Actually, Mei hadn't originally intended to summon Seele.
It was mostly that a scene like this really stirred up a lot of nostalgia for the past. But then again, a version of Bronya like this was probably a rare sight for Seele.
Besides, judging from the earlier conversation between Bronya and Kiana, it sounded like Bronya had once again ignored Seele's reminders during her time on the moon.
She seemed intent on testing the limits of the soul over the body, essentially trying to ascend to some sort of immortal cultivation path through sheer willpower.
Be that as it may, Mei stood by Seele on this one. She was genuinely worried about Bronya's health.
You can't exactly wait until someone pulls an all-nighter so hard they drop dead before calling Seele over to help with a resurrection. Herrscher powers aren't meant to be used as a personal reset button for poor life choices.
However, the Earth-Moon routes weren't developed enough yet to allow someone to just hop on a flight the moment they made up their mind. So, Seele simply connected to the lunar base via a communication link.
And so, Bronya and Kiana—who had been "at each other's throats" just moments ago—were now both kneeling on the sofa, looking perfectly behaved and honest.
Cold sweat was literally pouring down their foreheads.
In front of Bronya was the communication screen from Seele. Standing in front of Kiana was Mei.
"Bronya-oneesama... could you please tell me what you promised Seele when you said you were staying on the moon?"
"Uh..."
The sweat started dripping off Bronya in sheets.
Even though Seele wasn't physically standing there, whenever she used that specific tone to call her "Sister," it meant the situation had reached a critical level of severity.
Bronya's chaotic mind began to race, desperately trying to recall exactly what she had promised back then.
But in her memory, it felt like no matter what Seele had said, she had just responded with "Mhm, okay, I promise" to everything. She had a sinking feeling she'd agreed to quite a few things...
Seeing Bronya stammering, Seele knew immediately that her advice had gone in one ear and out the other.
Initially, Seele hadn't expected Bronya to stay on the moon for so long. They had rushed there in the first place out of concern that something had happened to Kiana.
Later, when Kiana brought back such shocking news to Earth, Bronya and Mei requested to stay on the moon for a while. Naturally, no one objected.
Seele had thought that with Mei there, Bronya and Kiana would exercise some restraint—eat less junk food, pull fewer all-nighters, and keep a regular schedule.
But then, some urgent matters popped up at Schicksal that required Mei's return to Earth. That left the two most disobedient people alone on the moon.
For that very reason, Seele had made a video call to Bronya at the time, specifically telling her not to get so caught up in gaming that she forgot to eat or sleep.
And the result...
The smile on Seele's face turned dangerously dark. It made the hair on Bronya's neck stand on end; she felt like she was absolutely doomed once she returned to Earth!
Of course, there was also the possibility that Seele would fly to the moon early to finish her off ahead of schedule.
"I told Bronya-oneesama back then: don't stay up all night, and don't eat too much junk food. I know opportunities to spend a long time with Kiana are rare, so I didn't demand that you strictly follow a perfect health regimen. However..."
"..."
With every word Seele spoke, Bronya seemed to shrink an inch smaller.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"Bronya-oneesama, not everything can be brushed aside just by saying 'I'm sorry, I was wrong' after the fact, you know?"
"Yes... I have seriously and deeply reflected on my recent lifestyle issues, and I guarantee it won't happen again."
Bronya performed a lightning-fast "sliding kneel," committing to the bit of zero nonsense and zero excuses.
Of course, whether she'd pull another all-nighter later because a deadline hit, inspiration struck, or a new game launched... well, that was hard to say.
Seele knew Bronya's personality all too well. So—
"There won't be a next time, Bronya-oneesama."
She didn't say it explicitly, but through her tone, Bronya could feel that if she continued to be "humble in admitting fault but stubborn in changing," she would likely face a literal "dead end." Though the current situation wasn't much better.
--+--
While Seele was busy educating Bronya, Mei was also lecturing Kiana. Granted, Mei was a bit gentler than Seele, but a scolding was still a scolding.
With the "Emperor" far away lately, Kiana and Bronya had really been pushing their luck. Mei hadn't realized the extent of it before, but after calling Seele, she'd heard the truth from Bronya instead.
Consequently, Kiana—who thought she could act cute and breeze through—was now in deep trouble too.
Even though Kiana knew this was purely the result of Bronya dragging her down with her, there was clearly no room for rebuttal in this atmosphere. She could only hang her head and take the lecture.
--+--
Meanwhile, Bai Ming wasn't quite wicked enough to send a clone over just to enjoy the sight of Kiana getting scolded. However, she still slipped onto the Express to secretly observe the shifts in Kiana's expressions.
On this particular visit to the Astral Express, she happened to run into Hysilens and Cerydra as they were preparing to disembark for a while.
"You're leaving the Express? Why? Didn't you enjoy the recent adventures?"
Bai Ming was curious why Cerydra would make this choice. She figured the decision likely came from Cerydra rather than Hysilens.
Cerydra crossed her arms and gave a small huff of explanation. "I'm very satisfied with my time on the Astral Express. But an Express's adventure is not my personal journey, after all."
Cerydra had always possessed the aura of a high-ranking ruler. Even if she didn't necessarily crave power, the memories of so many lifetimes had naturally left her with that sort of mindset.
It was fine when there were fewer people. Dan Heng was taciturn, and Himeko had only just started out, her experience still a bit green. But as more people joined the Express—Welt, Razalina, Mei, and so on...
Cerydra admitted they were all wonderful partners. As companions went, they were all excellent people.
But clearly, Cerydra wasn't satisfied with just this atmosphere.
And to be honest, the Astral Express was a bit too fond of meddling.
Saving worlds from Stellaron disasters was a task the Express had been doing non-stop until now. There were plenty of other reasons, too.
In short... Cerydra didn't hate the Astral Express or its passengers; it was simply a matter of clashing personalities. To prevent things from turning into an actual conflict, Cerydra decided to leave the Express first.
As for the future...
"There will surely be chances to travel together again. Just as the Flame-Chase Journey always brings everyone together, the path of Trailblaze will see us meet again at the other side of the galaxy."
Cerydra said this with a smile, causing the words Bai Ming hadn't yet spoken to vanish.
Cerydra had thought it through clearly, and since it took her several years to make this decision, it meant she was truly set on it. So, Bai Ming simply nodded.
"Then, have you decided when you're leaving?"
"The next stop happens to pass through Interastral Peace Corporation territory. I plan to buy a starship there."
With Amphoreus backing her, Cerydra certainly didn't lack Credits. Plus, the Astral Express wasn't short on money either; she could definitely afford a ship.
"Then I wish you smooth sailing on your grand adventure."
"A blessing from the Savior? I'll gladly accept that."
Beside them, Hysilens bowed to Bai Ming. "Thank you for looking after us all this way."
"You should probably save those thanks for Himeko and the others. I didn't really do anything while you were on the Express."
"We will naturally thank our companions on the Train, but a thank you to Madam Bai Ming is also necessary."
Hysilens looked at Bai Ming earnestly. Though Bai Ming had no idea what she had done to deserve such gratitude.
"Oh, right. Since you're planning to go solo, do you want me to build you a mech like the Drytron units? It'd save you the trouble of buying a ship."
Last time, the Astral Express had rejected her suggestion to add different Drytron models. Bai Ming felt it was a great pity that more cool mechs hadn't been brought into the world.
So, she looked at Cerydra and Hysilens with eyes full of anticipation, looking exactly like someone who wanted to hand-craft a giant toy.
"Uh..."
Cerydra blinked helplessly. Their Savior was good in every way, but why did she always love a spectacle?
While Cerydra didn't know exactly what the other Drytron series models looked like, she and Hysilens had seen the footage of [Drytron Alpha Thuban] soaring through the sky countless times.
That shimmering, dragon-shaped machine was so beautiful and elegant—and extremely violent.
Every battle it fought erupted with dazzling radiance. It wasn't that it didn't look good, or that they hated it. It was just that those mechs were far too flashy.
Cerydra wasn't exactly a "low-profile" person, but she wasn't that ostentatious. If you flew around in one of those, people would think you were there to suppress them with military force at first glance.
It was just too much attention. She didn't want any unnecessary trouble.
"As far as combat power goes, a Drytron unit is great, but for daily use... isn't it a bit too bright?" Cerydra chose her words carefully.
If the two of them used one, they wouldn't have an Astral Express to haul it around for them.
"Is it? Isn't it just cool?"
"...That's exactly the problem."
"Hmm."
Bai Ming made a troubled face.
Cerydra didn't want to use them either? What now? If no one was going to pilot them, there was no point in making them just to let them sit there. Besides, she didn't have a specific place to display them.
Seeing Bai Ming's expression, Cerydra felt a bit guilty about rejecting the kindness. After all, she had received so many favors; it felt wrong to say no like this.
"Is there a starship in the same series?"
"A starship... well, there is one."
Bai Ming thought about it. Drytron did indeed have a closely related series, [Ursarctic], which had a mothership that was pretty badass.
Time to build!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL