Huh?
At this moment, the Astral Express was docked just outside the Jade Gate.
Dan Heng had just stepped out of his room.
Nearby, Himeko walked over with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
"Dan Heng, want a cup?"
"These beans came from Herta—a new variety from the Blue Star Region. Rich flavor."
"Want me to make you one?"
Faced with Himeko's enthusiasm, Dan Heng shuddered—just a little.
Himeko was great in every way.
Except her coffee skills.
It wasn't that her coffee tasted bad, exactly.
Coffee was basically bean soup—grind it, brew it, add milk if it's too bitter.
But Himeko?
Dan Heng still vividly remembered when he first boarded the train—young, naïve, easily persuaded.
Under Himeko's encouragement, he drank a cup of her personally developed, hand-ground coffee.
And then—
Well.
There was no "then."
"No, thanks, Himeko," Dan Heng replied calmly.
"Sigh. Coffee is such a wonderful drink, yet you young people never appreciate it," Himeko muttered.
"Oh well… forget it…"
Just as she finished speaking—
Her hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly.
Out of the corner of her eye, a holographic projection appeared before both her and Dan Heng.
"Hello~ Everyone. Long time no see."
The instant the figure appeared, Himeko frowned.
She stared intently at the purple-haired woman before her.
"Stellaron Hunter—Kafka."
"Bingo~"
"Himeko, you're as sharp as ever," Kafka smiled.
"Hm? That's strange—where's my little darling?"
"And where are Miss March and Mr. Welt?"
As the elegant woman fully materialized—
Dan Heng's brows are knitted tightly.
This smiling beauty was one of the Interastral Peace Corporation's high-priority wanted criminals.
A Stellaron Hunter.
Kafka.
"Oh, you mean them?"
"They went to Xianzhou."
Himeko sounded thoughtful as she took a small sip of coffee.
The bitterness was overwhelming.
…Milk and sugar would've been better.
"I assume you just left Jarilo-VI and haven't decided on your next destination yet?"
"For example—Penacony?"
"A dreamlike world under the Path of Harmony. Beautiful beyond words."
"Of course, there are other options too. Silver Wolf's homeworld isn't bad either."
"But this time, I'm not here to send you elsewhere."
"Himeko—how familiar are you with the Xianzhou Alliance?"
Kafka had timed this perfectly.
According to Elio's script,
the Astral Express should have remained on Jarilo-VI—
waiting for the Underworld issue to be resolved,
returning topside with Bronya and Seele,
uncovering the Stellaron's truth,
and resolving the crisis.
The timing would've aligned exactly with Blade's presence on the Xianzhou.
Everything was written.
Everything should have gone perfectly.
Except—
Before Kafka could finish her line, Himeko looked at her strangely.
Then, calmly and elegantly, she said:
"Oh~"
"…Hm? Wait—what did you just say?"
Kafka froze.
She stared at Himeko.
At Dan Heng.
"Went to Xianzhou?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing special," Himeko replied, walking toward the window with her coffee.
"Please—take a look."
Kafka's projection followed her gaze.
Outside—
Towering in the void—
The colossal Jade Gate of the Xianzhou Luofu loomed in full view.
"What… is going on?"
"How are you already in Xianzhou space?!"
"By the timeline, you should still be on Jarilo-VI!"
"You shouldn't even have departed yet—how could you already be here?!"
Kafka broke.
Yes.
The ever-composed Kafka—completely lost her cool.
Because Elio's script—
the one that had never gone wrong—
had finally miscalculated.
The Astral Express had arrived early.
Her "little one" was already in Xianzhou.
In the script, Blade was captured after the Stellaron erupted.
But now?
The order was reversed.
The Stellaron hadn't erupted yet—
and Blade was already imprisoned.
Everything was wrong.
Completely wrong.
Kafka was stunned.
"K-Kafka?"
Silver Wolf peeked over from the starship, bubblegum popping.
"According to Elio's prophecy, the Jade Gate should be closing soon, right?"
"I wonder… which system's security is better?"
"Xianzhou's or Herta Space Station's?"
"Because Herta's was easy."
Meanwhile—Xuanye Avenue.
Evan finished his plate of red-oil chopped beef offal.
He had to admit—
For a civilization with thousands of years of history,
Xianzhou's food culture was leagues above younger worlds.
Belobog's Underworld had only beast meat.
The Overworld was better—at least they had borscht.
Still—
Belobog folks really liked strong liquor.
Six months, and Evan still hadn't picked up the habit.
"Hey, Evan," March 7th asked between bites of her last skewer,
"That Miss Tingyun—she's really important, isn't she?"
"Yukong seemed to care a lot."
"They're close," Evan nodded.
"And we mentioned the Borisin beast ships."
"Which means Xianzhou now has a lot more to think about."
"This place…"
"Trouble's coming. Soon."
He hopped lightly off the railing, watching star skiffs pass by.
Xuanye Avenue was the busiest place on the Luofu—
and also one of the easiest to infiltrate.
Evan remembered only one thing clearly—
Xianzhou was about to face a Stellaron crisis.
It just hadn't erupted yet.
Because he arrived early.
"Welp—we've eaten."
"Uncle Yang said we don't need to wait for him."
"So… where to next?"
March 7th tilted her head.
New places, unfamiliar streets—hard to choose.
"How about Aurumat Alley?"
"I heard the night market's fun—and I'm still not full."
"…"
Seeing March and Stelle stare at him with puppy eyes—
Evan rubbed his temples helplessly.
"Fine. Aurumat Alley it is."
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
As expected of the Xianzhou Luofu—
Treasure chests everywhere.
Even near Changle Heaven,
Evan opened several wooden chests.
Sadly—mostly consumables.
Potions. Food. Temporary junk.
The one decent find?
A silver chest in Aurumat Alley.
Inside—
Six-Phased Ice.
[Congratulations! Item acquired: Six-Phased Ice]
[Six-Phased Ice: Artifact related to March 7th. Not true ice—
but a composite crystal formed of six distinct phases.]
"So this is Six-Phased Ice…"
Evan held the crystalline block, studying it.
It looked like ice—but wasn't ice at all.
No elemental connection.
Its true function remained unclear.
He stretched lazily and surveyed the area.
The Xianzhou truly lived up to its martial reputation—
sword-bearing citizens everywhere.
And—
March with her Chun-Li-style bun.
Stelle with her proud face hiding a total goofball.
"Here."
March handed him a cup.
"Aurumat Alley milk tea beats that fermented stuff by miles."
"Yeah—this is good."
Evan took a sip.
Too many pearls.
The straw clogged instantly.
And then—
BOOM—!
The ground shook violently.
Evan's expression hardened as he looked into the distance.
"A Stellaron…"
"There's Stellaron energy."
Stelle's wide eyes filled with disbelief.
Every Xianzhou vessel had an Emanator-level general.
A Stellaron should not form naturally here.
Which meant—
It had been brought in.
By someone.
"…Well," Evan sighed, spreading his hands.
"We just arrived—and the Stellaron crisis kicks off."
"Think we're cursed?"
"Doesn't look like you're bothered at all," March shot back.
"Exactly!" Stelle chimed in.
Evan grinned.
"Of course not."
"This is way more interesting than Jarilo-VI."
"This time, the Stellaron wasn't born—it was delivered."
And with that—
Evan, March, and Stelle stepped out of Aurumat Alley together.
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