"Sigh… When are we ever going to get out of here?"
Meanwhile, in some corner of the galaxy, a group of Nameless from the Astral Express seemed to have run into a little trouble.
"There's no signal here at all! If you don't let me out soon, I'm going to suffocate!"
The girl named March 7th complained once again.
Not long ago, the Astral Express crew had just finished attending Penacony's Charmony Festival and had witnessed a battle between an Emanator and a demigod.
Although, regarding this particular act of Trailblaze, the Astral Express crew had once again ended up as the atmosphere team.
But even being the atmosphere team was still an important part of walking the path of Trailblaze!
However, just as the Express crew left Penacony and prepared to find a car-wash planet for a short rest, an accident occurred.
The Astral Express was attacked by a swarm of True Stings.
Those True Stings could not only cause physical destruction, but their dust could also induce powerful hallucinations.
Fortunately, the current Astral Express had plenty of experienced veterans aboard, so no major accident happened because of a few little True Stings.
All right, that was a joke.
The Express crew still had an accident.
As the True Sting crisis continued to escalate, the crew discovered that they had been swallowed whole by an enormous True Sting.
And at that life-or-death moment, the strongest man aboard the Astral Express made his move.
Mm…
Then, after the strongest man aboard the Astral Express made his move, the crew had just escaped the trouble caused by the True Stings, only to discover that they had arrived somewhere even more dangerous.
They had fallen into a domain contaminated by Nihility.
Inside this place, they lost all means of communication with the outside world. They could only rely on the Express's instinctive movement, slowly attempting to leave this stretch of Nihility behind.
And even now, they still had not managed to escape it.
Perhaps if they kept going, they would be out in another month or two?
Honestly, no one in the crew could be certain of that answer.
After all, to a certain extent, Nihility did indeed somewhat counter the Astral Express's Trailblaze.
March 7th's complaints continued.
At this moment, she was sprawled by the observation car's window, her forehead pressed against the cold glass. Her whole body looked like a flower wilted by frost.
Outside the window, the world remained a suffocating mass of gray-black.
"There's no signal here at all! If you don't let me out soon, I'm going to suffocate!"
After saying that, March 7th abruptly turned around and flopped backward, sinking into the sofa. Her pink-blue hair scattered over her shoulders.
Because she had spent too long inside an enclosed space, her cheeks carried an unhealthy flush. Even those eyes that were usually always sparkling now had a thin layer of exhaustion over them.
Not far away, on another sofa, Stelle was lying there in an extremely undignified posture. One leg was hooked over the armrest while the other dangled down to the floor, making her look like a salted fish left out to dry.
Mm…
And not just any salted fish. The kind that had been dried for too long and had already begun curling at the edges.
At this moment, she was still clutching an empty bag of puffed snacks. Every now and then, she would lift it up and shake it, trying to coax a few more crumbs out.
After hearing March 7th's words, Stelle turned over weakly, facing the back of the sofa, then said in a muffled voice,
"Don't even bring it up… Right now, just looking at that black gunk outside makes me want to puke."
"And March, don't you think the stuff outside looks especially like sesame paste that's been left out for a week? The kind where the layers have separated, a hard skin has formed on the surface, and the bottom is still going glug-glug and bubbling."
As Stelle spoke, she even gestured with her hand, drawing a circle in the air before making an exaggerated stirring motion.
"…That comparison makes me want to puke even more."
March 7th shut her eyes in pain.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the car, Dan Heng sat on a chair, an ancient text spread open before him—one that he had already flipped through who knew how many times.
He had kept the same posture all this time, his back straight, his expression indifferent, as though the Nihility domain outside the window, which was enough to drive an ordinary person mad, was nothing more than a light drizzle unworthy of mention.
After hearing the wails of his two companions, he finally raised his head and calmly swept his gaze over March 7th and Stelle.
"Before the Astral Express reaches its destination, most of its time is also spent traveling through the galaxy like this."
"Why did I never see you two hate it this much before?"
Hearing this, March 7th shot upright, a few strands of hair practically exploding outward.
"How is that the same?"
She counted on her fingers, listing each point for Dan Heng.
"When we used to travel through the galaxy, sure, we were still staying inside the train, but at least there were stars outside the window, right? At least the signal was full, right?"
"What about now? Outside the window is sesame paste! The signal is zero!"
"Something like this is absolutely not okay!"
Dan Heng responded again.
"…March, since when did you become an internet-addicted girl? You never used to care this much about signal before. Besides, isn't Stelle here to keep you company?"
But March 7th refused to let it go.
"But this means we're going to miss Miss Kallen's livestream with the IPC!"
Now even Dan Heng found himself somewhat speechless.
After all, he was quite regretful about that too.
Previously, after the Penacony trip ended, the Express crew naturally learned about the IPC's announcement.
Apparently, that Miss Kallen was an Emanator of Preservation, and her true body was formed from a cast-off shell of the Amber Lord.
And the Preservation mission she bore would be witnessed by the entire galaxy through the IPC's livestream.
Honestly, with such a magnificent undertaking, forget the Express crew—even most people in the galaxy probably would not want to miss it.
Unfortunately, judging from their current situation, they were most likely going to miss it.
Although, because they were currently trapped in Nihility, there was no longer anything inside the train that could accurately calculate time.
But as a Pathstrider, Dan Heng had very little need for sleep, so he could roughly estimate it.
And by now, it had probably been about two months since they became trapped inside this Nihility.
Two months.
According to the IPC's preview, no matter how one looked at it, the livestream should already be over.
"Then you may be disappointed, March."
"According to my calculations, given the current time, Miss Kallen's livestream with the IPC has most likely already ended."
Very soon, Dan Heng informed March 7th of this cruel fact.
As expected, after learning this brutal truth, March 7th broke down even further.
"Ended?!"
"How is it already over? How long have we been trapped? Two months? Three months? Shouldn't a historic moment like this be livestreamed for at least a year and a half?!"
Dan Heng expressionlessly turned a page.
"What livestream have you ever seen that lasts a year and a half?"
Honestly, for a livestream of this nature, Dan Heng felt half a day would already be enough.
A ceremony. A return. The transformation of the Amber Lord's cast-off shell.
No matter how grand it was, it would only be a process of a few hours.
But clearly, March 7th still could not accept this fact.
"That's not necessarily true!"
"The Amber Lord, Qlipoth, is an Aeon of Preservation! That's an Aeon of Preservation! How can matters concerning an Aeon be measured by common sense?"
"Besides, Miss Kallen is the Amber Lord's incarnation. For an existence of that level, isn't it perfectly normal to livestream for a year?"
Dan Heng raised his head and looked at her.
His gaze was filled with speechlessness.
He suspected March 7th might have some misunderstanding about time.
However, when he remembered that the person saying this was March 7th, it somehow made sense.
Therefore, Dan Heng ultimately did not refute her. He simply lowered his head again and continued reading the ancient text that had already been flipped through until it was nearly worn out.
Seeing his reaction, March 7th grew even more fired up.
In three quick steps, she rushed in front of Dan Heng, planted both hands on the table before him, leaned forward, and stared at him with those watery eyes full of expectation.
"Teacher Dan Heng, you must have a way, right?"
"…"
Dan Heng did not speak.
"You're the most reliable person on our train! Even Uncle Yang says you're a walking encyclopedia!"
"…"
Dan Heng still did not speak.
"Aren't you able to recite all the ancient texts on the train backward? A little situation like this definitely won't stump you, right?"
Dan Heng finally lifted his eyes and expressionlessly looked at the expectant face before him.
He was silent for a moment, then said,
"March."
"Mm-hm, mm-hm!"
"I have no way."
March 7th's expression froze.
"And…"
Dan Heng continued, his tone still so calm it made one want to punch him.
"Even if I had a way, I could not let you connect to the IPC's signal in a place like this."
"Why?" March 7th still refused to give up.
"Because this is a domain of Nihility."
Dan Heng closed his book and pointed at the gray-black chaos outside the window.
"In this place, even the power of the Paths is diluted. If you brought a Memokeeper here, they might not even be able to extract memories stably. Let alone the IPC's signal."
March 7th opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but then realized she really had nothing to say.
She dejectedly took two steps back and collapsed onto the sofa like a rag that had been wrung dry.
"So we can only wait here like this?"
"Yes."
"Wait until when?"
"…"
This time, even Dan Heng, after enduring March's bombardment, chose silence.
March 7th abruptly sat up and turned toward Stelle, who was sprawled over the sofa on the other side. The resentment in her eyes was almost becoming tangible.
"Stelle! Look at him! Look at Dan Heng!"
She pointed at Dan Heng, her voice full of accusation.
"He's ignoring me! He's actually ignoring me! I'm asking him for help!"
"This isn't just indifference anymore. This is cold-bloodedness! This is emotional neglect! This is—this is—"
March 7th got stuck.
Clearly, her vocabulary bank could not find a more serious term to condemn Dan Heng with in such a short time.
Finally, Stelle poked her head out from behind the sofa back and looked at March 7th expressionlessly.
Then she shrank back again.
"Stelle!"
March 7th refused to let her off.
"Say something for me!"
Stelle was silent for a while. Then she slowly sat up from the sofa.
"Actually… I do have a way."
Hearing this, March 7th's eyes instantly lit up.
She practically teleported in front of Stelle, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and shook her hard.
"What way, what way, what way?!"
"Stelle, I knew it! You're the reliable one! Dan Heng can go date his ancient books!"
"Hurry, say it, say it, say it!"
Stelle was shaken dizzy. She stretched out a hand, pressed it against March 7th's face, and pushed her back.
"Stop shaking me… Keep going and I'm going to throw up… The sesame paste outside is already disgusting enough…"
March 7th immediately let go, clasped her hands together, and waited with a devout expression.
Stelle cleared her throat and said,
"We can watch the replay."
The car became quiet.
Very quiet.
March 7th's expression went from expectant to confused, from confused to incredulous, and finally froze in a subtle state of, "Are you messing with me?"
No, seriously?
She had been waiting with so much anticipation, and this was it?
"Replay?"
"Yeah."
Stelle nodded with an utterly serious expression.
"Think about it. How could an IPC livestream not have a recording? That's the most business-savvy place in the entire galaxy. They'd be dying to chop this livestream into a hundred clips and play them on loop across the whole galaxy for a year and a half."
"Once we get out, we'll be able to see it in any star system. Watch it as many times as we want. Pause wherever we want. Screenshot wherever we want."
"And look, livestreams have one big problem. What if Miss Kallen goes to the bathroom halfway through? Wouldn't you have to sit there waiting in front of the screen? Replays are different. Drag the progress bar, perfect skip."
March 7th's mouth hung open for a long while.
She knew she was not the dumbest person aboard the Astral Express!
However, on the other side, Dan Heng actually gave a slight nod.
"Stelle has a point."
March 7th whipped her head around and glared fiercely at Dan Heng.
Clearly, she had never expected him to agree with such a terrible idea.
But Dan Heng continued without changing expression.
"The IPC does indeed have a habit of recording all important events in full. The Marketing Development Department even more so. They would not let go of any material that can be used repeatedly."
"So after we leave this domain, there is a high chance we will be able to find the full recording."
"See!"
Stelle spread her hands, her face saying, "I told you so."
"So what you mean is…"
March 7th took a deep breath.
"Let me wait here doing nothing, then after who knows how many months, once we get out, go online and watch the replay?"
"Yes."
Dan Heng and Stelle answered in unison.
March 7th took a deep breath.
Then another.
She felt she needed many deep breaths to calm her emotions.
"But… that's a historic moment!"
"Miss Kallen returning to Preservation, Qlipoth's will reappearing, the entire galaxy witnessing it!"
"And we, the Astral Express, practitioners of Trailblaze, have to go back and watch the replay?"
"Does that sound right? Is that reasonable? Is that worthy of our Path of Trailblaze?"
Dan Heng reopened his book.
"The Path of Trailblaze does not require us to watch livestreams."
"Besides, March, the livestream is not what you should be most worried about right now."
March 7th froze for a moment.
"Then what is?"
Dan Heng raised his head. His gaze passed over March 7th's shoulder and landed on the tightly shut car door.
"You should be worried about Himeko and Uncle Yang. They left about half a day ago to search for a route, but they have still not returned."
In an instant, March 7th completely fell silent.
Her mouth was open. Her watery eyes blinked, and the color drained from her face at a visible speed.
"Teacher… Teacher Dan Heng…"
"Before you say something that scary, can't you give some warning first?"
Dan Heng raised his brow slightly.
"I was merely stating a fact…"
"Don't state it!"
March 7th almost shouted.
Her voice echoed through the car, struck the walls, and bounced back with a buzzing resonance.
"There is no need to state that kind of fact! How could Himeko and Uncle Yang possibly be in trouble? They're Himeko and Uncle Yang!"
She clenched her fists, as though cheering herself on.
"Himeko is a woman who can fix the train engine with one hand! And Uncle Yang goes without saying—he's that Uncle Yang!"
"They must already be on their way back. Maybe they'll push the door open in the very next second…"
As March 7th spoke, she suddenly turned to look at the tightly shut car door. Her eyes carried a nervousness she herself did not even notice.
"Right. It must be like that."
"So Teacher Dan Heng, don't say that kind of thing! It's unlucky! Very unlucky!"
Dan Heng looked at her. The words he had prepared to say suddenly got stuck in his throat.
He froze.
This degree of reaction was far too common from March 7th.
So common that he had long since grown used to it.
After all, March was always shouting, always making a fuss, always expressing the most insignificant emotions at the highest volume.
But he suddenly realized something.
Since just now, March 7th had been making noise the entire time.
Complaining that the livestream had ended too quickly.
Complaining that they had to wait here doing nothing.
Complaining that he was indifferent, cold-blooded, emotionally neglectful…
He had thought she was merely messing around.
But now, looking at the way March 7th was desperately trying to distract herself—
Dan Heng suddenly understood.
It was not that she was not worried.
It was that she was too worried.
So worried that she did not dare stop and think.
So worried that she could only fill her mind with all those messy complaints.
So worried that the moment she quieted down, she would be swallowed by fear.
"As expected."
Dan Heng sighed inwardly.
"This is the real silly March."
He closed his book and was just about to say something comforting when the door to the observation car was knocked on from the outside.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three knocks.
Neither hurried nor slow.
In an instant, March 7th's body visibly stiffened. Then she suddenly turned around, expectation nearly spilling out of her eyes.
"Is it Himeko and Uncle Yang?!"
Then the door opened.
The one who entered was neither Himeko nor Uncle Yang.
It was a rabbit less than one meter tall.
The conductor of the Express.
Pom-Pom stood at the door, its tiny body held perfectly straight, its two long ears trembling slightly.
It cleared its throat.
"Ahem."
March 7th immediately stepped forward.
"Conductor, you're here!"
"How is the situation outside? Is there news from Himeko and Uncle Yang? When can we get out?"
Pom-Pom's ears trembled from the bombardment of rapid-fire questions.
"Passenger March 7th, if you ask that many questions at once, how is Pom-Pom supposed to answer?"
March 7th laughed sheepishly and took half a step back.
Only then did Pom-Pom walk into the car on its short legs, sweeping its gaze around.
Stelle poked her head out from behind the sofa and waved at Pom-Pom.
"Hello, Conductor."
Dan Heng also nodded slightly.
"Conductor."
Pom-Pom gave a small hum, then said,
"Pom-Pom has already made contact with Himeko and Mr. Yang. They found a relatively stable passage and are now on their way back."
Hearing this, March 7th finally let out a long breath.
Pom-Pom looked at her, its ears drooping slightly. Then it continued,
"But Pom-Pom did not come over just to tell you that."
The trio looked at Pom-Pom at the same time.
Pom-Pom coughed lightly, placed its two little paws behind its back, puffed out its chest, and spoke in as formal a tone as it could manage.
"Actually… Pom-Pom would also like to meet that Kallen."
March 7th blinked.
Then Pom-Pom paused before continuing,
"After all, according to the information you told Pom-Pom, that Kallen once said she had met Akivili's daughter."
The car fell silent for an instant.
"That is someone even Pom-Pom does not know about."
March 7th's eyes instantly lit up again. She clapped her hands together.
"Right, right, right!"
"When we were at Penacony, Miss Kallen mentioned the existence of Miss Durandal!"
"We were super curious back then. Akivili's daughter! The daughter of the Aeon of Trailblaze! What kind of existence must she be?"
"At the time, we wanted to invite Miss Kallen to visit the Express so we could properly ask her about it…"
At this point, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at Dan Heng.
"Teacher Dan Heng, once we get out, do you think we'll be able to find Miss Kallen's contact information?"
Dan Heng answered with some uncertainty,
"…If Miss Kallen's mission is not something like returning to the Amber Lord, then there should be a chance."
Although, judging from the IPC's publicity, Dan Heng could roughly guess what it meant.
But he always had an intuition that things were not that simple.
At this moment, Pom-Pom's voice lowered again.
"Actually, Pom-Pom is even more curious about something else."
The trio all looked at Pom-Pom.
Then Pom-Pom raised its head, its round eyes reflecting the gray-black chaos outside the window.
"Akivili… never told Pom-Pom that They had a daughter."
The car fell quiet once more.
Although March 7th and the others had never met Akivili, according to Pom-Pom, this Aeon had also been the most human-like of all gods.
Presumably, back during the Express's great voyage, Pom-Pom and the Aeon of Trailblaze must have shared a very close relationship.
And the current situation was like having one's best friend die…
Only to learn thousands of years later that said friend actually had a daughter!
That was, to some extent, a little too terrifying.
March 7th confidently guaranteed,
"Don't worry, Pom-Pom. When we were at Penacony, we met Senior Mikhail!"
"According to Senior Mikhail, Miss Kallen is also a Nameless who yearned for the Astral Express. When the time comes, she will definitely be willing to come visit the Express!"
Pom-Pom's ears twitched, and a flash of light appeared in its round eyes.
"If it truly is as Passenger March 7th says, and Passenger Kallen also yearns for the journey of Trailblaze…"
"Then Pom-Pom would be quite willing to brew her a cup of black tea."
"Then it's settled!"
March 7th clapped her hands and smiled.
"Once we get out, the first thing we'll do is go find Miss Kallen… Mm, but first we have to finish watching the livestream replay."
Before she had finished speaking, Pom-Pom suddenly froze.
Its tiny body went ramrod straight, and its two long ears shot upright, aiming toward the train window like radar.
"…Conductor?"
Dan Heng noticed the abnormality.
Pom-Pom did not respond.
It maintained that posture, its round eyes fixed tightly on the gray-black chaos outside the window, its pupils slightly contracted.
"Outside… there's someone outside!"
March 7th's smile froze on her face.
She instinctively followed Pom-Pom's gaze.
Then her whole body seemed to be nailed in place.
Within the gray-black chaos outside the window, there really was a person floating there.
Long white hair drifted in the void, like a banner forgotten at the end of the universe.
That person's clothes were tattered and soaked with dried blood. She floated there in a completely defenseless posture, like an abandoned, broken doll.
"Th-that's…"
March 7th's voice trembled.
She saw that face clearly.
It was none other than Kallen, the very person they had just been talking about.
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 45
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