"..."
Even after Aha's departure, Dan Heng still didn't let his guard down. Instead, he looked at Lucian with even greater vigilance, the hand gripping Cloud-Piercer remaining tense and ready.
For the first time, a clear look of astonishment appeared on his stern face.
It couldn't be helped.
It was said that those who followed the Path of Elation were all troublemakers, but he truly couldn't tell whether the mysterious man before him was a friend or a foe.
"Alright, I believe it now," March said with a smile, breaking the silence. "Lucian's really got something to do with the Aeons. I mean, he's straight-up treating one so casually like that."
Himeko's eyes, always gentle and wise, were now filled with indescribable astonishment as she looked at Lucian's handsome face, which still showed almost no emotion, and then at the direction where Aha had disappeared.
To make sure she was not hallucinating, Himeko looked at March, who was so excited she was practically jumping up and down, then at Stelle, who looked bewildered yet somehow seemed to think everything that had just happened was perfectly reasonable, and finally at Pom-Pom, Dan Heng, and Welt, who were equally stunned.
Seeing their reactions, Himeko finally became completely convinced that not only had Lucian beaten up an Aeon, but his relationship with THEM also seemed quite unusual.
At the very least, when it came to the Aeon of Elation, Aha, their relationship was definitely unusual, since they were familiar enough with each other to casually fool around like that.
Aha had been treated so rudely, yet not only did THEY not get angry, but THEIR final cry had even sounded somewhat like the aggrieved complaint one would make to someone close?
Clearly, their relationship had to be extraordinarily solid!
Lucian looked at the group, who were still lingering in shock, before finally speaking up.
"Well, the troublesome guy's gone. Conductor, it's quiet now."
Hearing that, Pom-Pom blinked their big eyes in a daze before finally snapping out of it.
"Th-Thank you, pom..."
Even though he was said to be an Emanator of Elation, Pom-Pom felt that this newly arrived passenger seemed... probably... like he wouldn't blow up the train... right?
"Now you believe I wasn't just bragging, right?" Stelle chimed in, her nose basically pointing up at the sky. "My godfather's seriously that awesome!"
Having such a powerful godfather as a backer, wouldn't she be able to go anywhere unscrupulously from now on?
"Well, although you are an Emanator of Elation, we won't jump to conclusions. What kind of person you are is something we will come to understand sooner or later. In any case, welcome aboard the Astral Express."
Himeko seemed worried that Lucian might overthink things, so she deliberately tried to reassure him.
Dan Heng, who still didn't know the situation, immediately understood from her words that this man, who was said to be an Emanator of Elation, was apparently a new passenger, so he put away Cloud-Piercer, which counted as finally relaxing.
He had thought something major would happen today, but fortunately, it ended quickly.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get to know you properly. I won't discriminate against you."
March chimed in and, as always, still had that cheerful look.
On the side, Welt was outwardly indifferent, but inwardly, he really wanted to question what she meant by discriminating against Lucian.
Someone who could send an Aeon away so casually—who would dare discriminate against him?
Lucian, seeing that the Astral Express crew had not cast him aside because he was an Emanator of Elation and had instead welcomed him with open arms, treating him as one of their own, couldn't help but reveal a sincere smile for the first time in a long while.
Not only were they genuinely a group of good people, but being around them also gave him the feeling of being part of one big, happy family—a kind of atmosphere he had always liked the most.
"Well, to avoid Aha showing up again, let's just get out of this space station and go chill at my place."
"My place is pretty spacious, and the scenery's kinda nice too."
"Oh, and by the way, it's on a planet the Astral Express data bank hasn't recorded or visited yet. You interested?"
Lucian invited his new friends to visit his home without hesitation, though his main reason was that he wanted to see Welt's reaction.
"Yeah!" March blurted, already the first one to jump up. "I wanna see what kinda place an Emanator lives in. It's gotta be amazing!"
"A planet the Astral Express hasn't recorded..." Dan Heng muttered thoughtfully, then nodded. "Mm, I'd like to see it."
Himeko looked at March's excited expression, then turned a thoughtful gaze toward Lucian.
It was undeniable that Lucian's strength and background were beyond measure.
Now that he had joined the Astral Express, even if he was only an honorary member, relationships still needed to be cultivated—especially with someone as powerful as him.
Since he had taken the initiative to invite them, this was a good opportunity to show goodwill and grow closer to him.
Refuse?
Not only would that be highly inappropriate, but it would also make them seem distant, as though they were wary of him.
Besides, she was a little curious about Lucian's so-called 'home.'
"Alright, the usual rule—those who agree, raise your hands."
Having reached a conclusion, Himeko immediately organized a vote, and as expected, everyone agreed unanimously, which meant they would go take a look at the home Lucian had mentioned.
"Alright, passengers. Sit tight. Pom-Pom is about to start the train."
Pom-Pom was just about to start the Astral Express when Lucian suddenly interrupted.
"No need to start it. Save some fuel."
He knew that the Astral Express's fuel was no ordinary resource, but a special one that could only be replenished through exploration. Now that he was around and had become a member of the Astral Express crew, there was no need to waste it.
Under everyone's confused gazes, Lucian knelt down and directly placed his hand on the Parlor Car's floor before activating Absolute Hit.
In an instant, the entire Astral Express vanished from Herta Space Station and teleported directly into the Jarilo star system.
*Buzz—*
Everyone only felt their vision blur for a moment as an extremely faint sensation of spatial distortion spread through the air, subtly different from the normal warp the Astral Express usually performed.
In everyone's eyes, the scenery outside the windows instantly blurred for a second before being replaced by a massive planet quietly orbiting in the distance.
"Huh? Where is this? Did we already arrive?"
March blinked in surprise, completely unable to react.
How could she?
One second, they had still been talking about the destination, and the next, they had already arrived.
Himeko and Welt also could not hide the surprise in their eyes.
Even though they knew Lucian was powerful, being able to teleport the entire Astral Express to a completely different set of coordinates so easily and instantly—this kind of effortless ability still far exceeded their imagination.
"Ahem! Well, thanks to Lucian, it seems we saved one round of fuel..."
Himeko coughed and joked to lighten the mood.
"Doesn't that mean we kinda don't need fuel anymore from now on?" March said, glancing at Lucian. "Nice! We can go anywhere we wanna go now! Lucian's seriously useful!"
Useful?
Honestly, the way that came out felt a little weird.
Lucian, having heard the compliment, wasn't sure whether he should agree with it or not, so he simply stayed silent.
"You all go down," Dan Heng said calmly as he glanced outside. "I'll stay here with Pom-Pom and record the planet's information from orbit."
And so, since Dan Heng volunteered to stay behind while Pom-Pom also could not leave the Astral Express, Lucian, along with March, Himeko, Welt, and Stelle, teleported together to his 'home.'
Soon, when their vision stabilized once more, they were no longer aboard the Astral Express.
Beneath their feet lay flat bluestone tiles, and before them stood a massive house filled with Eastern charm.
White walls, dark tiles, upturned eaves, and sweeping corners blended together into a picturesque scene. Birds sang among the flowers, and the tranquil surroundings made the place feel like a secluded paradise. Hidden among lush green trees halfway up the mountain, the house overlooked rolling emerald peaks in the distance, where clouds and mist lingered around the mountaintops.
"Whoa~! So beautiful~!"
March was the first to cry out in amazement as she excitedly spun in place.
Feeling this completely different environment, she instinctively pulled out her camera and started snapping photos.
Meanwhile, Welt's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he tightened his grip on his cane and carefully observed the building and the surrounding environment.
He couldn't help it.
Seeing the style of the house, it looked very Eastern, very Earth-like, though it was also slightly different from the ones he was familiar with.
Just as everyone was still immersed in the surprise of the instant teleportation and admiring the scenery, the house's heavy, solid wooden door, carved with exquisite patterns, creaked open.
From inside, it was slowly pulled apart before a figure appeared in everyone's sight.
It was a slender young woman with long, smooth purple hair flowing over her shoulders, wearing a white shirt and a red skirt, with a straw hat on her head, as if she were about to go outside and enjoy the sun.
However, the moment Welt saw the young woman's face at the doorway more clearly, his entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning—his pupils shrank, while the cane in his hand had already begun to glow!
It couldn't be helped, for that face—he knew it far too well!
It was the face of Sirin, the Second Herrscher, the Herrscher of the Void!
'Why is she here?'
'Wasn't she dead?'
'A hallucination?'
'A trap?'
'Or... had the Honkai followed me here?'
Remembering how he had fought the Herrscher of the Void back then and had been beaten quite badly, as well as how Earth's Himeko had died at her hands, Welt's mind immediately descended into chaos.
In the next moment, he stepped forward, his body's instinctive reaction moving faster than his thoughts.
"All of you, protect Himeko!"
A low roar filled with fear and hoarseness burst from Welt's throat as he suddenly stepped forward and shielded everyone behind him.
However, seeing that there was no danger at all, March, Stelle, and Himeko couldn't help but exchange confused looks before turning to Welt in bewilderment.
Why had he suddenly reacted so fiercely like this?
"What's wrong, Welt?"
Himeko couldn't help but ask, concern evident in her voice as she looked at the unusually tense Welt.
In response, Welt raised his cane and spoke with an expression and tone that were incomparably solemn.
"Step back, Himeko. I'm worried she's about to give you a final lesson."
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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