"Aww, sorry, big sis! Ask me something else! I'll definitely answer it right this time!"
Looking at March's flustered and somewhat silly attempt to make up for her mistake, a trace of amusement quietly flashed through Evernight's crimson eyes. Even so, she deliberately maintained a stern expression, pretending to take the matter very seriously.
"If it were Lucian and me, and you had to choose one of us... to be thrown off the Astral Ex—"
"You! I'd choose you!"
Evernight hadn't even finished her sentence before March impatiently pointed straight at her and answered without the slightest hesitation.
In that instant, the Dining Car fell completely silent for a brief second, then...
"Fufu, what a good question."
Himeko remarked with an amused smile, shooting Evernight a teasing look that was filled with playful satisfaction.
Served her right for trying to mess with her.
Now she was the one being put on the spot, wasn't she?
Meanwhile, the smile on Evernight's face gradually faded, leaving behind nothing but a speechless expression.
Clearly, she had genuinely placed her trust in the wrong person.
Was March really her little sister?
"Okay, okay, I messed up. I won't pick anyone. I don't want anyone to leave, so don't make this hard on me, big sis."
Finally realizing she had said the wrong thing again, March let out an awkward laugh before quickly wrapping both arms around Evernight's arm and gently trying to coax her with an apologetic smile.
"Honestly, what'd you expect? March was already kinda silly to begin with, and you're still asking her stuff like that?"
Lucian chimed in from the side without missing the opportunity to tease Evernight.
"Exactly! Exactly!" March nodded over and over in agreement before suddenly freezing in place. "Ah! No! No! You're the silly one! I'm not silly at all!"
Her flustered denial immediately drew amused smiles from everyone present.
Everyone had to admit that with March around as the group's source of happiness, the atmosphere aboard the Astral Express remained lively every single day. Compared to the days when only Lucian and Himeko had been traveling together, the Express now felt far warmer, livelier, and much more full of life.
Pom-Pom secretly peeked at the four of them laughing together from the corridor, and a satisfied smile quietly spread across the conductor's face as well.
"Hm, the Astral Express is finally full of energy again, pom. It's just a little too heavily skewed toward the female side, pom. Why aren't there any other male passengers boarding?"
===
Far away at Herta Space Station, three people sneezed simultaneously.
"Who's talking about me?"
Welt muttered with a slight frown, instinctively raising a hand to rub the bridge of his nose as he glanced around in confusion.
"I can sneeze? No, that shouldn't be possible. I don't think I even have that function."
Void Archives wore a bewildered expression as he unconsciously touched his nose, momentarily questioning his own existence and whether such a reaction should even be possible for him.
"Huh, there's no Stellaron Hunter here, so why did I sneeze? Anyway, I definitely need to repay that kind man someday."
Dan Heng let out a relieved sigh after rubbing his nose, feeling that life at Herta Space Station had become much more peaceful without having to worry about the Stellaron Hunters suddenly showing up.
===
"Himeko, let's hold a wedding on the Astral Express."
As everyone chatted leisurely in the Dining Car, Lucian suddenly made a proposal that instantly left everyone present completely stunned.
Himeko, March, and Pom-Pom all froze on the spot, their expressions filled with disbelief. Even Evernight, who normally remained calm and composed no matter what happened, was caught completely off guard by his unexpected proposal.
For a brief moment, the entire Dining Car fell into complete silence.
"...Are you serious?"
Himeko finally spoke after a short pause, her golden eyes remaining fixed on Lucian's face, carefully studying his expression as though trying to determine whether he was joking or genuinely speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"Of course. It just depends on whether you're willing."
Lucian answered without the slightest hesitation, his expression remaining calm, sincere, and completely free of any trace of jest, making it clear that he had carefully considered those words before saying them.
Naturally, his main objective was to test whether holding a wedding would finally complete the script. At the same time, however, giving Himeko a proper and romantic wedding was just as important to him.
In any case, since they had already become husband and wife in everything but name, he wanted to give her a wedding ceremony worthy of the happiness she deserved.
===
In the end, over the following several days, Lucian and Himeko truly held a wedding aboard the Astral Express.
March enthusiastically helped decorate the Party Car, Evernight assisted with the preparations, and even Pom-Pom personally helped to make sure everything proceeded smoothly.
Although there were only a handful of people attending, the wedding itself was warm, peaceful, and filled with genuine happiness.
Unfortunately, even after the ceremony had concluded, the script still showed no sign of being completed.
'Looks like I'm gonna have to wait until Stelle shows up and try again.'
Lucian silently arrived at that conclusion.
Now, he planned to return to Herta Space Station once Stelle was born, then bring Welt and the others aboard the Astral Express to see whether gathering all of the future Nameless in one place would finally satisfy the script's remaining conditions.
===
A few days after the wedding, Himeko had already returned to her usual attire, wearing her familiar sleeveless toga-style gown beneath a black coat.
However, she had pinned her long crimson hair into an elegant bun, making the graceful charm of a married woman practically overflow from her every movement.
After receiving Lucian's nourishment for so long, Himeko had become increasingly radiant and delicate. Her skin looked so soft and supple that it seemed as though water would drip from it if someone lightly brushed against it.
Her allure had simply reached its peak.
If the previous Himeko could be described as mature and intellectual, then another trait had to be added to her now: graceful seductiveness.
"A married woman really is different. Just look at how hydrated you are."
Evernight, who was sitting across from Lucian with one leg elegantly crossed over the other, could not help teasing Himeko the moment she saw her.
Over this period of time, Evernight had gradually come to realize that these people were genuinely decent.
Not only had they treated March exceptionally well, to the point that she had been able to completely put her mind at ease, but they also treated Evernight with the same sincerity and kindness, never showing the slightest hint of hostility or wariness toward her.
As a result, all the vigilance and killing intent Evernight once carried had long since been withdrawn and hidden away, replaced by a calmness she had not experienced in a very long time.
Now, she looked no different from an ordinary yandere beauty, the dangerous aura she once unconsciously exuded having completely faded from sight.
"I have you to thank for that."
At Evernight's teasing, Himeko merely responded with a smile, her expression remaining as gentle and composed as ever, as though she had long since grown accustomed to Evernight's playful remarks.
Had Evernight not provoked her back then, this day might not have arrived until much later.
"Try it. It's a new blend I created with you as the inspiration."
Himeko sat down beside Lucian and gently handed him a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
As Lucian took a sip of the coffee Himeko had personally prepared for him, his gaze casually swept across the wedding ring on her left ring finger.
In that instant, a faint smile appeared on his face as he reached out and gently held her hand.
"Now that I think about it, we forgot to invite Akivili to our wedding."
Indeed.
Ever since they had boarded the Astral Express and begun traveling together, the two of them had spent nearly every single day by each other's side. Before they even realized it, they had completely forgotten about Akivili.
Himeko even considered herself a devoted admirer of the Aeon of Trailblaze, yet after spending so many years being lovey-dovey with Lucian, she had not thought about Akivili even once.
"Didn't THEY say THEY were going to give us a gift if we met again?"
Himeko tilted her head slightly as she asked in puzzlement.
"Yeah, something like that happened. I'd totally forgotten about it..." Lucian said with a nod. "Well, let's just call THEM over and have THEM make up for it."
Across the table, Evernight was elegantly wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin. However, the moment she heard their words, she could not hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, her beautiful crimson eyes filled with unconcealed skepticism and amusement.
"Akivili? You mean the deceased Aeon of Trailblaze?"
Setting down the napkin, Evernight leaned forward slightly and rested her chin on one hand as she looked at Lucian with an incredulous expression.
"No way. Lucian, I know you're powerful, but you're seriously trying to collect a debt from a dead Aeon? Saying THEY owe you a gift? You know, that's such an outrageous boast that even I can't help laughing."
Evernight spoke while rolling her eyes, looking as though she had just heard the funniest joke imaginable.
'Heh, typical couple. Spreading sweetness is one thing, but now you're both talking nonsense together. Akivili owes you two a gift? Why not just say Yaoshi the Abundance is Lucian's wife while you're at it?'
As Evernight mercilessly ridiculed the couple's ridiculous conversation in her mind, March, who was sitting beside her, instead grew curious.
'Akivili? Isn't that the Aeon who created the Astral Express? Lucian actually knows THEM?'
Meanwhile, in the face of Evernight's disbelief and March's curiosity, Lucian's expression did not change in the slightest.
"Listen more. Watch more. Learn more."
Lucian leisurely raised his coffee, took another unhurried sip, and calmly replied with the composed tone of someone telling a youngster that she still had much to learn.
Hearing his words, Evernight nearly choked on his deliberately profound attitude before clicking her tongue in annoyance and flashing him a cold smile that clearly said, 'I'll just sit here and watch your performance.'
Lucian could not be bothered to continue arguing with her and simply set his coffee cup back down on the table before calmly withdrawing his hand.
In the next moment, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, he merely uttered a single word without making any dramatic movements or reciting any grand incantations.
"Come."
At the same time, Lucian activated Existence Anchor, maintaining the existence of the Aeon of Trailblaze.
*Buzz—*
An indescribable fluctuation of power soon emerged, as though originating from the very source of the universe itself, quietly spreading outward in every direction.
Yet the fluctuation remained unbelievably restrained.
Had everyone present not been extraordinary individuals with exceptionally keen senses, they most likely would not have noticed anything unusual at all.
In the next second, the light inside the Dining Car distorted ever so slightly. Space itself seemed to ripple for a fleeting instant before a colossal phantom gradually manifested within the galaxy beyond the windows.
It was none other than the projection of Akivili.
"Oh, this feeling of being forcibly connected again... Hm? It's... the Astral Express..."
As soon as Akivili appeared, THEY immediately resonated with the Astral Express, causing the entire train to radiate a brilliant glow as it instinctively responded to the power of the Aeon of Trailblaze.
At this moment, the familiar radiance flowed across every carriage, making the Astral Express seem as though it had briefly returned to the glorious era when Akivili still walked among its passengers.
Pom-Pom, who had been diligently mopping the floor, froze on the spot the moment they sensed Akivili's return.
"Akivili? Is that really you? Pom-Pom missed you so much, pom!"
Clinging tightly to the window, Pom-Pom looked up at the enormous silhouette outside and shouted, their eyes immediately turning red as they nearly burst into tears.
"Pom-Pom, it's been a long time..."
Just as Akivili spoke to Pom-Pom, THEIR colossal phantom suddenly vanished.
Needless to say, although Lucian had learned much about Akivili's past through Pom-Pom's memories, he still could not maintain THEIR existence for very long. Even with Existence Anchor active, he had only managed to materialize THEM for a single full second.
Apparently, the overwhelming difference in scale between himself and the target accounted for the vast majority of that limitation.
Meanwhile, witnessing the unbelievable spectacle that had just unfolded before her eyes, Evernight's crimson eyes widened into perfect circles, while her mouth hung slightly open.
'What?! He actually did it? No way... It's not an illusion, but a real Aeon? It was brief, but it was absolutely an Aeon...'
Her heart was overwhelmed by disbelief, shock, and horror all at once.
Because she had been in such close proximity to Akivili, there was no possibility that she could have mistaken what had just happened.
Lucian had genuinely used a method of forcibly utilizing memories to influence reality itself. It was already comparable to the authority wielded by Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance.
'Lucian... what kind of monster are you?'
Evernight quietly glanced at Lucian once more, her expression becoming increasingly complicated as countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Meanwhile, Lucian paid no attention whatsoever to her reaction.
He continuously activated Existence Anchor while relying on BGM to establish communication with Akivili. If not for BGM's complete immunity to negative effects, his mental strength would never have been capable of bearing the overwhelming burden brought about by the existence of an Aeon.
In the next instant, Akivili came into existence once more, and the moment THEY appeared, THEIR gaze immediately swept over Lucian and Himeko before quietly settling on the two of them.
"You two lovebirds already look like a married couple. Congratulations."
"Has it really been so many years already? Why are there only four passengers on the Astral Express? Has our Astral Express really fallen this far?"
"Ahh, this trailblazing business... it looks pretty miserable."
Faced with Akivili's teasing, Lucian neither blushed nor showed the slightest trace of embarrassment.
Instead, he immediately let out a heavy sigh, spread his hands helplessly, and then began spouting utter nonsense with a completely serious expression, looking as though every word that came out of his mouth was the absolute truth.
"Akivili, you have no idea how dangerous the cosmos is these days! We've been getting bullied by the Emanators of Destruction! Because the Astral Express doesn't even have an Emanator of Trailblaze, so many Trailblazers ended up sacrificing themselves, and now there's only us left!"
Hearing such outrageous nonsense delivered with a perfectly straight face, Himeko struggled to suppress her laughter, while Evernight could only stare at Lucian in complete speechlessness.
'Lucian... he's fooling an Aeon without even blinking. Even I can't compare to you. Besides, what Emanator could possibly bully you?'
Evernight thought to herself, inwardly marveling at Lucian's shameless composure.
March, as innocent and gullible as ever, however, accepted every single word he said without the slightest hint of doubt.
'Is it really that dangerous out there? Lucian and Himeko work so hard to protect us...'
As that thought crossed her mind, March looked at Lucian and Himeko with a touched expression and couldn't help but worry about everything they had silently endured.
At the same time, as Akivili listened to Lucian's wildly exaggerated complaints, the corner of THEIR mouth seemed to twitch ever so slightly.
"I don't believe a single word! You little brat are completely full of it! Are you pretending to be weak in front of me? Aren't the powers of Abundance and Elation already more than enough for you to show off?"
With just a single glance, Akivili could instantly perceive the authorities of the two Paths residing within Lucian.
"I'll keep it simple. Make me an Emanator of Trailblaze, and you'll get to stay alive a little longer."
Even after Akivili saw through his lie, Lucian showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile as he shamelessly stated his demand, his tone calm and matter-of-fact as though he were proposing the most reasonable deal in the world.
"Done! Immediately! You're a perfect candidate to become an Emanator of Trailblaze, anyway!"
Akivili agreed immediately without the slightest hesitation, nodding so quickly that it almost seemed as though they had been waiting for Lucian to make that exact request.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]