Lucian's gaze lingered briefly on Himeko and March, his expression remaining calm as a faint thought formed in his mind.
'Share a room, huh... that actually sounds like a rather good suggestion...'
As if they had sensed the shift in his thinking, both Himeko and March froze for a moment, their expressions subtly tightening as a sense of unease surfaced almost simultaneously.
What was he planning to do?
Surely he was not thinking about sleeping in the same bed as them?
Absolutely not.
They were both unmarried women, so how could they possibly share a room, let alone a bed, with a man?
"You're not seriously thinking about sleeping in the same bed as me, are you? I'm a girl, y'know!"
March waved her hands repeatedly, her tone firm despite the slight embarrassment on her face.
Even though Lucian was undeniably handsome, she was not that kind of casual girl. No matter how good-looking he was, there were certain boundaries that simply could not be crossed.
"I truly do welcome you, but... when it comes to arranging a bedroom, I think we should handle it more carefully..." Himeko added in a composed tone after a brief pause. "Well, the Party Car is rarely used, so we could tidy up a room there for you, or if necessary, I can give you my own room. What do you think?"
No matter the circumstances, sharing a bed with a man was something Himeko would never agree to.
Of course, it had nothing to do with Lucian's identity.
Even if he was handsome, powerful, and overflowing with charm, she would still instinctively reject the idea, because that sense of restraint and propriety had long been deeply ingrained within her.
"Relax, I was just joking."
Lucian spoke with a chuckle, then raised his hand casually and snapped his fingers.
*Snap!*
In the next instant, a vast yet gentle radiance of intertwined gold and silver flickered into existence outside the Astral Express, illuminating the surrounding space with a soft, almost sacred brilliance.
Everyone instinctively turned their gaze outward, only to see two additional train cars appear abruptly out of thin air. In their eyes, the flowing light seemed to carry with it an indescribable aura of creation and divinity, as though something fundamental had been reshaped by an unseen force.
"Are those... new cars, pom? They're... not fake? How did the Astral Express suddenly gain two more cars?"
Because Pom-Pom was directly connected to the Astral Express itself, they could clearly distinguish authenticity from imitation.
Yet at this moment, Pom-Pom realized that the two newly appeared train cars shared the exact same origin as the Astral Express's existing cars, identical in every structural and existential sense.
Even so, the flowing gold and silver hues subtly indicated that they were not part of the Astral Express's original composition.
"Whoa! A golden car! It looks amazing!"
March's eyes lit up instantly with excitement.
"Ohh, the silver one totally matches me! I want it!"
Stelle spoke without hesitation, her interest immediately captured.
Dan Heng narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the phenomenon with rare seriousness.
'What kind of ability is this? Even Pom-Pom acknowledges those cars as real... but the Astral Express is an Aeon creation...'
Welt adjusted his glasses thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on the newly formed train cars.
'It is indeed extraordinary. If even the conductor confirms their authenticity, then it seems Lucian still has many secrets we have yet to uncover.'
Himeko said nothing for a moment, yet her eyes remained fixed on Lucian as a quiet thought surfaced within her mind.
'Just how many incredible abilities does he possess? Seriously, the more I learned about him, the more unfathomable he became...'
Everyone could see that these two train cars were by no means crude imitations—their texture, their sheen, and even the faint yet unmistakable aura belonging to Aeon Akivili flowed through them in a manner that was virtually indistinguishable from that of the original Astral Express itself. One car radiated a warm and noble pale golden glow, while the other shimmered with a pure, immaculate silver-white brilliance.
Under Welt's astonished gaze, March's excited exclamations, Dan Heng's focused scrutiny, Stelle's eager clapping, Himeko's disbelief, and Pom-Pom's wide-eyed stare, Lucian calmly stepped forward and seamlessly connected the two new train cars to the rear of the Astral Express—the process occurred so naturally that it felt as though they had always been part of it.
"Alright, there—the golden car will be my room from now on," Lucian said while lightly dusting off his hands, then turned toward Stelle. "And the silver one is yours. It matches your hair quite well."
Stelle stared at the elegant and uniquely radiant silver train car, her joy almost overflowing.
"Thanks, Godfather! You're the best!"
Right after saying that, she suddenly rushed forward and hugged him tightly, rubbing her face against the crook of his neck with unrestrained affection.
However, it was only at that moment that Lucian noticed something subtle—Stelle's chest seemed noticeably fuller than before.
In such a short period of time, had it actually developed further?
Could this have been part of Silver Wolf's design, some kind of growth-oriented setting?
Stelle's body was indeed remarkably adaptable.
"What a beautiful car! Hey, hey, let's go check it out!"
March could barely contain her envy, as the allure of something so brilliantly golden was nearly irresistible to her.
"You want it? Too late. March, who told you not to let Godfather sleep with you? Regretting it now?"
Nestled comfortably in Lucian's arms, Stelle spoke smugly, borrowing his authority as she teased her new friend.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm jealous, okay?" March puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "I'm totally jealous, but I'm definitely not regretting it! Guys and girls gotta keep their distance, y'know?"
In the end, everyone soon made their way toward the golden train car, eager to witness firsthand just how extraordinary Lucian's creation truly was.
As they approached, the door of the new car slid open automatically, revealing an entirely new interior space arranged into warm and comfortable bedrooms, complete with beds, tables, chairs, and even small observation windows, all perfectly furnished as though they had always existed.
"Whoa~!"
March rushed forward first, placing her hand against the golden wall, only to find its surface smooth and warm, like polished jade.
"Lucian! How did you even do this?" Welt adjusted his glasses once more, his voice carrying both disbelief and curiosity. "I mean, the Astral Express was personally forged by the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili. It's a divine construct that embodies the power and laws of an Aeon. Every part of its structure is unique, so how could it possibly be replicated artificially?"
Since Akivili's fall, no one in the universe had been capable of producing any true imitation.
"Yes, while there are plenty of people who can repair the Astral Express, only one being ever built it, pom."
Pom-Pom added with emphasis.
Needless to say, that being was the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili, and now another existence capable of perfectly replicating the train had appeared, which left Pom-Pom inwardly sighing at how increasingly extraordinary the passengers of this generation had become.
Himeko remained momentarily stunned as she looked at the interior of the car, which was identical to her own room, her lips parting slightly as she processed the overwhelming sense of familiarity and disbelief.
"You copied my room?"
Himeko turned to Lucian as she asked.
"I felt your room would suit my preferences best."
Lucian spoke with a faint smile.
March's room was too pink, while Welt's was too old-fashioned, so Himeko's was the most suitable choice, which was why Lucian had used River God to replicate her room.
"...I see."
Seeing that there was no real flaw in that reasoning, Himeko did not press the matter any further.
Meanwhile, Dan Heng had already taken out a small notebook and was quietly recording Lucian's actions and words.
Although this might not seem particularly significant to outsiders, for the Astral Express crew, it was a matter important enough to be archived in the data bank so that future Trailblazers would know of such an extraordinary individual.
Stelle, however, did not dwell on such considerations, as her godfather being overwhelmingly powerful was already something she had long accepted as perfectly normal, so with an excited cheer, she ran straight into the silver train car, ignoring everything else in her eagerness.
"I've got a Mom-style room too! Haha!"
Hearing Stelle's happy shout, March followed close behind, bouncing energetically around inside the silver train car, while Pom-Pom's short legs pattered rapidly across the floor as they hurried over to the silver train car and carefully stroked its mirror-smooth surface.
"Pom, the new cars are so pretty!"
Ever since Aha had blown up half the Astral Express and destroyed many of its cars, Pom-Pom had been heartbroken for a long time. For years, the Astral Express had not gained any additional cars, so the sudden addition of two at once felt like an occasion worth celebrating across the entire universe.
"...Lucian, what kind of ability is this? Can you tell us about it?"
After gradually calming her emotions, Himeko gently asked Lucian.
Looking at everyone's stunned expressions, Lucian simply shrugged.
"It's just a replication ability. Explaining it in detail would be troublesome, so you only need to know that I can replicate anything—people, objects, or even... Aeons."
He did not mention the limitations of this ability, as replicating a single train car did not consume much of his power.
However, replicating the entire Astral Express—especially the locomotive—would be far more demanding, given that it was anything but an ordinary object. Even so, there was no real need to replicate the entire train when simply adding a few extra cars was already more than sufficient.
Everyone, however, was fixated on a single point.
"You can... replicate Aeons? You've got to be joking."
Welt spoke with seriousness.
Everyone was visibly shaken by Lucian's claim, because if he truly possessed such a capability, then the extent of his power would be almost unimaginable.
"Don't believe me? In that case, I'll split Aha into two and show you."
As soon as Lucian finished speaking, Pom-Pom immediately rushed forward, clinging tightly to his leg while shouting in alarm.
"Don't do it, pom! Don't bring Aha here, pom! Don't replicate Aha!"
Two Ahas?
If that happened, the Astral Express might not survive at all.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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