Lucian's arm still rested firmly around Black Swan's slender waist.
Even through the layer of luxurious purple fabric, he could clearly feel the soft warmth of her body and the faint tremors running through it.
Honestly, the sensation was so vivid that it was difficult to believe she was a memetic entity with no true physical body, especially when every subtle movement and reaction felt so undeniably real beneath his arm.
Black Swan's breathing came in hurried, uneven gasps, each warm breath carrying a faint, elegant fragrance that brushed lightly against his neck. Cold sweat had dampened the ends of her pale violet hair, leaving several loose strands clinging to her smooth forehead and graceful neck.
Her usually composed appearance had been thoroughly disrupted, and the slight trembling of her body made it clear that the fear she had experienced had yet to completely subside.
Rather than diminishing her beauty, however, her disheveled appearance gave her an unexpectedly fragile charm.
Lucian could even hear the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat, pounding rapidly inside her chest like a startled fawn desperately struggling to escape its cage—the sound was so clear that he could almost picture her heart beating frantically beneath her chest.
For someone who technically lacked a physical form, Black Swan certainly felt astonishingly real. Still, she had been frightened badly enough to break out in a cold sweat, and she looked rather pitiful, but why did that somehow make her even more alluring to him?
Black Swan raised her head ever so slightly, revealing that the mesmerizing eyes that had once reflected the endless sea of stars still lacked focus, but now, there was a lingering terror within them that refused to fade completely, no matter how hard she tried to regain her composure.
Her lips parted after she swallowed with difficulty, and only then did she manage to speak in a trembling voice.
"Th-Those memories... were all real?"
In her eyes, the fragments of memories she had witnessed had been far too overwhelming.
A shadow cleaving an Aeon apart with effortless force, planets casually hurled as weapons, and that unspeakable scene of torture with a Lord Ravager as the victim—everything she had seen had completely shattered her understanding of what true power could be.
Each fragment had been more absurd than the last, yet all of them had carried the same terrifying sense of reality.
Hearing Black Swan's question, the teasing smile on Lucian's lips grew just a little deeper.
Without any intention of hiding it, his fingertips lightly brushed across the side of her waist, slowly tracing the fabric there as though he were deliberately reminding her of just how powerless she currently was.
As expected, the gentle touch immediately drew another involuntary shiver from her body, causing her shoulders to tense ever so slightly.
"Of course they were real..." Lucian's tone carried the natural arrogance of someone simply stating the obvious. "Do you really think I'd waste my time making up fake memories just to fool you? You're giving yourself way too much credit, Black Swan. What exactly would I gain from deceiving you?"
A faint blush instantly spread across Black Swan's pale cheeks, though whether it stemmed from embarrassment or frustration was difficult to tell. Her expression shifted subtly, but she ultimately found herself unable to produce a convincing rebuttal.
Lucian's words were impossible to refute.
Judging from the incomprehensible level of power he had displayed, there was no reason for someone like him to fabricate lies. Someone capable of casually displaying such terrifying power simply had no need to construct elaborate deceptions for the sake of misleading her.
In fact, deceiving her would probably be beneath him.
At this moment, the confidence she had always placed in her abilities as a Memokeeper, along with the subtle tricks she had once been proud of, likely appeared no more impressive than childish games in his eyes.
Even though the realization was difficult for her to accept, the memories she had just witnessed had left her with no room to maintain her former arrogance.
Black Swan finally understood that Lucian was right.
Someone who had reached such a terrifying height had absolutely no need to deceive someone like her.
'I was too arrogant... I believed I could interpret every memory... but I'd only glimpsed a tiny corner of the abyss, and that alone nearly erased my existence...'
Black Swan slowly drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm her racing heartbeat while waiting for the lingering weakness in her limbs to gradually subside.
She had never imagined that merely observing someone's memories could bring her so close to the edge of complete annihilation.
A few moments later, when she looked at Lucian once more, the fear lingering in her beautiful eyes gradually receded. In its place appeared an emotion far more complicated—a mixture of reverence, curiosity, and quiet obedience born from reluctantly accepting reality.
Much of her former confidence had disappeared, and standing before Lucian now, she was noticeably more restrained. Even her usual composure as a Memokeeper had become considerably more subdued.
"I understand..." Black Swan said softly, her voice far gentler than before. "I won't try anything against you ever again."
Lucian nodded with satisfaction before finally removing the arm around her waist.
As though it were the most natural thing in the world, he casually reached out and straightened her slightly disheveled veil, restoring the elegant appearance she had possessed before her composure had been shattered.
"Mm, I like that attitude..." Lucian said calmly. "And by the way, I know exactly what you want. Since you made the right choice, I'll grant your wish. Right now, you can go somewhere you've always wanted to reach."
Black Swan blinked in surprise.
"You mean..."
"Amphoreus..." Lucian answered casually. "I'll let you get there before even the Garden of Recollection does."
"Amphoreus!"
Black Swan's eyes widened all over again, the shock she had only just managed to suppress immediately resurfacing.
"H-How... How do you know about that place?"
Amphoreus had always been shrouded in violent temporal and spatial turbulence that completely isolated it from the outside world. The isolation was so absolute that even the vast information network of the Garden of Recollection had been unable to properly penetrate it.
Generation after generation of Memokeepers had ventured there, hoping to break through that impenetrable barrier and uncover the secrets hidden within, yet not a single one had succeeded.
Many had disappeared without ever returning, leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions and fragments of memories that offered no explanation for what had happened to them.
"But there is something like a firewall of Erudition created by overlapping time and space," Black Swan explained with a solemn expression. "It's unimaginably dangerous. Even we Memokeepers have almost no way of entering it."
From her understanding, only the Astral Express, which had inherited the will of Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, might possess the ability to penetrate Amphoreus's outer firewall.
"You planned to borrow the power of the Trailblaze, didn't you?" Lucian said matter-of-factly. "Well, now I'm giving you that chance. Lead us to where the Scepter is."
Black Swan found herself speechless once again.
Lucian even knew about the Scepter?
But then again, someone capable of contending with Nous on equal footing, knowing such secrets, was hardly surprising.
"It seems you really do know everything..." Black Swan admitted with a bitter smile. "Are you also seeking the Scepter... to oppose Nous?"
"That's not something you gotta worry about," Lucian replied indifferently. "Your only job is to lead the way."
"I do know where the Scepter is..." Black Swan lowered her head respectfully. "If you and the Astral Express truly intend to travel there... then I'd be honored to guide you."
Inside, however, she was already overjoyed.
For a very long time, she had wanted to reach Amphoreus, but without a way to get through that firewall, the destination had remained forever out of reach.
Her original plan had been to invite the Astral Express and rely on the power of the Trailblaze to breach Amphoreus's defenses. If she could arrive before those Memosnatchers and Cremators, then she would finally have the chance to descend into the depths and witness the ancient remains with her own eyes.
"You made the right choice," Lucian said with a satisfied nod. "Congrats. You've earned the privilege of staying alive. From here on out, you're free to move around the Astral Express however you want."
As he spoke, he casually lifted Black Swan's smooth chin with his index and middle fingers before turning around and walking toward the Parlor Car.
Black Swan quietly exhaled, carefully straightened her clothes, brushed her hair back into place, and composed her expression, doing everything she could to erase the traces of panic from moments earlier before following behind him.
By the time Lucian reached the center of the Parlor Car, Stelle and March were still arguing over pancakes and canned food. Dan Heng sat quietly reading his book nearby, Himeko leisurely sipped her coffee, while Welt calmly polished his glasses.
*PA!*
Lucian clapped his hands together, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, quick announcement. We've got a change of plans." Lucian's voice echoed throughout the car. "We're skipping Penacony. No point going there just to watch a bunch of clowns perform. Instead, we're making a detour somewhere way more interesting."
He smiled, then spoke the name of their new destination.
"Amphoreus."
"Amphoreus...?" March tilted her head curiously. "What's that place?"
"It sounds awesome!" Stelle's eyes immediately lit up. "Is there another godmother there?"
As soon as that question left her mouth, everyone instantly understood the real reason behind the sudden change of destination.
Yes, that was probably it.
Himeko gently set down her coffee cup before looking toward Lucian with an amused smile.
"How about giving us the real reason?" Himeko asked calmly. "How many women do you have waiting for you in Amphoreus?"
Lucian froze briefly, shot Stelle a glare, then answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Six."
Upon hearing that, Himeko narrowed her eyes, then asked to confirm.
"Only six?"
"Yeah, just six. Absolutely no more than that." Lucian nodded earnestly. "Tribios, Mortis, Castorice, Polyxia, Hysilens, and Cipher."
As those six names left Lucian's mouth, everyone wore the exact same expression.
"Just as expected!" Stelle grinned brightly. "Six more godmothers! Nice~ I wonder if the trash cans in Amphoreus are worth digging through."
"Phew... only six..." March sighed in obvious relief. "Well, that's still half as many as Izumo."
"...Have we really reached the point where six wives count as 'only'?"
Welt silently adjusted his glasses as he remarked with a helpless expression.
"I'm fine with wherever we're going."
Dan Heng calmly closed his book and agreed without a fuss.
"I expected as much." Himeko simply smiled in resignation, then stood up. "Well, let's follow our usual procedure. A vote."
Just like that, the entire Astral Express crew immediately cast their votes, and the result was that every single person agreed.
As a result, the next stop of the Astral Express officially changed from Penacony to Amphoreus.
"We're changing course? Got it, pom." Pom-Pom nodded without objection before scratching their head in confusion. "But... where exactly is Amphoreus, pom? Even Akivili never reached that place. We don't have its coordinates."
At that, Lucian simply called out from where he stood without even turning around.
"Black Swan. Come out and lead the way."
In the next instant, an elegant, mature beauty clad in purple gracefully appeared before everyone.
Seeing Black Swan, Stelle's eyes sparkled.
"Whoa~ Since when did Godfather bring a new godmother onto the Express? Mommy Himeko, I didn't even know about this!"
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]