When the Astral Express crew woke up the next morning—
Himeko, already washed up and ready, had Pom-Pom send out a train-wide announcement.
All crew members were to gather and discuss whether to change course and head to the Xianzhou Luofu.
"…Why are we suddenly changing the itinerary?"
Freshly washed and dressed, Dan Heng couldn't understand it.
They had already agreed to go to Penacony.
It was even their next stop.
So why, at the last minute, were they turning around for the Luofu?
That place…
Held far too many bad memories for him.
He didn't want to go back.
And he wasn't even supposed to.
"It was a message from Su Ran. He received information that the Luofu will soon experience a Stellaron crisis. If we don't go support them, the losses will be severe."
If the message had come from the Stellaron Hunters—
Himeko would've doubted it.
Maybe even rejected it outright.
But from Su Ran?
With his current reputation—
The Express crew was naturally inclined to trust him.
Himeko showed Dan Heng the message she'd received.
"Destruction…"
So the Astral Express really would one day face Nanook?
"Looks like I wasn't the only one who got a message."
Walter had just arrived and overheard them.
Originally, he'd been worried about how to explain the danger posed by that person.
As for the Xianzhou Alliance—
That was secondary.
After all, one Stellaron alone probably couldn't seriously threaten the Luofu.
"So what do you think?"
Himeko only knew Walter had also received a message from Su Ran.
"I'm in favor of going."
Whether that person was really the one he knew or not—
Walter had to see for himself.
"Let's wait until March and Stelle get here before deciding."
Soon enough, March 7th and Stelle arrived one after the other.
As expected—
They'd both gotten messages too.
"Su Ran said there's a way for me to access my memories there. I really want to go."
March had clearly been baited.
As for Stelle—
She showed everyone the message Su Ran had sent her.
What an incredibly vicious curse.
But…
Didn't Stelle have no memories?
Did she even have family?
Now that everyone had gotten messages—
They suddenly realized something strange:
Why hadn't Dan Heng received one?
Under everyone's curious gaze—
Dan Heng pulled out his phone.
Then he saw the message he hadn't checked yet.
After the Stellaron crisis erupts, go support the Luofu.
There are five people, and the price has three parts. You are one of them.
This is your best chance to break free from Dan Feng. If you miss it, you may regret it for the rest of your life.
March's little head poked in from the right.
Stelle leaned in from the left.
"What does 'five people, three prices' mean? And who's Dan Feng? Same surname as you… your brother?"
March's eyes were full of curiosity.
Stelle, meanwhile, looked deeply dissatisfied.
"Why didn't he curse your whole family to die too?"
He could send that kind of curse to his own precious daughter—
So why not to other people?
"I don't have family."
Dan Heng replied quietly.
The Vidyadhara reincarnated in cycles.
They didn't really have "family" in the normal sense.
"Oh. So you're an orphan."
Stelle understood.
That kind of curse simply wouldn't work on him.
Fortunately, Dan Heng's race was different from ordinary humans.
So words like that wouldn't hurt him much.
"So what's your decision?"
Even though Himeko didn't understand exactly what Su Ran meant by that message—
She could tell Dan Heng had been persuaded.
He fell silent for a while.
Then he nodded.
"Looks like everyone's leaning toward going to the Luofu. I'll send him a reply."
"Done."
The moment Himeko replied—
Su Ran knew it was settled.
Sure enough—
A genius's status was far more persuasive than the Stellaron Hunters'.
"Thank you. You're a good person."
Sitting on the sofa, Kafka smiled in satisfaction as she thanked him.
That made Su Ran's expression turn even stranger.
Because Kafka wasn't just thanking him for convincing the Express to go to the Luofu.
More importantly—
He had also given her an entire night of fear.
And she had been very satisfied.
At this point, Su Ran wasn't sure whether the world was sick—
Or whether he was.
That kind of experience was supposed to be torture.
Yet someone could become addicted to it—
Even savor it all night.
Was fear really that intoxicating?
Su Ran certainly couldn't understand.
"If you insist on thanking me, then next time you come, remember to bring everything you need."
"…"
Kafka's smile stiffened slightly.
How exactly was she supposed to explain—
That she wasn't that kind of woman?
"What did you spend my credits on last night?"
Normally, Herta wouldn't care about 100,000 credits.
But the problem was—
Su Ran had spent her money.
Naturally, she was curious.
"Stelle's allowance."
"Oh. That's it…"
Herta instantly lost interest.
She'd thought he'd bought something interesting again.
Instead—
He'd just given money to that girl.
"What, in your eyes, do I only spend money on major things?"
Su Ran raised a hand and pushed Ruan Mei's face away from his shoulder.
Ruan Mei: "…"
She leaned in again—
Though not too close this time.
She simply sniffed lightly.
"Why do you smell like a Devil Hunter from that place?"
Su Ran froze.
Then sniffed his own arm.
Nothing unusual—
Just a trace of perfume.
Probably from holding Kafka while taking that photo last night.
"Isn't that just perfume?"
Ruan Mei shook her head.
"I mean the biological scent hidden beneath the perfume."
"You… came into contact with a Devil Hunter from there? Last night?"
"…"
Su Ran's gaze toward Ruan Mei gained another layer of wariness.
How was her nose this absurdly sensitive?
Was this some kind of special ability that came with being a life sciences expert?
"Don't tell me it was that Stellaron Hunter?"
Herta saw through it instantly.
Who else in the universe would Su Ran be interacting with?
Besides—
That Stellaron raccoon girl was connected to the Stellaron Hunters.
And yesterday Su Ran had sent her money.
Clearly—
This was related to them.
Were those people treating this place like their backyard now?
Just coming and going whenever they pleased?
"What did she tell you? Another one of Elio's prophecies?"
Herta didn't really care that Su Ran had secretly met with a Stellaron Hunter.
It didn't affect her anyway.
"Yeah. And this has something to do with Ruan Mei."
Su Ran admitted it.
Ruan Mei, however, looked confused.
What did she have to do with the Stellaron Hunters?
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