"Sister Lumina, you're really not going to board the train and come to Penacony with us?"
The Astral Express was temporarily docked at a Luofu platform.
After watching a crude performance, Lumina decided not to linger on the Luofu any longer. She boarded the Astral Express to bid her final farewells.
"There's still plenty of time before the date on the Penacony invitation, so there's no need to rush."
"I can use this time to do some other useful things."
On the Astral Express, listening to March 7th's plea for her to stay and travel to Penacony with them, Lumina smiled faintly and shook her head gently.
"Hmm... alright," March 7th conceded. As Lumina's most devoted fan, she naturally had no objections.
Whatever Sister Lumina said must be right!
There was absolutely no room for doubt!
This is how it is, March 7th thought, completely unaware that she had mangled the Xianzhou idiom...
Seeing March 7th's expression, Lumina immediately knew she was up to some silliness in her mind.
However, lacking telepathy, Lumina couldn't possibly know exactly what kind of foolishness March 7th was imagining.
Lumina: Telepathy! I want telepathy!!! (wailing and stamping her feet)
"Stelle, this is your ring. When we arrived on the Train earlier, March told me you were asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Lumina shifted her gaze to Stelle, who stood beside March 7th. A gray-green ring materialized in her hand, which she offered to Stelle.
Stelle: (★ ω ★)
Stelle's eyes instantly lit up with starry-eyed wonder as she gazed at the ring Lumina presented.
She had already witnessed the ring's incredible capabilities firsthand: remote communication, item storage, and the ability to instantly resolve a centuries-old planetary crisis!
But most importantly, it was a gift from Lumina herself!
She's actually giving me a ring! Giving me a ring!
While giving a ring doesn't necessarily mean anything, it's something only very close friends would do.
So, if Lumina gave Stelle a ring, did that mean she acknowledged them as truly close friends?!
Wild thoughts began to race through Stelle's mind.
Despite the chaos of her inner turmoil, Stelle maintained her usual aloof and nonchalant demeanor, with a hint of goofiness.
She acted as if she had no interest whatsoever in the ring Lumina had given her.
Of course, this was definitely a facade.
"This ring has a few more functions compared to the previous one," Lumina explained.
Though she couldn't read Stelle's mind, as her "former Trailblazer," she knew Stelle's heart couldn't possibly be as calm as her surface suggested.
If Stelle's inner calm matched her outward indifference, Lumina would have burst into tears.
I've been working so hard to please you and raise your affection level, and you're not even a little interested in me?! 😭 Fine, I'll leave. I'll just leave then.
"When you encounter danger, you can freely draw upon the power I've stored within it."
"Unless an actual Aeon personally targets you, even if powerful, offensively focused Emanators attack you with full force, this power will be enough to help you escape or hold out until I arrive."
Watching Stelle slip the ring onto her finger, Lumina confidently explained the ring's newly added function.
The power she had stored within it, though not vast, was entirely sufficient. Against any force below an Aeon, even if the wearer couldn't defeat them, they would certainly be invincible to harm.
Lumina could guarantee that much.
Hearing Lumina's words, Stelle's expression instantly turned serious. Gazing at the gray-green ring on her finger, she muttered to herself:
"So, you're saying I could waltz right up to an Emanator and start dancing now?"
Lumina and March 7th: ?
Upon hearing Stelle's peculiar train of thought, question marks slowly formed above Lumina and March 7th's heads.
"Aha..." Realizing she had likely been infected by the March 7th Virus and had inadvertently blurted out her innermost thoughts, Stelle awkwardly rubbed her nose.
"Hey, this is Sister Lumina's life-saving technique! Don't go misusing it!"
Though March 7th knew Stelle was probably just joking, her mental state was... somewhat questionable. To prevent her from actually doing something rash, March 7th felt compelled to issue a warning.
March 7th planted her hands on her hips, glaring at Stelle with an utterly exasperated expression. "Seriously, stop acting like a fool," she snapped.
"Heh..." Stelle chuckled sheepishly under March 7th's withering gaze, scratching her head in an attempt to defuse the awkward atmosphere.
"It's all your fault, March 7th! Who told you to be such a ditz all the time? You've infected me!"
Though she outwardly admitted fault, Stelle couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Learning from past mistakes, Stelle wisely kept this grumbling to herself.
Unaware of Stelle's thoughts, the two others fell silent at the sight.
Lumina glanced around the Astral Express's main hall, noting that apart from the three of them, no one else was present.
Turning to March 7th and Stelle, she asked, "March, Stelle, there's still plenty of time before the appointed hour on the invitation. Are you planning to head to Penacony now?"
"Hmm... Sister Lumina, Pom-Pom said the exact same thing just a moment ago..." March 7th pressed a finger to her lips, her brow furrowing in thought.
"It said there's plenty of time before the event, so we should find something to do to kill time first. We can initiate the warp to Penacony later..."
"I see," Lumina nodded, feigning a puzzled expression as she continued, "So, March, have you found anything to pass the time?"
"Hmm... no, I have no idea what to do," March 7th said, shaking her head to indicate she hadn't thought of anything.
"Come to my room and grind games!" Stelle suggested immediately, overhearing the conversation.
"Are you crazy?" March 7th retorted, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous suggestion.
After all this time, you're still lying in bed playing games all day? Must be bored out of your mind, huh?
Hmm... but if Sister Lumina came too, to play games with us, maybe it wouldn't be so bad...
"Ha ha..." Sensing March 7th's gaze, Stelle awkwardly scratched the back of her head again.
Ding-dong~
The next moment, a series of phone notifications chimed from the pockets of both Stelle and March 7th.
It seemed someone had sent them a flurry of messages.
Seeing this, Stelle first looked at March 7th and Lumina, seeking their opinions.
"This isn't a formal occasion, so there's no need to ask for my opinion," Lumina said with a wave and a smile, sensing Stelle's questioning gaze and understanding its unspoken meaning.
"Ah~ Just casual chatting. When a message comes in, you know to ask before replying. But in a serious situation, smack, you immediately pull out your phone and reply without a second thought..."
Feeling Stelle's questioning gaze and recalling her past behavior, March 7th couldn't help but clutch her head and sigh.
Always dropping the ball at critical moments, but when it doesn't matter, her resolve is stronger than the Amber Lord's fortress walls...
"Ha ha." Stelle chuckled awkwardly, trying to mask her embarrassment.
She then pulled out her phone and started reading the messages.
March 7th also pulled out her phone to check her notifications.
A message sent to both Stelle and me simultaneously? It must be a group chat...
-
Lumina's Ring
Rarity: 5-Star
After obtaining Lumina's Ring, the storage capacity of your Light Cones and instruments will be permanently increased by 1,500 slots.
(The Power of The Emanator contained within this ring makes you restless, eager to attach it to yourself and dance before The Emanator... But your intuition tells you that in some distant corner of the future, the ring's power might play a decisive role.)