Welt felt that his recent experiences were a bit too thrilling and, oddly enough, far too smooth.
After all, arriving suddenly in this unfamiliar world with a damaged ship, no acquaintances, no star charts, and no clue where he even was—it was a nightmare scenario.
By the time he could have tinkered enough to build a ship capable of free interstellar travel, he likely would have died a hundred times over. Just thinking about it felt draining.
But fortunately, perhaps fate was smiling on him, or perhaps someone was guiding him.
He and Void Archives had drifted through the cosmos for a time before they encountered the Astral Express.
More importantly, he met the person he wanted to protect with his life: Himeko.
Naturally, Welt took the opportunity to board the train.
It was only then that he realized just what kind of incredible world he had stumbled into.
A vast, nearly boundless universe, various strange Paths, Aeons, and a train that could leap across the galaxy at will. Every single detail challenged Welt's perception of reality.
And of course, there was one thing that made Welt particularly giddy.
That was the massive transforming unit said to be blessed by an Aeon—Drytron Alpha Thuban.
It was powerful and cool.
If there was one regret, it was that this unit, as beautiful as a work of art, wasn't a humanoid robot.
However!
Welt also learned something else. From the hands of that same Aeon came another machine called the Unicorn. Not only was it humanoid, it was so beautiful it hardly looked like a machine of war.
Welt had specifically searched for data on the Unicorn Gundam, and he was instantly captivated by its pure white frame, filled with a sense of fantastical mechanical aesthetics.
Heaven only knows what was going through Welt's mind when he saw the Unicorn.
At that moment, he lamented in his heart. He sighed that while both were powerful units, why didn't the Unicorn belong to the Astral Express?
If it did, wouldn't he be able to rightfully pilot a giant humanoid mecha?
Regardless, in the eyes of Himeko and Void Archives, this man old enough to be a great-grandfather was as happy as an eight-year-old child. His eyebrows were practically flying off his forehead.
Himeko could tell that Welt likely had a deep love for humanoid units and probably wanted one of his own. It was only due to his adult restraint that he felt too embarrassed to tell her.
Himeko actually wanted to give one to him, but while she was skilled in mechanical engineering, hand-crafting a humanoid mecha powerful enough for him was a bit beyond her reach.
After all... any ordinary unit wouldn't be able to withstand the black holes Welt created.
It would be more accurate to say that there aren't many materials or designs in this world that can hold up against the gravitational pull of a black hole.
However, Himeko could manage to get some of the more common transforming robots for the new crew member.
In Herta Space Station, if you picked up a random metal object, there was a high probability it was a transforming robot. Even the Express had several cleaning-model transformers under Pom-Pom's command.
So, Welt took the phone he had just received and brought it to the AllSpark to have it modified into a transforming robot.
The only pity was that he didn't get to see the Space Station itself transform into a humanoid. Welt had seen plenty of records; Herta Space Station could transform into a giant humanoid combat form.
Normally, it would spend its free time spinning around in The Blue's orbit.
Unfortunately, his timing was off. The station wasn't currently transformed, much to Welt's disappointment.
Thus, after a brief tour, Welt chose to head back to the Express to rest. And then...
When Welt pushed open the cabin door, he saw a very familiar silhouette and heard a very familiar voice speak a very familiar name:
"My real name is Raiden Mei. You can just call me Raiden Mei from now on."
This self-introduction hit him like a bolt from the blue.
The middle-aged man's smile vanished instantly, and he froze on the spot.
What do you mean, Raiden Mei??
Listen, man... He didn't even know if he'd crossed into another universe yet. Running into Himeko was one thing. How could he turn around and run into Raiden Mei too??
Good grief. Was the Honkai chasing him down to crush him or something?
The world is so big, yet he still ran into an "old acquaintance." The irony was ridiculous.
At this point, Welt wasn't yet the world-weary, experienced Welt of a few years later.
To him, he had only just arrived in this universe. First, he was lucky enough to be saved by Himeko, and then a few days later, he turns around and sees a Raiden Mei carrying an odachi.
What's next? Was a white-haired Kiana and a grey-haired Bronya going to walk out too?
Dammit. Had he fallen into a trap? Was this some kind of illusion? Otherwise, why was he running into so many "familiar actors"?
Welt even spiraled into self-doubt, wondering if he had actually left the solar system at all.
Perhaps because Welt had been standing at the door for too long, both Mei and Himeko turned to look at him.
"This is Mr. Welt Yang, and this is Miss Acheron. Her real name is Raiden Mei," Himeko introduced them briefly.
But Welt was clearly struggling to keep his composure. The resemblance—it was too much.
Compared to the Raiden Mei from Earth, other than her eyes being more weathered and profound, what was the difference??
All that excitement about giant robots had now turned into a confused, complicated mess of emotions.
"Hello. I am Welt Yang, a new addition to the Express."
"Hello. I am Raiden Mei, soon to be joining the Express."
Mei nodded toward Welt, acknowledging him. Then, she turned to Himeko and Razalina.
"I'll go check on Bai Ming's side first. I'll be back once the room is ready."
Himeko smiled and nodded. "Mhm. Once everyone is back, I'll give you all a formal introduction."
Razalina waved her hand happily. "Then we need a welcome party! I'll go get some treats from the Space Station~"
As Mei turned to leave the carriage, Welt finally voiced his question to Himeko.
"This... Miss Raiden Mei, and who is Bai Ming?"
Himeko looked at Welt with confusion. This man's expression had turned visibly complex the moment he saw Madam Acheron. Wasn't he from an unexplored world? How could he know Acheron?
Perhaps because Himeko's confusion was too obvious, Welt gave an awkward cough and explained, "Miss Raiden Mei looks exactly like a comrade of mine who fought the Honkai in my homeland. Even their names are identical. That's why I lost my composure for a moment."
"Is that so? Well, that is quite a coincidence."
Himeko had heard of similar things—how occasionally in the universe, one might see almost identical elements in different worlds.
Himeko hadn't experienced it herself, but she didn't expect to actually run into it.
"Miss Mei's past is quite complicated, and I don't know much about it. I only know that she is currently a powerful Emanator of Permanence."
"An Emanator..."
Welt's pupils shrank. He was clearly shocked. After all, those legendary and rare Emanators—he had actually met one today. And she had such a familiar face.
Wait... why an Emanator of Permanence? Wasn't the Aeon of Permanence supposed to have fallen?
"As for the other lady, Bai Ming, she is a very special Aeon. By the way, the units used by the Express, as well as that white Unicorn Gundam, were made by her."
"..."
Now Welt was truly speechless. Hold on, is the Astral Express's background really this "hardcore"?
Welt's first impression of the Astral Express was that of a small-scale group. It had been glorious once but was now a bit diminished.
Although the crew had good relations with several major factions and had been lucky enough to receive the Aeon's favor, the crew members were few, and their combat power didn't rank very high in the galaxy.
Welt had worried before that an Astral Express like this would constantly run into crises while traveling the universe.
And now you're telling him an Emanator is joining the crew, and an Aeon might just pop up on the train like a casual guest?
Listen, man. Does this mean the Himeko of this world isn't in any life-threatening danger at all? His worrying was completely for nothing.
Welt pushed up his glasses awkwardly. But alongside the awkwardness, he felt a sense of relief.
Although he didn't quite understand what was so special about this Aeon yet, having a friendly Aeon backing them up certainly guaranteed their safety.
Meanwhile, Bai Ming was busy working with Pom-Pom on a spacious, vacant area within the Express.
As she was thinking about how to partition the rooms and layout, Mei walked up the stairs.
"Haven't started yet?" Mei was surprised to see the empty space. She thought that with Bai Ming's efficiency, the place would have been renovated in the time she spent talking downstairs.
"Pom-Pom and I are considering how to utilize all the remaining space on the train. We're deciding how many rooms or functional areas to create."
Beside her, Pom-Pom was directing small robots to constantly change design drafts on a screen, nodding along.
"That's right! Since we can use Bai Ming's power to construct rooms directly, we might as well use up all the idle space!"
"..."
Mei thought about how there were only a few people in the crew right now. Utilizing all the carriages seemed like a bit of a wasted effort—they didn't need that much space. But seeing Pom-Pom so enthusiastic, Mei kept that thought to herself.
"By the way, I met the new Nameless, Welt Yang. Judging by his expression, I think he knows someone who looks very much like me."
"Oh? Welt is back?" Bai Ming smiled.
Then, quickly, her clothing began to reconstruct, turning into a small dress dominated by white and purple, and her long hair tied into a side ponytail.
Cold shoulders, a low neckline, with a long white boot on one leg and a short boot on the other.
This was the outfit Kiana wore in the story of Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2, according to Bai Ming's memory.
She had loved it back then, but unfortunately, it was never implemented as a playable skin, even by the time she arrived in this world.
She didn't expect that she could now dress up as the character herself.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL