Chapter 178: Farewell, Return to the Train
The next day, early morning, at the villa estate.
"Good morning, A-Caelus, A-Stelle! How did you sleep on your last night before departure? I'm full of energy now!"
March 7th's pretty face carried her usual energetic smile.
Caelus, wearing the Tara mask, snapped his fingers, and Shadow Ninjas emerged from the shadows, bringing breakfast and cleaning.
Watching March 7th comfortably enjoying the care of the Shadow Servants, Welt and Dan Heng, though not seeing it for the first time, still found the scene odd.
Both refused the service of the Shadow Ninjas; at least for eating, they still preferred to do it themselves.
"Thanks to this idiot, I had no sleep experience last night."
Caelus gave a dead-fish eye look, not hiding his disdain for the Stellaron spirit, lacking any tenderness a person sharing a bed should have.
"Hmph, hmph, I won't let you sneak away again."
Enjoying being fed by the Shadow Servants, Stelle crossed her arms and met Caelus's gaze, a playful sneer on her face.
The Astral Express crew was leaving today. Last night was supposed to be a proper farewell with Bronya, a wonderful night of "duck quacking double-slit entanglement" all night long, but before the nightlife could even begin.
The Stellaron spirit, wearing pajamas and holding a pillow, burst in with "Open up, anti-vice raid!" and took over Caelus's large bed.
Bronya had originally planned to prepare something for her soon-to-depart "fiancé." Jarilo-VI's local specialties were too ordinary, and she didn't know what to prepare, so she consulted her other self.
Under Silver Wing's suggestion, Bronya went through a difficult internal struggle, deciding to set aside some of her maidenly reserve and shyness to give Caelus an unforgettable night before his departure.
After all, she had set it aside once when she first "reversed-pushed" Caelus, so setting it aside again during farewell wouldn't be an issue…
But when Bronya entered the room, a pink, ambiguous, and strange atmosphere permeating the room made her immediately stop in her tracks.
Then she saw the gray-haired girl, with one shoulder bared, propped up on her elbow, lying sideways on Caelus's bed, waving her over.
Bronya's brain instantly crashed.
Always feeling guilty about the "despicable" methods she used, Bronya didn't mind Caelus being intimate with other girls. Even if the girl lying on Caelus's bed was March 7th, Natasha, or Big Seele, she, with a compensatory mindset, could even help push them onto him.
But Stelle… Bronya knew the true relationship between Caelus and Stelle!
They were actually one person!
The shock of Stelle lying in Caelus's bed was greater for Bronya than all the other girls combined!
She couldn't understand, but she was greatly shocked!
Even the patterns formed by being "stacked" with Silver Wing had already raised Bronya's threshold of shame significantly, tainting her innocent views with a touch of naughtiness, but doing that with herself…
It still shattered Bronya's repeatedly refreshed new worldview into pieces.
And then there was Stelle's expression, which Bronya couldn't describe in words.
Despite looking like a fair-skinned, beautiful, aloof girl, she made an expression like a yandere from another set, and Bronya simply closed the door, saying, "Sorry, I intruded."
Anyone else was fine, but only Stelle, who was another Caelus, Bronya didn't know how to face.
And then, there was no 'then'.
Last night, Silver Wing and Bronya talked all night, while Stelle and Caelus fought in the covers, choking each other, poking sides…
They stopped before things got serious, before it escalated into a bloody incident of weapon-wielding assault.
A noisy yet ordinary night. Caelus's bed was a mess, like a dog's kennel. Sleeping with Stelle was no less torturous than sharing a den with a husky.
What was even more heartbreaking was that Caelus was almost used to it!
"Full of energy!"
After breakfast, Stelle exercised, facing the rising morning sun.
"Why is your repetition delayed so long?" March 7th quipped.
Caelus and Stelle watched the rising sun; she seemed to sigh with much emotion.
"It's finally come to this moment, alas, farewells are truly sad…"
"All good things must come to an end." Dan Heng said calmly.
"Once you're back on the train, your sadness should mostly disappear, right?" Stelle chuckled.
"Am I really that heartless in your eyes?" Little March puffed out her cheeks.
Amidst their chatter, everyone packed their luggage. Several large boxes of local specialties and souvenirs they bought were carried by Shadow Soldiers.
During the process, people gradually arrived at the villa estate: Serval, Gepard, Lynx, Pela, Natasha, Hook, Big Seele, Clara, and Svarog.
While taking souvenir photos, Caelus and Stelle bade farewell to their acquaintances. Everyone knew today was the day the Astral Express would depart again, and they came to see them off.
"I've already adjusted the multi-day cyclic operation mode. I'll let it float in low-Earth orbit to charge, and I'll often come back to supplement it with a rated power shot."
Silver Wing watched Bronya, who stood at the forefront of the Jarilo-VI residents, and chuckled softly.
"Mm."
Bronya nodded solemnly and returned a smile: "Perhaps you've heard enough, but I still want to say one thing on behalf of all Belobogians—thank you."
As for the two of them, there was no need to say thanks long ago.
"After all, I was a Grand Guardian for a while too."
Silver Wing smiled faintly: "I've done basically everything I could. If I were to go a step further…"
Suddenly, Silver Wing leaned forward, bringing her thin lips close to Bronya's ear, and said in a teasing tone:
"The debts owed… will never be fully repaid~"
"Ugh!" Bronya's face visibly flushed red, and she turned her head away, avoiding Silver Wing's gaze.
In the evenings, Silver Wing often used this line to tease her for little romantic games, like writing a stroke of the character '正' on her leg, each stroke representing a repayment amount.
It was purely to see Caelus writing the character '正' on her.
"For a considerable period from now on, I'll just have to take your place and slowly repay the debts by Caelus's side~"
"You… I…"
Understanding the personality of "her other self," Bronya knew Silver Wing was teasing her, but in this area, she was no match for Silver Wing.
"Alright, stop teasing. What's there to distinguish between us? We're about to part, it's time to do what a fiancée should do."
Silver Wing whispered, chuckling, into Bronya's ear.
"I understand."
Under the gaze of her adjutants, friends, and the entire Astral Express crew, Bronya gently bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, almost drawing blood.
After a moment of hesitation, she still stepped forward, opened her arms to embrace Caelus, and stood on tiptoes to give him a farewell kiss.
The kiss offered in public made the thin-skinned Bronya's pretty face flush crimson, very shy, yet she didn't stop.
As their lips parted, Bronya gazed into his golden eyes, her tone like a gentle wife helping her husband adjust his tie before a long journey.
"Have a safe journey. When you're tired, you can always come back to Belobog. This place will always be your home."
Bronya easily achieved her goal of falling in love with Caelus before "her other self."
"Mhm, I'll come back often, and so will everyone."
Big Seele watched this heartwarming scene, then looked at Natasha, wondering if they should do something the next time Caelus returned.
"Farewell, my friends, may the starry sky 'Preserve' your journey."
After bidding farewell to Caelus, Bronya looked at the rest of the Astral Express crew.
"Haha~ See you next time then."
"Goodbye, Sister Bronya, and Sister Seele~!"
March 7th and Seele smiled and waved farewell to everyone.
Amidst the surprised exclamations of Big Seele, Bronya, and Hook, the Astral Express crew turned and walked towards the mysterious floating crystal encircled by a golden ring, then one by one, they disappeared from sight.
They used a flying craft for descent because there were no warp points on Jarilo-VI.
Now, the planet's Realm Anchor had already been established.
The anchor points at the villa estate, similar to warp points in games, were merely external interfaces. The true Realm Anchor was established in deep space, anchoring the planet itself, one of the miracles of Trailblazing.
Many such external interfaces could be plugged in within the Realm Anchor's range, facilitating movement for the Nameless across various locations, akin to network nodes.
After two months, everyone once again stepped onto the Astral Express.
"Astral Express, I, Stelle/Caelus, am back!"
Stelle, with large and small bags of luggage on her back, stood on the carriage's red carpet, excitedly raising her hands and cheering aloud. Caelus slid down from the backpack Stelle was carrying.
"My Little March is back too!"
March 7th peeked out from behind Stelle, then jogged and bounced into Himeko's embrace, burying her small head between two "great peaks": "Himeko, I missed you so much!!"
"Hehehe… But after the anchor point was built, I didn't see my Little March, who missed me so much, come back to see me right away."
Himeko playfully ruffled March's head.
"Haha, well, Uncle Yang just happened to fix the Creation Engine."
Deciding to change the subject, March 7th, mimicking a Silvermane Guard salute, said:
"Reporting, Sister Himeko! Veteran Nameless March 7th has successfully led the new Trailblazers to complete this trailblazing mission."
"Everyone did quite well this time."
Himeko's gaze swept over Caelus and Seele, and she smiled gently. Upon hearing this, Stelle eagerly moved closer to Himeko, asking:
"So, is my mission rating triple-S?"
Himeko smiled sweetly: "Mission rating? How about our two accompanying 'seniors' give a score for this trailblazing journey?"
March 7th put her hands on her hips: "Very good, I can give it a high score of ten, or even nine points!"
"The Candyman was amazing! Just 'biubiubiu' and the Warp Trotter creatures turned into candy."
"And the Super Storm Wielder was so cool! Even now, remembering it makes my blood boil!"
"7.5 points." Teacher Dan Heng gave his evaluation.
"Wow, it's the first time I've seen the strict Teacher Dan Heng give such a high rating!" March 7th looked at Dan Heng in surprise.
Even Dan Heng had to admit that the demon-god-like mech was an experience completely unprecedented in previous trailblazing journeys. Trailblazing with Stelle and Caelus brought continuous surprises.
On the other hand, their ability to stir up trouble was equal to the extent of surprises they brought.
Welt pushed up his glasses: "9 points."
Although he didn't accompany them the whole way, Welt still gave his evaluation. As for where that one point was deducted, it was because he didn't follow along!
Otherwise, he would have been able to get close to the Super Mech right away!
"The seniors gave your debut a very high rating," Himeko said, nodding with a smile: "I give it 10 points."
"And then…"
Himeko's gaze swept past everyone to the back of the group, her smile gentle and graceful: "Is this the new member who's joining? Hello, Bronya, I'm Himeko."
A little surprised in her heart, Bronya and Belobog's Grand Guardian truly looked identical.
Indeed, it was hard to tell them apart based solely on appearance.
While such phenomena existed in the galaxy, and Himeko had encountered similar beings on past trailblazing journeys, Bronya was the first case of almost complete identicalness.
Seele, at least, had an age difference.
Now, making contact with a visitor from a parallel world, Himeko grew increasingly curious about the phenomenon of transmigration.
"Hello there~ Miss Himeko!"
Silver Wing Bronya smiled and greeted her: "However, you are not unfamiliar to me, you know."
"Oh? Could it be that in Miss Bronya's world, you know a 'Himeko' from a parallel world?"
Recalling Welt's past stories, Himeko quickly realized something and chuckled softly.
"Mhm."
"Then we truly have a deep connection."
"Everyone, let's not stand here. Let's talk somewhere else."
"Exactly, exactly! A new member is joining, we need to have a welcome party!" March 7th cheered excitedly.
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