Chapter 69: Brother, Where Are You?
Why is it raining?
Does the sky also feel regret?
The girl looked up, letting her tears fall silently down her cheeks, mixing with the rain and dripping into the lake.
The cold rain felt like harsh reality, and the cold gravestone beside her hurt so much she could barely breathe…
She sat there alone for a very long time…
Unfortunately, the rain could not wash away regret, could not ease the sorrow, and could not bring Su Xiaobai back to life.
She didn't know how she returned to the Astral Express.
Silently, she went back to her room and took out a small box from a corner.
Inside was a photo of the two of you, taken by Himeko while you were eating and drinking together outside the Astral Express.
You were smiling so brightly that your enthusiastic "Cheers!" still seemed to echo in her ears.
In the photo, Himeko's fingers gently brushed across your face.
"Su Xiaobai…"
"I'll take you with me… I'll take you to see the brilliant galaxy, to meet wonderful companions…"
"I'll take you traveling… on The Trailblaze…"
Himeko held the photo tightly against her chest, her eyes red, murmuring softly.
She had prepared a room for you.
She cleaned it thoroughly, arranged it with furniture in your style, placed your notes, framed that photo, and set it on your desk…
This is your room, Su Xiaobai…
We'll always be together.
Good night, Su Xiaobai…
Himeko gently closed the door.
Her expression turned solemn as she walked toward the control room of the Astral Express.
The first warp jump was about to begin.
…
The Astral Express engine started, and the gravitational isolation shield activated.
Trailblaze energy surged to its peak, even surprising Pom-Pom.
"Su Xiaobai… you also completed an excellent Trailblaze…"
His voice was low; that boy had given everything to the Astral Express.
Himeko's eyes reddened again. She turned her face toward the window, hiding her emotions.
It was time to depart…
The Astral Express glowed with a faint blue light as the front and rear engines expanded and contracted in sync.
The train rose into the sky, carrying the girl and her unfinished dreams.
Everything went smoothly.
The gravity inside the train remained stable, and the first warp jump was steady.
Did you see it, Su Xiaobai… the starry sky…?
It's truly…
Beautiful…
The jump ended.
Standing before the vast sea of stars, Himeko whispered in her heart.
What she didn't notice was that, at the front locomotive, the faint bloodstains you left behind turned into a tiny golden light, like a star flickering in the vast cosmos.
That point of light grew brighter in her vision, passing through the window like a firefly.
Himeko's expression shifted slightly, and she subconsciously reached out to catch it.
The glow entered her palm…
Suddenly, a surge of insight flooded her mind.
Mechanical theory, applied physics, dynamics…
Concepts she had only partially understood suddenly became clear.
[Mechanical Talent]
She was already talented.
Now, that talent surged dramatically.
A blessing from you…
She looked toward the far end of the starry sky, feeling an even stronger resonance with something beyond.
Suddenly, an overwhelming force pulled her into an unknown space.
A gigantic mechanical head appeared in the distance…
Cold. Rational.
A gaze of pure erudition.
The entire process lasted only an instant, like a dream.
When she came back to her senses, she realized she could resonate with the Path's energy and even manipulate it to a certain extent.
She had become a Pathstrider of Erudition.
She already had the potential—but your blessing accelerated it.
That year, she had just turned eighteen.
With this power, her journey would undoubtedly be easier.
But she didn't smile.
Silently, she entered the empty room she had prepared for you.
Pom-Pom sighed softly.
To him, it only seemed like Himeko had stood there in a daze… and then grew a little sad thinking of you.
Himeko opened the door.
She walked to the desk.
She stared at the photo.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She clenched her teeth, unwilling to let a single tear fall.
But she couldn't hold them back.
Tears kept falling.
"Waaah…"
Finally, she broke down.
She collapsed onto the desk, sobbing uncontrollably…
Something she would never do in her normal life.
But at that moment, she shattered completely.
For the first time in her life, she cried until she nearly fainted.
The starry sky was within reach.
Her dream—right before her eyes.
But her Su Xiaobai…
Would never return.
…
[Simulation complete. No score. No one can casually evaluate a life.]
[You've probably understood it by now.]
Su Xiaobai returned to his ethereal soul form.
Back in that illusory space, he heard the system's voice.
[System rewards granted: Lifespan of a long-lived species, physical strength of a standard Pathstrider, permanent trait "Mechanical Mastery."]
Back in reality, Su Xiaobai felt his body strengthened.
He clenched his fist slightly.
His strength had become extraordinary.
But Earth had no Path energy for him to use.
So, he was simply an ordinary person with exceptional physical strength.
[Are you ready, host?]
The system's sudden voice startled him.
Ready for what?
[To begin your journey…]
The voice sounded more human now.
[Go and fully enjoy that sea of stars filled with endless possibilities…]
A vortex suddenly appeared behind him.
In the next instant, his vision went black, his body twisting and compressing as if being flushed through space, stretching and collapsing repeatedly…
Over and over again…
Is this… becoming a true transmigrator?
That was Su Xiaobai's final thought before losing consciousness.
…
At the same time, in the Sea of Trees Universe…
In a corner of the vast galaxy stood a dreamlike castle.
Elegant. Mysterious.
Its owner was the galactic Madam Herta.
At this moment, Herta had already become an Emanator of Erudition.
She feared no problem. She held all answers.
But deep in her heart, there was one question she desperately sought to solve.
"Brother… where are you?"
Her voice was flat, emotionless—
Yet painfully hollow.
She had tried countless times to revive her brother…
But encountered a critical problem:
The unique identifier—like a soul—that belonged to "brother" was missing.
She possessed a mirror that searched for that identifier endlessly, day and night—
Yet it found no one.
"Brother… where exactly are you…?"