In Mei's eyes, looking at the current situation...
Bai Ming was clearly very familiar with this Welt fellow.
Mei's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing that things weren't as simple as they appeared.
It wasn't just a matter of how Bai Ming knew the man's background; rather, Mei's mind drifted back to the two new forms Bai Ming had crafted for herself a while back.
Bai Ming had already admitted those looks were referenced from other worlds. Previously, Mei had been curious about what kind of worlds those outfits belonged to.
Judging by the style, one was clearly from a high-tech era, while the other was from a world with a significantly lower level of technological development.
Now, comparing Mr. Welt's attire with the style of the outfit Bai Ming had manifested for herself—the one with horns and a pair of massive mechanical arms—Mei felt there was a high probability that image shared a world with Welt.
Had Bai Ming known all along that Mr. Welt would board the Express? Mei wondered, feeling utterly perplexed.
She tilted her head, leaning close to Bai Ming's ear to whisper, "Did you know from the start that Mr. Welt was coming?"
"...What makes you think that?"
Bai Ming neither admitted nor denied it, but in Mei's eyes, that kind of ambiguity was basically a confirmation.
"If I'm not mistaken, that form with the giant mechanical arms... I'll bet it's someone Mr. Welt knows, isn't it?"
How did she figure it out so fast? Bai Ming puckered her lips, but quickly whispered back with a mischievous nudge, "So, do you want to change into one too?"
"I'm not as bored as you are... No."
Mei's face was a picture of exasperation. She pressed a finger against Bai Ming's forehead and pushed her away.
This girl was truly something else. Even if she knew Mr. Welt's origins, there was no need to go as far as transforming into his acquaintances just to mess with him.
What was the point?
Mei shook her head, unable to fathom the pursuit of "Elation." Though, in truth, Bai Ming's abstract behavior didn't really have much to do with the Path of Elation itself.
Seeing that Mei had no intention of joining her in being ridiculous, Bai Ming shook her head with a sigh of regret. Boring. She'd just have to wait for Silver Wolf to show up and ask her instead.
It just so happened that Silver Wolf was still using the Remodeled Project Bunny she'd gifted her.
Inside, there were a few pre-set outfits based on the Herrscher of Reason, though they weren't set to trigger automatically.
Once Silver Wolf's Aether Editing reached a certain level, she'd be able to see them—whether she chose to wear them or not was up to her.
Bai Ming had only left that data there because she thought it'd be funny.
Speaking of which, she wondered how Silver Wolf was doing lately. Who knew when the Stellaron Hunters would come to pick her up?
Theoretically, with the upgraded Aether Editing Bai Ming had provided, clearing Punklorde should be a walk in the park for her.
By now, Silver Wolf was likely in her teens—the peak of her rebellious phase.
Bai Ming wondered if she'd still be as clingy as she was when she was little. Watching a little "Bronya" act spoiled... now that was bound to be entertaining.
With those thoughts in mind, Bai Ming turned toward Welt and gave the man a casual wave. "You must be Welt Yang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello, Madam Bai Ming."
Welt had consulted Himeko before arriving and knew that this person didn't care for excessive formality. So, despite how surreal the situation felt, he maintained a baseline of polite respect.
Beyond that, another thought flickered in Welt's mind.
If this Aeon didn't naturally look this way... if she had intentionally taken this form to appear before him... did that mean she likely knew about the Solar System? Did she know where he came from?
At the thought, Welt's heart skipped a beat. Even if he found a way back now, he planned to travel with the Express for a while before leaving.
No matter what, he wanted to protect the life of the Himeko in this world. But still, knowing or even mastering a way home was infinitely better than being lost in the dark.
So, though it felt a bit forward, Welt took a step toward her, bowed slightly, and said earnestly, "I have a question. I wonder if I might trouble Madam Bai Ming for an answer?"
"Of course, Mr. Welt—the man who surpassed the first Herrscher of Reason."
"Pffft—cough, cough!?"
Welt's pupils shrunk. Holy crap, I've been doxxed!
Amidst the shock, Welt's face flushed red; he completely lost his composure.
It was one thing for his origins to be known, but why did she have to know about the "Dark History" he'd basically made up on the fly?!
No one needed to know that part!! There were plenty of more prestigious things to mention, weren't there?!
Welt tactically adjusted his glasses, coughing several times to hide his embarrassment. It was genuinely hard to keep a straight face.
Himeko noticed Welt's lapse in composure and committed the title "Herrscher of Reason" to memory.
It seemed Mr. Welt's past was quite extraordinary. Then again, it made sense; a man who could manifest black holes with his bare hands wasn't going to be ordinary no matter where he came from.
"..."
Welt took a deep breath, struggling to settle his nerves.
Only once he was sure his voice wouldn't crack did he speak again. "Since you know my past, do you also know the path I took to get here? I wonder... could you tell me the way back home?"
But upon hearing this, Bai Ming shook her head.
"I know of Earth and the Solar System, and I know of the Honkai. But I don't know exactly how you arrived. Perhaps by tracing your memories we could find the path, but that will take time."
"There's really a chance to go back?!"
Welt's expression shifted visibly. Even if he couldn't return immediately, he hadn't expected a truly feasible plan to exist. It was an overwhelming surprise.
"I can't give you a guarantee. I can only say that, theoretically, it's possible."
By relying on the memory matter Welt had left behind while traveling through this world, they could piece together his journey.
Perhaps they could even reverse-engineer a way to reach the world of Honkai Impact 3rd.
The problem was, this was a task for the Remembrance. Even with the power of an Emanator, even with the boost from Elation, finding that specific information wouldn't be easy.
In short, it required time. It wasn't something that could be settled in a day or two.
And there was another point to consider: Aha definitely knew about that place, yet THEY had done nothing.
Was that logical? Given Aha's personality, doing absolutely nothing was the most suspicious thing of all. Perhaps that godforsaken place was simply a world where Aeons weren't meant to tread.
But then again, while she wasn't sure exactly when Welt had crossed over, it must have been during a relatively stable period.
When the time came, she could just craft an avatar to head over and take a stroll. There was no need for her true self to go in person.
As she mused, Bai Ming didn't maintain Kiana's appearance. She shifted back into her own form.
Her eyes returned to normal, and her features changed. Yet, even so, the face she wore now remained strikingly familiar to Welt.
It still looked quite a bit like Kiana. If anything, the subtle differences only made the resemblance more hauntingly evocative.
"If Kiana saw you, she'd probably be quite excited," Welt remarked. He imagined the reaction Kiana might have upon meeting Madam Bai Ming and felt a flicker of anticipation.
Bai Ming let out a soft laugh. "Ha~ When the time comes, I'll definitely show up as the Herrscher of Finality just to see her face."
"..."
Welt's lip twitched. Should I expect anything less from a god chosen by the Aeon of Elation? This inexplicable urge to stir up trouble was truly "abstract."
As for how she knew so much about that world, Welt didn't ask. She was a deity; it was only natural for her to know things. Still... he couldn't help but steal a few more glances at Bai Ming and Mei.
No matter how one looked at it, in this vast and utterly foreign new world, finding someone who knew his origins and his past was incredibly reassuring.
And Welt was glad that this being happened to be on good terms with the Astral Express.
After being put to work by Pom-Pom to help refurbish the Astral Express, Bai Ming had planned to stay on board with Mei for a while, trailing along as the train wandered the stars.
Unexpectedly, Zandar sent a communication right at that moment, which meant Bai Ming didn't even get a chance to see Void Archives. But since she had given Zandar her word long ago, she wasn't about to break it now.
After a quick word to Mei, she returned alone to the Simulated Universe's location.
This time, Zandar had sent another "slice" of himself. Stepping into this brand-new Space Station and looking at the massive computing engine, Zandar's mood was complicated.
"Seeing this computer—one that might have been capable of calculating the entire world—be subsumed into Nous's thoughts... I can only feel it is a profound pity."
Zandar didn't rush to enter the Simulated Universe. Instead, he turned to Bai Ming and asked, "You could have shielded this computer from Nous's shackles. Why didn't you stop THEM?"
"The power was drawn from Erudition to begin with. Whether I interfered or not, she was destined to be the prisoner you speak of."
For the Simulated Universe, unless she could master the complete Erudition Equation, any hope of subverting Nous was unrealistic. And from the very start, Bai Ming had never intended to give her the full equation.
Perhaps Zandar was hoping to see this Simulated Universe use Bai Ming's power to calculate a path that truly escaped the rules of the Paths. But Bai Ming felt Zandar was being far too optimistic.
Even if she had such a plan, she wouldn't have anchored it to the Simulated Universe.
"..."
Zandar remained silent for a long moment, his thoughts unreadable.
"In any case, go ahead. Herta and Screwllum aren't here right now; you can log into the Simulated Universe without worry."
"So be it."
Zandar sighed softly, then stepped onto the platform, connecting his consciousness to the current Simulated Universe.
He would meet this new genius in his own way and use her power to run a few simulations of his own ideas.
A few years back, while researching Nihility, Bai Ming had pondered many things out of boredom and loneliness.
Thus, she understood perfectly what Zandar was trying to achieve.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL