"The plan must change." As Stelle, Dan Heng, and Welt prepared to set foot on the soil of Amphoreus, Himeko, her expression grave, gave a final solemn reminder. Her sense of foreboding had grown stronger.
"This time, Welt, Stelle, and Dan Heng, the three of you will disembark together. Welt, with you there, I'll feel more at ease."
Himeko looked specifically at the grey-haired girl. "Especially you, Stelle. Remember, don't break from the group and act alone, and don't... well, don't get distracted by any uniquely shaped local trash bins..."
"Don't worry, Himeko," Welt Yang nodded steadily. "Whatever role Aha might be playing in that world, my accompanying them is the most prudent choice now. I will do my utmost to protect the kids' safety."
"Mmm... having you personally lead them does put my mind more at ease." Himeko nodded, but the worry between her brows didn't fully dissipate.
Just then, March 7th also appeared, leaning against the doorframe. Her face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes were full of concern for her companions. "You have to... take lots of photos with the camera I gave you!" She tried to make her voice sound as lively as usual. "Also, don't forget our summarized experience—the first local you meet in a new world often hides incredible secrets! You... must be extra careful."
...
"Carriage separation sequence initiated—Three, two, one!"
With Pom-Pom's clear announcement, a small train carriage carrying the three Trailblazers silently detached from the main Express.
Transforming into a streak of light, it shot precisely towards the "Eternal Land" shrouded in mist below—Amphoreus—and swiftly vanished into its unique atmosphere.
However, the trio on the Astral Express did not realize that at the very moment they breached Amphoreus's outer layer of chaotic energy barrier and officially entered this eternal land...
Several gazes, imbued with different wills, also quietly pierced the world's barrier following the Trailblaze, turning their attention here.
"Clang—"
A heavy, distant toll, as if from the very foundations of the universe, reverberated through the star sea.
The hammer of the Aeon of Preservation, Amber Lord, fell, declaring the official commencement of a new Amber Era.
This tolling, it seemed, also sounded the prelude to this trailblazing incursion into the unknown, destined to be extraordinary.
Simultaneously, the harmonious chorus of the Family echoing throughout the cosmos seemed to pause for an imperceptible instant.
When that grand, warm chorus sounded again, a keen listener might detect within it a trace of... even more joyful, long-anticipated melody.
...
Inside Amphoreus.
Welt spoke in a steady tone to reassure his two companions: "Relax. Just treat this exploration as an ordinary trailblazing journey. Our primary task is observation and documentation. If civilization exists here, we will make initial contact..."
Before he could finish—
*BOOM!!!*
A deafening explosion erupted! A golden spear violently smashed through the side wall of the high-speed train carriage! The screech of tearing metal was excruciating.
Struck by this sudden, powerful blow, the already high-speed maneuvering carriage instantly lost balance.
It spun and tumbled wildly through the air like a whipped top! Unsecured items inside flew everywhere in the weightless environment.
"Hold on!" Welt reacted swiftly, shouting sharply. He slammed his cane onto the carriage floor. An invisible gravity manipulation field instantly expanded, countering the uncontrolled spin, trying to stabilize this detached carriage.
The powerful inertial forces made his arm tremble slightly, but ultimately, relying on vast experience and formidable strength, he managed to stop the carriage's fatal tumble.
However, the carriage's propulsion system was severely damaged by that precise, savage strike. The thrusters died, leaving it helplessly plummeting toward the ground.
"Power loss! Prepare for emergency landing!" Welt made the decisive call, his voice cutting clearly through the brief chaos to everyone.
Dan Heng, holding tightly to a fixed object amidst the chaos, urgently scanned the carriage interior. His pupils then contracted—the seat where Stelle had been sitting was now a distorted hole piercing from inside to out! Icy wind howled in through the opening.
...
"Where did that send me? Shouldn't I be on the train?"
Stelle's eyes snapped open, consciousness returning from brief blankness.
But the sight before her wasn't the carriage interior. It was a dark room.
"Whose house is so broke they don't even have lights on?" Stelle grumbled.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized there was a pair of eyes... a pair of seemingly eternal, unextinguished blue eyes, quietly "gazing" at her.
"Death..." a hoarse, dry voice, as if it hadn't spoken for eons, echoed in the depths of her consciousness. "...is not yet time. Before you... find me... you, may not die."
The moment the words fell, an irresistible, heavy drowsiness washed over her like a tide. Stelle's consciousness sank into darkness once more.
But in that darkness, something icy seemed to touch her.
"Mi mi? Trade..."
...
"Wake up... wake up!"
Anxious calls sounded in her ears. Stelle's eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes. Dan Heng's handsome face, etched with worry, was right in front of her.
"You're finally awake!" Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief. "You were thrown from the train during the accident. When Mr. Yang and I found you, your vital signs were extremely weak."
"Fortunately... perhaps the life-sustaining system of the Stellaron inside you activated at a critical moment. Your wounds healed at an astonishing speed. Otherwise... some of my experience might have come in handy again..." Welt pushed up his glasses from the side, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear and relief.
"Were we... just attacked? Why don't I remember anything?" Stelle propped herself up, instinctively touching where her wounds should have been, only to find her clothes torn but her skin smooth and unblemished.
"Hold on, is our train carriage's armor... *THAT* fragile?" she couldn't help but complain, trying to use her usual approach to dispel a faint sense of unease.
"I'm not entirely sure of the specific reason," Welt frowned, attempting to rationally analyze the situation, "But theoretically, as a creation left by the Trailblaze Aeon Akivili, the structural integrity and defensive capabilities of the Astral Express far surpass ordinary warships. It should be more than capable of withstanding the detonation of a star head-on."