After bidding farewell to Belobog, where the snowstorms had finally cleared, the Astral Express once again ventured into the depths of the starry expanse.
The unexpected guest, Kafka, had extended an invitation to the Xianzhou Luofu—but beneath that invitation lurked ill intentions.
Caelus, March 7th, and Dan Heng had already made up their minds: the Express's course would not be so easily swayed by outsiders.
The trio regrouped and immediately headed to the parlor car to cast their votes on the next destination.
Himeko, seeing the three of them, reiterated the crisis facing the Xianzhou Luofu.
Then,
She fixed them and Welt Yang with a sharp gaze. "So, whether we divert to the Xianzhou or not—we'll decide by democratic vote: raise your hand for 'yes,' don't raise it for 'no.'"
"Three, two, one."
The camera switched to an overhead shot—everyone except Dan Heng raised their hand.
Himeko smiled in satisfaction. "Four to one. Then, by majority vote, the Express crew agrees to head for the Xianzhou!"
Caelus smirked and glanced at March 7th. "Weren't you supposed to vote 'no'?!"
March rubbed her head sheepishly. "Uh, well, after calming down and thinking it over… what if that woman wasn't lying? If we don't go, a lot of innocent people might get hurt… This isn't the time to be selfish… hehe."
"Hmph, what a righteous woman you are!"
[Hmph, what a righteous woman!]
[Hmph, what an adorably invincible woman!]
[Hmph, what a woman with no principles!]
[Hmph, what a silly, clueless woman!]
—
Himeko turned to Dan Heng. "What do you say, Dan Heng?"
"Mm, I won't be joining this time."
"Then this 'Trailblazing journey' is in your hands, Welt. You've been itching for action. Take good care of Caelus and March, alright?"
Soon after, the Express initiated its warp. Caelus sat obediently on the sofa,
while March 7th, as usual, took on the challenge of standing upright during the jump.
Light engulfed the entire train. When Caelus opened his eyes, a starship the size of a planet loomed before him.
Its sheer scale was beyond description.
[Is this miHoYo's true power? What happens when the Xianzhou Luofu's interactive hub opens? The Luofu literally floats in space!]
[I've seen people who risked their lives sneaking into miHoYo HQ—those who survived all said there was a giant plate flying in the sky.]
[For real? That's insane? Usually by Season 3's end, new interactive zones open. New places to explore!]
[No way, flying plates? And I thought Belobog and Herta's Space Station were already wild enough.]
—
Dan Heng observed the scene and began explaining the culture of the Xianzhou ships. From his earlier remarks, it was clear that Dan Heng's homeland was the Xianzhou Luofu—though he himself didn't know why he'd been exiled.
At that moment, Himeko transmitted a docking request to the port.
But all that came through was a broken, looping signal:
"Please wait patiently for docking… Please wait patiently for docking… Please wait patiently for docking…"
Caelus stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Broken record?"
March 7th raised an eyebrow. "What, feeling nostalgic?"
"Hey! You!"
Despite the minor hiccup,
after some effort, the Jade Gate finally opened.
This marked the official start of the Trailblazing mission for the trio: Welt Yang, March 7th, and Caelus.
Before disembarking, March and Caelus huddled together, whispering behind Dan Heng's back.
"Caelus, the universe is so vast, yet we just happened to run into the exact Xianzhou ship Dan Heng was from—this has to be fate! While we're there, let's dig up some info about him, yeah?"
"This guy's clearly got a mysterious past, and now we've stumbled onto the Luofu—perfect chance to investigate!"
Caelus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Don't you think Dan Heng always looks like someone owes him a million credits? Hope he doesn't drag us into trouble."
"Wait, his past is that dark?"
"Never mind then. Forget him—let's just take tons of photos this time and make him super jealous."
Watching March's excited expression, Caelus couldn't help but think to himself:
"She's completely forgotten we're here on a mission, hasn't she?"
[Is March 7th actually pretending to be dumb?]
[Holy crap, if I hadn't known about the High-Cloud Quintet, I'd have been fooled by March's innocent act! She's basically a prophet!]
[Seriously, March's 'speak and it shall be' power is kinda scary. Just wait—Dan Heng's past is way darker than you think.]
[Wait, how did Dan Heng get out? I remember the animated short only showed him forced to shed his scales, then it just… ended.]
—
Just then, Welt Yang approached the two.
"Before we set off, I need to clarify our objectives for this trip."
"Though the Stellaron Hunters have thrown out a lot of red herrings, the most important thing about this Xianzhou mission is…"
Caelus scratched his head. "Getting on the authorities' good side. I don't wanna wake up as a wanted criminal again."
March gave him a knowing look. "Wow, Belobog really changed you, huh…"
Welt smiled faintly before turning serious again. "Hold onto that mindset. Uphold the Trailblaze's creed: 'Explore,' 'Understand,' 'Build,' and 'Connect.'"
Caelus and March pumped their fists. "Ooooh!"
"Let's move out!"
—
The scene abruptly shifted—in the blink of an eye, the trio found themselves in a cargo dock filled with shipping containers.
March 7th sensed something amiss. "A port this busy, yet not a soul in sight… super creepy…"
Caelus deadpanned, "If we did see people, that'd be even creepier."
March shuddered. "Eek, don't say that! In horror movies, the first person you meet is always the mastermind."
Welt, however, analyzed the situation with calm gravity.
"A dock this large, completely empty… combined with the repeated calls before the gate opened—it seems the Stellaron Hunters weren't lying. The Xianzhou is truly in dire straits."
"We'll start by finding whoever opened the Jade Gate. If they have ulterior motives, that saves us some trouble. If they're staff, we'll ask them what's happening."
"Oh!" Caelus gave a thumbs-up. "Uncle Yang, you really have that 'responsible dad' vibe."
March blinked at him playfully. "I'll let that dumb comment slide—you just don't know Uncle Yang's real prowess yet…"
The three proceeded to scout the area carefully.
Before long, they encountered a Cloud Knight—severely injured and collapsed on the ground. After administering basic first aid, the group pressed onward.
But as they advanced, the number of wounded Cloud Knights grew.
No matter how grave their injuries, their responses were all the same:
"Don't mind me—ahead! Go ahead!"
Finally, on the main path, they faced their first enemy.
A creature that had succumbed to the Mara—a victim of the Plagues of Immortality.
Caelus cracked his neck, gripped his bat, and charged straight at the Mara-Struck.