Corporation colleagues while March 7th and Stelle continued toward the city.
• Silver Wolf and Ye Yan arrived in Belobog, where Silver Wolf recognized the Church of Eternity’s influence in the changed Administrative District.
• Gepard welcomed Ye Yan and Silver Wolf, warned them about festival pickpockets, and confirmed the Silvermane Guards were satisfied with Ye Yan’s modified weapons.
• Ye Yan asked Gepard about the statue called “Eternity,” and Gepard explained that a red-haired Church architect had arrived after the Astral Express Crew left to rebuild the district.
• Ye Yan revealed that the architect was the Church of Eternity’s knight commander, who had completed the impressive reconstruction within days.

Stelle and March 7th explored Belobog before reuniting with Bronya, who was shaken by Topaz’s proposal concerning Jarilo-VI’s debt to the IPC. Bronya began explaining the planet’s buried history as she faced the decision.

• Ye Yan stayed at the Goethe Hotel and wondered where Stelle and the others were.
• Stelle and March 7th visited the [Eternity] sculpture, explored the Administrative District, and grew tired from sightseeing.
• Topaz told Bronya that Belobog’s debt could not be written off and urged her to consider the IPC’s plan for the planet.
• Stelle and March 7th arrived as Topaz finished her discussion with Bronya, and Topaz said IPC colleagues would begin necessary work in Belobog.
• Bronya admitted she had little energy left for the Paskonja Festival and began telling Stelle and March 7th that key events from Belobog’s history had been buried.

Bronya told March 7th and Stelle that the Interastral Peace Corporation had sent Topaz to collect Jarilo-VI’s century-old loan, which had grown into an astronomical debt. March 7th and Stelle agreed to seek Topaz’s understanding while Bronya considered how Belobog could respond.

• Bronya explained that the Architects borrowed money from the Corporation’s investors to defend Jarilo-VI, with repayment due after 280 years.
• Bronya said the Corporation had classified the loan as bad debt after losing contact with Jarilo-VI, but Topaz had arrived to collect the principal and interest and was authorized to use force if the debt remained overdue.
• Stelle and March 7th concluded that Belobog could not handle the Corporation alone, and Bronya asked them and the Astral Express for help.
• Bronya declined to involve the Church because she felt it had already done too much for Belobog, while Stelle considered force and then chose to try persuading Topaz.
• March 7th and Stelle set out to find Topaz as Bronya stayed behind to plan Belobog’s response.

March 7th and Stelle tried to persuade Topaz to reconsider the Corporation’s demands on Belobog, while Ye Yan watched Fulisina make an unexpected recruitment pitch to Numby. The chapter left Topaz’s response to the Nameless’ appeal unresolved and Fulisina attempting to recruit a Warp Trotter into the Church of Eternity.

• March 7th and Stelle found Topaz appraising paintings at the museum and brought up Belobog’s debt.
• Topaz explained that collecting debts was her job and hinted that she had proposed a solution to Bronya before catching herself nearly revealing a business secret.
• March 7th produced a box of soap, and Stelle invoked Eternity while tossing an ∞-shaped bar onto the floor.
• Ye Yan watched Numby drink milk tea while Fulisina theatrically drank coffee at the Goethe Hotel.
• Fulisina crouched in front of Numby and invited the Warp Trotter to join the Church of Eternity for free.

Blake supplied Svarog with strategic weapons while warning that organizations had noticed Jarilo-VI’s recovery. In Belobog, Stelle’s Church of Eternity claims and Topaz’s determination to complete the Corporation’s project left the Astral Express crew with no clear way to help Bronya, and March 7th wondered whether her lost memories had included going to school.

• Blake gave Svarog a bag of strategic weapons and told him that Jarilo-VI’s rebirth had attracted the attention of certain organizations.
• Topaz recognized the soap Stelle and March 7th carried and suspected that the Church of Eternity was involved in the attack on Director Schneider.
• Stelle identified herself as a dual Pathstrider of the Church and asked whether Topaz intended to contest the Church’s protection of Jarilo-VI.
• Topaz said the Corporation’s plan would consider Belobog’s welfare, but declared that she would complete the Jarilo-VI project regardless of the Church.
• After Topaz left, March 7th and Stelle agreed that opposing the Corporation could risk a war and worried about Bronya’s situation.
• March 7th questioned whether she had attended school before losing her memory, and Stelle related to her amnesia.

Seele told Stelle and March 7th that Corporation employees had seized the Great Mine, prompting the Astral Express crew to go help. Ye Yan joined them and left the Corporation envoy to the Church, while Topaz confronted Svarog at the Robot Settlement and claimed Jarilo-VI would become Corporation property before someone challenged her claim.

• Seele messaged Stelle that Corporation employees had taken over the Great Mine and were overpowering Wildfire and the Silvermane Guards.
• Stelle and March 7th agreed to help, and they encountered Ye Yan in Boulder Town, who told them to handle the mine while the Church dealt with the Corporation envoy.
• Stelle and March 7th met Seele at the mine entrance, where she reported that Corporation employees and combat robots controlled the mine and had injured several Wildfire members.
• Ye Yan offered the group a choice between confronting the guards and sneaking into the mine, and Seele marched up to challenge the two employees blocking the entrance.
• Topaz met Svarog and Clara at the Robot Settlement, sent Clara away, and declared that Jarilo-VI would soon become Corporation property.
• A voice behind Topaz said Jarilo-VI already belonged to the Church of Eternity.