"What do you mean 'trapped in the Luofu's Shackling Prison'? He's clearly been arrested and locked up by them!"
"Are you actually asking us to help you with a jailbreak?"
March 7th was huffing with indignation. She hadn't expected Kafka to make such an outrageous request.
Himeko and Welt exchanged a glance, both giving a slight shake of their heads. Clearly, this proposal had crossed the line for the Astral Express Crew.
Only Stelle remained somewhat pragmatic, asking, "What's the reward you mentioned?"
Kafka held up her hand, signaling with three fingers. "Three questions. Once the deed is done, I will answer any three questions from the Express Crew. I will tell you everything I know, without holding back a single word."
Stelle's eyes flickered for a moment, but she ultimately shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we can't agree to that."
Himeko stood up, making the final decision. "Kafka, though your offer is tempting, this request is far too much. We cannot make an enemy of the Xianzhou, and we certainly won't become accomplices to the Stellaron Hunters."
As she spoke, Himeko opened her computer screen, preparing to force-terminate the communication with Kafka.
Seeing this, Kafka showed she had some self-awareness and exited the call herself before Himeko could finish the job.
Silence returned to the carriage. Only Guinaifen's livestream continued in the background.
Kafka's business was quickly pushed aside as everyone's attention shifted back to the progressing story. The crew was currently holding a democratic vote to decide whether to head to the Xianzhou.
In the end, Stelle and Dan Heng didn't raise their hands, while Himeko, Welt, and March 7th all voted in favor.
Faced with Stelle's questioning look, March 7th gave a sheepish laugh. "Uh, now that I've calmed down and thought about it, what if that woman wasn't lying? If we don't go to the Xianzhou, a lot of innocent people might get hurt... Now isn't the time to be stubborn... hehe."
Watching herself on the screen, March 7th covered her mouth in shock. Her first thought was how ridiculous she looked, but on second thought...
Wait, that really is exactly how I would act!
Over in Guinaifen's stream, the Astral Express had just performed a Warp to reach the Luofu. Guinaifen picked up a cup of Immortal's Delight from her desk and took several massive gulps.
"Fam! I can't believe it's finally time for our Luofu! Since the previous locations were all off-world, I didn't feel it as much, but now every move the crew makesno, every second of the plotis gripping my heart!"
"Who knows... maybe we'll even see some familiar faces in the story!"
"Oh right! Sushang is a playable character, I wonder if she'll get a chance to show her face?"
This trailblazing expedition was led by Welt, accompanied by March 7th and Stelle. Just as they passed through the Jade Gate into Luofu territory, an eerie atmosphere washed over them. In such a massive port, there wasn't a single soul there to receive them!
As they walked further, they were met with the sight of wounded and fallen Cloud Knights everywhere.
...
"Man, I have to hand it to this game. Wherever the plot goes, disaster follows! Our Xianzhou Luofu is no exception."
"Didn't Kafka just say it? A Stellaron exploded on the Luofu."
"When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"
"It probably hasn't happened yet in the real world..."
"Quick, someone notify General Jing Yuan! Is anyone from the government in this chat?"
"I live right near Cloudford and I'm not even panicking! Though I did just see a bunch of Cloud Knights running past my window downstairs."
...
The Luofu players were now deeply immersed. Since it concerned their own safety, they were dying to know what happened next! Some even started spamming gifts in the stream, urging Guinaifen to speed up her progress.
Guinaifen kept thanking them while keeping her eyes glued to the screen.
Advancing further, they soon encountered their first battle on the Luofu.
"Careful, these are creatures I've never seen before," Welt warned.
"Just waiting for your command, Mr. Welt!" March chirped.
The humanoid monsters before them, covered in mutated growths, might have been strange to the Express Crew, but to the people of the Xianzhou, they were all too familiar!
Mara-Struck Soldiers!
"These enemies... they can revive once after being defeated. That definitely fits the characteristics of the Mara-Struck," Guinaifen remarked.
Just then, a cry for help came from up ahead.
"Hey, you over there! A little help, please~"
The moment that person appeared, the bullet chat exploded.
...
"Ha! So the first person we meet on the Luofu is Miss Tingyun!"
"Miss Tingyun of the Sky-Faring Commission! Is there anyone who doesn't know her?"
"She's as beautiful as ever!"
"Didn't March just say the first person we meet is always the mastermind? That theory just went up in smoke."
"That was just March 7th scaring herself, did you guys actually believe her?"
...
The battle drew to a close. Guinaifen used Himeko's Heavenly Flare to instantly clear three Mara-Struck Soldiers that had already revived once.
She said in a meaningful tone, "Did you guys see that?"
"The mobs on the Luofu all have revive mechanics. Seele's Resurgence can't trigger anymore! Our Himeko's AoE is much more useful here!"
"I knew I was being forward-thinking when I skipped Seele's banner!"
...
"Forward-thinking? I'm embarrassed for you!"
"Friendly reminder: Guinaifen dropped a 648 top-up for Seele and lost the 50/50 to a Himeko Eidolon! Never forget!"
"I didn't pull Seele either. I like her, but as a meta-slave, I feel like there are stronger characters coming."
"You guys might as well save up for General Jing Yuan. Better yet, save for the Reignbow Arbiter himself. Anyway, I pull early, I enjoy early!"
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